Performance Evaluation of a SLA Negotiation Control Protocol for Grid Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cergol, Igor; Mirchandani, Vinod; Verchere, Dominique

A framework for an autonomous negotiation control protocol for service delivery is crucial to enable the support of heterogeneous service level agreements (SLAs) that will exist in distributed environments. We have first given a gist of our augmented service negotiation protocol to support distinct service elements. The augmentations also encompass related composition of the services and negotiation with several service providers simultaneously. All the incorporated augmentations will enable to consolidate the service negotiation operations for telecom networks, which are evolving towards Grid networks. Furthermore, our autonomous negotiation protocol is based on a distributed multi-agent framework to create an open market for Grid services. Second, we have concisely presented key simulation results of our work in progress. The results exhibit the usefulness of our negotiation protocol for realistic scenarios that involves different background traffic loading, message sizes and traffic flow asymmetry between background and negotiation traffics.

Comparison of two MAC protocols based on LEO satellite networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Mingxiang; Wang, Ruichun

2009-12-01

With the development of LEO satellite communication, it is the basic requirement that various kinds of services will be provided. Considering that weak channel collision detection ability, long propagation delay and heavy load in LEO satellite communication system, a valid adaptive access control protocol APRMA is proposed. Different access probability functions for different services are obtained and appropriate access probabilities for voice and data users are updated slot by slot based on the estimation of the voice traffic and the channel status. Finally simulation results demonstrate that the performance of system is improved by the APRMA compared with the conventional PRMA, with an acceptable trade-off between QoS of voice and delay of data. Also the APRMA protocol will be suitable for HAPS (high altitude platform station) with the characters of weak channel collision detection ability, long propagation delay and heavy load.

Increased resistance during jump exercise does not enhance cortical bone formation.

PubMed

Boudreaux, Ramon D; Swift, Joshua M; Gasier, Heath G; Wiggs, Michael P; Hogan, Harry A; Fluckey, James D; Bloomfield, Susan A

2014-01-01

This study sought to elucidate the effects of a low- and high-load jump resistance exercise (RE) training protocol on cortical bone of the tibia and femur mid-diaphyses. Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 6 months old) were randomly assigned to high-load RE (HRE; n = 16), low-load RE (LRE; n = 15), or cage control (CC; n = 11) groups. Animals in the HRE and LRE groups performed 15 sessions of jump RE for 5 wk. Load in the HRE group was progressively increased from 80 g added to a weighted vest (50 repetitions) to 410 g (16 repetitions). The LRE rats completed the same protocol as the HRE group (same number of repetitions), with only a 30-g vest applied. Low- and high-load jump RE resulted in 6%-11% higher cortical bone mineral content and cortical bone area compared with controls, as determined by in vivo peripheral quantitative computed tomography measurements. In the femur, however, only LRE demonstrated improvements in cortical volumetric bone mineral density (+11%) and cross-sectional moment of inertia (+20%) versus the CC group. The three-point bending to failure revealed a marked increase in tibial maximum force (25%-29%), stiffness (19%-22%), and energy to maximum force (35%-55%) and a reduction in elastic modulus (-11% to 14%) in both LRE and HRE compared with controls. Dynamic histomorphometry assessed at the tibia mid-diaphysis determined that both LRE and HRE resulted in 20%-30% higher periosteal mineralizing surface versus the CC group. Mineral apposition rate and bone formation rate were significantly greater in animals in the LRE group (27%, 39%) than those in the HRE group. These data demonstrate that jump training with minimal loading is equally, and sometimes more, effective at augmenting cortical bone integrity compared with overload training in skeletally mature rats.

Control of Smart Building Using Advanced SCADA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samuel, Vivin Thomas

For complete control of the building, a proper SCADA implementation and the optimization strategy has to be build. For better communication and efficiency a proper channel between the Communication protocol and SCADA has to be designed. This paper concentrate mainly between the communication protocol, and the SCADA implementation, for a better optimization and energy savings is derived to large scale industrial buildings. The communication channel used in order to completely control the building remotely from a distant place. For an efficient result we consider the temperature values and the power ratings of the equipment so that while controlling the equipment, we are setting a threshold values for FDD technique implementation. Building management system became a vital source for any building to maintain it and for safety purpose. Smart buildings, refers to various distinct features, where the complete automation system, office building controls, data center controls. ELC's are used to communicate the load values of the building to the remote server from a far location with the help of an Ethernet communication channel. Based on the demand fluctuation and the peak voltage, the loads operate differently increasing the consumption rate thus results in the increase in the annual consumption bill. In modern days, saving energy and reducing the consumption bill is most essential for any building for a better and long operation. The equipment - monitored regularly and optimization strategy is implemented for cost reduction automation system. Thus results in the reduction of annual cost reduction and load lifetime increase.

LANES - LOCAL AREA NETWORK EXTENSIBLE SIMULATOR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibson, J.

1994-01-01

The Local Area Network Extensible Simulator (LANES) provides a method for simulating the performance of high speed local area network (LAN) technology. LANES was developed as a design and analysis tool for networking on board the Space Station. The load, network, link and physical layers of a layered network architecture are all modeled. LANES models to different lower-layer protocols, the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) and the Star*Bus. The load and network layers are included in the model as a means of introducing upper-layer processing delays associated with message transmission; they do not model any particular protocols. FDDI is an American National Standard and an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) draft standard for a 100 megabit-per-second fiber-optic token ring. Specifications for the LANES model of FDDI are taken from the Draft Proposed American National Standard FDDI Token Ring Media Access Control (MAC), document number X3T9.5/83-16 Rev. 10, February 28, 1986. This is a mature document describing the FDDI media-access-control protocol. Star*Bus, also known as the Fiber Optic Demonstration System, is a protocol for a 100 megabit-per-second fiber-optic star-topology LAN. This protocol, along with a hardware prototype, was developed by Sperry Corporation under contract to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as a candidate LAN protocol for the Space Station. LANES can be used to analyze performance of a networking system based on either FDDI or Star*Bus under a variety of loading conditions. Delays due to upper-layer processing can easily be nullified, allowing analysis of FDDI or Star*Bus as stand-alone protocols. LANES is a parameter-driven simulation; it provides considerable flexibility in specifying both protocol an run-time parameters. Code has been optimized for fast execution and detailed tracing facilities have been included. LANES was written in FORTRAN 77 for implementation on a DEC VAX under VMS 4.6. It consists of two programs, a simulation program and a user-interface program. The simulation program requires the SLAM II simulation library from Pritsker and Associates, W. Lafayette IN; the user interface is implemented using the Ingres database manager from Relational Technology, Inc. Information about running the simulation program without the user-interface program is contained in the documentation. The memory requirement is 129,024 bytes. LANES was developed in 1988.

A study of topologies and protocols for fiber optic local area network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeh, C.; Gerla, M.; Rodrigues, P.

1985-01-01

The emergence of new applications requiring high data traffic necessitates the development of high speed local area networks. Optical fiber is selected as the transmission medium due to its inherent advantages over other possible media and the dual optical bus architecture is shown to be the most suitable topology. Asynchronous access protocols, including token, random, hybrid random/token, and virtual token schemes, are developed and analyzed. Exact expressions for insertion delay and utilization at light and heavy load are derived, and intermediate load behavior is investigated by simulation. A new tokenless adaptive scheme whose control depends only on the detection of activity on the channel is shown to outperform round-robin schemes under uneven loads and multipacket traffic and to perform optimally at light load. An approximate solution to the queueing delay for an oscillating polling scheme under chaining is obtained and results are compared with simulation. Solutions to the problem of building systems with a large number of stations are presented, including maximization of the number of optical couplers, and the use of passive star/bus topologies, bridges and gateways.

The Role of Mechanical Loading in Tendon Development, Maintenance, Injury, and Repair

PubMed Central

Galloway, Marc T.; Lalley, Andrea L.; Shearn, Jason T.

2013-01-01

➤ Tendon injuries often result from excessive or insufficient mechanical loading, impairing the ability of the local tendon cell population to maintain normal tendon function. ➤ The resident cell population composing tendon tissue is mechanosensitive, given that the cells are able to alter the extracellular matrix in response to modifications of the local loading environment. ➤ Natural tendon healing is insufficient, characterized by improper collagen fibril diameter formation, collagen fibril distribution, and overall fibril misalignment. ➤ Current tendon repair rehabilitation protocols focus on implementing early, well-controlled eccentric loading exercises to improve repair outcome. ➤ Tissue engineers look toward incorporating mechanical loading regimens to precondition cell populations for the creation of improved biological augmentations for tendon repair. PMID:24005204

Development of an Open Building Automation System Specification Based on ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2004 (BACnet(R) Communications Protocol: A Technical Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

on/off control), trending and trend reports, load shedding/load manage- ment, remote setpoint adjustment, initial diagnosis of a service call and...building-specific operational data such as on/off scheduling com- mands, setpoints , and outside air temperature. With help from several other agencies and...interface for monitoring 3. Provide one interface for device/system management/configuration 4. ( Optimally ) provide one interface for device

Development of an Open Building Automation System Specification Based on ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2004 (BACnet(Registered) Communications Protocol): A Technical Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

on/off control), trending and trend reports, load shedding/load manage- ment, remote setpoint adjustment, initial diagnosis of a service call and...building-specific operational data such as on/off scheduling com- mands, setpoints , and outside air temperature. With help from several other agencies and...interface for monitoring 3. Provide one interface for device/system management/configuration 4. ( Optimally ) provide one interface for device

Computing architecture for autonomous microgrids

DOEpatents

Goldsmith, Steven Y.

2015-09-29

A computing architecture that facilitates autonomously controlling operations of a microgrid is described herein. A microgrid network includes numerous computing devices that execute intelligent agents, each of which is assigned to a particular entity (load, source, storage device, or switch) in the microgrid. The intelligent agents can execute in accordance with predefined protocols to collectively perform computations that facilitate uninterrupted control of the .

Dual-layer DECT for multiphasic hepatic CT with 50 percent iodine load: a matched-pair comparison with a 120 kVp protocol.

PubMed

Nagayama, Yasunori; Nakaura, Takeshi; Oda, Seitaro; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Funama, Yoshinori; Iyama, Yuji; Taguchi, Narumi; Namimoto, Tomohiro; Yuki, Hideaki; Kidoh, Masafumi; Hirata, Kenichiro; Nakagawa, Masataka; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

2018-04-01

To evaluate the image quality and lesion conspicuity of virtual-monochromatic-imaging (VMI) with dual-layer DECT (DL-DECT) for reduced-iodine-load multiphasic-hepatic CT. Forty-five adults with renal dysfunction who had undergone hepatic DL-DECT with 300-mgI/kg were included. VMI (40-70-keV, DL-DECT-VMI) was generated at each enhancement phase. As controls, 45 matched patients undergoing standard 120-kVp protocol (120-kVp, 600-mgI/kg, and iterative reconstruction) were included. We compared the size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), image noise, CT attenuation, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between protocols. Two radiologists scored the image quality and lesion conspicuity. SSDE was significantly lower in DL-DECT group (p < 0.01). Image noise of DL-DECT-VMI was almost constant at each keV (differences of ≤15%) and equivalent to or lower than of 120-kVp. As the energy decreased, CT attenuation and CNR gradually increased; the values of 55-60 keV images were almost equivalent to those of standard 120-kVp. The highest scores for overall quality and lesion conspicuity were assigned at 40-keV followed by 45 to 55-keV, all of which were similar to or better than of 120-kVp. For multiphasic-hepatic CT with 50% iodine-load, DL-DECT-VMI at 40- to 55-keV provides equivalent or better image quality and lesion conspicuity without increasing radiation dose compared with standard 120-kVp protocol. • 40-55-keV yields optimal image quality for half-iodine-load multiphasic-hepatic CT with DL-DECT. • DL-DECT protocol decreases radiation exposure compared with 120-kVp scans with iterative reconstruction. • 40-keV images maximise conspicuity of hepatocellular carcinoma especially at hepatic-arterial phase.

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint

PubMed Central

Jang, Andrew T.; Lin, Jeremy D.; Seo, Youngho; Etchin, Sergey; Merkle, Arno; Fahey, Kevin; Ho, Sunita P.

2014-01-01

This study demonstrates a novel biomechanics testing protocol. The advantage of this protocol includes the use of an in situ loading device coupled to a high resolution X-ray microscope, thus enabling visualization of internal structural elements under simulated physiological loads and wet conditions. Experimental specimens will include intact bone-periodontal ligament (PDL)-tooth fibrous joints. Results will illustrate three important features of the protocol as they can be applied to organ level biomechanics: 1) reactionary force vs. displacement: tooth displacement within the alveolar socket and its reactionary response to loading, 2) three-dimensional (3D) spatial configuration and morphometrics: geometric relationship of the tooth with the alveolar socket, and 3) changes in readouts 1 and 2 due to a change in loading axis, i.e. from concentric to eccentric loads. Efficacy of the proposed protocol will be evaluated by coupling mechanical testing readouts to 3D morphometrics and overall biomechanics of the joint. In addition, this technique will emphasize on the need to equilibrate experimental conditions, specifically reactionary loads prior to acquiring tomograms of fibrous joints. It should be noted that the proposed protocol is limited to testing specimens under ex vivo conditions, and that use of contrast agents to visualize soft tissue mechanical response could lead to erroneous conclusions about tissue and organ-level biomechanics. PMID:24638035

A novel tool for continuous fracture aftercare - Clinical feasibility and first results of a new telemetric gait analysis insole.

PubMed

Braun, Benedikt J; Bushuven, Eva; Hell, Rebecca; Veith, Nils T; Buschbaum, Jan; Holstein, Joerg H; Pohlemann, Tim

2016-02-01

Weight bearing after lower extremity fractures still remains a highly controversial issue. Even in ankle fractures, the most common lower extremity injury no standard aftercare protocol has been established. Average non weight bearing times range from 0 to 7 weeks, with standardised, radiological healing controls at fixed time intervals. Recent literature calls for patient-adapted aftercare protocols based on individual fracture and load scenarios. We show the clinical feasibility and first results of a new, insole embedded gait analysis tool for continuous monitoring of gait, load and activity. Ten patients were monitored with a new, independent gait analysis insole for up to 3 months postoperatively. Strict 20 kg partial weight bearing was ordered for 6 weeks. Overall activity, load spectrum, ground reaction forces, clinical scoring and general health data were recorded and correlated. Statistical analysis with power analysis, t-test and Spearman correlation was performed. Only one patient completely adhered to the set weight bearing limit. Average time in minutes over the limit was 374 min. Based on the parameters load, activity, gait time over 20 kg weight bearing and maximum ground reaction force high and low performers were defined after 3 weeks. Significant difference in time to painless full weight bearing between high and low performers was shown. Correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between weight bearing and clinical scoring as well as pain (American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) Score rs=0.74; Olerud-Molander Score rs=0.93; VAS pain rs=-0.95). Early, continuous gait analysis is able to define aftercare performers with significant differences in time to full painless weight bearing where clinical or radiographic controls could not. Patient compliance to standardised weight bearing limits and protocols is low. Highly individual rehabilitation patterns were seen in all patients. Aftercare protocols should be adjusted to real-time patient conditions, rather than fixed intervals and limits. With a real-time measuring device high performers could be identified and influenced towards optimal healing conditions early, while low performers are recognised and missing healing influences could be corrected according to patient condition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Protocols for hyperlactatemia induction in the lactate minimum test adapted to swimming rats.

PubMed

de Araujo, Gustavo Gomes; Papoti, Marcelo; Manchado, Fúlvia de Barros; de Mello, Maria Alice Rostom; Gobatto, Claudio Alexandre

2007-12-01

The lactate minimum test (LACmin) has been considered an important indicator of endurance exercise capacity and a single session protocol can predict the maximal steady state lactate (MLSS). The objective of this study was to determine the best swimming protocol to induce hyperlactatemia in order to assure the LACmin in rats (Rattus norvegicus), standardized to four different protocols (P) of lactate elevation. The protocols were P1: 6 min of intermittent jumping exercise in water (load of 50% of the body weight - bw); P2: two 13% bw load swimming bouts until exhaustion (tlim); P3: one tlim 13% bw load swimming bout; and P4: two 13% bw load swimming bouts (1st 30 s, 2nd to tlim), separated by a 30 s interval. The incremental phase of LACmin beginning with initial loads of 4% bw, increased in 0.5% at each 5 min. Peak lactate concentration was collected after 5, 7 and 9 min (mmol L(-1)) and differed among the protocols P1 (15.2+/-0.4, 14.9+/-0.7, 14.8+/-0.6) and P2 (14.0+/-0.4, 14.9+/-0.4, 15.5+/-0.5) compared to P3 (5.1+/-0.1, 5.6+/-0.3, 5.6+/-0.3) and P4 (4.7+/-0.2, 6.8+/-0.2, 7.1+/-0.2). The LACmin determination success rates were 58%, 55%, 80% and 91% in P1, P2, P3 and P4 protocols, respectively. The MLSS did not differ from LACmin in any protocol. The LACmin obtained from P4 protocol showed better assurance for the MLSS identification in most of the tested rats.

Increased Resistance during Jump Exercise Does Not Enhance Cortical Bone Formation

PubMed Central

Boudreaux, Ramon D.; Swift, Joshua M.; Gasier, Heath G.; Wiggs, Michael P.; Hogan, Harry A.; Fluckey, James D.; Bloomfield, Susan A.

2014-01-01

PURPOSE This study sought to elucidate the effects of a low- and high-load jump resistance exercise (RE) training protocol on cortical bone of the tibia and femur mid-diaphyses. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats (male, 6-mos-old) were randomly assigned to high-load RE (HRE; n = 16), low-load RE (LRE; n = 15) or cage control (CC; n = 11) groups. Animals in the HRE and LRE groups performed 15 sessions of jump RE for 5 weeks. Load in the HRE group was progressively increased from 80g added to a weighted vest (50 repetitions) to 410g (16 repetitions). The LRE rats completed the same protocol as the HRE group (same number of repetitions) with only a 30g vest applied. RESULTS Low- and high-load jump RE resulted in 6–11% higher cortical bone mineral content (BMC) and cortical bone area compared to controls as determined by in vivo pQCT measurements. In the femur, however, only LRE demonstrated improvements in cortical volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD; +11%) and cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI; +20%) versus CC group. Three-point bending to failure revealed a marked increase in tibial max force (25–29%), stiffness (19–22%), and energy to max force (35–55%), and a reduction in elastic modulus (−11–14%) in both LRE and HRE compared to controls. Dynamic histomorphometry assessed at the tibia mid-diaphysis determined that both LRE and HRE resulted in 20–30% higher periosteal mineralizing surface versus CC group. Mineral apposition rate (MAR) and bone formation rate (BFR) were significantly greater in LRE animals (27%, 39%) than in the HRE group. CONCLUSION These data demonstrate that jump training with minimal loading is equally, and sometimes more, effective at augmenting cortical bone integrity compared to overload training in skeletally mature rats. PMID:24743108

Wear Scar Similarities between Retrieved and Simulator-Tested Polyethylene TKR Components: An Artificial Neural Network Approach

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine how representative wear scars of simulator-tested polyethylene (PE) inserts compare with retrieved PE inserts from total knee replacement (TKR). By means of a nonparametric self-organizing feature map (SOFM), wear scar images of 21 postmortem- and 54 revision-retrieved components were compared with six simulator-tested components that were tested either in displacement or in load control according to ISO protocols. The SOFM network was then trained with the wear scar images of postmortem-retrieved components since those are considered well-functioning at the time of retrieval. Based on this training process, eleven clusters were established, suggesting considerable variability among wear scars despite an uncomplicated loading history inside their hosts. The remaining components (revision-retrieved and simulator-tested) were then assigned to these established clusters. Six out of five simulator components were clustered together, suggesting that the network was able to identify similarities in loading history. However, the simulator-tested components ended up in a cluster at the fringe of the map containing only 10.8% of retrieved components. This may suggest that current ISO testing protocols were not fully representative of this TKR population, and protocols that better resemble patients' gait after TKR containing activities other than walking may be warranted. PMID:27597955

Throughput analysis of the IEEE 802.4 token bus standard under heavy load

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pang, Joseph; Tobagi, Fouad

1987-01-01

It has become clear in the last few years that there is a trend towards integrated digital services. Parallel to the development of public Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is service integration in the local area (e.g., a campus, a building, an aircraft). The types of services to be integrated depend very much on the specific local environment. However, applications tend to generate data traffic belonging to one of two classes. According to IEEE 802.4 terminology, the first major class of traffic is termed synchronous, such as packetized voice and data generated from other applications with real-time constraints, and the second class is called asynchronous which includes most computer data traffic such as file transfer or facsimile. The IEEE 802.4 token bus protocol which was designed to support both synchronous and asynchronous traffic is examined. The protocol is basically a timer-controlled token bus access scheme. By a suitable choice of the design parameters, it can be shown that access delay is bounded for synchronous traffic. As well, the bandwidth allocated to asynchronous traffic can be controlled. A throughput analysis of the protocol under heavy load with constant channel occupation of synchronous traffic and constant token-passing times is presented.

Heat and mass transfer during the cryopreservation of a bioartificial liver device: a computational model.

PubMed

Balasubramanian, Saravana K; Coger, Robin N

2005-01-01

Bioartificial liver devices (BALs) have proven to be an effective bridge to transplantation for cases of acute liver failure. Enabling the long-term storage of these devices using a method such as cryopreservation will ensure their easy off the shelf availability. To date, cryopreservation of liver cells has been attempted for both single cells and sandwich cultures. This study presents the potential of using computational modeling to help develop a cryopreservation protocol for storing the three dimensional BAL: Hepatassist. The focus is upon determining the thermal and concentration profiles as the BAL is cooled from 37 degrees C-100 degrees C, and is completed in two steps: a cryoprotectant loading step and a phase change step. The results indicate that, for the loading step, mass transfer controls the duration of the protocol, whereas for the phase change step, when mass transfer is assumed negligible, the latent heat released during freezing is the control factor. The cryoprotocol that is ultimately proposed considers time, cooling rate, and the temperature gradients that the cellular space is exposed to during cooling. To our knowledge, this study is the first reported effort toward designing an effective protocol for the cryopreservation of a three-dimensional BAL device.

Automated sample-changing robot for solution scattering experiments at the EMBL Hamburg SAXS station X33

PubMed Central

Round, A. R.; Franke, D.; Moritz, S.; Huchler, R.; Fritsche, M.; Malthan, D.; Klaering, R.; Svergun, D. I.; Roessle, M.

2008-01-01

There is a rapidly increasing interest in the use of synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for large-scale studies of biological macromolecules in solution, and this requires an adequate means of automating the experiment. A prototype has been developed of an automated sample changer for solution SAXS, where the solutions are kept in thermostatically controlled well plates allowing for operation with up to 192 samples. The measuring protocol involves controlled loading of protein solutions and matching buffers, followed by cleaning and drying of the cell between measurements. The system was installed and tested at the X33 beamline of the EMBL, at the storage ring DORIS-III (DESY, Hamburg), where it was used by over 50 external groups during 2007. At X33, a throughput of approximately 12 samples per hour, with a failure rate of sample loading of less than 0.5%, was observed. The feedback from users indicates that the ease of use and reliability of the user operation at the beamline were greatly improved compared with the manual filling mode. The changer is controlled by a client–server-based network protocol, locally and remotely. During the testing phase, the changer was operated in an attended mode to assess its reliability and convenience. Full integration with the beamline control software, allowing for automated data collection of all samples loaded into the machine with remote control from the user, is presently being implemented. The approach reported is not limited to synchrotron-based SAXS but can also be used on laboratory and neutron sources. PMID:25484841

Central FPGA-based destination and load control in the LHCb MHz event readout

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsson, R.

2012-10-01

The readout strategy of the LHCb experiment is based on complete event readout at 1 MHz. A set of 320 sub-detector readout boards transmit event fragments at total rate of 24.6 MHz at a bandwidth usage of up to 70 GB/s over a commercial switching network based on Gigabit Ethernet to a distributed event building and high-level trigger processing farm with 1470 individual multi-core computer nodes. In the original specifications, the readout was based on a pure push protocol. This paper describes the proposal, implementation, and experience of a non-conventional mixture of a push and a pull protocol, akin to credit-based flow control. An FPGA-based central master module, partly operating at the LHC bunch clock frequency of 40.08 MHz and partly at a double clock speed, is in charge of the entire trigger and readout control from the front-end electronics up to the high-level trigger farm. One FPGA is dedicated to controlling the event fragment packing in the readout boards, the assignment of the farm node destination for each event, and controls the farm load based on an asynchronous pull mechanism from each farm node. This dynamic readout scheme relies on generic event requests and the concept of node credit allowing load control and trigger rate regulation as a function of the global farm load. It also allows the vital task of fast central monitoring and automatic recovery in-flight of failing nodes while maintaining dead-time and event loss at a minimum. This paper demonstrates the strength and suitability of implementing this real-time task for a very large distributed system in an FPGA where no random delays are introduced, and where extreme reliability and accurate event accounting are fundamental requirements. It was in use during the entire commissioning phase of LHCb and has been in faultless operation during the first two years of physics luminosity data taking.

A novel wavelength availability advertisement based ASON routing protocol implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jian; Liu, Juan; Zhang, Jie; Gu, Wanyi

2005-11-01

A novel wavelength availability advertisement based ASON routing protocol implementation is proposed in this paper which is derived from Open Shortest Path First protocol (OSPF) version 2. It can be applied to ASON network with a single control domain and can be easily extended to support routing in the multi-domain scenarios. Two new types of link state advertisement (LSA) are suggested for disseminating wavelength availability and network topology information. The OSPF mechanisms are inherited to ensure that the routing messages are delivered more reliably and converged more quickly while with fewer overheads. The topology auto discovery is realized through LSA flooding interacting with auto neighbor discovery using Link Management Protocol. The new LSA formats are given and how the link state database (LSD) is comprised is described. The new data structures proposed include topology resource list, adjacency list and route table. Then we analyze the differences of ASON in link state exchange, routing information flooding procedure, flushing procedure and new resources participating, i.e. new links or nodes join in an existing ASON. The link or node failure and recovery effect and how to deal with them are settled as well. In order to adopt different Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) algorithms, a standard and efficient interface is designed. After extensive simulation we give the numerical analysis and come to the following conclusions: wavelength availability information flooding Convergence Time is about 30 milliseconds and it is not affected by RWA algorithms and the call traffic load; routing Protocol Average Overhead rises linearly with the increase of traffic load; Average Connection Setup Time decreases with the increase of traffic load because of the decrease of Average Routing Distance of the successfully lightpaths; Wavelength availability advertisement can greatly promote the blocking performance of ASON in relatively low traffic load; ASON operator can make a good trade off between the wavelength availability advertisement Protocol Average Overhead and Blocking Probability by adopting and adjusting the routing update triggers; and the last is that wavelength availability advertisement throughout the optical network is applicable and our ASON routing protocol implementation could be applied in ASON when its scale is not too large and if the calls do not arrive and leave the network in a too frequent pace.

Effects of immediate and delayed loading on peri-implant trabecular structures: a cone beam CT evaluation.

PubMed

Huang, Yan; Van Dessel, Jeroen; Liang, Xin; Depypere, Maarten; Zhong, Weijian; Ma, Guowu; Lambrichts, Ivo; Maes, Frederik; Jacobs, Reinhilde

2014-12-01

To develop a method for characterizing trabecular bone microarchitecture using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to evaluate trabecular bone changes after rehabilitation using immediate versus delayed implant protocols. Six mongrel dogs randomly received 27 titanium implants in the maxillary incisor or mandibular premolar areas, following one of four protocols: (1) normal extraction socket healing; (2) immediate implant placement and immediate loading; (3) delayed implant placement and delayed loading; (4) delayed implant placement and immediate loading. The animals were euthanized at 8 weeks, and block biopsies were scanned using high resolution CBCT. Standard bone structural variables were assessed in coronal, middle, and apical levels. Coronal and middle regions had more compact, more platelike, and thicker trabeculae. Protocols (2), (3), and (4) had significantly higher values (p < 0.001) than protocol (1) for bone surface density, bone surface volume ratio, and connectivity density, while significantly lower values (p < 0.001) were found for trabecular separation and fractal dimension. However, protocols (2), (3), and (4) did not show significantly different bone remodeling. Compared with normal extraction healing, the implant protocols have an improved bone structural integration. Results do not suggest a different bone remodeling pattern when a delayed versus an immediate implant protocol is used. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A slotted access control protocol for metropolitan WDM ring networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baziana, P. A.; Pountourakis, I. E.

2009-03-01

In this study we focus on the serious scalability problems that many access protocols for WDM ring networks introduce due to the use of a dedicated wavelength per access node for either transmission or reception. We propose an efficient slotted MAC protocol suitable for WDM ring metropolitan area networks. The proposed network architecture employs a separate wavelength for control information exchange prior to the data packet transmission. Each access node is equipped with a pair of tunable transceivers for data communication and a pair of fixed tuned transceivers for control information exchange. Also, each access node includes a set of fixed delay lines for synchronization reasons; to keep the data packets, while the control information is processed. An efficient access algorithm is applied to avoid both the data wavelengths and the receiver collisions. In our protocol, each access node is capable of transmitting and receiving over any of the data wavelengths, facing the scalability issues. Two different slot reuse schemes are assumed: the source and the destination stripping schemes. For both schemes, performance measures evaluation is provided via an analytic model. The analytical results are validated by a discrete event simulation model that uses Poisson traffic sources. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol manages efficient bandwidth utilization, especially under high load. Also, comparative simulation results prove that our protocol achieves significant performance improvement as compared with other WDMA protocols which restrict transmission over a dedicated data wavelength. Finally, performance measures evaluation is explored for diverse numbers of buffer size, access nodes and data wavelengths.

Validation of a Nylon-Flocked-Swab Protocol for Efficient Recovery of Bacterial Spores from Smooth and Rough Surfaces▿

PubMed Central

Probst, Alexander; Facius, Rainer; Wirth, Reinhard; Moissl-Eichinger, Christine

2010-01-01

In order to meet planetary-protection requirements, culturable bacterial spore loads are measured representatively for the total microbial contamination of spacecraft. However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) cotton swab protocols for spore load determination have not changed for decades. To determine whether a more efficient alternative was available, a novel swab was evaluated for recovery of different Bacillus atrophaeus spore concentrations on stainless steel and other surfaces. Two protocols for the nylon-flocked swab (NFS) were validated and compared to the present NASA standard protocol. The results indicate that the novel swab protocols recover 3- to 4-fold more (45.4% and 49.0% recovery efficiency) B. atrophaeus spores than the NASA standard method (13.2%). Moreover, the nylon-flocked-swab protocols were superior in recovery efficiency for spores of seven different Bacillus species, including Bacillus anthracis Sterne (recovery efficiency, 20%). The recovery efficiencies for B. atrophaeus spores from different surfaces showed a variation from 5.9 to 62.0%, depending on the roughness of the surface analyzed. Direct inoculation of the swab resulted in a recovery rate of about 80%, consistent with the results of scanning electron micrographs that allowed detailed comparisons of the two swab types. The results of this investigation will significantly contribute to the cleanliness control of future life detection missions and will provide significant improvement in detection of B. anthracis contamination for law enforcement and security efforts. PMID:20543054

Advanced immediate functional loading: requirements for long-term success in modern implant dentistry.

PubMed

Romanos, Georgios E

2014-01-01

There are benefits to be derived from the use of advanced surgical protocols in conjunction with immediate functional loading using various dental implant designs and implant-abutment connections. Clinical protocols with simultaneous bone grafting, immediate implant placement, and/or sinus augmentations when a shortened treatment period is needed are included in this report, with the aim of providing understanding of the main protocol characteristics and prerequisites for long-term success in implant dentistry. This article presents three clinical cases that illustrate possibilities for advanced immediate loading using different implant designs. It demonstrates treatment of severe bone defects and the facilitation of placing implants in regenerated bone that can be immediately loaded.

Design and Implementation of a MAC Protocol for Timely and Reliable Delivery of Command and Data in Dynamic Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Oh, Hoon; Van Vinh, Phan

2013-01-01

This paper proposes and implements a new TDMA-based MAC protocol for providing timely and reliable delivery of data and command for monitoring and control networks. In this kind of network, sensor nodes are required to sense data from the monitoring environment periodically and then send the data to a sink. The sink determines whether the environment is safe or not by analyzing the acquired data. Sometimes, a command or control message is sent from the sink to a particular node or a group of nodes to execute the services or request further interested data. The proposed MAC protocol enables bidirectional communication, controls active and sleep modes of a sensor node to conserve energy, and addresses the problem of load unbalancing between the nodes near a sink and the other nodes. It can improve reliability of communication significantly while extending network lifetime. These claims are supported by the experimental results. PMID:24084116

Design and implementation of a MAC protocol for timely and reliable delivery of command and data in dynamic wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Oh, Hoon; Van Vinh, Phan

2013-09-30

This paper proposes and implements a new TDMA-based MAC protocol for providing timely and reliable delivery of data and command for monitoring and control networks. In this kind of network, sensor nodes are required to sense data from the monitoring environment periodically and then send the data to a sink. The sink determines whether the environment is safe or not by analyzing the acquired data. Sometimes, a command or control message is sent from the sink to a particular node or a group of nodes to execute the services or request further interested data. The proposed MAC protocol enables bidirectional communication, controls active and sleep modes of a sensor node to conserve energy, and addresses the problem of load unbalancing between the nodes near a sink and the other nodes. It can improve reliability of communication significantly while extending network lifetime. These claims are supported by the experimental results.

Influence of Total Knee Arthroplasty on Gait Mechanics of the Replaced and Non-Replaced Limb During Stair Negotiation.

PubMed

Standifird, Tyler W; Saxton, Arnold M; Coe, Dawn P; Cates, Harold E; Reinbolt, Jeffrey A; Zhang, Songning

2016-01-01

This study compared biomechanics during stair ascent in replaced and non-replaced limbs of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients with control limbs of healthy participants. Thirteen TKA patients and fifteen controls performed stair ascent. Replaced and non-replaced knees of TKA patients were less flexed at contact compared to controls. The loading response peak knee extension moment was greater in control and non-replaced knees compared with replaced. The push-off peak knee abduction moment was elevated in replaced limbs compared to controls. Loading and push-off peak hip abduction moments were greater in replaced limbs compared to controls. The push-off peak hip abduction moment was greater in non-replaced limbs compared to controls. Future rehabilitation protocols should consider the replaced knee and also the non-replaced knee and surrounding joints. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Access Protocol For An Industrial Optical Fibre LAN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senior, John M.; Walker, William M.; Ryley, Alan

1987-09-01

A structure for OSI levels 1 and 2 of a local area network suitable for use in a variety of industrial environments is reported. It is intended that the LAN will utilise optical fibre technology at the physical level and a hybrid of dynamically optimisable token passing and CSMA/CD techniques at the data link (IEEE 802 medium access control - logical link control) level. An intelligent token passing algorithm is employed which dynamically allocates tokens according to the known upper limits on the requirements of each device. In addition a system of stochastic tokens is used to increase efficiency when the stochastic traffic is significant. The protocol also allows user-defined priority systems to be employed and is suitable for distributed or centralised implementation. The results of computer simulated performance characteristics for the protocol using a star-ring topology are reported which demonstrate its ability to perform efficiently with the device and traffic loads anticipated within an industrial environment.

Web Transfer Over Satellites Being Improved

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allman, Mark

1999-01-01

Extensive research conducted by NASA Lewis Research Center's Satellite Networks and Architectures Branch and the Ohio University has demonstrated performance improvements in World Wide Web transfers over satellite-based networks. The use of a new version of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) reduced the time required to load web pages over a single Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection traversing a satellite channel. However, an older technique of simultaneously making multiple requests of a given server has been shown to provide even faster transfer time. Unfortunately, the use of multiple simultaneous requests has been shown to be harmful to the network in general. Therefore, we are developing new mechanisms for the HTTP protocol which may allow a single request at any given time to perform as well as, or better than, multiple simultaneous requests. In the course of study, we also demonstrated that the time for web pages to load is at least as short via a satellite link as it is via a standard 28.8-kbps dialup modem channel. This demonstrates that satellites are a viable means of accessing the Internet.

Energy-efficient boarder node medium access control protocol for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Razaque, Abdul; Elleithy, Khaled M

2014-03-12

This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN), which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS), which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM) model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS), which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi-synchronous feature with a low duty cycle, which is advantageous for reducing the latency and energy consumption for several WSN application areas to improve the throughput. BN-MAC uses a unique window slot size to enhance the contention resolution issue for improved throughput. BN-MAC also prefers to communicate within a one-hop destination using Anycast, which maintains load balancing to maintain network reliability. BN-MAC is introduced with the goal of supporting four major application areas: monitoring and behavioral areas, controlling natural disasters, human-centric applications, and tracking mobility and static home automation devices from remote places. These application areas require a congestion-free mobility-supported MAC protocol to guarantee reliable data delivery. BN-MAC was evaluated using network simulator-2 (ns2) and compared with other hybrid MAC protocols, such as Zebra medium access control (Z-MAC), advertisement-based MAC (A-MAC), Speck-MAC, adaptive duty cycle SMAC (ADC-SMAC), and low-power real-time medium access control (LPR-MAC). The simulation results indicate that BN-MAC is a robust and energy-efficient protocol that outperforms other hybrid MAC protocols in the context of quality of service (QoS) parameters, such as energy consumption, latency, throughput, channel access time, successful delivery rate, coverage efficiency, and average duty cycle.

Energy-Efficient Boarder Node Medium Access Control Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Razaque, Abdul; Elleithy, Khaled M.

2014-01-01

This paper introduces the design, implementation, and performance analysis of the scalable and mobility-aware hybrid protocol named boarder node medium access control (BN-MAC) for wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which leverages the characteristics of scheduled and contention-based MAC protocols. Like contention-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC achieves high channel utilization, network adaptability under heavy traffic and mobility, and low latency and overhead. Like schedule-based MAC protocols, BN-MAC reduces idle listening time, emissions, and collision handling at low cost at one-hop neighbor nodes and achieves high channel utilization under heavy network loads. BN-MAC is particularly designed for region-wise WSNs. Each region is controlled by a boarder node (BN), which is of paramount importance. The BN coordinates with the remaining nodes within and beyond the region. Unlike other hybrid MAC protocols, BN-MAC incorporates three promising models that further reduce the energy consumption, idle listening time, overhearing, and congestion to improve the throughput and reduce the latency. One of the models used with BN-MAC is automatic active and sleep (AAS), which reduces the ideal listening time. When nodes finish their monitoring process, AAS lets them automatically go into the sleep state to avoid the idle listening state. Another model used in BN-MAC is the intelligent decision-making (IDM) model, which helps the nodes sense the nature of the environment. Based on the nature of the environment, the nodes decide whether to use the active or passive mode. This decision power of the nodes further reduces energy consumption because the nodes turn off the radio of the transceiver in the passive mode. The third model is the least-distance smart neighboring search (LDSNS), which determines the shortest efficient path to the one-hop neighbor and also provides cross-layering support to handle the mobility of the nodes. The BN-MAC also incorporates a semi-synchronous feature with a low duty cycle, which is advantageous for reducing the latency and energy consumption for several WSN application areas to improve the throughput. BN-MAC uses a unique window slot size to enhance the contention resolution issue for improved throughput. BN-MAC also prefers to communicate within a one-hop destination using Anycast, which maintains load balancing to maintain network reliability. BN-MAC is introduced with the goal of supporting four major application areas: monitoring and behavioral areas, controlling natural disasters, human-centric applications, and tracking mobility and static home automation devices from remote places. These application areas require a congestion-free mobility-supported MAC protocol to guarantee reliable data delivery. BN-MAC was evaluated using network simulator-2 (ns2) and compared with other hybrid MAC protocols, such as Zebra medium access control (Z-MAC), advertisement-based MAC (A-MAC), Speck-MAC, adaptive duty cycle SMAC (ADC-SMAC), and low-power real-time medium access control (LPR-MAC). The simulation results indicate that BN-MAC is a robust and energy-efficient protocol that outperforms other hybrid MAC protocols in the context of quality of service (QoS) parameters, such as energy consumption, latency, throughput, channel access time, successful delivery rate, coverage efficiency, and average duty cycle. PMID:24625737

Chapter 18: Variable Frequency Drive Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Romberger, Jeff

An adjustable-speed drive (ASD) includes all devices that vary the speed of a rotating load, including those that vary the motor speed and linkage devices that allow constant motor speed while varying the load speed. The Variable Frequency Drive Evaluation Protocol presented here addresses evaluation issues for variable-frequency drives (VFDs) installed on commercial and industrial motor-driven centrifugal fans and pumps for which torque varies with speed. Constant torque load applications, such as those for positive displacement pumps, are not covered by this protocol.

Scalability enhancement of AODV using local link repairing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Jyoti; Gupta, Roopam; Bandhopadhyay, T. K.

2014-09-01

Dynamic change in the topology of an ad hoc network makes it difficult to design an efficient routing protocol. Scalability of an ad hoc network is also one of the important criteria of research in this field. Most of the research works in ad hoc network focus on routing and medium access protocols and produce simulation results for limited-size networks. Ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) is one of the best reactive routing protocols. In this article, modified routing protocols based on local link repairing of AODV are proposed. Method of finding alternate routes for next-to-next node is proposed in case of link failure. These protocols are beacon-less, means periodic hello message is removed from the basic AODV to improve scalability. Few control packet formats have been changed to accommodate suggested modification. Proposed protocols are simulated to investigate scalability performance and compared with basic AODV protocol. This also proves that local link repairing of proposed protocol improves scalability of the network. From simulation results, it is clear that scalability performance of routing protocol is improved because of link repairing method. We have tested protocols for different terrain area with approximate constant node densities and different traffic load.

Moderate Load Eccentric Exercise; A Distinct Novel Training Modality

PubMed Central

Hoppeler, Hans

2016-01-01

Over the last 20 years a number of studies have been published using progressive eccentric exercise protocols on motorized ergometers or similar devices that allow for controlled application of eccentric loads. Exercise protocols ramp eccentric loads over an initial 3 weeks period in order to prevent muscle damage and delayed onset muscle soreness. Final training loads reach 400–500 W in rehabilitative settings and over 1200 W in elite athletes. Training is typically carried out three times per week for durations of 20–30 min. This type of training has been characterizes as moderate load eccentric exercise. It has also been denoted RENEW (Resistance Exercise via Negative Eccentric Work by LaStayo et al., 2014). It is distinct from plyometric exercises (i.e., drop jumps) that impose muscle loads of several thousand Watts on muscles and tendons. It is also distinct from eccentric overload training whereby loads in a conventional strength training setting are increased in the eccentric phase of the movement to match concentric loads. Moderate load eccentric exercise (or RENEW) has been shown to be similarly effective as conventional strength training in increasing muscle strength and muscle volume. However, as carried out at higher angular velocities of joint movement, it reduces joint loads. A hallmark of moderate load eccentric exercise is the fact that the energy requirements are typically 4-fold smaller than in concentric exercise of the same load. This makes moderate load eccentric exercise training the tool of choice in medical conditions with limitations in muscle energy supply. The use and effectiveness of moderate load eccentric exercise has been demonstrated mostly in small scale studies for cardiorespiratory conditions, sarcopenia of old age, cancer, diabetes type 2, and neurological conditions. It has also been used effectively in the prevention and rehabilitation of injuries of the locomotor system in particular the rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament surgery. PMID:27899894

A COMPREHENSIVE NONPOINT SOURCE FIELD STUDY FOR SEDIMENT, NUTRIENTS, AND PATHOGENS IN THE SOUTH FORK BROAD RIVER WATERSHED IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA

EPA Science Inventory

This technical report provides a description of the field project design, quality control, the sampling protocols and analysis methodology used, and standard operating procedures for the South Fork Broad River Watershed (SFBR) Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) project. This watersh...

Acute effects of a loaded warm-up protocol on change of direction speed in professional badminton players.

PubMed

Maloney, Sean J; Turner, Anthony N; Miller, Stuart

2014-10-01

It has previously been shown that a loaded warm-up may improve power performances. We examined the acute effects of loaded dynamic warm-up on change of direction speed (CODS), which had not been previously investigated. Eight elite badminton players participated in three sessions during which they performed vertical countermovement jump and CODS tests before and after undertaking the dynamic warm-up. The three warm-up conditions involved wearing a weighted vest (a) equivalent to 5% body mass, (b) equivalent to 10% body mass, and (c) a control where a weighted vest was not worn. Vertical jump and CODS performances were then tested at 15 seconds and 2, 4, and 6 minutes post warm-up. Vertical jump and CODS significantly improved following all warm-up conditions (P < .05). Post warm-up vertical jump performance was not different between conditions (P = .430). Post warm-up CODS was significantly faster following the 5% (P = .02) and 10% (P < .001) loaded conditions compared with the control condition. In addition, peak CODS test performances, independent of recovery time, were faster than the control condition following the 10% loaded condition (P = .012). In conclusion, the current study demonstrates that a loaded warm-up augmented CODS, but not vertical jump performance, in elite badminton players.

Influence of warm-up duration on physical performance and psychological perceptions in handball players.

PubMed

Romaratezabala, Estibaliz; Nakamura, Fábio Yuzo; Castillo, Daniel; Gorostegi-Anduaga, Ilargi; Yanci, Javier

2018-01-01

The purpose of the study was to analyse the effect of two warm-up protocols of different duration on physical performance, perceived load and perception of being ready for a match in handball players. Eighteen handball players were randomly divided into two groups (Wup 34min , warm-up protocol of 34 min, Wup 17min , warm-up protocol of 17 min). Before and after the warm-up protocols, they performed a battery of physical tests and recorded their perception of feeling ready for a match. At the end of the warm-up protocols, all the players evaluated their differentiated perceived effort (dRPE). The results showed that neither of the protocols significantly modified (p > 0.05) the players' physical performance. However, the Wup 34min group showed higher values in the differentiated warm-up perceived load (dRPE-WL) (p < 0.01, TE = 0.97-1.27, high) than the Wup 17min group. The players with a greater perceived muscular load (RPE MUSC ) experienced a greater decrease in their acceleration capacity (r = 0.48-0.49, p < 0.05). In spite of the fact that neither of the warm-up protocols significantly modified the players' physical performance, a greater perceived muscular load may cause a greater decrease in acceleration capacity.

A Preliminary Exercise Study of Japanese Version of High-intensity Interval Aerobic Training (J-HIAT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuo, Tomoaki; Seino, Satoshi; Ohkawara, Kazunori; Tanaka, Kiyoji; Yamada, Shin; Ohshima, Hiroshi; Mukai, Chiaki

In a microgravity environment, the volume load on the left ventricle is reduced and the cardiac function deteriorates.Consequently, maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) decreases during spaceflight. Reduced cardiac function can lead to serious health problems such as cardiac atrophy, diastolic dysfunction, and orthostatic hypotension. An exercise using a bicycle ergometer during spaceflight may help to increase the volume load on the left ventricle. On the other hand, many astronauts also experience weight loss during spaceflight because energy imbalances can occur. Some researchers indicate that excessive exercise may promote the energy deficit and have a negative impact on long-term spaceflight. Therefore, we have been devising an original bicyle erogometer protocol better suited to astronauts experiencing long-term spaceflight.One of our candidate protocols is the 3 × 3 protocol named J-HIAT, i.e., three times 3-min intervals with a 2-min active recovery period between intervals. In response to our preliminary experiments, we concluded that J-HIAT would be a potential protocol to control the increase of energy consumption and to have a significant impact on VO2max and the cardiac function. To further verify this method, we are working on full-scale experiments. In future, we will show the results of these experiments.

Considerations for Isochronous Data Services over the Proximity-1 Space Link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gao, Jay L.

2006-01-01

Future mission concepts for robotic and human explorations will involve a high level of real time control/monitoring operations such as tele-operation for spacecraft rendezvous and surface mobile platforms carrying life-support equipments. The timely dissemination of voice, command, and real-time telemetry for monitoring and coordination purposes is critical for mission success. It is envisioned that future missions will require a network infrastructure capable of supporting isochronous data services. The CCSDS Proximity-1 Space Link Protocol1 could be used to provide isochronous service over the surface-to-Earth relay as well as "beyond-the-horizon" communications between distant Lunar or Mars surface elements. This paper will analyze the latency, jitter, and throughput performance of the Proximity-1 protocol for isochronous applications. In particular we will focus on constrained scenarios where the protocol operates in full-duplex mode, carrying isochronous traffic in one direction and error-controlled traffic in the other direction. We analyze the impact of the strict priority scheme in Proximity-1 on delay jitter and the impact of the isochronous traffic on the efficiency of the reliable data transfer in the other direction, and discuss methods for performance optimization. In general, jitter performance is driving by relative loading of isochronous traffic on the forward link compared to the acknowledgement traffic. Under light loading condition, the upper-bound of the delay jitter is the transmission duration of an acknowledgement frame on the forward link; for higher loading scenarios, the maximum jitter is scaled up by the inverse of the residual bandwidth, i.e., the spare capacity available in the forward link to carry isochronous traffic.

Performance Analysis of Modified Accelerative Preallocation MAC Protocol for Passive Star-Coupled WDMA Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Changho; Kim, Kiseon

2006-04-01

For the passive star-coupled wavelength-division multiple-access (WDMA) network, a modified accelerative preallocation WDMA (MAP-WDMA) media access control (MAC) protocol is proposed, which is based on AP-WDMA. To show the advantages of MAP-WDMA as an adequate MAC protocol for the network over AP-WDMA, the channel utilization, the channel-access delay, and the latency of MAP-WDMA are investigated and compared with those of AP-WDMA under various data traffic patterns, including uniform, quasi-uniform type, disconnected type, mesh type, and ring type data traffics, as well as the assumption that a given number of network stations is equal to that of channels, in other words, without channel sharing. As a result, the channel utilization of MAP-WDMA can be competitive with respect to that of AP-WDMA at the expense of insignificantly higher latency. Namely, if the number of network stations is small, MAP-WDMA provides better channel utilization for uniform, quasi-uniform-type, and disconnected-type data traffics at all data traffic loads, as well as for mesh and ring-type data traffics at low data traffic loads. Otherwise, MAP-WDMA only outperforms AP-WDMA for the first three data traffics at higher data traffic loads. In the aspect of channel-access delay, MAP-WDMA gives better performance than AP-WDMA, regardless of data traffic patterns and the number of network stations.

A noninterventional study documenting use and success of implants with a new chemically modified titanium surface in daily dental practice.

PubMed

Luongo, Giuseppe; Oteri, Giacomo

2010-01-01

A new chemically modified titanium surface, SLActive, has recently been developed. The results obtained in controlled clinical trials indicate that this implant can be safely used and that it offers predictable results. The goal of this noninterventional study was to verify that the success rates of implants used in daily dental practice are comparable to those reported in controlled clinical trials. This study was a prospective, noninterventional study using implants with a chemically modified surface according to the daily dental practice procedures applied by private practitioners. The choice of the implantation procedure and the loading protocol were the responsibility of the investigator and were chosen according to the patient's needs. Thirty clinical centers actively participated in this study, and 226 patients were treated, of which, 8 patients were lost to follow-up. Because of the noninterventional design of the study, the patients were not selected according to strictly defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Thus, the study included individuals with risk factors such as smoking (24%), untreated gingivitis or periodontitis (9%), and bruxism (6%). The implants were equally distributed between mandible (46%) and maxilla (54%). A bone augmentation procedure was done in 31% of the cases. Early loading (functional loading between 48 hours and 3 months after implant insertion) was applied most frequently (48%), followed by the conventional loading protocol (3 to 6 months after implant placement, 34%). Immediate restoration and immediate loading were rare (7% and 2%, respectively). Of 276 implants inserted and documented, 5 implants failures were reported, all of which were associated with a sinus floor augmentation procedure. The survival rate was 98.2% at the 1-year follow-up visit. The results showed that implants with a chemically modified surface can be successfully restored with success rates similar to those reported in formal clinical trials under more controlled conditions.

Draft Plan to Develop Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Test Protocols

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

Mayhorn, Ebony T.; Sullivan, Greg P.; Petersen, Joseph M.

2015-09-29

This document presents a Draft Plan proposed to develop a common test protocol that can be used to evaluate the performance requirements of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring. Development on the test protocol will be focused on providing a consistent method that can be used to quantify and compare the performance characteristics of NILM products. Elements of the protocols include specifications for appliances to be used, metrics, instrumentation, and a procedure to simulate appliance behavior during tests. In addition, three priority use cases for NILM will be identified and their performance requirements will specified.

Efficacy of standard (SLA) and modified sandblasted and acid-etched (SLActive) dental implants in promoting immediate and/or early occlusal loading protocols: a systematic review of prospective studies.

PubMed

Chambrone, Leandro; Shibli, Jamil Awad; Mercúrio, Carlos Eduardo; Cardoso, Bruna; Preshaw, Philip M

2015-04-01

To assess the survival percentage, clinical and radiographic outcomes of sandblasted and acid-etched (SLA) dental implants and its modified surface (SLActive) in protocols involving immediate and early occlusal loading. MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register CENTRAL were searched in duplicate up to, and including, June 2013 to include randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective observational studies of at least 6-month duration published in all languages. Studies limited to patients treated with SLA and/or SLActive implants involving a treatment protocol describing immediate and early loading of these implants were eligible for inclusion. Data on clinical and/or radiographic outcomes following implant placement were considered for inclusion. Of the 447 potentially eligible publications identified by the search strategy, seven RCTs comprising a total of 853 implants (8% titanium plasma-sprayed, 41.5% SLA and 50.5% SLActive) and 12 prospective observational studies including 1394 SLA and 145 SLActive implants were included in this review. According to the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias, one of the studies was considered to be at a low risk of bias, whereas the remaining studies were considered to be at an unclear risk. Regarding the observational studies, all of them presented a medium methodological quality based on the Modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. There were no significant differences reported in the studies in relation to implant loss or clinical parameters between the immediate/early loading and delayed loading protocols. Overall, 95% of SLA and 97% of SLActive implants still survive at the end of follow-up. Despite of the positive findings achieved by the included studies, few RCTs were available for analysis for SLActive implants. Study heterogeneity, scarcity of data and the lack of pooled estimates represent a limitation between studies' comparisons and should be considered when interpreting the present findings. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Changes in drop-jump landing biomechanics during prolonged intermittent exercise.

PubMed

Schmitz, Randy J; Cone, John C; Tritsch, Amanda J; Pye, Michele L; Montgomery, Melissa M; Henson, Robert A; Shultz, Sandra J

2014-03-01

As injury rates rise in the later stages of sporting activities, a better understanding of lower extremity biomechanics in the later phases of gamelike situations may improve training and injury prevention programs. Lower extremity biomechanics of a drop-jump task (extracted from a principal components analysis) would reveal factors associated with risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury during a 90-minute individualized intermittent exercise protocol (IEP) and for 1 hour following the IEP. Controlled laboratory study. Level 4. Fifty-nine athletes (29 women, 30 men) completed 3 sessions. The first session assessed fitness for an IEP designed to simulate the demands of a soccer match. An experimental session assessed drop-jump biomechanics, after a dynamic warm-up, every 15 minutes during the 90-minute IEP, and for 1 hour following the IEP. A control session with no exercise assessed drop-jump performance at the same intervals. Two biomechanical factors early in the first half (hip flexion at initial contact and hip loading; ankle loading and knee shear force) decreased at the end of the IEP and into the 60-minute recovery period, while a third factor (knee loading) decreased only during the recovery period (P ≤ 0.05). The individualized sport-specific IEP may have more subtle effects on landing biomechanics when compared with short-term, exhaustive fatigue protocols. Potentially injurious landing biomechanics may not occur until the later stages of soccer activity.

Effects of Different Conditioning Activities on 100-m Dash Performance in High School Track and Field Athletes.

PubMed

Ferreira-Júnior, João B; Guttierres, Ana P M; Encarnação, Irismar G A; Lima, Jorge R P; Borba, Diego A; Freitas, Eduardo D S; Bemben, Michael G; Vieira, Carlos A; Bottaro, Martim

2018-06-01

This study compared the effects of different conditioning activities on the 100-m dash performance of 11 male, high school track and field athletes (mean age = 16.3; SD = 1.2 years). Participants performed a 100-m dash seven minutes after each of four randomized conditioning protocols, with each condition and 100-m dash separated by 3-10 days. The conditioning protocols were (a) control, no conditioning activity; (b) weighted plyometric, three sets of 10 repetitions of alternate leg bounding with additional load of 10% of the body mass; (c) free sprint, two 20-m sprints; and (d) resisted sprint (RS), two 20-m resisted sprints using an elastic tubing tool. We obtained session ratings of perceived exertion (SRPE) immediately after each conditioning protocol. There were no significant differences between any of the three experimental conditioning activities on 100-m sprint time, but the RS protocol improved 100-m sprint time compared with the control (no conditioning) protocol ( p < .001). The RS also led to greater sprint velocity and higher SRPE compared with the control condition ( p < .01). There was no significant association between SRPE and 100-m performance ( p = .77, r = .05). These results suggest a benefit for young male track and field athletes to the elastic tubing warm-up activities prior to the 100-m dash.

Chapter 22: Compressed Air Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Benton, Nathanael; Burns, Patrick

Compressed-air systems are used widely throughout industry for many operations, including pneumatic tools, packaging and automation equipment, conveyors, and other industrial process operations. Compressed-air systems are defined as a group of subsystems composed of air compressors, air treatment equipment, controls, piping, pneumatic tools, pneumatically powered machinery, and process applications using compressed air. A compressed-air system has three primary functional subsystems: supply, distribution, and demand. Air compressors are the primary energy consumers in a compressed-air system and are the primary focus of this protocol. The two compressed-air energy efficiency measures specifically addressed in this protocol are: High-efficiency/variable speed drive (VSD) compressormore » replacing modulating, load/unload, or constant-speed compressor; and Compressed-air leak survey and repairs. This protocol provides direction on how to reliably verify savings from these two measures using a consistent approach for each.« less

Analysis of Nuclear RNA Interference (RNAi) in Human Cells by Subcellular Fractionation and Argonaute Loading

PubMed Central

Gagnon, Keith T.; Li, Liande; Janowski, Bethany A.; Corey, David R.

2014-01-01

RNA interference (RNAi) is well known for its ability to regulate gene expression in the cytoplasm of mammalian cells. In mammalian cell nuclei, however, the impact of RNAi has remained more controversial. A key technical hurdle has been a lack of optimized protocols for the isolation and analysis of cell nuclei. Here we describe a simplified protocol for nuclei isolation from cultured cells that incorporates a method for obtaining nucleoplasmic and chromatin fractions and removing cytoplasmic contamination. Cell fractions can then be used to detect the presence and activity of RNAi factors in the nucleus. We present a protocol for investigating an early step in RNAi, Argonaute protein loading with small RNAs, which is enabled by our improved extract preparations. These protocols facilitate characterization of nuclear RNAi and can be applied to the analysis of other nuclear proteins and pathways. From cellular fractionation to analysis of Argonaute loading results, this protocol takes 4–6 d to complete. PMID:25079428

Do Integrins Mediate the Skeletal Response to Altered Loading?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

vanderMeulen, Marjolein C. H.

2004-01-01

In vivo experiments were performed to examine the role of B1 integrin in skeletal adaptation to reduced and increased loading. Transgenic mice were generated with a dominant negative form of the B1 integrin cytoplasmic domain with expression driven by the osteocalcin promoter (pOCb1DN). This fragment consists of the transmembrane and intracellular domains and interferes with endogenous integrin signalling in vitro. This promoter targets expression of the transgene to mature bone cells. Expression of the transgene was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and western blotting. Reduced loading was generated by hindlimb suspension and increased loading the resumption of normal loading following hindlimb suspension. Two groups of female 35-day old mice were examined: poCb1DN transgenic mice (TG) and wild-type littermate controls (WT). Animals were hindlimb suspended for 1 week (HU, n = l0/gp) or 4 weeks (HU, n = 4 - 7/gp) or suspended for 4 weeks followed by reloading by normal ambulation for 4 weeks (RL, n = l0/gp). Age-matched controls (CT) were pairfed based on the HU food intake. The protocols were approved by the NASA Ames Research Center IACUC. Upon completion of the experimental protocol, body mass was recorded and tissues of interest removed and analyzed following standard procedures. Femoral whole bone structural behavior was measured in torsion to failure to obtain whole bone strength (failure torque) and torsional rigidity. Ash content (ash) and fraction (% ash) were determined for the tibia. Total ash is indicative of bone size whereas %ash is a material property. Tibial curvature was measured from microradiographs. For each experiment, the effects of genotype (TG, WT) and treatment (CT, HU/RL) were assessed by two-factor ANOVA followed by the Tukey-Kramer posthoc to identify significant differences at an alpha level of 0.05. Our goal was to understand differences resulting from altered integrin function in the adaptation to altered loading.

Assessment of the ability of wheelchair subjects with spinal cord injury to perform a specific protocol of shoulder training: a pilot study.

PubMed

Merolla, Giovanni; Dellabiancia, Fabio; Filippi, Maria Vittoria; De Santis, Elisa; Alpi, Daniele; Magrini, Paola; Porcellini, Giuseppe

2014-04-01

a regular program of exercises in subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) can contribute to reduce the risk of upper extremities injuries. in this prospective laboratory study we tested the hypothesis that a training machine developed for able-body users is suitable for a shoulder training protocol in 11 paraplegic subjects with SCI. Overall subjects were assessed with the SCIM III, CS, DASH and standard shoulder examination. We set a protocol of shoulder exercises performed with a training machine. Overall subjects were able to perform the protocol but 2 did not complete the exercises n° 6 and 7. The position of the wheelchair during each exercise was recorded. Wheelchair position/loading level were significantly correlated with the protocol n° 2, 3 and 5 as well as BMI/loading level for the exercises n° 5 and 9 and age/loading level for the exercise n° 7. Clinical scores were neither correlated with loading nor with anthropometric data. FROM THE ANALYSIS OF DATA COLLECTED IN THIS STUDY ARISED THAT: 1) the training machine needs some adjustments for paraplegic subjects, 2) the training protocol was appropriate except for the exercises needing a torso-rotation and 3) the template for wheelchair position may be a valid guide for an optimal paraplegic shoulder training.

Systems, methods, and products for graphically illustrating and controlling a droplet actuator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brafford, Keith R. (Inventor); Pamula, Vamsee K. (Inventor); Paik, Philip Y. (Inventor); Pollack, Michael G. (Inventor); Sturmer, Ryan A. (Inventor); Smith, Gregory F. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Systems for controlling a droplet microactuator are provided. According to one embodiment, a system is provided and includes a controller, a droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller, and a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller, wherein the system is programmed and configured to permit a user to effect a droplet manipulation by interacting with the user interface. According to another embodiment, a system is provided and includes a processor, a display device electronically coupled to the processor, and software loaded and/or stored in a storage device electronically coupled to the controller, a memory device electronically coupled to the controller, and/or the controller and programmed to display an interactive map of a droplet microactuator. According to yet another embodiment, a system is provided and includes a controller, a droplet microactuator electronically coupled to the controller, a display device displaying a user interface electronically coupled to the controller, and software for executing a protocol loaded and/or stored in a storage device electronically coupled to the controller, a memory device electronically coupled to the controller, and/or the controller.

A modified error correction protocol for CCITT signalling system no. 7 on satellite links

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreuer, Dieter; Quernheim, Ulrich

1991-10-01

Comite Consultatif International des Telegraphe et Telephone (CCITT) Signalling System No. 7 (SS7) provides a level 2 error correction protocol particularly suited for links with propagation delays higher than 15 ms. Not being originally designed for satellite links, however, the so called Preventive Cyclic Retransmission (PCR) Method only performs well on satellite channels when traffic is low. A modified level 2 error control protocol, termed Fix Delay Retransmission (FDR) method is suggested which performs better at high loads, thus providing a more efficient use of the limited carrier capacity. Both the PCR and the FDR methods are investigated by means of simulation and results concerning throughput, queueing delay, and system delay, respectively. The FDR method exhibits higher capacity and shorter delay than the PCR method.

Low load exercises targeting the gluteal muscle group acutely enhance explosive power output in elite athletes.

PubMed

Crow, Justin F; Buttifant, David; Kearny, Simon G; Hrysomallis, Con

2012-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effect of 3 warm-up protocols on peak power production during countermovement jump (CMJ) testing. The intention was to devise and compare practical protocols that could be applied as a warm-up immediately before competition matches or weight training sessions. A group of 22 elite Australian Rules Football players performed 3 different warm-up protocols over 3 testing sessions in a randomized order. The protocols included a series of low load exercises targeting the gluteal muscle group (GM-P), a whole-body vibration (WBV) protocol (WBV-P) wherein the subjects stood on a platform vibrating at 30 Hz for 45 seconds, and a no-warm-up condition (CON). The CMJ testing was performed within 5 minutes of each warm-up protocol on an unloaded Smith machine using a linear encoder to measure peak power output. Peak power production was significantly greater after the GM-P than after both the CON (p < 0.05) and WBV-P (p < 0.01). No significant differences in peak power production were detected between the WBV-P and CON. These results have demonstrated that a low load exercise protocol targeting the gluteal muscle group is effective at acutely enhancing peak power output in elite athletes. The mechanisms for the observed improvements are unclear and warrant further investigation. Coaches may consider incorporating low load exercises targeting the gluteal muscle group into the warm-up of athletes competing in sports requiring explosive power output of the lower limbs.

Design of durability test protocol for vehicular fuel cell systems operated in power-follow mode based on statistical results of on-road data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Liangfei; Reimer, Uwe; Li, Jianqiu; Huang, Haiyan; Hu, Zunyan; Jiang, Hongliang; Janßen, Holger; Ouyang, Minggao; Lehnert, Werner

2018-02-01

City buses using polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells are considered to be the most likely fuel cell vehicles to be commercialized in China. The technical specifications of the fuel cell systems (FCSs) these buses are equipped with will differ based on the powertrain configurations and vehicle control strategies, but can generally be classified into the power-follow and soft-run modes. Each mode imposes different levels of electrochemical stress on the fuel cells. Evaluating the aging behavior of fuel cell stacks under the conditions encountered in fuel cell buses requires new durability test protocols based on statistical results obtained during actual driving tests. In this study, we propose a systematic design method for fuel cell durability test protocols that correspond to the power-follow mode based on three parameters for different fuel cell load ranges. The powertrain configurations and control strategy are described herein, followed by a presentation of the statistical data for the duty cycles of FCSs in one city bus in the demonstration project. Assessment protocols are presented based on the statistical results using mathematical optimization methods, and are compared to existing protocols with respect to common factors, such as time at open circuit voltage and root-mean-square power.

Adjacency Matrix-Based Transmit Power Allocation Strategies in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Consolini, Luca; Medagliani, Paolo; Ferrari, Gianluigi

2009-01-01

In this paper, we present an innovative transmit power control scheme, based on optimization theory, for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) which use carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) with collision avoidance (CA) as medium access control (MAC) protocol. In particular, we focus on schemes where several remote nodes send data directly to a common access point (AP). Under the assumption of finite overall network transmit power and low traffic load, we derive the optimal transmit power allocation strategy that minimizes the packet error rate (PER) at the AP. This approach is based on modeling the CSMA/CA MAC protocol through a finite state machine and takes into account the network adjacency matrix, depending on the transmit power distribution and determining the network connectivity. It will be then shown that the transmit power allocation problem reduces to a convex constrained minimization problem. Our results show that, under the assumption of low traffic load, the power allocation strategy, which guarantees minimal delay, requires the maximization of network connectivity, which can be equivalently interpreted as the maximization of the number of non-zero entries of the adjacency matrix. The obtained theoretical results are confirmed by simulations for unslotted Zigbee WSNs. PMID:22346705

Optimal Decentralized Protocol for Electric Vehicle Charging

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

Gan, LW; Topcu, U; Low, SH

We propose a decentralized algorithm to optimally schedule electric vehicle (EV) charging. The algorithm exploits the elasticity of electric vehicle loads to fill the valleys in electric load profiles. We first formulate the EV charging scheduling problem as an optimal control problem, whose objective is to impose a generalized notion of valley-filling, and study properties of optimal charging profiles. We then give a decentralized algorithm to iteratively solve the optimal control problem. In each iteration, EVs update their charging profiles according to the control signal broadcast by the utility company, and the utility company alters the control signal to guidemore » their updates. The algorithm converges to optimal charging profiles (that are as "flat" as they can possibly be) irrespective of the specifications (e.g., maximum charging rate and deadline) of EVs, even if EVs do not necessarily update their charging profiles in every iteration, and use potentially outdated control signal when they update. Moreover, the algorithm only requires each EV solving its local problem, hence its implementation requires low computation capability. We also extend the algorithm to track a given load profile and to real-time implementation.« less

Development of a systematic observation protocol of physical exposure of the back: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Tousignant, M; Tougas, G; Rossignol, M; Goulet, L

2002-04-01

At present there is no systematic observation protocol for the assessment of the multi-factorial aspects of physical exposure related to the back used within the constraints of occupational epidemiological research. In this context, a new preliminary systematic observation protocol is proposed to assess exposure to physical loading of the back using nine categories of physical risk factors: the SOPE back protocol. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the new protocol can correctly identify the level of exposure related to measured physical loading of the back. The subjects of this closed cohort study were 451 manual workers at a natural gas distribution company. The assessment of exposure was made with the protocol using groups with different job titles. The workers were followed for a 2 yr period to establish the risk of a new occurrence of complete disability related to the back (NOCD back injury) in each job grouping. Based on the median of the total scores derived from the protocol, two levels of exposure were identified (high and low). Taking into account the limitations of this study, the protocol in development may be a good tool to establish two levels of exposure to physical loading of the back in large epidemiological studies of occupational low back pain. Further research is needed to replicate these results with larger samples and to test the reliability and predictive validity of the protocol.

Quantification of Nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum Spore Loads in Food Materials.

PubMed

Barker, Gary C; Malakar, Pradeep K; Plowman, June; Peck, Michael W

2016-01-04

We have produced data and developed analysis to build representations for the concentration of spores of nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum in materials that are used during the manufacture of minimally processed chilled foods in the United Kingdom. Food materials are categorized into homogenous groups which include meat, fish, shellfish, cereals, fresh plant material, dairy liquid, dairy nonliquid, mushroom and fungi, and dried herbs and spices. Models are constructed in a Bayesian framework and represent a combination of information from a literature survey of spore loads from positive-control experiments that establish a detection limit and from dedicated microbiological tests for real food materials. The detection of nonproteolytic C. botulinum employed an optimized protocol that combines selective enrichment culture with multiplex PCR, and the majority of tests on food materials were negative. Posterior beliefs about spore loads center on a concentration range of 1 to 10 spores kg(-1). Posterior beliefs for larger spore loads were most significant for dried herbs and spices and were most sensitive to the detailed results from control experiments. Probability distributions for spore loads are represented in a convenient form that can be used for numerical analysis and risk assessments. Copyright © 2016 Barker et al.

Quantification of Nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum Spore Loads in Food Materials

PubMed Central

Barker, Gary C.; Malakar, Pradeep K.; Plowman, June

2016-01-01

We have produced data and developed analysis to build representations for the concentration of spores of nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum in materials that are used during the manufacture of minimally processed chilled foods in the United Kingdom. Food materials are categorized into homogenous groups which include meat, fish, shellfish, cereals, fresh plant material, dairy liquid, dairy nonliquid, mushroom and fungi, and dried herbs and spices. Models are constructed in a Bayesian framework and represent a combination of information from a literature survey of spore loads from positive-control experiments that establish a detection limit and from dedicated microbiological tests for real food materials. The detection of nonproteolytic C. botulinum employed an optimized protocol that combines selective enrichment culture with multiplex PCR, and the majority of tests on food materials were negative. Posterior beliefs about spore loads center on a concentration range of 1 to 10 spores kg−1. Posterior beliefs for larger spore loads were most significant for dried herbs and spices and were most sensitive to the detailed results from control experiments. Probability distributions for spore loads are represented in a convenient form that can be used for numerical analysis and risk assessments. PMID:26729721

Heterogeneous Gossip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, Davide; Guerraoui, Rachid; Kermarrec, Anne-Marie; Koldehofe, Boris; Mogensen, Martin; Monod, Maxime; Quéma, Vivien

Gossip-based information dissemination protocols are considered easy to deploy, scalable and resilient to network dynamics. Load-balancing is inherent in these protocols as the dissemination work is evenly spread among all nodes. Yet, large-scale distributed systems are usually heterogeneous with respect to network capabilities such as bandwidth. In practice, a blind load-balancing strategy might significantly hamper the performance of the gossip dissemination.

Changes in Drop-Jump Landing Biomechanics During Prolonged Intermittent Exercise

PubMed Central

Schmitz, Randy J.; Cone, John C.; Tritsch, Amanda J.; Pye, Michele L.; Montgomery, Melissa M.; Henson, Robert A.; Shultz, Sandra J.

2014-01-01

Background: As injury rates rise in the later stages of sporting activities, a better understanding of lower extremity biomechanics in the later phases of gamelike situations may improve training and injury prevention programs. Hypothesis: Lower extremity biomechanics of a drop-jump task (extracted from a principal components analysis) would reveal factors associated with risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury during a 90-minute individualized intermittent exercise protocol (IEP) and for 1 hour following the IEP. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: Fifty-nine athletes (29 women, 30 men) completed 3 sessions. The first session assessed fitness for an IEP designed to simulate the demands of a soccer match. An experimental session assessed drop-jump biomechanics, after a dynamic warm-up, every 15 minutes during the 90-minute IEP, and for 1 hour following the IEP. A control session with no exercise assessed drop-jump performance at the same intervals. Results: Two biomechanical factors early in the first half (hip flexion at initial contact and hip loading; ankle loading and knee shear force) decreased at the end of the IEP and into the 60-minute recovery period, while a third factor (knee loading) decreased only during the recovery period (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The individualized sport-specific IEP may have more subtle effects on landing biomechanics when compared with short-term, exhaustive fatigue protocols. Clinical Relevance: Potentially injurious landing biomechanics may not occur until the later stages of soccer activity. PMID:24587862

Optimization of a vitrification protocol for hatched blastocysts from the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius).

PubMed

Herrid, M; Billah, M; Malo, C; Skidmore, J A

2016-03-01

The objective of this study was to modify and optimize a vitrification protocol (open pulled straw) that was originally designed for human oocytes and embryos, to make it suitable for the cryopreservation of camel hatched blastocysts. The original open pulled straw protocol was a complex process with 15-minute exposure of oocytes/embryos in 7.5% ethylene glycol (EG) and 7.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) for equilibration, and cooling in 16% EG + 16% Me2SO + 1 M sucrose. Recognizing a need to better control the cryoprotectant (CPA) concentrations, while avoiding toxicity to the embryos, the effects on the survival rate and developmental potential of camel embryos in vitro were investigated using two different methods of loading the CPAs into the embryos (stepwise and semicontinuous increase in concentration), two different loading temperature/time (room temperature ∼24 °C/15 min and body 37 °C/3 min), and the replacement of Me2SO with EG alone or in combination with glycerol (Gly). A total of 145 in vivo-derived embryos were subjected to these processes, and after warming their morphological quality and integrity, and re-expansion was assessed after 0, 2, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours of culture. Exposure of embryos in a stepwise method was more beneficial to the survival of embryos than was the semicontinuous process, and loading of CPAs at 37 °C with a short exposure time (3 minutes) resulted in an outcome comparable to the original processing at room temperature with a longer exposure time (15 minutes). The replacement of the Me2SO + EG mixture with EG only or a combination of EG + Gly in the vitrification medium significantly improved the outcome of all these evaluation criteria (P < 0.05). The modified protocol of loading EG at 37 °C for 3 minutes has increased the embryo survival of the original protocol from 67% to 91% and the developmental rate from 57% to 83% at 5-day culture. These results were comparable to or better than those reported in human or other species, indicating that this optimized method is well suited to any commercial embryo transfer program in the dromedary camel. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A protocol for a randomised controlled trial of the bone response to impact loading or resistance training in young women with lower than average bone mass: the OPTIMA-Ex trial

PubMed Central

Lambert, Conor; Beck, Belinda R; Harding, Amy T; Watson, Steven L; Weeks, Benjamin K

2017-01-01

Introduction The aim of the Osteoporosis Prevention Through Impact and Muscle-loading Approaches to Exercise trial is to compare the bone response to two known osteogenic stimuli — impact loading exercise and resistance training. Specifically, we will examine the effect of a 10-month, twice-weekly, high-intensity impact loading exercise intervention and a 10-month, twice-weekly, high-intensity resistance training intervention on bone mass and strength at clinically important skeletal sites. The intervention groups will be compared against a home-based ‘positive’ control group. Safety and acceptability of each exercise modality will also be determined. Methods and analysis Sedentary otherwise healthy young women aged 18–30 years with bone mineral density (BMD) T-scores less than or equal to 0 at the hip and lumbar spine, screened for conditions and medications that influence bone and physical function, will be recruited. Eligible participants are randomised to 10-month, twice-weekly, either supervised high-intensity impact training, high-intensity resistance training or a home-based ‘positive’ control group. The primary outcome measure will be lumbar spine areal BMD, while secondary outcome measures will include: whole body, femoral neck and regional measures (upper and lower limb) of bone, muscle and fat; anthropometrics; muscle strength and power; quality of life and exercise safety, enjoyment and acceptability. All outcome measures will be conducted at baseline (T0) and 10 months (T10) and will be analysed according to the intention-to-treat principle and per protocol. Ethics and dissemination The study has been granted ethical approval from the Griffith University Human Research Ethics Committee (GU Ref: 2015/775). Standard scientific reporting practices will occur, including publication in peer-reviewed journals. Participant confidentiality will be maintained in all forms of reporting. Trial registration number ACTRN12616001444471. PMID:28864705

Engineering cells with intracellular agent–loaded microparticles to control cell phenotype

PubMed Central

Ankrum, James A; Miranda, Oscar R; Ng, Kelvin S; Sarkar, Debanjan; Xu, Chenjie; Karp, Jeffrey M

2014-01-01

Cell therapies enable unprecedented treatment options to replace tissues, destroy tumors and facilitate regeneration. The greatest challenge facing cell therapy is the inability to control the fate and function of cells after transplantation. We have developed an approach to control cell phenotype in vitro and after transplantation by engineering cells with intracellular depots that continuously release phenotype-altering agents for days to weeks. The platform enables control of cells’ secretome, viability, proliferation and differentiation, and the platform can be used to deliver drugs or other factors (e.g., dexamethasone, rhodamine and iron oxide) to the cell’s microenvironment. The preparation, efficient internalization and intracellular stabilization of ~1-μm drug-loaded microparticles are critical for establishing sustained control of cell phenotype. Herein we provide a protocol to generate and characterize micrometer-sized agent-doped poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) particles by using a single-emulsion evaporation technique (7 h), to uniformly engineer cultured cells (15 h), to confirm particle internalization and to troubleshoot commonly experienced obstacles. PMID:24407352

CFTLB: a novel cross-layer fault tolerant and load balancing protocol for WMN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnaveni, N. N.; Chitra, K.

2017-12-01

Wireless mesh network (WMN) forms a wireless backbone framework for multi-hop transmission among the routers and clients in the extensible coverage area. To improve the throughput of WMNs with multiple gateways (GWs), several issues related to GW selection, load balancing and frequent link failures due to the presence of dynamic obstacles and channel interference should be addressed. This paper presents a novel cross-layer fault tolerant and load balancing (CFTLB) protocol to overcome the issues in WMN. Initially, the neighbour GW is searched and channel load is calculated. The GW having least channel load is selected which is estimated during the arrival of the new node. The proposed algorithm finds the alternate GWs and calculates the channel availability under high loading scenarios. If the current load in the GW is high, another GW is found and channel availability is calculated. Besides, it initiates the channel switching and establishes the communication with the mesh client effectively. The utilisation of hashing technique in proposed CFTLB verifies the status of the packets and achieves better performance in terms of router average throughput, throughput, average channel access time and lower end-to-end delay, communication overhead and average data loss in the channel compared to the existing protocols.

A carrier sensed multiple access protocol for high data base rate ring networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, Kurt J.; Overstreet, C. Michael; Khanna, S.; Paterra, Frank

1990-01-01

The results of the study of a simple but effective media access protocol for high data rate networks are presented. The protocol is based on the fact that at high data rates networks can contain multiple messages simultaneously over their span, and that in a ring, nodes used to detect the presence of a message arriving from the immediate upstream neighbor. When an incoming signal is detected, the node must either abort or truncate a message it is presently sending. Thus, the protocol with local carrier sensing and multiple access is designated CSMA/RN. The performance of CSMA/RN with TTattempt and truncate is studied using analytic and simulation models. Three performance factors, wait or access time, service time and response or end-to-end travel time are presented. The service time is basically a function of the network rate, it changes by a factor of 1 between no load and full load. Wait time, which is zero for no load, remains small for load factors up to 70 percent of full load. Response time, which adds travel time while on the network to wait and service time, is mainly a function of network length, especially for longer distance networks. Simulation results are shown for CSMA/RN where messages are removed at the destination. A wide range of local and metropolitan area network parameters including variations in message size, network length, and node count are studied. Finally, a scaling factor based upon the ratio of message to network length demonstrates that the results, and hence, the CSMA/RN protocol, are applicable to wide area networks.

Mandibular single-implant overdentures: preliminary results of a randomised-control trial on early loading with different implant diameters and attachment systems.

PubMed

Alsabeeha, Nabeel H M; Payne, Alan G T; De Silva, Rohana K; Thomson, W Murray

2011-03-01

To determine surgical and prosthodontic outcomes of mandibular single-implant overdentures, opposing complete maxillary dentures, using a wide diameter implant and large ball attachment system compared with different regular diameter implants with standard attachment systems. Thirty-six edentulous participants (mean age 68 years, SD 9.2) were randomly assigned into three treatment groups (n=12). A single implant was placed in the mandibular midline of participants to support an overdenture using a 6-week loading protocol. The control group received Southern regular implants and standard ball attachments. One group received Southern 8-mm-wide implants and large ball attachments. Another group received Neoss regular implants and Locator attachments. Parametric and non-parametric tests of a statistical software package (SPSS) were used to determine between groups differences in marginal bone loss, implant stability, implant, and prosthodontic success (P<0.05). Implant success after 1 year was 75% for Southern regular implant (control) group; and 100% for the Southern wide and Neoss regular implant groups (P=0.038). Mean marginal bone loss at 1 year was 0.19 mm (SD 0.39) without significant differences observed. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) at baseline was significantly lower for the Southern regular (control) group than the other two groups (P=0.001; P=0.009). At 1 year, no significant difference in implant stability was observed (mean ISQ 74.6, SD 6.1). The change in implant stability from baseline to 1 year was significant for the control group (P=0.025). Prosthodontic success was comparable between the groups but the maintenance (41 events overall, mean 1.2) was greater for the Locator and the standard ball attachments. Mandibular single-implant overdentures are a successful treatment option for older edentulous adults with early loading protocol using implants of different diameters and with different attachment systems. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Effectiveness of Artificial Gravity and Ergometric Exercise as a Countermeasure-Comparison between Everyday and Every Other Day Protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwase, Satoshi; Sugenoya, Junichi; Sato, Maki; Shimizu, Yuuki; Kanikowska, Dominika; Nishimura, Nooki; Takada, Hiroki; Takada, Masumi; Mano, Tadaki; Ishida, Koji; Akima, Hiroshi; Katayama, Keisho; Hirayanagi, Kaname; Shiozawa, Tomoki; Yajima, Katzuyoshi; Watanabe, Yoriko; Suzuki, Satomi; Fukunnaga, Tetsuo; Masuo, Yoshihisa

2008-06-01

Effectiveness of centrifuge-induced artificial gravity and ergometric exercise as a countermeasure to space deconditioning, including cardiovascular deconditioning, myatrophy, and osteoporosis, induced by 20 days of head-down bedrest., was examined in 12 healthy men in 2006, and 8 healthy men in 2007. Bedrest was performed with 2300 kcal of diet. Water intake was recommended more than the urine volume in a previous day. A new protocol for artificial gravity with ergometric exercise was adopted, with 1.6 G of artificial gravity at heart level and 60 W of exercise every day in 2006, and every other day in 2007. The load was suspended when subjects complained all-out, and was continued until 30 min cumulative total load time. Gravity was stepped up by 0.2 G or exercise load was stepped up by 15 W alternately when the subject endured the load for 5 min. Gravity tolerance was examined by using centrifuge, and anti-G score was determined before and after the bedrest. Not all result has been analyzed, however, effectiveness of artificial gravity with ergometric exercise was evidenced in orthostatic tolerance, physical fitness, cardiac function, myatrophy, and bone metabolism in everyday protocol, but not in every other day protocol. We concluded this everyday protocol was effective in cardiovascular deconditioning myatrophy, and bone metabolism.

Carbon fibre versus metal framework in full-arch immediate loading rehabilitations of the maxilla - a cohort clinical study.

PubMed

Pera, F; Pesce, P; Solimano, F; Tealdo, T; Pera, P; Menini, M

2017-05-01

Frameworks made of carbon fibre-reinforced composites (CFRC) seem to be a viable alternative to traditional metal frameworks in implant prosthodontics. CFRC provide stiffness, rigidity and optimal biocompatibility. The aim of the present prospective study was to compare carbon fibre frameworks versus metal frameworks used to rigidly splint implants in full-arch immediate loading rehabilitations. Forty-two patients (test group) were rehabilitated with full-arch immediate loading rehabilitations of the upper jaw (total: 170 implants) following the Columbus Bridge Protocol with four to six implants with distal tilted implants. All patients were treated with resin screw-retained full-arch prostheses endowed with carbon fibre frameworks. The mean follow-up was 22 months (range: 18-24). Differences in the absolute change of bone resorption over time between the two implant sides (mesial and distal) were assessed performing a Mann-Whitney U-test. The outcomes were statistically compared with those of patients rehabilitated following the same protocol but using metal frameworks (control group: 34 patients with 163 implants - data reported in Tealdo, Menini, Bevilacqua, Pera, Pesce, Signori, Pera, Int J Prosthodont, 27, 2014, 207). Ten implants failed in the control group (6·1%); none failed in the test group (P = 0·002). A statistically significant difference in the absolute change of bone resorption around the implants was found between the two groups (P = 0·004), with greater mean peri-implant bone resorption in the control group (1 mm) compared to the test group (0·8 mm). Carbon fibre frameworks may be considered as a viable alternative to the metal ones and showed less marginal bone loss around implants and a greater implant survival rate during the observation period. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Interactions Among Working Memory, Reinforcement Learning, and Effort in Value-Based Choice: A New Paradigm and Selective Deficits in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Collins, Anne G E; Albrecht, Matthew A; Waltz, James A; Gold, James M; Frank, Michael J

2017-09-15

When studying learning, researchers directly observe only the participants' choices, which are often assumed to arise from a unitary learning process. However, a number of separable systems, such as working memory (WM) and reinforcement learning (RL), contribute simultaneously to human learning. Identifying each system's contributions is essential for mapping the neural substrates contributing in parallel to behavior; computational modeling can help to design tasks that allow such a separable identification of processes and infer their contributions in individuals. We present a new experimental protocol that separately identifies the contributions of RL and WM to learning, is sensitive to parametric variations in both, and allows us to investigate whether the processes interact. In experiments 1 and 2, we tested this protocol with healthy young adults (n = 29 and n = 52, respectively). In experiment 3, we used it to investigate learning deficits in medicated individuals with schizophrenia (n = 49 patients, n = 32 control subjects). Experiments 1 and 2 established WM and RL contributions to learning, as evidenced by parametric modulations of choice by load and delay and reward history, respectively. They also showed interactions between WM and RL, where RL was enhanced under high WM load. Moreover, we observed a cost of mental effort when controlling for reinforcement history: participants preferred stimuli they encountered under low WM load. Experiment 3 revealed selective deficits in WM contributions and preserved RL value learning in individuals with schizophrenia compared with control subjects. Computational approaches allow us to disentangle contributions of multiple systems to learning and, consequently, to further our understanding of psychiatric diseases. Copyright © 2017 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are glucose levels, glucose variability and autonomic control influenced by inspiratory muscle exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Schein, Aso; Correa, Aps; Casali, Karina Rabello; Schaan, Beatriz D

2016-01-20

Physical exercise reduces glucose levels and glucose variability in patients with type 2 diabetes. Acute inspiratory muscle exercise has been shown to reduce these parameters in a small group of patients with type 2 diabetes, but these results have yet to be confirmed in a well-designed study. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of acute inspiratory muscle exercise on glucose levels, glucose variability, and cardiovascular autonomic function in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study will use a randomized clinical trial crossover design. A total of 14 subjects will be recruited and randomly allocated to two groups to perform acute inspiratory muscle loading at 2 % of maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax, placebo load) or 60 % of PImax (experimental load). Inspiratory muscle training could be a novel exercise modality to be used to decrease glucose levels and glucose variability. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02292810 .

Architecture Design and Experimental Platform Demonstration of Optical Network based on OpenFlow Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Fangyuan; Wang, Honghuan; Yin, Hongxi; Li, Ming; Luo, Shenzi; Wu, Chenguang

2016-02-01

With the extensive application of cloud computing and data centres, as well as the constantly emerging services, the big data with the burst characteristic has brought huge challenges to optical networks. Consequently, the software defined optical network (SDON) that combines optical networks with software defined network (SDN), has attracted much attention. In this paper, an OpenFlow-enabled optical node employed in optical cross-connect (OXC) and reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM), is proposed. An open source OpenFlow controller is extended on routing strategies. In addition, the experiment platform based on OpenFlow protocol for software defined optical network, is designed. The feasibility and availability of the OpenFlow-enabled optical nodes and the extended OpenFlow controller are validated by the connectivity test, protection switching and load balancing experiments in this test platform.

Network-Friendly Gossiping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serbu, Sabina; Rivière, Étienne; Felber, Pascal

The emergence of large-scale distributed applications based on many-to-many communication models, e.g., broadcast and decentralized group communication, has an important impact on the underlying layers, notably the Internet routing infrastructure. To make an effective use of network resources, protocols should both limit the stress (amount of messages) on each infrastructure entity like routers and links, and balance as much as possible the load in the network. Most protocols use application-level metrics such as delays to improve efficiency of content dissemination or routing, but the extend to which such application-centric optimizations help reduce and balance the load imposed to the infrastructure is unclear. In this paper, we elaborate on the design of such network-friendly protocols and associated metrics. More specifically, we investigate random-based gossip dissemination. We propose and evaluate different ways of making this representative protocol network-friendly while keeping its desirable properties (robustness and low delays). Simulations of the proposed methods using synthetic and real network topologies convey and compare their abilities to reduce and balance the load while keeping good performance.

Strength determination of brittle materials as curved monolithic structures.

PubMed

Hooi, P; Addison, O; Fleming, G J P

2014-04-01

The dental literature is replete with "crunch the crown" monotonic load-to-failure studies of all-ceramic materials despite fracture behavior being dominated by the indenter contact surface. Load-to-failure data provide no information on stress patterns, and comparisons among studies are impossible owing to variable testing protocols. We investigated the influence of nonplanar geometries on the maximum principal stress of curved discs tested in biaxial flexure in the absence of analytical solutions. Radii of curvature analogous to elements of complex dental geometries and a finite element analysis method were integrated with experimental testing as a surrogate solution to calculate the maximum principal stress at failure. We employed soda-lime glass discs, a planar control (group P, n = 20), with curvature applied to the remaining discs by slump forming to different radii of curvature (30, 20, 15, and 10 mm; groups R30-R10). The mean deflection (group P) and radii of curvature obtained on slumping (groups R30-R10) were determined by profilometry before and after annealing and surface treatment protocols. Finite element analysis used the biaxial flexure load-to-failure data to determine the maximum principal stress at failure. Mean maximum principal stresses and load to failure were analyzed with one-way analyses of variance and post hoc Tukey tests (α = 0.05). The measured radii of curvature differed significantly among groups, and the radii of curvature were not influenced by annealing. Significant increases in the mean load to failure were observed as the radius of curvature was reduced. The maximum principal stress did not demonstrate sensitivity to radius of curvature. The findings highlight the sensitivity of failure load to specimen shape. The data also support the synergistic use of bespoke computational analysis with conventional mechanical testing and highlight a solution to complications with complex specimen geometries.

Critical review of immediate implant loading.

PubMed

Gapski, Ricardo; Wang, Hom-Lay; Mascarenhas, Paulo; Lang, Niklaus P

2003-10-01

Implant dentistry has become successful with the discovery of the biological properties of titanium. In the original protocol, studies have advocated a 2-stage surgical protocol for load-free and submerged healing to ensure predictable osseointegration. However, the discomfort, inconvenience, and anxiety associated with waiting period remains a challenge to both patients and clinicians. Hence, loading implant right after placement was attempted and has gained popularity among clinicians. Issues/questions related to this approach remain unanswered. Therefore, it is the purpose of this review article to (1). review and analyze critically the current available literature in the field of immediate implant loading and (2). discuss, based on scientific evidence, factors that may influence this treatment modality. Literature published over the past 20 years was selected and reviewed. Findings from these studies were discussed and summarized in the tables. The advantages and disadvantages associated with immediate implant loading were analyzed. Factors that may influence the success of immediate implant loading, including patient selection, type of bone quality, required implant length, micro- and macrostructure of the implant, surgical skill, need for achieving primary stability/control of occlusal force, and prosthesis guidelines, were thoroughly reviewed and discussed. Various studies have demonstrated the feasibility and predictability of this technique. However, most of these articles are based on retrospective data or uncontrolled cases. Randomized, prospective, parallel-armed longitudinal human trials are primarily based on short-term results and long-term follow-ups are still scarce in this field. Nonetheless, from available literature, it may be concluded that anatomic locations, implant designs, and restricted prosthetic guidelines are key to ensure successful outcomes. Future studies, preferably randomized, prospective longitudinal studies, are certainly needed before this approach can be widely used.

An Adaptive OFDMA-Based MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Khalil, Issa M.; Gadallah, Yasser; Hayajneh, Mohammad; Khreishah, Abdallah

2012-01-01

Underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks (UAWSNs) have many applications across various civilian and military domains. However, they suffer from the limited available bandwidth of acoustic signals and harsh underwater conditions. In this work, we present an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocol that is configurable to suit the operating requirements of the underwater sensor network. The protocol has three modes of operation, namely random, equal opportunity and energy-conscious modes of operation. Our MAC design approach exploits the multi-path characteristics of a fading acoustic channel to convert it into parallel independent acoustic sub-channels that undergo flat fading. Communication between node pairs within the network is done using subsets of these sub-channels, depending on the configurations of the active mode of operation. Thus, the available limited bandwidth gets fully utilized while completely avoiding interference. We derive the mathematical model for optimal power loading and subcarrier selection, which is used as basis for all modes of operation of the protocol. We also conduct many simulation experiments to evaluate and compare our protocol with other Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based MAC protocols. PMID:23012517

An adaptive OFDMA-based MAC protocol for underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Khalil, Issa M; Gadallah, Yasser; Hayajneh, Mohammad; Khreishah, Abdallah

2012-01-01

Underwater acoustic wireless sensor networks (UAWSNs) have many applications across various civilian and military domains. However, they suffer from the limited available bandwidth of acoustic signals and harsh underwater conditions. In this work, we present an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based Media Access Control (MAC) protocol that is configurable to suit the operating requirements of the underwater sensor network. The protocol has three modes of operation, namely random, equal opportunity and energy-conscious modes of operation. Our MAC design approach exploits the multi-path characteristics of a fading acoustic channel to convert it into parallel independent acoustic sub-channels that undergo flat fading. Communication between node pairs within the network is done using subsets of these sub-channels, depending on the configurations of the active mode of operation. Thus, the available limited bandwidth gets fully utilized while completely avoiding interference. We derive the mathematical model for optimal power loading and subcarrier selection, which is used as basis for all modes of operation of the protocol. We also conduct many simulation experiments to evaluate and compare our protocol with other Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)-based MAC protocols.

Developing strategies to enhance loading efficiency of erythrosensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bustamante Lopez, Sandra C.; Ritter, Sarah C.; Meissner, Kenith E.

2014-02-01

For diabetics, continuous glucose monitoring and the resulting tighter control of glucose levels ameliorate serious complications from hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Diabetics measure their blood glucose levels multiple times a day by finger pricks, or use implantable monitoring devices. Still, glucose and other analytes in the blood fluctuate throughout the day and the current monitoring methods are invasive, immunogenic, and/or present biodegradation problems. Using carrier erythrocytes loaded with a fluorescent sensor, we seek to develop a biodegradable, efficient, and potentially cost effective method to continuously sense blood analytes. We aim to reintroduce sensor-loaded erythrocytes to the bloodstream and conserve the erythrocytes lifetime of 120 days in the circulatory system. Here, we compare the efficiency of two loading techniques: hypotonic dilution and electroporation. Hypotonic dilution employs hypotonic buffer to create transient pores in the erythrocyte membrane, allowing dye entrance and a hypertonic buffer to restore tonicity. Electroporation relies on controlled electrical pulses that results in reversible pores formation to allow cargo entrance, follow by incubation at 37°C to reseal. As part of the cellular characterization of loaded erythrocytes, we focus on cell size, shape, and hemoglobin content. Cell recovery, loading efficiency and cargo release measurements render optimal loading conditions. The detected fluorescent signal from sensor-loaded erythrocytes can be translated into a direct measurement of analyte levels in the blood stream. The development of a suitable protocol to engineer carrier erythrocytes has profound and lasting implications in the erythrosensor's lifespan and sensing capabilities.

A microfluidic device for preparing next generation DNA sequencing libraries and for automating other laboratory protocols that require one or more column chromatography steps.

PubMed

Tan, Swee Jin; Phan, Huan; Gerry, Benjamin Michael; Kuhn, Alexandre; Hong, Lewis Zuocheng; Min Ong, Yao; Poon, Polly Suk Yean; Unger, Marc Alexander; Jones, Robert C; Quake, Stephen R; Burkholder, William F

2013-01-01

Library preparation for next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) remains a key bottleneck in the sequencing process which can be relieved through improved automation and miniaturization. We describe a microfluidic device for automating laboratory protocols that require one or more column chromatography steps and demonstrate its utility for preparing Next Generation sequencing libraries for the Illumina and Ion Torrent platforms. Sixteen different libraries can be generated simultaneously with significantly reduced reagent cost and hands-on time compared to manual library preparation. Using an appropriate column matrix and buffers, size selection can be performed on-chip following end-repair, dA tailing, and linker ligation, so that the libraries eluted from the chip are ready for sequencing. The core architecture of the device ensures uniform, reproducible column packing without user supervision and accommodates multiple routine protocol steps in any sequence, such as reagent mixing and incubation; column packing, loading, washing, elution, and regeneration; capture of eluted material for use as a substrate in a later step of the protocol; and removal of one column matrix so that two or more column matrices with different functional properties can be used in the same protocol. The microfluidic device is mounted on a plastic carrier so that reagents and products can be aliquoted and recovered using standard pipettors and liquid handling robots. The carrier-mounted device is operated using a benchtop controller that seals and operates the device with programmable temperature control, eliminating any requirement for the user to manually attach tubing or connectors. In addition to NGS library preparation, the device and controller are suitable for automating other time-consuming and error-prone laboratory protocols requiring column chromatography steps, such as chromatin immunoprecipitation.

A Microfluidic Device for Preparing Next Generation DNA Sequencing Libraries and for Automating Other Laboratory Protocols That Require One or More Column Chromatography Steps

PubMed Central

Tan, Swee Jin; Phan, Huan; Gerry, Benjamin Michael; Kuhn, Alexandre; Hong, Lewis Zuocheng; Min Ong, Yao; Poon, Polly Suk Yean; Unger, Marc Alexander; Jones, Robert C.; Quake, Stephen R.; Burkholder, William F.

2013-01-01

Library preparation for next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) remains a key bottleneck in the sequencing process which can be relieved through improved automation and miniaturization. We describe a microfluidic device for automating laboratory protocols that require one or more column chromatography steps and demonstrate its utility for preparing Next Generation sequencing libraries for the Illumina and Ion Torrent platforms. Sixteen different libraries can be generated simultaneously with significantly reduced reagent cost and hands-on time compared to manual library preparation. Using an appropriate column matrix and buffers, size selection can be performed on-chip following end-repair, dA tailing, and linker ligation, so that the libraries eluted from the chip are ready for sequencing. The core architecture of the device ensures uniform, reproducible column packing without user supervision and accommodates multiple routine protocol steps in any sequence, such as reagent mixing and incubation; column packing, loading, washing, elution, and regeneration; capture of eluted material for use as a substrate in a later step of the protocol; and removal of one column matrix so that two or more column matrices with different functional properties can be used in the same protocol. The microfluidic device is mounted on a plastic carrier so that reagents and products can be aliquoted and recovered using standard pipettors and liquid handling robots. The carrier-mounted device is operated using a benchtop controller that seals and operates the device with programmable temperature control, eliminating any requirement for the user to manually attach tubing or connectors. In addition to NGS library preparation, the device and controller are suitable for automating other time-consuming and error-prone laboratory protocols requiring column chromatography steps, such as chromatin immunoprecipitation. PMID:23894273

Buoyancy-corrected gravimetric analysis of lightly loaded filters.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Pat E; Gardner, H David; Niu, Jianjun

2010-09-01

Numerous sources of uncertainty are associated with the gravimetric analysis of lightly loaded air filter samples (< 100 microg). The purpose of the study presented here is to investigate the effectiveness and limitations of air buoyancy corrections over experimentally adjusted conditions of temperature (21-25 degrees C) and relative humidity (RH) (16-60% RH). Conditioning (24 hr) and weighing were performed inside the Archimedes M3 environmentally controlled chamber. The measurements were performed using 20 size-fractionated samples of resuspended house dust loaded onto Teflo (PTFE) filters using a Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor representing a wide range of mass loading (7.2-3130 microg) and cut sizes (0.056-9.9 microm). By maintaining tight controls on humidity (within 0.5% RH of control setting) throughout pre- and postweighing at each stepwise increase in RH, it was possible to quantify error due to water absorption: 45% of the total mass change due to water absorption occurred between 16 and 50% RH, and 55% occurred between 50 and 60% RH. The buoyancy corrections ranged from -3.5 to +5.8 microg in magnitude and improved relative standard deviation (RSD) from 21.3% (uncorrected) to 5.6% (corrected) for a 7.2 microg sample. It is recommended that protocols for weighing low-mass particle samples (e.g., nanoparticle samples) should include buoyancy corrections and tight temperature/humidity controls. In some cases, conditioning times longer than 24 hr may be warranted.

Concentration: The Neural Underpinnings of How Cognitive Load Shields Against Distraction.

PubMed

Sörqvist, Patrik; Dahlström, Örjan; Karlsson, Thomas; Rönnberg, Jerker

2016-01-01

Whether cognitive load-and other aspects of task difficulty-increases or decreases distractibility is subject of much debate in contemporary psychology. One camp argues that cognitive load usurps executive resources, which otherwise could be used for attentional control, and therefore cognitive load increases distraction. The other camp argues that cognitive load demands high levels of concentration (focal-task engagement), which suppresses peripheral processing and therefore decreases distraction. In this article, we employed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol to explore whether higher cognitive load in a visually-presented task suppresses task-irrelevant auditory processing in cortical and subcortical areas. The results show that selectively attending to an auditory stimulus facilitates its neural processing in the auditory cortex, and switching the locus-of-attention to the visual modality decreases the neural response in the auditory cortex. When the cognitive load of the task presented in the visual modality increases, the neural response to the auditory stimulus is further suppressed, along with increased activity in networks related to effortful attention. Taken together, the results suggest that higher cognitive load decreases peripheral processing of task-irrelevant information-which decreases distractibility-as a side effect of the increased activity in a focused-attention network.

Intraoperative intravascular volume optimisation and length of hospital stay after repair of proximal femoral fracture: randomised controlled trial.

PubMed Central

Sinclair, S.; James, S.; Singer, M.

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To assess whether intraoperative intravascular volume optimisation improves outcome and shortens hospital stay after repair of proximal femoral fracture. DESIGN: Prospective, randomised controlled trial comparing conventional intraoperative fluid management with repeated colloid fluid challenges monitored by oesophageal Doppler ultrasonography to maintain maximal stroke volume throughout the operative period. SETTING: Teaching hospital, London. SUBJECTS: 40 patients undergoing repair of proximal femoral fracture under general anaesthesia. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either conventional intraoperative fluid management (control patients) or additional repeated colloid fluid challenges with oesophageal Doppler ultrasonography used to maintain maximal stroke volume throughout the operative period (protocol patients). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Time declared medically fit for hospital discharge, duration of hospital stay (in acute bed; in acute plus long stay bed), mortality, perioperative haemodynamic changes. RESULTS: Intraoperative intravascular fluid loading produced significantly greater changes in stroke volume (median 15 ml (95% confidence interval 10 to 21 ml)) and cardiac output (1.2 l/min (0.1 to 2.3 l/min)) than in the conventionally managed group (-5 ml (-10 to 1 ml) and -0.4 l/min (-1.0 to 0.2 l/min)) (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). One protocol patient and two control patients died in hospital. In the survivors, postoperative recovery was significantly faster in the protocol patients, with shorter times to being declared medically fit for discharge (median 10 (9 to 15) days v 15 (11 to 40) days, P < 0.05) and a 39% reduction in hospital stay (12 (8 to 13) days v 20 (10 to 61) days, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Proximal femoral fracture repair constitutes surgery in a high risk population. Intraoperative intravascular volume loading to optimal stroke volume resulted in a more rapid postoperative recovery and a significantly reduced hospital stay. PMID:9361539

Effects of different impact exercise modalities on bone mineral density in premenopausal women: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Martyn-St James, Marrissa; Carroll, Sean

2010-05-01

Our objective was to assess the effects of differing modes of impact exercise on bone density at the hip and spine in premenopausal women through systematic review and meta-analysis. Electronic databases, key journals and reference lists were searched for controlled trials investigating the effects of impact exercise interventions on lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH) bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal women. Exercise protocols were categorised according to impact loading characteristics. Weighted mean difference (WMD) meta-analyses were undertaken. Heterogeneity amongst trials was assessed. Fixed and random effects models were applied. Inspection of funnel plot symmetry was performed. Trial quality assessment was also undertaken. Combined protocols integrating odd- or high-impact exercise with high-magnitude loading (resistance exercises), were effective in increasing BMD at both LS and FN [WMD (fixed effect) 0.009 g cm(-2) 95% CI (0.002-0.015) and 0.007 g cm(-2) 95% CI (0.001-0.013); P = 0.011 and 0.017, respectively]. High-impact only protocols were effective on femoral neck BMD [WMD (fixed effect) 0.024 g cm(-2) 95% CI (0.002-0.027); P < 0.00001]. Funnel plots showed some asymmetry for positive BMD outcomes. Insufficient numbers of protocols assessing TH BMD were available for assessment. Exercise programmes that combine odd- or high-impact activity with high-magnitude resistance training appear effective in augmenting BMD in premenopausal women at the hip and spine. High-impact-alone protocols are effective only on hip BMD in this group. However, diverse methodological and reporting discrepancies are evident in published trials.

Determining the optimal load for jump squats: a review of methods and calculations.

PubMed

Dugan, Eric L; Doyle, Tim L A; Humphries, Brendan; Hasson, Christopher J; Newton, Robert U

2004-08-01

There has been an increasing volume of research focused on the load that elicits maximum power output during jump squats. Because of a lack of standardization for data collection and analysis protocols, results of much of this research are contradictory. The purpose of this paper is to examine why differing methods of data collection and analysis can lead to conflicting results for maximum power and associated optimal load. Six topics relevant to measurement and reporting of maximum power and optimal load are addressed: (a) data collection equipment, (b) inclusion or exclusion of body weight force in calculations of power, (c) free weight versus Smith machine jump squats, (d) reporting of average versus peak power, (e) reporting of load intensity, and (f) instructions given to athletes/ participants. Based on this information, a standardized protocol for data collection and reporting of jump squat power and optimal load is presented.

Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Schoenfeld, Brad J; Grgic, Jozo; Ogborn, Dan; Krieger, James W

2017-12-01

Schoenfeld, BJ, Grgic, J, Ogborn, D, and Krieger, JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Strength Cond Res 31(12): 3508-3523, 2017-The purpose of this article was to conduct a systematic review of the current body of literature and a meta-analysis to compare changes in strength and hypertrophy between low- vs. high-load resistance training protocols. Searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Scopus were conducted for studies that met the following criteria: (a) an experimental trial involving both low-load training [≤60% 1 repetition maximum (1RM)] and high-load training (>60% 1RM); (b) with all sets in the training protocols being performed to momentary muscular failure; (c) at least one method of estimating changes in muscle mass or dynamic, isometric, or isokinetic strength was used; (d) the training protocol lasted for a minimum of 6 weeks; (e) the study involved participants with no known medical conditions or injuries impairing training capacity. A total of 21 studies were ultimately included for analysis. Gains in 1RM strength were significantly greater in favor of high- vs. low-load training, whereas no significant differences were found for isometric strength between conditions. Changes in measures of muscle hypertrophy were similar between conditions. The findings indicate that maximal strength benefits are obtained from the use of heavy loads while muscle hypertrophy can be equally achieved across a spectrum of loading ranges.

Effects of two neuromuscular training programs on running biomechanics with load carriage: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Liew, Bernard X W; Morris, Susan; Keogh, Justin W L; Appleby, Brendyn; Netto, Kevin

2016-10-22

In recent years, athletes have ventured into ultra-endurance and adventure racing events, which tests their ability to race, navigate, and survive. These events often require race participants to carry some form of load, to bear equipment for navigation and survival purposes. Previous studies have reported specific alterations in biomechanics when running with load which potentially influence running performance and injury risk. We hypothesize that a biomechanically informed neuromuscular training program would optimize running mechanics during load carriage to a greater extent than a generic strength training program. This will be a two group, parallel randomized controlled trial design, with single assessor blinding. Thirty healthy runners will be recruited to participate in a six weeks neuromuscular training program. Participants will be randomized into either a generic training group, or a biomechanically informed training group. Primary outcomes include self-determined running velocity with a 20 % body weight load, jump power, hopping leg stiffness, knee extensor and triceps-surae strength. Secondary outcomes include running kinetics and kinematics. Assessments will occur at baseline and post-training. To our knowledge, no training programs are available that specifically targets a runner's ability to carry load while running. This will provide sport scientists and coaches with a foundation to base their exercise prescription on. ANZCTR ( ACTRN12616000023459 ) (14 Jan 2016).

L2-LBMT: A Layered Load Balance Routing Protocol for underwater multimedia data transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Ze; Tang, Ruichun; Tao, Ye; Sun, Xin; Xu, Xiaowei

2017-12-01

Providing highly efficient underwater transmission of mass multimedia data is challenging due to the particularities of the underwater environment. Although there are many schemes proposed to optimize the underwater acoustic network communication protocols, from physical layer, data link layer, network layer to transport layer, the existing routing protocols for underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) still cannot well deal with the problems in transmitting multimedia data because of the difficulties involved in high energy consumption, low transmission reliability or high transmission delay. It prevents us from applying underwater multimedia data to real-time monitoring of marine environment in practical application, especially in emergency search, rescue operation and military field. Therefore, the inefficient transmission of marine multimedia data has become a serious problem that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, A Layered Load Balance Routing Protocol (L2-LBMT) is proposed for underwater multimedia data transmission. In L2-LBMT, we use layered and load-balance Ad Hoc Network to transmit data, and adopt segmented data reliable transfer (SDRT) protocol to improve the data transport reliability. And a 3-node variant of tornado (3-VT) code is also combined with the Ad Hoc Network to transmit little emergency data more quickly. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol can balance energy consumption of each node, effectively prolong the network lifetime and reduce transmission delay of marine multimedia data.

Time Course of Peri-Implant Bone Regeneration around Loaded and Unloaded Implants in a Rat Model

PubMed Central

Jariwala, Shailly H.; Wee, Hwabok; Roush, Evan P.; Whitcomb, Tiffany L.; Murter, Christopher; Kozlansky, Gery; Lakhtakia, Akhlesh; Kunselman, Allen R.; Donahue, Henry J.; Armstrong, April D.; Lewis, Gregory S.

2018-01-01

The time-course of cancellous bone regeneration surrounding mechanically loaded implants affects implant fixation, and is relevant to determining optimal rehabilitation protocols following orthopaedic surgeries. We investigated the influence of controlled mechanical loading of titanium-coated polyether-ether ketone (PEEK) implants on osseointegration using time-lapsed, non-invasive, in vivo micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans. Implants were inserted into proximal tibial metaphyses of both limbs of eight female Sprague-Dawley rats. External cyclic loading (60 μm or 100 μm displacement, 1 Hz, 60 seconds) was applied every other day for 14 days to one implant in each rat, while implants in contralateral limbs served as the unloaded controls. Hind limbs were imaged with high-resolution micro-CT (12.5 μm voxel size) at 2, 5, 9, and 12 days post-surgery. Trabecular changes over time were detected by 3D image registration allowing for measurements of bone-formation rate (BFR) and bone-resorption rate (BRR). At day 9, mean %BV/TV for loaded and unloaded limbs were 35.5 ± 10.0 % and 37.2 ± 10.0 %, respectively, and demonstrated significant increases in bone volume compared to day 2. BRR increased significantly after day 9. No significant differences between bone volumes, BFR, and BRR were detected due to implant loading. Although not reaching significance (p = 0.16), an average 119 % increase in pull-out strength was measured in the loaded implants. PMID:27381807

Neuromuscular control of lumbar instability following static work of various loads.

PubMed

Le, Brook; Davidson, Bradley; Solomonow, Deborah; Zhou, Bing He; Lu, Yun; Patel, Vikas; Solomonow, Moshe

2009-01-01

Neuromuscular control of lumbar stability following exposure to prolonged static work, under low and high loads, was assessed in the in vivo feline model. Six sessions of 10 min work at 20N with 10 min between rest was compared to a group subjected to the same protocol but carrying high loads of 60N. Displacement and tension developed in the spine at the instant the multifidus muscles applied stabilizing contractions, and their amplitudes were obtained from their electromyogram (EMG). Significant (P < 0.001) laxity developed in the various viscoelastic tissues of the lumbar spine that did not recover during and up to 7 h of rest postwork. Simultaneously, there was a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in muscular activity in the 3-4 h immediately postwork under low load but only during the first hour in the high load group. After that period the musculature compensated for the laxity of the viscoelastic tissues by a significant (P < 0.001) increase in activity in the high-load group and a nonsignificant increase in the low group. It was concluded that during 1-3 h immediately poststatic work a significant decrease in the stabilizing function of viscoelastic tissues together with a significant decrease in muscular activity is present, and they render the spine unstable and exposed to high risk of injury. Performance of prolonged static work under low loads, while not harmful during the work, cannot be designated as a "no-risk" condition, as it may result in injury postwork.

The Acute Effects of Back Squats on Vertical Jump Performance in Men and Women

PubMed Central

Witmer, Chad A.; Davis, Shala E.; Moir, Gavin L.

2010-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of performing back squats on subsequent performance during a series of vertical jumps in men and women. Twelve men and 12 women were tested on three separate occasions, the first of which was used to determine their 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) parallel back squat. Following this, subjects performed a potentiation and a control treatment in a counterbalanced order. The potentiation treatment culminated with subjects performing parallel back squats with a load equivalent to 70% 1- RM for three repetitions, following which they performed one countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) for maximal height every three minutes for a total of 10 jumps. During the control treatment, subjects performed only the CMJs. Jump height (JH) and vertical stiffness (VStiff) were calculated for each jump from the vertical force signal recorded from a force platform. There were no significant changes in JH or VStiff following the treatments and no significant differences in the responses between men and women (p > 0.05). Correlations between normalized 1-RM back squat load and the absolute change in JH and VStiff were small to moderate for both men and women, with most correlations being negative. Large variations in response to the back squats were noted in both men and women. The use of resistance exercises performed prior to a series of vertical jumps can result in improvements in performance in certain individuals, although the gains tend to be small and dependent upon the mechanical variable measured. There does not seem to be any differences between men and women in the response to dynamic potentiation protocols. Key points Substantial individual responses were noted in both men and women in response to the PAP protocol used in the present study. The choice of dependent variable influences the ef-ficacy of the PAP protocol, with JH and VStiff demonstrating disparate responses in individual sub-jects.Such individual responses may render such PAP protocols impractical for strength and conditioning practitioners as the protocols are likely to require in-dividualizing to each athlete. PMID:24149687

The acute effects of back squats on vertical jump performance in men and women.

PubMed

Witmer, Chad A; Davis, Shala E; Moir, Gavin L

2010-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the acute effects of performing back squats on subsequent performance during a series of vertical jumps in men and women. Twelve men and 12 women were tested on three separate occasions, the first of which was used to determine their 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) parallel back squat. Following this, subjects performed a potentiation and a control treatment in a counterbalanced order. The potentiation treatment culminated with subjects performing parallel back squats with a load equivalent to 70% 1- RM for three repetitions, following which they performed one countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) for maximal height every three minutes for a total of 10 jumps. During the control treatment, subjects performed only the CMJs. Jump height (JH) and vertical stiffness (VStiff) were calculated for each jump from the vertical force signal recorded from a force platform. There were no significant changes in JH or VStiff following the treatments and no significant differences in the responses between men and women (p > 0.05). Correlations between normalized 1-RM back squat load and the absolute change in JH and VStiff were small to moderate for both men and women, with most correlations being negative. Large variations in response to the back squats were noted in both men and women. The use of resistance exercises performed prior to a series of vertical jumps can result in improvements in performance in certain individuals, although the gains tend to be small and dependent upon the mechanical variable measured. There does not seem to be any differences between men and women in the response to dynamic potentiation protocols. Key pointsSubstantial individual responses were noted in both men and women in response to the PAP protocol used in the present study.The choice of dependent variable influences the ef-ficacy of the PAP protocol, with JH and VStiff demonstrating disparate responses in individual sub-jects.Such individual responses may render such PAP protocols impractical for strength and conditioning practitioners as the protocols are likely to require in-dividualizing to each athlete.

Concentration: The Neural Underpinnings of How Cognitive Load Shields Against Distraction

PubMed Central

Sörqvist, Patrik; Dahlström, Örjan; Karlsson, Thomas; Rönnberg, Jerker

2016-01-01

Whether cognitive load—and other aspects of task difficulty—increases or decreases distractibility is subject of much debate in contemporary psychology. One camp argues that cognitive load usurps executive resources, which otherwise could be used for attentional control, and therefore cognitive load increases distraction. The other camp argues that cognitive load demands high levels of concentration (focal-task engagement), which suppresses peripheral processing and therefore decreases distraction. In this article, we employed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol to explore whether higher cognitive load in a visually-presented task suppresses task-irrelevant auditory processing in cortical and subcortical areas. The results show that selectively attending to an auditory stimulus facilitates its neural processing in the auditory cortex, and switching the locus-of-attention to the visual modality decreases the neural response in the auditory cortex. When the cognitive load of the task presented in the visual modality increases, the neural response to the auditory stimulus is further suppressed, along with increased activity in networks related to effortful attention. Taken together, the results suggest that higher cognitive load decreases peripheral processing of task-irrelevant information—which decreases distractibility—as a side effect of the increased activity in a focused-attention network. PMID:27242485

Effects of Immediate vs. Delayed Massage-like Loading on Skeletal Muscle Viscoelastic Properties Following Eccentric Exercise

PubMed Central

Crawford, Scott K.; Haas, Caroline; Wang, Qian; Zhang, Xiaoli; Zhao, Yi; Best, Thomas M.

2014-01-01

Background This study compared immediate versus delayed massage-like compressive loading on skeletal muscle viscoelastic properties following eccentric exercise. Methods Eighteen rabbits were surgically instrumented with peroneal nerve cuffs for stimulation of the tibialis anterior muscle. Rabbits were randomly assigned to a massage loading protocol applied immediately post exercise (n=6), commencing 48 hours post exercise (n=6), or exercised no-massage control (n=6). Viscoelastic properties were evaluated in vivo by performing a stress-relaxation test pre- and post-exercise and daily pre- and post-massage for four consecutive days of massage loading. A quasi-linear viscoelastic approach modeled the instantaneous elastic response (AG0), fast ( g1p) and slow ( g2p) relaxation coefficients, and the corresponding relaxation time constants τ1 and τ2. Findings Exercise increased AG0 in all groups (P<0.05). After adjusting for the three multiple comparisons, recovery of AG0 was not significant in the immediate (P=0.021) or delayed (P=0.048) groups compared to the control group following four days of massage. However, within-day (pre- to post-massage) analysis revealed a decrease in AG0 in both massage groups. Following exercise, g1p increased and g2p and τ1 decreased for all groups (P<0.05). Exercise had no effect on τ2 (P>0.05). After four days of massage, there was no significant recovery of the relaxation parameters for either massage loading group compared to the control group. Interpretation Our findings suggest that massage loading following eccentric exercise has a greater effect on reducing muscle stiffness, estimated by AG0, within-day rather than affecting recovery over multiple days. Massage loading also has little effect on the relaxation response. PMID:24861827

Gated Silica Mesoporous Materials in Sensing Applications.

PubMed

Sancenón, Félix; Pascual, Lluís; Oroval, Mar; Aznar, Elena; Martínez-Máñez, Ramón

2015-08-01

Silica mesoporous supports (SMSs) have a large specific surface area and volume and are particularly exciting vehicles for delivery applications. Such container-like structures can be loaded with numerous different chemical substances, such as drugs and reporters. Gated systems also contain addressable functions at openings of voids, and cargo delivery can be controlled on-command using chemical, biochemical or physical stimuli. Many of these gated SMSs have been applied for drug delivery. However, fewer examples of their use in sensing protocols have been reported. The approach of applying SMSs in sensing uses another concept-that of loading pores with a reporter and designing a capping mechanism that is selectively opened in the presence of a target analyte, which results in the delivery of the reporter. According to this concept, we provide herein a complete compilation of published examples of probes based on the use of capped SMSs for sensing. Examples for the detection of anions, cations, small molecules and biomolecules are provided. The diverse range of gated silica mesoporous materials presented here highlights their usefulness in recognition protocols.

Gated Silica Mesoporous Materials in Sensing Applications

PubMed Central

Sancenón, Félix; Pascual, Lluís; Oroval, Mar; Aznar, Elena; Martínez-Máñez, Ramón

2015-01-01

Silica mesoporous supports (SMSs) have a large specific surface area and volume and are particularly exciting vehicles for delivery applications. Such container-like structures can be loaded with numerous different chemical substances, such as drugs and reporters. Gated systems also contain addressable functions at openings of voids, and cargo delivery can be controlled on-command using chemical, biochemical or physical stimuli. Many of these gated SMSs have been applied for drug delivery. However, fewer examples of their use in sensing protocols have been reported. The approach of applying SMSs in sensing uses another concept—that of loading pores with a reporter and designing a capping mechanism that is selectively opened in the presence of a target analyte, which results in the delivery of the reporter. According to this concept, we provide herein a complete compilation of published examples of probes based on the use of capped SMSs for sensing. Examples for the detection of anions, cations, small molecules and biomolecules are provided. The diverse range of gated silica mesoporous materials presented here highlights their usefulness in recognition protocols. PMID:26491626

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

Shah, Nihar K.; Wei, Max; Letschert, Virginie

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emitted from uses such as refrigerants and thermal insulating foam, are now the fastest growing greenhouse gases (GHGs), with global warming potentials (GWP) thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2). Because of the short lifetime of these molecules in the atmosphere,1 mitigating the amount of these short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) provides a faster path to climate change mitigation than control of CO2 alone. This has led to proposals from Africa, Europe, India, Island States, and North America to amend the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) to phase-down high-GWP HFCs. Simultaneously, energymore » efficiency market transformation programs such as standards, labeling and incentive programs are endeavoring to improve the energy efficiency for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment to provide life cycle cost, energy, GHG, and peak load savings. In this paper we provide an estimate of the magnitude of such GHG and peak electric load savings potential, for room air conditioning, if the refrigerant transition and energy efficiency improvement policies are implemented either separately or in parallel.« less

Periodically Relieving Ischial Sitting Load to Decrease the Risk of Pressure Ulcers

PubMed Central

Makhsous, Mohsen; Rowles, Diane M.; Rymer, William Z.; Bankard, James; Nam, Ellis K.; Chen, David; Lin, Fang

2010-01-01

Objective To investigate the relieving effect on interface pressure of an alternate sitting protocol involving a sitting posture that reduces ischial support. Design Repeated measures in 2 protocols on 3 groups of subjects. Setting Laboratory. Participants Twenty able-bodied persons, 20 persons with paraplegia, and 20 persons with tetraplegia. Interventions Two 1-hour protocols were used: alternate and normal plus pushup. In the alternate protocol, sitting posture was alternated every 10 minutes between normal (sitting upright with ischial support) and with partially removed ischial support (WO-BPS) postures; in the normal plus pushup protocol, sitting was in normal posture with pushups (lifting the subject off the seat) performed every 20 minutes. Main Outcome Measure Interface pressure on seat and backrest. Results In WO-BPS posture, the concentrated interface pressure observed around the ischia in normal posture was significantly repositioned to the thighs. By cyclically repositioning the interface pressure, the alternate protocol was superior to the normal plus pushup protocol in terms of a significantly lower average interface pressure over the buttocks. Conclusions A sitting protocol periodically reducing the ischial support helps lower the sitting load on the buttocks, especially the area close to ischial tuberosities. PMID:17601466

Alternative parallel ring protocols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, R.; Foudriat, E. C.; Maly, Kurt J.; Kale, V.

1990-01-01

Communication protocols are know to influence the utilization and performance of communication network. The effect of two token ring protocols on a gigabit network with multiple ring structure is investigated. In the first protocol, a mode sends at most one message on receiving a token. In the second protocol, a mode sends all the waiting messages when a token is received. The behavior of these protocols is shown to be highly dependent on the number of rings as well as the load in the network.

Muscle protein metabolism in neonatal alloxan-administered rats: effects of continuous and intermittent swimming training

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background This study aimed to examine the effects of intermittent and continuous swimming training on muscle protein metabolism in neonatal alloxan-administered rats. Methods Wistar rats were used and divided into six groups: sedentary alloxan (SA), sedentary control (SC), continuous trained alloxan (CA), intermittent trained alloxan (IA), continuous trained control (CC) and intermittent trained control (IC). Alloxan (250 mg/kg body weight) was injected into newborn rats at 6 days of age. The continuous training protocol consisted of 12 weeks of swimming training in individual cylinder tanks while supporting a load that was 5% of body weight; uninterrupted swimming for 1 h/day, five days a week. The intermittent training protocol consisted of 12 weeks of swimming training in individual cylinder tanks while supporting a load that was 15% of body weight; 30 s of activity interrupted by 30 s of rest for a total of 20 min/day, five days a week. Results At 28 days, the alloxan animals displayed higher glycemia after glucose overload than the control animals. No differences in insulinemia among the groups were detected. At 120 days, no differences in serum albumin and total protein among the groups were observed. Compared to the other groups, DNA concentrations were higher in the alloxan animals that were subjected to continuous training, whereas the DNA/protein ratio was higher in the alloxan animals that were subjected to intermittent training. Conclusion It was concluded that continuous and intermittent training sessions were effective in altering muscle growth by hyperplasia and hypertrophy, respectively, in alloxan-administered animals. PMID:22309804

Vestibular-Somatosensory Convergence in Head Movement Control During Locomotion after Long-Duration Space Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Ruttley, Tara; Cohen, Helen; Peters, Brian; Miller, Chris; Brady, Rachel; Merkle, Lauren; Bloomberg, Jacob

2010-01-01

Exposure to the microgravity conditions of space flight induces adaptive modification in the control of vestibular-mediated reflexive head movement during locomotion after space flight. Space flight causes astronauts to be exposed to somatosensory adaptation in both the vestibular and body load-sensing (BLS) systems. The goal of these studies was to examine the contributions of vestibular and BLS-mediated somatosensory influences on head movement control during locomotion after long-duration space flight. Subjects were asked to walk on a treadmill driven at 1.8 m/s while performing a visual acuity task. Data were collected using the same testing protocol from three independent subject groups; 1) normal subjects before and after exposure to 30 minutes of 40% bodyweight unloaded treadmill walking, 2) bilateral labyrinthine deficient (LD) patients and 3) astronauts who performed the protocol before and after long duration space flight. Motion data from head and trunk segmental motion data were obtained to calculate the angular head pitch (HP) movements during walking trials while subjects performed the visual task, to estimate the contributions of vestibular reflexive mechanisms in HP movements. Results showed that exposure to unloaded locomotion caused a significant increase in HP movements, whereas in the LD patients the HP movements were significantly decreased. Astronaut subjects results showed a heterogeneous response of both increases and decreases in the amplitude of HP movement. We infer that BLS-mediated somatosensory input centrally modulates vestibular input and can adaptively modify head-movement control during locomotion. Thus, space flight may cause a central adaptation mediated by the converging vestibular and body load-sensing somatosensory systems.

Value of 100 kVp scan with sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction algorithm on a single-source CT system during whole-body CT for radiation and contrast medium dose reduction: an intra-individual feasibility study.

PubMed

Nagayama, Y; Nakaura, T; Oda, S; Tsuji, A; Urata, J; Furusawa, M; Tanoue, S; Utsunomiya, D; Yamashita, Y

2018-02-01

To perform an intra-individual investigation of the usefulness of a contrast medium (CM) and radiation dose-reduction protocol using single-source computed tomography (CT) combined with 100 kVp and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) for whole-body CT (WBCT; chest-abdomen-pelvis CT) in oncology patients. Forty-three oncology patients who had undergone WBCT under both 120 and 100 kVp protocols at different time points (mean interscan intervals: 98 days) were included retrospectively. The CM doses for the 120 and 100 kVp protocols were 600 and 480 mg iodine/kg, respectively; 120 kVp images were reconstructed with filtered back-projection (FBP), whereas 100 kVp images were reconstructed with FBP (100 kVp-F) and the SAFIRE (100 kVp-S). The size-specific dose estimate (SSDE), iodine load and image quality of each protocol were compared. The SSDE and iodine load of 100 kVp protocol were 34% and 21%, respectively, lower than of 120 kVp protocol (SSDE: 10.6±1.1 versus 16.1±1.8 mGy; iodine load: 24.8±4versus 31.5±5.5 g iodine, p<0.01). Contrast enhancement, objective image noise, contrast-to-noise-ratio, and visual score of 100 kVp-S were similar to or better than of 120 kVp protocol. Compared with the 120 kVp protocol, the combined use of 100 kVp and SAFIRE in WBCT for oncology assessment with an SSCT facilitated substantial reduction in the CM and radiation dose while maintaining image quality. Copyright © 2017 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hormonal Responses to Active and Passive Recovery After Load Carriage.

PubMed

Taipale, Ritva S; Heinaru, Siiri; Nindl, Bradley C; Vaara, Jani P; Santtila, Matti; Häkkinen, Keijo; Kyröläinen, Heikki

2015-11-01

Military operations often induce fatigue resulting from load carriage. Recovery promotes military readiness. This study investigated the acute effects of AR vs. PR after load carriage on maximal isometric leg extension force (MVC) and serum hormonal concentrations. Male reservists (27 ± 3 years, 180 ± 7 cm, 74 ± 11 kg, V[Combining Dot Above]O2max 64 ± 9 ml·kg⁻¹·min⁻¹) completed PR (n = 8) or AR (n = 8) after 50 minutes of loaded (16 kg) uphill (gradient 4.0%) treadmill marching at individual anaerobic threshold. No differences were observed between groups in relative changes in MVC during the marching loading, after AR or PR or the next morning. Significant differences in relative responses to AR and PR postmarching loading were observed in serum testosterone (T), cortisol, and sex-hormone binding globulin immediately post AR and PR; however the next morning, all serum hormone concentrations had returned to normal. This study did not reveal any significant differences between the effects of AR and PR after an hour-long marching protocol at approximately anaerobic threshold on MVC or serum hormones the morning after the experimental marching protocol. Thus, based on the variable measured in this study, marching performed by physically fit army reservists at an intensity at or below anaerobic threshold may not necessitate specialized recovery protocols.

Packetized Video On MAGNET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazar, Aurel A.; White, John S.

1987-07-01

Theoretical analysis of integrated local area network model of MAGNET, an integrated network testbed developed at Columbia University, shows that the bandwidth freed up during video and voice calls during periods of little movement in the images and periods of silence in the speech signals could be utilized efficiently for graphics and data transmission. Based on these investigations, an architecture supporting adaptive protocols that are dynamicaly controlled by the requirements of a fluctuating load and changing user environment has been advanced. To further analyze the behavior of the network, a real-time packetized video system has been implemented. This system is embedded in the real-time multimedia workstation EDDY, which integrates video, voice, and data traffic flows. Protocols supporting variable-bandwidth, fixed-quality packetized video transport are described in detail.

Packetized video on MAGNET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazar, Aurel A.; White, John S.

1986-11-01

Theoretical analysis of an ILAN model of MAGNET, an integrated network testbed developed at Columbia University, shows that the bandwidth freed up by video and voice calls during periods of little movement in the images and silence periods in the speech signals could be utilized efficiently for graphics and data transmission. Based on these investigations, an architecture supporting adaptive protocols that are dynamically controlled by the requirements of a fluctuating load and changing user environment has been advanced. To further analyze the behavior of the network, a real-time packetized video system has been implemented. This system is embedded in the real time multimedia workstation EDDY that integrates video, voice and data traffic flows. Protocols supporting variable bandwidth, constant quality packetized video transport are descibed in detail.

A survey on investigating the need for intelligent power-aware load balanced routing protocols for handling critical links in MANETs.

PubMed

Sivakumar, B; Bhalaji, N; Sivakumar, D

2014-01-01

In mobile ad hoc networks connectivity is always an issue of concern. Due to dynamism in the behavior of mobile nodes, efficiency shall be achieved only with the assumption of good network infrastructure. Presence of critical links results in deterioration which should be detected in advance to retain the prevailing communication setup. This paper discusses a short survey on the specialized algorithms and protocols related to energy efficient load balancing for critical link detection in the recent literature. This paper also suggests a machine learning based hybrid power-aware approach for handling critical nodes via load balancing.

A Survey on Investigating the Need for Intelligent Power-Aware Load Balanced Routing Protocols for Handling Critical Links in MANETs

PubMed Central

Sivakumar, B.; Bhalaji, N.; Sivakumar, D.

2014-01-01

In mobile ad hoc networks connectivity is always an issue of concern. Due to dynamism in the behavior of mobile nodes, efficiency shall be achieved only with the assumption of good network infrastructure. Presence of critical links results in deterioration which should be detected in advance to retain the prevailing communication setup. This paper discusses a short survey on the specialized algorithms and protocols related to energy efficient load balancing for critical link detection in the recent literature. This paper also suggests a machine learning based hybrid power-aware approach for handling critical nodes via load balancing. PMID:24790546

Respiratory load perception in overweight and asthmatic children.

PubMed

MacBean, Victoria; Wheatley, Lorna; Lunt, Alan C; Rafferty, Gerrard F

2017-05-01

Overweight asthmatic children report greater symptoms than normal weight asthmatics, despite comparable airflow obstruction. This has been widely assumed to be due to heightened perception of respiratory effort. Three groups of children (healthy weight controls, healthy weight asthmatics, overweight asthmatics) rated perceived respiratory effort throughout an inspiratory resistive loading protocol. Parasternal intercostal electromyogram was used as an objective marker of respiratory load; this was expressed relative to tidal volume and reported as a ratio of the baseline value (neuroventilatory activity ratio (NVEAR)). Significant increases in perception scores (p<0.0001), and decreases in NVEAR (p<0.0001) were observed from lowest to highest resistive load. Higher BMI increased overall perception scores, with no influence of asthma or BMI-for-age percentile on the resistance-perception relationships. These data, indicating elevated overall respiratory effort in overweight asthmatic children but comparable responses to dynamic changes in load, suggest that the greater disease burden in overweight asthmatic children may be due to altered respiratory mechanics associated with increased body mass. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Immediate prosthesis over implants retained using abutments with flexible screws: A preliminary study.

PubMed

Peñarrocha-Oltra, David; Serra-Pastor, Blanca; Balaguer-Martí, José-Carlos; Peñarrocha-Diago, Miguel; Agustín-Panadero, Rubén

2017-12-01

Immediate loading protocols for the rehabilitation of edentulous or partially edentulous patients have become very popular, due to the conveniences they afford in comparison with conventional loading techniques. A preliminary study was carried out with 8 patients subjected to dental implant treatment with an immediate loading protocol involving a novel system of abutments with flexible screws. Implant survival was analyzed, together with marginal bone loss and patient and dentist satisfaction. A total of 35 implants were subjected to immediate loading using the abutments with flexible screws. The mean patient and dentist satisfaction score was 9.1 and 8.5, respectively. After 12 months the dental implant survival rate was 95.8%, with a mean marginal bone loss of 0.51 ± 0.12 mm. The novel system of abutments with flexible screws offers a good alternative to conventional immediate loading, since it allows rapid and simple manufacture of a reliable passive fit, fixed interim prosthesis after surgery. Key words: Dental implants, Flexafit®, Immediate loading, Immediate prosthesis.

Coordinating plug-in electric vehicle charging with electric grid: Valley filling and target load following

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Li; Jabbari, Faryar; Brown, Tim; Samuelsen, Scott

2014-12-01

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) shift energy consumption from petroleum to electricity for the personal transportation sector. This work proposes a decentralized charging protocol for PEVs with grid operators updating the cost signal. Each PEV calculates its own optimal charging profile only once based on the cost signal, after it is plugged in, and sends the result back to the grid operators. Grid operators only need to aggregate charging profiles and update the load and cost. The existing PEV characteristics, national household travel survey (NHTS), California Independent System Operator (CAISO) demand, and estimates for future renewable generation in California are used to simulate PEV operation, PEV charging profiles, grid demand, and grid net load (demand minus renewable). Results show the proposed protocol has good performance for overnight net load valley filling if the costs to be minimized are proportional to the net load. Annual results are shown in terms of overnight load variation and comparisons are made with grid level valley filling results. Further, a target load can be approached in the same manner by using the gap between current load and the target load as the cost. The communication effort involved is quite modest.

Robust Sub-nanomolar Library Preparation for High Throughput Next Generation Sequencing.

PubMed

Wu, Wells W; Phue, Je-Nie; Lee, Chun-Ting; Lin, Changyi; Xu, Lai; Wang, Rong; Zhang, Yaqin; Shen, Rong-Fong

2018-05-04

Current library preparation protocols for Illumina HiSeq and MiSeq DNA sequencers require ≥2 nM initial library for subsequent loading of denatured cDNA onto flow cells. Such amounts are not always attainable from samples having a relatively low DNA or RNA input; or those for which a limited number of PCR amplification cycles is preferred (less PCR bias and/or more even coverage). A well-tested sub-nanomolar library preparation protocol for Illumina sequencers has however not been reported. The aim of this study is to provide a much needed working protocol for sub-nanomolar libraries to achieve outcomes as informative as those obtained with the higher library input (≥ 2 nM) recommended by Illumina's protocols. Extensive studies were conducted to validate a robust sub-nanomolar (initial library of 100 pM) protocol using PhiX DNA (as a control), genomic DNA (Bordetella bronchiseptica and microbial mock community B for 16S rRNA gene sequencing), messenger RNA, microRNA, and other small noncoding RNA samples. The utility of our protocol was further explored for PhiX library concentrations as low as 25 pM, which generated only slightly fewer than 50% of the reads achieved under the standard Illumina protocol starting with > 2 nM. A sub-nanomolar library preparation protocol (100 pM) could generate next generation sequencing (NGS) results as robust as the standard Illumina protocol. Following the sub-nanomolar protocol, libraries with initial concentrations as low as 25 pM could also be sequenced to yield satisfactory and reproducible sequencing results.

Efficacy of a carrageenan nasal spray in patients with common cold: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Ludwig, Martin; Enzenhofer, Elisabeth; Schneider, Sven; Rauch, Margit; Bodenteich, Angelika; Neumann, Kurt; Prieschl-Grassauer, Eva; Grassauer, Andreas; Lion, Thomas; Mueller, Christian A

2013-11-13

The common cold is the most widespread viral infection in humans. Iota-carrageenan has previously shown antiviral effectiveness against cold viruses in clinical trials. This study investigated the efficacy of a carrageenan-containing nasal spray on the duration of the common cold and nasal fluid viral load in adult patients. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 211 patients suffering from early symptoms of the common cold were treated for seven days. Application was performed three times daily with either a carrageenan-supplemented nasal spray or saline solution as placebo with an overall observation period of 21 days. The primary endpoint was the duration of disease defined as the time until the last day with symptoms followed by all other days in the study period without symptoms. During the study, but prior unblinding, the definition of disease duration was adapted from the original protocol that defines disease duration as the time period of symptoms followed by 48 hours without symptoms. In patients showing a laboratory-confirmed cold virus infection and adherence to the protocol, alleviation of symptoms was 2.1 days faster in the carrageenan group in comparison to placebo (p = 0.037). The primary endpoint that had been prespecified but was changed before unblinding was not met. Viral titers in nasal fluids showed a significantly greater decrease in carrageenan patients in the intention-to-treat population (p = 0.024) and in the per protocol population (p = 0.018) between days 1 and 3/4. In adults with common cold virus infections, direct local administration of carrageenan with nasal sprays reduced the duration of cold symptoms. A significant reduction of viral load in the nasal wash fluids of patients confirmed similar findings from earlier trials in children and adults. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN80148028.

Performance, Capacity and Limitations of AMSS Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ripamonti, Claudio; Konangi, Vijay K.; Kerczewski, robert J.

2002-01-01

This paper reports on the performance of Aeronautical Mobile Satellite Service (AMSS), based on simulation results, when incorporated into the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN). A comparison between its performance under current data traffic load and under future ATN traffic load was used to determine the reliability of AMSS in providing continuous communications between the ground and the aircraft over remote regions of the globe. The simulation involved modeling AMSS through the use of the published standards to ensure the accuracy of the results. Although the results indicated that there is indeed a reduced capacity (to about one-fourth) and efficiency of the system at the increased traffic load, the reduction in performance does not lead to the conclusion that an alternative to AMSS must be found. On the contrary, some modifications to the protocols controlling the operation of AMSS and updating the system with new technologies, would make it as valid a solution to the problem as it is today.

NIR spectroscopic investigation of m. vastus lateralis in patients with mitochondrial myopathies as detected by respirometric investigation of mitochondrial function in skinned fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gellerich, Frank N.; Mueller, Tobias; Nioka, Shoko; Hertel, Katrin; Schulte-Mattler, Wilhelm J.; Zierz, Stephan; Chance, Britton

1998-01-01

Noninvasive measurement of changes in oxygenation of human skeletal muscle can be done with a dual-wavelength near infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer. This allows a noninvasive investigation of muscle mitochondria. An exercise protocol was developed to study the load dependent changes in oxygenation of m. vastus lateralis of myopathic patients. On a bicycle ergometer exercise was done periodically. One period consisted of 1.5 min exercise followed by 3 min rest. Work load in the first period was 20 W, and was increased by 10 W for each subsequent period until maximal work load was reached. In 12 healthy volunteers we observed oxygenation of muscle during periods of low work load (warm-up effect). During periods of high work load the muscle deoxygenated. The work load at transition from oxygenation to deoxygenation (deoxygenation threshold) in controls was 75 W. In 3 patients with myopathies, in addition to NIR- spectroscopy, function of mitochondria of specimen of m. vastus lateralis was investigated biochemically. Muscle fibers were skinned with saponin and investigated with high resolution respirometry and multiple substrate-inhibitor- titration. Mitochondrial function was impaired in patients who had abnormal findings in NIR spectroscopy.

NIR spectroscopic investigation of m. vastus lateralis in patients with mitochondrial myopathies as detected by respirometric investigation of mitochondrial function in skinned fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gellerich, Frank N.; Mueller, Tobias; Nioka, Shoko; Hertel, Katrin; Schulte-Mattler, Wilhelm J.; Zierz, Stephan; Chance, Britton

1997-12-01

Noninvasive measurement of changes in oxygenation of human skeletal muscle can be done with a dual-wavelength near infrared (NIR) spectrophotometer. This allows a noninvasive investigation of muscle mitochondria. An exercise protocol was developed to study the load dependent changes in oxygenation of m. vastus lateralis of myopathic patients. On a bicycle ergometer exercise was done periodically. One period consisted of 1.5 min exercise followed by 3 min rest. Work load in the first period was 20 W, and was increased by 10 W for each subsequent period until maximal work load was reached. In 12 healthy volunteers we observed oxygenation of muscle during periods of low work load (warm-up effect). During periods of high work load the muscle deoxygenated. The work load at transition from oxygenation to deoxygenation (deoxygenation threshold) in controls was 75 W. In 3 patients with myopathies, in addition to NIR- spectroscopy, function of mitochondria of specimen of m. vastus lateralis was investigated biochemically. Muscle fibers were skinned with saponin and investigated with high resolution respirometry and multiple substrate-inhibitor- titration. Mitochondrial function was impaired in patients who had abnormal findings in NIR spectroscopy.

Pilot study to evaluate 3 hygiene protocols on the reduction of bacterial load on the hands of veterinary staff performing routine equine physical examinations.

PubMed

Traub-Dargatz, Josie L; Weese, J Scott; Rousseau, Joyce D; Dunowska, Magdalena; Morley, Paul S; Dargatz, David A

2006-07-01

Reduction factors (RFs) for bacterial counts on examiners' hands were compared when performing a standardized equine physical examination, followed by the use of one of 3 hand-hygiene protocols (washing with soap, ethanol gel application, and chlorohexidine-ethanol application). The mean RFs were 1.29 log10 and 1.44 log10 at 2 study sites for the alcohol-gel (62% ethyl alcohol active ingredient) protocols and 1.47 log10 and 1.94 log10 at 2 study sites for the chlorhexidine-alcohol (61% ethyl alcohol plus 1% chlorhexidine active ingredients) protocols, respectively. The RFs were significantly different (P < 0.0001) between the hand-washing group and the other 2 treatment groups (the alcohol-gel and the chlorhexidine-alcohol lotion). The use of alcohol-based gels or chlorhexidine-alcohol hand hygiene protocols must still be proven effective in equine practice settings, but in this study, these protocols were equivalent or superior to hand washing for reduction in bacterial load on the hands of people after they perform routine physical examinations.

Pilot study to evaluate 3 hygiene protocols on the reduction of bacterial load on the hands of veterinary staff performing routine equine physical examinations

PubMed Central

Traub-Dargatz, Josie L.; Weese, J. Scott; Rousseau, Joyce D.; Dunowska, Magdalena; Morley, Paul S.; Dargatz, David A.

2006-01-01

Abstract Reduction factors (RFs) for bacterial counts on examiners’ hands were compared when performing a standardized equine physical examination, followed by the use of one of 3 hand-hygiene protocols (washing with soap, ethanol gel application, and chlorohexidine-ethanol application). The mean RFs were 1.29 log10 and 1.44 log10 at 2 study sites for the alcohol-gel (62% ethyl alcohol active ingredient) protocols and 1.47 log10 and 1.94 log10 at 2 study sites for the chlorhexidine-alcohol (61% ethyl alcohol plus 1% chlorhexidine active ingredients) protocols, respectively. The RFs were significantly different (P < 0.0001) between the hand-washing group and the other 2 treatment groups (the alcohol-gel and the chlorhexidine-alcohol lotion). The use of alcohol-based gels or chlorhexidine-alcohol hand hygiene protocols must still be proven effective in equine practice settings, but in this study, these protocols were equivalent or superior to hand washing for reduction in bacterial load on the hands of people after they perform routine physical examinations. PMID:16898109

Implant Mandibular Overdentures Retained by Immediately Loaded Implants: A 1-Year Randomized Trial Comparing the Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes Between Mini Dental Implants and Standard-Sized Implants.

PubMed

Zygogiannis, Kostas; Aartman, Irene Ha; Parsa, Azin; Tahmaseb, Ali; Wismeijer, Daniel

The aim of this 1-year randomized trial was to evaluate and compare the clinical and radiographic performance of four immediately loaded mini dental implants (MDIs) and two immediately loaded standard-sized tissue-level (STL) implants, placed in the interforaminal region of the mandible and used to retain mandibular overdentures (IODs) in completely edentulous patients. A total of 50 completely edentulous patients wearing conventional maxillary dentures and complaining about insufficient retention of their mandibular dentures were divided into two groups; 25 patients received four MDIs and 25 patients received two STL implants. The marginal bone loss (MBL) at the mesial and distal sides of each implant was assessed by means of standardized intraoral radiographs after a period of 1 year. Implant success and survival rates were also calculated. Immediate loading was possible for all patients in the first group. In the second group, an immediate loading protocol could not be applied for 10 patients. These patients were treated with a delayed loading protocol. A mean MBL of 0.42 ± 0.56 mm for the MDIs and 0.54 ± 0.49 mm for the immediately loaded STL implants was recorded at the end of the evaluation period. There was no statistically significant difference between the MDIs and the immediately loaded STL implants. Two MDIs failed, resulting in a survival rate of 98%. The success rate was 91%. For the immediately loaded conventional implants, the survival rate was 100% and the success rate 96.7% after 1 year of function. However, in 10 patients, the immediate loading protocol could not be followed. Considering the limitations of this short-term clinical study, immediate loading of four unsplinted MDIs or two splinted STL implants to retain mandibular overdentures seems to be a feasible treatment option. The marginal bone level changes around the MDIs were well within the clinically acceptable range.

Response of tibialis anterior tendon to a chronic exposure of stretch-shortening cycles: age effects

PubMed Central

Ensey, James S; Hollander, Melinda S; Wu, John Z; Kashon, Michael L; Baker, Brent B; Cutlip, Robert G

2009-01-01

Background The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of aging on tendon response to repetitive exposures of stretch-shortening cycles (SSC's). Methods The left hind limb from young (3 mo, N = 4) and old (30 mo, N = 9) male Fisher 344 × Brown Norway rats were exposed to 80 maximal SSCs (60 deg/s, 50 deg range of motion) 3x/week for 4.5 weeks in vivo. After the last exposure, tendons from the tibialis anterior muscle were isolated, stored at -80°C, and then tested using a micro-mechanical testing machine. Deformation of each tendon was evaluated using both relative grip-to-grip displacements and reference marks via a video system. Results At failure, the young control tendons had higher strain magnitude than the young exposed (p < 0.01) and the old control tendons (p < .0001). Total load at inflection was affected by age only (p < 0.01). Old exposed and control tendons exhibited significantly higher loads at the inflection point than their young counterparts (p < 0.05 for both comparisons). At failure, the old exposed tendons carried higher loads than the young exposed tendons (p < 0.05). Stiffness was affected by age only at failure where the old tendons exhibited higher stiffness in both exposed and control tendons than their young counterparts (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion The chronic protocol enhanced the elastic stiffness of young tendon and the loads in both the young and old tendons. The old exposed tendons were found to exhibit higher load capacity than their younger counterparts, which differed from our initial hypothesis. PMID:19563638

Energy consumption and control response evaluations of AODV routing in WSANs for building-temperature control.

PubMed

Booranawong, Apidet; Teerapabkajorndet, Wiklom; Limsakul, Chusak

2013-06-27

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effects of routing protocols on wireless sensor and actuator networks (WSANs), focusing on the control system response and the energy consumption of nodes in a network. We demonstrate that routing algorithms designed without considering the relationship between communication and control cannot be appropriately used in wireless networked control applications. For this purpose, an ad-hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing, an IEEE 802.15.4, and a building-temperature control system are employed for this exploration. The findings from our scenarios show that the AODV routing can select a path with a high traffic load for data transmission. It takes a long time before deciding to change a new route although it experiences the unsuccessful transmission of packets. As a result, the desirable control target cannot be achieved in time, and nodes consume more energy due to frequent packet collisions and retransmissions. Consequently, we propose a simple routing solution to alleviate these research problems by modifying the original AODV routing protocol. The delay-threshold is considered to avoid any congested connection during routing procedures. The simulation results demonstrate that our solution can be appropriately applied in WSANs. Both the energy consumption and the control system response are improved.

TRIGA: Telecommunications Protocol Processing Subsystem Using Reconfigurable Interoperable Gate Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pang, Jackson; Pingree, Paula J.; Torgerson, J. Leigh

2006-01-01

We present the Telecommunications protocol processing subsystem using Reconfigurable Interoperable Gate Arrays (TRIGA), a novel approach that unifies fault tolerance, error correction coding and interplanetary communication protocol off-loading to implement CCSDS File Delivery Protocol and Datalink layers. The new reconfigurable architecture offers more than one order of magnitude throughput increase while reducing footprint requirements in memory, command and data handling processor utilization, communication system interconnects and power consumption.

Development of implant loading device for animal study about various loading protocol: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Yoon, Joon-Ho; Park, Young-Bum; Cho, Yuna; Kim, Chang-Sung; Choi, Seong-Ho; Moon, Hong-Seok; Lee, Keun-Woo

2012-01-01

PURPOSE The aims of this pilot study were to introduce implant loading devices designed for animal study and to evaluate the validity of the load transmission ability of the loading devices. MATERIALS AND METHODS Implant loading devices were specially designed and fabricated with two implant abutments and cast metal bars, and orthodontic expansion screw. In six Beagles, all premolars were extracted and two implants were placed in each side of the mandibles. The loading device was inserted two weeks after the implant placement. According to the loading protocol, the load was applied to the implants with different time and method,simulating early, progressive, and delayed loading. The implants were clinically evaluated and the loading devices were removed and replaced to the master cast, followed by stress-strain analysis. Descriptive statistics of remained strain (µε) was evaluated after repeating three cycles of the loading device activation. Statistic analysis was performed using nonparametric, independent t-test with 5% significance level and Friedman's test was also used for verification. RESULTS The loading devices were in good action. However, four implants in three Beagles showed loss of osseointegration. In stress-strain analysis, loading devices showed similar amount of increase in the remained strain after applying 1-unit load for three times. CONCLUSION Specialized design of the implant loading device was introduced. The loading device applied similar amount of loads near the implant after each 1-unit loading. However, the direction of the loads was not parallel to the long axis of the implants as predicted before the study. PMID:23236575

Playerload Variables are Sensitive to Changes in Direction and Not Related to Collision Workloads in Rugby League Match-Play.

PubMed

Hulin, Billy T; Gabbett, Tim J; Johnston, Rich D; Jenkins, David G

2018-03-15

Determine: 1) how change of direction (COD) workloads influence PlayerLoad variables when controlling total distance covered, and 2) relationships among collision workloads and PlayerLoad variables during rugby league match-play. Participants completed 3 protocols (crossover design) consisting of 10 repetitions of a 60 m effort in 15 s. The difference between each protocol was the COD demands required to complete 1 repetition; no COD (SL), 1 x 180º COD (1COD), or 3 x 180º COD (3COD). During rugby league matches, relationships among collision workloads, tri-axial PlayerLoad (PLVM), anterior-posterior + medio-lateral PlayerLoad (PL2D), and PLVM accumulated at locomotor velocities below 2 m.sec -1 (i.e. PLSLOW) were examined using Pearson correlations (r) with coefficients of determination (R 2 ). Comparing 3COD to SL drills: PLVM.min -1 (d = 1.50 ± 0.49, large, likelihood = 100%, almost certainly), PL2D.min -1 (d = 1.38 ± 0.53, large, likelihood = 100%, almost certainly), and PLSLOW.min -1 (d = 1.69 ± 0.40, large, likelihood = 100%, almost certainly) were greater. Collisions.min -1 demonstrated a distinct (i.e. R 2 <0.50) relationship from PLVM.min -1 (R 2 = 0.30, r = 0.55), and PL2D.min -1 (R 2 = 0.37, r = 0.61). Total distance.min 1 demonstrated a very large relationship with PLVM.min -1 (R 2 = 0.62, r = 0.79), and PL2D.min -1 (R 2 = 0.57, r = 0.76). PlayerLoad variables demonstrate: 1) large increases as COD demands intensify, 2) separate relationships from collision workloads, and 3) moderate to very large relationships with total distance during match-play. PlayerLoad variables should be used with caution to measure collision workloads in team sport.

Does Stroke Volume Increase During an Incremental Exercise? A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Vieira, Stella S.; Lemes, Brunno; de T. C. de Carvalho, Paulo; N. de Lima, Rafael; S. Bocalini, Danilo; A. S. Junior, José; Arsa, Gisela; A. Casarin, Cezar; L. Andrade, Erinaldo; J. Serra, Andrey

2016-01-01

Introduction: Cardiac output increases during incremental-load exercise to meet metabolic skeletal muscle demand. This response requires a fast adjustment in heart rate and stroke volume. The heart rate is well known to increase linearly with exercise load; however, data for stroke volume during incremental-load exercise are unclear. Our objectives were to (a) review studies that have investigated stroke volume on incremental load exercise and (b) summarize the findings for stroke volume, primarily at maximal-exercise load. Methods: A comprehensive review of the Cochrane Library’s, Embase, Medline, SportDiscus, PubMed, and Web of Sci-ence databases was carried out for the years 1985 to the present. The search was performed between February and June 2014 to find studies evaluating changes in stroke volume during incremental-load exercise. Controlled and uncontrolled trials were evaluated for a quality score. Results: The stroke volume data in maximal-exercise load are inconsistent. There is evidence to hypothesis that stroke volume increases during maximal-exercise load, but other lines of evidence indicate that stroke volume reaches a plateau under these circumstances, or even decreases. Conclusion: The stroke volume are unclear, include contradictory evidence. Additional studies with standardized reporting for subjects (e.g., age, gender, physical fitness, and body position), exercise test protocols, and left ventricular function are required to clarify the characteristics of stroke volume during incremental maximal-exercise load. PMID:27347221

A preliminary architecture for building communication software from traffic captures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acosta, Jaime C.; Estrada, Pedro

2017-05-01

Security analysts are tasked with identifying and mitigating network service vulnerabilities. A common problem associated with in-depth testing of network protocols is the availability of software that communicates across disparate protocols. Many times, the software required to communicate with these services is not publicly available. Developing this software is a time-consuming undertaking that requires expertise and understanding of the protocol specification. The work described in this paper aims at developing a software package that is capable of automatically creating communication clients by using packet capture (pcap) and TShark dissectors. Currently, our focus is on simple protocols with fixed fields. The methodologies developed as part of this work will extend to other complex protocols such as the Gateway Load Balancing Protocol (GLBP), Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP), and Open Shortest Path First (OSPF). Thus far, we have architected a modular pipeline for an automatic traffic-based software generator. We start the transformation of captured network traffic by employing TShark to convert packets into a Packet Details Markup Language (PDML) file. The PDML file contains a parsed, textual, representation of the packet data. Then, we extract field data, types, along with inter and intra-packet dependencies. This information is then utilized to construct an XML file that encompasses the protocol state machine and field vocabulary. Finally, this XML is converted into executable code. Using our methodology, and as a starting point, we have succeeded in automatically generating software that communicates with other hosts using an automatically generated Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) client program.

Comparison of gradual and rapid onset runs in a short-arm centrifugation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyamoto, A.; Saga, K.; Kinoue, T.; Nakazato, T.; Hirayanagi, K.; Yajima, K.; Hayashi, S.; Matsumoto, S.

A gradual onset run (GOR) in a short-arm centrifugation was performed on ten healthy students. The centrifuge had a 1.8 m radius, and the subjects sat on a chair in a cabin. The Gz force increased to 2.2 Gz at 0.1 °/sec 2 for 32 min. and the same Gz-level was maintained for 20 min. Three out of ten subjects completed the whole protocol; the load on the others was terminated because of symptoms or increased heart rate. There were few symptoms such as vertigo, that was a common problem with a rapid onset run (ROR) in former experiments, due to the short-arm centrifugation. The changes of the flicker test after the load were much less in the GOR protocol than in the ROR protocol, even in the terminated group. GOR seemed preferable to ROR in preventing vertigo even though it took longer to reach the necessary G load.

Reliable WDM multicast in optical burst-switched networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Myoungki; Qiao, Chunming; Xiong, Yijun

2000-09-01

IN this paper,l we present a reliable WDM (Wavelength-Division Multiplexing) multicast protocol in optical burst-switched (OBS) networks. Since the burst dropping (loss) probability may be potentially high in a heavily loaded OBS backbone network, reliable multicast protocols that have developed for IP networks at the transport (or application) layer may incur heavy overheads such as a large number of duplicate retransmissions. In addition, it may take a longer time for an end host to detect and then recover from burst dropping (loss) occurred at the WDM layer. For efficiency reasons, we propose burst loss recovery within the OBS backbone (i.e., at the WDM link layer). The proposed protocol requires two additional functions to be performed by the WDM switch controller: subcasting and maintaining burst states, when the WDM switch has more than one downstream on the WDM multicast tree. We show that these additional functions are simple to implement and the overhead associated with them is manageable.

Measuring Tissue Perfusion During Pressure Relief Maneuvers: Insights Into Preventing Pressure Ulcers

PubMed Central

Makhsous, Mohsen; Priebe, Michael; Bankard, James; Rowles, Diana; Zeigler, Mary; Chen, David; Lin, Fang

2007-01-01

Background/Objective: To study the effect on tissue perfusion of relieving interface pressure using standard wheelchair pushups compared with a mechanical automated dynamic pressure relief system. Design: Repeated measures in 2 protocols on 3 groups of subjects. Participants: Twenty individuals with motor-complete paraplegia below T4, 20 with motor-complete tetraplegia, and 20 able-bodied subjects. Methods: Two 1-hour sitting protocols: dynamic protocol, sitting configuration alternated every 10 minutes between a normal sitting configuration and an off-loading configuration; wheelchair pushup protocol, normal sitting configuration with standard wheelchair pushup once every 20 minutes. Main Outcome Measures: Transcutaneous partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide measured from buttock overlying the ischial tuberosity and interface pressure measured at the seat back and buttocks. Perfusion deterioration and recovery times were calculated during changes in interface pressures. Results: In the off-loading configuration, concentrated interface pressure during the normal sitting configuration was significantly diminished, and tissue perfusion was significantly improved. Wheelchair pushups showed complete relief of interface pressure but incomplete recovery of tissue perfusion. Conclusions: Interface pressure analysis does not provide complete information about the effectiveness of pressure relief maneuvers. Measures of tissue perfusion may help establish more effective strategies. Relief achieved by standard wheelchair pushups may not be sufficient to recover tissue perfusion compromised during sitting; alternate maneuvers may be necessary. The dynamic seating system provided effective pressure relief with sustained reduction in interface pressure adequate for complete recovery of tissue perfusion. Differences in perfusion recovery times between subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) and controls raise questions about the importance of changes in vascular responses to pressure after SCI. PMID:18092567

Effects of a dynamic balance training protocol on podalic support in older women. Pilot Study.

PubMed

Battaglia, Giuseppe; Bellafiore, Marianna; Bianco, Antonino; Paoli, Antonio; Palma, Antonio

2010-01-01

The foot provides the only direct contact with supporting surfaces and therefore plays an important role in all postural tasks. Changes in the musculoskeletal and neurological characteristics of the foot with advancing age can alter plantar loading patterns and postural balance. Several studies have reported that exercise training improves postural performance in elderly individuals. The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of a dynamic balance training protocol performed for 5 weeks on the support surface, percentage distribution of load in both feet, and body balance performance in healthy elderly women. Ten subjects (68.67±5.50 yrs old; 28.17±3.35 BMI) were evaluated with a monopodalic performance test and baropodometric analyses before and after the training period. We found a significant improvement in balance unipedal performance times on left and right foot by 20.18% and 26.23% respectively (p<0.05). The support surface of the right foot significantly increased in response to the training protocol and, in particular, in both forefoot and rearfoot regions (p<0.05). In addition, before the training period, load distribution on the left foot was greater than on the right one; equal load redistribution was measured on both feet in response to exercise (p>0.05). The increased support surface and equal redistribution of body weight on both feet obtained in response to our training protocol may be postural adaptations sufficient to improve static balance in elderly women.

Cy5 total protein normalization in Western blot analysis.

PubMed

Hagner-McWhirter, Åsa; Laurin, Ylva; Larsson, Anita; Bjerneld, Erik J; Rönn, Ola

2015-10-01

Western blotting is a widely used method for analyzing specific target proteins in complex protein samples. Housekeeping proteins are often used for normalization to correct for uneven sample loads, but these require careful validation since expression levels may vary with cell type and treatment. We present a new, more reliable method for normalization using Cy5-prelabeled total protein as a loading control. We used a prelabeling protocol based on Cy5 N-hydroxysuccinimide ester labeling that produces a linear signal response. We obtained a low coefficient of variation (CV) of 7% between the ratio of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) target to Cy5 total protein control signals over the whole loading range from 2.5 to 20.0μg of Chinese hamster ovary cell lysate protein. Corresponding experiments using actin or tubulin as controls for normalization resulted in CVs of 13 and 18%, respectively. Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase did not produce a proportional signal and was not suitable for normalization in these cells. A comparison of ERK1/2 signals from labeled and unlabeled samples showed that Cy5 prelabeling did not affect antibody binding. By using total protein normalization we analyzed PP2A and Smad2/3 levels with high confidence. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of posture and prolonged cyclic compressive loading on vertebral joint mechanics.

PubMed

Gooyers, Chad E; McMillan, Robert D; Howarth, Samuel J; Callaghan, Jack P

2012-08-01

An in vitro biomechanics investigation exposing porcine functional spinal units (FSUs) to submaximal cyclic or static compressive forces while in a flexed, neutral, or extended posture. To investigate the combined effect of cyclically applied compressive force (e.g., vibration) and postural deviation on intervertebral joint mechanics. Independently, prolonged vibration exposure and non-neutral postures are known risk factors for development of low back pain and injury. However, there is limited basic scientific evidence to explain how the risk of low back injury from vibration exposure is modified by other mechanical factors. This work examined the influence of static postural deviation on vertebral joint height loss and compressive stiffness under cyclically applied compressive force. Forty-eight FSUs, consisting of 2 adjacent vertebrae, ligaments, and the intervening intervertebral disc were included in the study. Each specimen was randomized to 1 of 3 experimental posture conditions (neutral, flexed, or extended) and assigned to 1 of 2 loading protocols, consisting of (1) cyclic (1500 ± 1200 N applied at 5 Hz using a sinusoidal waveform, resulting in 0.2 g rms acceleration) or (2) 1500 N of static compressive force. RESULTS.: As expected, FSU height loss followed a typical first-order response in both the static and cyclic loading protocols, with the majority (~50%) of the loss occurring in the first 20 minutes of testing. A significant interaction between posture and loading protocol (P < 0.001) was noted in the magnitude of FSU height loss. Subsequent analysis of simple effects revealed significant differences between cyclic and static loading protocols in both a neutral (P = 0.016) and a flexed posture (P < 0.0001). No significant differences (P = 0.320) were noted between pre/postmeasurements of FSU compressive stiffness. Posture is an important mechanical factor to consider when assessing the risk of injury from cyclic loading to the lumbar spine.

An adaptive density-based routing protocol for flying Ad Hoc networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Xueli; Qi, Qian; Wang, Qingwen; Li, Yongqiang

2017-10-01

An Adaptive Density-based Routing Protocol (ADRP) for Flying Ad Hoc Networks (FANETs) is proposed in this paper. The main objective is to calculate forwarding probability adaptively in order to increase the efficiency of forwarding in FANETs. ADRP dynamically fine-tunes the rebroadcasting probability of a node for routing request packets according to the number of neighbour nodes. Indeed, it is more interesting to privilege the retransmission by nodes with little neighbour nodes. We describe the protocol, implement it and evaluate its performance using NS-2 network simulator. Simulation results reveal that ADRP achieves better performance in terms of the packet delivery fraction, average end-to-end delay, normalized routing load, normalized MAC load and throughput, which is respectively compared with AODV.

GreenChill Store Certification Protocol for Sub-Cooling Contained on Racks Separate from Refrigeration Equipment

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Document describes the protocol used to determine the total load and refrigerant charge of stores that have placed all sub-cooling on a rack separate from all other commercial refrigeration equipment.

Effects of manipulating the duration and intensity of aerobic training sessions on the physical performance of rats.

PubMed

Teixeira-Coelho, Francisco; Fonseca, Cletiana Gonçalves; Barbosa, Nicolas Henrique Santos; Vaz, Filipe Ferreira; Cordeiro, Letícia Maria de Souza; Coimbra, Cândido Celso; Pires, Washington; Soares, Danusa Dias; Wanner, Samuel Penna

2017-01-01

This study investigated the effects of manipulating the load components of aerobic training sessions on the physical performance of rats. To achieve this purpose, adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: an untrained control (CON) group and training groups with a predominant overload in intensity (INT) or duration (DUR) or alternating and similar overloads in intensity and duration (ID). Prior to, during, and after 8 weeks of the control or training protocols, the performance of the rats (evaluated by their workload) was determined during fatiguing, incremental-speed treadmill running. Two additional incremental running tests were performed prior to and at the end of the protocols to measure the peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO2peak). As expected, the rats in the trained groups exhibited increased performance, whereas the untrained rats showed stable performance throughout the 8 weeks. Notably, the performance gain exhibited by the DUR rats reached a plateau after the 4th week. This plateau was not present in the INT or ID rats, which exhibited increased performance at the end of training protocol compared with the DUR rats. None of the training protocols changed the VO2peak values; however, these values were attained at faster speeds, which indicated increased running economy. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the training protocols improved the physical performance of rats, likely resulting from enhanced running economy. Furthermore, compared with overload in duration, overload in the intensity of training sessions was more effective at inducing performance improvements across the 8 weeks of the study.

Effects of manipulating the duration and intensity of aerobic training sessions on the physical performance of rats

PubMed Central

Teixeira-Coelho, Francisco; Fonseca, Cletiana Gonçalves; Barbosa, Nicolas Henrique Santos; Vaz, Filipe Ferreira; Cordeiro, Letícia Maria de Souza; Coimbra, Cândido Celso; Pires, Washington; Soares, Danusa Dias

2017-01-01

This study investigated the effects of manipulating the load components of aerobic training sessions on the physical performance of rats. To achieve this purpose, adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: an untrained control (CON) group and training groups with a predominant overload in intensity (INT) or duration (DUR) or alternating and similar overloads in intensity and duration (ID). Prior to, during, and after 8 weeks of the control or training protocols, the performance of the rats (evaluated by their workload) was determined during fatiguing, incremental-speed treadmill running. Two additional incremental running tests were performed prior to and at the end of the protocols to measure the peak rate of oxygen consumption (VO2peak). As expected, the rats in the trained groups exhibited increased performance, whereas the untrained rats showed stable performance throughout the 8 weeks. Notably, the performance gain exhibited by the DUR rats reached a plateau after the 4th week. This plateau was not present in the INT or ID rats, which exhibited increased performance at the end of training protocol compared with the DUR rats. None of the training protocols changed the VO2peak values; however, these values were attained at faster speeds, which indicated increased running economy. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that the training protocols improved the physical performance of rats, likely resulting from enhanced running economy. Furthermore, compared with overload in duration, overload in the intensity of training sessions was more effective at inducing performance improvements across the 8 weeks of the study. PMID:28841706

Multicenter evaluation of the new Abbott RealTime assays for quantitative detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 and hepatitis C virus RNA.

PubMed

Schutten, M; Peters, D; Back, N K T; Beld, M; Beuselinck, K; Foulongne, V; Geretti, A-M; Pandiani, L; Tiemann, C; Niesters, H G M

2007-06-01

The analytical performances of the new Abbott RealTime hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 viral load assays were compared at nine laboratories with different competitor assays. These included the Abbott LcX, Bayer Versant bDNA, Roche COBAS Amplicor, and Roche COBAS TaqMan assays. Two different protocols used during the testing period with and without a pre-m1000 RNA isolation spin were compared. The difference proved to be nonsignificant. A uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG) contamination control option in the HCV test for previous Roche COBAS Amplicor users was evaluated. It proved to decrease amplicon carryover by 100-fold independent of the amplicon input concentration. The protocol including UNG proved to overcome problems with false-positive negative controls. Comparison with other assays revealed only minor differences. The largest difference was observed between the Abbott HCV RealTime assay and the Roche COBAS Amplicor HCV Monitor version 2.0 assay.

AIRNET: A real-time comunications network for aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weaver, Alfred C.; Cain, Brendan G.; Colvin, M. Alexander; Simoncic, Robert

1990-01-01

A real-time local area network was developed for use on aircraft and space vehicles. It uses token ring technology to provide high throughput, low latency, and high reliability. The system was implemented on PCs and PC/ATs operating on PCbus, and on Intel 8086/186/286/386s operating on Multibus. A standard IEEE 802.2 logical link control interface was provided to (optional) upper layer software; this permits the controls designer to utilize standard communications protocols (e.g., ISO, TCP/IP) if time permits, or to utilize a very fast link level protocol directly if speed is critical. Both unacknowledged datagram and reliable virtual circuit services are supported. A station operating an 8 MHz Intel 286 as a host can generate a sustained load of 1.8 megabits per second per station, and a 100-byte message can be delivered from the transmitter's user memory to the receiver's user memory, including all operating system and network overhead, in under 4 milliseconds.

Cyber-physical experiments on the efficiency of swimming protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Nathaniel; Floryan, Daniel; van Buren, Tyler; Smits, Alexander

2016-11-01

We present results from experiments on a biologically inspired cyber-physical system, composed of a two-dimensional heaving and pitching rigid airfoil attached to a six component load cell, mounted to a traverse that can move along a water channel. A feedback controller, influenced by the apparatus of Mackowski and Williamson, introduces the effects of a fictional drag force specified by a virtual body profile and drives the traverse accordingly. Free-swimming protocols using the force-feedback system are compared with similar motions on a motionless traverse. The propulsive efficiency of burst-and-coast kinematics is also considered. Of particular interest are (1) the implementation of the cyber-physical control system with respect to the accessible experimental parameter space, (2) the impact of force-based streamwise actuation on experimental data, and (3) the effects of burst-and-coast motions on propulsive efficiency. The work was supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under MURI Grant N00014-14-1-0533.

Results of drug screening from a producer's view.

PubMed

Adams, J B

1994-07-01

The dairy industry is faced with increasing governmental and public concern about the safety of the nation's milk supply. New regulations under the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance require that prescription drugs be properly labeled and that all tanker loads of milk be tested for beta-lactam antimicrobial residues. Concern over the use of animal drugs in an extralabel manner has prompted the National Milk Producers Federation and the American Veterinary Medical Association to develop a quality assurance program for on-farm residue prevention known as the Dairy Quality Assurance 10-Point Milk and Dairy Beef Residue Prevention Protocol. The program promotes the concept of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, applied to a pre-harvest farm environment. Screening limitations at point of milk receipt necessitates widespread adoption of the Dairy Quality Assurance protocol to address controlled use of all animal medications under a valid relationship among veterinarian, client, and animals, thus minimizing the potential for violative residues in the milk and meat supply.

Harmonic force spectroscopy measures load-dependent kinetics of individual human β-cardiac myosin molecules.

PubMed

Sung, Jongmin; Nag, Suman; Mortensen, Kim I; Vestergaard, Christian L; Sutton, Shirley; Ruppel, Kathleen; Flyvbjerg, Henrik; Spudich, James A

2015-08-04

Molecular motors are responsible for numerous cellular processes from cargo transport to heart contraction. Their interactions with other cellular components are often transient and exhibit kinetics that depend on load. Here, we measure such interactions using 'harmonic force spectroscopy'. In this method, harmonic oscillation of the sample stage of a laser trap immediately, automatically and randomly applies sinusoidally varying loads to a single motor molecule interacting with a single track along which it moves. The experimental protocol and the data analysis are simple, fast and efficient. The protocol accumulates statistics fast enough to deliver single-molecule results from single-molecule experiments. We demonstrate the method's performance by measuring the force-dependent kinetics of individual human β-cardiac myosin molecules interacting with an actin filament at physiological ATP concentration. We show that a molecule's ADP release rate depends exponentially on the applied load, in qualitative agreement with cardiac muscle, which contracts with a velocity inversely proportional to external load.

Harmonic force spectroscopy measures load-dependent kinetics of individual human β-cardiac myosin molecules

PubMed Central

Sung, Jongmin; Nag, Suman; Mortensen, Kim I.; Vestergaard, Christian L.; Sutton, Shirley; Ruppel, Kathleen; Flyvbjerg, Henrik; Spudich, James A.

2015-01-01

Molecular motors are responsible for numerous cellular processes from cargo transport to heart contraction. Their interactions with other cellular components are often transient and exhibit kinetics that depend on load. Here, we measure such interactions using ‘harmonic force spectroscopy'. In this method, harmonic oscillation of the sample stage of a laser trap immediately, automatically and randomly applies sinusoidally varying loads to a single motor molecule interacting with a single track along which it moves. The experimental protocol and the data analysis are simple, fast and efficient. The protocol accumulates statistics fast enough to deliver single-molecule results from single-molecule experiments. We demonstrate the method's performance by measuring the force-dependent kinetics of individual human β-cardiac myosin molecules interacting with an actin filament at physiological ATP concentration. We show that a molecule's ADP release rate depends exponentially on the applied load, in qualitative agreement with cardiac muscle, which contracts with a velocity inversely proportional to external load. PMID:26239258

Russian system of countermeasures on board of the International Space Station (ISS): the first results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozlovskaya, Inessa B.; Grigoriev, Anatoly I.

2004-08-01

The system of countermeasures used by Russian cosmonauts in space flights on board of International Space Station (ISS) was based on the developed and tested in flights on board of Russian space stations. It included as primary components: physical methods aimed to maintain the distribution of fluids at levels close to those experienced on Earth; physical exercises and loading suits aimed to load the musculoskeletal and the cardiovascular systems; measures that prevent the loss of fluids, mainly, water-salt additives which aid to maintain orthostatic tolerance and endurance to gravitational overloads during the return to Earth; well-balanced diet and medications directed to correct possible negative reactions of the body to weightlessness. Fulfillment of countermeasure's protocols inflight was thoroughly controlled. Efficacy of countermeasures used were assessed both in-and postflight. The results of studies showed that degrees of alterations recorded in different physiological systems after ISS space flights in Russian cosmonauts were significantly higher than those recorded after flights on the Russian space stations. This phenomenon was caused by the failure of the ISS crews to execute fully the prescribed countermeasures' protocols which was as a rule excused by technical imperfectness of exercise facilities, treadmill TVIS particularly.

Immediate prosthesis over implants retained using abutments with flexible screws: A preliminary study

PubMed Central

Peñarrocha-Oltra, David; Serra-Pastor, Blanca; Balaguer-Martí, José-Carlos; Agustín-Panadero, Rubén

2017-01-01

Background Immediate loading protocols for the rehabilitation of edentulous or partially edentulous patients have become very popular, due to the conveniences they afford in comparison with conventional loading techniques. Material and Methods A preliminary study was carried out with 8 patients subjected to dental implant treatment with an immediate loading protocol involving a novel system of abutments with flexible screws. Implant survival was analyzed, together with marginal bone loss and patient and dentist satisfaction. Results A total of 35 implants were subjected to immediate loading using the abutments with flexible screws. The mean patient and dentist satisfaction score was 9.1 and 8.5, respectively. After 12 months the dental implant survival rate was 95.8%, with a mean marginal bone loss of 0.51 ± 0.12 mm. Conclusions The novel system of abutments with flexible screws offers a good alternative to conventional immediate loading, since it allows rapid and simple manufacture of a reliable passive fit, fixed interim prosthesis after surgery. Key words:Dental implants, Flexafit®, Immediate loading, Immediate prosthesis. PMID:29410752

Working memory load predicts visual search efficiency: Evidence from a novel pupillary response paradigm.

PubMed

Attar, Nada; Schneps, Matthew H; Pomplun, Marc

2016-10-01

An observer's pupil dilates and constricts in response to variables such as ambient and focal luminance, cognitive effort, the emotional stimulus content, and working memory load. The pupil's memory load response is of particular interest, as it might be used for estimating observers' memory load while they are performing a complex task, without adding an interruptive and confounding memory test to the protocol. One important task in which working memory's involvement is still being debated is visual search, and indeed a previous experiment by Porter, Troscianko, and Gilchrist (Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 60, 211-229, 2007) analyzed observers' pupil sizes during search to study this issue. These authors found that pupil size increased over the course of the search, and they attributed this finding to accumulating working memory load. However, since the pupil response is slow and does not depend on memory load alone, this conclusion is rather speculative. In the present study, we estimated working memory load in visual search during the presentation of intermittent fixation screens, thought to induce a low, stable level of arousal and cognitive effort. Using standard visual search and control tasks, we showed that this paradigm reduces the influence of non-memory-related factors on pupil size. Furthermore, we found an early increase in working memory load to be associated with more efficient search, indicating a significant role of working memory in the search process.

Wireless Sensor Network Quality of Service Improvement on Flooding Attack Condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartono, R.; Widyawan; Wibowo, S. B.; Purnomo, A.; Hartatik

2018-03-01

There are two methods of building communication using wireless media. The first method is building a base infrastructure as an intermediary between users. Problems that arise on this type of network infrastructure is limited space to build any network physical infrastructure and also the cost factor. The second method is to build an ad hoc network between users who will communicate. On ad hoc network, each user must be willing to send data from source to destination for the occurrence of a communication. One of network protocol in Ad Hoc, Ad hoc on demand Distance Vector (AODV), has the smallest overhead value, easier to adapt to dynamic network and has small control message. One AODV protocol’s drawback is route finding process’ security for sending the data. In this research, AODV protocol is optimized by determining Expanding Ring Search (ERS) best value. Random topology is used with variation in the number of nodes: 25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 with node’s speed of 10m/s in the area of 1000m x 1000m on flooding network condition. Parameters measured are Throughput, Packet Delivery Ratio, Average Delay and Normalized Routing Load. From the test results of AODV protocol optimization with best value of Expanding Ring Search (ERS), throughput increased by 5.67%, packet delivery ratio increased by 5.73%, and as for Normalized Routing Load decreased by 4.66%. ERS optimal value for each node’s condition depending on the number of nodes on the network.

Study protocol for a phase II dose evaluation randomized controlled trial of cholecalciferol in critically ill children with vitamin D deficiency (VITdAL-PICU study).

PubMed

McNally, Dayre; Amrein, Karin; O'Hearn, Katharine; Fergusson, Dean; Geier, Pavel; Henderson, Matt; Khamessan, Ali; Lawson, Margaret L; McIntyre, Lauralyn; Redpath, Stephanie; Weiler, Hope A; Menon, Kusum

2017-01-01

Clinical research has recently demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and associated with worse clinical course. Multiple adult ICU trials have suggested that optimization of vitamin D status through high-dose supplementation may reduce mortality and improve other clinically relevant outcomes; however, there have been no trials of rapid normalization in the PICU setting. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an enteral weight-based cholecalciferol loading dose regimen in critically ill children with VDD. The VITdAL-PICU pilot study is designed as a multicenter placebo-controlled phase II dose evaluation pilot randomized controlled trial. We aim to randomize 67 VDD critically ill children using a 2:1 randomization schema to receive loading dose enteral cholecalciferol (10,000 IU/kg, maximum of 400,000 IU) or a placebo solution. Participants, caregivers and outcome assessors will be blinded to allocation. Eligibility criteria include ICU patient, aged 37 weeks to 18 years, expected ICU length of stay more than 48 h, anticipated access to bloodwork at 7 days, and VDD (blood total 25 hydroxyvitamin D < 50 nmol/L). The primary objective is to determine whether the dosing protocol normalizes vitamin D status, defined as a blood total 25(OH)D concentration above 75 nmol/L. Secondary objectives include an examination of the safety of the dosing regimen (e.g. hypercalcemia, hypercalciuria, nephrocalcinosis), measures of vitamin D axis function (e.g. calcitriol levels, immune function), and protocol feasibility (eligibility criteria, protocol deviations, blinding). Despite significant observational literature suggesting VDD to be a modifiable risk factor in the PICU setting, there is no robust clinical trial evidence evaluating the benefits of rapid normalization. This phase II clinical trial will evaluate an innovative weight-based dosing regimen intended to rapidly and safely normalize vitamin D levels in critically ill children. Study findings will be used to inform the design of a multicenter phase III trial evaluating the clinical and economic benefits to rapid normalization. Recruitment for this trial was initiated in January 2016 and is expected to continue until November 30, 2017. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02452762.

Biomechanical regulation of in vitro cardiogenesis for tissue-engineered heart repair.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Wolfram-Hubertus

2013-01-01

The heart is a continuously pumping organ with an average lifespan of eight decades. It develops from the onset of embryonic cardiogenesis under biomechanical load, performs optimally within a defined range of hemodynamic load, and fails if acutely or chronically overloaded. Unloading of the heart leads to defective cardiogenesis in utero, but can also lead to a desired therapeutic outcome (for example, in patients with heart failure under left ventricular assist device therapy). In light of the well-documented relevance of mechanical loading for cardiac physiology and pathology, it is plausible that tissue engineers have integrated mechanical stimulation regimens into protocols for heart muscle construction. To achieve optimal results, physiological principles of beat-to-beat myocardial loading and unloading should be simulated. In addition, heart muscle engineering, in particular if based on pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, may benefit from staggered tonic loading protocols to simulate viscoelastic properties of the prenatal and postnatal myocardial stroma. This review will provide an overview of heart muscle mechanics, summarize observations on the role of mechanical loading for heart development and postnatal performance, and discuss how physiological loading regimens can be exploited to advance myocardial tissue engineering towards a therapeutic application.

Biomechanical regulation of in vitro cardiogenesis for tissue-engineered heart repair

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The heart is a continuously pumping organ with an average lifespan of eight decades. It develops from the onset of embryonic cardiogenesis under biomechanical load, performs optimally within a defined range of hemodynamic load, and fails if acutely or chronically overloaded. Unloading of the heart leads to defective cardiogenesis in utero, but can also lead to a desired therapeutic outcome (for example, in patients with heart failure under left ventricular assist device therapy). In light of the well-documented relevance of mechanical loading for cardiac physiology and pathology, it is plausible that tissue engineers have integrated mechanical stimulation regimens into protocols for heart muscle construction. To achieve optimal results, physiological principles of beat-to-beat myocardial loading and unloading should be simulated. In addition, heart muscle engineering, in particular if based on pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, may benefit from staggered tonic loading protocols to simulate viscoelastic properties of the prenatal and postnatal myocardial stroma. This review will provide an overview of heart muscle mechanics, summarize observations on the role of mechanical loading for heart development and postnatal performance, and discuss how physiological loading regimens can be exploited to advance myocardial tissue engineering towards a therapeutic application. PMID:24229468

A novel dynamic mechanical testing technique for reverse shoulder replacements.

PubMed

Dabirrahmani, Danè; Bokor, Desmond; Appleyard, Richard

2014-04-01

In vitro mechanical testing of orthopedic implants provides information regarding their mechanical performance under simulated biomechanical conditions. Current in vitro component stability testing methods for reverse shoulder implants are based on anatomical shoulder designs, which do not capture the dynamic nature of these loads. With glenoid component loosening as one of the most prevalent modes of failure in reverse shoulder replacements, it is important to establish a testing protocol with a more realistic loading regime. This paper introduces a novel method of mechanically testing reverse shoulder implants, using more realistic load magnitudes and vectors, than is currently practiced. Using a custom made jig setup within an Instron mechanical testing system, it is possible to simulate the change in magnitude and direction of the joint load during arm abduction. This method is a step towards a more realistic testing protocol for measuring reverse shoulder implant stability.

Physics Simulation Software for Autonomous Propellant Loading and Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regalado Reyes, Bjorn Constant

2015-01-01

1. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is developing a mobile launching system with autonomous propellant loading capabilities for liquid-fueled rockets. An autonomous system will be responsible for monitoring and controlling the storage, loading and transferring of cryogenic propellants. The Physics Simulation Software will reproduce the sensor data seen during the delivery of cryogenic fluids including valve positions, pressures, temperatures and flow rates. The simulator will provide insight into the functionality of the propellant systems and demonstrate the effects of potential faults. This will provide verification of the communications protocols and the autonomous system control. 2. The High Pressure Gas Facility (HPGF) stores and distributes hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and high pressure air. The hydrogen and nitrogen are stored in cryogenic liquid state. The cryogenic fluids pose several hazards to operators and the storage and transfer equipment. Constant monitoring of pressures, temperatures and flow rates are required in order to maintain the safety of personnel and equipment during the handling and storage of these commodities. The Gas House Autonomous System Monitoring software will be responsible for constantly observing and recording sensor data, identifying and predicting faults and relaying hazard and operational information to the operators.

Dynamic optical resource allocation for mobile core networks with software defined elastic optical networking.

PubMed

Zhao, Yongli; Chen, Zhendong; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Xinbo

2016-07-25

Driven by the forthcoming of 5G mobile communications, the all-IP architecture of mobile core networks, i.e. evolved packet core (EPC) proposed by 3GPP, has been greatly challenged by the users' demands for higher data rate and more reliable end-to-end connection, as well as operators' demands for low operational cost. These challenges can be potentially met by software defined optical networking (SDON), which enables dynamic resource allocation according to the users' requirement. In this article, a novel network architecture for mobile core network is proposed based on SDON. A software defined network (SDN) controller is designed to realize the coordinated control over different entities in EPC networks. We analyze the requirement of EPC-lightpath (EPCL) in data plane and propose an optical switch load balancing (OSLB) algorithm for resource allocation in optical layer. The procedure of establishment and adjustment of EPCLs is demonstrated on a SDON-based EPC testbed with extended OpenFlow protocol. We also evaluate the OSLB algorithm through simulation in terms of bandwidth blocking ratio, traffic load distribution, and resource utilization ratio compared with link-based load balancing (LLB) and MinHops algorithms.

VOLTTRON-Based System for Providing Ancillary Services with Residential Building Loads

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

Jin, Xin

2016-07-01

Ancillary services entail controlled modulation of building equipment to maintain a stable balance of generation and load in the power system. Ancillary services include frequency regulation and contingency reserves, whose acting time ranges from several seconds to several minutes. Many pilot studies have been implemented to use industrial loads to provide ancillary services, and some have explored services from commercial building loads or electric vehicle charging loads. Residential loads, such as space conditioning and water heating, represent a largely untapped resource for providing ancillary services. The residential building sector accounts for a significant fraction of the total electricity use inmore » the United States. Many loads in residential buildings are flexible and could potentially be curtailed or shifted at the request of the grid. However, there are many barriers that prevent residential loads being widely used for ancillary services. One of the major technical barriers is the lack of communication capabilities between end-use devices and the grid. End-use devices need to be able to receive the automatic generation control (AGC) signal from the grid operator and supply certain types of telemetry to verify response. With the advance of consumer electronics, communication-enabled, or 'connected,' residential equipment has emerged to overcome the communication barrier. However, these end-use devices have introduced a new interoperability challenge due to the existence of numerous standards and communication protocols among different end devices. In this paper, we present a VOLTTRON-based system that overcomes these technical challenges and provides ancillary services with residential loads. VOLTTRON is an open-source control and sensing platform for building energy management, facilitating interoperability solutions for end devices. We have developed drivers to communicate and control different types of end devices through standard-based interfaces, manufacturer-provided application programming interfaces, and proprietary communication interfaces. We document the ability to manage nine appliances, using four different standards or proprietary communication methods. A hardware-in-the-loop test was performed in a laboratory environment where the loads of a laboratory home and a large number of simulated homes are controlled by an aggregator. Upon receipt of an AGC signal, the VOLTTRON home energy management system (HEMS) of the laboratory home adjusts the end-device controls based on the comfort criteria set by the end users and sends telemetry to the aggregator to verify response. The aggregator then sends the AGC signal to other simulated homes in attempts to match the utility request as closely as possible. Frequency regulation is generally considered a higher value service than other ancillary services but it is also more challenging due to the constraint of short response time. A frequency regulation use case has been implemented with the regulation signals sent every 10 seconds. Experimental results indicate that the VOLTTRON-controlled residential loads are able to be controlled with sufficient fidelity to enable an aggregator to meet frequency regulation requirements. Future work is warranted, such as understanding the impact of this type of control on equipment life, and market requirements needed to open up residential loads to ancillary service aggregators.« less

Relative Importance of Different Water Categories as Sources of N-Nitrosamine Precursors.

PubMed

Zeng, Teng; Glover, Caitlin M; Marti, Erica J; Woods-Chabane, Gwen C; Karanfil, Tanju; Mitch, William A; Dickenson, Eric R V

2016-12-20

A comparison of loadings of N-nitrosamines and their precursors from different source water categories is needed to design effective source water blending strategies. Previous research using Formation Potential (FP) chloramination protocols (high dose and prolonged contact times) raised concerns about precursor loadings from various source water categories, but differences in the protocols employed rendered comparisons difficult. In this study, we applied Uniform Formation Condition (UFC) chloramination and ozonation protocols mimicking typical disinfection practice to compare loadings of ambient specific and total N-nitrosamines as well as chloramine-reactive and ozone-reactive precursors in 47 samples, including 6 pristine headwaters, 16 eutrophic waters, 4 agricultural runoff samples, 9 stormwater runoff samples, and 12 municipal wastewater effluents. N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation from UFC and FP chloramination protocols did not correlate, with NDMA FP often being significant in samples where no NDMA formed under UFC conditions. N-Nitrosamines and their precursors were negligible in pristine headwaters. Conventional, and to a lesser degree, nutrient removal wastewater effluents were the dominant source of NDMA and its chloramine- and ozone-reactive precursors. While wastewater effluents were dominant sources of TONO and their precursors, algal blooms, and to a lesser degree agricultural or stormwater runoff, could be important where they affect a major fraction of the water supply.

The acute effects of moderately loaded concentric-only quarter squats on vertical jump performance.

PubMed

Crum, Aaron J; Kawamori, Naoki; Stone, Michael H; Haff, G Gregory

2012-04-01

Limited research exists examining the effect of moderately loaded conditioning activities that are employed as part of a strength-power potentiating complex (SPPC). Additionally, no studies to date have explored the effects of using a concentric-only quarter back squat protocol as part of an SPPC. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a moderately loaded (50-65% of 1RM) concentric-only quarter back squat protocol on the occurrence of potentiation effects at various time points. Twenty men who could quarter back squat a minimum of 2.4 times their body mass (3.7 ± 0.7 kg·per body mass) participated in this investigation. All subjects participated in 3 conditions: control (CT), a 50% of 1RM trial (50POT), and a 65% of 1RM trial (65POT). One minute before each condition, a maximal countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) was performed. One minute later, the subject performed 1 of 3 conditions: CT condition, 50POT, or 65POT, followed by vertical jumps at 0.5, 3, 5, 10, and 15 minutes after conditioning activity. A force plate was used to quantify displacement, peak power output, peak force, and the rate of force development for each CMJ. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in any of the performance measures quantified during the CMJ trials when comparing the CT, 50POT, and 65POT treatment conditions. However, 48% of the subjects demonstrated some degree of potentiation at the 30 seconds after completing the 65POT trial, but this percent increase was not statistically significant. From a practical perspective, if the goal of the SPPC is to create a maximization of the potentiation effect, moderately loaded activities may not be the best alternative.

Optimized conditions for selective gold flotation by ToF-SIMS and ToF-LIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chryssoulis, S. L.; Dimov, S. S.

2004-06-01

This work describes a comprehensive characterization of the factors controlling the floatability of free gold from flotation test using reagents (collectors) at plant concentration levels. A relationship between the collectors loadings on gold particles and their surface composition has been established. The findings of this study show that silver activates gold flotation and there is a strong correlation between the surface concentration of silver and the loading of certain collectors. The organic surface analysis was done by ToF-SIMS while the inorganic surface analysis was carried out by time-of-flight laser ionization mass spectrometry (ToF-LIMS). The developed testing protocol based on ToF-LIMS and ToF-SIMS complementary surface analysis allows for optimization of the flotation scheme and hence improved gold recovery.

Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Assessment: Literature Review and Laboratory Protocol

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

Butner, R. Scott; Reid, Douglas J.; Hoffman, Michael G.

2013-07-01

To evaluate the accuracy of NILM technologies, a literature review was conducted to identify any test protocols or standardized testing approaches currently in use. The literature review indicated that no consistent conventions were currently in place for measuring the accuracy of these technologies. Consequently, PNNL developed a testing protocol and metrics to provide the basis for quantifying and analyzing the accuracy of commercially available NILM technologies. This report discusses the results of the literature review and the proposed test protocol and metrics in more detail.

Development, implementation, and experimentation of parametric routing protocol for sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassr, Matthew S.; Jun, Jangeun; Eidenbenz, Stephan J.; Frigo, Janette R.; Hansson, Anders A.; Mielke, Angela M.; Smith, Mark C.

2006-09-01

The development of a scalable and reliable routing protocol for sensor networks is traced from a theoretical beginning to positive simulation results to the end of verification experiments in large and heavily loaded networks. Design decisions and explanations as well as implementation hurdles are presented to give a complete picture of protocol development. Additional software and hardware is required to accurately test the performance of our protocol in field experiments. In addition, the developed protocol is tested in TinyOS on Mica2 motes against well-established routing protocols frequently used in sensor networks. Our protocol proves to outperform the standard (MINTRoute) and the trivial (Gossip) in a variety of different scenarios.

Effects of an Exercise Protocol for Improving Handgrip Strength and Walking Speed on Cognitive Function in Patients with Chronic Stroke.

PubMed

Kim, Jaeeun; Yim, Jongeun

2017-11-13

BACKGROUND Handgrip strength and walking speed predict and influence cognitive function. We aimed to investigate an exercise protocol for improving handgrip strength and walking speed, applied to patients with chronic stroke who had cognitive function disorder. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-nine patients with cognitive function disorder participated in this study, and were randomly divided into one of two groups: exercise group (n=14) and control group (n=15). Both groups underwent conventional physical therapy for 60 minutes per day. Additionally, the exercise group followed an exercise protocol for handgrip using the hand exerciser, power web exerciser, Digi-Flex (15 minutes); and treadmill-based weight loading training on their less-affected leg (15 minutes) using a sandbag for 30 minutes, three times per day, for six weeks. Outcomes, including cognitive function and gait ability, were measured before and after the training. RESULTS The Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MoCA), Stroop test (both simple and interference), Trail Making-B, Timed Up and Go, and 10-Meter Walk tests (p<0.05) yielded improved results for the exercise group compared with the control group. Importantly, the K-MoCA, Timed Up and Go, and 10-Meter Walk test results were significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The exercise protocol for improving handgrip strength and walking speed had positive effects on cognitive function in patients with chronic stroke.

An investigation of networking techniques for the ASRM facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moorhead, Robert J., II; Smith, Wayne D.; Thompson, Dale R.

1992-01-01

This report is based on the early design concepts for a communications network for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) facility being built at Yellow Creek near Iuka, MS. The investigators have participated in the early design concepts and in the evaluation of the initial concepts. The continuing system design effort and any modification of the plan will require a careful evaluation of the required bandwidth of the network, the capabilities of the protocol, and the requirements of the controllers and computers on the network. The overall network, which is heterogeneous in protocol and bandwidth, is being modeled, analyzed, simulated, and tested to obtain some degree of confidence in its performance capabilities and in its performance under nominal and heavy loads. The results of the proposed work should have an impact on the design and operation of the ASRM facility.

Status of Lake Erie phosphorus loads and concentrations

EPA Science Inventory

Under the Great Lakes Water Quality Protocol of 2012, nutrient loading and nutrient concentrations for open and nearshore waters must be re-evaluated for Substance Objectives that are consistent with overall Ecosystem Objectives. One of the primary driving nutrients of interest ...

On-Orbit Evaluation of a New Treadmill Harness for Improved Crewmember Comfort and Load Distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perusek, G. P.; Sheehan, C. C.; Savina, M. C.; Owings, T. M.; Davis, B. L.; Ryder, J. W.

2011-01-01

The current design of the International Space Station (ISS) Treadmill Harness has been reported to cause pain and discomfort to crewmembers during exercise. The Harness Station Development Test Objective (SDTO) provided participating crewmembers (n = 6) with a new harness design, the "Glenn Harness," to evaluate for comfort and loading as compared to the current Treadmill Harness. A novel suite of load-sensing instrumentation was developed to noninvasively measure load distribution and provided a first-ever quantification of actual dynamic loads during treadmill exercise. In addition, crew debriefs provided feedback on harness preference and overall impressions. Conclusions: Post-flight analysis in returned Glenn Harnesses (n = 3) showed minimal wear and tear. Four of the six subjects found the Glenn Harness to be more comfortable in this on-orbit, side-by-side comparison as measured by the crew comfort questionnaire and crew debriefs. Specific areas for improvement have been identified, and forward recommendations will be provided to the Human Research Program. The protocol developed for the SDTO provided valuable insight into crew comfort issues, design improvements, and loading preferences for exercise harnessing, which lays the groundwork for better harnessing systems and training protocols.

The Effect of Military Load Carriage on Postural Sway, Forward Trunk Lean, and Pelvic Girdle Motion

PubMed Central

STRUBE, EILEEN M.; SUMNER, ANDREA; KOLLOCK, ROGER; GAMES, KENNETH E.; LACKAMP, MARIE A.; MIZUTANI, MASAHIRO; SEFTON, JOELLEN M.

2017-01-01

Musculoskeletal injuries are a common occurrence in military service members. It is believed that the load carried by the service member impedes stability and alters back and pelvis kinematics, increasing their susceptibility to musculoskeletal injuries, specifically in the lower extremities. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two different loads on postural sway, forward trunk lean, and pelvic girdle motion in United States Army Cadets. Twenty male Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Cadets participated in this study. Each participant performed the Modified Clinical Testing of Sensory Interaction (mCTSIB) Protocol and the Unilateral Stance (ULS) Protocol under three different rucksack load conditions (unloaded, 16.0 kg, and 20.5 kg loads). Mean postural sway velocity was recorded along with 2-D kinematics of the trunk in the sagittal plane and the pelvis in the frontal and sagittal planes. External loads of 16.0 kg (p < 0.001) and 20.5 kg (p ≤ 0.003) significantly increased mean sway velocity by 16% to 52% depending on stance and visual condition, but did not produce significant changes in trunk and pelvic kinematics. PMID:28479946

Effects of laboratory heating, cyclic pore pressure, and cyclic loading on fracture properties of asphalt mixture.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-04-01

This study involved the identification and evaluation of laboratory conditioning methods and testing protocols considering heat oxidation, moisture, and load that more effectively simulate asphalt mixture aging in the field, and thereby help to prope...

Glycol Methacrylate Embedding for the Histochemical Study of the Gastrointestinal Tract of Dogs Naturally Infected with Leishmania Infantum

PubMed Central

Pinto, A.J.W.; de Amorim, I.F.G.; Pinheiro, L.J.; Madeira, I.M.V.M.; Souza, C.C.; Chiarini-Garcia, H.; Caliari, M.V.

2015-01-01

In canine visceral leishmaniasis a diffuse chronic inflammatory exudate and an intense parasite load throughout the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) has been previously reported. However, these studies did not allow a properly description of canine cellular morphology details. The aim of our study was to better characterize these cells in carrying out a qualitative and quantitative histological study in the gastrointestinal tract of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum by examining gut tissues embedded in glycol methacrylate. Twelve infected adult dogs were classified in asymptomatic and symptomatic. Five uninfected dogs were used as controls. After necropsy, three samples of each gut segment, including oesophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon, and rectum were collected and fixed in Carnoy’s solution for glycol methacrylate protocols. Sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, toluidine blue borate, and periodic acid-Schiff stain. Leishmania amastigotes were detected by immunohistochemistry employed in both glycol methacrylate and paraffin embedded tissues. The quantitative histological analysis showed higher numbers of plasma cells, lymphocytes and macrophages in lamina propria of all segments of GIT of infected dogs compared with controls. The parasite load was more intense and cecum and colon, independently of the clinical status of these dogs. Importantly, glycol methacrylate embedded tissue stained with toluidine blue borate clearly revealed mast cell morphology, even after mast cell degranulation. Infected dogs showed lower numbers of mast cells in all gut segments than controls. Despite the glycol methacrylate (GMA) protocol requires more attention and care than the conventional paraffin processing, this embedding procedure proved to be especially suitable for the present histological study, where it allowed to preserve and observe cell morphology in fine detail. PMID:26708180

Assessment of neuromuscular function after different strength training protocols using tensiomyography.

PubMed

de Paula Simola, Rauno Á; Harms, Nico; Raeder, Christian; Kellmann, Michael; Meyer, Tim; Pfeiffer, Mark; Ferrauti, Alexander

2015-05-01

The purpose of the study was to analyze tensiomyography (TMG) sensitivity to changes in muscle force and neuromuscular function of the muscle rectus femoris (RF) using TMG muscle properties after 5 different lower-limb strength training protocols (multiple sets; DS = drop sets; eccentric overload; FW = flywheel; PL = plyometrics). After baseline measurements, 14 male strength trained athletes completed 1 squat training protocol per week over a 5-week period in a randomized controlled order. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), TMG measurements of maximal radial displacement of the muscle belly (Dm), contraction time between 10 and 90% of Dm (Tc), and mean muscle contraction velocities from the beginning until 10% (V10) and 90% of Dm (V90) were analyzed up to 0.5 (post-train), 24 (post-24), and 48 hours (post-48) after the training interventions. Significant analysis of variance main effects for measurement points were found for all TMG contractile properties and MVIC (p < 0.01). Dm and V10 post-train values were significantly lower after protocols DS and FW compared with protocol PL (p = 0.032 and 0.012, respectively). Dm, V10, and V90 decrements correlated significantly to the decreases in MVIC (r = 0.64-0.67, p ≤ 0.05). Some TMG muscle properties are sensitive to changes in muscle force, and different lower-limb strength training protocols lead to changes in neuromuscular function of RF. In addition, those protocols involving high and eccentric load and a high total time under tension may induce higher changes in TMG muscle properties.

The resident microflora of voided midstream urine of healthy controls: standard versus expanded urine culture protocols.

PubMed

Coorevits, L; Heytens, S; Boelens, J; Claeys, G

2017-04-01

The workup and interpretation of urine cultures is not always clear-cut, especially for midstream samples contaminated with commensals. Standard urine culture (SUC) protocols are designed in favor of growth of uropathogens at the expense of commensals. In selected clinical situations, however, it is essential to trace fastidious or new uropathogens by expanding the urine culture conditions (EUC). The aim of our study was to map the microflora in midstream urine specimens from healthy controls by means of EUC, in view of the interpretation of bacterial culture results in symptomatic patients. Midstream urine specimens from 101 healthy controls (86 females and 15 males) were examined using both SUC and EUC. Whilst 73 % of samples examined by SUC showed no growth at 10 3  colony-forming units (CFU)/mL, 91 % of samples examined by EUC grew bacterial species in large numbers (≥10 4  CFU/mL). Asymptomatic bacteriuria, as defined by the European guidelines for urinalysis, was detected in six samples with both protocols. EUC revealed 98 different species, mostly Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Corynebacterium. None of the samples grew Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Corynebacterium urealyticum, or Aerococcus urinae. Samples from females contained higher bacterial loads and showed higher bacterial diversity compared to males. Midstream urine of healthy controls contains large communities of living bacteria that comprise a resident microflora, only revealed by EUC. Hence, the use of EUC instead of SUC in a routine setting would result in more sensitive but less specific results, requiring critical interpretation. In our view, EUC should be reserved for limited indications.

A centric/non-centric impact protocol and finite element model methodology for the evaluation of American football helmets to evaluate risk of concussion.

PubMed

Post, Andrew; Oeur, Anna; Walsh, Evan; Hoshizaki, Blaine; Gilchrist, Michael D

2014-01-01

American football reports high incidences of head injuries, in particular, concussion. Research has described concussion as primarily a rotation dominant injury affecting the diffuse areas of brain tissue. Current standards do not measure how helmets manage rotational acceleration or how acceleration loading curves influence brain deformation from an impact and thus are missing important information in terms of how concussions occur. The purpose of this study was to investigate a proposed three-dimensional impact protocol for use in evaluating football helmets. The dynamic responses resulting from centric and non-centric impact conditions were examined to ascertain the influence they have on brain deformations in different functional regions of the brain that are linked to concussive symptoms. A centric and non-centric protocol was used to impact an American football helmet; the resulting dynamic response data was used in conjunction with a three-dimensional finite element analysis of the human brain to calculate brain tissue deformation. The direction of impact created unique loading conditions, resulting in peaks in different regions of the brain associated with concussive symptoms. The linear and rotational accelerations were not predictive of the brain deformation metrics used in this study. In conclusion, the test protocol used in this study revealed that impact conditions influences the region of loading in functional regions of brain tissue that are associated with the symptoms of concussion. The protocol also demonstrated that using brain deformation metrics may be more appropriate when evaluating risk of concussion than using dynamic response data alone.

Assessment of muscle endurance of the knee extensor muscles in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue protocol.

PubMed

Eken, Maaike M; Dallmeijer, Annet J; Doorenbosch, Caroline A; Dekkers, Hurnet; Becher, Jules G; Houdijk, Han

2014-10-01

To compare muscle endurance in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) with typically developing (TD) peers using a submaximal repetitions-to-fatigue (RTF) protocol. Cross sectional. Human motion laboratory. Adolescents with spastic CP (n=16; Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I or II) and TD adolescents (n=18) within the age range of 12 to 19 years old. Not applicable. Each participant performed 3 RTF tests at different submaximal loads, ranging from 50% to 90% of their maximal voluntary knee extension torque. The relation between the number of repetitions (repetition maximum [RM]) and imposed submaximal relative (percent of maximal voluntary torque [%MVT]) and absolute (Nm/kg) torque was quantified. To compare adolescents with CP with TD adolescents, a mixed linear model was used to construct load endurance curves. Surface electromyography of quadriceps muscles was measured to assess changes in normalized amplitude and median frequency (MF) as physiological indicators of muscle fatigue. Adolescents with CP showed a larger decrease in %MVT per RM than TD adolescents (P<.05). TD adolescents showed substantial higher absolute (Nm/kg) load endurance curves than adolescents with CP (P<.001), but they did not show a difference in slope. Electromyographic normalized amplitude increased significantly (P<.05) in the quadriceps muscles in all tests for both groups. Electromyographic MF decreased significantly (P<.05) in tests with the low and medium loads. Electromyographic responses did not differ between groups, indicating that similar levels of muscle fatigue were reached. Adolescents with CP show slightly lower muscle endurance compared with TD adolescents on a submaximal RTF protocol, which is in contrast with earlier findings in a maximal voluntary fatigue protocol. Accordingly, adolescents with CP have a reduced capacity to endure activities at similar relative loads compared with TD adolescents. Copyright © 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Hierarchical Energy-Efficient Method Based on Combinatorial Optimization for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Chang, Yuchao; Tang, Hongying; Cheng, Yongbo; Zhao, Qin; Yuan, Baoqing Li andXiaobing

2017-07-19

Routing protocols based on topology control are significantly important for improving network longevity in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Traditionally, some WSN routing protocols distribute uneven network traffic load to sensor nodes, which is not optimal for improving network longevity. Differently to conventional WSN routing protocols, we propose a dynamic hierarchical protocol based on combinatorial optimization (DHCO) to balance energy consumption of sensor nodes and to improve WSN longevity. For each sensor node, the DHCO algorithm obtains the optimal route by establishing a feasible routing set instead of selecting the cluster head or the next hop node. The process of obtaining the optimal route can be formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem. Specifically, the DHCO algorithm is carried out by the following procedures. It employs a hierarchy-based connection mechanism to construct a hierarchical network structure in which each sensor node is assigned to a special hierarchical subset; it utilizes the combinatorial optimization theory to establish the feasible routing set for each sensor node, and takes advantage of the maximum-minimum criterion to obtain their optimal routes to the base station. Various results of simulation experiments show effectiveness and superiority of the DHCO algorithm in comparison with state-of-the-art WSN routing algorithms, including low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), hybrid energy-efficient distributed clustering (HEED), genetic protocol-based self-organizing network clustering (GASONeC), and double cost function-based routing (DCFR) algorithms.

Handwashing and Ebola virus disease outbreaks: A randomized comparison of soap, hand sanitizer, and 0.05% chlorine solutions on the inactivation and removal of model organisms Phi6 and E. coli from hands and persistence in rinse water.

PubMed

Wolfe, Marlene K; Gallandat, Karin; Daniels, Kyle; Desmarais, Anne Marie; Scheinman, Pamela; Lantagne, Daniele

2017-01-01

To prevent Ebola transmission, frequent handwashing is recommended in Ebola Treatment Units and communities. However, little is known about which handwashing protocol is most efficacious. We evaluated six handwashing protocols (soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS), and 0.05% sodium dichloroisocyanurate, high-test hypochlorite, and stabilized and non-stabilized sodium hypochlorite solutions) for 1) efficacy of handwashing on the removal and inactivation of non-pathogenic model organisms and, 2) persistence of organisms in rinse water. Model organisms E. coli and bacteriophage Phi6 were used to evaluate handwashing with and without organic load added to simulate bodily fluids. Hands were inoculated with test organisms, washed, and rinsed using a glove juice method to retrieve remaining organisms. Impact was estimated by comparing the log reduction in organisms after handwashing to the log reduction without handwashing. Rinse water was collected to test for persistence of organisms. Handwashing resulted in a 1.94-3.01 log reduction in E. coli concentration without, and 2.18-3.34 with, soil load; and a 2.44-3.06 log reduction in Phi6 without, and 2.71-3.69 with, soil load. HTH performed most consistently well, with significantly greater log reductions than other handwashing protocols in three models. However, the magnitude of handwashing efficacy differences was small, suggesting protocols are similarly efficacious. Rinse water demonstrated a 0.28-4.77 log reduction in remaining E. coli without, and 0.21-4.49 with, soil load and a 1.26-2.02 log reduction in Phi6 without, and 1.30-2.20 with, soil load. Chlorine resulted in significantly less persistence of E. coli in both conditions and Phi6 without soil load in rinse water (p<0.001). Thus, chlorine-based methods may offer a benefit of reducing persistence in rinse water. We recommend responders use the most practical handwashing method to ensure hand hygiene in Ebola contexts, considering the potential benefit of chlorine-based methods in rinse water persistence.

Impact of alprazolam in allostatic load and neurocognition of patients with anxiety disorders and chronic stress (GEMA): observational study protocol.

PubMed

Soria, Carlos A; Remedi, Carolina; Núñez, Daniel A; D'Alessio, Luciana; Roldán, Emilio J A

2015-07-14

The allostatic load model explains the additive effects of multiple biological processes that accelerate pathophysiology related to stress, particularly in the central nervous system. Stress-related mental conditions such as anxiety disorders and neuroticism (a well-known stress vulnerability factor), have been linked to disturbances of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal with cognitive implications. Nevertheless, there are controversial results in the literature and there is a need to determine the impact of the psychopharmacological treatment on allostatic load parameters and in cognitive functions. Gador study of Estres Modulation by Alprazolam, aims to determine the impact of medication on neurobiochemical variables related to chronic stress, metabolic syndrome, neurocognition and quality of life in patients with anxiety, allostatic load and neuroticism. In this observational prospective phase IV study, highly sympthomatic patients with anxiety disorders (six or more points in the Hamilton-A scale), neuroticism (more than 18 points in the Neo five personality factor inventory (NEO-FFI) scale), an allostatic load (three positive clinical or biochemical items at Crimmins and Seeman criteria) will be included. Clinical variables of anxiety, neuroticism, allostatic load, neurobiochemical studies, neurocognition and quality of life will be determined prior and periodically (1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks) after treatment (on demand of alprazolam from 0.75 mg/day to 3.0 mg/day). A sample of n=55/182 patients will be considered enough to detect variables higher than 25% (pretreatment vs post-treatment or significant correlations) with a 1-ß power of 0-80. t Test and/or non-parametric test, and Pearson's test for correlation analysis will be determined. This study protocol was approved by an Independent Ethics Committee of FEFyM (Foundation for Pharmacological Studies and Drugs, Buenos Aires) and by regulatory authorities of Argentina (ANMAT, Dossier # 61 409-8 of 20 April 2009), following the law of Habeas Data and psychotherapeutic drug control. GEMA 20811. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Impact of alprazolam in allostatic load and neurocognition of patients with anxiety disorders and chronic stress (GEMA): observational study protocol

PubMed Central

Soria, Carlos A; Remedi, Carolina; Núñez, Daniel A; D'Alessio, Luciana; Roldán, Emilio J A

2015-01-01

Introduction The allostatic load model explains the additive effects of multiple biological processes that accelerate pathophysiology related to stress, particularly in the central nervous system. Stress-related mental conditions such as anxiety disorders and neuroticism (a well-known stress vulnerability factor), have been linked to disturbances of hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal with cognitive implications. Nevertheless, there are controversial results in the literature and there is a need to determine the impact of the psychopharmacological treatment on allostatic load parameters and in cognitive functions. Gador study of Estres Modulation by Alprazolam, aims to determine the impact of medication on neurobiochemical variables related to chronic stress, metabolic syndrome, neurocognition and quality of life in patients with anxiety, allostatic load and neuroticism. Methods/analysis In this observational prospective phase IV study, highly sympthomatic patients with anxiety disorders (six or more points in the Hamilton-A scale), neuroticism (more than 18 points in the Neo five personality factor inventory (NEO-FFI) scale), an allostatic load (three positive clinical or biochemical items at Crimmins and Seeman criteria) will be included. Clinical variables of anxiety, neuroticism, allostatic load, neurobiochemical studies, neurocognition and quality of life will be determined prior and periodically (1, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks) after treatment (on demand of alprazolam from 0.75 mg/day to 3.0 mg/day). A sample of n=55/182 patients will be considered enough to detect variables higher than 25% (pretreatment vs post-treatment or significant correlations) with a 1-ß power of 0–80. t Test and/or non-parametric test, and Pearson's test for correlation analysis will be determined. Ethics and dissemination This study protocol was approved by an Independent Ethics Committee of FEFyM (Foundation for Pharmacological Studies and Drugs, Buenos Aires) and by regulatory authorities of Argentina (ANMAT, Dossier # 61 409–8 of 20 April 2009), following the law of Habeas Data and psychotherapeutic drug control. Trial registration number GEMA 20811. PMID:26173716

An Energy Balanced and Lifetime Extended Routing Protocol for Underwater Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Wang, Hao; Wang, Shilian; Zhang, Eryang; Lu, Luxi

2018-05-17

Energy limitation is an adverse problem in designing routing protocols for underwater sensor networks (UWSNs). To prolong the network lifetime with limited battery power, an energy balanced and efficient routing protocol, called energy balanced and lifetime extended routing protocol (EBLE), is proposed in this paper. The proposed EBLE not only balances traffic loads according to the residual energy, but also optimizes data transmissions by selecting low-cost paths. Two phases are operated in the EBLE data transmission process: (1) candidate forwarding set selection phase and (2) data transmission phase. In candidate forwarding set selection phase, nodes update candidate forwarding nodes by broadcasting the position and residual energy level information. The cost value of available nodes is calculated and stored in each sensor node. Then in data transmission phase, high residual energy and relatively low-cost paths are selected based on the cost function and residual energy level information. We also introduce detailed analysis of optimal energy consumption in UWSNs. Numerical simulation results on a variety of node distributions and data load distributions prove that EBLE outperforms other routing protocols (BTM, BEAR and direct transmission) in terms of network lifetime and energy efficiency.

Ground reaction forces on stairs. Part II: knee implant patients versus normals.

PubMed

Stacoff, Alex; Kramers-de Quervain, Inès A; Luder, Gerhard; List, Renate; Stüssi, Edgar

2007-06-01

The goal of this study was to compare selected parameters of vertical ground reaction forces (GRF) of good outcome patients with different prosthesis designs with a matched control group during level walking, stair ascent and descent. Forty subjects, 29 with three main implant designs (including four subjects with a passive knee flexion restriction), and 11 healthy controls were measured with 8-10 repetitions. Vertical ground reaction forces were measured during two consecutive steps with force plates embedded in the walkway and the staircase. Defined parameters of the force signals were used to compare the results of the test groups. The results show, that, postoperatively, good outcome patients produce gait patterns of the vertical ground reaction force which are comparable to normal healthy subjects with the exception of a few distinct differences: a significant reduction (p<0.05) in the vertical loading on the operated side during level walking at take-off, at weight acceptance and take-off during stair ascent of the normal stair. During stair descent, the patients did not reduce load on the operated side, but increased load variation and side-to-side asymmetry; thus, the mechanical loads on the implants were high, which may be important information with respect to loading protocols of knee implant simulators. No systematic differences in any of the test parameters were found between posterior cruciate-retaining (LCS MB and Innex CR) versus non-retaining (LCS RP and Innex UCOR) implant designs. The restricted group showed significant reductions (p<0.05) of several loading parameters as well as an increased side-to-side asymmetry. About one third of the force parameters of the good outcome patients showed a side-to-side asymmetry between two consecutive steps, which was over a proposed level of acceptance.

The Effect of Water Loading on Acute Weight Loss Following Fluid Restriction in Combat Sports Athletes.

PubMed

Reale, Reid; Slater, Gary; Cox, Gregory R; Dunican, Ian C; Burke, Louise M

2018-05-03

Novel methods of acute weight loss practiced by combat sport athletes include "water loading," the consumption of large fluid volumes for several days prior to restriction. We examined claims that this technique increases total body water losses, while also assessing the risk of hyponatremia. Male athletes were separated into control (n = 10) and water loading (n = 11) groups and fed a standardized energy-matched diet for 6 days. Days 1-3 fluid intake was 40 and 100 ml/kg for control and water loading groups, respectively, with both groups consuming 15 ml/kg on Day 4 and following the same rehydration protocol on Days 5 and 6. We tracked body mass (BM), urine sodium, urine specific gravity and volume, training-related sweat losses and blood concentrations of renal hormones, and urea and electrolytes throughout. Physical performance was assessed preintervention and postintervention. Following fluid restriction, there were substantial differences between groups in the ratio of fluid input/output (39%, p < .01, effect size = 1.2) and BM loss (0.6% BM, p = .02, effect size = 0.82). Changes in urine specific gravity, urea and electrolytes, and renal hormones occurred over time (p < .05), with an interaction of time and intervention on blood sodium, potassium, chloride, urea, creatinine, urine specific gravity, and vasopressin (p < .05). Measurements of urea and electrolyte remained within reference ranges, and no differences in physical performance were detected over time or between groups. Water loading appears to be a safe and effective method of acute BM loss under the conditions of this study. Vasopressin-regulated changes in aquaporin channels may potentially partially explain the mechanism of increased body water loss with water loading.

Impact of scalding duration and scalding water temperature on broiler processing wastewater loadings

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Three experiments were performed to evaluate scalding tank poultry processing wastewater (PPW) loading following the slaughter and scalding of commercially raised broilers: hard vs. soft scalding protocols (experiment 1), scalding immersion time and temperature individually (experiment 2), and the p...

Multiplexer/Demultiplexer Loading Tool (MDMLT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brewer, Lenox Allen; Hale, Elizabeth; Martella, Robert; Gyorfi, Ryan

2012-01-01

The purpose of the MDMLT is to improve the reliability and speed of loading multiplexers/demultiplexers (MDMs) in the Software Development and Integration Laboratory (SDIL) by automating the configuration management (CM) of the loads in the MDMs, automating the loading procedure, and providing the capability to load multiple or all MDMs concurrently. This loading may be accomplished in parallel, or single MDMs (remote). The MDMLT is a Web-based tool that is capable of loading the entire International Space Station (ISS) MDM configuration in parallel. It is able to load Flight Equivalent Units (FEUs), enhanced, standard, and prototype MDMs as well as both EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) and SSMMU (Solid State Mass Memory Unit) (MASS Memory). This software has extensive configuration management to track loading history, and the performance improvement means of loading the entire ISS MDM configuration of 49 MDMs in approximately 30 minutes, as opposed to 36 hours, which is what it took previously utilizing the flight method of S-Band uplink. The laptop version recently added to the MDMLT suite allows remote lab loading with the CM of information entered into a common database when it is reconnected to the network. This allows the program to reconfigure the test rigs quickly between shifts, allowing the lab to support a variety of onboard configurations during a single day, based on upcoming or current missions. The MDMLT Computer Software Configuration Item (CSCI) supports a Web-based command and control interface to the user. An interface to the SDIL File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server is supported to import Integrated Flight Loads (IFLs) and Internal Product Release Notes (IPRNs) into the database. An interface to the Monitor and Control System (MCS) is supported to control the power state, and to enable or disable the debug port of the MDMs to be loaded. Two direct interfaces to the MDM are supported: a serial interface (debug port) to receive MDM memory dump data and the calculated checksum, and the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) to transfer load files to MDMs with hard disks. File transfer from the MDM Loading Tool to EEPROM within the MDM is performed via the MILSTD- 1553 bus, making use of the Real- Time Input/Output Processors (RTIOP) when using the rig-based MDMLT, and via a bus box when using the laptop MDMLT. The bus box is a cost-effective alternative to PC-1553 cards for the laptop. It is noted that this system can be modified and adapted to any avionic laboratory for spacecraft computer loading, ship avionics, or aircraft avionics where multiple configurations and strong configuration management of software/firmware loads are required.

Comparing the Effects of Peroneal Muscle Fatigue and Cyclic Loading on Ankle Neuromuscular Control During Lateral-Hop Landing.

PubMed

Malmir, Kazem; Olyaei, Gholam Reza; Talebian, Saeed; Jamshidi, Ali Ashraf

2015-08-01

Cyclic movements and muscle fatigue may result in musculoskeletal injuries by inducing changes in neuromuscular control. Ankle frontal-plane neuromuscular control has rarely been studied in spite of its importance. To compare the effects of peroneal muscle fatigue and a cyclic passive-inversion (CPI) protocol on ankle neuromuscular control during a lateral hop. Quasi-experimental, repeated measures. University laboratory. 22 recreationally active, healthy men with no history of ankle sprain or giving way. Participants performed a lateral hop before and after 2 interventions on a Biodex dynamometer. They were randomly assigned to intervention order and interventions were 1 wk apart. A passive intervention included 40 CPIs at 5°/s through 80% of maximum range of motion, and a fatigue intervention involved an isometric eversion at 40% of the maximal voluntary isometric contraction until the torque decreased to 50% of its initial value. Median frequency of the peroneus longus during the fatigue protocol, energy absorption by the viscoelastic tissues during the CPI protocol, and feedforward onset and reaction time of the peroneus longus during landing. A significant fall in median frequency (P < .05) and a significant decrease in energy absorption (P < .05) confirmed fatigue and a change in viscoelastic behavior, respectively. There was a significant main effect of condition on feedforward onset and reaction time (P < .05). No significant main effect of intervention or intervention × condition interaction was noted (P > .05). There was a significant difference between pre- and postintervention measures (P < .0125), but no significant difference was found between postintervention measures (P > .0125). Both fatigue and the CPI may similarly impair ankle neuromuscular control. Thus, in prolonged sports competitions and exercises, the ankle may be injured due to either fatigue or changes in the biomechanical properties of the viscoelastic tissues.

The effects of low-repetition and light-load power training on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with sarcopenia: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hamaguchi, Kanako; Kurihara, Toshiyuki; Fujimoto, Masahiro; Iemitsu, Motoyuki; Sato, Koji; Hamaoka, Takafumi; Sanada, Kiyoshi

2017-05-02

Age-related reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) is generally accelerated in women after menopause, and could be even more pronounced in individuals with sarcopenia. Light-load power training with a low number of repetitions would increase BMD, significantly reducing bone loss in individuals at risk of osteoporosis. This study investigated the effects of low-repetition, light-load power training on BMD in Japanese postmenopausal women with sarcopenia. The training group (n = 7) followed a progressive power training protocol that increased the load with a weighted vest, for two sessions per week, over the course of 6 weeks. The training exercise comprised five kinds of exercises (squats, front lunges, side lunges, calf raises, and toe raises), and each exercise contained eight sets of three repetitions with a 15-s rest between each set. The control group (n = 8) did not undergo any training intervention. We measured BMD, muscle strength, and anthropometric data. Within-group changes in pelvis BMD and knee extensor strength were significantly greater in the training group than the control group (p = 0.029 and 0.030 for pelvis BMD and knee extensor strength, respectively). After low-repetition, light-load power training, we noted improvements in pelvis BMD (1.6%) and knee extensor strength (15.5%). No significant within- or between-group differences were observed for anthropometric data or forearm BMD. Six weeks of low-repetition, light-load power training improved pelvis BMD and knee extensor strength in postmenopausal women with sarcopenia. Since this training program does not require high-load exercise and is therefore easily implementable as daily exercise, it could be an effective form of exercise for sedentary adults at risk for osteoporosis who are fearful of heavy loads and/or training that could cause fatigue. This trial was registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network on 31 October 2016 ( UMIN000024651 ).

Frequency response of pig intervertebral disc cells subjected to dynamic hydrostatic pressure.

PubMed

Kasra, Mehran; Merryman, W David; Loveless, Kristen N; Goel, Vijay K; Martin, James D; Buckwalter, Joseph A

2006-10-01

The pathogenesis of vibration-induced disorders of intervertebral disc at the cellular level is largely unknown. Dynamic loads with frequencies close to that of the in vivo human spine resonant frequency (4-6 Hz) have a destructive effect, which may induce extracellular disc matrix (ECM) degradation. To investigate this issue, three-dimensional (3D) alginate cultures of normal pig intervertebral disc nucleus and inner annulus cells were tested under dynamic hydrostatic loading. Alginate cultures of each region were divided into six groups; five groups were exposed to cyclic hydrostatic pressures of frequencies 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 Hz with the same amplitude (1 MPa), and group 6 was the control group (no loading). Cultures of different groups were loaded for 3 days (30 min daily) in a hydraulic chamber. Effects of loading frequency on disc collagen and protein metabolism were investigated by measuring 3H-proline-labeled proteins associated with the cells in the extracellular matrix and release of 3H-proline-labeled molecules into culture medium. The results indicated a poor synthesis rate and more degradation near the 5 Hz frequency. The repeatability of experiments was verified by performing two experiments with the same protocol. Both experiments indicated that a threshold frequency of around 5 Hz disrupted protein metabolism. Copyright (c) 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Kinetics of transfemoral amputees with osseointegrated fixation performing common activities of daily living.

PubMed

Lee, Winson C C; Frossard, Laurent A; Hagberg, Kerstin; Haggstrom, Eva; Brånemark, Rickard; Evans, John H; Pearcy, Mark J

2007-07-01

Direct anchorage of a lower-limb prosthesis to the bone through an implanted fixation (osseointegration) has been suggested as an excellent alternative for amputees experiencing complications from use of a conventional socket-type prosthesis. However, an attempt needs to be made to optimize the mechanical design of the fixation and refine the rehabilitation program. Understanding the load applied on the fixation is a crucial step towards this goal. The load applied on the osseointegrated fixation of nine transfemoral amputees was measured using a load transducer, when the amputees performed activities which included straight-line level walking, ascending and descending stairs and a ramp as well as walking around a circle. Force and moment patterns along each gait cycle, magnitudes and time of occurrence of the local extrema of the load, as well as impulses were analysed. Managing a ramp and stairs, and walking around a circle did not produce a significant increase (P>0.05) in load compared to straight-line level walking. The patterns of the moment about the medio-lateral axis were different among the six activities which may reflect the different strategies used in controlling the prosthetic knee joint. This study increases the understanding of biomechanics of bone-anchored osseointegrated prostheses. The loading data provided will be useful in designing the osseointegrated fixation to increase the fatigue life and to refine the rehabilitation protocol.

Air-particle abrasion on zirconia ceramic using different protocols: effects on biaxial flexural strength after cyclic loading, phase transformation and surface topography.

PubMed

Souza, Rodrigo O A; Valandro, Luiz F; Melo, Renata M; Machado, João P B; Bottino, Marco A; Ozcan, Mutlu

2013-10-01

This study evaluated the effect of different air-particle abrasion protocols on the biaxial flexural strength and structural stability of zirconia ceramics. Zirconia ceramic specimens (ISO 6872) (Lava, 3M ESPE) were obtained (N=336). The specimens (N=118, n=20 per group) were randomly assigned to one of the air-abrasion protocols: Gr1: Control (as-sintered); Gr2: 50 µm Al2O3 (2.5 bar); Gr3: 50 µm Al2O3 (3.5 bar); Gr4: 110 µm Al2O3(2.5 bar); Gr5: 110 µm Al2O3 (3.5 bar); Gr6: 30 µm SiO2 (2.5 bar) (CoJet); Gr7: 30 µm SiO2(3.5 bar); Gr8: 110 µm SiO2 (2.5 bar) (Rocatec Plus); and Gr9: 110 µm SiO2 (3.5 bar) (duration: 20 s, distance: 10 mm). While half of the specimens were tested immediately, the other half was subjected to cyclic loading in water (100,000 cycles; 50 N, 4 Hz, 37 °°C) prior to biaxial flexural strength test (ISO 6872). Phase transformation (t→m), relative amount of transformed monoclinic zirconia (FM), transformed zone depth (TZD) and surface roughness were measured. Particle type (p=0.2746), pressure (p=0.5084) and cyclic loading (p=0.1610) did not influence the flexural strength. Except for the air-abraded group with 110 µm Al2O3 at 3.5 bar, all air-abrasion protocols increased the biaxial flexural strength (MPa) (Controlnon-aged: 1,030 ± 153, Controlaged: 1,138 ± 138; Experimentalnon-aged: 1,307 ± 184-1,554 ± 124; Experimentalaged: 1,308 ± 118-1,451 ± 135) in both non-aged and aged conditions, respectively. Surface roughness (Ra) was the highest with 110 µm Al2O3(0.84 µm. FM values ranged from 0% to 27.21%, higher value for the Rocatec Plus (110 µm SiO2) and 110 µm Al2O3 groups at 3.5 bar pressure. TZD ranged between 0 and 1.43 µm, with the highest values for Rocatec Plus and 110 µm Al2O3 groups at 3.5 bar pressure. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of knee extensor open kinetic chain resistance training in the ACL-injured knee.

PubMed

Barcellona, Massimo G; Morrissey, Matthew C; Milligan, Peter; Clinton, Melissa; Amis, Andrew A

2015-11-01

To investigate the effect of different loads of knee extensor open kinetic chain resistance training on anterior knee laxity and function in the ACL-injured (ACLI) knee. Fifty-eight ACLI subjects were randomised to one of three (12-week duration) training groups. The STAND group trained according to a standardised rehabilitation protocol. Subjects in the LOW and HIGH group trained as did the STAND group but with the addition of seated knee extensor open kinetic chain resistance training at loads of 2 sets of 20 repetition maximum (RM) and 20 sets of 2RM, respectively. Anterior knee laxity and measurements of physical and subjective function were performed at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. Thirty-six subjects were tested at both baseline and 12 weeks (STAND n = 13, LOW n = 11, HIGH n = 12). The LOW group demonstrated a reduction in 133 N anterior knee laxity between baseline and 12 weeks testing when compared to the HIGH and the STAND groups (p = 0.009). Specifically, the trained-untrained knee laxity decreased an average of approximately 5 mm in the LOW group while remaining the same in the other two groups. Twelve weeks of knee extensor open kinetic chain resistance training at loads of 2 sets of 20RM led to a reduction in anterior knee laxity in the ACLI knee. This reduction in laxity does not appear to offer any significant short-term functional advantages when compared to a standard rehabilitation protocol. These results indicate that knee laxity can be decreased with resistance training of the thigh muscles. Randomised controlled trial, Level II.

Ball-on-DiscTribometers Protocol Development: Loss of Lubrication Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-01

load stage (stage no .) Failure load (N) STLC 205 9310 As ground MJII Run out NA HSLC 206 STLC ran out (205) 27 463 HSLC 207 As ground 11 112... load of 463 N with a smoother, worn-in surface that was polished from the previous STLC experiment, No . 205. It is reasonable to expect this...there is no preliminary phase at lower loads where asperities can be removed before the severe condition is applied. While the as-ground specimen

Development of a grinding-specific performance test set-up.

PubMed

Olesen, C G; Larsen, B H; Andresen, E L; de Zee, M

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a performance test set-up for America's Cup grinders. The test set-up had to mimic the on-boat grinding activity and be capable of collecting data for analysis and evaluation of grinding performance. This study included a literature-based analysis of grinding demands and a test protocol developed to accommodate the necessary physiological loads. This study resulted in a test protocol consisting of 10 intervals of 20 revolutions each interspersed with active resting periods of 50 s. The 20 revolutions are a combination of both forward and backward grinding and an exponentially rising resistance. A custom-made grinding ergometer was developed with computer-controlled resistance and capable of collecting data during the test. The data collected can be used to find measures of grinding performance such as peak power, time to complete and the decline in repeated grinding performance.

Tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation weaning in children affected by respiratory virus according to a weaning protocol in a pediatric intensive care unit in Argentina: an observational restrospective trial

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

We describe difficult weaning after prolonged mechanical ventilation in three tracheostomized children affected by respiratory virus infection. Although the spontaneous breathing trials were successful, the patients failed all extubations. Therefore a tracheostomy was performed and the weaning plan was begun. The strategy for weaning was the decrease of ventilation support combining pressure control ventilation (PCV) with increasing periods of continuous positive airway pressure + pressure support ventilation (CPAP + PSV) and then CPAP + PSV with increasing intervals of T-piece. They presented acute respiratory distress syndrome on admission with high requirements of mechanical ventilation (MV). Intervening factors in the capabilities and loads of the respiratory system were considered and optimized. The average MV time was 69 days and weaning time 31 days. We report satisfactory results within the context of a directed weaning protocol. PMID:21244710

Building Energy Management Open Source Software

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

This is the repository for Building Energy Management Open Source Software (BEMOSS), which is an open source operating system that is engineered to improve sensing and control of equipment in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings. BEMOSS offers the following key features: (1) Open source, open architecture – BEMOSS is an open source operating system that is built upon VOLTTRON – a distributed agent platform developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). BEMOSS was designed to make it easy for hardware manufacturers to seamlessly interface their devices with BEMOSS. Software developers can also contribute to adding additional BEMOSS functionalities and applications.more » (2) Plug & play – BEMOSS was designed to automatically discover supported load controllers (including smart thermostats, VAV/RTUs, lighting load controllers and plug load controllers) in commercial buildings. (3) Interoperability – BEMOSS was designed to work with load control devices form different manufacturers that operate on different communication technologies and data exchange protocols. (4) Cost effectiveness – Implementation of BEMOSS deemed to be cost-effective as it was built upon a robust open source platform that can operate on a low-cost single-board computer, such as Odroid. This feature could contribute to its rapid deployment in small- or medium-sized commercial buildings. (5) Scalability and ease of deployment – With its multi-node architecture, BEMOSS provides a distributed architecture where load controllers in a multi-floor and high occupancy building could be monitored and controlled by multiple single-board computers hosting BEMOSS. This makes it possible for a building engineer to deploy BEMOSS in one zone of a building, be comfortable with its operation, and later on expand the deployment to the entire building to make it more energy efficient. (6) Ability to provide local and remote monitoring – BEMOSS provides both local and remote monitoring ability with role-based access control. (7) Security – In addition to built-in security features provided by VOLTTRON, BEMOSS provides enhanced security features, including BEMOSS discovery approval process, encrypted core-to-node communication, thermostat anti-tampering feature and many more. (8) Support from the Advisory Committee – BEMOSS was developed in consultation with an advisory committee from the beginning of the project. BEMOSS advisory committee comprises representatives from 22 organizations from government and industry.« less

Demonstrating Nonhexavelent Chrome Steel Conversion Coatings on Stryker High Hard Armor Steel Hatches

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

29 Draft Joint Test Protocol – Validation of Pretreatments for Steel Armor 68 4.4.7 Rising Step Load (Stress Corrosion Cracking) 4.4.7.1...Cost Assessment 27 9. Schedule of Activities 29 10. Management and Staffing 29 11. References 30 Appendix A. Joint Test Protocol 33 Appendix B...in accordance with the tests delineated in the joint test protocol (JTP) provided in appendix A. The functional performance objectives are

Progressive high-load strength training compared with general low-load exercises in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Ingwersen, Kim G; Christensen, Robin; Sørensen, Lilli; Jørgensen, Hans Ri; Jensen, Steen Lund; Rasmussen, Sten; Søgaard, Karen; Juul-Kristensen, Birgit

2015-01-27

Shoulder pain is the third most common musculoskeletal disorder, often affecting people's daily living and work capacity. The most common shoulder disorder is the subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) which, among other pathophysiological changes, is often characterised by rotator cuff tendinopathy. Exercise is often considered the primary treatment option for rotator cuff tendinopathy, but there is no consensus on which exercise strategy is the most effective. As eccentric and high-load strength training have been shown to have a positive effect on patella and Achilles tendinopathy, the aim of this trial is to compare the efficacy of progressive high-load exercises with traditional low-load exercises in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy. The current study is a randomised, participant- and assessor-blinded, controlled multicentre trial. A total of 260 patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy will be recruited from three outpatient shoulder departments in Denmark, and randomised to either 12 weeks of progressive high-load strength training or to general low-load exercises. Patients will receive six individually guided exercise sessions with a physiotherapist and perform home-based exercises three times a week. The primary outcome measure will be change from baseline to 12 weeks in the patient-reported outcome Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. Previous studies of exercise treatment for SIS have not differentiated between subgroups of SIS and have often had methodological flaws, making it difficult to specifically design target treatment for patients diagnosed with SIS. Therefore, it was considered important to focus on a subgroup such as tendinopathy, with a specific tailored intervention strategy based on evidence from other regions of the body, and to clearly describe the intervention in a methodologically strong study. The trial was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov ( NCT01984203 ) on 31 October 2013.

Tranexamic Acid versus Placebo to Prevent Blood Transfusion during Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer (TACT): Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Breau, Rodney H; Lavallée, Luke T; Cnossen, Sonya; Witiuk, Kelsey; Cagiannos, Ilias; Momoli, Franco; Bryson, Gregory; Kanji, Salmaan; Morash, Christopher; Turgeon, Alexis; Zarychanski, Ryan; Mallick, Ranjeeta; Knoll, Greg; Fergusson, Dean A

2018-05-02

Radical cystectomy for bladder cancer is associated with a high risk of needing red blood cell transfusion. Tranexamic acid reduces blood loss during cardiac and orthopedic surgery, but no study has yet evaluated tranexamic acid use during cystectomy. A randomized, double-blind (surgeon-, anesthesiologist-, patient-, data-monitor-blinded), placebo-controlled trial of tranexamic acid during cystectomy was initiated in June 2013. Prior to incision, the intervention arm participants receive a 10 mg/kg loading dose of intravenously administered tranexamic acid, followed by a 5 mg/kg/h maintenance infusion. In the control arm, the patient receives an identical volume of normal saline that is indistinguishable from the intervention. The primary outcome is any blood transfusion from the start of surgery up to 30 days post operative. There are no strict criteria to mandate the transfusion of blood products. The decision to transfuse is entirely at the discretion of the treating physicians who are blinded to patient allocation. Physicians are allowed to utilize all resources to make transfusion decisions, including serum hemoglobin concentration and vital signs. To date, 147 patients of a planned 354 have been randomized to the study. This protocol reviews pertinent data relating to blood transfusion during radical cystectomy, highlighting the need to identify methods for reducing blood loss and preventing transfusion in patients receiving radical cystectomy. It explains the clinical rationale for using tranexamic acid to reduce blood loss during cystectomy, and outlines the study methods of our ongoing randomized controlled trial. Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR) Protocol: MOP-342559; ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT01869413. Registered on 5 June 2013.

Hardware-in-the-Loop Co-simulation of Distribution Grid for Demand Response

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

Rotger-Griful, Sergi; Chatzivasileiadis, Spyros; Jacobsen, Rune H.

2016-06-20

In modern power systems, co-simulation is proposed as an enabler for analyzing the interactions between disparate systems. This paper introduces the co-simulation platform Virtual Grid Integration Laboratory (VirGIL) including Hardware-in-the-Loop testing, and demonstrates its potential to assess demand response strategies. VirGIL is based on a modular architecture using the Functional Mock-up Interface industrial standard to integrate new simulators. VirGIL combines state-of-the-art simulators in power systems, communications, buildings, and control. In this work, VirGIL is extended with a Hardware-in-the-Loop component to control the ventilation system of a real 12-story building in Denmark. VirGIL capabilities are illustrated in three scenarios: load following,more » primary reserves and load following aggregation. Experimental results show that the system can track one minute changing signals and it can provide primary reserves for up-regulation. Furthermore, the potential of aggregating several ventilation systems is evaluated considering the impact at distribution grid level and the communications protocol effect.« less

Dynamic Hierarchical Energy-Efficient Method Based on Combinatorial Optimization for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Tang, Hongying; Cheng, Yongbo; Zhao, Qin; Li, Baoqing; Yuan, Xiaobing

2017-01-01

Routing protocols based on topology control are significantly important for improving network longevity in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Traditionally, some WSN routing protocols distribute uneven network traffic load to sensor nodes, which is not optimal for improving network longevity. Differently to conventional WSN routing protocols, we propose a dynamic hierarchical protocol based on combinatorial optimization (DHCO) to balance energy consumption of sensor nodes and to improve WSN longevity. For each sensor node, the DHCO algorithm obtains the optimal route by establishing a feasible routing set instead of selecting the cluster head or the next hop node. The process of obtaining the optimal route can be formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem. Specifically, the DHCO algorithm is carried out by the following procedures. It employs a hierarchy-based connection mechanism to construct a hierarchical network structure in which each sensor node is assigned to a special hierarchical subset; it utilizes the combinatorial optimization theory to establish the feasible routing set for each sensor node, and takes advantage of the maximum–minimum criterion to obtain their optimal routes to the base station. Various results of simulation experiments show effectiveness and superiority of the DHCO algorithm in comparison with state-of-the-art WSN routing algorithms, including low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH), hybrid energy-efficient distributed clustering (HEED), genetic protocol-based self-organizing network clustering (GASONeC), and double cost function-based routing (DCFR) algorithms. PMID:28753962

Is heavy eccentric calf training superior to wait-and-see, sham rehabilitation, traditional physiotherapy and other exercise interventions for pain and function in mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy?

PubMed

Murphy, Myles; Travers, Mervyn; Gibson, William

2018-04-13

Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is prevalent amongst athletic and non-athletic populations with pain, stiffness and impaired function typically reported. While different management options exist, loading protocols remain the best available intervention and have been shown to be effective in the management of AT. Trials investigating loading in AT have used a variety of different protocols, and recent narrative reviews suggest that no protocol is superior to another when comparing outcomes in pain and function. However, there has been no systematic review or meta-analysis completed to determine this. Furthermore, the narrative review did not consider wait-and-see or sham interventions, thus a systematic review and met-analysis which includes wait-and-see or sham interventions is warranted. A systematic review and meta-analyses will be conducted as per the PRISMA guidelines. The databases PUBMED, CINAHL (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCO) will be searched for articles published from inception to 31 December 2017. Our search focuses on studies examining the improvement of pain and function when completing a loading program for mid-portion AT. Only randomised/ quasi-randomised trials will be included while case reports and case series will be excluded. The primary outcome assessing pain and function will be the Victorian Institute Sports Assessment - Achilles (VISA-A). Two reviewers will screen articles, extract data and assess the risk of bias independently with a third reviewer resolving any disagreements between the two reviewers. A meta-analysis will then be performed on the data (if appropriate) to determine if the traditional heavy load calf training protocol described by Alfredson is superior to wait-and-see, sham intervention, traditional physiotherapy, and other forms of exercise rehabilitation. This systematic review and meta-analysis will allow us to investigate if there are difference in pain and function when comparing wait-and-see, sham interventions, traditional physiotherapy and different exercise interventions to the traditional heavy eccentric calf training protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendon pain. PROSPERO registration number CRD42018084493 .

Lichen elements as pollution indicators: evaluation of methods for large monitoring programmes

Treesearch

Susan Will-Wolf; Sarah Jovan; Michael C. Amacher

2017-01-01

Lichen element content is a reliable indicator for relative air pollution load in research and monitoring programmes requiring both efficiency and representation of many sites. We tested the value of costly rigorous field and handling protocols for sample element analysis using five lichen species. No relaxation of rigour was supported; four relaxed protocols generated...

Separating duff and litter for improved mass and carbon estimates

Treesearch

David Chojnacky; Michael Amacher; Michael Gavazzi

2009-01-01

Mass and carbon load estimates, such as those from forest soil organic matter (duff and litter), inform forestry decisions. The US Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program systematically collects data nationwide: a down woody material protocol specifies discrete duff and litter depth measurements, and a soils protocol specifies mass and carbon of duff and litter...

Genetic Variation of HIV: Viral Load and Genotypic Diversity in Relation to Viral Pathogenesis and Treatment

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-07-20

chemotherapy (1), desquamating skin rash (2), constitutional symptoms (3), cerebral toxoplasmosis (1), and peripheral neuropathy (1). Three clinical adverse...weeks of study: one had Hodgkin’s lymphoma (50 mg L-697,661, Protocol A) and the other had cerebral toxoplasmosis (50 mg L-697,661, Protocol B). One

Respiratory muscle specific warm-up and elite swimming performance.

PubMed

Wilson, Emma E; McKeever, Tricia M; Lobb, Claire; Sherriff, Tom; Gupta, Luke; Hearson, Glenn; Martin, Neil; Lindley, Martin R; Shaw, Dominick E

2014-05-01

Inspiratory muscle training has been shown to improve performance in elite swimmers, when used as part of routine training, but its use as a respiratory warm-up has yet to be investigated. To determine the influence of inspiratory muscle exercise (IME) as a respiratory muscle warm-up in a randomised controlled cross-over trial. A total of 15 elite swimmers were assigned to four different warm-up protocols and the effects of IME on 100 m freestyle swimming times were assessed.Each swimmer completed four different IME warm-up protocols across four separate study visits: swimming-only warm-up; swimming warm-up plus IME warm-up (2 sets of 30 breaths with a 40% maximum inspiratory mouth pressure load using the Powerbreathe inspiratory muscle trainer); swimming warm-up plus sham IME warm-up (2 sets of 30 breaths with a 15% maximum inspiratory mouth pressure load using the Powerbreathe inspiratory muscle trainer); and IME-only warm-up. Swimmers performed a series of physiological tests and scales of perception (rate of perceived exertion and dyspnoea) at three time points (pre warm-up, post warm-up and post time trial). The combined standard swimming warm-up and IME warm-up were the fastest of the four protocols with a 100 m time of 57.05 s. This was significantly faster than the IME-only warm-up (mean difference=1.18 s, 95% CI 0.44 to 1.92, p<0.01) and the swim-only warm-up (mean difference=0.62 s, 95% CI 0.001 to 1.23, p=0.05). Using IME combined with a standard swimming warm-up significantly improves 100 m freestyle swimming performance in elite swimmers.

Thermomechanical Multiaxial Fatigue Testing Capability Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Structural components in aeronautical gas turbine engines typically experience multiaxial states of stress under nonisothermal conditions. To estimate the durability of the various components in the engine, one must characterize the cyclic deformation and fatigue behavior of the materials used under thermal and complex mechanical loading conditions. To this end, a testing protocol and associated test control software were developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center for thermomechanical axial-torsional fatigue tests. These tests are to be performed on thin-walled, tubular specimens fabricated from the cobalt-based superalloy Haynes 188. The software is written in C and runs on an MS-DOS based microcomputer.

Tendon neuroplastic training: changing the way we think about tendon rehabilitation: a narrative review

PubMed Central

Rio, Ebonie; Kidgell, Dawson; Moseley, G Lorimer; Docking, Sean; Purdam, Craig; Cook, Jill

2016-01-01

Tendinopathy can be resistant to treatment and often recurs, implying that current treatment approaches are suboptimal. Rehabilitation programmes that have been successful in terms of pain reduction and return to sport outcomes usually include strength training. Muscle activation can induce analgesia, improving self-efficacy associated with reducing one's own pain. Furthermore, strength training is beneficial for tendon matrix structure, muscle properties and limb biomechanics. However, current tendon rehabilitation may not adequately address the corticospinal control of the muscle, which may result in altered control of muscle recruitment and the consequent tendon load, and this may contribute to recalcitrance or symptom recurrence. Outcomes of interest include the effect of strength training on tendon pain, corticospinal excitability and short interval cortical inhibition. The aims of this concept paper are to: (1) review what is known about changes to the primary motor cortex and motor control in tendinopathy, (2) identify the parameters shown to induce neuroplasticity in strength training and (3) align these principles with tendon rehabilitation loading protocols to introduce a combination approach termed as tendon neuroplastic training. Strength training is a powerful modulator of the central nervous system. In particular, corticospinal inputs are essential for motor unit recruitment and activation; however, specific strength training parameters are important for neuroplasticity. Strength training that is externally paced and akin to a skilled movement task has been shown to not only reduce tendon pain, but modulate excitatory and inhibitory control of the muscle and therefore, potentially tendon load. An improved understanding of the methods that maximise the opportunity for neuroplasticity may be an important progression in how we prescribe exercise-based rehabilitation in tendinopathy for pain modulation and potentially restoration of the corticospinal control of the muscle-tendon complex. PMID:26407586

Handwashing and Ebola virus disease outbreaks: A randomized comparison of soap, hand sanitizer, and 0.05% chlorine solutions on the inactivation and removal of model organisms Phi6 and E. coli from hands and persistence in rinse water

PubMed Central

Gallandat, Karin; Daniels, Kyle; Desmarais, Anne Marie; Scheinman, Pamela; Lantagne, Daniele

2017-01-01

To prevent Ebola transmission, frequent handwashing is recommended in Ebola Treatment Units and communities. However, little is known about which handwashing protocol is most efficacious. We evaluated six handwashing protocols (soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS), and 0.05% sodium dichloroisocyanurate, high-test hypochlorite, and stabilized and non-stabilized sodium hypochlorite solutions) for 1) efficacy of handwashing on the removal and inactivation of non-pathogenic model organisms and, 2) persistence of organisms in rinse water. Model organisms E. coli and bacteriophage Phi6 were used to evaluate handwashing with and without organic load added to simulate bodily fluids. Hands were inoculated with test organisms, washed, and rinsed using a glove juice method to retrieve remaining organisms. Impact was estimated by comparing the log reduction in organisms after handwashing to the log reduction without handwashing. Rinse water was collected to test for persistence of organisms. Handwashing resulted in a 1.94–3.01 log reduction in E. coli concentration without, and 2.18–3.34 with, soil load; and a 2.44–3.06 log reduction in Phi6 without, and 2.71–3.69 with, soil load. HTH performed most consistently well, with significantly greater log reductions than other handwashing protocols in three models. However, the magnitude of handwashing efficacy differences was small, suggesting protocols are similarly efficacious. Rinse water demonstrated a 0.28–4.77 log reduction in remaining E. coli without, and 0.21–4.49 with, soil load and a 1.26–2.02 log reduction in Phi6 without, and 1.30–2.20 with, soil load. Chlorine resulted in significantly less persistence of E. coli in both conditions and Phi6 without soil load in rinse water (p<0.001). Thus, chlorine-based methods may offer a benefit of reducing persistence in rinse water. We recommend responders use the most practical handwashing method to ensure hand hygiene in Ebola contexts, considering the potential benefit of chlorine-based methods in rinse water persistence. PMID:28231311

A Radiographic Comparison of Progressive and Conventional Loading on Crestal Bone Loss and Density in Single Dental Implants: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study

PubMed Central

Ghoveizi, Rahab; Alikhasi, Marzieh; Siadat, Mohammad-Reza; Siadat, Hakimeh; Sorouri, Majid

2013-01-01

Objective: Crestal bone loss is a biological complication in implant dentistry. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of progressive and conventional loading on crestal bone height and bone density around single osseointegrated implants in the posterior maxilla by a longitudinal radiographic assessment technique. Materials and Methods: Twenty micro thread implants were placed in 10 patients (two implants per patient). One of the two implants in each patient was assigned to progressive and the other to conventional loading groups. Eight weeks after surgery, conventional implants were restored with a metal ceramic crown and the progressive group underwent a progressive loading protocol. The progressive loading group took different temporary acrylic crowns at 2, 4 and 6 months. After eight months, acrylic crowns were replaced with a metal ceramic crown. Computer radiography of both progressive and conventional implants was taken at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months. Image analysis was performed to measure the height of crestal bone loss and bone density. Results: The mean values of crestal bone loss at month 12 were 0.11 (0.19) mm for progressively and 0.36 (0.36) mm for conventionally loaded implants, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) using Wilcoxon sign rank. Progressively loaded group showed a trend for higher bone density gain compared to the conventionally loaded group, but when tested with repeated measure ANOVA, the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The progressive group showed less crestal bone loss in single osseointegrated implant than the conventional group. Bone density around progressively loaded implants showed increase in crestal, middle and apical areas. PMID:23724215

An economic evaluation of intervention strategies for Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED).

PubMed

Weng, Longfeng; Weersink, Alfons; Poljak, Zvonimir; de Lange, Kees; von Massow, Mike

2016-11-01

The economic losses of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) and the net benefits of strategies to control the virus are calculated for individual farrow-to-finish herds. A production simulation model that estimates the number of pigs by population cohorts on a weekly basis for a farrow-to-finish farm depending on production parameters is simulated under normal operating conditions and then with an outbreak of PED. The estimated annual costs of a PED outbreak with the closure of the breeding herd as the only intervention is approximately $300,000 for a 700-sow farrow-to-finishing herd. The net returns per sow (hog) fall from $255 ($11.54) to a loss of $174 ($10.68). These losses can be significantly reduced with any of the 16 intervention strategies considered in this study. The most profitable strategy involving front loading of gilts with average feedback of infected material to improve herd immunity, intensive biosecurity protocols and no vaccination costs $27,000 to implement but reduces losses by 10 times this amount. Even the implementation of the least comprehensive strategy, which involves back-loading gilts after the herd reopens and an average feedback practice at a cost of $1000 reduces the losses caused by a PED outbreak by $130,000. Front-loading gilts in combination with herd closure is more cost-effective than back-loading. Despite the extra spending on intensive biosecurity protocols, the overall loss reductions achieved by the intensive biosecurity effort can be significant. Vaccination is the least cost-effective of the intervention practices considered. Even with significant increases in cost or effectiveness in the practices, intervention is justified across all strategies. The spreadsheet model of a farrow-finish hog farm developed in this study can be used to examine changes to the production parameters or to consider other swine disease outbreaks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Computer Based Collaborative Problem Solving for Introductory Courses in Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilie, Carolina; Lee, Kevin

2010-03-01

We discuss collaborative problem solving computer-based recitation style. The course is designed by Lee [1], and the idea was proposed before by Christian, Belloni and Titus [2,3]. The students find the problems on a web-page containing simulations (physlets) and they write the solutions on an accompanying worksheet after discussing it with a classmate. Physlets have the advantage of being much more like real-world problems than textbook problems. We also compare two protocols for web-based instruction using simulations in an introductory physics class [1]. The inquiry protocol allowed students to control input parameters while the worked example protocol did not. We will discuss which of the two methods is more efficient in relation to Scientific Discovery Learning and Cognitive Load Theory. 1. Lee, Kevin M., Nicoll, Gayle and Brooks, Dave W. (2004). ``A Comparison of Inquiry and Worked Example Web-Based Instruction Using Physlets'', Journal of Science Education and Technology 13, No. 1: 81-88. 2. Christian, W., and Belloni, M. (2001). Physlets: Teaching Physics With Interactive Curricular Material, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 3. Christian,W., and Titus,A. (1998). ``Developing web-based curricula using Java Physlets.'' Computers in Physics 12: 227--232.

Achilles Tendinosis Stopping the Progression to Disability.

PubMed

Chessin, Meta

2012-09-01

The purpose of this article is to differentiate between acute Achilles tendinitis and chronic Achilles tendinosis and to highlight a specific treatment protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendinosis. Tendinosis (degeneration of the tendon) results from chronic tissue injury and has long-term implications for a dancer's career. An eccentric heavy-load exercise protocol has been used successfully to treat tendinosis in athletes. A modified eccentric exercise protocol is proposed as one component of an effective rehabilitation program for dancers. This protocol facilitates tissue remodeling to build strength, flexibility, and adaptability of the Achilles tendon tissue, so that dancers can continue to dance without further complications of the injury.

Effects of high- and low-velocity resistance training on the contractile properties of skeletal muscle fibers from young and older humans

PubMed Central

Larkin, Lisa M.; Cederna, Paul S.; Horowitz, Jeffrey F.; Alexander, Neil B.; Cole, Neil M.; Galecki, Andrzej T.; Chen, Shu; Nyquist, Linda V.; Carlson, Bruce M.; Faulkner, John A.; Ashton-Miller, James A.

2011-01-01

A two-arm, prospective, randomized, controlled trial study was conducted to investigate the effects of movement velocity during progressive resistance training (PRT) on the size and contractile properties of individual fibers from human vastus lateralis muscles. The effects of age and sex were examined by a design that included 63 subjects organized into four groups: young (20–30 yr) men and women, and older (65–80 yr) men and women. In each group, one-half of the subjects underwent a traditional PRT protocol that involved shortening contractions at low velocities against high loads, while the other half performed a modified PRT protocol that involved contractions at 3.5 times higher velocity against reduced loads. Muscles were sampled by needle biopsy before and after the 14-wk PRT program, and functional tests were performed on permeabilized individual fiber segments isolated from the biopsies. We tested the hypothesis that, compared with low-velocity PRT, high-velocity PRT results in a greater increase in the cross-sectional area, force, and power of type 2 fibers. Both types of PRT increased the cross-sectional area, force, and power of type 2 fibers by 8–12%, independent of the sex or age of the subject. Contrary to our hypothesis, the velocity at which the PRT was performed did not affect the fiber-level outcomes substantially. We conclude that, compared with low-velocity PRT, resistance training performed at velocities up to 3.5 times higher against reduced loads is equally effective for eliciting an adaptive response in type 2 fibers from human skeletal muscle. PMID:21799130

A Biomechanical Comparison of Distal Fixation for Bridge Plating in a Distal Radius Fracture Model.

PubMed

Alluri, Ram K; Bougioukli, Sofia; Stevanovic, Milan; Ghiassi, Alidad

2017-09-01

To compare the biomechanical properties of second versus third metacarpal distal fixation when using a radiocarpal spanning distraction plate in an unstable distal radius fracture model. Biomechanical evaluation of the radiocarpal spanning distraction plate comparing second versus third metacarpal distal fixation was performed using a standardized model of an unstable wrist fracture in 10 matched-pair cadaveric specimens. Each fixation construct underwent a controlled cyclic loading protocol in flexion and extension. The resultant displacement and stiffness were calculated at the fracture site. After cyclic loading, each specimen was loaded to failure. The stiffness, maximum displacement, and load to failure were compared between the 2 groups. Cyclic loading in flexion demonstrated that distal fixation to the third metacarpal resulted in greater stiffness compared with the second metacarpal. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups with regards to maximum displacement at the fracture site in flexion. Cyclic loading in extension demonstrated no significant difference in stiffness or maximum displacement between the 2 groups. The average load to failure was similar for both groups. Fixation to the third metacarpal resulted in greater stiffness in flexion. All other biomechanical parameters were similar when comparing distal fixation to the second or third metacarpal in distal radius fractures stabilized with a spanning internal distraction plate. The treating surgeon should choose distal metacarpal fixation primarily based on fracture pattern, alignment, and soft tissue integrity. If a stiffer construct is desired, placement of the radiocarpal spanning plate at the third metacarpal is preferred. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of working memory load on processing of sounds and meanings of words in aphasia

PubMed Central

Martin, Nadine; Kohen, Francine; Kalinyak-Fliszar, Michelene; Soveri, Anna; Laine, Matti

2011-01-01

Background Language performance in aphasia can vary depending on several variables such as stimulus characteristics and task demands. This study focuses on the degree of verbal working memory (WM) load inherent in the language task and how this variable affects language performance by individuals with aphasia. Aims The first aim was to identify the effects of increased verbal WM load on the performance of judgments of semantic similarity (synonymy) and phonological similarity (rhyming). The second aim was to determine if any of the following abilities could modulate the verbal WM load effect: semantic or phonological access, semantic or phonological short-term memory (STM) and any of the following executive processing abilities: inhibition, verbal WM updating, and set shifting. Method and Procedures Thirty-one individuals with aphasia and 11 controls participated in this study. They were administered a synonymy judgment task and a rhyming judgment task under high and low verbal WM load conditions that were compared to each other. In a second set of analyses, multiple regression was used to identify which factors (as noted above) modulated the verbal WM load effect. Outcome and Results For participants with aphasia, increased verbal WM load significantly reduced accuracy of performance on synonymy and rhyming judgments. Better performance in the low verbal WM load conditions was evident even after correcting for chance. The synonymy task included concrete and abstract word triplets. When these were examined separately, the verbal WM load effect was significant for the abstract words, but not the concrete words. The same pattern was observed in the performance of the control participants. Additionally, the second set of analyses revealed that semantic STM and one executive function, inhibition ability, emerged as the strongest predictors of the verbal WM load effect in these judgment tasks for individuals with aphasia. Conclusions The results of this study have important implications for diagnosis and treatment of aphasia. As the roles of verbal STM capacity, executive functions and verbal WM load in language processing are better understood, measurements of these variables can be incorporated into our diagnostic protocols. Moreover, if cognitive abilities such as STM and executive functions support language processing and their impairment adversely affects language function, treating them directly in the context of language tasks should translate into improved language function. PMID:22544993

Is early weight bearing resumption beneficial after total hip replacement?

PubMed

Merle, J; Rougier, P; Belaid, D; Cantalloube, S; Lamotte, D

2009-04-01

Current rehabilitation protocols of patients following total hip replacement recommend weight bearing on the operated extremity as early as possible. This strategy is likely to induce specific consequences on postural balance control; this study seeks to highlight these reactions to early loading. Eight men and six women, ranging in age from 57 to 85 years, volunteered enrolling this study on their arrival at our rehabilitation center. This study assessed their postural behavior using a system composed of two separate force platforms under two loading situations; in the course of these tests they were required to minimize their body sway as much as possible by keeping their eyes open. In the natural uncontrolled situation, the subjects adopted a comfortable body weight distribution. In the imposed (IMP) situation, they had to load their operated extremity more than in regular natural conditions in order to distribute their body weight more evenly. Three successive 32-s trials (sampled at 64 Hz) with intermediate recovery periods of equivalent duration were performed allowing period of rest between each trial. The balance strategies were evaluated through a frequency analysis of the resultant and plantar centers of pressure (CP(Res)) of each foot and of the estimated trajectories of the vertical projection of the center of gravity (CG), and from the difference CP(Res)-CG. No difference was found for the plantar CP trajectories in the situation where body weight is spontaneously distributed, whereas loading the implanted extremity induced increased CP(Res), CG, and CP(Res)-CG trajectory amplitudes along the mediolateral axis. No effect was observed along the anteroposterior axis. Finally, when comparing the two limbs for each testing condition, the statistical analysis demonstrated greater displacements along the ML axis for the trajectories measured under the healthy leg than under the implanted extremity. Loading the operated extremity early in the rehabilitation process leads to less stability (an increase in the CG movements) and to increased energy expenditure (an increase in the CP(Res)-CG movements). These postural behavior alterations can be explained by various factors including a loss of muscle strength, residual apprehension due to the disuse of this limb, and persistent pain, all of which are increased by limb loading. These features should be taken into consideration when elaborating the rehabilitation protocol for these patients.

The effects of neuromuscular exercise on medial knee joint load post-arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy: 'SCOPEX', a randomised control trial protocol.

PubMed

Hall, Michelle; Hinman, Rana S; Wrigley, Tim V; Roos, Ewa M; Hodges, Paul W; Staples, Margaret; Bennell, Kim L

2012-11-27

Meniscectomy is a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis, with increased medial joint loading a likely contributor to the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis in this group. Therefore, post-surgical rehabilitation or interventions that reduce medial knee joint loading have the potential to reduce the risk of developing or progressing osteoarthritis. The primary purpose of this randomised, assessor-blind controlled trial is to determine the effects of a home-based, physiotherapist-supervised neuromuscular exercise program on medial knee joint load during functional tasks in people who have recently undergone a partial medial meniscectomy. 62 people aged 30-50 years who have undergone an arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy within the previous 3 to 12 months will be recruited and randomly assigned to a neuromuscular exercise or control group using concealed allocation. The neuromuscular exercise group will attend 8 supervised exercise sessions with a physiotherapist and will perform 6 exercises at home, at least 3 times per week for 12 weeks. The control group will not receive the neuromuscular training program. Blinded assessment will be performed at baseline and immediately following the 12-week intervention. The primary outcomes are change in the peak external knee adduction moment measured by 3-dimensional analysis during normal paced walking and one-leg rise. Secondary outcomes include the change in peak external knee adduction moment during fast pace walking and one-leg hop and change in the knee adduction moment impulse during walking, one-leg rise and one-leg hop, knee and hip muscle strength, electromyographic muscle activation patterns, objective measures of physical function, as well as self-reported measures of physical function and symptoms and additional biomechanical parameters. The findings from this trial will provide evidence regarding the effect of a home-based, physiotherapist-supervised neuromuscular exercise program on medial knee joint load during various tasks in people with a partial medial meniscectomy. If shown to reduce the knee adduction moment, neuromuscular exercise has the potential to prevent the onset of osteoarthritis or slow its progression in those with early disease. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12612000542897.

Critical load: a novel approach to determining a sustainable intensity during resistance exercise.

PubMed

Arakelian, Vivian M; Mendes, Renata G; Trimer, Renata; Rossi Caruso, Flavia C; de Sousa, Nuno M; Borges, Vanessa C; do Valle Gomes Gatto, Camila; Baldissera, Vilmar; Arena, Ross; Borghi-Silva, Audrey

2017-05-01

A hyperbolic function as well as a linear relationship between power output and time to exhaustion (Tlim) has been consistently observed during dynamic non-resistive exercises. However, little is known about its concept to resistance exercises (RE), which could be defined as critical load (CL). This study aimed to verify the existence of CL during dynamic RE and to verify the number of workbouts necessary to determine the optimal modeling to achieve it. Fifteen healthy men (23±2.5 yrs) completed 1 repetition maximum test (1RM) on a leg press and 3 (60%, 75% and 90% of 1RM) or 4 (+ 30% of 1RM) workbouts protocols to obtain the CL by hyperbolic and linear regression models between Tlim and load performed. Blood lactate and leg fatigue were also measured. CL was obtained during RE and 3 workbouts protocol estimate it at 53% while 4 tests at 38% of 1 RM. However, based on coefficients of determination, 3 protocols provided a better fit than the 4-parameter model, respectively (R2>0.95 vs. >0.77). Moreover, all intensities increased blood lactate and leg fatigue, however, when corrected by Tlim, were significantly lower at CL. It was possible to determinate CL during dynamic lower limbs RE and that 3 exhaustive workbouts can be used to better estimate the CL, constituting a new concept of determining this threshold during dynamic RE and reducing the physically demanding nature of the protocol. These findings may have important applications for functional performance evaluation and prescription of RE programs.

Assessing Somatosensory Utilization during Unipedal Postural Control.

PubMed

Goel, Rahul; De Dios, Yiri E; Gadd, Nichole E; Caldwell, Erin E; Peters, Brian T; Reschke, Millard F; Bloomberg, Jacob J; Oddsson, Lars I E; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P

2017-01-01

Multisensory-visual, vestibular and somatosensory information is integrated for appropriate postural control. The primary goal of this study was to assess somatosensory utilization during a functional motor task of unipedal postural control, in normal healthy adults. Assessing individual bias in the utilization of individual sensory contributions during postural control may help customization of rehabilitation protocols. In this study, a test paradigm of unipedal stance control in supine orientation with and without vision was assessed. Postural control in this test paradigm was hypothesized to utilize predominantly contributions of somatosensory information from the feet and ankle joint, with minimal vestibular input. Fourteen healthy subjects "stood" supine on their dominant leg while strapped to a backpack frame that was freely moving on air-bearings, to remove available otolith tilt cues with respect to gravity that influences postural control when standing upright. The backpack was attached through a cable to a pneumatic cylinder that provided a gravity-like load. Subjects performed three trials each with Eyes-open (EO) and Eyes-closed (EC) while loaded with 60% body weight. There was no difference in unipedal stance time (UST) across the two conditions with EC condition challenging the postural control system greater than the EO condition. Stabilogram-diffusion analysis (SDA) indicated that the critical mean square displacement was significantly different between the two conditions. Vestibular cues, both in terms of magnitude and the duration for which relevant information was available for postural control in this test paradigm, were minimized. These results support our hypothesis that maintaining unipedal stance in supine orientation without vision, minimizes vestibular contribution and thus predominantly utilizes somatosensory information for postural control.

Assessing Somatosensory Utilization during Unipedal Postural Control

PubMed Central

Goel, Rahul; De Dios, Yiri E.; Gadd, Nichole E.; Caldwell, Erin E.; Peters, Brian T.; Reschke, Millard F.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.; Oddsson, Lars I. E.; Mulavara, Ajitkumar P.

2017-01-01

Multisensory—visual, vestibular and somatosensory information is integrated for appropriate postural control. The primary goal of this study was to assess somatosensory utilization during a functional motor task of unipedal postural control, in normal healthy adults. Assessing individual bias in the utilization of individual sensory contributions during postural control may help customization of rehabilitation protocols. In this study, a test paradigm of unipedal stance control in supine orientation with and without vision was assessed. Postural control in this test paradigm was hypothesized to utilize predominantly contributions of somatosensory information from the feet and ankle joint, with minimal vestibular input. Fourteen healthy subjects “stood” supine on their dominant leg while strapped to a backpack frame that was freely moving on air-bearings, to remove available otolith tilt cues with respect to gravity that influences postural control when standing upright. The backpack was attached through a cable to a pneumatic cylinder that provided a gravity-like load. Subjects performed three trials each with Eyes-open (EO) and Eyes-closed (EC) while loaded with 60% body weight. There was no difference in unipedal stance time (UST) across the two conditions with EC condition challenging the postural control system greater than the EO condition. Stabilogram-diffusion analysis (SDA) indicated that the critical mean square displacement was significantly different between the two conditions. Vestibular cues, both in terms of magnitude and the duration for which relevant information was available for postural control in this test paradigm, were minimized. These results support our hypothesis that maintaining unipedal stance in supine orientation without vision, minimizes vestibular contribution and thus predominantly utilizes somatosensory information for postural control. PMID:28443004

Clinical evaluation of immediate loading of electroeroded screw-retained titanium fixed prostheses supported by tilted implant: a multicenter retrospective study.

PubMed

Acocella, Alessandro; Ercoli, Carlo; Geminiani, Alessandro; Feng, Changyong; Billi, Mauro; Acocella, Gabriele; Giannini, Domenico; Sacco, Roberto

2012-05-01

Immediate occlusal loading of dental implants in the edentulous mandible has proven to be an effective, reliable, and predictable treatment protocol. However, there is limited long-term data available in the literature, when an electroeroded definitive cast-titanium fixed prosthesis is used for this treatment protocol. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of dental implants (Astra Tech Dental, Mölndal, Sweden) in the edentulous mandible immediately loaded with an electroeroded cast-titanium screw-retained fixed prosthesis. Forty-five patients received five implants each in the interforaminal area. All the implants were inserted with torque up to 40 Ncm and the distal implants were distally tilted approximately 20 to 30 degrees to minimize the length of posterior cantilevers. Implants were loaded within 48 hours of placement with an acrylic resin-titanium screw-retained prosthesis fabricated by electroerosion. Two of the 225 inserted implants failed after 3 and 16 months of healing, respectively, with a cumulative survival rate of 99.1% and a prosthetic survival rate of 97.8%. Immediate loading of tilted dental implants inserted in the edentulous mandible with a screw-retained titanium definitive prosthesis fabricated with electrical discharge machining provide reliable and predictable results. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cardiorespiratory effects of water ingestion during and after exercise

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background In prolonged exercise, the state of hypohydration due to sweating raises physiological stress and induces a drop in sports performance. However, the impact of water intake in cardiorespiratory parameters when administered during and after physical activity has not been well studied. This study aimed to analyze the effects of water intake in heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), partial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and respiratory rate during and after prolonged exercise. Methods Thirty-one young males (21.55 ± 1.89 yr) performed three different protocols (48 h interval between each stage): I) maximal exercise test to determine the load for the protocols; II) Control protocol (CP) and; III) Experimental protocol (EP). The protocols consisted of 10 min at rest with the subject in the supine position, 90 min of treadmill exercise (60% of VO2 peak) and 60 min of rest placed in the dorsal decubitus position. No rehydration beverage consumption was allowed during CP. During EP, however, the subjects were given water (Vittalev, Spaipa, Brazil). The parameters HR, SBP, DBP, SpO2 and respiratory rate were measured at the end of the rest, in 30, 60 and 90 minutes of the activity, except the respiratory rate parameter, and at 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 minute post- exercise. Results The hydration protocol provided minimal changes in SBP and DBP and a smaller increase in HR and did not significantly affect SpO2 during exercise and better HR recovery, faster return of SBP and DBP and a better performance for SpO2 and respiratory rate post-exercise. Conclusion Hydration with water influenced the behavior of cardiorespiratory parameters in healthy young subjects. PMID:24059759

Excessive training impairs the insulin signal transduction in mice skeletal muscles.

PubMed

Pereira, Bruno C; da Rocha, Alisson L; Pinto, Ana P; Pauli, José R; de Moura, Leandro P; Mekary, Rania A; de Freitas, Ellen C; da Silva, Adelino S R

2016-07-01

The main aim of this investigation was to verify the effects of overtraining (OT) on the insulin and inflammatory signaling pathways in mice skeletal muscles. Rodents were divided into control (CT), overtrained by downhill running (OTR/down), overtrained by uphill running (OTR/up), and overtrained by running without inclination (OTR) groups. Rotarod, incremental load, exhaustive, and grip force tests were used to evaluate performance. Thirty-six hours after the grip force test, the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus were extracted for subsequent protein analyses. The three OT protocols led to similar responses of all performance evaluation tests. The phosphorylation of insulin receptor beta (pIRβ; Tyr), protein kinase B (pAkt; Ser473), and the protein levels of plasma membrane glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) were lower in the EDL and soleus after the OTR/down protocol and in the soleus after the OTR/up and OTR protocols. While the pIRβ was lower after the OTR/up and OTR protocols, the pAkt was higher after the OTR/up in the EDL. The phosphorylation of IκB kinase alpha and beta (pIKKα/β; Ser180/181), stress-activated protein kinases/Jun amino-terminal kinases (pSAPK-JNK; Thr183/Tyr185), factor nuclear kappa B (pNFκB p65; Ser536), and insulin receptor substrate 1 (pIRS1; Ser307) were higher after the OTR/down protocol, but were not altered after the two other OT protocols. In summary, these data suggest that OT may lead to skeletal muscle insulin signaling pathway impairment, regardless of the predominance of eccentric contractions, although the insulin signal pathway impairment induced in OTR/up and OTR appeared to be muscle fiber-type specific. © 2016 Society for Endocrinology.

Vibrotactile Feedback for Brain-Computer Interface Operation

PubMed Central

Cincotti, Febo; Kauhanen, Laura; Aloise, Fabio; Palomäki, Tapio; Caporusso, Nicholas; Jylänki, Pasi; Mattia, Donatella; Babiloni, Fabio; Vanacker, Gerolf; Nuttin, Marnix; Marciani, Maria Grazia; Millán, José del R.

2007-01-01

To be correctly mastered, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) need an uninterrupted flow of feedback to the user. This feedback is usually delivered through the visual channel. Our aim was to explore the benefits of vibrotactile feedback during users' training and control of EEG-based BCI applications. A protocol for delivering vibrotactile feedback, including specific hardware and software arrangements, was specified. In three studies with 33 subjects (including 3 with spinal cord injury), we compared vibrotactile and visual feedback, addressing: (I) the feasibility of subjects' training to master their EEG rhythms using tactile feedback; (II) the compatibility of this form of feedback in presence of a visual distracter; (III) the performance in presence of a complex visual task on the same (visual) or different (tactile) sensory channel. The stimulation protocol we developed supports a general usage of the tactors; preliminary experimentations. All studies indicated that the vibrotactile channel can function as a valuable feedback modality with reliability comparable to the classical visual feedback. Advantages of using a vibrotactile feedback emerged when the visual channel was highly loaded by a complex task. In all experiments, vibrotactile feedback felt, after some training, more natural for both controls and SCI users. PMID:18354734

The effect on knee-joint load of instruction in analgesic use compared with neuromuscular exercise in patients with knee osteoarthritis: study protocol for a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial (the EXERPHARMA trial).

PubMed

Clausen, Brian; Holsgaard-Larsen, Anders; Søndergaard, Jens; Christensen, Robin; Andriacchi, Thomas P; Roos, Ewa M

2014-11-15

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a mechanically driven disease, and it is suggested that medial tibiofemoral knee-joint load increases with pharmacologic pain relief, indicating that pharmacologic pain relief may be positively associated with disease progression. Treatment modalities that can both relieve pain and reduce knee-joint load would be preferable. The knee-joint load is influenced by functional alignment of the trunk, pelvis, and lower-limb segments with respect to the knee, as well as the ground-reaction force generated during movement. Neuromuscular exercise can influence knee load and decrease knee pain. It includes exercises to improve balance, muscle activation, functional alignment, and functional knee stability. The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to investigate the efficacy of a NEuroMuscular EXercise (NEMEX) therapy program, compared with optimized analgesics and antiinflammatory drug use, on the measures of knee-joint load in people with mild to moderate medial tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis. One hundred men and women with mild to moderate medial knee osteoarthritis will be recruited from general medical practices and randomly allocated (1:1) to one of two 8-week treatments, either (a) NEMEX therapy twice a week or (b) information on the recommended use of analgesics and antiinflammatory drugs (acetaminophen and oral NSAIDs) via a pamphlet and video materials. The primary outcome is change in knee load during walking (the Knee Index, a composite score of the first external peak total reaction moment on the knee joint from all three planes based on 3D movement analysis) after 8 weeks of intervention. Secondary outcomes include changes in the external peak knee-adduction moment and impulse and functional performance measures, in addition to changes in self-reported pain, function, health status, and quality of life. These findings will help determine whether 8 weeks of neuromuscular exercise is superior to optimized use of analgesics and antiinflammatory drugs regarding knee-joint load, pain and physical function in people with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01638962 (July 3, 2012).

Loaded hip thrust-based PAP protocol effects on acceleration and sprint performance of handball players.

PubMed

Dello Iacono, Antonio; Padulo, Johnny; Seitz, Laurent D

2018-06-01

This study aimed to investigate the acute effects of two barbell hip thrust-based (BHT) post-activation potentiation (PAP) protocols on subsequent sprint performance. Using a crossover design, eighteen handball athletes performed maximal 15-m sprints before and 15s, 4min and 8min after two experimental protocols consisting of BHT loaded with either 50% or 85% 1RM (50PAP and 85PAP, respectively), in order to profile the transient PAP effects. The resulting sprint performances were significantly impaired at 15s only after the 85PAP protocol, which induced likely and very likely greater decreases compared to the 50PAP. At 4min and 8min, significant improvements and very likely beneficial effects were observed in the 10m and 15m performances following both protocols. Significant differences were found when comparing the two PAPs over time; the results suggested very likely greater performance improvements in 10m following the 85PAP after 4min and 8min, and possible greater performance improvements in 15m after 4min. Positive correlations between BHT 1RMs values and the greatest individual PAP responses on sprint performance were found. This investigation showed that both moderate and intensive BHT exercises can induce a PAP response, but the effects may differ according to the recovery following the potentiating stimulus and the individual`s strength level.

Investigational treatment suspension and enhanced cell-mediated immunity at rebound followed by drug-free remission of simian AIDS

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background HIV infection persists despite antiretroviral treatment (ART) and is reignited as soon as therapies are suspended. This vicious cycle is fueled by the persistence of viral reservoirs that are invulnerable to standard ART protocols, and thus therapeutic agents able to target these reservoirs are needed. One such agent, auranofin, has recently been shown to decrease the memory T-cell reservoir in chronically SIVmac251-infected macaques. Moreover, auranofin could synergize with a fully suppressive ART protocol and induce a drug-free post-therapy containment of viremia. Results We administered buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of glutathione synthesis currently in clinical trials for cancer, in combination with auranofin to chronically SIVmac251-infected macaques under highly-intensified ART (H-iART). The ART/auranofin/BSO therapeutic protocol was followed, after therapy suspension, by a significant decrease of viral RNA and DNA in peripheral blood as compared to pre-therapy levels. Drug-free post-therapy control of the infection was achieved in animals with pre-therapy viral loads ranging from values comparable to average human set points to levels largely higher. This control was dependent on the presence CD8+ cells and associated with enhanced levels of cell-mediated immune responses. Conclusions The level of post-therapy viral set point reduction achieved in this study is the largest reported so far in chronically SIVmac251-infected macaques and may represent a promising strategy to improve over the current “ART for life” plight. PMID:23866829

AD HOC Networks for the Autonomous Car

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ron, Davidescu; Negrus, Eugen

2017-10-01

The future of the vehicle is made of cars, roads and infrastructures connected in a two way automated communication in a holistic system. It is a mandatory to use Encryption to maintain Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability in an ad hoc vehicle network. Vehicle to Vehicle communication, requires multichannel interaction between mobile, moving and changing parties to insure the full benefit from data sharing and real time decision making, a network of such users referred as mobile ad hoc network (MANET), however as ad hoc networks were not implemented in such a scale, it is not clear what is the best method and protocol to apply. Furthermore the visibility of secure preferred asymmetric encrypted ad hoc networks in a real time environment of dense moving autonomous vehicles has to be demonstrated, In order to evaluate the performance of Ad Hoc networks in changing conditions a simulation of multiple protocols was performed on large number of mobile nodes. The following common routing protocols were tested, DSDV is a proactive protocol, every mobile station maintains a routing table with all available destinations, DSR is a reactive routing protocol which allows nodes in the MANET to dynamically discover a source route across multiple network hops, AODV is a reactive routing protocol Instead of being proactive. It minimizes the number of broadcasts by creating routes based on demand, SAODV is a secure version of AODV, requires heavyweight asymmetric cryptographic, ARIANDE is a routing protocol that relies on highly efficient symmetric cryptography the concept is primarily based on DSR. A methodical evolution was performed in a various density of transportation, based on known communication bench mark parameters including, Throughput Vs. time, Routing Load per packets and bytes. Out of the none encrypted protocols, It is clear that in terms of performance of throughput and routing load DSR protocol has a clear advantage the high node number mode. The encrypted protocols show lower performance with ARIANDE being superior to SAODV and SRP. Nevertheless all protocol simulation proved it to match required real time performance.

Early Complications of Immediate Loading in Edentulous Full-Arch Restorations: A Retrospective Analysis of 88 Cases.

PubMed

Cercadillo-Ibarguren, Iñaki; Sánchez-Torres, Alba; Figueiredo, Rui; Valmaseda-Castellón, Eduard

To describe the clinical outcomes and complications related to provisional prostheses after full-arch implant-supported rehabilitation by means of an immediate loading protocol. This retrospective cohort study included patients who were consecutively treated with full-arch implant-supported restorations with a minimum of four implants (Replace Select Tapered TiUnite, Nobel Biocare AB) per arch and conical abutments (multi-unit, Nobel Biocare AB) by means of an immediate loading protocol. The surgical procedures were performed between May 2006 and June 2014 by a single oral surgeon. Demographic, surgical, and prosthetic variables were collected, and biologic and mechanical complications were registered. A total of 61 maxillae (57%) and 46 mandibles (43%) were treated in 88 patients (40 men and 48 women) with a mean age of 62.4 years. A total of 558 implants were placed, 295 in postextraction sockets. A total of 331 implants (59.3%) were placed in the maxilla and 227 (40.7%) in the mandible. Within a 9-month period, 18 prostheses (16.8%) fractured (15 maxillary and 3 mandibular); in nine of these patients the opposing dentition was a full-arch, implant-supported restoration, and in the remaining nine patients, it was natural dentition. Six (1.1%) maxillary and three (0.5%) mandibular implants failed. A high implant survival rate is expected in the short term following this immediate loading protocol. Fracture of the provisional prosthesis is a common finding, affecting 17% of patients, and is significantly more prevalent in patients with bruxism and in maxillary prostheses.

A software defined RTU multi-protocol automatic adaptation data transmission method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Huiying; Xu, Xingwu; Wang, Zhanfeng; Ma, Weijun; Li, Sheng; Su, Yong; Pan, Yunpeng

2018-02-01

Remote terminal unit (RTU) is the core device of the monitor system in hydrology and water resources. Different devices often have different communication protocols in the application layer, which results in the difficulty in information analysis and communication networking. Therefore, we introduced the idea of software defined hardware, and abstracted the common feature of mainstream communication protocols of RTU application layer, and proposed a uniformed common protocol model. Then, various communication protocol algorithms of application layer are modularized according to the model. The executable codes of these algorithms are labeled by the virtual functions and stored in the flash chips of embedded CPU to form the protocol stack. According to the configuration commands to initialize the RTU communication systems, it is able to achieve dynamic assembling and loading of various application layer communication protocols of RTU and complete the efficient transport of sensor data from RTU to central station when the data acquisition protocol of sensors and various external communication terminals remain unchanged.

Soft and Hard Tissue Changes Following Immediate Placement or Immediate Restoration of Single-Tooth Implants in the Esthetic Zone: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Yan, Qi; Xiao, Li-Qun; Su, Mei-Ying; Mei, Yan; Shi, Bin

This systematic review aimed to compare immediate protocols with conventional protocols of single-tooth implants in terms of changes in the surrounding hard and soft tissue in the esthetic area. Electronic and manual searches were performed in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, and other data systems for research articles published between January 2001 and December 2014. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on hard and or soft tissue characteristics following a single-tooth implant were included. Based on the protocol used in each study, the included studies were categorized into three groups to assess the relationships between the factors and related esthetic indexes. Variables such as marginal bone level changes (mesial, distal, and mean bone level), peri-implant soft tissue changes (papilla level, midbuccal mucosa, and probing depth), and other esthetic indices were taken into consideration. The data were analyzed using RevMan version 5.3, Stata 12, and GRADEpro 3.6.1 software. A total of 13 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Four studies examined immediate implant placement, five studies examined immediate implant restoration, and four studies examined immediate loading. Comparing the bone level changes following immediate and conventional restoration, no significant differences were found in the bone level of the mesial site (standard mean difference [SMD] = -0.04 mm; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.25 to 0.17 mm), the distal site (SMD = -0.15 mm; 95% CI: -0.38 to 0.09 mm), and the mean bone level changes (SMD = 0.05 mm; 95% CI: -0.18 to 0.27 mm). The difference in the marginal bone level changes between immediate and conventional loading was also not statistically significant (SMD = -0.05 mm; 95% CI: -0.15 to 0.06 mm for the mesial site and SMD = -0.02 mm; 95% CI: -0.09 to 0.05 mm for the distal site). Soft tissue changes following immediate and conventional restoration reported no significant differences in the papillae level of the mesial site (SMD = 0.18 mm; 95% CI: -0.00 to 0.37 mm), the papillae level of the distal site (SMD = -0.12 mm; 95% CI: -0.34 to 0.09 mm), and the midbuccal mucosa (SMD = -0.22 mm; 95% CI: -1.29 to 0.85 mm). Within the limitations, it can be concluded that immediately placed, restored, or loaded single-tooth implants in the esthetic zone result in similar hard and soft tissue changes compared with conventional protocols.

Experimental Determination of Demand Response Control Models and Cost of Control for Ensembles of Window-Mount Air Conditioners

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

Geller, Drew Adam; Backhaus, Scott N.

Control of consumer electrical devices for providing electrical grid services is expanding in both the scope and the diversity of loads that are engaged in control, but there are few experimentally-based models of these devices suitable for control designs and for assessing the cost of control. A laboratory-scale test system is developed to experimentally evaluate the use of a simple window-mount air conditioner for electrical grid regulation services. The experimental test bed is a single, isolated air conditioner embedded in a test system that both emulates the thermodynamics of an air conditioned room and also isolates the air conditioner frommore » the real-world external environmental and human variables that perturb the careful measurements required to capture a model that fully characterizes both the control response functions and the cost of control. The control response functions and cost of control are measured using harmonic perturbation of the temperature set point and a test protocol that further isolates the air conditioner from low frequency environmental variability.« less

Beware: Recruitment of Muscle Activity by the EEG-Neurofeedback Trainings of High Frequencies

PubMed Central

Paluch, Katarzyna; Jurewicz, Katarzyna; Rogala, Jacek; Krauz, Rafał; Szczypińska, Marta; Mikicin, Mirosław; Wróbel, Andrzej; Kublik, Ewa

2017-01-01

EEG-neurofeedback (NFB) became a very popular method aimed at improving cognitive and behavioral performance. However, the EMG frequency spectrum overlies the higher EEG oscillations and the NFB trainings focusing on these frequencies is hindered by the problem of EMG load in the information fed back to the subjects. In such a complex signal, it is highly probable that the most controllable component will form the basis for operant conditioning. This might cause different effects in the case of various training protocols and therefore needs to be carefully assessed before designing training protocols and algorithms. In the current experiment a group of healthy adults (n = 14) was trained by professional trainers to up-regulate their beta1 (15–22 Hz) band for eight sessions. The control group (n = 18) underwent the same training regime but without rewards for increasing beta. In half of the participants trained to up-regulate beta1 band (n = 7) a systematic increase in tonic EMG activity was identified offline, implying that muscle activity became a foundation for reinforcement in the trainings. The remaining participants did not present any specific increase of the trained beta1 band amplitude. The training was perceived effective by both trainers and the trainees in all groups. These results indicate the necessity of proper control of muscle activity as a requirement for the genuine EEG-NFB training, especially in protocols that do not aim at the participants’ relaxation. The specificity of the information fed back to the participants should be of highest interest to all therapists and researchers, as it might irreversibly alter the results of the training. PMID:28373836

Advertisement-Based Energy Efficient Medium Access Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ray, Surjya Sarathi

One of the main challenges that prevents the large-scale deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is providing the applications with the required quality of service (QoS) given the sensor nodes' limited energy supplies. WSNs are an important tool in supporting applications ranging from environmental and industrial monitoring, to battlefield surveillance and traffic control, among others. Most of these applications require sensors to function for long periods of time without human intervention and without battery replacement. Therefore, energy conservation is one of the main goals for protocols for WSNs. Energy conservation can be performed in different layers of the protocol stack. In particular, as the medium access control (MAC) layer can access and control the radio directly, large energy savings is possible through intelligent MAC protocol design. To maximize the network lifetime, MAC protocols for WSNs aim to minimize idle listening of the sensor nodes, packet collisions, and overhearing. Several approaches such as duty cycling and low power listening have been proposed at the MAC layer to achieve energy efficiency. In this thesis, I explore the possibility of further energy savings through the advertisement of data packets in the MAC layer. In the first part of my research, I propose Advertisement-MAC or ADV-MAC, a new MAC protocol for WSNs that utilizes the concept of advertising for data contention. This technique lets nodes listen dynamically to any desired transmission and sleep during transmissions not of interest. This minimizes the energy lost in idle listening and overhearing while maintaining an adaptive duty cycle to handle variable loads. Additionally, ADV-MAC enables energy efficient MAC-level multicasting. An analytical model for the packet delivery ratio and the energy consumption of the protocol is also proposed. The analytical model is verified with simulations and is used to choose an optimal value of the advertisement period. Simulations show that the optimized ADV-MAC provides substantial energy gains (50% to 70% less than other MAC protocols for WSNs such as T-MAC and S-MAC for the scenarios investigated) while faring as well as T-MAC in terms of packet delivery ratio and latency. Although ADV-MAC provides substantial energy gains over S-MAC and T-MAC, it is not optimal in terms of energy savings because contention is done twice -- once in the Advertisement Period and once in the Data Period. In the next part of my research, the second contention in the Data Period is eliminated and the advantages of contention-based and TDMA-based protocols are combined to form Advertisement based Time-division Multiple Access (ATMA), a distributed TDMA-based MAC protocol for WSNs. ATMA utilizes the bursty nature of the traffic to prevent energy waste through advertisements and reservations for data slots. Extensive simulations and qualitative analysis show that with bursty traffic, ATMA outperforms contention-based protocols (S-MAC, T-MAC and ADV-MAC), a TDMA based protocol (TRAMA) and hybrid protocols (Z-MAC and IEEE 802.15.4). ATMA provides energy reductions of up to 80%, while providing the best packet delivery ratio (close to 100%) and latency among all the investigated protocols. Simulations alone cannot reflect many of the challenges faced by real implementations of MAC protocols, such as clock-drift, synchronization, imperfect physical layers, and irregular interference from other transmissions. Such issues may cripple a protocol that otherwise performs very well in software simulations. Hence, to validate my research, I conclude with a hardware implementation of the ATMA protocol on SORA (Software Radio), developed by Microsoft Research Asia. SORA is a reprogrammable Software Defined Radio (SDR) platform that satisfies the throughput and timing requirements of modern wireless protocols while utilizing the rich general purpose PC development environment. Experimental results obtained from the hardware implementation of ATMA closely mirror the simulation results obtained for a single hop network with 4 nodes.

NASA Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures Project Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loerch, Linda; Ploutz-Snyder, Lori

2009-01-01

Efficient exercise countermeasures are necessary to offset or minimize spaceflight-induced deconditioning and to maximize crew performance of mission tasks. These countermeasure protocols should use the fewest crew and vehicle resources. NASA s Exercise Physiology and Countermeasures (ExPC) Project works to identify, collect, interpret, and summarize evidence that results in effective exercise countermeasure protocols which protect crew health and performance during International Space Station (ISS) and future exploration-class missions. The ExPC and NASA s Human Research Program are sponsoring multiple studies to evaluate and improve the efficacy of spaceflight exercise countermeasures. First, the Project will measure maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) during cycle ergometry before, during, and after ISS missions. Second, the Project is sponsoring an evaluation of a new prototype harness that offers improved comfort and increased loading during treadmill operations. Third, the Functional Tasks Test protocol will map performance of anticipated lunar mission tasks with physiologic systems before and after short and long-duration spaceflight, to target system contributions and the tailoring of exercise protocols to maximize performance. In addition to these studies that are actively enrolling crewmember participants, the ExPC is planning new studies that include an evaluation of a higher-intensity/lower-volume exercise countermeasure protocol aboard the ISS using the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device and second-generation treadmill, studies that evaluate bone loading during spaceflight exercise, and ground-based studies that focus on fitness for duty standards required to complete lunar mission tasks and for which exercise protocols need to protect. Summaries of these current and future studies and strategies will be provided to international colleagues for knowledge sharing and possible collaboration.

Biomechanical evaluation of a single-row versus double-row repair for complete subscapularis tears.

PubMed

Wellmann, Mathias; Wiebringhaus, Philipp; Lodde, Ina; Waizy, Hazibullah; Becher, Christoph; Raschke, Michael J; Petersen, Wolf

2009-12-01

The purpose of the study was to compare a single-row repair and a double-row repair technique for the specific characteristics of a complete subscapularis lesion. Ten pairs of human cadaveric shoulder human shoulder specimens were tested for stiffness and ultimate tensile strength of the intact tendons in a load to failure protocol. After a complete subscapularis tear was provoked, the specimens were assigned to two treatment groups: single-row repair (1) and a double-row repair using a "suture bridge" technique (2). After repair cyclic loading a subsequent load to failure protocol was performed to determine the ultimate tensile load, the stiffness and the elongation behaviour of the reconstructions. The intact subscapularis tendons had a mean stiffness of 115 N/mm and a mean ultimate load of 720 N. The predominant failure mode of the intact tendons was a tear at the humeral insertion site (65%). The double-row technique restored 48% of the ultimate load of the intact tendons (332 N), while the single-row technique revealed a significantly lower ultimate load of 244 N (P = 0.001). In terms of the stiffness, the double-row technique showed a mean stiffness of 81 N/mm which is significantly higher compared to the stiffness of the single-row repairs of 55 N/mm (P = 0.001). The double-row technique has been shown to be stronger and stiffer when compared to a conventional single-row repair. Therefore, this technique is recommended from a biomechanical point of view irrespectively if performed by an open or arthroscopic approach.

Long-Term Survival of Dental Implants with Different Prosthetic Loading Times in Healthy Patients: A 5-Year Retrospective Clinical Study.

PubMed

Muelas-Jiménez, M Isabel; Olmedo-Gaya, Maria Victoria; Manzano-Moreno, Francisco J; Reyes-Botella, Candela; Vallecillo-Capilla, Manuel

2017-02-01

To compare survival rates among dental implants restored with immediate, early, and conventional loading protocols, also comparing between maxillary and mandibular implants, and to evaluate the influence of implant length and diameter and the type of prosthesis on treatment outcomes. This retrospective cohort study initially included all 52 patients receiving dental implants between July 2006 and February 2008 at a private oral surgery clinic in Granada (Southern Spain). Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed, including periapical or panoramic radiographs, and incidences during completion of the restoration were recorded at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years. After a 5-year follow-up, 1 patient had died, 3 were lost to follow-up, and 6 required grafting before implant placement; therefore, the final study sample comprised 42 patients with 164 implants. Variables associated with the survival/failure of the restoration were: number of implants (higher failure rate with fewer implants), bone type (higher failure rate in type III or IV bone), and type of prosthesis (higher failure rate with single crowns). No significant association was found in univariate or multivariate analyses between survival rate and the loading protocol, implant length or diameter, or maxillary/mandibular location. Immediate occlusal loading, immediate provisionalization without occlusal loading, and early loading are viable treatment options with similar survival rates to those obtained with conventional loading. Bone quality and number of implants per patient were the most influential factors. © 2015 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Preoperative conditioning with oral carbohydrate loading and oral nutritional supplements can be combined with mechanical bowel preparation prior to elective colorectal resection.

PubMed

Hendry, P O; Balfour, A; Potter, M A; Mander, B J; Bartolo, D C C; Anderson, D N; Fearon, K C H

2008-11-01

Preoperative conditioning with oral fluid and carbohydrate (CHO) loading allows the patient to undergo surgery in the fed state and is associated with reduced postoperative insulin resistance. Further benefit may accrue from oral nutritional supplements (ONS) to counteract the fasting associated with mechanical bowel preparation (MBP). In this study we assess the ability to prescribe, dispense and have patients comply with a protocol combining preoperative ONS and CHO/fluid loading during MBP. One hundred and forty-seven patients undergoing elective left colonic or rectal resection were recruited to an Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) programme. All patients were prescribed MBP (2 sachets Picolax). On the daytime prior to surgery, eligible patients were prescribed 2 x 200 ml of ONS (Fortijuice, Nutricia) and in the evening 800 ml oral CHO/fluid loading (Preop(R), Nutricia,). Patients were prescribed a further 400 ml of oral/CHO/fluid on the morning of surgery 2 h prior to induction of anaesthesia. Protocol compliance was audited prospectively. One hundred and forty-seven patients received MBP. Twenty-three patients were ineligible for oral CHO/fluid loading [diabetes (n = 22), allergy to lemon flavoured drinks (n = 1)]. Fourteen patients did not receive the preoperative CHO drinks due to failure to prescribe (n = 8) or dispense (n = 6). One hundred and ten patients were dispensed the combined ONS and CHO/fluid loading regimen, compliance rates were 83% with ONS, 80% with CHO/fluid loading and 74% with both. Approximately 74% of patients undergoing MBP can comply with preoperative conditioning with ONS and CHO/fluid loading. Prescription and dispensing requires close attention to detail.

Regenerative biomaterials that "click": simple, aqueous-based protocols for hydrogel synthesis, surface immobilization, and 3D patterning.

PubMed

Nimmo, Chelsea M; Shoichet, Molly S

2011-11-16

The click chemistry era has generated a library of versatile "spring-loaded" reactions that offer high yields, regio- and stereospecificity, and outstanding functional group tolerance. These powerful transformations are particularly advantageous for the design of sophisticated biomaterials that require high levels of precision and control, namely, materials that promote tissue regeneration such as hydrogels, 2D functionalized substrates, and 3D biomimetic scaffolds. In this review, the synthesis and application of regenerative biomaterials via click chemistry are summarized. Particular emphasis is placed on the copper(I)-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition, Diels-Alder cycloadditions, and thiol-click coupling.

Biocompatible Collagen Paramagnetic Scaffold for Controlled Drug Release.

PubMed

Bettini, Simona; Bonfrate, Valentina; Syrgiannis, Zois; Sannino, Alessandro; Salvatore, Luca; Madaghiele, Marta; Valli, Ludovico; Giancane, Gabriele

2015-09-14

A porous collagen-based hydrogel scaffold was prepared in the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and was characterized by means of infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The hybrid scaffold was then loaded with fluorescein sodium salt as a model compound. The release of the hydrosoluble species was triggered and accurately controlled by the application of an external magnetic field, as monitored by fluorescence spectroscopy. The biocompatibility of the proposed matrix was also tested by the MTT assay performed on 3T3 cells. Cell viability was only slightly reduced when the cells were incubated in the presence of the collagen-NP hydrogel, compared to controls. The economicity of the chemical protocol used to obtain the paramagnetic scaffolds as well as their biocompatibility and the safety of the external trigger needed to induce the drug release suggest the proposed collagen paramagnetic matrices for a number of applications including tissue engeneering and drug delivery.

The Effects of a Ketogenic Diet on Exercise Metabolism and Physical Performance in Off-Road Cyclists

PubMed Central

Zajac, Adam; Poprzecki, Stanisław; Maszczyk, Adam; Czuba, Miłosz; Michalczyk, Małgorzata; Zydek, Grzegorz

2014-01-01

The main objective of this research was to determine the effects of a long-term ketogenic diet, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, on aerobic performance and exercise metabolism in off-road cyclists. Additionally, the effects of this diet on body mass and body composition were evaluated, as well as those that occurred in the lipid and lipoprotein profiles due to the dietary intervention. The research material included eight male subjects, aged 28.3 ± 3.9 years, with at least five years of training experience that competed in off-road cycling. Each cyclist performed a continuous exercise protocol on a cycloergometer with varied intensity, after a mixed and ketogenic diet in a crossover design. The ketogenic diet stimulated favorable changes in body mass and body composition, as well as in the lipid and lipoprotein profiles. Important findings of the present study include a significant increase in the relative values of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and oxygen uptake at lactate threshold (VO2 LT) after the ketogenic diet, which can be explained by reductions in body mass and fat mass and/or the greater oxygen uptake necessary to obtain the same energy yield as on a mixed diet, due to increased fat oxidation or by enhanced sympathetic activation. The max work load and the work load at lactate threshold were significantly higher after the mixed diet. The values of the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were significantly lower at rest and during particular stages of the exercise protocol following the ketogenic diet. The heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake were significantly higher at rest and during the first three stages of exercise after the ketogenic diet, while the reverse was true during the last stage of the exercise protocol conducted with maximal intensity. Creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were significantly lower at rest and during particular stages of the 105-min exercise protocol following the low carbohydrate ketogenic diet. The alterations in insulin and cortisol concentrations due to the dietary intervention confirm the concept that the glucostatic mechanism controls the hormonal and metabolic responses to exercise. PMID:24979615

The effects of a ketogenic diet on exercise metabolism and physical performance in off-road cyclists.

PubMed

Zajac, Adam; Poprzecki, Stanisław; Maszczyk, Adam; Czuba, Miłosz; Michalczyk, Małgorzata; Zydek, Grzegorz

2014-06-27

The main objective of this research was to determine the effects of a long-term ketogenic diet, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, on aerobic performance and exercise metabolism in off-road cyclists. Additionally, the effects of this diet on body mass and body composition were evaluated, as well as those that occurred in the lipid and lipoprotein profiles due to the dietary intervention. The research material included eight male subjects, aged 28.3 ± 3.9 years, with at least five years of training experience that competed in off-road cycling. Each cyclist performed a continuous exercise protocol on a cycloergometer with varied intensity, after a mixed and ketogenic diet in a crossover design. The ketogenic diet stimulated favorable changes in body mass and body composition, as well as in the lipid and lipoprotein profiles. Important findings of the present study include a significant increase in the relative values of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and oxygen uptake at lactate threshold (VO2 LT) after the ketogenic diet, which can be explained by reductions in body mass and fat mass and/or the greater oxygen uptake necessary to obtain the same energy yield as on a mixed diet, due to increased fat oxidation or by enhanced sympathetic activation. The max work load and the work load at lactate threshold were significantly higher after the mixed diet. The values of the respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were significantly lower at rest and during particular stages of the exercise protocol following the ketogenic diet. The heart rate (HR) and oxygen uptake were significantly higher at rest and during the first three stages of exercise after the ketogenic diet, while the reverse was true during the last stage of the exercise protocol conducted with maximal intensity. Creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity were significantly lower at rest and during particular stages of the 105-min exercise protocol following the low carbohydrate ketogenic diet. The alterations in insulin and cortisol concentrations due to the dietary intervention confirm the concept that the glucostatic mechanism controls the hormonal and metabolic responses to exercise.

Levels of Hepatic Activating Transcription Factor 6 and Caspase-3 Are Downregulated in Mice after Excessive Training.

PubMed

Pinto, Ana P; da Rocha, Alisson L; Oliveira, Luciana da C; Morais, Gustavo P; de Vicente, Larissa G; Cintra, Dennys E; Pauli, José R; Moura, Leandro P; Ropelle, Eduardo R; da Silva, Adelino S R

2017-01-01

Recently, we demonstrated that different running overtraining (OT) protocols with the same external load, but performed downhill (OTR/down), uphill (OTR/up), and without inclination (OTR), led to hepatic fat accumulation. As the disruption of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis is linked to animal models of fatty liver disease, we investigated the effects of these OT models on the proteins related to ER stress (i.e., BiP, inositol-requiring enzyme 1, protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase, eIF2alpha, ATF6beta, and glucose-regulated protein 94) and apoptosis (C/EBP-homologous protein, Caspase-3, 4, and 12, Bax, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2) in livers of C57BL/6 mice. Also, aerobic training can attenuate cardiac ER stress and improve exercise capacity. Therefore, we investigated whether the decrease in performance induced by our OT protocols is linked to ER stress and apoptosis in mouse hearts. The rodents were divided into six groups: naïve (N, sedentary mice), control (CT, sedentary mice submitted to the performance evaluations), trained (TR), OTR/down, OTR/up, and OTR groups. Rotarod, incremental load, exhaustive, and grip force tests were used to evaluate performance. After the grip force test, the livers and cardiac muscles (i.e., left ventricle) were removed and used for immunoblotting. All of the OT protocols led to similar responses in the performance parameters and displayed significantly lower hepatic ATF6beta values compared to the N group. The OTR/down group exhibited lower liver cleaved caspase-3 values compared to the CT group. However, the other proteins related to ER stress and apoptosis were not modulated. Also, the cardiac proteins related to ER stress and apoptosis were not modulated in the experimental groups. In conclusion, the OT protocols decreased the levels of hepatic ATF6beta, and the OTR/down group decreased the levels of hepatic cleaved caspase-3. Also, the decrease in performance induced by our OT models is not associated with ER stress and apoptosis in mice hearts.

Enabling end-user network monitoring via the multicast consolidated proxy monitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanwar, Anshuman; Almeroth, Kevin C.; Bhattacharyya, Supratik; Davy, Matthew

2001-07-01

The debugging of problems in IP multicast networks relies heavily on an eclectic set of stand-alone tools. These tools traditionally neither provide a consistent interface nor do they generate readily interpretable results. We propose the ``Multicast Consolidated Proxy Monitor''(MCPM), an integrated system for collecting, analyzing and presenting multicast monitoring results to both the end user and the network operator at the user's Internet Service Provider (ISP). The MCPM accesses network state information not normally visible to end users and acts as a proxy for disseminating this information. Functionally, through this architecture, we aim to a) provide a view of the multicast network at varying levels of granularity, b) provide end users with a limited ability to query the multicast infrastructure in real time, and c) protect the infrastructure from overwhelming amount of monitoring load through load control. Operationally, our scheme allows scaling to the ISPs dimensions, adaptability to new protocols (introduced as multicast evolves), threshold detection for crucial parameters and an access controlled, customizable interface design. Although the multicast scenario is used to illustrate the benefits of consolidated monitoring, the ultimate aim is to scale the scheme to unicast IP networks.

Scalable parallel communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maly, K.; Khanna, S.; Overstreet, C. M.; Mukkamala, R.; Zubair, M.; Sekhar, Y. S.; Foudriat, E. C.

1992-01-01

Coarse-grain parallelism in networking (that is, the use of multiple protocol processors running replicated software sending over several physical channels) can be used to provide gigabit communications for a single application. Since parallel network performance is highly dependent on real issues such as hardware properties (e.g., memory speeds and cache hit rates), operating system overhead (e.g., interrupt handling), and protocol performance (e.g., effect of timeouts), we have performed detailed simulations studies of both a bus-based multiprocessor workstation node (based on the Sun Galaxy MP multiprocessor) and a distributed-memory parallel computer node (based on the Touchstone DELTA) to evaluate the behavior of coarse-grain parallelism. Our results indicate: (1) coarse-grain parallelism can deliver multiple 100 Mbps with currently available hardware platforms and existing networking protocols (such as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and parallel Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) rings); (2) scale-up is near linear in n, the number of protocol processors, and channels (for small n and up to a few hundred Mbps); and (3) since these results are based on existing hardware without specialized devices (except perhaps for some simple modifications of the FDDI boards), this is a low cost solution to providing multiple 100 Mbps on current machines. In addition, from both the performance analysis and the properties of these architectures, we conclude: (1) multiple processors providing identical services and the use of space division multiplexing for the physical channels can provide better reliability than monolithic approaches (it also provides graceful degradation and low-cost load balancing); (2) coarse-grain parallelism supports running several transport protocols in parallel to provide different types of service (for example, one TCP handles small messages for many users, other TCP's running in parallel provide high bandwidth service to a single application); and (3) coarse grain parallelism will be able to incorporate many future improvements from related work (e.g., reduced data movement, fast TCP, fine-grain parallelism) also with near linear speed-ups.

Load balancing for massively-parallel soft-real-time systems

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

Hailperin, M.

1988-09-01

Global load balancing, if practical, would allow the effective use of massively-parallel ensemble architectures for large soft-real-problems. The challenge is to replace quick global communications, which is impractical in a massively-parallel system, with statistical techniques. In this vein, the author proposes a novel approach to decentralized load balancing based on statistical time-series analysis. Each site estimates the system-wide average load using information about past loads of individual sites and attempts to equal that average. This estimation process is practical because the soft-real-time systems of interest naturally exhibit loads that are periodic, in a statistical sense akin to seasonality in econometrics.more » It is shown how this load-characterization technique can be the foundation for a load-balancing system in an architecture employing cut-through routing and an efficient multicast protocol.« less

Evaluation of viremia, proviral load and cytokine profile in naturally feline immunodeficiency virus infected cats treated with two different protocols of recombinant feline interferon omega.

PubMed

Leal, Rodolfo O; Gil, Solange; Duarte, Ana; McGahie, David; Sepúlveda, Nuno; Niza, Maria M R E; Tavares, Luís

2015-04-01

This study assesses viremia, provirus and blood cytokine profile in naturally FIV-infected cats treated with two distinct protocols of interferon omega (rFeIFN-ω). Samples from FIV-cats previously submitted to two single-arm studies were used: 7/18 received the licensed/subcutaneous protocol (SC) while 11/18 were treated orally (PO). Viremia, provirus and blood mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p40, Interferon-γ and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α were monitored by Real-Time qPCR. Concurrent plasma levels of IL-6, IL-12p40 and IL-4 were assessed by ELISA. IL-6 plasma levels decreased in the SC group (p = 0.031). IL-6 mRNA expression (p = 0.037) decreased in the PO group, albeit not sufficiently to change concurrent plasma levels. Neither viremia nor other measured cytokines changed with therapy. Proviral load increased in the SC group (p = 0.031), which can be justified by a clinically irrelevant increase of lymphocyte count. Independently of the protocol, rFeIFN-ω seems to act on innate immunity by reducing pro-inflammatory stimulus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of inspiratory muscle training with load compared with sham training on blood pressure in individuals with hypertension: study protocol of a double-blind randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Posser, Simone Regina; Callegaro, Carine Cristina; Beltrami-Moreira, Marina; Moreira, Leila Beltrami

2016-08-02

Hypertension is a complex chronic condition characterized by elevated arterial blood pressure. Management of hypertension includes non-pharmacologic strategies, which may include techniques that effectively reduce autonomic sympathetic activity. Respiratory exercises improve autonomic control over cardiovascular system and attenuate muscle metaboreflex. Because of these effects, respiratory exercises may be useful to lower blood pressure in subjects with hypertension. This randomized, double-blind clinical trial will test the efficacy of inspiratory muscle training in reducing blood pressure in adults with essential hypertension. Subjects are randomly allocated to intervention or control groups. Intervention consists of inspiratory muscle training loaded with 40 % of maximum inspiratory pressure, readjusted weekly. Control sham intervention consists of unloaded exercises. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures are co-primary endpoint measures assessed with 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Secondary outcome measures include cardiovascular autonomic control, inspiratory muscle metaboreflex, cardiopulmonary capacity, and inspiratory muscle strength and endurance. Previously published work suggests that inspiratory muscle training reduces blood pressure in persons with hypertension, but the effectiveness of this intervention is yet to be established. We propose an adequately sized randomized clinical trial to test this hypothesis rigorously. If an effect is found, this study will allow for the investigation of putative mechanisms to mediate this effect, including autonomic cardiovascular control and metaboreflex. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02275377 . Registered on 30 September 2014.

Cross-Layer Protocol Combining Tree Routing and TDMA Slotting in Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Ronggang; Ji, Yusheng; Lin, Zhiting; Wang, Qinghua; Zhou, Xiaofang; Qu, Yugui; Zhao, Baohua

Being different from other networks, the load and direction of data traffic for wireless sensor networks are rather predictable. The relationships between nodes are cooperative rather than competitive. These features allow the design approach of a protocol stack to be able to use the cross-layer interactive way instead of a hierarchical structure. The proposed cross-layer protocol CLWSN optimizes the channel allocation in the MAC layer using the information from the routing tables, reduces the conflicting set, and improves the throughput. Simulations revealed that it outperforms SMAC and MINA in terms of delay and energy consumption.

Features of Representations in General Chemistry Textbooks: A Peek through the Lens of the Cognitive Load Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nyachwaya, James M.; Gillaspie, Merry

2016-01-01

The goals of this study were (1) determine the prevalence of various features of representations in five general chemistry textbooks used in the United States, and (2) use cognitive load theory to draw implications of the various features of analyzed representations. We adapted the Graphical Analysis Protocol (GAP) (Slough et al., 2010) to look at…

Attrition of limestone by impact loading in fluidized beds

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

Fabrizio Scala; Fabio Montagnaro; Piero Salatino

2007-09-15

The present study addresses limestone attrition and fragmentation associated with impact loading, a process which may occur extensively in various regions of fluidized bed (FB) combustors/gasifiers, primarily the jetting region of the bottom bed, the exit region of the riser, and the cyclone. An experimental protocol for the characterization of the propensity of limestone to undergo attrition/fragmentation by impact loading is reported. The application of the protocol is demonstrated with reference to an Italian limestone whose primary fragmentation and attrition by surface wear have already been characterized in previous studies. The experimental procedure is based on the characterization of themore » amount and particle size distribution of the debris generated upon the impact of samples of sorbent particles against a target. Experiments were carried out at a range of particle impact velocities between 10 and 45 m/s, consistent with jet velocities corresponding to typical pressure drops across FB gas distributors. The protocol has been applied to either raw or preprocessed limestone samples. In particular, the effect of calcination, sulfation, and calcination/recarbonation cycles on the impact damage suffered by sorbent particles has been assessed. The measurement of particle voidage and pore size distribution by mercury intrusion was also accomplished to correlate fragmentation with the structural properties of the sorbent samples. Fragmentation by impact loading of the limestone is significant. Lime displays the largest propensity to undergo impact damage, followed by the sorbent sulfated to exhaustion, the recarbonated sorbent, and the raw limestone. Fragmentation of the raw limestone and of the sulfated lime follows a pattern typical of the failure of brittle materials. The fragmentation behavior of lime and recarbonated lime better conforms to a disintegration failure mode, with an extensive generation of very fine fragments. 27 refs., 9 figs. 1 tab.« less

Measurement of acute toxicity to Mysidopsis bahia using DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} instrument and protocol

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

Blankemeyer, J.T.; Nguyen, T.; Burks, S.L.

1994-12-31

DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} uses a fluorescent dye to permeate the cells of aquatic organisms. The technique has been used on frog embryos, fish embryos, and bovine erythrocytes. Two wavelengths of light are used to excite the fluorescent dye, Di-4-ANEPPS. The blue excitation wavelength measures the cell membrane potential while the yellow excitation wavelength measures the amount of dye loaded into the organisms. The authors applied the technique to the shrimp, Mysidopsis bahia, used in marine toxicity testing. The authors used from 1 to 10 shrimp, loaded into a 3 ml spectrofluorometry plastic cuvette. The fluorescent dye, Di-4-ANEPPS, was mixed with the 3more » ml of ASW in the cuvette at a final Di-4ANEPPS concentration of 10{sub {minus}6} M. After a thirty minute incubation, the fluorescence of Di-4-ANEPPS was measured in the DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} instrument. A similar protocol was used to test various concentrations of standard assay chemicals and effluents. The test chemical was mixed with ASW and Di-4-ANEPPS and incubated with the shrimp for thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, the fluorescence was measured and compared to the fluorescence of the control shrimp. The authors found that the fluorescence from a single shrimp was detectable and gave similar toxicity data as did the replicates using 10 shrimp. They conclude that the DaphniaQuant{reg_sign} assay can be successfully adapted to marine organisms, particularly Mysidopsis bahia.« less

Resistance to compression of weakened roots subjected to different root reconstruction protocols

PubMed Central

ZOGHEIB, Lucas Villaça; SAAVEDRA, Guilherme de Siqueira Ferreira Anzaloni; CARDOSO, Paula Elaine; VALERA, Márcia Carneiro; de ARAÚJO, Maria Amélia Máximo

2011-01-01

Objective This study evaluated, in vitro, the fracture resistance of human non-vital teeth restored with different reconstruction protocols. Material and methods Forty human anterior roots of similar shape and dimensions were assigned to four groups (n=10), according to the root reconstruction protocol: Group I (control): non-weakened roots with glass fiber post; Group II: roots with composite resin by incremental technique and glass fiber post; Group III: roots with accessory glass fiber posts and glass fiber post; and Group IV: roots with anatomic glass fiber post technique. Following post cementation and core reconstruction, the roots were embedded in chemically activated acrylic resin and submitted to fracture resistance testing, with a compressive load at an angle of 45º in relation to the long axis of the root at a speed of 0.5 mm/min until fracture. All data were statistically analyzed with bilateral Dunnett's test (α=0.05). Results Group I presented higher mean values of fracture resistance when compared with the three experimental groups, which, in turn, presented similar resistance to fracture among each other. None of the techniques of root reconstruction with intraradicular posts improved root strength, and the incremental technique was suggested as being the most recommendable, since the type of fracture that occurred allowed the remaining dental structure to be repaired. Conclusion The results of this in vitro study suggest that the healthy remaining radicular dentin is more important to increase fracture resistance than the root reconstruction protocol. PMID:22231002

A novel protocol to evaluate ankle movements during reaching tasks using pediAnklebot.

PubMed

Martelli, Francesca; Palermo, Eduardo; Rossi, Stefano

2017-07-01

The aim of the study is to design a novel protocol to characterize the ankle movements during dorsal and plantar flexion reaching tasks using the pediAnklebot. Five healthy children were instructed to control a pointer and hit targets appearing on the monitor, by moving their ankle alternatively up and down. The protocol consisted of 60 targets, 30 up and 30 down, reachable via dorsiflexion and plantarflexion movements, respectively. Ankle angular displacements and torques were gathered by encoders and load cells embedded in the robot. Ankle motor performance was evaluated by means of kinematic, submovements and dynamic indices. Results suggest that (i) plantarflexion movements are faster and more accurate than the dorsiflexion ones, but children are able to perform with a higher level of smoothness the latter ones; (ii) children are able to stop the ankle movement more easily at the end of dorsiflexion rather than plantarflexion; (iii) the central nervous system plans plantarflexion and dorsiflexion movements with the same efficiency; (iv) children apply different torque levels during the two motor tasks and they cannot balance the inversion and eversion moments during dorsiflexion. These findings provide an important starting point for the assessment of a reference baseline of motor indices for the ankle joint.

Chelation protocols for the elimination and prevention of iron overload in thalassaemia.

PubMed

Kolnagou, Annita; Kontoghiorghes, George John

2018-01-01

Iron overload toxicity is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in thalassaemia patients. The complete elimination and prevention of iron overload is the main aim of chelation therapy, which can be achieved by chelation protocols that can effectively remove excess iron load and maintain body iron at normal levels. Deferiprone and selected combinations with deferoxamine can be designed, adjusted and used effectively for removing all excess stored iron and for maintaining normal iron stores (NIS) in different categories of thalassaemia patients. High doses of deferiprone (75-100 mg/kg/day) and deferoxamine (50-60 mg/kg, 1-7 days/week) combinations can be used for achieving and maintaining NIS in heavily iron loaded transfused patients. In contrast, deferiprone (75-100 mg/kg/day) can be used effectively and sometimes intermittently for maintaining NIS in non heavily transfused patients. Deferasirox can in particular be used in patients not tolerating deferoxamine and deferiprone. The design of tailored made personalised protocols using deferiprone and selected combinations with deferoxamine should be considered as optimum chelation therapies for the complete treatment and the prevention of iron overload in thalassaemia.

Quantum load balancing in ad hoc networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasanpour, M.; Shariat, S.; Barnaghi, P.; Hoseinitabatabaei, S. A.; Vahid, S.; Tafazolli, R.

2017-06-01

This paper presents a novel approach in targeting load balancing in ad hoc networks utilizing the properties of quantum game theory. This approach benefits from the instantaneous and information-less capability of entangled particles to synchronize the load balancing strategies in ad hoc networks. The quantum load balancing (QLB) algorithm proposed by this work is implemented on top of OLSR as the baseline routing protocol; its performance is analyzed against the baseline OLSR, and considerable gain is reported regarding some of the main QoS metrics such as delay and jitter. Furthermore, it is shown that QLB algorithm supports a solid stability gain in terms of throughput which stands a proof of concept for the load balancing properties of the proposed theory.

Immediate loading with fixed full-arch prostheses in the maxilla: Review of the literature

PubMed Central

Peñarrocha-Oltra, David; Covani, Ugo; Peñarrocha-Diago, Miguel

2014-01-01

Objectives: To critically review the evidence-based literature on immediate loading of implants with fixed full-arch prostheses in the maxilla to determine 1) currently recommended performance criteria and 2) the outcomes that can be expected with this procedure. Study Desing: Studies from 2001 to 2011 on immediate loading with fixed full-arch maxillary prostheses were reviewed. Clinical series with at least 5 patients and 12 months of follow-up were included. Case reports, studies with missing data and repeatedly published studies were excluded. In each study the following was assessed: type of study, implant type, number of patients, number of implants, number of implants per patient, use of post-extraction implants, minimum implant length and diameter, type of prosthesis, time until loading, implant survival rate, prosthesis survival rate, marginal bone loss, complications andmean follow-up time. Criteria for patient selection, implant primary stability and bone regeneration were also studied. Results: Thirteen studies were included, reporting a total of 2484 immediately loaded implants in 365 patients. Currently accepted performance criteria regarding patient and implant selection, and surgical and prosthetic procedures were deduced from the reviewed articles. Implant survival rates went from 87.5% to 100%, prosthesis survival rates from 93.8% to 100% and radiographic marginal bone loss from 0.8 mm to 1.6 mm.No intraoperative complications and only minor prosthetic complications were reported. Conclusions: The literature on immediate loading with fixed full-arch prostheses in the maxilla shows that a successful outcome can be expected if adequate criteria are used to evaluate the patient, choose the implant and perform the surgical and prosthetic treatment. Lack of homogeneity within studies limits the relevance of the conclusions that can be drawn, and more controlled randomized studies are necessary to enable comparison between the immediate and the conventional loading procedures. Key words:Immediate loading, full-arch, dental implants, loading protocols. PMID:24880445

Early versus delayed loading of mandibular implant-supported overdentures: 5-year results.

PubMed

Turkyilmaz, Ilser; Tözüm, Tolga F; Tumer, Celal

2010-05-01

Because of poor retention of complete removable dentures for edentulous patients, implant-supported mandibular overdentures have lately become a popular alternative for them. The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate treatment outcomes of mandibular overdentures supported by two unsplinted early-loaded implants and compare these results with those for delayed-loaded implants. A total of 26 edentulous patients were treated with two unsplinted implants supporting a mandibular overdenture. All implants were placed in the canine regions of each mandible according to the one-stage surgical protocol. There were two groups: test group, in which the overdenture was connected 1 week after surgery, and control group, in which the overdenture was connected 3 months after surgery. Standardized clinical and radiographic parameters were recorded at surgery, and after 3, 6, 12, and 18 months, and 2, 3, 4, and 5 years. No implants were lost, and 0.93 +/- 0.3 mm marginal bone resorption was noted for all implants after 5 years. Clinical implant stability measurements, clinical peri-implant parameters, and marginal bone resorptions showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups over 5 years. The results of this prospective clinical study suggest that there is no significant difference in the clinical and radiographic state of patients treated with implant supported mandibular overdentures loaded either 1 week or 3 months after surgery.

Intestinal helminth infestation is associated with increased bronchial responsiveness in children.

PubMed

da Silva, Emerson R; Sly, Peter D; de Pereira, Marilyn U; Pinto, Leonardo A; Jones, Marcus H; Pitrez, Paulo M; Stein, Renato T

2008-07-01

Non-atopic asthma is the predominant phenotype in non-affluent parts of Latin America. We recently reported that infestation with Ascaris lumbricoides increased the risk of non-atopic asthma in less affluent areas of Brazil but the mechanism is unclear. The present study was conducted to determine whether helminth infestation is associated with heightened bronchial responsiveness (BHR), a common finding in asthma. A random sample of 50 asthmatic and 50 non-asthmatic controls (mean age 10.1 years) were selected from a larger cohort (n = 1,011) without knowledge of their helminth infestation status. Three stool samples were collected from each child on different days and each sample was analyzed by the Kato-Katz method for quantitative determination of helminth eggs. Bronchial provocation tests were performed with inhaled 4.5% hypertonic saline using the ISAAC Phase II standardized protocol. There was no difference between the prevalence of positive BHR in the asthmatics (20.4%) compared with the controls (14.6%) (P = 1.0). Helminth infestation was detected in 24.0% of children, with A. lumbricoides being the most common. Children with high load infestation (>or=100 eggs/g) were five times more likely to have BHR than children with low load or no infestation. Despite the small sample size the results of the present study suggest that the link between high load helminth infestation and non-atopic asthma may be mediated via heightened bronchial responsiveness, possibly due to an inflammatory response to the pulmonary phase of the helminth life cycle.

Effects of fatigue induced damage on the longitudinal fracture resistance of cortical bone.

PubMed

Fletcher, Lloyd; Codrington, John; Parkinson, Ian

2014-07-01

As a composite material, cortical bone accumulates fatigue microdamage through the repetitive loading of everyday activity (e.g. walking). The accumulation of fatigue microdamage is thought to contribute to the occurrence of fragility fractures in older people. Therefore it is beneficial to understand the relationship between microcrack accumulation and the fracture resistance of cortical bone. Twenty longitudinally orientated compact tension fracture specimens were machined from a single bovine femur, ten specimens were assigned to both the control and fatigue damaged groups. The damaged group underwent a fatigue loading protocol to induce microdamage which was assessed via fluorescent microscopy. Following fatigue loading, non-linear fracture resistance tests were undertaken on both the control and damaged groups using the J-integral method. The interaction of the crack path with the fatigue induced damage and inherent toughening mechanisms were then observed using fluorescent microscopy. The results of this study show that fatigue induced damage reduces the initiation toughness of cortical bone and the growth toughness within the damage zone by three distinct mechanisms of fatigue-fracture interaction. Further analysis of the J-integral fracture resistance showed both the elastic and plastic component were reduced in the damaged group. For the elastic component this was attributed to a decreased number of ligament bridges in the crack wake while for the plastic component this was attributed to the presence of pre-existing fatigue microcracks preventing energy absorption by the formation of new microcracks.

Characterization and prediction of rate-dependent flexibility in lumbar spine biomechanics at room and body temperature.

PubMed

Stolworthy, Dean K; Zirbel, Shannon A; Howell, Larry L; Samuels, Marina; Bowden, Anton E

2014-05-01

The soft tissues of the spine exhibit sensitivity to strain-rate and temperature, yet current knowledge of spine biomechanics is derived from cadaveric testing conducted at room temperature at very slow, quasi-static rates. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the change in segmental flexibility of cadaveric lumbar spine segments with respect to multiple loading rates within the range of physiologic motion by using specimens at body or room temperature. The secondary objective was to develop a predictive model of spine flexibility across the voluntary range of loading rates. This in vitro study examines rate- and temperature-dependent viscoelasticity of the human lumbar cadaveric spine. Repeated flexibility tests were performed on 21 lumbar function spinal units (FSUs) in flexion-extension with the use of 11 distinct voluntary loading rates at body or room temperature. Furthermore, six lumbar FSUs were loaded in axial rotation, flexion-extension, and lateral bending at both body and room temperature via a stepwise, quasi-static loading protocol. All FSUs were also loaded using a control loading test with a continuous-speed loading-rate of 1-deg/sec. The viscoelastic torque-rotation response for each spinal segment was recorded. A predictive model was developed to accurately estimate spine segment flexibility at any voluntary loading rate based on measured flexibility at a single loading rate. Stepwise loading exhibited the greatest segmental range of motion (ROM) in all loading directions. As loading rate increased, segmental ROM decreased, whereas segmental stiffness and hysteresis both increased; however, the neutral zone remained constant. Continuous-speed tests showed that segmental stiffness and hysteresis are dependent variables to ROM at voluntary loading rates in flexion-extension. To predict the torque-rotation response at different loading rates, the model requires knowledge of the segmental flexibility at a single rate and specified temperature, and a scaling parameter. A Bland-Altman analysis showed high coefficients of determination for the predictive model. The present work demonstrates significant changes in spine segment flexibility as a result of loading rate and testing temperature. Loading rate effects can be accounted for using the predictive model, which accurately estimated ROM, neutral zone, stiffness, and hysteresis within the range of voluntary motion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Designing of smart home automation system based on Raspberry Pi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saini, Ravi Prakash; Singh, Bhanu Pratap; Sharma, Mahesh Kumar; Wattanawisuth, Nattapol; Leeprechanon, Nopbhorn

2016-03-01

Locally networked or remotely controlled home automation system becomes a popular paradigm because of the numerous advantages and is suitable for academic research. This paper proposes a method for an implementation of Raspberry Pi based home automation system presented with an android phone access interface. The power consumption profile across the connected load is measured accurately through programming. Users can access the graph of total power consumption with respect to time worldwide using their Dropbox account. An android application has been developed to channelize the monitoring and controlling operation of home appliances remotely. This application facilitates controlling of operating pins of Raspberry Pi by pressing the corresponding key for turning "on" and "off" of any desired appliance. Systems can range from the simple room lighting control to smart microcontroller based hybrid systems incorporating several other additional features. Smart home automation systems are being adopted to achieve flexibility, scalability, security in the sense of data protection through the cloud-based data storage protocol, reliability, energy efficiency, etc.

Designing of smart home automation system based on Raspberry Pi

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

Saini, Ravi Prakash; Singh, Bhanu Pratap; Sharma, Mahesh Kumar

Locally networked or remotely controlled home automation system becomes a popular paradigm because of the numerous advantages and is suitable for academic research. This paper proposes a method for an implementation of Raspberry Pi based home automation system presented with an android phone access interface. The power consumption profile across the connected load is measured accurately through programming. Users can access the graph of total power consumption with respect to time worldwide using their Dropbox account. An android application has been developed to channelize the monitoring and controlling operation of home appliances remotely. This application facilitates controlling of operating pinsmore » of Raspberry Pi by pressing the corresponding key for turning “on” and “off” of any desired appliance. Systems can range from the simple room lighting control to smart microcontroller based hybrid systems incorporating several other additional features. Smart home automation systems are being adopted to achieve flexibility, scalability, security in the sense of data protection through the cloud-based data storage protocol, reliability, energy efficiency, etc.« less

Data-driven CT protocol review and management—experience from a large academic hospital.

PubMed

Zhang, Da; Savage, Cristy A; Li, Xinhua; Liu, Bob

2015-03-01

Protocol review plays a critical role in CT quality assurance, but large numbers of protocols and inconsistent protocol names on scanners and in exam records make thorough protocol review formidable. In this investigation, we report on a data-driven cataloging process that can be used to assist in the reviewing and management of CT protocols. We collected lists of scanner protocols, as well as 18 months of recent exam records, for 10 clinical scanners. We developed computer algorithms to automatically deconstruct the protocol names on the scanner and in the exam records into core names and descriptive components. Based on the core names, we were able to group the scanner protocols into a much smaller set of "core protocols," and to easily link exam records with the scanner protocols. We calculated the percentage of usage for each core protocol, from which the most heavily used protocols were identified. From the percentage-of-usage data, we found that, on average, 18, 33, and 49 core protocols per scanner covered 80%, 90%, and 95%, respectively, of all exams. These numbers are one order of magnitude smaller than the typical numbers of protocols that are loaded on a scanner (200-300, as reported in the literature). Duplicated, outdated, and rarely used protocols on the scanners were easily pinpointed in the cataloging process. The data-driven cataloging process can facilitate the task of protocol review. Copyright © 2015 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Manipulation of Muscle Creatine and Glycogen Changes Dual X-ray Absorptiometry Estimates of Body Composition.

PubMed

Bone, Julia L; Ross, Megan L; Tomcik, Kristyen A; Jeacocke, Nikki A; Hopkins, Will G; Burke, Louise M

2017-05-01

Standardizing a dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) protocol is thought to provide a reliable measurement of body composition. We investigated the effects of manipulating muscle glycogen and creatine content independently and additively on DXA estimates of lean mass. Eighteen well-trained male cyclists undertook a parallel group application of creatine loading (n = 9) (20 g·d for 5 d loading; 3 g·d maintenance) or placebo (n = 9) with crossover application of glycogen loading (12 v 6 g·kg BM per day for 48 h) as part of a larger study involving a glycogen-depleting exercise protocol. Body composition, total body water, muscle glycogen and creatine content were assessed via DXA, bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy and standard biopsy techniques. Changes in the mean were assessed using the following effect-size scale: >0.2 small, >0.6, moderate, >1.2 large and compared with the threshold for the smallest worthwhile effect of the treatment. Glycogen loading, both with and without creatine loading, resulted in substantial increases in estimates of lean body mass (mean ± SD; 3.0% ± 0.7% and 2.0% ± 0.9%) and leg lean mass (3.1% ± 1.8% and 2.6% ± 1.0%) respectively. A substantial decrease in leg lean mass was observed after the glycogen depleting condition (-1.4% ± 1.6%). Total body water showed substantial increases after glycogen loading (2.3% ± 2.3%), creatine loading (1.4% ± 1.9%) and the combined treatment (2.3% ± 1.1%). Changes in muscle metabolites and water content alter DXA estimates of lean mass during periods in which minimal change in muscle protein mass is likely. This information needs to be considered in interpreting the results of DXA-derived estimates of body composition in athletes.

Effects of local and widespread muscle fatigue on movement timing.

PubMed

Cowley, Jeffrey C; Dingwell, Jonathan B; Gates, Deanna H

2014-12-01

Repetitive movements can cause muscle fatigue, leading to motor reorganization, performance deficits, and/or possible injury. The effects of fatigue may depend on the type of fatigue task employed, however. The purpose of this study was to determine how local fatigue of a specific muscle group versus widespread fatigue of various muscle groups affected the control of movement timing. Twenty healthy subjects performed an upper extremity low-load work task similar to sawing for 5 continuous minutes both before and after completing a protocol that either fatigued all the muscles used in the task (widespread fatigue) or a protocol that selectively fatigued the primary muscles used to execute the pushing stroke of the sawing task (localized fatigue). Subjects were instructed to time their movements with a metronome. Timing error, movement distance, and speed were calculated for each movement. Data were then analyzed using a goal-equivalent manifold approach to quantify changes in goal-relevant and non-goal-relevant variability. We applied detrended fluctuation analysis to each time series to quantify changes in fluctuation dynamics that reflected changes in the control strategies used. After localized fatigue, subjects made shorter, slower movements and exerted greater control over non-goal-relevant variability. After widespread fatigue, subjects exerted less control over non-goal-relevant variability and did not change movement patterns. Thus, localized and widespread muscle fatigue affected movement differently. Local fatigue may reduce the available motor solutions and therefore cause greater movement reorganization than widespread muscle fatigue. Subjects altered their control strategies but continued to achieve the timing goal after both fatigue tasks.

Experimental opto-mechanics with levitated nanoparticles: towards quantum control and thermodynamic cycles (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiesel, Nikolai; Blaser, Florian; Delic, Uros; Grass, David; Dechant, Andreas; Lutz, Eric; Bathaee, Marzieh; Aspelmeyer, Markus

2015-08-01

Combining optical levitation and cavity optomechanics constitutes a promising approach to prepare and control the motional quantum state of massive objects (>10^9 amu). This, in turn, would represent a completely new type of light-matter interface and has, for example, been predicted to enable experimental tests of macrorealistic models or of non-Newtonian gravity at small length scales. Such ideas have triggered significant experimental efforts to realizing such novel systems. To this end, we have recently successfully demonstrated cavity-cooling of a levitated sub-micron silica particle in a classical regime at a pressure of approximately 1mbar. Access to higher vacuum of approx. 10^-6 mbar has been demonstrated using 3D-feedback cooling in optical tweezers without cavity-coupling. Here we will illustrate our strategy towards trapping, 3D-cooling and quantum control of nanoparticles in ultra-high vacuum using cavity-based feedback cooling methods and clean particle loading with hollow-core photonic crystal fibers. We will also discuss the current experimental progress both in 3D-cavity cooling and HCPCF-based transport of nanoparticles. As yet another application of cavity-controlled levitated nanoparticles we will show how to implement a thermodynamic Sterling cycle operating in the underdamped regime. We present optimized protocols with respect to efficiency at maximum power in this little explored regime. We also show that the excellent level of control in our system will allow reproducing all relevant features of such optimized protocols. In a next step, this will enable studies of thermodynamics cycles in a regime where the quantization of the mechanical motion becomes relevant.

Development of a microbial population within a hot-drinks vending machine and the microbial load of vended hot chocolate drink.

PubMed

Hall, A; Short, K; Saltmarsh, M; Fielding, L; Peters, A

2007-09-01

In order to understand the development of the microbial population within a hot-drinks vending machine a new machine was placed in a staff area of a university campus vending only hot chocolate. The machine was cleaned weekly using a detergent based protocol. Samples from the mixing bowl, dispense area, and drink were taken over a 19-wk period and enumerated using plate count agar. Bacillus cereus was identified using biochemical methods. Vended drinks were sampled at 0, 3, 6, and 9 min after vending; the hot chocolate powder was also sampled. Over the 1st 8 wk, a significant increase in the microbial load of the machine components was observed. By the end of the study, levels within the vended drink had also increased significantly. Inactivation of the automatic flush over a subsequent 5-wk period led to a statistically but not operationally significant increase in the microbial load of the dispense area and vended drink. The simple weekly clean had a significant impact on the microbial load of the machine components and the vended drink. This study demonstrated that a weekly, detergent-based cleaning protocol was sufficient to maintain the microbial population of the mixing bowl and dispense point in a quasi-steady state below 3.5 log CFU/cm2 ensuring that the microbial load of the vended drinks was maintained below 3.4 log CFU/mL. The microbial load of the drinks showed no significant changes over 9 min after vending, suggesting only spores are present in the final product.

Preparation and Evaluation of Multiple Nanoemulsions Containing Gadolinium (III) Chelate as a Potential Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Contrast Agent.

PubMed

Sigward, Estelle; Corvis, Yohann; Doan, Bich-Thuy; Kindsiko, Kadri; Seguin, Johanne; Scherman, Daniel; Brossard, Denis; Mignet, Nathalie; Espeau, Philippe; Crauste-Manciet, Sylvie

2015-09-01

The objective was to develop, characterize and assess the potentiality of W1/O/W2 self-emulsifying multiple nanoemulsions to enhance signal/noise ratio for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). For this purpose, a new formulation, was designed for encapsulation efficiency and stability. Various methods were used to characterize encapsulation efficiency ,in particular calorimetric methods (Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry analysis) and ultrafiltration. MRI in vitro relaxivities were assessed on loaded DTPA-Gd multiple nanoemulsions. Characterization of the formulation, in particular of encapsulation efficiency was a challenge due to interactions found with ultrafiltration method. Thanks to the specifically developed DSC protocol, we were able to confirm the formation of multiple nanoemulsions, differentiate loaded from unloaded nanoemulsions and measure the encapsulation efficiency which was found to be quite high with a 68% of drug loaded. Relaxivity studies showed that the self-emulsifying W/O/W nanoemulsions were positive contrast agents, exhibiting higher relaxivities than those of the DTPA-Gd solution taken as a reference. New self-emulsifying multiple nanoemulsions that were able to load satisfactory amounts of contrasting agent were successfully developed as potential MRI contrasting agents. A specific DSC protocol was needed to be developed to characterize these complex systems as it would be useful to develop these self-formation formulations.

Studying Dynamic Processes of Nano-sized Objects in Liquid using Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy.

PubMed

Hermannsdörfer, Justus; de Jonge, Niels

2017-02-05

Samples fully embedded in liquid can be studied at a nanoscale spatial resolution with Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) using a microfluidic chamber assembled in the specimen holder for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and STEM. The microfluidic system consists of two silicon microchips supporting thin Silicon Nitride (SiN) membrane windows. This article describes the basic steps of sample loading and data acquisition. Most important of all is to ensure that the liquid compartment is correctly assembled, thus providing a thin liquid layer and a vacuum seal. This protocol also includes a number of tests necessary to perform during sample loading in order to ensure correct assembly. Once the sample is loaded in the electron microscope, the liquid thickness needs to be measured. Incorrect assembly may result in a too-thick liquid, while a too-thin liquid may indicate the absence of liquid, such as when a bubble is formed. Finally, the protocol explains how images are taken and how dynamic processes can be studied. A sample containing AuNPs is imaged both in pure water and in saline.

Studying Dynamic Processes of Nano-sized Objects in Liquid using Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy

PubMed Central

Hermannsdörfer, Justus; de Jonge, Niels

2017-01-01

Samples fully embedded in liquid can be studied at a nanoscale spatial resolution with Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) using a microfluidic chamber assembled in the specimen holder for Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and STEM. The microfluidic system consists of two silicon microchips supporting thin Silicon Nitride (SiN) membrane windows. This article describes the basic steps of sample loading and data acquisition. Most important of all is to ensure that the liquid compartment is correctly assembled, thus providing a thin liquid layer and a vacuum seal. This protocol also includes a number of tests necessary to perform during sample loading in order to ensure correct assembly. Once the sample is loaded in the electron microscope, the liquid thickness needs to be measured. Incorrect assembly may result in a too-thick liquid, while a too-thin liquid may indicate the absence of liquid, such as when a bubble is formed. Finally, the protocol explains how images are taken and how dynamic processes can be studied. A sample containing AuNPs is imaged both in pure water and in saline. PMID:28190028

A protocol for the delivery of cannabidiol (CBD) and combined CBD and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) by vaporisation

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Significant interest has emerged in the therapeutic and interactive effects of different cannabinoids. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to have anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects with high doses administered orally. We report a series of studies conducted to determine the vaporisation efficiency of high doses of CBD, alone and in combination with ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), to achieve faster onset effects in experimental and clinical trials and emulate smoked cannabis. Methods Purified THC and CBD (40 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml respectively) were loaded onto a liquid absorbing pad in a Volcano® vaporiser, vaporised and the vapours quantitatively analysed. Preliminary studies determined 200 mg CBD to be the highest dose effectively vaporised at 230°C, yielding an availability of approximately 40% in the vapour phase. Six confirmatory studies examined the quantity of each compound delivered when 200 mg or 4 mg CBD was loaded together with 8 mg of THC. Results THC showed 55% availability when vaporised alone or with low dose CBD, while large variation in the availability of high dose CBD impacted upon the availability of THC when co-administered, with each compound affecting the vaporisation efficiency of the other in a dynamic and dose-dependent manner. We describe optimised protocols that enable delivery of 160 mg CBD through vaporisation. Conclusions While THC administration by vaporisation is increasingly adopted in experimental studies, often with oral predosing with CBD to examine interactive effects, no studies to date have reported the administration of CBD by vaporisation. We report the detailed methodology aimed at optimising the efficiency of delivery of therapeutic doses of CBD, alone and in combination with THC, by vaporisation. These protocols provide a technical advance that may inform methodology for clinical trials in humans, especially for examining interactions between THC and CBD and for therapeutic applications of CBD. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN24109245 PMID:25319497

A protocol for the delivery of cannabidiol (CBD) and combined CBD and ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) by vaporisation.

PubMed

Solowij, Nadia; Broyd, Samantha J; van Hell, Hendrika H; Hazekamp, Arno

2014-10-16

Significant interest has emerged in the therapeutic and interactive effects of different cannabinoids. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to have anxiolytic and antipsychotic effects with high doses administered orally. We report a series of studies conducted to determine the vaporisation efficiency of high doses of CBD, alone and in combination with ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), to achieve faster onset effects in experimental and clinical trials and emulate smoked cannabis. Purified THC and CBD (40 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml respectively) were loaded onto a liquid absorbing pad in a Volcano vaporiser, vaporised and the vapours quantitatively analysed. Preliminary studies determined 200 mg CBD to be the highest dose effectively vaporised at 230 ° C, yielding an availability of approximately 40% in the vapour phase. Six confirmatory studies examined the quantity of each compound delivered when 200 mg or 4 mg CBD was loaded together with 8 mg of THC. THC showed 55% availability when vaporised alone or with low dose CBD, while large variation in the availability of high dose CBD impacted upon the availability of THC when co-administered, with each compound affecting the vaporisation efficiency of the other in a dynamic and dose-dependent manner. We describe optimised protocols that enable delivery of 160 mg CBD through vaporisation. While THC administration by vaporisation is increasingly adopted in experimental studies, often with oral predosing with CBD to examine interactive effects, no studies to date have reported the administration of CBD by vaporisation. We report the detailed methodology aimed at optimising the efficiency of delivery of therapeutic doses of CBD, alone and in combination with THC, by vaporisation. These protocols provide a technical advance that may inform methodology for clinical trials in humans, especially for examining interactions between THC and CBD and for therapeutic applications of CBD. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN24109245.

DARPA Internet Program. Internet and Transmission Control Specifications,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-09-01

Internet Program Protocol Specification", RFC 791, USC/ Information Sciences Institute, September 1981. [34] Postel, J., ed., "Transmission Control Protocol...DARPA Internet Program Protocol Specification", RFC 793, USC/ Information Sciences Institute, September 1981. [35] Postel, J., "Echo Process", RFC 347...Newman, March 1981. [53] Postel, J., " Internet Control Message Protocol - DARPA Internet Program Protocol Specification", RFC 792, USC/ Information

Independent Suture Tape Reinforcement of Small and Standard Diameter Grafts for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Biomechanical Full Construct Model.

PubMed

Bachmaier, Samuel; Smith, Patrick A; Bley, Jordan; Wijdicks, Coen A

2018-02-01

To compare the dynamic elongation, stiffness behavior, and ultimate failure load of standard with small diameter soft tissue grafts for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction with and without high-strength suture tape reinforcement. Both a tripled "small" diameter and a "standard" quadrupled tendon graft with and without suture tape reinforcement were tested using suspensory fixation (n = 8 each group). The suture tape was passed through the suspensory fixation button on the femur and tibia to ensure independent (safety belt) fixation from the graft in vitro. The testing of the constructs included position-controlled cyclic loading, force-controlled cyclic loading at 250 N and 400 N as well as pull to failure (50 mm/min). Reinforcement of a small diameter graft significantly reduced dynamic elongation of 38% (1.46 ± 0.28 mm vs 2.34 ± 0.44 mm, P < .001) and 50% (2.55 ± 0.44 mm vs 5.06 ± 0.67 mm, P < .001) after the 250 N and 400 N load protocol, respectively. Reinforcement of a standard diameter tendon graft decreased dynamic elongation of 15% (1.59 ± 0.34 mm vs 1.86 ± 0.17 mm, P = .066) and 26% (2.62 ± 0.44 mm vs 3.55 ± 0.44 mm, P < .001). No significant difference was found between both reinforced models. The ultimate failure loads of small and standard diameter reinforced grafts were 1592 ± 105 N and 1585 ± 265 N, resulting in a 64% (P < .001) and 40% (P < .001) increase compared with their respective controls. Independent suture tape reinforcement of soft tissue grafts for ACL reconstruction leads to significantly reduced elongation and higher ultimate failure load according to in vivo native ACL function data without stress-shielding the soft tissue graft. If in vitro results are translational to human knees in vivo, the suture tape reinforcement technique for ACL reconstruction may decrease the risk of graft tears, particularly in the case of small diameter soft tissue grafts. Copyright © 2017 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of neuromuscular exercise on medial knee joint load post-arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy: ‘SCOPEX’ a randomised control trial protocol

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Meniscectomy is a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis, with increased medial joint loading a likely contributor to the development and progression of knee osteoarthritis in this group. Therefore, post-surgical rehabilitation or interventions that reduce medial knee joint loading have the potential to reduce the risk of developing or progressing osteoarthritis. The primary purpose of this randomised, assessor-blind controlled trial is to determine the effects of a home-based, physiotherapist-supervised neuromuscular exercise program on medial knee joint load during functional tasks in people who have recently undergone a partial medial meniscectomy. Methods/design 62 people aged 30–50 years who have undergone an arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy within the previous 3 to 12 months will be recruited and randomly assigned to a neuromuscular exercise or control group using concealed allocation. The neuromuscular exercise group will attend 8 supervised exercise sessions with a physiotherapist and will perform 6 exercises at home, at least 3 times per week for 12 weeks. The control group will not receive the neuromuscular training program. Blinded assessment will be performed at baseline and immediately following the 12-week intervention. The primary outcomes are change in the peak external knee adduction moment measured by 3-dimensional analysis during normal paced walking and one-leg rise. Secondary outcomes include the change in peak external knee adduction moment during fast pace walking and one-leg hop and change in the knee adduction moment impulse during walking, one-leg rise and one-leg hop, knee and hip muscle strength, electromyographic muscle activation patterns, objective measures of physical function, as well as self-reported measures of physical function and symptoms and additional biomechanical parameters. Discussion The findings from this trial will provide evidence regarding the effect of a home-based, physiotherapist-supervised neuromuscular exercise program on medial knee joint load during various tasks in people with a partial medial meniscectomy. If shown to reduce the knee adduction moment, neuromuscular exercise has the potential to prevent the onset of osteoarthritis or slow its progression in those with early disease. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12612000542897 PMID:23181415

Effects of 2 Types of Activation Protocols Based on Postactivation Potentiation on 50-m Freestyle Performance.

PubMed

Cuenca-Fernández, Francisco; Ruiz-Teba, Ana; López-Contreras, Gracia; Arellano, Raúl

2018-06-14

Cuenca-Fernández, F, Ruiz-Teba, A, López-Contreras, G, and Arellano, R. Effects of 2 types of activation protocols based on postactivation potentiation on 50-m freestyle performance. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-Postactivation potentiation (PAP) is a phenomenon which improves muscle contractility, strength, and speed in sporting performances through previously applied maximal or submaximal loads on the muscle system. This study aimed to assess the effects of 2 types of activation protocols based on PAP, on sprint swimming performance. A repeated-measures design was used to compare 3 different scenarios before a 50-m race. First, all of the participants performed a standard warm-up (SWU), consisting of a 400-m swim followed by dynamic stretching. This protocol acted as the control. Subsequently, the swimmers were randomly assigned into 2 groups: the swimmers in the first group performed the SWU followed by a PAP one-repetition maximum warm-up (RMWU), consisting of 3 "lunge" and 3 "arm stroke" repetitions, both at 85% of the one-repetition maximum. The swimmers in the second group performed the SWU followed by a PAP eccentric flywheel warm-up (EWU), consisting of one set of 4 repetitions of exercises of both the lower and upper limbs on an adapted eccentric flywheel at the maximal voluntary contraction. The time required for the swimmers to swim 5 and 10 m was shorter with the PAP protocols. The swimming velocity of the swimmers who underwent the EWU and RMWU protocols was faster at 5 and 10 m. The best total swimming time was not influenced by any of the protocols. When isolating swimming (excluding start performance and turn), best time was achieved with the SWU and RMWU compared with EWU (SWU: 20.86 ± 0.95 seconds; EWU: 21.25 ± 1.12 seconds; RMWU: 20.97 ± 1.22 seconds). In conclusion, a warm-up based on PAP protocols might exert an influence on performance in the first meters of a 50-m race. Nevertheless, other factors, such as fatigue, could modify swimming patterns and yield results contradictory to those of the desired task.

Next generation information communication infrastructure and case studies for future power systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Bin

As power industry enters the new century, powerful driving forces, uncertainties and new functions are compelling electric utilities to make dramatic changes in their information communication infrastructure. Expanding network services such as real time measurement and monitoring are also driving the need for more bandwidth in the communication network. These needs will grow further as new remote real-time protection and control applications become more feasible and pervasive. This dissertation addresses two main issues for the future power system information infrastructure: communication network infrastructure and associated power system applications. Optical networks no doubt will become the predominant data transmission media for next generation power system communication. The rapid development of fiber optic network technology poses new challenges in the areas of topology design, network management and real time applications. Based on advanced fiber optic technologies, an all-fiber network is investigated and proposed. The study will cover the system architecture and data exchange protocol aspects. High bandwidth, robust optical networks could provide great opportunities to the power system for better service and efficient operation. In the dissertation, different applications are investigated. One of the typical applications is the SCADA information accessing system. An Internet-based application for the substation automation system will be presented. VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) technology is also used for one-line diagrams auto-generation. High transition rate and low latency optical network is especially suitable for power system real time control. In the dissertation, a new local area network based Load Shedding Controller (LSC) for isolated power system will be presented. By using PMU (Phasor Measurement Unit) and fiber optic network, an AGE (Area Generation Error) based accurate wide area load shedding scheme will also be proposed. The objective is to shed the load in the limited area with minimum disturbance.

Pre-Operative nutrition In Neck of femur Trial (POINT)--carbohydrate loading in patients with fragility hip fracture: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Moppett, Iain K; Greenhaff, Paul L; Ollivere, Ben J; Joachim, Theophillus; Lobo, Dileep N; Rowlands, Martin

2014-12-04

Trauma such as hip fracture initiates a neurohumoral stress response that changes the balance between anabolism and catabolism resulting in muscle breakdown and reduced mobilisation. Various studies have demonstrated a reduction in catabolism with pre-operative carbohydrate loading but only in an elective setting. This is a two-centre, randomised double-blinded trial in the United Kingdom. Sample size will be 30 patients (approximately 15 from each centre). Randomisation will be web based using computer-generated concealed tables. Both participants and investigators will be blinded to group allocation. Participants will be >70 years of age, cognitively intact (Abbreviated Mental Score ≥ 7), able to give informed consent, and admitted directly through the emergency department with fractured neck of femur requiring hemiarthroplasty. Intervention will consist of two carbohydrate drinks (Nutricia pre-Op) given the night before, and the morning of the surgery. The control will receive two placebo drinks of equal volume. All participants will receive standard hospital care at the discretion of the clinical team. The primary outcome is the difference between groups in insulin resistance calculated by a glucose tolerance test administered pre-operatively and 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary endpoints will be changes in muscle carbohydrate metabolism (biopsy), mobility (Cumulative Ambulation Score) and subjective measures of tolerability. This is a small-scale pilot study, investigating the benefits and tolerability of carbohydrate loading in an emergency setting in a frail elderly group with known high morbidity and mortality. Positive findings will provide the basis for a larger scale study. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN91109766 (7 April 2014); NRES ref: 13/EM/0214Trial Sponsor: University of Nottingham Ref.13036.

Research on low-latency MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Chenguang; Sha, Xuejun; Lee, Chankil

2007-11-01

Energy-efficient should not be the only design goal in MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks, which involve the use of battery-operated computing and sensing devices. Low-latency operation becomes the same important as energy-efficient in the case that the traffic load is very heavy or the real-time constrain is used in applications like tracking or locating. This paper introduces some causes of traditional time delays which are inherent in a multi-hops network using existing WSN MAC protocols, illuminates the importance of low-latency MAC design for wireless sensor networks, and presents three MACs as examples of low-latency protocols designed specially for sleep delay, wait delay and wakeup delay in wireless sensor networks, respectively. The paper also discusses design trade-offs with emphasis on low-latency and points out their advantages and disadvantages, together with some design considerations and suggestions for MAC protocols for future applications and researches.

Comparison of neuromuscular and quadriceps strengthening exercise in the treatment of varus malaligned knees with medial knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial protocol.

PubMed

Bennell, Kim L; Egerton, Thorlene; Wrigley, Tim V; Hodges, Paul W; Hunt, Michael; Roos, Ewa M; Kyriakides, Mary; Metcalf, Ben; Forbes, Andrew; Ageberg, Eva; Hinman, Rana S

2011-12-05

Osteoarthritis of the knee involving predominantly the medial tibiofemoral compartment is common in older people, giving rise to pain and loss of function. Many people experience progressive worsening of the disease over time, particularly those with varus malalignment and increased medial knee joint load. Therefore, interventions that can reduce excessive medial knee loading may be beneficial in reducing the risk of structural progression. Traditional quadriceps strengthening can improve pain and function in people with knee osteoarthritis but does not appear to reduce medial knee load. A neuromuscular exercise program, emphasising optimal alignment of the trunk and lower limb joints relative to one another, as well as quality of movement performance, while dynamically and functionally strengthening the lower limb muscles, may be able to reduce medial knee load. Such a program may also be superior to traditional quadriceps strengthening with respect to improved pain and physical function because of the functional and dynamic nature. This randomised controlled trial will investigate the effect of a neuromuscular exercise program on medial knee joint loading, pain and function in individuals with medial knee joint osteoarthritis. We hypothesise that the neuromuscular program will reduce medial knee load as well as pain and functional limitations to a greater extent than a traditional quadriceps strengthening program. 100 people with medial knee pain, radiographic medial compartment osteoarthritis and varus malalignment will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of two 12-week exercise programs: quadriceps strengthening or neuromuscular exercise. Each program will involve 14 supervised exercise sessions with a physiotherapist plus four unsupervised sessions per week at home. The primary outcomes are medial knee load during walking (the peak external knee adduction moment from 3D gait analysis), pain, and self-reported physical function measured at baseline and immediately following the program. Secondary outcomes include the external knee adduction moment angular impulse, electromyographic muscle activation patterns, knee and hip muscle strength, balance, functional ability, and quality-of-life. The findings will help determine whether neuromuscular exercise is superior to traditional quadriceps strengthening regarding effects on knee load, pain and physical function in people with medial knee osteoarthritis and varus malalignment. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12610000660088.

Comparison of neuromuscular and quadriceps strengthening exercise in the treatment of varus malaligned knees with medial knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial protocol

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Osteoarthritis of the knee involving predominantly the medial tibiofemoral compartment is common in older people, giving rise to pain and loss of function. Many people experience progressive worsening of the disease over time, particularly those with varus malalignment and increased medial knee joint load. Therefore, interventions that can reduce excessive medial knee loading may be beneficial in reducing the risk of structural progression. Traditional quadriceps strengthening can improve pain and function in people with knee osteoarthritis but does not appear to reduce medial knee load. A neuromuscular exercise program, emphasising optimal alignment of the trunk and lower limb joints relative to one another, as well as quality of movement performance, while dynamically and functionally strengthening the lower limb muscles, may be able to reduce medial knee load. Such a program may also be superior to traditional quadriceps strengthening with respect to improved pain and physical function because of the functional and dynamic nature. This randomised controlled trial will investigate the effect of a neuromuscular exercise program on medial knee joint loading, pain and function in individuals with medial knee joint osteoarthritis. We hypothesise that the neuromuscular program will reduce medial knee load as well as pain and functional limitations to a greater extent than a traditional quadriceps strengthening program. Methods/Design 100 people with medial knee pain, radiographic medial compartment osteoarthritis and varus malalignment will be recruited and randomly allocated to one of two 12-week exercise programs: quadriceps strengthening or neuromuscular exercise. Each program will involve 14 supervised exercise sessions with a physiotherapist plus four unsupervised sessions per week at home. The primary outcomes are medial knee load during walking (the peak external knee adduction moment from 3D gait analysis), pain, and self-reported physical function measured at baseline and immediately following the program. Secondary outcomes include the external knee adduction moment angular impulse, electromyographic muscle activation patterns, knee and hip muscle strength, balance, functional ability, and quality-of-life. Discussion The findings will help determine whether neuromuscular exercise is superior to traditional quadriceps strengthening regarding effects on knee load, pain and physical function in people with medial knee osteoarthritis and varus malalignment. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12610000660088 PMID:22141334

Electronic Clinical Trial Protocol Distribution via the World-Wide Web

PubMed Central

Afrin, Lawrence B.; Kuppuswamy, Valarmathi; Slater, Barbara; Stuart, Robert K.

1997-01-01

Clinical trials today typically are inefficient, paper-based operations. Poor community physician awareness of available trials and difficult referral mechanisms also contribute to poor accrual. The Physicians Research Network (PRN) web was developed for more efficient trial protocol distribution and eligibility inquiries. The Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center trials program and two community oncology practices served as a testbed. In 581 man-hours over 18 months, 147 protocols were loaded into PRN. The trials program eliminated all protocol hardcopies except the masters, reduced photocopier use 59%, and saved 1.0 full-time equivalents (FTE), but 1.0 FTE was needed to manage PRN. There were no known security breaches, downtime, or content-related problems. Therefore, PRN is a paperless, user-preferred, reliable, secure method for distributing protocols and reducing distribution errors and delays because only a single copy of each protocol is maintained. Furthermore, PRN is being extended to serve other aspects of trial operations. PMID:8988471

Gossip-Based Broadcast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitão, João; Pereira, José; Rodrigues, Luís

Gossip, or epidemic, protocols have emerged as a powerful strategy to implement highly scalable and resilient reliable broadcast primitives on large scale peer-to-peer networks. Epidemic protocols are scalable because they distribute the load among all nodes in the system and resilient because they have an intrinsic level of redundancy that masks node and network failures. This chapter provides an introduction to gossip-based broadcast on large-scale unstructured peer-to-peer overlay networks: it surveys the main results in the field, discusses techniques to build and maintain the overlays that support efficient dissemination strategies, and provides an in-depth discussion and experimental evaluation of two concrete protocols, named HyParView and Plumtree.

A single-arm clinical trial of a 48-hour intravenous N-acetylcysteine protocol for treatment of acetaminophen poisoning.

PubMed

Heard, K; Rumack, B H; Green, J L; Bucher-Bartelson, B; Heard, S; Bronstein, A C; Dart, R C

2014-06-01

Acetylcysteine prevents hepatic injury when administered soon after acetaminophen overdose. The most commonly used treatment protocols are a 72-hour oral and a 21-hour intravenous (IV) protocol. Between 1984 and 1994, 409 patients were enrolled in a study to describe the outcomes of patients who were treated using a 48-hour IV protocol. In 1991, an interim analysis reported the first 223 patients. The objective of this manuscript is to report the rates of hepatotoxicity and adverse events occurring during a 48-hour IV acetylcysteine protocol in the entire 409 patient cohort. This was a multicenter, single-arm, open-label clinical trial enrolling patients who presented with a toxic serum acetaminophen concentration within 24 h of acute acetaminophen ingestion. Patients were treated with 140 mg/kg loading dose followed by 70 mg/kg every 4 h for 12 doses. Serum aminotransferase activities were measured every 8 h during the protocol, and adverse events were recorded. The primary outcome was the percentage of subjects who developed hepatotoxicity defined as a peak serum aminotransferase greater than 1000 IU/L. Four hundred and nine patients were enrolled, and 309 met inclusion for the outcome analysis. The overall percentage of patients developing hepatotoxicity was 18.1%, and 3.4% of patients treated within 10 h developed hepatotoxicity. One acetaminophen-related death occurred in a patient treated at 22 h. Adverse events occurred in 28.9% of enrolled subjects; the most common adverse events were nausea, vomiting, and flushing, and no events were rated as serious by the investigator. Acetaminophen-overdosed patients treated with IV acetylcysteine administered as 140 mg/kg loading dose followed by 70 mg/kg every 4 h for 12 doses had a low rate of hepatotoxicity and few adverse events. This protocol delivers a higher dose of acetylcysteine which may be useful in selected cases involving very large overdoses.

GMP-Compliant Expansion of Clinical-Grade Human Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Using a Closed Hollow Fiber Bioreactor.

PubMed

Barckhausen, Christina; Rice, Brent; Baila, Stefano; Sensebé, Luc; Schrezenmeier, Hubert; Nold, Philipp; Hackstein, Holger; Rojewski, Markus Thomas

2016-01-01

This chapter describes a method for GMP-compliant expansion of human mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hMSC) from bone marrow aspirates, using the Quantum(®) Cell Expansion System from Terumo BCT. The Quantum system is a functionally closed, automated hollow fiber bioreactor system designed to reproducibly grow cells in either GMP or research laboratory environments. The chapter includes protocols for preparation of media, setup of the Quantum system, coating of the hollow fiber bioreactor, as well as loading, feeding, and harvesting of cells. We suggest a panel of quality controls for the starting material, the interim product, as well as the final product.

Fracture mode during cyclic loading of implant-supported single-tooth restorations.

PubMed

Hosseini, Mandana; Kleven, Erik; Gotfredsen, Klaus

2012-08-01

Fracture of veneering ceramics in zirconia-based restorations has frequently been reported. Investigation of the fracture mode of implant-supported ceramic restorations by using clinically relevant laboratory protocols is needed. This study compared the mode of fracture and number of cyclic loads until veneering fracture when ceramic and metal ceramic restorations with different veneering ceramics were supported by implants. Thirty-two implant-supported single-tooth restorations were fabricated. The test group was composed of 16 ceramic restorations of zirconia abutment-retained crowns with zirconia copings veneered with glass-ceramics (n=8) and feldspathic ceramics (n=8). The control group was composed of 16 metal ceramic restorations of titanium abutment-retained crowns with gold alloy copings veneered with glass (n=8) and feldspathic ceramics (n=8). The palatal surfaces of the crowns were exposed to cyclic loading of 800 N with a frequency of 2 Hz, which continued to 4.2 million cycles or until fracture of the copings, abutments, or implants. The number of cycles and the fracture modes were recorded. The fracture modes were analyzed by descriptive analysis and the Mann-Whitney test (α=.05). The differences in loading cycles until veneering fracture were estimated with the Cox proportional hazards analysis. Veneering fracture was the most frequently observed fracture mode. The severity of fractures was significantly more in ceramic restorations than in metal ceramic restorations. Significantly more loading cycles until veneering fracture were estimated with metal ceramic restorations veneered with glass-ceramics than with other restorations. The metal ceramic restorations demonstrated fewer and less severe fractures and resisted more cyclic loads than the ceramic restorations, particularly when the metal ceramic crowns were veneered with glass-ceramics. Copyright © 2012 The Editorial Council of the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A secure RFID-based WBAN for healthcare applications.

PubMed

Ullah, Sana; Alamri, Atif

2013-10-01

A Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) allows the seamless integration of small and intelligent invasive or non-invasive sensor nodes in, on or around a human body for continuous health monitoring. These nodes are expected to use different power-efficient protocols in order to extend the WBAN lifetime. This paper highlights the power consumption and security issues of WBAN for healthcare applications. Numerous power saving mechanisms are discussed and a secure RFID-based protocol for WBAN is proposed. The performance of the proposed protocol is analyzed and compared with that of IEEE 802.15.6-based CSMA/CA and preamble-based TDMA protocols using extensive simulations. It is shown that the proposed protocol is power-efficient and protects patients' data from adversaries. It is less vulnerable to different attacks compared to that of IEEE 802.15.6-based CSMA/CA and preamble-based TDMA protocols. For a low traffic load and a single alkaline battery of capacity 2.6 Ah, the proposed protocol could extend the WBAN lifetime, when deployed on patients in hospitals or at homes, to approximately five years.

Developing a Video-Based eHealth Intervention for HIV-Positive Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Hirshfield, Sabina; Downing, Martin J; Parsons, Jeffrey T; Grov, Christian; Gordon, Rachel J; Houang, Steven T; Scheinmann, Roberta; Sullivan, Patrick S; Yoon, Irene S; Anderson, Ian; Chiasson, Mary Ann

2016-06-17

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) accounted for 67% of new US human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in 2012; however, less than 40% of HIV-positive GBMSM are virally suppressed. Preventing transmission from virally unsuppressed men who have condomless anal sex (CAS) with serodiscordant partners is a public health imperative. New HIV infections in GBMSM are attributed in part to online access to sex partners; therefore, low-cost eHealth interventions are a unique opportunity to reach men where they meet partners. To describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial evaluating whether video-based messaging delivered online may lead to reductions in serodiscordant CAS and increased HIV disclosure. Sex Positive!([+]) is a two-arm, phase III, video-based randomized controlled trial delivered online to GBMSM living with HIV. Participants in the intervention arm receive 10 video vignettes grounded in social learning and social cognitive theories that are designed to elicit critical thinking around issues of HIV transmission and disclosure. Participants in the attention control arm receive 10 video vignettes that focus on healthy living. All videos are optimized for mobile viewing. The study protocol includes five online assessments conducted over a 1-year period among 1500 US white, black, or Hispanic/Latino GBMSM living with HIV who report suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence or a detectable viral load in the past 12 months and recent CAS (past 6 months) with HIV-negative or unknown status male partners. Compared to the control arm, we hypothesize that men who watch the intervention videos will report at 12-month follow-up significantly fewer serodiscordant CAS partners, increased HIV disclosure, and improved social cognition (eg, condom use self-efficacy, perceived responsibility). Participant recruitment began in June 2015 and ended in December 2015. This protocol describes the underlying theoretical framework and measures, study design, recruitment challenges, and antifraud measures for an online, video-based randomized controlled trial that has the potential to decrease HIV transmission risk behaviors among HIV-positive GBMSM who struggle with ART adherence. The Sex Positive!([+]) intervention allows for participation through multiple Internet-based mediums and has the potential to reach and engage a broader population of HIV-positive GBMSM who are virally unsuppressed. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02023580; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02023580 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6iHzA8wRG).

Developing a Video-Based eHealth Intervention for HIV-Positive Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Downing Jr, Martin J; Parsons, Jeffrey T; Grov, Christian; Gordon, Rachel J; Houang, Steven T; Scheinmann, Roberta; Sullivan, Patrick S; Yoon, Irene S; Anderson, Ian; Chiasson, Mary Ann

2016-01-01

Background Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) accounted for 67% of new US human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in 2012; however, less than 40% of HIV-positive GBMSM are virally suppressed. Preventing transmission from virally unsuppressed men who have condomless anal sex (CAS) with serodiscordant partners is a public health imperative. New HIV infections in GBMSM are attributed in part to online access to sex partners; therefore, low-cost eHealth interventions are a unique opportunity to reach men where they meet partners. Objective To describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial evaluating whether video-based messaging delivered online may lead to reductions in serodiscordant CAS and increased HIV disclosure. Methods Sex Positive![+] is a two-arm, phase III, video-based randomized controlled trial delivered online to GBMSM living with HIV. Participants in the intervention arm receive 10 video vignettes grounded in social learning and social cognitive theories that are designed to elicit critical thinking around issues of HIV transmission and disclosure. Participants in the attention control arm receive 10 video vignettes that focus on healthy living. All videos are optimized for mobile viewing. The study protocol includes five online assessments conducted over a 1-year period among 1500 US white, black, or Hispanic/Latino GBMSM living with HIV who report suboptimal antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence or a detectable viral load in the past 12 months and recent CAS (past 6 months) with HIV-negative or unknown status male partners. Compared to the control arm, we hypothesize that men who watch the intervention videos will report at 12-month follow-up significantly fewer serodiscordant CAS partners, increased HIV disclosure, and improved social cognition (eg, condom use self-efficacy, perceived responsibility). Results Participant recruitment began in June 2015 and ended in December 2015. Conclusions This protocol describes the underlying theoretical framework and measures, study design, recruitment challenges, and antifraud measures for an online, video-based randomized controlled trial that has the potential to decrease HIV transmission risk behaviors among HIV-positive GBMSM who struggle with ART adherence. The Sex Positive![+] intervention allows for participation through multiple Internet-based mediums and has the potential to reach and engage a broader population of HIV-positive GBMSM who are virally unsuppressed. ClinicalTrial ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02023580; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02023580 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6iHzA8wRG) PMID:27315764

Optimal early active mobilisation protocol after extensor tendon repairs in zones V and VI: A systematic review of literature.

PubMed

Collocott, Shirley Jf; Kelly, Edel; Ellis, Richard F

2018-03-01

Early mobilisation protocols after repair of extensor tendons in zone V and VI provide better outcomes than immobilisation protocols. This systematic review investigated different early active mobilisation protocols used after extensor tendon repair in zone V and VI. The purpose was to determine whether any one early active mobilisation protocol provides superior results. An extensive literature search was conducted to identify articles investigating the outcomes of early active mobilisation protocols after extensor tendon repair in zone V and VI. Databases searched were AMED, Embase, Medline, Cochrane and CINAHL. Studies were included if they involved participants with extensor tendon repairs in zone V and VI in digits 2-5 and described a post-operative rehabilitation protocol which allowed early active metacarpophalangeal joint extension. Study designs included were randomised controlled trials, observational studies, cohort studies and case series. The Structured Effectiveness Quality Evaluation Scale was used to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Two types of early active mobilisation protocols were identified: controlled active motion protocols and relative motion extension splinting protocols. Articles describing relative motion extension splinting protocols were more recent but of lower methodological quality than those describing controlled active motion protocols. Participants treated with controlled active motion and relative motion extension splinting protocols had similar range of motion outcomes, but those in relative motion extension splinting groups returned to work earlier. The evidence reviewed suggested that relative motion extension splinting protocols may allow an earlier return to function than controlled active motion protocols without a greater risk of complication.

Optical Trap Loading of Dielectric Microparticles In Air.

PubMed

Park, Haesung; LeBrun, Thomas W

2017-02-05

We demonstrate a method to trap a selected dielectric microparticle in air using radiation pressure from a single-beam gradient optical trap. Randomly scattered dielectric microparticles adhered to a glass substrate are momentarily detached using ultrasonic vibrations generated by a piezoelectric transducer (PZT). Then, the optical beam focused on a selected particle lifts it up to the optical trap while the vibrationally excited microparticles fall back to the substrate. A particle may be trapped at the nominal focus of the trapping beam or at a position above the focus (referred to here as the levitation position) where gravity provides the restoring force. After the measurement, the trapped particle can be placed at a desired position on the substrate in a controlled manner. In this protocol, an experimental procedure for selective optical trap loading in air is outlined. First, the experimental setup is briefly introduced. Second, the design and fabrication of a PZT holder and a sample enclosure are illustrated in detail. The optical trap loading of a selected microparticle is then demonstrated with step-by-step instructions including sample preparation, launching into the trap, and use of electrostatic force to excite particle motion in the trap and measure charge. Finally, we present recorded particle trajectories of Brownian and ballistic motions of a trapped microparticle in air. These trajectories can be used to measure stiffness or to verify optical alignment through time domain and frequency domain analysis. Selective trap loading enables optical tweezers to track a particle and its changes over repeated trap loadings in a reversible manner, thereby enabling studies of particle-surface interaction.

High-load strength training improves outcome in patients with plantar fasciitis: A randomized controlled trial with 12-month follow-up.

PubMed

Rathleff, M S; Mølgaard, C M; Fredberg, U; Kaalund, S; Andersen, K B; Jensen, T T; Aaskov, S; Olesen, J L

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of shoe inserts and plantar fascia-specific stretching vs shoe inserts and high-load strength training in patients with plantar fasciitis. Forty-eight patients with ultrasonography-verified plantar fasciitis were randomized to shoe inserts and daily plantar-specific stretching (the stretch group) or shoe inserts and high-load progressive strength training (the strength group) performed every second day. High-load strength training consisted of unilateral heel raises with a towel inserted under the toes. Primary outcome was the foot function index (FFI) at 3 months. Additional follow-ups were performed at 1, 6, and 12 months. At the primary endpoint, at 3 months, the strength group had a FFI that was 29 points lower [95% confidence interval (CI): 6-52, P = 0.016] compared with the stretch group. At 1, 6, and 12 months, there were no differences between groups (P > 0.34). At 12 months, the FFI was 22 points (95% CI: 9-36) in the strength group and 16 points (95% CI: 0-32) in the stretch group. There were no differences in any of the secondary outcomes. A simple progressive exercise protocol, performed every second day, resulted in superior self-reported outcome after 3 months compared with plantar-specific stretching. High-load strength training may aid in a quicker reduction in pain and improvements in function. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Performance of Stochastic Targeted Blood Glucose Control Protocol by virtual trials in the Malaysian intensive care unit.

PubMed

Jamaludin, Ummu K; M Suhaimi, Fatanah; Abdul Razak, Normy Norfiza; Md Ralib, Azrina; Mat Nor, Mohd Basri; Pretty, Christopher G; Humaidi, Luqman

2018-08-01

Blood glucose variability is common in healthcare and it is not related or influenced by diabetes mellitus. To minimise the risk of high blood glucose in critically ill patients, Stochastic Targeted Blood Glucose Control Protocol is used in intensive care unit at hospitals worldwide. Thus, this study focuses on the performance of stochastic modelling protocol in comparison to the current blood glucose management protocols in the Malaysian intensive care unit. Also, this study is to assess the effectiveness of Stochastic Targeted Blood Glucose Control Protocol when it is applied to a cohort of diabetic patients. Retrospective data from 210 patients were obtained from a general hospital in Malaysia from May 2014 until June 2015, where 123 patients were having comorbid diabetes mellitus. The comparison of blood glucose control protocol performance between both protocol simulations was conducted through blood glucose fitted with physiological modelling on top of virtual trial simulations, mean calculation of simulation error and several graphical comparisons using stochastic modelling. Stochastic Targeted Blood Glucose Control Protocol reduces hyperglycaemia by 16% in diabetic and 9% in nondiabetic cohorts. The protocol helps to control blood glucose level in the targeted range of 4.0-10.0 mmol/L for 71.8% in diabetic and 82.7% in nondiabetic cohorts, besides minimising the treatment hour up to 71 h for 123 diabetic patients and 39 h for 87 nondiabetic patients. It is concluded that Stochastic Targeted Blood Glucose Control Protocol is good in reducing hyperglycaemia as compared to the current blood glucose management protocol in the Malaysian intensive care unit. Hence, the current Malaysian intensive care unit protocols need to be modified to enhance their performance, especially in the integration of insulin and nutrition intervention in decreasing the hyperglycaemia incidences. Improvement in Stochastic Targeted Blood Glucose Control Protocol in terms of u en model is also a must to adapt with the diabetic cohort. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intraductal collagenase delivery into the human pancreas using syringe loading or controlled perfusion.

PubMed

Lakey, J R; Warnock, G L; Shapiro, A M; Korbutt, G S; Ao, Z; Kneteman, N M; Rajotte, R V

1999-01-01

Effective intraductal delivery of the enzyme collagenase into the pancreas is crucial to the subsequent ability to isolate viable islets. Most clinical islet transplant centers load the enzyme into the pancreas by retrograde injection using a syringe following cannulation of the pancreatic duct. An alternative approach is to perfuse the pancreas via the pancreatic duct with collagenase solution using a recirculating perfusion device system. This provides control over perfusion pressures and collagenase temperature. This study reports on our evaluation of the delivery of Liberase-HI into the pancreas of 14 consecutive adult multiorgan cadaveric donors. Alternate glands were procured and processed using an identical protocol with the exception of collagenase delivery. The first group of pancreases was loaded using the perfusion technique where cold (4 degrees C) Liberase-HI was perfused at 80 mmHg for 5 min after which the pressure was increased to 180 mmHg. The collagenase solution was then slowly warmed to 35 degrees C, transferred to the dissociation chamber and mechanically dissociated, and then purified using discontinuous gradients of Ficoll. Pancreases in the second group were loaded with collagenase (28-32 degrees C) using the syringe technique before mechanical dissociation and purification. There were no significant differences in pancreas cold ischemia, donor age, body mass index, maximum blood glucose, or serum amylase of the donors between the two groups. Mean collagenase digestion time in the digestion chamber was not different between the two groups; however, the amount of undigested tissue remaining after dissociation was significantly higher in the syringe-loaded group (15.3 +/- 2.6 g vs. 4.6 +/- 2.1 g, mean +/- SEM, p < 0.05). Postdigestion recovery of islets was 471 +/- 83 x 10(3) IE in the perfusion group compared with 391 +/- 57 x 10(3) IE for the syringe-loaded group. Postpurification recovery was higher in the perfused group (379 +/- 45 vs. 251 +/- 28 x 10(3) IE, p < 0.05, two-tailed paired t-test). No difference in in vitro islet viability was observed between the two groups following glucose perifusion with the calculated stimulation index of 4.6 +/- 0.6 for the perfusion group and 4.2 +/- 0.7 for the syringe-loaded group. Controlled perfusion via the pancreatic duct allows the effective delivery of the enzyme achieving maximal distension to all regions of the pancreas leading to an increased recovery of the islets with no detrimental effect on subsequent in vitro islet function.

The Kinematics of Treadmill Locomotion in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thornton, W. E.; Cavanagh, P. R.; Buczek, F. L.; Burgess-Milliron, M. J.; Davis, B. L.

1997-01-01

Locomotion on a treadmill in 0 G will probably remain a centerpiece of NASA's exercise countermeasures programme. This form of physical activity has the potential to cause large bone and muscle forces as well as loading during a period of continuous treadmill exercise. A critical concern is the provision of a treadmill which can approximate 1 G performance in space. At this point, no adequate objective measurements of in-flight treadmill kinetics or of the human response to this activity have been made. Interpretation of the results obtained in the present study is limited by the following: (1) bungee tensions were not measured; (2) ground reaction forces were not measured in parallel with the kinematic measurements; and (3) the instrumentation used to film the astronauts could itself have been affected by microgravity. Despite these shortcomings, what is apparent is that exercise during NASA missions STS 7 and STS 8 resulted in leg motions that were similar to those found during 1 G locomotion on an inclined passive treadmill and on an active treadmill at an even steeper grade. In addition, it was apparent that the majority of the loads were transmitted through the forefoot, and one can surmise that this style of running would result in physiologically significant tensions in the calf musculature and resultant ankle compressive loading. Further speculation regarding limb loading is complicated by the fact that varying amounts of force are transmitted through (1) the treadmill handle and (2) bungee cords that act as a tether. New generations of treadmills are being manufactured that could provide I important information for planners of long-duration space missions. If these types of treadmill are flown on future missions, it will be possible to control bungee tensions more precisely, control for grade and speed, and, most importantly, provide data on the rates and magnitudes of limb loading. These data could then be incorporated into biomechanical models of the lower limb to more fully understand mechanisms of load transmission from distal to proximal structures and to optimize in-flight exercise protocols in such a way that muscle and bone loss could be reduced.

Effect of different CT scanners and settings on femoral failure loads calculated by finite element models.

PubMed

Eggermont, Florieke; Derikx, Loes C; Free, Jeffrey; van Leeuwen, Ruud; van der Linden, Yvette M; Verdonschot, Nico; Tanck, Esther

2018-03-06

In a multi-center patient study, using different CT scanners, CT-based finite element (FE) models are utilized to calculate failure loads of femora with metastases. Previous studies showed that using different CT scanners can result in different outcomes. This study aims to quantify the effects of (i) different CT scanners; (ii) different CT protocols with variations in slice thickness, field of view (FOV), and reconstruction kernel; and (iii) air between calibration phantom and patient, on Hounsfield Units (HU), bone mineral density (BMD), and FE failure load. Six cadaveric femora were scanned on four CT scanners. Scans were made with multiple CT protocols and with or without an air gap between the body model and calibration phantom. HU and calibrated BMD were determined in cortical and trabecular regions of interest. Non-linear isotropic FE models were constructed to calculate failure load. Mean differences between CT scanners varied up to 7% in cortical HU, 6% in trabecular HU, 6% in cortical BMD, 12% in trabecular BMD, and 17% in failure load. Changes in slice thickness and FOV had little effect (≤4%), while reconstruction kernels had a larger effect on HU (16%), BMD (17%), and failure load (9%). Air between the body model and calibration phantom slightly decreased the HU, BMD, and failure loads (≤8%). In conclusion, this study showed that quantitative analysis of CT images acquired with different CT scanners, and particularly reconstruction kernels, can induce relatively large differences in HU, BMD, and failure loads. Additionally, if possible, air artifacts should be avoided. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Orthopaedic Research Society. J Orthop Res. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

Mouse Embryo Cryopreservation by Rapid Cooling.

PubMed

Shaw, Jillian

2018-05-01

Embryo cryopreservation has been used to archive mouse strains. Protocols have evolved over this time and now vary considerably in terms of cryoprotectant solution, cooling and warming rates, methods to add and remove cryoprotectant, container or carrier type, volume of cryoprotectant, the stage of preimplantation development, and the use of additional treatments such as blastocyst puncture and microinjection. The rapid cooling methods use concentrated solutions of cryoprotectants to reduce the water content of the cell before cooling commences, thus preventing the formation of ice crystals. Embryos are equilibrated with the cryoprotectants, loaded into a carrier, and then rapidly cooled (e.g., by being plunged directly into LN 2 or onto a surface cooled in LN 2 ). The rapid cooling methods eliminate the need for controlled-rate freezers and seeding procedures. However, they are much more sensitive to minor variations when performing the steps. The rapid-cooling protocol described here is suitable for use with plastic insemination straws. Because it uses relatively large volumes, it is less technically demanding than some other methods that use minivolume devices. © 2018 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Quantifying the Impacts of Timebased Rates, Enabling Technology, and Other Treatments in Consumer Behavior Studies: Protocols and Guidelines

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

Cappers, Peter; Todd, Annika; Perry, Michael

2013-06-27

This report offers guidelines and protocols for measuring the effects of time-based rates, enabling technology, and various other treatments on customers’ levels and patterns of electricity usage. Although the focus is on evaluating consumer behavior studies (CBS) that involve field trials and pilots, the methods can be extended to assessing the large-scale programs that may follow. CBSs are undertaken to resolve uncertainties and ambiguities about how consumers respond to inducements to modify their electricity demand. Those inducements include price structures; feedback and information; and enabling technologies embedded in programs such as: critical peak, time-of use, real-time pricing; peak time rebatemore » or critical peak rebate; home energy reports and in-home displays; and all manner of device controls for appliances and plug loads. Although the focus of this report is on consumer studies—where the subjects are households—the behavioral sciences principles discussed and many of the methods recommended apply equally to studying commercial and industrial customer electricity demand.« less

Multi-load Groups Coordinated Load Control Strategy Considering Power Network Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Meng; Zhao, Binchao; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Guohui; Wang, Xin

2017-05-01

Loads with energy storage property can actively participate in power balance for power systems, this paper takes air conditioner as a controllable load example, proposing a multi-load groups coordinated load control strategy considering power network constraints. Firstly, two load control modes considering recovery of load diversity are designed, blocking power oscillation of aggregated air conditioners. As the same time, air conditioner temperature setpoint recovery control strategy is presented to avoid power recovery peak. Considering inherent characteristics of two load control modes, an coordinated load control mode is designed by combining the both. Basing on this, a multi-load groups coordinated load control strategy is proposed. During the implementing of load control, power network constraints should be satisfied. An indice which can reflect the security of power system operating is defined. By minimizing its value through optimization, the change of air conditioning loads’ aggregated power on each load bus can be calculated. Simulations are conducted on an air conditioners group and New England 10-generator 39-bus system, verifying the effectiveness of the proposed multi-load groups coordinated load control strategy considering power network constraints.

An Architecture to Enable Autonomous Control of Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

May, Ryan D.; Dever, Timothy P.; Soeder, James F.; George, Patrick J.; Morris, Paul H.; Colombano, Silvano P.; Frank, Jeremy D.; Schwabacher, Mark A.; Wang, Liu; LawLer, Dennis

2014-01-01

Autonomy is required for manned spacecraft missions distant enough that light-time communication delays make ground-based mission control infeasible. Presently, ground controllers develop a complete schedule of power modes for all spacecraft components based on a large number of factors. The proposed architecture is an early attempt to formalize and automate this process using on-vehicle computation resources. In order to demonstrate this architecture, an autonomous electrical power system controller and vehicle Mission Manager are constructed. These two components are designed to work together in order to plan upcoming load use as well as respond to unanticipated deviations from the plan. The communication protocol was developed using "paper" simulations prior to formally encoding the messages and developing software to implement the required functionality. These software routines exchange data via TCP/IP sockets with the Mission Manager operating at NASA Ames Research Center and the autonomous power controller running at NASA Glenn Research Center. The interconnected systems are tested and shown to be effective at planning the operation of a simulated quasi-steady state spacecraft power system and responding to unexpected disturbances.

Load controller and method to enhance effective capacity of a photovoltaic power supply using a dynamically determined expected peak loading

DOEpatents

Perez, Richard

2005-05-03

A load controller and method are provided for maximizing effective capacity of a non-controllable, renewable power supply coupled to a variable electrical load also coupled to a conventional power grid. Effective capacity is enhanced by monitoring power output of the renewable supply and loading, and comparing the loading against the power output and a load adjustment threshold determined from an expected peak loading. A value for a load adjustment parameter is calculated by subtracting the renewable supply output and the load adjustment parameter from the current load. This value is then employed to control the variable load in an amount proportional to the value of the load control parameter when the parameter is within a predefined range. By so controlling the load, the effective capacity of the non-controllable, renewable power supply is increased without any attempt at operational feedback control of the renewable supply.

A non-radioisotopic quantitative competitive polymerase chain reaction method: application in measurement of human herpesvirus 7 load.

PubMed

Kidd, I M; Clark, D A; Emery, V C

2000-06-01

Quantitative-competitive polymerase chain reaction (QCPCR) is a well-optimised and objective methodology for the determination of viral load in clinical specimens. A major advantage of QCPCR is the ability to control for the differential modulation of the PCR process in the presence of potentially inhibitory material. QCPCR protocols were developed previously for CMV, HHV-6, HHV-7 and HHV-8 and relied upon radioactively labelled primers, followed by autoradiography of the separated and digested PCR products to quantify viral load. Whilst this approach offers high accuracy and dynamic range, non-radioactive approaches would be attractive. Here, an alternative detection system is reported, based on simple ethidium bromide staining and computer analysis of the separated reaction products, which enables its adoption in the analysis of a large number of samples. In calibration experiments using cloned HHV-7 DNA, the ethidium bromide detection method showed an improved correlation with known copy number over that obtained with the isotopic method. In addition, 67 HHV-7 PCR positive blood samples, derived from immunocompromised patients, were quantified using both detection techniques. The results showed a highly significant correlation with no significant difference between the two methods. The applicability of the computerised densitometry method in the routine laboratory is discussed.

Challenges with effective nutrient supplementation for amphibians: A review of cricket studies.

PubMed

Livingston, Shannon; Lavin, Shana R; Sullivan, Kathleen; Attard, Lydia; Valdes, Eduardo V

2014-01-01

Over the last 25 years, numerous studies have investigated the impact of insect supplementation on insect nutrient content. In light of recent nutrition related challenges with regards to zoo amphibians fed an insect based diet, this review attempts to comprehensively compile both anecdotal and published data in the context of practical application on this topic. Insects, primarily crickets, used for amphibian diets historically demonstrate low concentrations of key nutrients including calcium and vitamin A. Commonly used practices for supplementation involving powder dusting or gut loading have been shown to improve delivery of calcium and vitamin A, though often not reaching desired nutrient concentrations. The large variety of factors influencing insect nutrient content are difficult to control, making study design, and results often inconsistent. Formulation and availability of more effective gut loading diets, combined with a standardized protocol for insect husbandry and dietary management may be the most effective way to supplement insects for use in amphibian feeding programs. Ideally, the nutritional improvement of feeder insects would begin at the breeder level; however, until this becomes a viable choice, we confirm that supplementation of crickets through both gut-loading and dusting appear necessary to support the nutritional health of amphibians and other insectivores in managed collections. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of neuromuscular fatigue on perceptual-cognitive skills between genders in the contribution to the knee joint loading during side-stepping tasks.

PubMed

Khalid, Abdul Jabbar; Harris, Sujae Ian; Michael, Loke; Joseph, Hamill; Qu, Xingda

2015-01-01

This study investigated whether neuromuscular fatigue affects the neuromuscular control of an athlete within a sports context setting and whether these effects were more pronounced in the females. Lower limb joint kinetics of 6 male and 6 female inter-varsity soccer players performing side-stepping tasks in non-fatigue versus fatigue and anticipated versus unanticipated conditions were quantified using 10 Motion Analysis Corporation cameras and a Kistler(™) force platform. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery Level 1 fatigue protocol was employed. Stance foot initial contact and peak forces, and peak joint knee moments of the lower limb were submitted to a 3-way mixed-model repeated measure ANOVA. The results suggested that males tend to elicit significantly higher knee joint loadings when fatigued. In addition, males elicited significantly higher peak proximal tibia anterior/posterior shear force, vertical ground reaction force at initial contact and peak internal rotational moments than females. These findings suggested that males were at greater overall injury risk than females, especially in the sagittal plane. Neuromuscular control-based training programmes/interventions that are designed to reduce the risk of the non-contact ACL injury need to be customised for the different genders.

Compact, Controlled Resistance Exercise Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paulus, David C.; DeWitt, John K.; Reich, Alton J.; Shaw, James E.; Deaconu, Stelu S.

2011-01-01

Spaceflight leads to muscle and bone atrophy. Isoinertial (free-weight) exercises provide a sufficient stimulus to elicit increases in both muscle strength and bone mineral density in Earth-based studies. While exercise equipment is in use on the International Space Station for crewmember health maintenance, current devices are too large to place in a transport vehicle or small spacecraft. Therefore, a portable computer controlled resistance exercise device is being developed that is able to simulate the inertial loading experienced when lifting a mass on Earth. This portable device weighs less than 50 lb and can simulate the resistance of lifting and lowering up to 600 lb of free-weights. The objective is to allow crewmembers to perform resistance exercise with loads capable of maintaining muscle and bone health. The device is reconfigurable and allows for the performance of typical Earth-based free-weight exercises. Forces exerted, volume of work, range of motion, time-under-tension, and speed/ acceleration of movement are recorded and can be remotely monitored to track progress and modify individual protocols based on exercise session data. A performance evaluation will be completed and data will be presented that include ground-reaction force comparisons between the device and free-weight dead-lifts over a spectrum of resistance levels. Movement biomechanics will also be presented.

Accelerated treatment protocols: full arch treatment with interim and definitive prostheses.

PubMed

Drago, Carl

2012-01-01

With the advent of titanium, root form implants and osseointegration, dental treatment has undergone a metamorphosis in recent years. These new techniques enable dentists to provide anchorage for various kinds of prostheses that improve masticatory function, esthetics, and comfort for patients. Implant treatment protocols have been improved relative to implant macro- and micro-geometries, surgical and prosthetic components, and treatment times. Over the past 20 years, immediate occlusal function (also known as loading) has been established as a predictable treatment modality, provided certain specific criteria are met. In many cases, edentulous patients, crippled by the loss of their teeth, can undergo outpatient surgical and prosthetic procedures and return to a masticatory function that is near normal--sometimes after only one day of surgical and prosthetic treatment. This treatment option is also available for patients with advanced, generalized periodontal disease. Computer-assisted design/Computer-assisted manufacturing (CAD/CAM) has transformed how dental prostheses are made, offering improved accuracy, longevity, and biocompatibility; along with reduced labor costs and fewer complications than casting technologies. This article reviews the principles associated with immediate occlusal loading and illustrates one specific accelerated prosthodontic treatment protocol used to treat edentulous and partially edentulous patients with interim and definitive prostheses.

The effects of loading on the preload and dimensions of the abutment screw for a 3-unit cantilever-fixed prosthesis design.

PubMed

Setia, Gaurav; Yousef, Hoda; Ehrenberg, David; Luke, Allyn; Weiner, Saul

2013-08-01

The purpose of this study was to use an in vitro model system to compare the effects on the screw torque and screw dimensions within 2 commercially available implant systems from occlusal loading on a cantilevered-fixed partial denture. Cantilevered implant-supported 3-unit prostheses with 2 premolar abutments and 1 premolar pontic (7.3 mm in length) were made on resin casts containing 2 implant analogs for 2 implant systems: BioLok Silhouette Tapered Implant System (Birmingham, AL) and Zimmer Tapered Screw-Vent Implant System (Carlsbad, CA) with 10 samples in each group. Each sample was loaded with either of 2 protocols: (1) a load of 50 N on the cantilevered pontic unit and (2) a loading of 150 N on all 3 units. The outcome measures were (1) changes in residual torque of the abutment screws and (2) changes in screw dimension. The BioLok Silhouette Tapered Implant group demonstrated slight but statistically significant torque loss 18.8% to 28.5% in both abutment screws for both protocols, P ≤ 0.05, without any changes in screw dimension. In the Zimmer Tapered Screw-Vent Implant group, there was a significant elongation of the abutment screws and a markedly significant 44.4%, (P ≤ 0.01) loss in torque in the mesial screw and a 28.5%, (P ≤ 0.05) loss in torque in the distal screw when the cantilever alone was loaded. Differences in screw design influence the maintenance of preload and distortion of the shank. The influence of the interface design, namely an internal hex of 1 mm versus an external hex did not influence the preload. Cantilevered prostheses can cause loss of torque and dimensional changes in abutment screws.

GAPR2: A DTN Routing Protocol for Communications in Challenged, Degraded, and Denied Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

Transmission Speed Vs. Latency Figure 4.7: Helsinki Simulation Set 2, High Network Load and Small Buffers Analysis of Delivery Ratio in Helsinki Simulation...ipnsig.org/. [17] MANET routing, class notes for CS4554: Network modeling and analysis . 119 [18] S. Basagni et al. Mobile ad hoc networking . John...Wiley & Sons, 2004. [19] E. Royer et al. A review of current routing protocols for ad hoc mobile wireless networks . Personal Communications, IEEE, 6(2

Biomechanical evaluation of a transtibial pull-out meniscal root repair: challenging the bungee effect.

PubMed

Cerminara, Anthony J; LaPrade, Christopher M; Smith, Sean D; Ellman, Michael B; Wijdicks, Coen A; LaPrade, Robert F

2014-12-01

A common treatment for posterior meniscal root tears is transtibial pull-out repair, which has been biomechanically reported to restore tibiofemoral contact mechanics to those of the intact knee. Biomechanical data suggest that there is significant displacement of the repaired meniscal root with cyclic loading, which may be responsible for the poor healing and meniscal extrusion demonstrated in some clinical studies. The purpose of this study was to quantify the time-zero displacement of the posterior meniscal root in response to cyclic loading after transtibial pull-out repair and to quantify the individual contributions to displacement of the following: (1) suture elongation, (2) button-bone interface, and (3) meniscus-suture interface. The meniscus-suture interface was hypothesized to result in significantly more displacement than the button-bone interface or suture elongation. Descriptive laboratory study. Transtibial pull-out repair of the posterior medial meniscal root was performed in 6 porcine knees, and cyclic displacement was measured using a loading protocol representative of postoperative rehabilitation. Displacement from (1) suture elongation, (2) the button-bone interface, and (3) the meniscus-suture interface was determined by cyclically loading 6 specimens for each construct using the same loading protocol to determine the contribution of each component to the overall displacement of the repair construct. After 1000 cycles, the repair construct displaced by a mean of 3.28 mm (95% CI, 2.07-4.49). The meniscus-suture component (mean, 2.52 mm; 95% CI, 2.21-2.83) displaced significantly more than the button-bone component (mean, 0.90 mm; 95% CI, 0.64-1.15; P = .006) and suture elongation component (mean, 0.71 mm; 95% CI, 0.36-1.06; P = .006) after 1000 cycles. Displacement of the button-bone and suture elongation components was not significantly different after 1000 cycles (P = .720). There was substantial displacement of the posterior medial meniscal root repaired with the transtibial pull-out technique under a cyclic loading protocol simulating postoperative rehabilitation. The meniscus-suture interface contributed to significantly more displacement than the button-bone interface and suture elongation in the transtibial pull-out repair construct. The results provide a framework for optimizing the transtibial pull-out repair technique. Future studies should focus on improving suture fixation strength within the meniscus-suture interface. © 2014 The Author(s).

Load controller and method to enhance effective capacity of a photovotaic power supply using a dynamically determined expected peak loading

DOEpatents

Perez, Richard

2003-04-01

A load controller and method are provided for maximizing effective capacity of a non-controllable, renewable power supply coupled to a variable electrical load also coupled to a conventional power grid. Effective capacity is enhanced by monitoring power output of the renewable supply and loading, and comparing the loading against the power output and a load adjustment threshold determined from an expected peak loading. A value for a load adjustment parameter is calculated by subtracting the renewable supply output and the load adjustment parameter from the current load. This value is then employed to control the variable load in an amount proportional to the value of the load control parameter when the parameter is within a predefined range. By so controlling the load, the effective capacity of the non-controllable, renewable power supply is increased without any attempt at operational feedback control of the renewable supply. The expected peak loading of the variable load can be dynamically determined within a defined time interval with reference to variations in the variable load.

BIOLOGICAL NETWORK EXPLORATION WITH CYTOSCAPE 3

PubMed Central

Su, Gang; Morris, John H.; Demchak, Barry; Bader, Gary D.

2014-01-01

Cytoscape is one of the most popular open-source software tools for the visual exploration of biomedical networks composed of protein, gene and other types of interactions. It offers researchers a versatile and interactive visualization interface for exploring complex biological interconnections supported by diverse annotation and experimental data, thereby facilitating research tasks such as predicting gene function and pathway construction. Cytoscape provides core functionality to load, visualize, search, filter and save networks, and hundreds of Apps extend this functionality to address specific research needs. The latest generation of Cytoscape (version 3.0 and later) has substantial improvements in function, user interface and performance relative to previous versions. This protocol aims to jump-start new users with specific protocols for basic Cytoscape functions, such as installing Cytoscape and Cytoscape Apps, loading data, visualizing and navigating the network, visualizing network associated data (attributes) and identifying clusters. It also highlights new features that benefit experienced users. PMID:25199793

Evaluation of American Board of Orthodontics certification protocols in postgraduate orthodontic programs in the United States and Canada.

PubMed

Park, Jae Hyun; Putrus, Raphael R; Pruzansky, Dawn P; Grubb, John

2017-03-01

The objective of this study was to identify the board certification protocols that hospital and university-based postgraduate orthodontic programs have in place to prepare residents for the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) certification examination. An electronic survey was sent to the program directors of each of the 72 postgraduate orthodontic programs in the United States and Canada. The survey consisted of 49 questions about demographics, resident case assignment protocols, and ABO examination preparation methods. The response rate was 81%. Most programs were 30 to 36 months in length (72.7%). Many residents had a case load of 51 to 75 during their first year (50.9%), with an average maximum case load of 70 to 109. There was a positive correlation with both the number of cases that first-year residents start and the length of the program (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.379; P <0.01) when compared with maximum case load. Approximately 72% of the programs do not offer a written mock board examination; however, 72% reported offering a clinical mock board examination. ABO cases are identified within the first 6 months of most programs. About 88% of respondents believe that residents take advantage of the banking system, and that over the past 5 years ABO Initial Certification Examination applications have increased. Most program directors (89.1%) believe that their program length is sufficient for board preparation. Subjects tested in the written examination are integrated into the didactic curriculum and strengthened with ongoing literature reviews, with a passing rate over 90%. Clinical examination preparation varies, with most programs requiring a mock board examination for graduation. Total participation in both the Initial Certification Examination and banking has increased since 2010; better follow-up protocols are needed to track residents after graduation. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oral rehabilitation and psychosocial evaluation of a patient with bulimia nervosa following Teeth in a Day® immediate loading protocol.

PubMed

Balshi, Thomas J; Wolfinger, Glenn J; Alfano, Stephen G; Croce, J Neil Della; Balshi, Stephen F

2015-04-01

The purpose of this patient report is to accurately portray the clinical experience of treating an active bulimic patient by employing an immediately loaded dental implant protocol to provide the patient with an expedited esthetic and functional result. Implementation of a psychometric component statistically quantifies the psychological effects of the oral rehabilitation. A 34-year-old woman presented with severe dental perimolysis (erosion) resulting from a 28-year history of bulimic behaviors. Clinical and radiographic evaluation of the existing dentition indicated advanced dental erosion and previous restoration attempts in a state of failure. The patient's existing teeth were extracted and treated with full maxillary and mandibular implant-supported prostheses, following the Teeth in a Day® (TIAD) immediate functional loading protocol. Psychometric assessment was conducted through administration of a 20-item questionnaire, as seen in previous literature. Radiographic and clinical analysis suggested all implant fixtures to be viable and accompanied by normal levels of alveolar bone 7 months into treatment. Questionnaire results at the new-patient presentation (T1) resulted in a composite score of 4.0 (SD = 2.9; P = 0.004), indicating severe body-image dysphoria. At 3 months postoperative (T2), the questionnaire score was 0.4 (SD = -1.7; P = 0.09). The final psychometric questionnaire at 7 months (T3) resulted in a score of 0.5 (SD = -1.5; P = 0.12). The patient was followed for a total of 7 years following implant placement. In this patient report, oral rehabilitation using the TIAD protocol provided an expedited and predictable alternative method for restoring functional abilities, esthetics, and self-esteem to a severely depressed bulimic patient. Psychometrically, at the postoperative (T2) and final testing period (T3), the patient's body image profile was no longer considered to be significantly different from established normative values.

Metabolic demands and replenishment of muscle glycogen after a rugby league match simulation protocol.

PubMed

Bradley, Warren J; Hannon, Marcus P; Benford, Victoria; Morehen, James C; Twist, Craig; Shepherd, Sam; Cocks, Matthew; Impey, Samuel G; Cooper, Robert G; Morton, James P; Close, Graeme L

2017-09-01

The metabolic requirements of a rugby league match simulation protocol and the timing of carbohydrate provision on glycogen re-synthesis in damaged muscle were examined. Fifteen (mean±SD: age 20.9±2.9 year, body-mass 87.3±14.1kg, height 177.4±6.0cm) rugby league (RL) players consumed a 6gkgday-1 CHO diet for 7-days, completed a time to exhaustion test (TTE) and a glycogen depletion protocol on day-3, a RL simulated-match protocol (RLMSP) on day-5 and a TTE on day-7. Players were prescribed an immediate or delayed (2-h-post) re-feed post-simulation. Muscle biopsies and blood samples were obtained post-depletion, before and after simulated match-play, and 48-h after match-play with PlayerLoad and heart-rate collected throughout the simulation. Data were analysed using effects sizes±90% CI and magnitude-based inferences. PlayerLoad (8.0±0.7 AUmin-1) and %HRpeak (83±4.9%) during the simulation were similar to values reported for RL match-play. Muscle glycogen very likely increased from immediately after to 48-h post-simulation (272±97 cf. 416±162mmolkg-1d.w.; ES±90%CI) after immediate re-feed, but changes were unclear (283±68 cf. 361±144mmolkg-1d.w.; ES±90%CI) after delayed re-feed. CK almost certainly increased by 77.9±25.4% (0.75±0.19) post-simulation for all players. The RLMSP presents a replication of the internal loads associated with professional RL match-play, although difficulties in replicating the collision reduced the metabolic demands and glycogen utilisation. Further, it is possible to replete muscle glycogen in damaged muscle employing an immediate re-feed strategy. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of competitive exclusion with classical cleaning and disinfection on bacterial load in pig nursery units.

PubMed

Luyckx, K; Millet, S; Van Weyenberg, S; Herman, L; Heyndrickx, M; Dewulf, J; De Reu, K

2016-09-06

Colonisation of the environment of nursery units by pathogenic micro-organisms is an important factor in the persistence and spread of endemic diseases in pigs and zoonotic pathogens. These pathogens are generally controlled by the use of antibiotics and disinfectants. Since an increasing resistance against these measures has been reported in recent years, methods such as competitive exclusion (CE) are promoted as promising alternatives. This study showed that the infection pressure in CE units after microbial cleaning was not reduced to the same degree as in control units. Despite sufficient administration of probiotic-type spores, the analysed bacteria did not decrease in number after 3 production rounds in CE units, indicating no competitive exclusion. In addition, no differences in feed conversion were found between piglets raised in CE and control units in our study. Also, no differences in faecal consistency (indicator for enteric diseases) was noticed. These results indicate that the CE protocol is not a valuable alternative for classical C&D.

Effect of cyclic loading and retightening on reverse torque value in external and internal implants.

PubMed

Cho, Woong-Rae; Huh, Yoon-Hyuk; Park, Chan-Jin; Cho, Lee-Ra

2015-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cyclic loading and screw retightening on reverse torque value (RTV) in external and internal type implants. Cement-retained abutments were connected with 30 Ncm torque to external and internal type implants. Experimental groups were classified according to implant connection type and retightening/loading protocol. In groups with no retightening, RTV was evaluated after cyclic loading for 100,000 cycles. In groups with retightening, RTV was measured after 3, 10, 100 cycles as well as every 20,000 cycles until 100,000 cycles of loading. Every group showed decreased RTV after cyclic loading. Before and after cyclic loading, external type implants had significantly higher RTVs than internal type implants. In external type implants, retightening did not affect the decrease in RTV. In contrast, retightening 5 times and retightening after 10 cycles of dynamic loading was effective for maintaining RTV in internal type implants. Retightening of screws is more effective in internal type implants than external type implants. Retightening of screws is recommended in the early stage of functional loading.

Rough spacecraft surfaces -a threat to Planetary Protection issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Probst, Alexander; Facius, Rainer; Wirth, Reinhard; Moissl-Eichinger, Christine

Inadvertent introduction of terrestrial microorganisms to foreign solar bodies could compromise the integrity of present and future life detection missions. For Planetary Protection purposes space agencies measure the aerobic, mesophilic spore load of a spacecraft as a proxy indicator in order to determine its bioload. Emerging novel hardware in space science implicates novel surface structures and materials that need to be controlled with regard to contaminations. For instance (roughened) carbon fiber reinforced plastic and Vectran fabric for construction of landing platforms and airbags, respectively, have been used in some Mars exploration missions. These materials have different levels of roughness and their potential risk to retain spores for insufficient sampling success has never been in scope of investigation. In this comprehensive study we evaluated ESA's novel nylon flocked swab protocol on stainless steel and other tech-nical surfaces with regard to Bacillus spore recovery. Low recovery efficiencies of the ESA standard wipe assay for large surface sampling were demonstrated with regard to Bacillus at-rophaeus spore detection. Therefore another protocol designed for rough surface sampling was evaluated on Vectran fabric and (roughened) carbon fiber reinforced plastic. Moreover, scan-ning electron micrographs of the technical surfaces studied allowed a more detailed view on their properties. The evaluated sampling protocols and the corresponding results are of high interest for future life detection missions in order to preserve their scientific integrity throughout spacecraft assembly.

Treadmill Exercise with Increased Body Loading Enhances Post Flight Functional Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloomberg, J. J.; Batson, C. D.; Buxton, R. E.; Feiveson, A. H.; Kofman, I. S.; Laurie, S.; Lee, S. M. C.; Miller, C. A.; Mulavara, A. P.; Peters, B. T.;

Enhanced Weight based DSR for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Samant; Jain, Sweta

2011-12-01

Routing in ad hoc network is a great problematic, since a good routing protocol must ensure fast and efficient packet forwarding, which isn't evident in ad hoc networks. In literature there exists lot of routing protocols however they don't include all the aspects of ad hoc networks as mobility, device and medium constraints which make these protocols not efficient for some configuration and categories of ad hoc networks. Thus in this paper we propose an improvement of Weight Based DSR in order to include some of the aspects of ad hoc networks as stability, remaining battery power, load and trust factor and proposing a new approach Enhanced Weight Based DSR.

Characterisation of diesel particulate emission from engines using commercial diesel and biofuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ajtai, T.; Pintér, M.; Utry, N.; Kiss-Albert, G.; Gulyás, G.; Pusztai, P.; Puskás, R.; Bereczky, Á.; Szabados, Gy.; Szabó, G.; Kónya, Z.; Bozóki, Z.

2016-06-01

In this paper, the number concentration and the size distribution of diluted diesel exhaust particulate matter were measured at three different engine operating points in the speed-load range of the engine as follows: 1600 rpm; 50% load, 1900 rpm; 25% load, 1900 rpm; 75% load, adopted from the UN ECE Vehicle Regulation no. 49 (Revision 2) test protocol using pure diesel and biodiesel fuels, as well as their controlled blends. The emitted particulate assembly had lognormal size distribution in the accumulation mode regardless of the engine operational condition and the type of fuel. The total number and volume concentration emitted by the diesel engine decreased with increasing revolution per minute and rated torque in case of all the fuel types. The mixing ratio of the fuels did not linearly affect the total emission but had a minimum at 75% biodiesel content. We also studied the thermal evolution of the emitted particulates using a specially designed thermodenuder (TD) heated at specific temperatures (50 °C, 120 °C, and 250 °C). The first transition, when the temperature was increased from 50 °C to 120 °C resulted in lower number concentrations with small relative shifts of the peak position. However, in case of the second transition, when the temperature reached 250 °C the individual volatile particulates adsorbed onto the surface of soot particles were completely or partly vaporised resulting in lower total number concentrations with a substantial shift in peak position.

Transcatheter Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Doxorubicin-loaded DC Bead (DEBDOX): Technical Recommendations

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

Lencioni, Riccardo, E-mail: riccardo.lencioni@med.unipi.it; Baere, Thierry de; Burrel, Marta

2012-10-15

Tranarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been established by a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials as the standard of care for nonsurgical patients with large or multinodular noninvasive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) isolated to the liver and with preserved liver function. Although conventional TACE with administration of an anticancer-in-oil emulsion followed by embolic agents has been the most popular technique, the introduction of embolic drug-eluting beads has provided an alternative to lipiodol-based regimens. Experimental studies have shown that TACE with drug-eluting beads has a safe pharmacokinetic profile and results in effective tumor killing in animal models. Early clinical experiences have confirmed that drug-elutingmore » beads provide a combined ischemic and cytotoxic effect locally with low systemic toxic exposure. Recently, the clinical value of a TACE protocol performed by using the embolic microsphere DC Bead loaded with doxorubicin (DEBDOX; drug-eluting bead doxorubicin) has been shown by randomized controlled trials. An important limitation of conventional TACE has been the inconsistency in the technique and the treatment schedules. This limitation has hampered the acceptance of TACE as a standard oncology treatment. Doxorubicin-loaded DC Bead provides levels of consistency and repeatability not available with conventional TACE and offers the opportunity to implement a standardized approach to HCC treatment. With this in mind, a panel of physicians took part in a consensus meeting held during the European Conference on Interventional Oncology in Florence, Italy, to develop a set of technical recommendations for the use of DEBDOX in HCC treatment. The conclusions of the expert panel are summarized.« less

A universal real-time PCR assay for the quantification of group-M HIV-1 proviral load.

PubMed

Malnati, Mauro S; Scarlatti, Gabriella; Gatto, Francesca; Salvatori, Francesca; Cassina, Giulia; Rutigliano, Teresa; Volpi, Rosy; Lusso, Paolo

2008-01-01

Quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) proviral DNA is increasingly used to measure the HIV-1 cellular reservoirs, a helpful marker to evaluate the efficacy of antiretroviral therapeutic regimens in HIV-1-infected individuals. Furthermore, the proviral DNA load represents a specific marker for the early diagnosis of perinatal HIV-1 infection and might be predictive of HIV-1 disease progression independently of plasma HIV-1 RNA levels and CD4(+) T-cell counts. The high degree of genetic variability of HIV-1 poses a serious challenge for the design of a universal quantitative assay capable of detecting all the genetic subtypes within the main (M) HIV-1 group with similar efficiency. Here, we describe a highly sensitive real-time PCR protocol that allows for the correct quantification of virtually all group-M HIV-1 strains with a higher degree of accuracy compared with other methods. The protocol involves three stages, namely DNA extraction/lysis, cellular DNA quantification and HIV-1 proviral load assessment. Owing to the robustness of the PCR design, this assay can be performed on crude cellular extracts, and therefore it may be suitable for the routine analysis of clinical samples even in developing countries. An accurate quantification of the HIV-1 proviral load can be achieved within 1 d from blood withdrawal.

Non destructive testing of concrete nuclear containment plants with surface waves: Lab experiment on decimeter slabs and on the VeRCoRs mock-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abraham, Odile; Legland, Jean-Baptiste; Durand, Olivier; Hénault, Jean-Marie; Garnier, Vincent

2018-04-01

The maintenance and evaluation of concrete nuclear containment walls is a major concern as they must, in case of an accident, ensure the confinement of the nuclear radiations and resist to the loads. A homemade multi-receiver multi-source dry contact linear probe to record ultrasonic surface waves on concrete in the frequency range [60 kHz - 200 kHz] has been used in this context. The measurement protocol includes the summation of up to 50 spatially distributed seismograms and the determination of the surface waves phase velocity dispersion curve. The probe has been tested against several concrete states under no loading (water saturation level, temperature damage). Then, the same measurements have been performed on sound and fire damaged slabs submitted to uniaxial loading (stress up to 30 % of the concrete compression resistance). It is shown that the robustness and precision of the surface waves measurement protocol make it possible to follow the stress level. In March 2017 a first experiment with this surface wave probe has been conducted on a reduced 1:3 scale nuclear containment plant (EDF VeRCoRs mock-up) under loading conditions that replicates that of decennial inspection. The surface wave phase velocity dispersion curves of each state are compared and cross-validated with other NDT results.

Subgroup analyses in randomised controlled trials: cohort study on trial protocols and journal publications.

PubMed

Kasenda, Benjamin; Schandelmaier, Stefan; Sun, Xin; von Elm, Erik; You, John; Blümle, Anette; Tomonaga, Yuki; Saccilotto, Ramon; Amstutz, Alain; Bengough, Theresa; Meerpohl, Joerg J; Stegert, Mihaela; Olu, Kelechi K; Tikkinen, Kari A O; Neumann, Ignacio; Carrasco-Labra, Alonso; Faulhaber, Markus; Mulla, Sohail M; Mertz, Dominik; Akl, Elie A; Bassler, Dirk; Busse, Jason W; Ferreira-González, Ignacio; Lamontagne, Francois; Nordmann, Alain; Gloy, Viktoria; Raatz, Heike; Moja, Lorenzo; Rosenthal, Rachel; Ebrahim, Shanil; Vandvik, Per O; Johnston, Bradley C; Walter, Martin A; Burnand, Bernard; Schwenkglenks, Matthias; Hemkens, Lars G; Bucher, Heiner C; Guyatt, Gordon H; Briel, Matthias

2014-07-16

To investigate the planning of subgroup analyses in protocols of randomised controlled trials and the agreement with corresponding full journal publications. Cohort of protocols of randomised controlled trial and subsequent full journal publications. Six research ethics committees in Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. 894 protocols of randomised controlled trial involving patients approved by participating research ethics committees between 2000 and 2003 and 515 subsequent full journal publications. Of 894 protocols of randomised controlled trials, 252 (28.2%) included one or more planned subgroup analyses. Of those, 17 (6.7%) provided a clear hypothesis for at least one subgroup analysis, 10 (4.0%) anticipated the direction of a subgroup effect, and 87 (34.5%) planned a statistical test for interaction. Industry sponsored trials more often planned subgroup analyses compared with investigator sponsored trials (195/551 (35.4%) v 57/343 (16.6%), P<0.001). Of 515 identified journal publications, 246 (47.8%) reported at least one subgroup analysis. In 81 (32.9%) of the 246 publications reporting subgroup analyses, authors stated that subgroup analyses were prespecified, but this was not supported by 28 (34.6%) corresponding protocols. In 86 publications, authors claimed a subgroup effect, but only 36 (41.9%) corresponding protocols reported a planned subgroup analysis. Subgroup analyses are insufficiently described in the protocols of randomised controlled trials submitted to research ethics committees, and investigators rarely specify the anticipated direction of subgroup effects. More than one third of statements in publications of randomised controlled trials about subgroup prespecification had no documentation in the corresponding protocols. Definitive judgments regarding credibility of claimed subgroup effects are not possible without access to protocols and analysis plans of randomised controlled trials. © The DISCO study group 2014.

Fuzz Testing of Industrial Network Protocols in Programmable Logic Controllers

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

PLCs) are vital components in these cyber-physical systems. The industrial network protocols used to communicate between nodes in a control network...AB/RA) MicroLogix 1100 PLC through its implementation of EtherNet/IP, Common Industrial Protocol (CIP), and Programmable Controller Communication ...Commands (PCCC) communication protocols. This research also examines whether cross-generational vulnerabilities exist in the more advanced AB/RA

Image-based Lagrangian Particle Tracking in Bed-load Experiments.

PubMed

Radice, Alessio; Sarkar, Sankar; Ballio, Francesco

2017-07-20

Image analysis has been increasingly used for the measurement of river flows due to its capabilities to furnish detailed quantitative depictions at a relatively low cost. This manuscript describes an application of particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) to a bed-load experiment with lightweight sediment. The key characteristics of the investigated sediment transport conditions were the presence of a covered flow and of a fixed rough bed above which particles were released in limited number at the flume inlet. Under the applied flow conditions, the motion of the individual bed-load particles was intermittent, with alternating movement and stillness terms. The flow pattern was preliminarily characterized by acoustic measurements of vertical profiles of the stream-wise velocity. During process visualization, a large field of view was obtained using two action-cameras placed at different locations along the flume. The experimental protocol is described in terms of channel calibration, experiment realization, image pre-processing, automatic particle tracking, and post-processing of particle track data from the two cameras. The presented proof-of-concept results include probability distributions of the particle hop length and duration. The achievements of this work are compared to those of existing literature to demonstrate the validity of the protocol.

Blood lactate thresholds and walking/running economy are determinants of backpack-running performance in trained soldiers.

PubMed

Simpson, Richard J; Graham, Scott M; Connaboy, Christopher; Clement, Richard; Pollonini, Luca; Florida-James, Geraint D

2017-01-01

We developed a standardized laboratory treadmill protocol for assessing physiological responses to a simulated backpack load-carriage task in trained soldiers, and assessed the efficacy of blood lactate thresholds (LTs) and economy in predicting future backpack running success over an 8-mile course in field conditions. LTs and corresponding physiological responses were determined in 17 elite British soldiers who completed an incremental treadmill walk/run protocol to exhaustion carrying 20 kg backpack load. Treadmill velocity at the breakpoint (r = -0.85) and Δ 1 mmol l(-1) (r = -0.80) LTs, and relative V˙O2 at 4 mmol l(-1) (r = 0.76) and treadmill walk/run velocities of 6.4 (r = 0.76), 7.4 (r = 0.80), 11.4 (r = 0.66) and 12.4 (r = 0.65) km h(-1) were significantly associated with field test completion time. We report for the first time that LTs and backpack walk/run economy are major determinants of backpack load-carriage performance in trained soldiers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single preoperative dose of prophylactic amoxicillin versus a 2-day postoperative course in dental implant surgery: A two-centre randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Arduino, Paolo G; Tirone, Federico; Schiorlin, Emanuele; Esposito, Marco

2015-01-01

To evaluate the difference between a single preoperative dose versus an additional two-day postoperative course of oral amoxicillin in patients undergoing conventional dental implant placement. Two dentists in two different private practices conducted this study. One hour prior to surgery, patients had to take a single prophylactic antibiotic dose, consisting of 2 g of amoxicillin orally; after implant placement, patients were randomly allocated to two different groups: protocol A (no other antibiotic administration) and protocol B, (1 g of amoxicillin in the evening of the day of surgery and 1 g twice a day for the 2 days after). Outcome measures were prosthetic and implant failures, adverse events and early postoperative complications. Patients were followed up to 6 months after functional loading. Three hundred and sixty patients were randomised and treated (192 patients in one centre and 168 in the other). Five hundred and sixty-seven implants were placed. Protocol A was applied to 180 patients (278 implants) and protocol B also to 180 patients (289 implants). Data for 17 patients, 14 from protocol A and three from protocol B, were not available. No statistically significant differences were found for the reported outcomes. Two patients of protocol B experienced a prosthetic failure, losing four implants, while no prosthetic failures were reported for protocol A (P=0.4836; difference in proportions=-0.0110; 95% CI: -0.0412 to 0.0119). Five patients (3.0%) of protocol A lost five implants versus 5 patients (2.8%) who lost eight implants in protocol B (P=1.0000; difference in proportions=0.0020; 95% CI: -0.0384 to 0.0438). Three adverse events were observed in the total population, all occurring in protocol B (1.69%), with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P=0.1199; difference in proportions=-0.0170; 95% CI: -0.0487 to 0.0059). However, one patient experienced a severe allergic reaction requiring therapy discontinuation and hospital admission. Early postoperative complications occurred in six patients of protocol A and in four patients of protocol B, with no statistically significant differences (P=0.5170; difference in proportions=0.0130; 95% CI: -0.0254 to 0.0568). No statistically significant differences were observed between 2 g of preoperative amoxicillin and an additional 2-day postoperative course, although adverse events were reported only in the additional 2-day postoperative group. Based on these findings, it might be sufficient to routinely administer preoperatively 2 g of amoxicillin to patients undergoing routine dental implant placement procedures rather than administering additional postoperative doses.

Effects of Two Training Modalities on Body Fat and Insulin Resistance in Postmenopausal Women.

PubMed

Henríquez, Sandra; Monsalves-Alvarez, Matías; Jimenez, Teresa; Barrera, Gladys; Hirsch, Sandra; de la Maza, María Pia; Leiva, Laura; Rodriguez, Juan Manuel; Silva, Claudio; Bunout, Daniel

2017-11-01

Henríquez, S, Monsalves-Alvarez, M, Jimenez, T, Barrera, G, Hirsch, S, de la Maza, MP, Leiva, L, Rodriguez, JM, Silva, C, and Bunout, D. Effects of two training modalities on body fat and insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. J Strength Cond Res 31(11): 2955-2964, 2017-Our objective was to compare the effects of a low-load circuit resistance training protocol and usual aerobic training in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women with at least 1 feature of the metabolic syndrome were randomly allocated to a low-load circuit resistance training protocol or traditional aerobic training in a braked cycle ergometer. The intervention consisted in supervised sessions lasting 40 minutes, 3 times per week, during 6 months. At baseline and at the end of the intervention, fasting serum lipid levels, serum interleukin 6, C-reactive protein, 8 isoprostanes, and insulin resistance (assessed through QUICKI and HOMA-IR) were measured. Body fat was measured by double-beam X-ray absorptiometry and by computed tomography densitometric quantification at lumbar 3 vertebral level. Twenty-one women aged 58 (54-59) years were allocated to aerobic training and 21 women aged 55 (52-61) years were allocated to the low-load circuit resistance training protocol. Eighteen and 16 women in each group completed the 6 months training period. Women in both groups experienced significant reductions in blood pressure, total body, subcutaneous, and intraabdominal body fat. Reductions in total cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels were also observed. No changes in insulin resistance indexes, 8 isoprostanes, C-reactive protein, or interleukin 6 were observed in either group. No significant differences between treatment groups were observed in any of the measured parameters. We conclude that low-load circuit resistance training and aerobic training resulted in the same reductions in body fat and serum lipid levels.

Thermal/optical methods for elemental carbon quantification in soils and urban dusts: equivalence of different analysis protocols.

PubMed

Han, Yongming; Chen, Antony; Cao, Junji; Fung, Kochy; Ho, Fai; Yan, Beizhan; Zhan, Changlin; Liu, Suixin; Wei, Chong; An, Zhisheng

2013-01-01

Quantifying elemental carbon (EC) content in geological samples is challenging due to interferences of crustal, salt, and organic material. Thermal/optical analysis, combined with acid pretreatment, represents a feasible approach. However, the consistency of various thermal/optical analysis protocols for this type of samples has never been examined. In this study, urban street dust and soil samples from Baoji, China were pretreated with acids and analyzed with four thermal/optical protocols to investigate how analytical conditions and optical correction affect EC measurement. The EC values measured with reflectance correction (ECR) were found always higher and less sensitive to temperature program than the EC values measured with transmittance correction (ECT). A high-temperature method with extended heating times (STN120) showed the highest ECT/ECR ratio (0.86) while a low-temperature protocol (IMPROVE-550), with heating time adjusted for sample loading, showed the lowest (0.53). STN ECT was higher than IMPROVE ECT, in contrast to results from aerosol samples. A higher peak inert-mode temperature and extended heating times can elevate ECT/ECR ratios for pretreated geological samples by promoting pyrolyzed organic carbon (PyOC) removal over EC under trace levels of oxygen. Considering that PyOC within filter increases ECR while decreases ECT from the actual EC levels, simultaneous ECR and ECT measurements would constrain the range of EC loading and provide information on method performance. Further testing with standard reference materials of common environmental matrices supports the findings. Char and soot fractions of EC can be further separated using the IMPROVE protocol. The char/soot ratio was lower in street dusts (2.2 on average) than in soils (5.2 on average), most likely reflecting motor vehicle emissions. The soot concentrations agreed with EC from CTO-375, a pure thermal method.

Rate modulation of human anconeus motor units during high-intensity dynamic elbow extensions.

PubMed

Cowling, Brianna L; Harwood, Brad; Copithorne, David B; Rice, Charles L

2016-08-01

Investigations of high-intensity isometric fatiguing protocols report decreases in motor unit firing rates (MUFRs), but little is known regarding changes in MUFRs following fatigue induced by high-intensity dynamic contractions. Our purpose was to evaluate MUFRs of the anconeus (an accessory elbow extensor) and elbow extension power production as a function of time to task failure (TTF) during high-velocity fatiguing concentric contractions against a moderately heavy resistance. Fine-wire intramuscular electrode pairs were inserted into the anconeus to record MUs in 12 male participants (25 ± 3 yr), over repeated sessions on separate days. MUs were tracked throughout a three-stage, varying load dynamic elbow extension protocol designed to extend the task duration for >1 min thereby inducing substantial fatigue. Mean MUFRs and peak power were calculated for three relative time ranges: 0-15% TTF (beginning), 45-60% TTF (middle) and 85-100% TTF (end). Mean duration of the overall fatigue protocol was ∼80 s. Following the protocol, isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), highest velocity at 35% MVC load, and peak power decreased 37, 60, and 64% compared with baseline, respectively. Data from 20 anconeus MUs tracked successfully throughout the protocol indicated a reduction in MUFRs in relation to power loss from 36 Hz/160 W (0-15% TTF) to 28 Hz/97 W (45-60% TTF) to 23 Hz/43 W (85-100% TTF). During these high-intensity maximal effort concentric contractions, anconeus MUFRs decreased substantially (>35%). Although the absolute MUFRs were higher in the present study than those reported previously for other muscles during sustained high-intensity isometric tasks, the relative decrease in MUFRs was similar between the two tasks. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Parallel simulation today

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicol, David; Fujimoto, Richard

1992-01-01

This paper surveys topics that presently define the state of the art in parallel simulation. Included in the tutorial are discussions on new protocols, mathematical performance analysis, time parallelism, hardware support for parallel simulation, load balancing algorithms, and dynamic memory management for optimistic synchronization.

Adaptation of a MR imaging protocol into a real-time clinical biometric ultrasound protocol for persons with spinal cord injury at risk for deep tissue injury: A reliability study.

PubMed

Swaine, Jillian M; Moe, Andrew; Breidahl, William; Bader, Daniel L; Oomens, Cees W J; Lester, Leanne; O'Loughlin, Edmond; Santamaria, Nick; Stacey, Michael C

2018-02-01

High strain in soft tissues that overly bony prominences are considered a risk factor for pressure ulcers (PUs) following spinal cord impairment (SCI) and have been computed using Finite Element methods (FEM). The aim of this study was to translate a MRI protocol into ultrasound (US) and determine between-operator reliability of expert sonographers measuring diameter of the inferior curvature of the ischial tuberosity (IT) and the thickness of the overlying soft tissue layers on able-bodied (AB) and SCI using real-time ultrasound. Part 1: Fourteen AB participants with a mean age of 36.7 ± 12.09 years with 7 males and 7 females had their 3 soft tissue layers in loaded and unloaded sitting measured independently by 2 sonographers: tendon/muscle, skin/fat and total soft tissue and the diameter of the IT in its short and long axis. Part 2: Nineteen participants with SCI were screened, three were excluded due to abnormal skin signs, and eight participants (42%) were excluded for abnormal US signs with normal skin. Eight SCI participants with a mean age of 31.6 ± 13.6 years and all male with 4 paraplegics and 4 tetraplegics were measured by the same sonographers for skin, fat, tendon, muscle and total. Skin/fat and tendon/muscle were computed. AB between-operator reliability was good (ICC = 0.81-0.90) for 3 soft tissues layers in unloaded and loaded sitting and poor for both IT short and long axis (ICC = -0.028 and -0.01). SCI between-operator reliability was good in unloaded and loaded for total, muscle, fat, skin/fat, tendon/muscle (ICC = 0.75-0.97) and poor for tendon (ICC = 0.26 unloaded and ICC = -0.71 loaded) and skin (ICC = 0.37 unloaded and ICC = 0.10). A MRI protocol was successfully adapted for a reliable 3 soft tissue layer model and could be used in a 2-D FEM model designed to estimate soft tissue strain as a novel risk factor for the development of a PU. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Load controller and method to enhance effective capacity of a photovoltaic power supply

DOEpatents

Perez, Richard

2000-01-01

A load controller and method are provided for maximizing effective capacity of a non-controllable, renewable power supply coupled to a variable electrical load also coupled to a conventional power grid. Effective capacity is enhanced by monitoring power output of the renewable supply and loading, and comparing the loading against the power output and a load adjustment threshold determined from an expected peak loading. A value for a load adjustment parameter is calculated by subtracting the renewable supply output and the load adjustment parameter from the current load. This value is then employed to control the variable load in an amount proportional to the value of the load control parameter when the parameter is within a predefined range. By so controlling the load, the effective capacity of the non-controllable, renewable power supply is increased without any attempt at operational feedback control of the renewable supply. The renewable supply may comprise, for example, a photovoltaic power supply or a wind-based power supply.

Fast estimation of Colles' fracture load of the distal section of the radius by homogenized finite element analysis based on HR-pQCT.

PubMed

Hosseini, Hadi S; Dünki, Andreas; Fabech, Jonas; Stauber, Martin; Vilayphiou, Nicolas; Pahr, Dieter; Pretterklieber, Michael; Wandel, Jasmin; Rietbergen, Bert van; Zysset, Philippe K

2017-04-01

Fractures of the distal section of the radius (Colles' fractures) occur earlier in life than other osteoporotic fractures. Therefore, they can be interpreted as a warning signal for later, more deleterious fractures of vertebral bodies or the femoral neck. In the past decade, the advent of HR-pQCT allowed a detailed architectural analysis of the distal radius and an automated but time-consuming estimation of its strength with linear micro-finite element (μFE) analysis. Recently, a second generation of HR-pQCT scanner (XtremeCT II, SCANCO Medical, Switzerland) with a resolution beyond 61 μm became available for even more refined biomechanical investigations in vivo. This raises the question how biomechanical outcome variables compare between the original (LR) and the new (HR) scanner resolution. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to validate experimentally a patient-specific homogenized finite element (hFE) analysis of the distal section of the human radius for the fast prediction of Colles' fracture load based on the last generation HR-pQCT. Fourteen pairs of fresh frozen forearms (mean age = 77.5±9) were scanned intact using the high (61 μm) and the low (82 μm) resolution protocols that correspond to the new and original HR-pQCT systems. From each forearm, the 20mm most distal section of the radius were dissected out, scanned with μCT at 16.4 μm and tested experimentally under compression up to failure for assessment of stiffness and ultimate load. Linear and nonlinear hFE models together with linear micro finite element (μFE) models were then generated based on the μCT and HR-pQCT reconstructions to predict the aforementioned mechanical properties of 24 sections. Precision errors of the short term reproducibility of the FE analyses were measured based on the repeated scans of 12 sections. The calculated failure loads correlated strongly with those measured in the experiments: accounting for donor as a random factor, the nonlinear hFE provided a marginal coefficient of determination (R m 2 ) of 0.957 for the high resolution (HR) and 0.948 for the low resolution (LR) protocols, the linear hFE with R m 2 of 0.957 for the HR and 0.947 for the LR protocols. Linear μFE predictions of the ultimate load were similar with an R m 2 of 0.950 for the HR and 0.954 for the LR protocols, respectively. Nonlinear hFE strength computation led to precision errors of 2.2 and 2.3% which were higher than the ones calculated based on the linear hFE (1.6 and 1.9%) and linear μFE (1.2 and 1.6%) for the HR and LR protocols respectively. Computation of the fracture load with nonlinear hFE demanded in average 6h of CPU time which was 3 times faster than with linear μFE, while computation with linear hFE took only a few minutes. This study delivers an extensive experimental and numerical validation for the application of an accurate and fast hFE diagnostic tool to help in identifying individuals who may be at risk of an osteoporotic wrist fracture and to follow up pharmacological and other treatments in such patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Return of Postural Control to Baseline After Anaerobic and Aerobic Exercise Protocols

PubMed Central

Fox, Zachary G; Mihalik, Jason P; Blackburn, J Troy; Battaglini, Claudio L; Guskiewicz, Kevin M

2008-01-01

Context: With regard to sideline concussion testing, the effect of fatigue associated with different types of exercise on postural control is unknown. Objective: To evaluate the effects of fatigue on postural control in healthy college-aged athletes performing anaerobic and aerobic exercise protocols and to establish an immediate recovery time course from each exercise protocol for postural control measures to return to baseline status. Design: Counterbalanced, repeated measures. Setting: Research laboratory. Patients Or Other Participants: Thirty-six collegiate athletes (18 males, 18 females; age  =  19.00 ± 1.01 years, height  =  172.44 ± 10.47 cm, mass  =  69.72 ± 12.84 kg). Intervention(s): Participants completed 2 counterbalanced sessions within 7 days. Each session consisted of 1 exercise protocol followed by postexercise measures of postural control taken at 3-, 8-, 13-, and 18-minute time intervals. Baseline measures were established during the first session, before the specified exertion protocol was performed. Main Outcome Measure(s): Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) results, sway velocity, and elliptical sway area. Results: We found a decrease in postural control after each exercise protocol for all dependent measures. An interaction was noted between exercise protocol and time for total BESS score (P  =  .002). For both exercise protocols, all measures of postural control returned to baseline within 13 minutes. Conclusions: Postural control was negatively affected after anaerobic and aerobic exercise protocols as measured by total BESS score, elliptical sway area, and sway velocity. The effect of exertion lasted up to 13 minutes after each exercise was completed. Certified athletic trainers and clinicians should be aware of these effects and their recovery time course when determining an appropriate time to administer sideline assessments of postural control after a suspected mild traumatic brain injury. PMID:18833307

Return of postural control to baseline after anaerobic and aerobic exercise protocols.

PubMed

Fox, Zachary G; Mihalik, Jason P; Blackburn, J Troy; Battaglini, Claudio L; Guskiewicz, Kevin M

2008-01-01

With regard to sideline concussion testing, the effect of fatigue associated with different types of exercise on postural control is unknown. To evaluate the effects of fatigue on postural control in healthy college-aged athletes performing anaerobic and aerobic exercise protocols and to establish an immediate recovery time course from each exercise protocol for postural control measures to return to baseline status. Counterbalanced, repeated measures. Research laboratory. Thirty-six collegiate athletes (18 males, 18 females; age = 19.00 +/- 1.01 years, height = 172.44 +/- 10.47 cm, mass = 69.72 +/- 12.84 kg). Participants completed 2 counterbalanced sessions within 7 days. Each session consisted of 1 exercise protocol followed by postexercise measures of postural control taken at 3-, 8-, 13-, and 18-minute time intervals. Baseline measures were established during the first session, before the specified exertion protocol was performed. Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) results, sway velocity, and elliptical sway area. We found a decrease in postural control after each exercise protocol for all dependent measures. An interaction was noted between exercise protocol and time for total BESS score (P = .002). For both exercise protocols, all measures of postural control returned to baseline within 13 minutes. Postural control was negatively affected after anaerobic and aerobic exercise protocols as measured by total BESS score, elliptical sway area, and sway velocity. The effect of exertion lasted up to 13 minutes after each exercise was completed. Certified athletic trainers and clinicians should be aware of these effects and their recovery time course when determining an appropriate time to administer sideline assessments of postural control after a suspected mild traumatic brain injury.

Disinfection of human cardiac valve allografts in tissue banking: systematic review report.

PubMed

Germain, M; Strong, D M; Dowling, G; Mohr, J; Duong, A; Garibaldi, A; Simunovic, N; Ayeni, O R

2016-12-01

Cardiovascular allografts are usually disinfected using antibiotics, but protocols vary significantly between tissue banks. It is likely that different disinfection protocols will not have the same level of efficacy; they may also have varying effects on the structural integrity of the tissue, which could lead to significant differences in terms of clinical outcome in recipients. Ideally, a disinfection protocol should achieve the greatest bioburden reduction with the lowest possible impact on tissue integrity. We conducted a systematic review of methods applied to disinfect cardiovascular tissues. The use of multiple broad spectrum antibiotics in conjunction with an antifungal agent resulted in the greatest reduction in bioburden. Antibiotic incubation periods were limited to less than 24 h, and most protocols incubated tissues at 4 °C, however one study demonstrated a greater reduction of microbial load at 37 °C. None of the reviewed studies looked at the impact of these disinfection protocols on the risk of infection or any other clinical outcome in recipients.

Receiver-Based Ad Hoc On Demand Multipath Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Al-Nahari, Abdulaziz; Mohamad, Mohd Murtadha

2016-01-01

Decreasing the route rediscovery time process in reactive routing protocols is challenging in mobile ad hoc networks. Links between nodes are continuously established and broken because of the characteristics of the network. Finding multiple routes to increase the reliability is also important but requires a fast update, especially in high traffic load and high mobility where paths can be broken as well. The sender node keeps re-establishing path discovery to find new paths, which makes for long time delay. In this paper we propose an improved multipath routing protocol, called Receiver-based ad hoc on demand multipath routing protocol (RB-AOMDV), which takes advantage of the reliability of the state of the art ad hoc on demand multipath distance vector (AOMDV) protocol with less re-established discovery time. The receiver node assumes the role of discovering paths when finding data packets that have not been received after a period of time. Simulation results show the delay and delivery ratio performances are improved compared with AOMDV. PMID:27258013

Receiver-Based Ad Hoc On Demand Multipath Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Al-Nahari, Abdulaziz; Mohamad, Mohd Murtadha

2016-01-01

Decreasing the route rediscovery time process in reactive routing protocols is challenging in mobile ad hoc networks. Links between nodes are continuously established and broken because of the characteristics of the network. Finding multiple routes to increase the reliability is also important but requires a fast update, especially in high traffic load and high mobility where paths can be broken as well. The sender node keeps re-establishing path discovery to find new paths, which makes for long time delay. In this paper we propose an improved multipath routing protocol, called Receiver-based ad hoc on demand multipath routing protocol (RB-AOMDV), which takes advantage of the reliability of the state of the art ad hoc on demand multipath distance vector (AOMDV) protocol with less re-established discovery time. The receiver node assumes the role of discovering paths when finding data packets that have not been received after a period of time. Simulation results show the delay and delivery ratio performances are improved compared with AOMDV.

Replacement of daily load attenuates but does not prevent changes to the musculoskeletal system during bed rest.

PubMed

Cavanagh, Peter R; Rice, Andrea J; Novotny, Sara C; Genc, Kerim O; Englehaupt, Ricki K; Owings, Tammy M; Comstock, Bryan; Cardoso, Tamre; Ilaslan, Hakan; Smith, Scott M; Licata, Angelo A

2016-12-01

The dose-response effects of exercise in reduced gravity on musculoskeletal health have not been well documented. It is not known whether or not individualized exercise prescriptions can be effective in preventing the substantial loss in bone mineral density and muscle function that have been observed in space flight and in bed rest. In this study, typical daily loads to the lower extremities were quantified in free-living subjects who were then randomly assigned to control or exercise groups. Subjects were confined to 6-degree head-down bed rest for 84 days. The exercise group performed individually prescribed 1 g loaded locomotor exercise to replace their free-living daily load. Eleven subjects (5 exercise, 6 control) completed the protocol. Volumetric bone mineral density results from quantitative computed tomography demonstrated that control subjects lost significant amounts of bone in the intertrochanteric and total hip regions ( p  < 0.0125), whereas the exercise group showed no significant change from baseline in any region ( p  > 0.0125). Pre-and post-bed rest muscle volumes were calculated from analysis of magnetic resonance imaging data. The exercise group retained a larger percentage of their total quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscle volume (- 7.2% ± 5.9, - 13.8% ± 6.1, respectively) than their control counterparts (- 23.3% ± 5.9, - 33.0 ± 8.2, respectively; p  < 0.01). Both groups significantly lost strength in several measured activities ( p  < 0.05). The declines in peak torque during repeated exertions of knee flexion and knee extension were significantly less in the exercise group than in the control group ( p  < 0.05) but work done was not significantly different between groups ( p  > 0.05). The decline in VO 2max was 17% ± 18 in exercising subjects ( p  < 0.05) and 31% ± 13 in control subjects ( p  = 0.003; difference between groups was not significant p  = 0.26). Changes in blood and urine measures showed trends but no significant differences between groups ( p  > 0.05). In summary, the decline in a number of important measures of musculoskeletal and cardiovascular health was attenuated but not eliminated by a subject-specific program of locomotor exercise designed to replace daily load accumulated during free living. We conclude that single daily bouts of exposure to locomotor exercise can play a role in a countermeasures program during bed rest, and perhaps space flight, but are not sufficient in their own right to ensure musculoskeletal or cardiovascular health.

Evaluation of implants coated with rhBMP-2 using two different coating strategies: a critical-size supraalveolar peri-implant defect study in dogs.

PubMed

Lee, Jaebum; Decker, John F; Polimeni, Giuseppe; Cortella, Carlo Alberto; Rohrer, Michael D; Wozney, John M; Hall, Jan; Susin, Cristiano; Wikesjö, Ulf M E

2010-06-01

Implants coated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) induce relevant bone formation but also resident bone remodelling. To compare the effect of implants fully or partially coated with rhBMP-2 on new bone formation and resident bone remodelling. Twelve, male, adult, Hound Labrador mongrel dogs were used. Critical-size, supraalveolar, peri-implant defects received titanium porous oxide surface implants coated in their most coronal aspect with rhBMP-2 (coronal-load/six animals) or by immersion of the entire implant in an rhBMP-2 solution (soak-load/six animals) for a total of 30 mug rhBMP-2/implant. All implants were air-dried. The animals were euthanized at 8 weeks for histometric evaluation. Clinical healing was uneventful. Supraalveolar bone formation was not significantly affected by the rhBMP-2 application protocol. New bone height and area averaged (+/- SE) 3.4 +/- 0.2 versus 3.5 +/- 0.4 mm and 2.6 +/- 0.4 versus 2.5 +/- 0.7 mm(2) for coronal-load and soak-load implants, respectively (p>0.05). The corresponding bone density and bone-implant contact (BIC) recordings averaged 38.0 +/- 3.8%versus 34.4 +/- 5.6% and 25.0 +/- 3.8%versus 31.2 +/- 3.3% (p>0.05). In contrast, resident bone remodelling was significantly influenced by the rhBMP-2 application protocol. Bone density outside the implants threads averaged 74.7 +/- 3.8% and 50.8 +/- 4.1% for coronal-load and soak-load implants, respectively (p<0.05); bone density within the thread area averaged 51.8 +/- 1.2% and 37.8 +/- 2.9%, and BIC 70.1 +/- 6.7% and 43.3 +/- 3.9% (p<0.05). Local application of rhBMP-2 appears to be a viable technology to support local bone formation and osseointegration. Coronal-load implants obviate resident bone remodelling without compromising new bone formation.

Anaemia management protocols in the care of haemodialysis patients: examining patient outcomes.

PubMed

Saunders, Sushila; MacLeod, Martha L P; Salyers, Vince; MacMillan, Peter D; Ogborn, Malcolm R

2013-08-01

To determine whether the use of a nurse-driven protocol in the haemodialysis setting is as safe and effective as traditional physician-driven approaches to anaemia management. The role of haemodialysis nurses in renal anaemia management has evolved through the implementation of nurse-driven protocols, addressing the trend of exceeding haemoglobin targets and rising costs of erythropoietin-stimulating agents. Retrospective, non-equivalent case control group design. The sample was from three haemodialysis units in a control group (n = 64) and three haemodialysis units in a protocol group (n = 43). The protocol group used a nurse-driven renal anaemia management protocol, while the control group used a traditional physician-driven approach to renal anaemia management. All retrospective data were obtained from a provincial renal database. Data were analysed using chi-square tests and t-tests. Patient outcomes examined were haemoglobin levels, transferrin saturation levels, erythropoietin-stimulating agents use and intravenous iron use. Cost comparisons were determined using average use of erythropoietin-stimulating agents and intravenous iron. Control and protocol groups reached haemoglobin target levels. In the protocol group, 75% reached transferrin saturation target levels in comparison with 25% of the control group. Use and costs for iron was higher in the control group, while use and costs for erythropoietin was higher in the protocol group. The higher usage of erythropoietin-stimulating agents was potentially related to comorbid conditions amongst the protocol group. A nurse-driven protocol approach to renal anaemia management was as effective as the physician-driven approach in reaching haemoglobin and transferrin saturation levels. Further examination of the use and dosing of erythropoietin-stimulating agents and intravenous iron, their impact on haemoglobin levels related to patient comorbidities and subsequent cost effectiveness of protocols is required. Using a nurse-driven protocol in practice supports the independent nursing role while contributing to safe patient outcomes. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

21 CFR 1301.18 - Research protocols.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Research protocols. 1301.18 Section 1301.18 Food..., DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Registration § 1301.18 Research protocols. (a) A protocol to conduct research with controlled substances listed in Schedule I shall be in the following form...

21 CFR 1301.18 - Research protocols.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Research protocols. 1301.18 Section 1301.18 Food..., DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Registration § 1301.18 Research protocols. (a) A protocol to conduct research with controlled substances listed in Schedule I shall be in the following form...

21 CFR 1301.18 - Research protocols.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Research protocols. 1301.18 Section 1301.18 Food..., DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Registration § 1301.18 Research protocols. (a) A protocol to conduct research with controlled substances listed in Schedule I shall be in the following form...

21 CFR 1301.18 - Research protocols.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Research protocols. 1301.18 Section 1301.18 Food..., DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Registration § 1301.18 Research protocols. (a) A protocol to conduct research with controlled substances listed in Schedule I shall be in the following form...

21 CFR 1301.18 - Research protocols.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 9 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Research protocols. 1301.18 Section 1301.18 Food..., DISTRIBUTORS, AND DISPENSERS OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Registration § 1301.18 Research protocols. (a) A protocol to conduct research with controlled substances listed in Schedule I shall be in the following form...

Unloading shoes for osteoarthritis of the knee: protocol for the SHARK randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and disabling condition. Abnormalities in knee loading play an important role in disease pathogenesis, yet there are few non-surgical treatments for knee OA capable of reducing knee load. This two-arm randomised controlled trial is investigating the efficacy of specially-designed unloading shoes for the treatment of symptoms in people with knee OA. Methods/Design 164 people with symptomatic medial tibiofemoral joint OA will be recruited from the community and randomly allocated to receive either unloading shoes or control shoes. Unloading shoes have a specially-designed triple-density midsole where the medial side is softer than normal and the lateral side harder as well as a lateral wedge between the sole and sock-liner. Control shoes are standard athletic shoes and do not contain these features. Participants will be blinded to shoe allocation and will be instructed to wear the shoes as much as possible every day for 6 months, for a minimum of 4 hours per day. The primary outcomes are knee pain (numerical rating scale) and self-reported physical function (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) measured at baseline and 6 months. Secondary outcomes include additional measures of knee pain, knee stiffness, participant global ratings of change in symptoms, quality-of-life and physical activity. Conclusions The findings from this study will help determine whether specially-designed unloading shoes are efficacious in the management of knee OA. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry reference: ACTRN12613000851763. PMID:24555418

WISE 2005: Aerobic and resistive countermeasures prevent paraspinal muscle deconditioning during 60-day bed rest in women.

PubMed

Holt, Jacquelyn A; Macias, Brandon R; Schneider, Suzanne M; Watenpaugh, Donald E; Lee, Stuart M C; Chang, Douglas G; Hargens, Alan R

2016-05-15

Microgravity-induced lumbar paraspinal muscle deconditioning may contribute to back pain commonly experienced by astronauts and may increase the risk of postflight injury. We hypothesized that a combined resistive and aerobic exercise countermeasure protocol that included spinal loading would mitigate lumbar paraspinal muscle deconditioning during 60 days of bed rest in women. Sixteen women underwent 60-day, 6° head-down-tilt bed rest (BR) and were randomized into control and exercise groups. During bed rest the control group performed no exercise. The exercise group performed supine treadmill exercise within lower body negative pressure (LBNP) for 3-4 days/wk and flywheel resistive exercise for 2-3 days/wk. Paraspinal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) was measured using a lumbar spine MRI sequence before and after BR. In addition, isokinetic spinal flexion and extension strengths were measured before and after BR. Data are presented as means ± SD. Total lumbar paraspinal muscle CSA decreased significantly more in controls (10.9 ± 3.4%) than in exercisers (4.3 ± 3.4%; P < 0.05). The erector spinae was the primary contributor (76%) to total lumbar paraspinal muscle loss. Moreover, exercise attenuated isokinetic spinal extension loss (-4.3 ± 4.5%), compared with controls (-16.6 ± 11.2%; P < 0.05). In conclusion, LBNP treadmill and flywheel resistive exercises during simulated microgravity mitigate decrements in lumbar paraspinal muscle structure and spine function. Therefore spaceflight exercise countermeasures that attempt to reproduce spinal loads experienced on Earth may mitigate spinal deconditioning during long-duration space travel.

Fine woody fuel particle diameters for improved planar intersect fuel loading estimates in Southern Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine forests

Treesearch

Emma Vakili; Chad M. Hoffman; Robert E. Keane

2016-01-01

Fuel loading estimates from planar intersect sampling protocols for fine dead down woody surface fuels require an approximation of the mean squared diameter (d2) of 1-h (0-0.63 cm), 10-h (0.63-2.54 cm), and 100-h (2.54-7.62 cm) timelag size classes. The objective of this study is to determine d2 in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of New Mexico and Colorado,...

Study protocol: a mixed methods feasibility study for a loaded self-managed exercise programme for patellofemoral pain.

PubMed

Smith, Benjamin E; Hendrick, Paul; Bateman, Marcus; Moffatt, Fiona; Rathleff, Michael Skovdal; Selfe, James; Smith, Toby O; Logan, Pip

2018-01-01

Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is one of the most common forms of knee pain in adults under the age of 40, with a prevalence of 23% in the general population. The long-term prognosis is poor, with only one third of people pain-free 1 year after diagnosis. The biomedical model of pain in relation to persistent PFP has recently been called into question. It has been suggested that interventions for chronic musculoskeletal conditions should consider alternative mechanisms of action, beyond muscles and joints. Modern treatment therapies should consider desensitising strategies, with exercises that target movements and activities patients find fearful and painful. High-quality research on exercise prescription in relation to pain mechanisms, not directed at specific tissue pathology, and dose response clearly warrants further investigation. Our primary aim is to establish the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a definitive RCT which will evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a loaded self-managed exercise programme for people with patellofemoral pain. This is a single-centred, multiphase, sequential, mixed-methods trial that will evaluate the feasibility of running a definitive large-scale randomised controlled trial of a loaded self-managed exercise programme versus usual physiotherapy. Initially, 8-10 participants with a minimum 3-month history of PFP will be recruited from an NHS physiotherapy waiting list and interviewed. Participants will be invited to discuss perceived barriers and facilitators to exercise engagement, and the meaning and impact of PFP. Then, 60 participants will be recruited in the same manner for the main phase of the feasibility trial. A web-based service will randomise patients to a loaded self-managed exercise programme or usual physiotherapy. The loaded self-managed exercise programme is aimed at addressing lower limb knee and hip weakness and is positioned within a framework of reducing fear/avoidance with an emphasis on self-management. Baseline assessment will include demographic data, average pain within the last week (VAS), fear avoidance behaviours, catastrophising, self-efficacy, sport and leisure activity participation, and general quality of life. Follow-up will be 3 and 6 months. The analysis will focus on descriptive statistics and confidence intervals. The qualitative components will follow a thematic analysis approach. This study will evaluate the feasibility of running a definitive large-scale trial on patients with patellofemoral pain, within the NHS in the UK. We will identify strengths and weaknesses of the proposed protocol and the utility and characteristics of the outcome measures. The results from this study will inform the design of a multicentre trial. ISRCTN35272486.

Chapter 3: Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W.; Carlson, Stephen

This Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol (the protocol) describes methods to account for energy savings resulting from programmatic installation of lighting control equipment in large populations of commercial, industrial, government, institutional, and other nonresidential facilities. This protocol does not address savings resulting from changes in codes and standards, or from education and training activities. When lighting controls are installed in conjunction with a lighting retrofit project, the lighting control savings must be calculated parametrically with the lighting retrofit project so savings are not double counted.

Changes in running pattern due to fatigue and cognitive load in orienteering.

PubMed

Millet, Guillaume Y; Divert, Caroline; Banizette, Marion; Morin, Jean-Benoit

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of fatigue on running biomechanics in normal running, in normal running with a cognitive task, and in running while map reading. Nineteen international and less experienced orienteers performed a fatiguing running exercise of duration and intensity similar to a classic distance orienteering race on an instrumented treadmill while performing mental arithmetic, an orienteering simulation, and control running at regular intervals. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance did not reveal any significant difference between mental arithmetic and control running for any of the kinematic and kinetic parameters analysed eight times over the fatiguing protocol. However, these parameters were systematically different between the orienteering simulation and the other two conditions (mental arithmetic and control running). The adaptations in orienteering simulation running were significantly more pronounced in the elite group when step frequency, peak vertical ground reaction force, vertical stiffness, and maximal downward displacement of the centre of mass during contact were considered. The effects of fatigue on running biomechanics depended on whether the orienteers read their map or ran normally. It is concluded that adding a cognitive load does not modify running patterns. Therefore, all changes in running pattern observed during the orienteering simulation, particularly in elite orienteers, are the result of adaptations to enable efficient map reading and/or potentially prevent injuries. Finally, running patterns are not affected to the same extent by fatigue when a map reading task is added.

The effect of in situ augmentation on implant anchorage in proximal humeral head fractures.

PubMed

Unger, Stefan; Erhart, Stefanie; Kralinger, Franz; Blauth, Michael; Schmoelz, Werner

2012-10-01

Fracture fixation in patients suffering from osteoporosis is difficult as sufficient implant anchorage is not always possible. One method to enhance implant anchorage is implant/screw augmentation with PMMA-cement. The present study investigated the feasibility of implant augmentation with PMMA-cement to enhance implant anchorage in the proximal humerus. A simulated three part humeral head fracture was stabilised with an angular stable plating system in 12 pairs of humeri using six head screws. In the augmentation group the proximal four screws were treated with four cannulated screws, each augmented with 0.5ml of PMMA-cement, whereas the contra lateral side served as a non-augmented control. Specimens were loaded in varus-bending or axial-rotation using a cyclic loading protocol with increasing load magnitude until failure of the osteosynthesis occurred. Augmented specimens showed a significant higher number of load cycles until failure than non-augment specimens (varus-bending: 8516 (SD 951.6) vs. 5583 (SD 2273.6), P=0.014; axial-rotation: 3316 (SD 348.8) vs. 2050 (SD 656.5), P=0.003). Non-augmented specimens showed a positive correlation of load cycles until failure and measured bone mineral density (varus-bending: r=0.893, P=0.016; axial-rotation: r=0.753, P=0.084), whereas no correlation was present in augmented specimens (varus-bending: r=0,258, P=0.621; axial-rotation r=0.127, P=0.810). These findings suggest that augmentation of cannulated screws is a feasible method to enhance implant/screw anchorage in the humeral head. The improvement of screw purchase is increasing with decreasing bone mineral density. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of TxDOT'S traffic data collection and load forecasting process

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

This study had two primary objectives: (1) compare current Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) procedures and protocols with the state-of-the-practice and the needs of its data customers; and (2) develop enhanced traffic collection, archival, ...

The impact of occupational load carriage on carrier mobility: a critical review of the literature.

PubMed

Carlton, Simon D; Orr, Robin M

2014-01-01

Military personnel and firefighters are required to carry occupational loads and complete tasks in hostile and unpredictable environments where a lack of mobility may risk lives. This review critically examines the literature investigating the impacts of load carriage on the mobility of these specialist personnel. Several literature databases, reference lists, and subject matter experts were employed to identify relevant studies. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were critiqued using the Downs and Black protocol. Inter-rater agreement was determined by Cohen's κ. Twelve original research studies, which included male and female participants from military and firefighting occupations, were critiqued (κ = .81). A review of these papers found that as the carried load weight increased, carrier mobility during aerobic tasks (like road marching) and anaerobic tasks (like obstacle course negotiation) decreased. As such, it can be concluded that the load carried by some specialist personnel may increase their occupational risk by reducing their mobility.

Instant loading with intraoral welding technique and PRAMA implants: a new prosthetic approach.

PubMed

Celletti, R; Fanali, S; Laici, C U; Santori, C; Pignatelli, P; Sinjari, B

2017-01-01

When splinting multiple implants passive fit of the framework should be achieved to avoid excessive force distribution on the implants. Recently, a protocol was suggested for immediate loading of multiple implants by welding a titanium bar to implant abutments directly in the oral cavity so as to create a customized, precise and passive metal-reinforced provisional restoration. The intraoral welding technique subsequently proves to be a successful option in the full-arch immediate restorations of the mandible and maxilla. The aim of this article is to present a case report in which a new prosthetic approach, using trans-mucosal implants, is described. Dental implants are instantly loaded with a provisional prosthesis supported by an intraoral welded titanium framework to obtain a precise passive fit of the immediate loaded prosthesis.

Endocytotic potential governs magnetic particle loading in dividing neural cells: studying modes of particle inheritance

PubMed Central

Tickle, Jacqueline A; Jenkins, Stuart I; Polyak, Boris; Pickard, Mark R; Chari, Divya M

2016-01-01

Aim: To achieve high and sustained magnetic particle loading in a proliferative and endocytotically active neural transplant population (astrocytes) through tailored magnetite content in polymeric iron oxide particles. Materials & methods: MPs of varying magnetite content were applied to primary-derived rat cortical astrocytes ± static/oscillating magnetic fields to assess labeling efficiency and safety. Results: Higher magnetite content particles display high but safe accumulation in astrocytes, with longer-term label retention versus lower/no magnetite content particles. Magnetic fields enhanced loading extent. Dynamic live cell imaging of dividing labeled astrocytes demonstrated that particle distribution into daughter cells is predominantly ‘asymmetric’. Conclusion: These findings could inform protocols to achieve efficient MP loading into neural transplant cells, with significant implications for post-transplantation tracking/localization. PMID:26785794

Aggregate Load Controllers and Associated Methods

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

Chassin, David P.

Aggregate load controllers and associated methods are described. According to one aspect, a method of operating an aggregate load controller includes using an aggregate load controller having an initial state, applying a stimulus to a plurality of thermostatic controllers which are configured to control a plurality of respective thermostatic loads which receive electrical energy from an electrical utility to operate in a plurality of different operational modes, accessing data regarding a response of the thermostatic loads as a result of the applied stimulus, using the data regarding the response, determining a value of at least one design parameter of themore » aggregate load controller, and using the determined value of the at least one design parameter, configuring the aggregate load controller to control amounts of the electrical energy which are utilized by the thermostatic loads.« less

Traffic placement policies for a multi-band network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maly, Kurt J.; Foudriat, E. C.; Game, David; Mukkamala, R.; Overstreet, C. Michael

1990-01-01

Recently protocols were introduced that enable the integration of synchronous traffic (voice or video) and asynchronous traffic (data) and extend the size of local area networks without loss in speed or capacity. One of these is DRAMA, a multiband protocol based on broadband technology. It provides dynamic allocation of bandwidth among clusters of nodes in the total network. A number of traffic placement policies for such networks are proposed and evaluated. Metrics used for performance evaluation include average network access delay, degree of fairness of access among the nodes, and network throughput. The feasibility of the DRAMA protocol is established through simulation studies. DRAMA provides effective integration of synchronous and asychronous traffic due to its ability to separate traffic types. Under the suggested traffic placement policies, the DRAMA protocol is shown to handle diverse loads, mixes of traffic types, and numbers of nodes, as well as modifications to the network structure and momentary traffic overloads.

Self-Configuration and Self-Optimization Process in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

PubMed Central

Guardalben, Lucas; Villalba, Luis Javier García; Buiati, Fábio; Sobral, João Bosco Mangueira; Camponogara, Eduardo

2011-01-01

Self-organization in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) is an emergent research area, which is becoming important due to the increasing number of nodes in a network. Consequently, the manual configuration of nodes is either impossible or highly costly. So it is desirable for the nodes to be able to configure themselves. In this paper, we propose an alternative architecture for self-organization of WMN based on Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) and the ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocols as well as using the technology of software agents. We argue that the proposed self-optimization and self-configuration modules increase the throughput of network, reduces delay transmission and network load, decreases the traffic of HELLO messages according to network’s scalability. By simulation analysis, we conclude that the self-optimization and self-configuration mechanisms can significantly improve the performance of OLSR and AODV protocols in comparison to the baseline protocols analyzed. PMID:22346584

Self-configuration and self-optimization process in heterogeneous wireless networks.

PubMed

Guardalben, Lucas; Villalba, Luis Javier García; Buiati, Fábio; Sobral, João Bosco Mangueira; Camponogara, Eduardo

2011-01-01

Self-organization in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) is an emergent research area, which is becoming important due to the increasing number of nodes in a network. Consequently, the manual configuration of nodes is either impossible or highly costly. So it is desirable for the nodes to be able to configure themselves. In this paper, we propose an alternative architecture for self-organization of WMN based on Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) and the ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocols as well as using the technology of software agents. We argue that the proposed self-optimization and self-configuration modules increase the throughput of network, reduces delay transmission and network load, decreases the traffic of HELLO messages according to network's scalability. By simulation analysis, we conclude that the self-optimization and self-configuration mechanisms can significantly improve the performance of OLSR and AODV protocols in comparison to the baseline protocols analyzed.

Compression-based aggregation model for medical web services.

PubMed

Al-Shammary, Dhiah; Khalil, Ibrahim

2010-01-01

Many organizations such as hospitals have adopted Cloud Web services in applying their network services to avoid investing heavily computing infrastructure. SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) is the basic communication protocol of Cloud Web services that is XML based protocol. Generally,Web services often suffer congestions and bottlenecks as a result of the high network traffic that is caused by the large XML overhead size. At the same time, the massive load on Cloud Web services in terms of the large demand of client requests has resulted in the same problem. In this paper, two XML-aware aggregation techniques that are based on exploiting the compression concepts are proposed in order to aggregate the medical Web messages and achieve higher message size reduction.

Benefits of Leapfrogging to Superefficiency and Low Global Warming Potential Refrigerants in Room Air Conditioning

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

Shah, Nihar; Wei, Max; Letschert, Virginie

2015-10-01

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) emitted from uses such as refrigerants and thermal insulating foam, are now the fastest growing greenhouse gases (GHGs), with global warming potentials (GWP) thousands of times higher than carbon dioxide (CO2). Because of the short lifetime of these molecules in the atmosphere, mitigating the amount of these short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) provides a faster path to climate change mitigation than control of CO2 alone. This has led to proposals from Africa, Europe, India, Island States, and North America to amend the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol) to phase-down high-GWP HFCs. Simultaneously, energymore » efficiency market transformation programs such as standards, labeling and incentive programs are endeavoring to improve the energy efficiency for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment to provide life cycle cost, energy, GHG, and peak load savings. In this paper we provide an estimate of the magnitude of such GHG and peak electric load savings potential, for room air conditioning, if the refrigerant transition and energy efficiency improvement policies are implemented either separately or in parallel. We find that implementing HFC refrigerant transition and energy efficiency improvement policies in parallel for room air conditioning, roughly doubles the benefit of either policy implemented separately. We estimate that shifting the 2030 world stock of room air conditioners from the low efficiency technology using high-GWP refrigerants to higher efficiency technology and low-GWP refrigerants in parallel would save between 340-790 gigawatts (GW) of peak load globally, which is roughly equivalent to avoiding 680-1550 peak power plants of 500MW each. This would save 0.85 GT/year annually in China equivalent to over 8 Three Gorges dams and over 0.32 GT/year annually in India equivalent to roughly twice India’s 100GW solar mission target. While there is some uncertainty associated with emissions and growth projections, moving to efficient room air conditioning (~30% more efficient than current technology) in parallel with low-GWP refrigerants in room air conditioning could avoid up to ~25 billion tonnes of CO2 in 2030, ~33 billion in 2040, and ~40 billion in 2050, i.e. cumulative savings up to 98 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2050. Therefore, superefficient room ACs using low-GWP refrigerants merit serious consideration to maximize peak load reduction and GHG savings.« less

Mechanistic evaluation of the pros and cons of digital RT-LAMP for HIV-1 viral load quantification on a microfluidic device and improved efficiency via a two-step digital protocol.

PubMed

Sun, Bing; Shen, Feng; McCalla, Stephanie E; Kreutz, Jason E; Karymov, Mikhail A; Ismagilov, Rustem F

2013-02-05

Here we used a SlipChip microfluidic device to evaluate the performance of digital reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (dRT-LAMP) for quantification of HIV viral RNA. Tests are needed for monitoring HIV viral load to control the emergence of drug resistance and to diagnose acute HIV infections. In resource-limited settings, in vitro measurement of HIV viral load in a simple format is especially needed, and single-molecule counting using a digital format could provide a potential solution. We showed here that when one-step dRT-LAMP is used for quantification of HIV RNA, the digital count is lower than expected and is limited by the yield of desired cDNA. We were able to overcome the limitations by developing a microfluidic protocol to manipulate many single molecules in parallel through a two-step digital process. In the first step we compartmentalize the individual RNA molecules (based on Poisson statistics) and perform reverse transcription on each RNA molecule independently to produce DNA. In the second step, we perform the LAMP amplification on all individual DNA molecules in parallel. Using this new protocol, we increased the absolute efficiency (the ratio between the concentration calculated from the actual count and the expected concentration) of dRT-LAMP 10-fold, from ∼2% to ∼23%, by (i) using a more efficient reverse transcriptase, (ii) introducing RNase H to break up the DNA:RNA hybrid, and (iii) adding only the BIP primer during the RT step. We also used this two-step method to quantify HIV RNA purified from four patient samples and found that in some cases, the quantification results were highly sensitive to the sequence of the patient's HIV RNA. We learned the following three lessons from this work: (i) digital amplification technologies, including dLAMP and dPCR, may give adequate dilution curves and yet have low efficiency, thereby providing quantification values that underestimate the true concentration. Careful validation is essential before a method is considered to provide absolute quantification; (ii) the sensitivity of dLAMP to the sequence of the target nucleic acid necessitates additional validation with patient samples carrying the full spectrum of mutations; (iii) for multistep digital amplification chemistries, such as a combination of reverse transcription with amplification, microfluidic devices may be used to decouple these steps from one another and to perform them under different, individually optimized conditions for improved efficiency.

Off-Loading Practices for the Wounded Foot: Concepts and Choices

PubMed Central

Mrdjenovich, Donald E.

2011-01-01

A wound practitioner’s best-laid plan of care and strategy for healing an ulcerated foot is doomed to fail without a properly conceived approach based on sound off-loading principles. Wound healing that has stalled despite best-practice techniques may require reevaluation of off-loading choices. This is particularly true in the patient with abnormal foot pathologies. Special considerations are certainly required with neuropathic ulcers; however, any wound on a weight-bearing surface of the foot requires proper off-loading. This discussion explores the basic biomechanical and pathomechanical concepts that modify and influence ambulation and gait patterns. Integration of these concepts into the choices for off-loading to deter pathologic influences will alert the reader of precautionary measures and other factors for consideration. The aim of this column is to provide both an adequate working knowledge of the available off-loading devices and the necessary tools and concepts needed to stimulate wise decision protocols for wound management and healing. PMID:24527154

A comparison of additional treatment processes to limit particle accumulation and microbial growth during drinking water distribution.

PubMed

Liu, G; Lut, M C; Verberk, J Q J C; Van Dijk, J C

2013-05-15

Water quality changes, particle accumulation and microbial growth occurring in pilot-scale water distribution systems fed with normally treated and additional treated groundwater were monitored over a period of almost one year. The treatment processes were ranked in the following order: nanofiltration (NF) > (better than) ultrafiltration (UF) > ion exchange (IEX) for limiting particle accumulation. A different order was found for limiting overall microbial growth: NF > IEX > UF. There were strong correlations between particle load and particle accumulation, and between nutrient load and microbial growth. It was concluded that particle accumulation can be controlled by reducing the particle load in water treatment plants; and the microbial growth can be better controlled by limiting organic nutrients rather than removing biomass in water treatment plants. The major focus of this study was on microbial growth. The results demonstrated that growth occurred in all types of treated water, including the phases of bulk water, biofilm and loose deposits. Considering the growth in different phases, similar growth in bulk water was observed for all treatments; NF strongly reduced growth both in loose deposits and in biofilm; UF promoted growth in biofilm, while strongly limiting growth in loose deposits. IEX had good efficiency in between UF and NF, limiting both growths in loose deposits and in biofilm. Significant growth was found in loose deposits, suggesting that loose deposit biomass should be taken into account for growth evaluation and/or prediction. Strong correlations were found between microbial growth and pressure drop in a membrane fouling simulator which proved that a membrane fouling simulator can be a fast growth predictor (within a week). Different results obtained by adenosine triphosphate and flow cytometry cell counts revealed that ATP can accurately describe both suspended and particle-associated biomass, and flow cytometry files of TCC measurements needs to be further processed for particle loaded samples and/or a pretreatment protocol should be developed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-throughput biological small-angle X-ray scattering with a robotically loaded capillary cell

PubMed Central

Nielsen, S. S.; Møller, M.; Gillilan, R. E.

2012-01-01

With the rise in popularity of biological small-angle X-ray scattering (BioSAXS) measurements, synchrotron beamlines are confronted with an ever-increasing number of samples from a wide range of solution conditions. To meet these demands, an increasing number of beamlines worldwide have begun to provide automated liquid-handling systems for sample loading. This article presents an automated sample-loading system for BioSAXS beamlines, which combines single-channel disposable-tip pipetting with a vacuum-enclosed temperature-controlled capillary flow cell. The design incorporates an easily changeable capillary to reduce the incidence of X-ray window fouling and cross contamination. Both the robot-control and the data-processing systems are written in Python. The data-processing code, RAW, has been enhanced with several new features to form a user-friendly BioSAXS pipeline for the robot. The flow cell also supports efficient manual loading and sample recovery. An effective rinse protocol for the sample cell is developed and tested. Fluid dynamics within the sample capillary reveals a vortex ring pattern of circulation that redistributes radiation-damaged material. Radiation damage is most severe in the boundary layer near the capillary surface. At typical flow speeds, capillaries below 2 mm in diameter are beginning to enter the Stokes (creeping flow) regime in which mixing due to oscillation is limited. Analysis within this regime shows that single-pass exposure and multiple-pass exposure of a sample plug are functionally the same with regard to exposed volume when plug motion reversal is slow. The robot was tested on three different beamlines at the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source, with a variety of detectors and beam characteristics, and it has been used successfully in several published studies as well as in two introductory short courses on basic BioSAXS methods. PMID:22509071

Supporting Tablet Configuration, Tracking, and Infection Control Practices in Digital Health Interventions: Study Protocol.

PubMed

Furberg, Robert D; Ortiz, Alexa M; Zulkiewicz, Brittany A; Hudson, Jordan P; Taylor, Olivia M; Lewis, Megan A

2016-06-27

Tablet-based health care interventions have the potential to encourage patient care in a timelier manner, allow physicians convenient access to patient records, and provide an improved method for patient education. However, along with the continued adoption of tablet technologies, there is a concomitant need to develop protocols focusing on the configuration, management, and maintenance of these devices within the health care setting to support the conduct of clinical research. Develop three protocols to support tablet configuration, tablet management, and tablet maintenance. The Configurator software, Tile technology, and current infection control recommendations were employed to develop three distinct protocols for tablet-based digital health interventions. Configurator is a mobile device management software specifically for iPhone operating system (iOS) devices. The capabilities and current applications of Configurator were reviewed and used to develop the protocol to support device configuration. Tile is a tracking tag associated with a free mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The features associated with Tile were evaluated and used to develop the Tile protocol to support tablet management. Furthermore, current recommendations on preventing health care-related infections were reviewed to develop the infection control protocol to support tablet maintenance. This article provides three protocols: the Configurator protocol, the Tile protocol, and the infection control protocol. These protocols can help to ensure consistent implementation of tablet-based interventions, enhance fidelity when employing tablets for research purposes, and serve as a guide for tablet deployments within clinical settings.

Investigation of Optimal Control Allocation for Gust Load Alleviation in Flight Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, Susan A.; Taylor, Brian R.; Bodson, Marc

2012-01-01

Advances in sensors and avionics computation power suggest real-time structural load measurements could be used in flight control systems for improved safety and performance. A conventional transport flight control system determines the moments necessary to meet the pilot's command, while rejecting disturbances and maintaining stability of the aircraft. Control allocation is the problem of converting these desired moments into control effector commands. In this paper, a framework is proposed to incorporate real-time structural load feedback and structural load constraints in the control allocator. Constrained optimal control allocation can be used to achieve desired moments without exceeding specified limits on monitored load points. Minimization of structural loads by the control allocator is used to alleviate gust loads. The framework to incorporate structural loads in the flight control system and an optimal control allocation algorithm will be described and then demonstrated on a nonlinear simulation of a generic transport aircraft with flight dynamics and static structural loads.

Evaluation of the hygienogram scores and related data obtained after cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses in Flanders during the period 2007 to 2014.

PubMed

Maertens, H; De Reu, K; Van Weyenberg, S; Van Coillie, E; Meyer, E; Van Meirhaeghe, H; Van Immerseel, F; Vandenbroucke, V; Vanrobaeys, M; Dewulf, J

2018-02-01

Cleaning and disinfection (C&D) of poultry houses is an essential aspect in farm hygiene management. Adequate performance of the different steps of a C&D protocol and the use of suitable products are key to prevent and control zoonoses and animal diseases. Hygiene monitoring on total aerobic flora through sampling with agar contact plates at different locations of the poultry house results in a hygienogram score that is used to evaluate the proper execution of C&D.This study analyzed the hygienogram scores of 19,739 poultry flocks in Flanders after C&D. Data relating to the C&D protocol, i.e., year, season, husbandry system, production type, cleaning product, sampler, active components of the disinfectant, disinfection time, disinfection temperature, and disinfection responsible, were collected.The average hygienogram score decreased significantly over time, suggesting a general improvement between 2007 and 2014. Differences in scores were found among the husbandry systems, with the barn/aviary system having a significantly better hygienogram score compared to the floor house, furnished cage, and battery. Significantly better scores also were found when a cleaning product was used in the C&D protocol. Disinfection with a peracetic acid and hydrogen peroxide combination or formaldehyde gave the best scores. In addition, C&D protocols using ≥2 different disinfectants showed improved results compared to the use of one single disinfectant. Finally, disinfection applied by a specialist contractor resulted in a better score compared to disinfection by the farmer.In conclusion, analysis of the hygienogram scores and related data allowed identifying several factors, resulting in an improvement, which may reduce the total bacterial load in poultry stables and, consequently, the number of zoonotic and pathogenic micro-organisms. © 2017 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Effect of cyclic loading and retightening on reverse torque value in external and internal implants

PubMed Central

Cho, Woong-Rae; Huh, Yoon-Hyuk; Park, Chan-Jin

2015-01-01

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cyclic loading and screw retightening on reverse torque value (RTV) in external and internal type implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Cement-retained abutments were connected with 30 Ncm torque to external and internal type implants. Experimental groups were classified according to implant connection type and retightening/loading protocol. In groups with no retightening, RTV was evaluated after cyclic loading for 100,000 cycles. In groups with retightening, RTV was measured after 3, 10, 100 cycles as well as every 20,000 cycles until 100,000 cycles of loading. RESULTS Every group showed decreased RTV after cyclic loading. Before and after cyclic loading, external type implants had significantly higher RTVs than internal type implants. In external type implants, retightening did not affect the decrease in RTV. In contrast, retightening 5 times and retightening after 10 cycles of dynamic loading was effective for maintaining RTV in internal type implants. CONCLUSION Retightening of screws is more effective in internal type implants than external type implants. Retightening of screws is recommended in the early stage of functional loading. PMID:26330975

A practical workshop for generating simple DNA fingerprints of plants.

PubMed

Rouzière, A-S; Redman, J E

2011-01-01

Gel electrophoresis DNA fingerprints offer a graphical and visually appealing illumination of the similarities and differences between DNA sequences of different species and individuals. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction digest protocol was designed to give high-school students the opportunity to generate simple fingerprints of plants thereby illustrating concepts and techniques in genetics and molecular biology. Three combinations of primers/restriction enzyme targeting chloroplast DNA were sufficient to generate patterns that enabled visual discrimination of plant species. The protocol was tested with a range of common fruit, vegetable, and herb plants that could be easily cultivated and handled in the laboratory. Toxic or hazardous materials such as ethidium bromide and liquid nitrogen were avoided. The protocol was validated as a university outreach workshop targeted at a group of up to 10 high-school students. In a teaching laboratory, students sampled plants, setup the PCR reaction and restriction digest using microliter pipettes, and loaded the digested samples on an agarose gel. The workshop was structured as 2 × 2.5-hour sessions on separate days. The main challenges stemmed from the speed and accuracy of pipetting, especially at the gel loading stage. Feedback from students was largely positive, with the majority reporting that they had both enjoyed and learnt from the experience. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Burbank enters High Salt Diet Information in Laptop

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-02-01

ISS030-E-117431 (1 Feb. 2012) --- In the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Dan Burbank, Expedition 30 commander, enters data in a computer for the High Salt Diet protocol of the Sodium Loading in Microgravity (SOLO) experiment.

Enhanced Estimation of Terrestrial Loadings for TMDLs: Normalization Approach

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

TMDL implementation plans to remediate pathogen-impaired streams are usually based on deterministic terrestrial fate and transport (DTFT) models. A novel protocol is proposed that can effectively, efficiently, and explicitly capture the predictive uncertainty of DTFT models used to establish terres...

Automated Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation after Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.

PubMed

Fot, Evgenia V; Izotova, Natalia N; Yudina, Angelika S; Smetkin, Aleksei A; Kuzkov, Vsevolod V; Kirov, Mikhail Y

2017-01-01

The discontinuation of mechanical ventilation after coronary surgery may prolong and significantly increase the load on intensive care unit personnel. We hypothesized that automated mode using INTELLiVENT-ASV can decrease duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation, reduce workload on medical staff, and provide safe ventilation after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB). The primary endpoint of our study was to assess the duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation during different modes of weaning from respiratory support (RS) after OPCAB. The secondary endpoint was to assess safety of the automated weaning mode and the number of manual interventions to the ventilator settings during the weaning process in comparison with the protocolized weaning mode. Forty adult patients undergoing elective OPCAB were enrolled into a prospective single-center study. Patients were randomized into two groups: automated weaning ( n  = 20) using INTELLiVENT-ASV mode with quick-wean option; and protocolized weaning ( n  = 20), using conventional synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) + pressure support (PS) mode. We assessed the duration of postoperative ventilation, incidence and duration of unacceptable RS, and the load on medical staff. We also performed the retrospective analysis of 102 patients (standard weaning) who were weaned from ventilator with SIMV + PS mode based on physician's experience without prearranged algorithm. Realization of the automated weaning protocol required change in respiratory settings in 2 patients vs. 7 (5-9) adjustments per patient in the protocolized weaning group. Both incidence and duration of unacceptable RS were reduced significantly by means of the automated weaning approach. The FiO 2 during spontaneous breathing trials was significantly lower in the automated weaning group: 30 (30-35) vs. 40 (40-45) % in the protocolized weaning group ( p  < 0.01). The average time until tracheal extubation did not differ in the automated weaning and the protocolized weaning groups: 193 (115-309) and 197 (158-253) min, respectively, but increased to 290 (210-411) min in the standard weaning group. The automated weaning system after off-pump coronary surgery might provide postoperative ventilation in a more protective way, reduces the workload on medical staff, and does not prolong the duration of weaning from ventilator. The use of automated or protocolized weaning can reduce the duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation in comparison with non-protocolized weaning based on the physician's decision.

Force control compensation method with variable load stiffness and damping of the hydraulic drive unit force control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Xiangdong; Ba, Kaixian; Yu, Bin; Cao, Yuan; Zhu, Qixin; Zhao, Hualong

2016-05-01

Each joint of hydraulic drive quadruped robot is driven by the hydraulic drive unit (HDU), and the contacting between the robot foot end and the ground is complex and variable, which increases the difficulty of force control inevitably. In the recent years, although many scholars researched some control methods such as disturbance rejection control, parameter self-adaptive control, impedance control and so on, to improve the force control performance of HDU, the robustness of the force control still needs improving. Therefore, how to simulate the complex and variable load characteristics of the environment structure and how to ensure HDU having excellent force control performance with the complex and variable load characteristics are key issues to be solved in this paper. The force control system mathematic model of HDU is established by the mechanism modeling method, and the theoretical models of a novel force control compensation method and a load characteristics simulation method under different environment structures are derived, considering the dynamic characteristics of the load stiffness and the load damping under different environment structures. Then, simulation effects of the variable load stiffness and load damping under the step and sinusoidal load force are analyzed experimentally on the HDU force control performance test platform, which provides the foundation for the force control compensation experiment research. In addition, the optimized PID control parameters are designed to make the HDU have better force control performance with suitable load stiffness and load damping, under which the force control compensation method is introduced, and the robustness of the force control system with several constant load characteristics and the variable load characteristics respectively are comparatively analyzed by experiment. The research results indicate that if the load characteristics are known, the force control compensation method presented in this paper has positive compensation effects on the load characteristics variation, i.e., this method decreases the effects of the load characteristics variation on the force control performance and enhances the force control system robustness with the constant PID parameters, thereby, the online PID parameters tuning control method which is complex needs not be adopted. All the above research provides theoretical and experimental foundation for the force control method of the quadruped robot joints with high robustness.

Aerospace physiology.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

This document defines the protocol standards for the Internet Protocol Suite (IPS), which is commonly referred to as Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocols used for data communications within the National Airspace System (...

Advanced communications technology satellite high burst rate link evaluation terminal communication protocol software user's guide, version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Richard C.

1993-01-01

The Communication Protocol Software was developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to support the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite High Burst Rate Link Evaluation Terminal (ACTS HBR-LET). The HBR-LET is an experimenters terminal to communicate with the ACTS for various experiments by government, university, and industry agencies. The Communication Protocol Software is one segment of the Control and Performance Monitor (C&PM) Software system of the HBR-LET. The Communication Protocol Software allows users to control and configure the Intermediate Frequency Switch Matrix (IFSM) on board the ACTS to yield a desired path through the spacecraft payload. Besides IFSM control, the C&PM Software System is also responsible for instrument control during HBR-LET experiments, uplink power control of the HBR-LET to demonstrate power augmentation during signal fade events, and data display. The Communication Protocol Software User's Guide, Version 1.0 (NASA CR-189162) outlines the commands and procedures to install and operate the Communication Protocol Software. Configuration files used to control the IFSM, operator commands, and error recovery procedures are discussed. The Communication Protocol Software Maintenance Manual, Version 1.0 (NASA CR-189163, to be published) is a programmer's guide to the Communication Protocol Software. This manual details the current implementation of the software from a technical perspective. Included is an overview of the Communication Protocol Software, computer algorithms, format representations, and computer hardware configuration. The Communication Protocol Software Test Plan (NASA CR-189164, to be published) provides a step-by-step procedure to verify the operation of the software. Included in the Test Plan is command transmission, telemetry reception, error detection, and error recovery procedures.

At-Home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) With Telehealth Support for Symptom Control in Chronically-Ill Patients With Multiple Symptoms.

PubMed

Riggs, Alexa; Patel, Vaishali; Paneri, Bhaskar; Portenoy, Russell K; Bikson, Marom; Knotkova, Helena

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered in multiple sessions can reduce symptom burden, but access of chronically ill patients to tDCS studies is constrained by the burden of office-based tDCS administration. Expanded access to this therapy can be accomplished through the development of interventions that allow at-home tDCS applications. Objective: We describe the development and initial feasibility assessment of a novel intervention for the chronically ill that combines at-home tDCS with telehealth support. Methods: In the developmental phase, the tDCS procedure was adjusted for easy application by patients or their informal caregivers at home, and a tDCS protocol with specific elements for enhanced safety and remote adherence monitoring was created. Lay language instructional materials were written and revised based on expert feedback. The materials were loaded onto a tablet allowing for secure video-conferencing. The telehealth tablet was paired with an at-home tDCS device that allowed for remote dose control via electronic codes dispensed to patients prior to each session. tDCS was delivered in two phases: once daily on 10 consecutive days, followed by an as needed regimen for 20 days. Initial feasibility of this tDCS-telehealth system was evaluated in four patients with advanced chronic illness and multiple symptoms. Change in symptom burden and patient satisfaction were assessed with the Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) and a tDCS user survey. Results: The telehealth-tDCS protocol includes one home visit and has seven patient-tailored elements and six elements enhancing safety monitoring. Replicable electrode placement at home without 10-20 EEG measurement is achieved via a headband that holds electrodes in a pre-determined position. There were no difficulties with patients' training, protocol adherence, or tolerability. A total of 60 tDCS sessions were applied. No session required discontinuation, and there were no adverse events. Data collection was feasible and there were no missing data. Satisfaction with the tDCS-telehealth procedure was high and the patients were comfortable using the system. Conclusion: At-home tDCS with telehealth support appears to be a feasible approach for the management of symptom burden in patients with chronic illness. Further studies to evaluate and optimize the protocol effectiveness for symptom-control outcomes are warranted.

At-Home Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) With Telehealth Support for Symptom Control in Chronically-Ill Patients With Multiple Symptoms

PubMed Central

Riggs, Alexa; Patel, Vaishali; Paneri, Bhaskar; Portenoy, Russell K.; Bikson, Marom; Knotkova, Helena

2018-01-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered in multiple sessions can reduce symptom burden, but access of chronically ill patients to tDCS studies is constrained by the burden of office-based tDCS administration. Expanded access to this therapy can be accomplished through the development of interventions that allow at-home tDCS applications. Objective: We describe the development and initial feasibility assessment of a novel intervention for the chronically ill that combines at-home tDCS with telehealth support. Methods: In the developmental phase, the tDCS procedure was adjusted for easy application by patients or their informal caregivers at home, and a tDCS protocol with specific elements for enhanced safety and remote adherence monitoring was created. Lay language instructional materials were written and revised based on expert feedback. The materials were loaded onto a tablet allowing for secure video-conferencing. The telehealth tablet was paired with an at-home tDCS device that allowed for remote dose control via electronic codes dispensed to patients prior to each session. tDCS was delivered in two phases: once daily on 10 consecutive days, followed by an as needed regimen for 20 days. Initial feasibility of this tDCS-telehealth system was evaluated in four patients with advanced chronic illness and multiple symptoms. Change in symptom burden and patient satisfaction were assessed with the Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) and a tDCS user survey. Results: The telehealth-tDCS protocol includes one home visit and has seven patient-tailored elements and six elements enhancing safety monitoring. Replicable electrode placement at home without 10–20 EEG measurement is achieved via a headband that holds electrodes in a pre-determined position. There were no difficulties with patients’ training, protocol adherence, or tolerability. A total of 60 tDCS sessions were applied. No session required discontinuation, and there were no adverse events. Data collection was feasible and there were no missing data. Satisfaction with the tDCS-telehealth procedure was high and the patients were comfortable using the system. Conclusion: At-home tDCS with telehealth support appears to be a feasible approach for the management of symptom burden in patients with chronic illness. Further studies to evaluate and optimize the protocol effectiveness for symptom-control outcomes are warranted. PMID:29872381

Fatigue Behavior of Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Assisted Manufacture Ceramic Abutments as a Function of Design and Ceramics Processing.

PubMed

Kelly, J Robert; Rungruanganunt, Patchnee

2016-01-01

Zirconia is being widely used, at times apparently by simply copying a metal design into ceramic. Structurally, ceramics are sensitive to both design and processing (fabrication) details. The aim of this work was to examine four computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) abutments using a modified International Standards Organization (ISO) implant fatigue protocol to determine performance as a function of design and processing. Two full zirconia and two hybrid (Ti-based) abutments (n = 12 each) were tested wet at 15 Hz at a variety of loads to failure. Failure probability distributions were examined at each load, and when found to be the same, data from all loads were combined for lifetime analysis from accelerated to clinical conditions. Two distinctly different failure modes were found for both full zirconia and Ti-based abutments. One of these for zirconia has been reported clinically in the literature, and one for the Ti-based abutments has been reported anecdotally. The ISO protocol modification in this study forced failures in the abutments; no implant bodies failed. Extrapolated cycles for 10% failure at 70 N were: full zirconia, Atlantis 2 × 10(7) and Straumann 3 × 10(7); and Ti-based, Glidewell 1 × 10(6) and Nobel 1 × 10(21). Under accelerated conditions (200 N), performance differed significantly: Straumann clearly outperformed Astra (t test, P = .013), and the Glidewell Ti-base abutment also outperformed Atlantis zirconia at 200 N (Nobel ran-out; t test, P = .035). The modified ISO protocol in this study produced failures that were seen clinically. The manufacture matters; differences in design and fabrication that influence performance cannot be discerned clinically.

Influence of various bonding techniques on the fracture strength of thin CAD/CAM-fabricated occlusal glass-ceramic veneers.

PubMed

Yazigi, Christine; Kern, Matthias; Chaar, Mohamed Sad

2017-11-01

To evaluate the efficiency of immediate dentin sealing and the effects of different bonding protocols on the fracture strength of CAD/CAM occlusal veneers bonded to exposed dentin. Ninety-six extracted maxillary premolars were initially divided into three main groups with 32 specimens each: without immediate dentin sealing, immediate dentin sealing/total etching and immediate dentin sealing/selective etching. Teeth were identically prepared in the dentin to receive occlusal veneers of 0.8mm thickness, milled from lithium disilicate ceramic blocks (IPS e.max CAD). Each main group was later subdivided, according to the pre-cementation surface etching protocol (total/selective), into two subgroups with 16 specimens each. All restorations were adhesively bonded using a resin cement (Variolink Esthetic). Half of the specimens of each subgroup were subjected to thermo-dynamic loading in a chewing simulator with 1,200,000 cycles at 10kg load. The other half and the surviving specimens were subjected to quasi-static loading until failure. Statistical analysis was performed using three-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests. All specimens except one survived the artificial aging. A significantly higher fracture strength of restorations (p ≤ 0.001) was obtained when immediate dentin sealing was followed regardless of the etching method with values ranging from a minimum of 1122 ± 336N to a maximum of 1853 ± 333N. Neither the pre-cementation treatment nor the artificial aging had a statistical significant effect on the fracture strength. Immediate dentin sealing protocol is recommended whenever dentin is exposed during the preparation for thin glass-ceramic occlusal veneers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling recovery of Swedish ecosystems from acidification.

PubMed

Sverdrup, Harald; Martinson, Liisa; Alveteg, Mattias; Moldan, Filip; Kronnäs, Veronika; Munthe, John

2005-02-01

Dynamic models complement existing time series of observations and static critical load calculations by simulating past and future development of chemistry in forest and lake ecosystems. They are used for dynamic assessment of the acidification and to produce target load functions, that describe what combinations of nitrogen and sulfur emission reductions are needed to achieve a chemical or biological criterion in a given target year. The Swedish approach has been to apply the dynamic acidification models MAGIC, to 133 lakes unaffected by agriculture and SAFE, to 645 productive forest sites. While the long-term goal is to protect 95% of the area, implementation of the Gothenburg protocol will protect approximately 75% of forest soils in the long term. After 2030, recovery will be very slow and involve only a limited geographical area. If there had been no emission reductions after 1980, 87% of the forest area would have unwanted soil status in the long term. In 1990, approximately 17% of all Swedish lakes unaffected by agriculture received an acidifying deposition above critical load. This fraction will decrease to 10% in 2010 after implementation of the Gothenburg protocol. The acidified lakes of Sweden will recover faster than the soils. According to the MAGIC model the median pre-industrial ANC of 107 microeq L(-1) in acid sensitive lakes decreased to about 60 microeq L(-1) at the peak of the acidification (1975-1990) and increases to 80 microeq L(-1) by 2010. Further increases were small, only 2 microeq L(-1) between 2010 and 2040. Protecting 95% of the lakes will require further emission reductions below the Gothenburg protocol levels. More than 7000 lakes are limed regularly in Sweden and it is unlikely that this practice can be discontinued in the near future without adverse effects on lake chemistry and biology.

Heart-Rate Recovery After Warm-up in Swimming: A Useful Predictor of Training Heart-Rate Response?

PubMed

Ganzevles, Sander P M; de Haan, Arnold; Beek, Peter J; Daanen, Hein A M; Truijens, Martin J

2017-07-01

For training to be optimal, daily training load has to be adapted to the momentary status of the individual athlete, which is often difficult to establish. Therefore, the current study investigated the predictive value of heart-rate recovery (HRR) during a standardized warm-up for training load. Training load was quantified by the variation in heart rate during standardized training in competitive swimmers. Eight female and 5 male Dutch national-level swimmers participated in the study. They all performed 3 sessions consisting of a 300-m warm-up test and a 10 × 100-m training protocol. Both protocols were swum in front crawl at individually standardized velocities derived from an incremental step test. Velocity was related to 75% and 85% heart-rate reserve (% HR res ) for the warm-up and training, respectively. Relative HRR during the first 60 s after the warm-up (HR Rw-up ) and differences between the actual and intended heart rate for the warm-up and the training (ΔHR w-up and ΔHR tr ) were determined. No significant relationship between HRR w-up and ΔHR tr was found (F 1,37 = 2.96, P = .09, R 2 = .07, SEE = 4.65). There was considerable daily variation in ΔHR tr at a given swimming velocity (73-93% HR res ). ΔHR w-up and ΔHR tr were clearly related (F 1,37 = 74.31, P < .001, R 2 = .67, SEE = 2.78). HRR after a standardized warm-up does not predict heart rate during a directly subsequent and standardized training session. Instead, heart rate during the warm-up protocol seems a promising alternative for coaches to make daily individual-specific adjustments to training programs.

Incentive-compatible demand-side management for smart grids based on review strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jie; van der Schaar, Mihaela

2015-12-01

Demand-side load management is able to significantly improve the energy efficiency of smart grids. Since the electricity production cost depends on the aggregate energy usage of multiple consumers, an important incentive problem emerges: self-interested consumers want to increase their own utilities by consuming more than the socially optimal amount of energy during peak hours since the increased cost is shared among the entire set of consumers. To incentivize self-interested consumers to take the socially optimal scheduling actions, we design a new class of protocols based on review strategies. These strategies work as follows: first, a review stage takes place in which a statistical test is performed based on the daily prices of the previous billing cycle to determine whether or not the other consumers schedule their electricity loads in a socially optimal way. If the test fails, the consumers trigger a punishment phase in which, for a certain time, they adjust their energy scheduling in such a way that everybody in the consumer set is punished due to an increased price. Using a carefully designed protocol based on such review strategies, consumers then have incentives to take the socially optimal load scheduling to avoid entering this punishment phase. We rigorously characterize the impact of deploying protocols based on review strategies on the system's as well as the users' performance and determine the optimal design (optimal billing cycle, punishment length, etc.) for various smart grid deployment scenarios. Even though this paper considers a simplified smart grid model, our analysis provides important and useful insights for designing incentive-compatible demand-side management schemes based on aggregate energy usage information in a variety of practical scenarios.

Effects of a high-intensity interval training program versus a moderate-intensity continuous training program on maximal oxygen uptake and blood pressure in healthy adults: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Arboleda Serna, Víctor Hugo; Arango Vélez, Elkin Fernando; Gómez Arias, Rubén Darío; Feito, Yuri

2016-08-18

Participation in aerobic exercise generates increased cardiorespiratory fitness, which results in a protective factor for cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. High-intensity interval training might cause higher increases in cardiorespiratory fitness in comparison with moderate-intensity continuous training; nevertheless, current evidence is not conclusive. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test the effect of high-intensity interval training with total load duration of 7.5 min per session. A randomized controlled trial will be performed on two groups of healthy, sedentary male volunteers (n = 44). The study protocol will include 24 exercise sessions, three times a week, including aerobic training on a treadmill and strength training exercises. The intervention group will perform 15 bouts of 30 s, each at an intensity between 90 % and 95 % of maximal heart rate. The control group will complete 40 min of continuous exercise, ranging between 65 % and 75 % of maximal heart rate. The primary outcome measure to be evaluated will be maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be evaluated as secondary outcome measures. Waist circumference, body mass index, and body composition will also be evaluated. Epidemiological evidence shows the link between VO2max and its association with chronic conditions that trigger CVD. Therefore, finding ways to improve VO2max and reduce blood pressure it is of vital importance to public health. NCT02288403 . Registered on 4 November 2014.

Microfiber Masses Recovered from Conventional Machine Washing of New or Aged Garments.

PubMed

Hartline, Niko L; Bruce, Nicholas J; Karba, Stephanie N; Ruff, Elizabeth O; Sonar, Shreya U; Holden, Patricia A

2016-11-01

Synthetic textiles can shed numerous microfibers during conventional washing, but evaluating environmental consequences as well as source-control strategies requires understanding mass releases. Polyester apparel accounts for a large proportion of the polyester market, and synthetic jackets represent the broadest range in apparel construction, allowing for potential changes in manufacturing as a mitigation measure to reduce microfiber release during laundering. Here, detergent-free washing experiments were conducted and replicated in both front- and top-load conventional home machines for five new and mechanically aged jackets or sweaters: four from one name-brand clothing manufacturer (three majority polyester fleece, and one nylon shell with nonwoven polyester insulation) and one off-brand (100% polyester fleece). Wash water was filtered to recover two size fractions (>333 μm and between 20 and 333 μm); filters were then imaged, and microfiber masses were calculated. Across all treatments, the recovered microfiber mass per garment ranged from approximately 0 to 2 g, or exceeding 0.3% of the unwashed garment mass. Microfiber masses from top-load machines were approximately 7 times those from front-load machines; garments mechanically aged via a 24 h continuous wash had increased mass release under the same wash protocol as new garments. When published wastewater treatment plant influent characterization and microfiber removal studies are considered, washing synthetic jackets or sweaters as per this study would account for most microfibers entering the environment.

Vitamins C and E improve regrowth and reduce lipid peroxidation of blackberry shoot tips following cryopreservation.

PubMed

Uchendu, Esther E; Leonard, Scott W; Traber, Maret G; Reed, Barbara M

2010-01-01

Oxidative processes involved in cryopreservation protocols may be responsible for the reduced viability of tissues after liquid nitrogen exposure. Antioxidants that counteract these reactions should improve recovery. This study focused on oxidative lipid injury and the effects of exogenous vitamin E (tocopherol, Vit E) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid, Vit C) treatments on regrowth at four critical steps of the plant vitrification solution number 2 (PVS2) vitrification cryopreservation technique; pretreatment, loading, rinsing, and regrowth. Initial experiments showed that Vit E at 11-15 mM significantly increased regrowth (P < 0.001) when added at any of the four steps. There was significantly more malondialdehyde (MDA), a lipid peroxidation product, at each of the steps than in fresh untreated shoot tips. Vit E uptake was assayed at each step and showed significantly more alpha- and gamma-tocopherols in treated shoots than those without Vit E. Vit E added at each step significantly reduced MDA formation and improved shoot regrowth. Vit C (0.14-0.58 mM) also significantly improved regrowth of shoot tips at each step compared to the controls. Regrowth medium with high iron concentrations and Vit C decreased recovery. However, in iron-free medium, Vit C significantly improved recovery. Treatments with Vit E (11 mM) and Vit C (0.14 mM) combined were not significantly better than Vit C alone. We recommend adding Vit C (0.28 mM) to the pretreatment medium, the loading solution or the rinse solution in the PVS2 vitrification protocol. This is the first report of the application of vitamins for improving cryopreservation of plant tissues by minimizing oxidative damage.

Influence of surgical and prosthetic techniques on marginal bone loss around titanium implants. Part I: immediate loading in fresh extraction sockets.

PubMed

Berberi, Antoine N; Tehini, Georges E; Noujeim, Ziad F; Khairallah, Alexandre A; Abousehlib, Moustafa N; Salameh, Ziad A

2014-10-01

Delayed placement of implant abutments has been associated with peri-implant marginal bone loss; however, long-term results obtained by modifying surgical and prosthetic techniques after implant placement are still lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the marginal bone loss around titanium implants placed in fresh extraction sockets using two loading protocols after a 5-year follow-up period. A total of 36 patients received 40 titanium implants (Astra Tech) intended for single-tooth replacement. Implants were immediately placed into fresh extraction sockets using either a one-stage (immediate loading by placing an interim prosthesis into functional occlusion) or a two-stage prosthetic loading protocol (insertion of abutments after 8 weeks of healing time). Marginal bone levels relative to the implant reference point were evaluated at four time intervals using intraoral radiographs: at time of implant placement, and 1, 3, and 5 years after implant placement. Measurements were obtained from mesial and distal surfaces of each implant (α = 0.05). One-stage immediate implant placement into fresh extraction sockets resulted in a significant reduction in marginal bone loss (p < 0.002) compared to the traditional two-stage technique. Whereas mesial surfaces remained stable for the 5-year observation period, significant marginal bone loss was observed on distal surfaces of implants after cementation of interim prostheses (p < 0.007) and after 12 months (p < 0.034). Within the limitations of this study, immediate loading of implants placed into fresh extraction sockets reduced marginal bone loss and did not compromise the success rate of the restorations. © 2014 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Dependency of Calcium Alternans on Ryanodine Receptor Refractoriness

PubMed Central

Alvarez-Lacalle, Enric; Cantalapiedra, Inma R.; Peñaranda, Angelina; Cinca, Juan; Hove-Madsen, Leif; Echebarria, Blas

2013-01-01

Background Rapid pacing rates induce alternations in the cytosolic calcium concentration caused by fluctuations in calcium released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). However, the relationship between calcium alternans and refractoriness of the SR calcium release channel (RyR2) remains elusive. Methodology/Principal Findings To investigate how ryanodine receptor (RyR2) refractoriness modulates calcium handling on a beat-to-beat basis using a numerical rabbit cardiomyocyte model. We used a mathematical rabbit cardiomyocyte model to study the beat-to-beat calcium response as a function of RyR2 activation and inactivation. Bi-dimensional maps were constructed depicting the beat-to-beat response. When alternans was observed, a novel numerical clamping protocol was used to determine whether alternans was caused by oscillations in SR calcium loading or by RyR2 refractoriness. Using this protocol, we identified regions of RyR2 gating parameters where SR calcium loading or RyR2 refractoriness underlie the induction of calcium alternans, and we found that at the onset of alternans both mechanisms contribute. At low inactivation rates of the RyR2, calcium alternans was caused by alternation in SR calcium loading, while at low activation rates it was caused by alternation in the level of available RyR2s. Conclusions/Significance We have mapped cardiomyocyte beat-to-beat responses as a function of RyR2 activation and inactivation, identifying domains where SR calcium load or RyR2 refractoriness underlie the induction of calcium alternans. A corollary of this work is that RyR2 refractoriness due to slow recovery from inactivation can be the cause of calcium alternans even when alternation in SR calcium load is present. PMID:23390511

Delaying Orthostatic Syncope With Mental Challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goswami, Nandu; Roessler, Andreas; Hinghofer-Szalkay, Helmut; Montani, Jean-Pierre; Steptoe, Andrew

2012-07-01

At orthostatic vasovagal syncope there appears to be a sudden withdrawl of sympathetic activity. As mental challenge activates the sympathetic system, we hypothesized that doing mental arithmetic in volunteers driven to the end point of their cardiovascular stability may delay the onset of orthostatic syncope. We investigated this in healthy male subjects. Each subject underwent a head up tilt (HUT) + graded lower body negative pressure (LBNP) up to presyncope session (control) to determine the orthostatic tolerance time, OTT (Time from HUT commencement to development of presyncopal symptoms/signs). Once the tolerance time was known, a randomized crossover protocol was used: either 1) Repeat HUT + LBNP to ensure reproducibility of repeated run or 2) HUT + LBNP run but with added mental challenge (two min before the expected presyncope time). Test protocols were separated by two weeks. Our studies on five male test subjects indicate that mental challenge improves orthostatic tolerance significantly. Additional mental loading could be a useful countermeasure to alleviate the orthostatic responses of persons, particularly in those with histories of dizziness on standing up, or to alleviate hypotension that frequently occurs during hemodialysis or on return to earth from the spaceflight environment of microgravity.

Ecotoxicological impact of MSW landfills: assessment of teratogenic effects by means of an adapted FETAX assay.

PubMed

de Lapuente, J; González-Linares, J; Pique, E; Borràs, M

2014-01-01

The introduction of chemical products into the environment can cause long-term effects on the ecosystems. Increasing efforts are being made to determine the extent of contamination in particularly affected areas using diverse methods to assess the ecotoxicological impact. We used a modified Frog Embrio Toxicity Assay-Xenopus method to determine the extent of toxicological load in different sample soils obtained near three municipal solid waste landfills in Catalonia (Spain). The results show that the Garraf landfill facility produces more embryotoxic damage to the surroundings, than the others ones: Can Mata landfill and Montferrer-Castellbó landfill. The aim of this work is to demonstrate how different management of complex sources of contamination as the controlled dumping sites can modulate the presence of toxics in the environment and their effects and through this, help determine the safer way to treat these wastes. To this effect some conceptual modifications have been made on the established American Society for Testing and Materials protocol. The validity of the new model, both as to model of calculation as to protocol, has been demonstrated in three different sites with complex sources of contamination.

Improved Dynamic Lightpath Provisioning for Large Wavelength-Division Multiplexed Backbones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Huifang; Phillips, Chris

2007-07-01

Technology already exists that would allow future optical networks to support automatic lightpath configuration in response to dynamic traffic demands. Given appropriate commercial drivers, it is possible to foresee carrier network operators migrating away from semipermanent provisioning to enable on-demand short-duration communications. However, with traditional lightpath reservation protocols, a portion of the lightpath is idly held during the signaling propagation phase, which can significantly reduce the lightpath bandwidth efficiency in large wavelength-division multiplexed backbones. This paper proposes a prebooking mechanism to improve the lightpath efficiency over traditional reactive two-way reservation protocols, consequently liberating network resources to support higher traffic loads. The prebooking mechanism predicts the time when the traffic will appear at the optical cross connects, and intelligently schedules the lightpath components such that resources are only consumed as necessary. We describe the proposed signaling procedure for both centralized and distributed control planes and analyze its performance. This paper also investigates the aggregated flow length characteristics with the self-similar incident traffic and examines the effects of traffic prediction on the blocking probability as well as the ability to support latency sensitive traffic in a wide-area environment.

Ethanol self-administration in free-flying honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in an operant conditioning protocol.

PubMed

Sokolowski, Michel B C; Abramson, Charles I; Craig, David Philip Arthur

2012-09-01

This study examines the effect of ethanol (EtOH) on continuous reinforcement schedules in the free-flying honeybee (Apis mellifera L.). As fermented nectars may be encountered naturally in the environment, we designed an experiment combining the tools of laboratory research with minimal disturbance to the natural life of honeybees. Twenty-five honeybees were trained to fly from their colonies to a fully automated operant chamber with head poking as the operant response. Load size, intervisit interval, and interresponse times (IRTs) served as the dependent variables and were monitored over the course of a daily training session consisting of many visits. Experimental bees were tested using an ABA design in which sucrose only was administered during condition A and a 5% EtOH sucrose solution was administered during condition B. Control bees received sucrose solution only. Most bees continued to forage after EtOH introduction. EtOH significantly reduced the load size and the intervisit interval with no significant effect on IRTs. However, a look on individual data shows large individual differences suggesting the existence of different kinds of behavioral phenotypes linked to EtOH consumption and effects. Our results contribute to the study of EtOH consumption as a normal phenomenon in an ecological context and open the door to schedule-controlled drug self-administration studies in honeybees. Copyright © 2012 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Analyzing the effect of routing protocols on media access control protocols in radio networks

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

Barrett, C. L.; Drozda, M.; Marathe, A.

2002-01-01

We study the effect of routing protocols on the performance of media access control (MAC) protocols in wireless radio networks. Three well known MAC protocols: 802.11, CSMA, and MACA are considered. Similarly three recently proposed routing protocols: AODV, DSR and LAR scheme 1 are considered. The experimental analysis was carried out using GloMoSim: a tool for simulating wireless networks. The main focus of our experiments was to study how the routing protocols affect the performance of the MAC protocols when the underlying network and traffic parameters are varied. The performance of the protocols was measured w.r.t. five important parameters: (i)more » number of received packets, (ii) average latency of each packet, (iii) throughput (iv) long term fairness and (v) number of control packets at the MAC layer level. Our results show that combinations of routing and MAC protocols yield varying performance under varying network topology and traffic situations. The result has an important implication; no combination of routing protocol and MAC protocol is the best over all situations. Also, the performance analysis of protocols at a given level in the protocol stack needs to be studied not locally in isolation but as a part of the complete protocol stack. A novel aspect of our work is the use of statistical technique, ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) to characterize the effect of routing protocols on MAC protocols. This technique is of independent interest and can be utilized in several other simulation and empirical studies.« less

A novel protocol for antibiotic prophylaxis based on preoperative kidney function in patients undergoing open heart surgery under cardiopulmonary bypass.

PubMed

Odaka, Mizuho; Minakata, Kenji; Toyokuni, Hideaki; Yamazaki, Kazuhiro; Yonezawa, Atsushi; Sakata, Ryuzo; Matsubara, Kazuo

2015-08-01

This study aimed to develop and assess the effectiveness of a protocol for antibiotic prophylaxis based on preoperative kidney function in patients undergoing open heart surgery. We established a protocol for antibiotic prophylaxis based on preoperative kidney function in patients undergoing open heart surgery. This novel protocol was assessed by comparing patients undergoing open heart surgery before (control group; n = 30) and after its implementation (protocol group; n = 31) at Kyoto University Hospital between July 2012 and January 2013. Surgical site infections (SSIs) were observed in 4 control group patients (13.3 %), whereas no SSIs were observed in the protocol group patients (P < 0.05). The total duration of antibiotic use decreased significantly from 80.7 ± 17.6 h (mean ± SD) in the control group to 55.5 ± 14.9 h in the protocol group (P < 0.05). Similarly, introduction of the protocol significantly decreased the total antibiotic dose used in the perioperative period (P < 0.05). Furthermore, antibiotic regimens were changed under suspicion of infection in 5 of 30 control group patients, whereas none of the protocol group patients required this additional change in the antibiotic regimen (P < 0.05). Our novel antibiotic prophylaxis protocol based on preoperative kidney function effectively prevents SSIs in patients undergoing open heart surgery.

Comparison of Haloperidol Alone and in Combination with Midazolam for the Treatment of Acute Agitation in an Inpatient Palliative Care Service.

PubMed

Ferraz Gonçalves, José António; Almeida, Ana; Costa, Isabel; Silva, Paula; Carneiro, Rui

2016-12-01

Agitation is a very distressing problem that must be controlled as quickly as possible, but using a safe method. The authors conducted a comparison of two protocols: a combination of haloperidol and midazolam and haloperidol alone. The combination drug protocol controlled 101 out of 121 (84%) episodes of agitation with only the first dose, whereas the haloperidol alone protocol controlled 47 out of 74 (64%) episodes. This difference is statistically significant (P =.002), with a post hoc analyzed power of 0.88. The median time from the first dose to the control of agitation was 15 minutes (range: 5-210) with the combination and 60 minutes (range: 10-430) with the other protocol, P <.001. There were no complications other than some transient somnolence, mainly with the combination protocol. The authors conclude that the combination of haloperidol and midazolam is effective and safe for the control of agitation in palliative care and it is more effective than haloperidol alone. Therefore, the combination should be adopted as the preferred protocol. It would be helpful if the usefulness of this protocol is confirmed by others.

Load control system. [for space shuttle external tank ground tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grosse, J. C.

1977-01-01

The load control system developed for the shuttle external structural tests is described. The system consists of a load programming/display module, and a load control module along with the following hydraulic system components: servo valves, dump valves, hydraulic system components, and servo valve manifold blocks. One load programming/display subsystem can support multiple load control subsystem modules.

Pressure-flow specificity of inspiratory muscle training.

PubMed

Tzelepis, G E; Vega, D L; Cohen, M E; Fulambarker, A M; Patel, K K; McCool, F D

1994-08-01

The inspiratory muscles (IM) can be trained by having a subject breathe through inspiratory resistive loads or by use of unloaded hyperpnea. These disparate training protocols are characterized by high inspiratory pressure (force) or high inspiratory flow (velocity), respectively. We tested the hypothesis that the posttraining improvements in IM pressure or flow performance are specific to training protocols in a way that is similar to force-velocity specificity of skeletal muscle training. IM training was accomplished in 15 normal subjects by use of three protocols: high inspiratory pressure-no flow (group A, n = 5), low inspiratory pressure-high flow (group B, n = 5), and intermediate inspiratory pressure and flow (group C, n = 5). A control group (n = 4) did no training. Before and after training, we measured esophageal pressure (Pes) and inspiratory flow (VI) during single maximal inspiratory efforts against a range of external resistances including an occluded airway. Efforts originated below relaxation volume (Vrel), and peak Pes and VI were measured at Vrel. Isovolume maximal Pes-VI plots were constructed to assess maximal inspiratory pressure-flow performance. Group A (pressure training) performed 30 maximal static inspiratory maneuvers at Vrel daily, group B (flow training) performed 30 sets of three maximal inspiratory maneuvers with no added external resistance daily, and group C (intermediate training) performed 30 maximal inspiratory efforts on a midrange external resistance (7 mm ID) daily. Subjects trained 5 days/wk for 6 wk. Data analysis included comparison of posttraining Pes-VI slopes among training groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In situ forces and length patterns of the fibular collateral ligament under controlled loading: an in vitro biomechanical study using a robotic system.

PubMed

Liu, Ping; Wang, Jianquan; Xu, Yan; Ao, Yingfang

2015-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine the in situ forces and length patterns of the fibular collateral ligament (FCL) and kinematics of the knee under various loading conditions. Six fresh-frozen cadaveric knees were used (mean age 46 ± 14.4 years; range 20-58). In situ forces and length patterns of FCL and kinematics of the knee were determined under the following loading conditions using a robotic/universal force-moment sensor testing system: no rotation, varus (10 Nm), external rotation (5 Nm), and internal rotation (5 Nm) at 0°, 15°, 30°, 60º, 90°, and 120° of flexion, respectively. Under no rotation loading, the distances between the centres of the FCL attachments decreased as the knee flexed. Under varus loading, the force in FCL peaked at 15° of flexion and decreased with further knee flexion, while distances remained nearly constant and the varus rotation increased with knee flexion. Using external rotation, the force in the FCL also peaked at 15° flexion and decreased with further knee flexion, the distances decreased with flexion, and external rotation increased with knee flexion. Using internal rotation load, the force in the FCL was relatively small across all knee flexion angles, and the distances decreased with flexion; the amount of internal rotation was fairly constant. FCL has a primary role in preventing varus and external rotation at 15° of flexion. The FCL does not perform isometrically following knee flexion during neutral rotation, and tibia rotation has significant effects on the kinematics of the FCL. Varus and external rotation laxity increased following knee flexion. By providing more realistic data about the function and length patterns of the FCL and the kinematics of the intact knee, improved reconstruction and rehabilitation protocols can be developed.

The role of the cardiac nerves in regulation of sodium excretion in conscious dogs.

PubMed

Kaczmarczyk, G; Drake, A; Eisele, R; Mohnhaupt, R; Noble, M I; Simgen, B; Stubbs, J; Reinhardt, H W

1981-05-01

Conscious, chronically instrumented dogs, maintained on a high sodium intake, were used to investigate whether surgical cardiac denervation impairs the natriuresis associated with left atrial pressure increase produced in three ways: during an increase in left atrial pressure by means of a reversible mitral stenosis (protocol 1); after an i.v. saline load (1.0 ml 0.9% saline min-1 . kg-1 over 60 min) (protocol 2); after an oral saline load (14.5 mmol Na . kg-1 given with the food as isotonic solution) (protocol 3). During a reversible mitral stenosis, in intact dogs, urine volume and sodium excretion increased markedly (from 34--145 microliters . min-1 . kg-1 and from 3--12 mumol . min-1 . kg-1); mean arterial pressure increased by an average of 2 kPa (15 mm Hg) and heart rate by 53 b/min; plasma renin activity fell from 0.37--0.21 ng AI . ml-1 . h-1 . Cardiac denervation eliminated these effects of left atrial distension except for a small increase in heart rate (12 b/min). This indicates that the natriuresis and diuresis during left atrial distension resulted from stimulation of receptors located in the left atrium. In contrast, during protocol 2 and 3, the same amounts of sodium and water were excreted in the cardiac denervated dogs as compared to the intact dogs. A comparable decrease in plasma renin activity also was observed. -- Apparently the presence of the cardiac nerves is not a prerequisite for maintenance of sodium and water homeostasis.

Predictive model of muscle fatigue after spinal cord injury in humans.

PubMed

Shields, Richard K; Chang, Ya-Ju; Dudley-Javoroski, Shauna; Lin, Cheng-Hsiang

2006-07-01

The fatigability of paralyzed muscle limits its ability to deliver physiological loads to paralyzed extremities during repetitive electrical stimulation. The purposes of this study were to determine the reliability of measuring paralyzed muscle fatigue and to develop a model to predict the temporal changes in muscle fatigue that occur after spinal cord injury (SCI). Thirty-four subjects underwent soleus fatigue testing with a modified Burke electrical stimulation fatigue protocol. The between-day reliability of this protocol was high (intraclass correlation, 0.96). We fit the fatigue index (FI) data to a quadratic-linear segmental polynomial model. FI declined rapidly (0.3854 per year) for the first 1.7 years, and more slowly (0.01 per year) thereafter. The rapid decline of FI immediately after SCI implies that a "window of opportunity" exists for the clinician if the goal is to prevent these changes. Understanding the timing of change in muscle endurance properties (and, therefore, load-generating capacity) after SCI may assist clinicians when developing therapeutic interventions to maintain musculoskeletal integrity.

A General Self-Organized Tree-Based Energy-Balance Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Zhao; Wu, Jie; Zhang, Jie; Liu, Liefeng; Tian, Kaiyun

2014-04-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a system composed of a large number of low-cost micro-sensors. This network is used to collect and send various kinds of messages to a base station (BS). WSN consists of low-cost nodes with limited battery power, and the battery replacement is not easy for WSN with thousands of physically embedded nodes, which means energy efficient routing protocol should be employed to offer a long-life work time. To achieve the aim, we need not only to minimize total energy consumption but also to balance WSN load. Researchers have proposed many protocols such as LEACH, HEED, PEGASIS, TBC and PEDAP. In this paper, we propose a General Self-Organized Tree-Based Energy-Balance routing protocol (GSTEB) which builds a routing tree using a process where, for each round, BS assigns a root node and broadcasts this selection to all sensor nodes. Subsequently, each node selects its parent by considering only itself and its neighbors' information, thus making GSTEB a dynamic protocol. Simulation results show that GSTEB has a better performance than other protocols in balancing energy consumption, thus prolonging the lifetime of WSN.

Supporting Tablet Configuration, Tracking, and Infection Control Practices in Digital Health Interventions: Study Protocol

PubMed Central

Furberg, Robert D; Zulkiewicz, Brittany A; Hudson, Jordan P; Taylor, Olivia M; Lewis, Megan A

2016-01-01

Background Tablet-based health care interventions have the potential to encourage patient care in a timelier manner, allow physicians convenient access to patient records, and provide an improved method for patient education. However, along with the continued adoption of tablet technologies, there is a concomitant need to develop protocols focusing on the configuration, management, and maintenance of these devices within the health care setting to support the conduct of clinical research. Objective Develop three protocols to support tablet configuration, tablet management, and tablet maintenance. Methods The Configurator software, Tile technology, and current infection control recommendations were employed to develop three distinct protocols for tablet-based digital health interventions. Configurator is a mobile device management software specifically for iPhone operating system (iOS) devices. The capabilities and current applications of Configurator were reviewed and used to develop the protocol to support device configuration. Tile is a tracking tag associated with a free mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. The features associated with Tile were evaluated and used to develop the Tile protocol to support tablet management. Furthermore, current recommendations on preventing health care–related infections were reviewed to develop the infection control protocol to support tablet maintenance. Results This article provides three protocols: the Configurator protocol, the Tile protocol, and the infection control protocol. Conclusions These protocols can help to ensure consistent implementation of tablet-based interventions, enhance fidelity when employing tablets for research purposes, and serve as a guide for tablet deployments within clinical settings. PMID:27350013

Ground reaction forces and knee kinetics during single and repeated badminton lunges.

PubMed

Lam, Wing Kai; Ding, Rui; Qu, Yi

2017-03-01

Repeated movement (RM) lunge that frequently executed in badminton might be used for footwear evaluation. This study examined the influence of single movement (SM) and RM lunges on the ground reaction forces (GRFs) and knee kinetics during the braking phase of a badminton lunge step. Thirteen male university badminton players performed left-forward lunges in both SM and RM sessions. Force platform and motion capturing system were used to measure GRFs and knee kinetics variables. Paired t-test was performed to determine any significant differences between SM and RM lunges regarding mean and coefficient of variation (CV) in each variable. The kinetics results indicated that compared to SM lunges, the RM lunges had shorter contact time and generated smaller maximum loading rate of impact force, peak knee anterior-posterior force, and peak knee sagittal moment but generated larger peak horizontal resultant forces (Ps < 0.05). Additionally, the RM lunges had lower CV for peak knee medial-lateral and vertical forces (Ps < 0.05). These results suggested that the RM testing protocols had a distinct loading response and adaptation pattern during lunge and that the RM protocol showed higher within-trial reliability, which may be beneficial for the knee joint loading evaluation under different interventions.

High-power diode laser versus electrocautery surgery on human papillomavirus lesion treatment.

PubMed

Baeder, Fernando Martins; Santos, Maria Teresa Botti R; Pelino, Jose Eduardo Pelizon; Duarte, Danilo Antonio; Genovese, Walter Joao

2012-05-01

The use of high-power lasers has facilitated and improved human papillomavirus (HPV) treatment protocols and has also become very popular in recent years. This application has been more frequently used in hospitals, especially in gynecology. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of high-power diode laser to remove oral lesions caused by HPV and the consequent effects on virus load following the wound tissue healing process compared with one of the most conventional surgical techniques involving electrocautery. Surgeries were performed on 5 patients who had 2 distinct lesions caused by HPV. All patients were submitted to both electrocautery and high-power diode laser. Following a 20-day period, when the area was healed, sample material was collected through curettage for virus load quantitative analysis.Observation verified the presence of virus in all the samples; however, surgeries performed with the laser also revealed a significant reduction in virus load per cell compared with those performed with electrocautery. The ease when handling the diode laser, because of the flexibility of its fibers and precision of its energy delivery system, provides high-accuracy surgery, which facilitates the treatment of large and/or multifocal lesions. The use of high-power diode laser is more effective in treatment protocols of lesions caused by HPV.

Effectiveness of a glutaraldehyde formulation in decontamination of dental unit water systems.

PubMed

Gigola, P; Angelillo, V; Garusi, G

2006-01-01

Dental-medical devices may transmit infections caused by bacteria that are usually found in water distribution systems, and which are difficult to treat and control. High bacterial contamination in the water systems of dental units is due to the presence of biofilm inside the pipes. Our study evaluated the efficacy of glutaraldehyde formulated with quarternary ammonium salts (Sanicide T4) examined in a previous study, employing a series of assays to confirm or otherwise the results obtained previously. A purification protocol for the dental unit water system, together with a protocol for daily maintenance treatment, were tested on two dental units (in the Departments of Conservative and Prosthetic Dentistry) taking specimens from the turbine, micro-engine and air-water gun. The chemical substance, at a concentration of 20 cc per litre of water, was allowed to act when the department closed, for a total of 15 days. The Sanicide T4 was handled with protective gloves and the dental units were fitted with two safety devices to avoid accidental ingestion. Laboratory results enabled us to compare values for bacterial load at 36 degrees C and at 22 degrees C and for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, before and after applying the test protocol. Data obtained are satisfactory except for Pseudo-monas in the fountain in the Department of Conservative Dentistry; the value was in any case below the safety level set by the American Dental Association, confirming the results obtained in our previous study. The two protocols may now be considered an excellent solution to control the development of biofilm. Should the product be found to be effective for a longer period of use, each dental unit should be provided with: an anti-reflux valve to stop accidental ingestion of disinfectant; a hydraulic mechanism to pump the product to the handpieces and other water supply devices; possibility of discriminating the use of the public water system from the use of that in the disinfectant circuit; an automatic mechanism whereby the disinfectant can be flushed out with drinking water every morning.

Normalization of cortical thickness measurements across different T1 magnetic resonance imaging protocols by novel W-Score standardization.

PubMed

Chung, Jinyong; Yoo, Kwangsun; Lee, Peter; Kim, Chan Mi; Roh, Jee Hoon; Park, Ji Eun; Kim, Sang Joon; Seo, Sang Won; Shin, Jeong-Hyeon; Seong, Joon-Kyung; Jeong, Yong

2017-10-01

The use of different 3D T1-weighted magnetic resonance (T1 MR) imaging protocols induces image incompatibility across multicenter studies, negating the many advantages of multicenter studies. A few methods have been developed to address this problem, but significant image incompatibility still remains. Thus, we developed a novel and convenient method to improve image compatibility. W-score standardization creates quality reference values by using a healthy group to obtain normalized disease values. We developed a protocol-specific w-score standardization to control the protocol effect, which is applied to each protocol separately. We used three data sets. In dataset 1, brain T1 MR images of normal controls (NC) and patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) from two centers, acquired with different T1 MR protocols, were used (Protocol 1 and 2, n = 45/group). In dataset 2, data from six subjects, who underwent MRI with two different protocols (Protocol 1 and 2), were used with different repetition times, echo times, and slice thicknesses. In dataset 3, T1 MR images from a large number of healthy normal controls (Protocol 1: n = 148, Protocol 2: n = 343) were collected for w-score standardization. The protocol effect and disease effect on subjects' cortical thickness were analyzed before and after the application of protocol-specific w-score standardization. As expected, different protocols resulted in differing cortical thickness measurements in both NC and AD subjects. Different measurements were obtained for the same subject when imaged with different protocols. Multivariate pattern difference between measurements was observed between the protocols. Classification accuracy between two protocols was nearly 90%. After applying protocol-specific w-score standardization, the differences between the protocols substantially decreased. Most importantly, protocol-specific w-score standardization reduced both univariate and multivariate differences in the images while maintaining the AD disease effect. Compared to conventional regression methods, our method showed the best performance for in terms of controlling the protocol effect while preserving disease information. Protocol-specific w-score standardization effectively resolved the concerns of conventional regression methods. It showed the best performance for improving the compatibility of a T1 MR post-processed feature, cortical thickness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic Attenuation Results of Thermoplastic Resin Composites Undergoing Thermal and Fatigue Loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madaras, Eric I.

1998-01-01

As part of an effort to obtain the required information about new composites for aviation use, materials and NDE researchers at NASA are jointly performing mechanical and NDE measurements on new composite materials. The materials testing laboratory at NASA is equipped with environmental chambers mounted on load frames that can expose composite materials to thermal and loading cycles representative of flight protocols. Applying both temperature and load simultaneously will help to highlight temperature and load interactions during the aging of these composite materials. This report highlights our initial ultrasonic attenuation results from thermoplastic composite samples that have undergone over 4000 flight cycles to date. Ultrasonic attenuation measurements are a standard method used to assess the effects of material degradation. Recently, researchers have shown that they could obtain adequate contrast in the evaluation of thermal degradation in thermoplastic composites by using frequencies of ultrasound on the order of 24 MHz. In this study, we address the relationship of attenuation measured at lower frequencies in thermoplastic composites undergoing both thermal and mechanical loading. We also compare these thermoplastic results with some data from thermoset composites undergoing similar protocols. The composite s attenuation is reported as the slope of attenuation with respect to frequency, defined as b = Da(f)/Df. The slope of attenuation is an attractive parameter since it is quantitative, yet does not require interface corrections like conventional quantitative attenuation measurements. This latter feature is a consequence of the assumption that interface correction terms are frequency independent. Uncertainty in those correction terms can compromise the value of conventional quantitative attenuation data. Furthermore, the slope of the attenuation more directly utilizes the bandwidth information and in addition, the bandwidth can be adjusted in the post processing stage to compensate for the loss of dynamic range of the signal as the composites age.

Experiences with http/WebDAV protocols for data access in high throughput computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernabeu, Gerard; Martinez, Francisco; Acción, Esther; Bria, Arnau; Caubet, Marc; Delfino, Manuel; Espinal, Xavier

2011-12-01

In the past, access to remote storage was considered to be at least one order of magnitude slower than local disk access. Improvement on network technologies provide the alternative of using remote disk. For those accesses one can today reach levels of throughput similar or exceeding those of local disks. Common choices as access protocols in the WLCG collaboration are RFIO, [GSI]DCAP, GRIDFTP, XROOTD and NFS. HTTP protocol shows a promising alternative as it is a simple, lightweight protocol. It also enables the use of standard technologies such as http caching or load balancing which can be used to improve service resilience and scalability or to boost performance for some use cases seen in HEP such as the "hot files". WebDAV extensions allow writing data, giving it enough functionality to work as a remote access protocol. This paper will show our experiences with the WebDAV door for dCache, in terms of functionality and performance, applied to some of the HEP work flows in the LHC Tier1 at PIC.

Refinement for fault-tolerance: An aircraft hand-off protocol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marzullo, Keith; Schneider, Fred B.; Dehn, Jon

1994-01-01

Part of the Advanced Automation System (AAS) for air-traffic control is a protocol to permit flight hand-off from one air-traffic controller to another. The protocol must be fault-tolerant and, therefore, is subtle -- an ideal candidate for the application of formal methods. This paper describes a formal method for deriving fault-tolerant protocols that is based on refinement and proof outlines. The AAS hand-off protocol was actually derived using this method; that derivation is given.

Synthesis of High-Load, Hybrid Silica-Immobilized Heterocyclic Benzyl Phosphate (Si–OHBP) and Triazolyl Phosphate (Si–OHTP) Alkylating Reagents

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The development of new ROMP-derived silica-immobilized heterocyclic phosphate reagents and their application in purification-free protocols is reported. Grafting of norbornenyl norbornenyl-functionalized (Nb-tagged) silica particles with functionalized Nb-tagged heterocyclic phosphate monomers efficiently yield high-load, hybrid silica-immobilized oligomeric heterobenzyl phosphates (Si–OHBP) and heterotriazolyl phosphates (Si–OHTP) as efficient alkylation agents. Applications of these reagents for the diversification of N-, O-, and S-nucleophilic species, for efficient heterobenzylation and hetero(triazolyl)methylation have been validated. PMID:27300761

Constant-load versus heart rate-targeted exercise - Responses of systolic intervals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lance, V. Q.; Spodick, D. H.

1975-01-01

Various systolic intervals were measured prior to and during heart rate-targeted bicycle ergometer exercise. There were striking similarities within each matched exercise set for Q-Im, isovolumetric contraction time, preejection period (PEP), and PEP/left ventricular ejection time (LVET). LVET was significantly shorter for rate-targeted exercise. It is concluded that either constant-load or rate-targeted bicycle ergometry may be used with the choice of method determined by the purpose of the protocol, and that systolic intervals (except LVET) should not be much altered owing to the method chosen.

Identity-Based Authentication for Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hongwei; Dai, Yuanshun; Tian, Ling; Yang, Haomiao

Cloud computing is a recently developed new technology for complex systems with massive-scale services sharing among numerous users. Therefore, authentication of both users and services is a significant issue for the trust and security of the cloud computing. SSL Authentication Protocol (SAP), once applied in cloud computing, will become so complicated that users will undergo a heavily loaded point both in computation and communication. This paper, based on the identity-based hierarchical model for cloud computing (IBHMCC) and its corresponding encryption and signature schemes, presented a new identity-based authentication protocol for cloud computing and services. Through simulation testing, it is shown that the authentication protocol is more lightweight and efficient than SAP, specially the more lightweight user side. Such merit of our model with great scalability is very suited to the massive-scale cloud.

ZERO: probabilistic routing for deploy and forget Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Vilajosana, Xavier; Llosa, Jordi; Pacho, Jose Carlos; Vilajosana, Ignasi; Juan, Angel A; Vicario, Jose Lopez; Morell, Antoni

2010-01-01

As Wireless Sensor Networks are being adopted by industry and agriculture for large-scale and unattended deployments, the need for reliable and energy-conservative protocols become critical. Physical and Link layer efforts for energy conservation are not mostly considered by routing protocols that put their efforts on maintaining reliability and throughput. Gradient-based routing protocols route data through most reliable links aiming to ensure 99% packet delivery. However, they suffer from the so-called "hot spot" problem. Most reliable routes waste their energy fast, thus partitioning the network and reducing the area monitored. To cope with this "hot spot" problem we propose ZERO a combined approach at Network and Link layers to increase network lifespan while conserving reliability levels by means of probabilistic load balancing techniques.

Application of 80-kVp scan and raw data-based iterative reconstruction for reduced iodine load abdominal-pelvic CT in patients at risk of contrast-induced nephropathy referred for oncological assessment: effects on radiation dose, image quality and renal function.

PubMed

Nagayama, Yasunori; Tanoue, Shota; Tsuji, Akinori; Urata, Joji; Furusawa, Mitsuhiro; Oda, Seitaro; Nakaura, Takeshi; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Yoshida, Eri; Yoshida, Morikatsu; Kidoh, Masafumi; Tateishi, Machiko; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

2018-05-01

To evaluate the image quality, radiation dose, and renal safety of contrast medium (CM)-reduced abdominal-pelvic CT combining 80-kVp and sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE) in patients with renal dysfunction for oncological assessment. We included 45 patients with renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate  <45 ml per min per 1.73 m 2 ) who underwent reduced-CM abdominal-pelvic CT (360 mgI kg -1 , 80-kVp, SAFIRE) for oncological assessment. Another 45 patients without renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate >60 ml per lmin per 1.73 m 2 ) who underwent standard oncological abdominal-pelvic CT (600 mgI kg -1 , 120-kVp, filtered-back projection) were included as controls. CT attenuation, image noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were compared. Two observers performed subjective image analysis on a 4-point scale. Size-specific dose estimate and renal function 1-3 months after CT were measured. The size-specific dose estimate and iodine load of 80-kVp protocol were 32 and 41%,, respectively, lower than of 120-kVp protocol (p < 0.01). CT attenuation and contrast-to-noise ratio of parenchymal organs and vessels in 80-kVp images were significantly better than those of 120-kVp images (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in quantitative or qualitative image noise or subjective overall quality (p > 0.05). No significant kidney injury associated with CM administration was observed. 80-kVp abdominal-pelvic CT with SAFIRE yields diagnostic image quality in oncology patients with renal dysfunction under substantially reduced iodine and radiation dose without renal safety concerns. Advances in knowledge: Using 80-kVp and SAFIRE allows for 40% iodine load and 32% radiation dose reduction for abdominal-pelvic CT without compromising image quality and renal function in oncology patients at risk of contrast-induced nephropathy.

Evaluation of an adult insulin infusion protocol at an academic medical center.

PubMed

Petrov, Katerina I; Burns, Tammy L; Drincic, Andjela

2012-05-01

Acknowledging evidence of possible detrimental effects of tightly controlled blood glucose levels, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Diabetes Association published a consensus statement recommending less strict control for most diabetic patients. As a result of these recommendations, our academic center at Creighton University Medical Center revised its adult insulin infusion protocol to target blood glucose levels ranging from 120 to 180 mg/dL for regular (standard) glycemic control and 80 to 120 mg/dL for tight control; previous targets had ranged from 80 to 180 mg/dL and 70 to 110 mg/dL, respectively. The primary objective was to evaluate the time that blood glucose values were within the target range for patients receiving the new protocol, compared with patients receiving the previous protocol. Our study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the revised protocol. Using a retrospective chart review, we collected data for 4 months from patients on the old insulin protocol (May to August 2009) and for 4 months from patients on the new protocol (September to December 2009). Secondary endpoints included the number of hypoglycemic episodes (blood glucose below 70 mg/dL) and severe hypoglycemic episodes (blood glucose 40 mg/dL or lower) experienced by patients receiving the new insulin protocol compared with those receiving the former protocol. Patient characteristics were similar at baseline. Blood glucose values stayed within the target range for a significantly shorter time with the new protocol than with the former protocol (44.6% vs. 56.8%, respectively; P < 0.001), probably because of the narrower target range in the revised protocol. No statistically significant differences in hypoglycemia were observed after the protocol was changed. Hypoglycemia occurred in 31% of the former-protocol patients compared with 18% of the revised-protocol patients. Severe hypoglycemia was experienced by 2.1% of patients on the old protocol and by 3.1% of patients on the new protocol. Rates of severe hypoglycemia were low (2.6%) with the original protocol. Patients' blood glucose levels were within the target range for a shorter time with the new protocol. Fewer episodes of hypoglycemia were recorded with the new protocol, but rates of severe hypoglycemia were similar with both protocols.

The evaluation of off-loading using a new removable oRTHOsis in DIABetic foot (ORTHODIAB) randomized controlled trial: study design and rational.

PubMed

Mohammedi, Kamel; Potier, Louis; François, Maud; Dardari, Dured; Feron, Marilyne; Nobecourt-Dupuy, Estelle; Dolz, Manuel; Ducloux, Roxane; Chibani, Abdelkader; Eveno, Dominique-François; Crea Avila, Teresa; Sultan, Ariane; Baillet-Blanco, Laurence; Rigalleau, Vincent; Velho, Gilberto; Tubach, Florence; Roussel, Ronan; Dupré, Jean-Claude; Malgrange, Dominique; Marre, Michel

2016-01-01

Off-loading is essential for diabetic foot management, but remains understudied. The evaluation of Off-loading using a new removable oRTHOsis in DIABetic foot (ORTHODIAB) trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of a new removable device "Orthèse Diabète" in the healing of diabetic foot. ORTHODIAB is a French multi-centre randomized, open label trial, with a blinded end points evaluation by an adjudication committee according to the Prospective Randomized Open Blinded End-point. Main endpoints are adjudicated based on the analysis of diabetic foot photographs. Orthèse Diabète is a new removable off-loading orthosis (PROTEOR, France) allowing innovative functions including real-time evaluation of off-loading and estimation of patients' adherence. Diabetic patients with neuropathic plantar ulcer or amputation wounds (toes or transmetatarsal) are assigned to one of 2 parallel-groups: Orthèse Diabète or control group (any removable device) according to a central computer-based randomization. Study visits are scheduled for 6 months (days D7 and D14, and months M1, M2, M3, and M6). The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients whose principal ulcer is healed at M3. Secondary endpoints are: the proportion of patients whose principal ulcer is healed at M1, M2 and M6; the proportion of patients whose initial ulcers are all healed at M1, M2, M3, and M6; principal ulcer area reduction; time-related ulcer-free survival; development of new ulcers; new lower-extremity amputation; infectious complications; off-loading adherence; and patient satisfaction. The study protocol was approved by the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety, and by the ethics committee of Saint-Louis Hospital (Paris). Comprehensive study information including a Patient Information Sheet has been provided to each patient who must give written informed consent before enrolment. Monitoring, data management, and statistical analyses are providing by UMANIS Life Science (Paris), independently to the sponsor. Since 27/10/2013, 13 centres have agreed to participate in this study, 117 participants were included, and 70 have achieved the study schedules. The study completion is expected for the end of 2016, and the main results will be published in 2017. ORTHODIAB trial evaluates an innovating removable off-loading device, seeking to improve diabetic foot healing (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01956162).

Efficacy of Multimodal Pain Control Protocol in the Setting of Total Hip Arthroplasty

PubMed Central

Lee, Kyung-Jae; Bae, Ki-Cheor; Cho, Chul-Hyun; Kwon, Doo-Hyun

2009-01-01

Background This study evaluated the benefits and safety of a multimodal pain control protocol, which included a periarticular injection of local anesthetics, in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. Methods Between March 2006 and March 2007, 60 patients undergoing unilateral total hip arthroplasty were randomized to undergo either a multimodal pain control protocol or a conventional pain control protocol. The following parameters were compared: the preoperative and postoperative visual analogue scales (VAS), hospital stay, operative time, postoperative rehabilitation, additional painkiller consumption, and complication rates. Results There was no difference between the groups in terms of diagnosis, age, gender, and BMI. Although both groups had similar VAS scores in the preoperative period and on the fifth postoperative day, there was a significant difference between the groups over the four-day period after surgery. There were no differences in the hospital stay, operative time, additional painkiller consumption, or complication rate between the groups. The average time for comfortable crutch ambulation was 2.8 days in the multimodal pain control protocol group and 5.3 days in the control group. Conclusions The multimodal pain control protocol can significantly reduce the level of postoperative pain and improve patients' satisfaction, with no apparent risks, after total hip arthroplasty. PMID:19885051

Improvement of burn pain management through routine pain monitoring and pain management protocol.

PubMed

Yang, Hyeong Tae; Hur, Giyeun; Kwak, In-Suk; Yim, Haejun; Cho, Yong Suk; Kim, Dohern; Hur, Jun; Kim, Jong Hyun; Lee, Boung Chul; Seo, Cheong Hoon; Chun, Wook

2013-06-01

Pain management is an important aspect of burn management. We developed a routine pain monitoring system and pain management protocol for burn patients. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of our new pain management system. From May 2011 to November 2011, the prospective study was performed with 107 burn patients. We performed control group (n=58) data analysis and then developed the pain management protocol and monitoring system. Next, we applied our protocol to patients and performed protocol group (n=49) data analysis, and compared this to control group data. Data analysis was performed using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) of background pain and procedural pain, Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (STAIS), and Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale (HRSS). The NRS of background pain for the protocol group was significantly decreased compared to the control group (2.8±2.0 versus 3.9±1.9), and the NRS of procedural pain of the protocol group was significantly decreased compared to the control group (4.8±2.8 versus 3.7±2.5). CAPS and HDRS were decreased in the protocol group, but did not have statistical significance. STAIS and HRSS were decreased in the protocol group, but only the STAIS had statistical significance. Our new pain management system was effective in burn pain management. However, adequate pain management can only be accomplished by a continuous and thorough effort. Therefore, pain control protocol and pain monitoring systems need to be under constant revision and improvement using creative ideas and approaches. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Systems and methods for providing power to a load based upon a control strategy

DOEpatents

Perisic, Milun; Kajouke, Lateef A; Ransom, Ray M

2013-12-24

Systems and methods are provided for an electrical system. The electrical system includes a load, an interface configured to receive a voltage from a voltage source, and a controller configured to receive the voltage from the voltage source through the interface and to provide a voltage and current to the load. Wherein, when the controller is in a constant voltage mode, the controller provides a constant voltage to the load, when the controller is in a constant current mode, the controller provides a constant current to the load, and when the controller is in a constant power mode, the controller provides a constant power to the load.

Cell Membrane Electropulsation: Chemical Analysis of Cell Membrane Modifications and Associated Transport Mechanisms.

PubMed

Azan, Antoine; Gailliègue, Florian; Mir, Lluis M; Breton, Marie

2017-01-01

The transport of substances across the cell membrane is complex because the main physiological role of the membrane is the control of the substances that would enter or exit the cells. Life would not be possible without this control. Cell electropulsation corresponds to the delivery of electric pulses to the cells and comprises cell electroporation and cell electropermeabilization. Cell electropulsation allows for the transport of non-permeant molecules across the membrane, bypassing the physiological limitations. In this chapter we discuss the changes occurring in the cell membrane during electroporation or electropermeabilization as they allow to understand which molecules can be transported as well as when and how their transport can occur. Electrophoretic or diffusive transports across the cell membrane can be distinguished. This understanding has a clear impact on the choice of the electrical parameters to be applied to the cells as well as on other aspects of the experimental protocols that have to be set to load the cells with non-permeant molecules.

Towards scalable Byzantine fault-tolerant replication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zbierski, Maciej

2017-08-01

Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) replication is a powerful technique, enabling distributed systems to remain available and correct even in the presence of arbitrary faults. Unfortunately, existing BFT replication protocols are mostly load-unscalable, i.e. they fail to respond with adequate performance increase whenever new computational resources are introduced into the system. This article proposes a universal architecture facilitating the creation of load-scalable distributed services based on BFT replication. The suggested approach exploits parallel request processing to fully utilize the available resources, and uses a load balancer module to dynamically adapt to the properties of the observed client workload. The article additionally provides a discussion on selected deployment scenarios, and explains how the proposed architecture could be used to increase the dependability of contemporary large-scale distributed systems.

Lifestyle intervention using Internet of Things (IoT) for the elderly: A study protocol for a randomized control trial (the BEST-LIFE study).

PubMed

Kato, Sawako; Ando, Masahiko; Kondo, Takaaki; Yoshida, Yasuko; Honda, Hiroyuki; Maruyama, Shoichi

2018-05-01

Modification of lifestyle habits, including diet and physical activity, is essential for the prevention and control of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in elderly patients. However, individualized treatment is more critical for the elderly than for general patients. This study aimed to determine lifestyle interventions that resulted in lowering hemoglobin A 1c (HbA 1c ) in Japanese pre- and early diabetic elderly subjects. The BEST-LIFE trial is an ongoing, open-label, 6-month, randomized (1:1) parallel group trial. Subjects with HbA 1c of ≥5.6%-randomly assigned to the intervention or control group -use wearable monitoring devices loaded with Internet of things (IoT) systems that aids them with self-management and obtaining monthly remote health guidance from a public health nurse. The primary outcome is changes in HbA 1c after a 6-month intervention relative to the baseline values. The secondary outcome is the change of behavior modification stages. The background, rationale, and study design of this trial are also presented. One hundred forty-five subjects have already been enrolled in this lifestyle intervention program, which will end in 2019. The BEST-LIFE trial will provide new evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of our program on lowering HbA 1c in elderly subjects with T2DM. It will also investigate whether information communication technology tools and monitoring devices loaded with IoT can support health care in elderly subjects. The trial registration number is UMIN-CTR: UMIN 000023356.

Robustness of muscle synergies underlying three-dimensional force generation at the hand in healthy humans

PubMed Central

Rymer, William Z.; Beer, Randall F.

2012-01-01

Previous studies using advanced matrix factorization techniques have shown that the coordination of human voluntary limb movements may be accomplished using combinations of a small number of intermuscular coordination patterns, or muscle synergies. However, the potential use of muscle synergies for isometric force generation has been evaluated mostly using correlational methods. The results of such studies suggest that fixed relationships between the activations of pairs of muscles are relatively rare. There is also emerging evidence that the nervous system uses independent strategies to control movement and force generation, which suggests that one cannot conclude a priori that isometric force generation is accomplished by combining muscle synergies, as shown in movement control. In this study, we used non-negative matrix factorization to evaluate the ability of a few muscle synergies to reconstruct the activation patterns of human arm muscles underlying the generation of three-dimensional (3-D) isometric forces at the hand. Surface electromyographic (EMG) data were recorded from eight key elbow and shoulder muscles during 3-D force target-matching protocols performed across a range of load levels and hand positions. Four synergies were sufficient to explain, on average, 95% of the variance in EMG datasets. Furthermore, we found that muscle synergy composition was conserved across biomechanical task conditions, experimental protocols, and subjects. Our findings are consistent with the view that the nervous system can generate isometric forces by assembling a combination of a small number of muscle synergies, differentially weighted according to task constraints. PMID:22279190

The development of a new three-step protocol to determine the efficacy of disinfectant wipes on surfaces contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus.

PubMed

Williams, G J; Denyer, S P; Hosein, I K; Hill, D W; Maillard, J-Y

2007-12-01

We developed a three-step protocol to quantify the efficacy of disinfectant wipes, their ability to remove and prevent microbial transfer from surfaces and their overall antimicrobial activity. Meticillin-resistant (MRSA) or -susceptible (MSSA) Staphylococcus aureus (6-7 log(10)cfu) were inoculated onto stainless steel discs with or without organic load and dried. Grapefruit extract-containing test wipes and unmedicated control wipes were used. In step 1, wipes were mechanically rotated against surfaces for 10s at 60rpm, exerting a weight of 100+/-5g. Bacterial removal was assessed by transferring the steel discs to neutraliser, resuspending and counting remaining bacteria. In step 2, bacterial transfer from wipes was assessed by eight consecutive mechanical adpression transfers to agar/neutraliser plates. Step 3 was the measurement of antimicrobial activity by direct inoculation of the wipes for 10s followed by neutralisation and enumeration. Test wipes achieved a significantly higher bacterial cell removal than control wipes on all surfaces (P<0.05). The low bactericidal activity of the wipes (<1 log(10) reduction when directly inoculated) and the subsequent survival of bacteria on the wipes, however, led to repeated microbial transfer when initially high contamination levels were present. There were no differences between MRSA and MSSA in removal, transfer or antimicrobial activity. The three-step method is a useful tool for developing future guidelines to assess the ability of wipes to disinfect surfaces.

Development of Test Protocols for International Space Station Particulate Filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Robert D.; Vijayakumar, R.; Agui, Juan H.

2014-01-01

Air quality control on the International Space Station (ISS) is a vital requirement for maintaining a clean environment for the crew and the hardware. This becomes a serious challenge in pressurized space compartments since no outside air ventilation is possible, and a larger particulate load is imposed on the filtration system due to lack of gravitational settling. The ISS Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) uses a filtration system that has been in use for over 14 years and has proven to meet this challenge. The heart of this system is a traditional High- Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter configured to interface with the rest of the life support elements and provide effective cabin filtration. Over the years, the service life of these filters has been re-evaluated based on limited post-flight tests of returned filters and risk factors. On earth, a well designed and installed HEPA filter will last for several years, e.g. in industrial and research clean room applications. Test methods for evaluating these filters are being developed on the basis of established test protocols used by the industry and the military. This paper will discuss the test methods adopted and test results on prototypes of the ISS filters. The results will assist in establishing whether the service life can be extended for these filters. Results from unused filters that have been in storage will also be presented to ascertain the shelf life and performance deterioration, if any and determine if the shelf life may be extended.

Intricate Estimation and Assessment of Surface Conditioning of Posts to improve Interfacial Adhesion in Post-core Restorations: An in vitro Study.

PubMed

Gupta, Priyanka; Sharma, Amil; Pathak, Vivek K; Mankeliya, Saurabh; Bhardwaj, Shivanshu; Dhanare, Poorvasha

2017-12-01

Post and core restorations are routinely used for restoring grossly decayed tooth structures. Various chemical agents are known to affect the interfacial adhesions between the post and the core. Hence, we planned the present study to evaluate the effect of various post-surface treatments on the interfacial strength between the posts and composite materials that are used for building up the core portion. The present study included assessment of the effect of surface conditioning of posts on the interfacial adhesion in post-core restorations. A total of 80 clear post-tapers were included and were divided broadly into four study groups based on the type of chemical testing protocols used. Various chemical treatments included alkaline potassium permanganate, hydrogen peroxide, and phosphoric acid. The fourth group was the control group. The composite core material was used for building up the core. Testing of the tensile load was done on a universal testing machine. All the results were analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The highest bond strength was observed in the study group treated with alkaline potassium permanganate, while the lowest was observed in the control group followed by the hydrogen peroxide group. While comparing the mean bond strength in between various study groups, significant results were obtained. Chemical treatment protocol significantly alters the mean bond strength of the post and core restoration. Potassium permanganate significantly increases the bond strength between the fiber post and core restoration.

Evaluation of implants coated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 and vacuum-dried using the critical-size supraalveolar peri-implant defect model in dogs.

PubMed

Decker, John F; Lee, Jaebum; Cortella, Carlo Alberto; Polimeni, Giuseppe; Rohrer, Michael D; Wozney, John M; Hall, Jan; Susin, Cristiano; Wikesjö, Ulf M E

2010-12-01

Endosseous implants coated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) in a laboratory bench setting and air-dried induce relevant bone formation but also resident bone remodeling. Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of implants fully or partially coated with rhBMP-2 and vacuum-dried using an industrial process on local bone formation and resident bone remodeling. Twelve male adult Hound Labrador mongrel dogs were used. Critical-size, supraalveolar, peri-implant defects received titanium porous oxide surface implants coated in their most coronal aspect with rhBMP-2 (coronal-load, six animals), or by immersion of the entire implant in a rhBMP-2 solution (soak-load, six animals) for a total of 30 μg rhBMP-2 per implant. All implants were vacuum-dried. The animals were sacrificed at 8 weeks for histometric evaluation. Clinical healing was unremarkable. Bone formation was not significantly affected by the rhBMP-2 application protocol. New bone height and area averaged (± SE) 3.2 ± 0.5 versus 3.6 ± 0.3 mm, and 2.3 ± 0.5 versus 2.6 ± 0.8 mm(2) for coronal-load and soak-load implants, respectively (P >0.05). The corresponding bone density and bone-implant contact registrations averaged 46.7% ± 5.8% versus 31.6% ± 4.4%, and 28% ± 5.6% versus 36.9% ± 3.4% (P >0.05). In contrast, resident bone remodeling was significantly influenced by the rhBMP-2 application protocol. Peri-implant bone density averaged 72.2% ± 2.1% for coronal-load versus 60.6% ± 4.7% for soak-load implants (P <0.05); the corresponding bone-implant contact averaged 70.7% ± 6.1% versus 47.2% ± 6.0% (P <0.05). Local application of rhBMP-2 and vacuum-drying using industrial process seems to be a viable technology to manufacture implants that support local bone formation and osseointegration. Coronal-load implants obviate resident bone remodeling without compromising local bone formation.

Coping with Pain in the Motivational Context of Values: Comparison between an Acceptance-Based and a Cognitive Control-Based Protocol

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paez-Blarrina, Marisa; Luciano, Carmen; Gutierrez-Martinez, Olga; Valdivia, Sonsoles; Rodriguez-Valverde, Miguel; Ortega, Jose

2008-01-01

This study compares the effect of an acceptance-based protocol (ACT) and a cognitive control-based (CONT) protocol on three measures of pain coping: tolerance, self-report, and believability. Specific methodological controls were employed to further isolate the role of the value of participating in a pain task, compared to previous investigations…

Thermal/Optical Methods for Elemental Carbon Quantification in Soils and Urban Dusts: Equivalence of Different Analysis Protocols

PubMed Central

Han, Yongming; Chen, Antony; Cao, Junji; Fung, Kochy; Ho, Fai; Yan, Beizhan; Zhan, Changlin; Liu, Suixin; Wei, Chong; An, Zhisheng

2013-01-01

Quantifying elemental carbon (EC) content in geological samples is challenging due to interferences of crustal, salt, and organic material. Thermal/optical analysis, combined with acid pretreatment, represents a feasible approach. However, the consistency of various thermal/optical analysis protocols for this type of samples has never been examined. In this study, urban street dust and soil samples from Baoji, China were pretreated with acids and analyzed with four thermal/optical protocols to investigate how analytical conditions and optical correction affect EC measurement. The EC values measured with reflectance correction (ECR) were found always higher and less sensitive to temperature program than the EC values measured with transmittance correction (ECT). A high-temperature method with extended heating times (STN120) showed the highest ECT/ECR ratio (0.86) while a low-temperature protocol (IMPROVE-550), with heating time adjusted for sample loading, showed the lowest (0.53). STN ECT was higher than IMPROVE ECT, in contrast to results from aerosol samples. A higher peak inert-mode temperature and extended heating times can elevate ECT/ECR ratios for pretreated geological samples by promoting pyrolyzed organic carbon (PyOC) removal over EC under trace levels of oxygen. Considering that PyOC within filter increases ECR while decreases ECT from the actual EC levels, simultaneous ECR and ECT measurements would constrain the range of EC loading and provide information on method performance. Further testing with standard reference materials of common environmental matrices supports the findings. Char and soot fractions of EC can be further separated using the IMPROVE protocol. The char/soot ratio was lower in street dusts (2.2 on average) than in soils (5.2 on average), most likely reflecting motor vehicle emissions. The soot concentrations agreed with EC from CTO-375, a pure thermal method. PMID:24358286

Masonry fireplace emissions test method: Repeatability and sensitivity to fueling protocol.

PubMed

Stern, C H; Jaasma, D R; Champion, M R

1993-03-01

A test method for masonry fireplaces has been evaluated during testing on six masonry fireplace configurations. The method determines carbon monoxide and particulate matter emission rates (g/h) and factors (g/kg) and does not require weighing of the appliance to determine the timing of fuel loading.The intralaboratory repeatability of the test method has been determined from multiple tests on the six fireplaces. For the tested fireplaces, the ratio of the highest to lowest measured PM rate averaged 1.17 and in no case was greater than 1.32. The data suggest that some of the variation is due to differences in fuel properties.The influence of fueling protocol on emissions has also been studied. A modified fueling protocol, tested in large and small fireplaces, reduced CO and PM emission factors by roughly 40% and reduced CO and PM rates from 0 to 30%. For both of these fireplaces, emission rates were less sensitive to fueling protocol than emission factors.

A system for evaluation and exercise-conditioning of paralyzed leg muscles.

PubMed

Gruner, J A; Glaser, R M; Feinberg, S D; Collins, S R; Nussbaum, N S

1983-07-01

The purpose of this project was to develop instrumentation and protocols in which electrical stimulation is used to induce exercise in paralyzed quadriceps muscles strength and endurance evaluation and conditioning. A computer-controlled electrical stimulation system, using surface electrodes, automatically regulates the bouts of leg extension exercise. Load weights attached just above the ankles can be progressively increased over a number of training sessions in such a manner that a measure of the fitness of the legs can be obtained. With three exercise sessions per week for 9 weeks, the strength and endurance of the quadriceps muscles of two paraplegic and four quadriplegic subjects were gradually and safely increased. During exercise at a means load weight of 5.4 kg, means heart rate did not rise above rest, whereas systolic blood pressure increased about 20 mm Hg, and skin temperature above the active muscles increased about 1.75 degrees C. Such exercise conditioning appears to be safe and may provide important health benefits, including improved fitness of the muscles and bones, better circulation in the paralyzed limbs, and enhanced self-image. Conditioned electrically stimulated paralyzed leg muscles may be used for locomotion in conjunction with special vehicles.

Nanostructured Silica-Titania Hybrid using Dendritic Fibrous Nanosilica as a Photocatalyst.

PubMed

Bayal, Nisha; Singh, Rustam; Polshettiwar, Vivek

2017-05-22

A new method has been developed to fabricate active TiO 2 photocatalysts by tuning the morphology of the catalyst support. A sustainable solution-phase TiO 2 deposition on dendritic fibrous nanosilica (DFNS) protocol is developed, which is better than the complex and expensive atomic layer deposition technique. In general, catalytic activity decreases with an increased TiO 2 loading on conventional mesoporous silica because of the loss of the surface area caused by the blocking of pores. Notably, in the case of the dendritic fibrous nanosilica KCC-1 as a support, because of its open fibrous morphology, even at the highest TiO 2 loading, a relatively large amount of surface area remained intact. This improved the accessibility of active sites, which increased the catalytic performance of the KCC-1/TiO 2 photocatalyst. KCC-1-supported TiO 2 is a superior photocatalyst in terms of H 2 generation (26.4 mmol gTiO2 -1  h -1 ) under UV light. This study may provide a new direction for photocatalyst development through the morphology control of the support. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Minimizing variance in pediatric gastrostomy: does standardized perioperative feeding plan decrease cost and improve outcomes?

PubMed

Sunstrom, Rachel; Hamilton, Nicholas; Fialkowski, Elizabeth; Lofberg, Katrine; McKee, Julie; Sims, Thomas; Krishnaswami, Sanjay; Azarow, Kenneth

2016-05-01

A protocol for laparoscopic gastrostomy placement was implemented which specified perioperative antibiotics, feeding regimens, and discharge criteria. Our hypothesis was that hospital cost could be decreased, whereas at the same time improving or maintaining patient outcomes. Data were collected on consecutive patients beginning 6 months after implementation of our protocol. We recorded surgeon compliance, patient outcomes (as defined by 30-day NSQIP complication rates), and cost of initial hospitalization, which was then compare to a 6-month historical control period. Our control group n = 26 and protocol group n = 39. Length of stay was shorter in the protocol group (P ≤ .05 by nonparametric analysis). The complication rate was similar in both groups (23% control vs 15% protocol, P = .43). Initial hospital costs were not different. Surgeon compliance to protocol was 82%. A standard protocol is achievable for gastrostomy tube management. After implementation of our protocol, we were able to show a significant decrease in length of stay, whereas maintaining quality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2: Commercial and Industrial Lighting Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W; Gowans, Dakers; Telarico, Chad

The Commercial and Industrial Lighting Evaluation Protocol (the protocol) describes methods to account for gross energy savings resulting from the programmatic installation of efficient lighting equipment in large populations of commercial, industrial, and other nonresidential facilities. This protocol does not address savings resulting from changes in codes and standards, or from education and training activities. A separate Uniform Methods Project (UMP) protocol, Chapter 3: Commercial and Industrial Lighting Controls Evaluation Protocol, addresses methods for evaluating savings resulting from lighting control measures such as adding time clocks, tuning energy management system commands, and adding occupancy sensors.

Vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and droplet-vitrification: a review.

PubMed

Sakai, Akira; Engelmann, Florent

2007-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of the successive steps of the vitrification technique and reviews the current development and use of vitrification and of the two derived protocols, encapsulation-vitrification and droplet-vitrification. Vitrification refers to the physical process by which a highly concentrated cryoprotective solution supercools to very low temperatures and finally solidifies into a metastable glass, without undergoing crystallization at a practical cooling rate. Samples are thus cryopreserved without detrimental intracellular ice formation. In a standard vitrification protocol, excised explants are precultured on medium enriched with sucrose, treated (loaded) with a loading solution composed of 2 M glycerol + 0.4 M sucrose, dehydrated with a highly concentrated vitrification solution [e.g. the PVS2 vitrification solution, which contains 30 percent (w/v) glycerol, 15 percent (w/v) ethylene glycol and 15 percent (w/v) DMSO and 0.4 M sucrose], frozen and rewarmed rapidly, unloaded with basal culture medium supplemented with 1.2 M sucrose, and then transferred to standard culture conditions. In the encapsulation-vitrification technique, the explants are encapsulated in alginate beads, loaded and dehydrated with a vitrification solution before rapid immersion in liquid nitrogen. In the droplet-freezing technique, excised explants are loaded, treated with the vitrification solution and frozen in individual microdroplets of vitrification solution placed on aluminium foils, which are immersed rapidly in liquid nitrogen. These three techniques have been applied to different tissues of over 100 plant species from temperate and tropical origins and the number of cases where they are being tested on a large scale or applied routinely is increasing.

Indentation quantification for in-liquid nanomechanical measurement of soft material using an atomic force microscope: rate-dependent elastic modulus of live cells.

PubMed

Ren, Juan; Yu, Shiyan; Gao, Nan; Zou, Qingze

2013-11-01

In this paper, a control-based approach to replace the conventional method to achieve accurate indentation quantification is proposed for nanomechanical measurement of live cells using atomic force microscope. Accurate indentation quantification is central to probe-based nanomechanical property measurement. The conventional method for in-liquid nanomechanical measurement of live cells, however, fails to accurately quantify the indentation as effects of the relative probe acceleration and the hydrodynamic force are not addressed. As a result, significant errors and uncertainties are induced in the nanomechanical properties measured. In this paper, a control-based approach is proposed to account for these adverse effects by tracking the same excitation force profile on both a live cell and a hard reference sample through the use of an advanced control technique, and by quantifying the indentation from the difference of the cantilever base displacement in these two measurements. The proposed control-based approach not only eliminates the relative probe acceleration effect with no need to calibrate the parameters involved, but it also reduces the hydrodynamic force effect significantly when the force load rate becomes high. We further hypothesize that, by using the proposed control-based approach, the rate-dependent elastic modulus of live human epithelial cells under different stress conditions can be reliably quantified to predict the elasticity evolution of cell membranes, and hence can be used to predict cellular behaviors. By implementing the proposed approach, the elastic modulus of HeLa cells before and after the stress process were quantified as the force load rate was changed over three orders of magnitude from 0.1 to 100 Hz, where the amplitude of the applied force and the indentation were at 0.4-2 nN and 250-450 nm, respectively. The measured elastic modulus of HeLa cells showed a clear power-law dependence on the load rate, both before and after the stress process. Moreover, the elastic modulus of HeLa cells was substantially reduced by two to five times due to the stress process. Thus, our measurements demonstrate that the control-based protocol is effective in quantifying and characterizing the evolution of nanomechanical properties during the stress process of live cells.

Cryptanalysis and improvement of a quantum communication-based online shopping mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei; Yang, Ying-Hui; Jia, Heng-Yue

2015-06-01

Recently, Chou et al. (Electron Commer Res 14:349-367, 2014) presented a novel controlled quantum secure direct communication protocol which can be used for online shopping. The authors claimed that their protocol was immune to the attacks from both external eavesdropper and internal betrayer. However, we find that this protocol is vulnerable to the attack from internal betrayer. In this paper, we analyze the security of this protocol to show that the controller in this protocol is able to eavesdrop the secret information of the sender (i.e., the customer's shopping information), which indicates that it cannot be used for secure online shopping as the authors expected. Accordingly, an improvement of this protocol, which could resist the controller's attack, is proposed. In addition, we present another protocol which is more appropriate for online shopping. Finally, a discussion about the difference in detail of the quantum secure direct communication process between regular quantum communications and online shopping is given.

Biomechanical adaptations of mice cortical bone submitted to three different exercise modalities

PubMed Central

Frajacomo, Fernando Tadeu Trevisan; Falcai, Maurício José; Fernandes, Cleverson Rodrigues; Shimano, Antonio Carlos; Garcia, Sérgio Britto

2013-01-01

Objective To compare the adaptive effects of three non-weight bearing exercise on bone mechanical properties. Methods 24 male Balb/c mice (22-25g), were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): sedentary group (S); swimming group (N) which performed sessions five times per week for 60 min progressively; resistance group (R), which performed climbing exercise with progressive load, three times per week; and combined group (C), which performed the same protocols aforementioned being three times a week according to N protocol and two times a week the R protocol during eight weeks. Biomechanical tests, load until failure and stiffness evaluation of shinbone was performed after animals have been sacrificed. Results Stiffness values were statistically higher only in the isolated modalities groups (N and R, 41.68 ± 10.43 and 41.21 ± 11.38 N/mm, respectively) compared with the S group (28.48 ± 7.34 N/mm). However, taking into consideration the final body mass, relative values, there was no difference in the biomechanical tests among the groups. Conclusion Data from the present investigation demonstrated a favorable influence of muscle contraction in lower impact isolated exercise modalities on absolute stiffness values, i.e.groups N and R, whereas the combined group (C) did not present any statistical significant difference compared to sedentary group. Level of Evidence II, Prospective Comparative Study. PMID:24453691

Mechanical torque measurement predicts load to implant cut-out: a biomechanical study investigating DHS anchorage in femoral heads.

PubMed

Suhm, Norbert; Hengg, Clemens; Schwyn, Ronald; Windolf, Markus; Quarz, Volker; Hänni, Markus

2007-08-01

Bone strength plays an important role in implant anchorage. Bone mineral density (BMD) is used as surrogate parameter to quantify bone strength and to predict implant anchorage. BMD can be measured by means of quantitative computer tomography (QCT) or dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). These noninvasive methods for BMD measurement are not available pre- or intra-operatively. Instead, the surgeon could determine bone strength by direct mechanical measurement. We have evaluated mechanical torque measurement for (A) its capability to quantify local bone strength and (B) its predictive value towards load at implant cut-out. Our experimental study was performed using sixteen paired human cadaver proximal femurs. BMD was determined for all specimens by QCT. The torque to breakaway of the cancellous bone structure (peak torque) was measured by means of a mechanical probe at the exact position of subsequent DHS placement. The fixation strength of the DHS achieved was assessed by cyclic loading in a stepwise protocol beginning with 1,500 N increasing 500 N every 5,000 cycles until 4,000 N. A highly significant correlation of peak torque with BMD (QCT) was found (r = 0.902, r (2) = 0.814, P < 0.001). Peak torque correlated highly significant with the load at implant cut-out (r = 0.795, P < 0.001). All specimens with a measured peak torque below 6.79 Nm failed at the first load level of 1,500 N. The specimens with a peak torque above 8.63 Nm survived until the last load level of 4,000 N. Mechanical peak torque measurement is able to quantify bone strength. In an experimental setup, peak torque identifies those specimens that are likely to fail at low load. In clinical routine, implant migration and cut-out depend on several parameters, which are difficult to control, such as fracture type, fracture reduction achieved, and implant position. The predictive value of peak torque towards cut-out in a clinical set-up therefore has to be carefully validated.

Chapter 19: HVAC Controls (DDC/EMS/BAS) Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W.; Romberger, Jeff

The HVAC Controls Evaluation Protocol is designed to address evaluation issues for direct digital controls/energy management systems/building automation systems (DDC/EMS/BAS) that are installed to control heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) equipment in commercial and institutional buildings. (This chapter refers to the DDC/EMS/BAS measure as HVAC controls.) This protocol may also be applicable to industrial facilities such as clean rooms and labs, which have either significant HVAC equipment or spaces requiring special environmental conditions.

Defining standardized protocols for determining the efficacy of a postmilking teat disinfectant following experimental exposure of teats to mastitis pathogens.

PubMed

Schukken, Y H; Rauch, B J; Morelli, J

2013-04-01

The objective of this paper was to define standardized protocols for determining the efficacy of a postmilking teat disinfectant following experimental exposure of teats to both Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae. The standardized protocols describe the selection of cows and herds and define the critical points in performing experimental exposure, performing bacterial culture, evaluating the culture results, and finally performing statistical analyses and reporting of the results. The protocols define both negative control and positive control trials. For negative control trials, the protocol states that an efficacy of reducing new intramammary infections (IMI) of at least 40% is required for a teat disinfectant to be considered effective. For positive control trials, noninferiority to a control disinfectant with a published efficacy of reducing new IMI of at least 70% is required. Sample sizes for both negative and positive control trials are calculated. Positive control trials are expected to require a large trial size. Statistical analysis methods are defined and, in the proposed methods, the rate of IMI may be analyzed using generalized linear mixed models. The efficacy of the test product can be evaluated while controlling for important covariates and confounders in the trial. Finally, standards for reporting are defined and reporting considerations are discussed. The use of the defined protocol is shown through presentation of the results of a recent trial of a test product against a negative control. Copyright © 2013 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prevention of intra-abdominal adhesion by bi-layer electrospun membrane.

PubMed

Jiang, Shichao; Wang, Wei; Yan, Hede; Fan, Cunyi

2013-06-04

The aim of this study was to compare the anti-adhesion efficacy of a bi-layer electrospun fibrous membrane consisting of hyaluronic acid-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) fibrous membrane as the inner layer and PCL fibrous membrane as the outer layer with a single-layer PCL electrospun fibrous membrane in a rat cecum abrasion model. The rat model utilized a cecal abrasion and abdominal wall insult surgical protocol. The bi-layer and PCL membranes were applied between the cecum and the abdominal wall, respectively. Control animals did not receive any treatment. After postoperative day 14, a visual semiquantitative grading scale was used to grade the extent of adhesion. Histological analysis was performed to reveal the features of adhesion tissues. Bi-layer membrane treated animals showed significantly lower adhesion scores than control animals (p < 0.05) and a lower adhesion score compared with the PCL membrane. Histological analysis of the bi-layer membrane treated rat rarely demonstrated tissue adhesion while that of the PCL membrane treated rat and control rat showed loose and dense adhesion tissues, respectively. Bi-layer membrane can efficiently prevent adhesion formation in abdominal cavity and showed a significantly decreased adhesion tissue formation compared with the control.

Effects of external loads on balance control during upright stance: experimental results and model-based predictions.

PubMed

Qu, Xingda; Nussbaum, Maury A

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of external loads on balance control during upright stance, and to examine the ability of a new balance control model to predict these effects. External loads were applied to 12 young, healthy participants, and effects on balance control were characterized by center-of-pressure (COP) based measures. Several loading conditions were studied, involving combinations of load mass (10% and 20% of individual body mass) and height (at or 15% of stature above the whole-body COM). A balance control model based on an optimal control strategy was used to predict COP time series. It was assumed that a given individual would adopt the same neural optimal control mechanisms, identified in a no-load condition, under diverse external loading conditions. With the application of external loads, COP mean velocity in the anterior-posterior direction and RMS distance in the medial-lateral direction increased 8.1% and 10.4%, respectively. Predicted COP mean velocity and RMS distance in the anterior-posterior direction also increased with external loading, by 11.1% and 2.9%, respectively. Both experimental COP data and model-based predictions provided the same general conclusion, that application of larger external loads and loads more superior to the whole body center of mass lead to less effective postural control and perhaps a greater risk of loss of balance or falls. Thus, it can be concluded that the assumption about consistency in control mechanisms was partially supported, and it is the mechanical changes induced by external loads that primarily affect balance control.

Medium Access Control Protocols for Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks: A Survey

PubMed Central

Islam, A. K. M. Muzahidul; Baharun, Sabariah; Mansoor, Nafees

2017-01-01

New wireless network paradigms will demand higher spectrum use and availability to cope with emerging data-hungry devices. Traditional static spectrum allocation policies cause spectrum scarcity, and new paradigms such as Cognitive Radio (CR) and new protocols and techniques need to be developed in order to have efficient spectrum usage. Medium Access Control (MAC) protocols are accountable for recognizing free spectrum, scheduling available resources and coordinating the coexistence of heterogeneous systems and users. This paper provides an ample review of the state-of-the-art MAC protocols, which mainly focuses on Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks (CRAHN). First, a description of the cognitive radio fundamental functions is presented. Next, MAC protocols are divided into three groups, which are based on their channel access mechanism, namely time-slotted protocol, random access protocol and hybrid protocol. In each group, a detailed and comprehensive explanation of the latest MAC protocols is presented, as well as the pros and cons of each protocol. A discussion on future challenges for CRAHN MAC protocols is included with a comparison of the protocols from a functional perspective. PMID:28926952

Influence of immediate loading on provisional restoration in dental implant stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikbal, M.; Odang, R. W.; Indrasari, M.; Dewi, R. S.

2017-08-01

The success of dental implant treatment is determined by the primary stability at placement. One factor that could influence this stability is occlusal loading through provisional restoration. Two types of loading protocols are usually used: immediate and delayed loading. However, some controversies remain about the influence of occlusal loading on implant stability. Therefore, the influence of immediate loading on implant stability must be studied. An animal study was conducted by placing nine dental implants in the mandibular jaw of three Macaca fascicularis. Provisional restorations with various occlusal contacts (no, light, and normal contact) were placed on the implant. The implant stability was measured using the Ostell ISQ three times: immediately (baseline) and at the first and second months after implant placement. The implant stability between implants with no and normal occlusal contact as well as light and normal occlusal contact showed significant differences (p < 0.05) at the first and second months after implant placement. However, no significant increase (p > 0.05) in implant stability was seen at the baseline and the first and second months after implant placement for all occlusal contact groups. Immediate loading influenced the implant stability, and provisional restoration of implant without occlusal contact showed the highest implant stability.

Bidirectional Controlled Quantum Communication by Using a Seven-Qubit Entangled State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sang, Ming-huang; Li, Cong

2018-03-01

We propose a protocol for bidirectional controlled quantum communication by using a seven-qubit entangled state. In our protocol, Alice can teleport an arbitrary unknown two-qubit state to Bob, at the same time Bob can help Alice remotely prepares an arbitrary known single-qubit state. It is shown that, with the help of the controller Charlie, the total success probability of our protocol can reach 100%.

Musical auditory stimulus acutely influences heart rate dynamic responses to medication in subjects with well-controlled hypertension.

PubMed

Martiniano, Eli Carlos; Santana, Milana Drumond Ramos; Barros, Érico Luiz Damasceno; do Socorro da Silva, Maria; Garner, David Matthew; de Abreu, Luiz Carlos; Valenti, Vitor E

2018-01-17

Music can improve the efficiency of medical treatment when correctly associated with drug action, reducing risk factors involving deteriorating cardiac function. We evaluated the effect of musical auditory stimulus associated with anti-hypertensive medication on heart rate (HR) autonomic control in hypertensive subjects. We evaluated 37 well-controlled hypertensive patients designated for anti-hypertensive medication. Heart rate variability (HRV) was calculated from the HR monitor recordings of two different, randomly sorted protocols (control and music) on two separate days. Patients were examined in a resting condition 10 minutes before medication and 20 minutes, 40 minutes and 60 minutes after oral medication. Music was played throughout the 60 minutes after medication with the same intensity for all subjects in the music protocol. We noted analogous response of systolic and diastolic arterial pressure in both protocols. HR decreased 60 minutes after medication in the music protocol while it remained unchanged in the control protocol. The effects of anti-hypertensive medication on SDNN (Standard deviation of all normal RR intervals), LF (low frequency, nu), HF (high frequency, nu) and alpha-1 scale were more intense in the music protocol. In conclusion, musical auditory stimulus increased HR autonomic responses to anti-hypertensive medication in well-controlled hypertensive subjects.

14 CFR 23.395 - Control system loads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Loads § 23.395 Control system loads. (a) Each flight control system and its supporting structure must be... at the appropriate control grips or pads as they would in flight, and to react at the attachments of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Control system loads. 23.395 Section 23.395...

HIV-1 viral load measurement in venous blood and fingerprick blood using Abbott RealTime HIV-1 DBS assay.

PubMed

Tang, Ning; Pahalawatta, Vihanga; Frank, Andrea; Bagley, Zowie; Viana, Raquel; Lampinen, John; Leckie, Gregor; Huang, Shihai; Abravaya, Klara; Wallis, Carole L

2017-07-01

HIV RNA suppression is a key indicator for monitoring success of antiretroviral therapy. From a logistical perspective, viral load (VL) testing using Dried Blood Spots (DBS) is a promising alternative to plasma based VL testing in resource-limited settings. To evaluate the analytical and clinical performance of the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay using a fully automated one-spot DBS sample protocol. Limit of detection (LOD), linearity, lower limit of quantitation (LLQ), upper limit of quantitation (ULQ), and precision were determined using serial dilutions of HIV-1 Virology Quality Assurance stock (VQA Rush University), or HIV-1-containing armored RNA, made in venous blood. To evaluate correlation, bias, and agreement, 497 HIV-1 positive adult clinical samples were collected from Ivory Coast, Uganda and South Africa. For each HIV-1 participant, DBS-fingerprick, DBS-venous and plasma sample results were compared. Correlation and bias values were obtained. The sensitivity and specificity were analyzed at a threshold of 1000 HIV-1 copies/mL generated using the standard plasma protocol. The Abbott HIV-1 DBS protocol had an LOD of 839 copies/mL, a linear range from 500 to 1×10 7 copies/mL, an LLQ of 839 copies/mL, a ULQ of 1×10 7 copies/mL, and an inter-assay SD of ≤0.30 log copies/mL for all tested levels within this range. With clinical samples, the correlation coefficient (r value) was 0.896 between DBS-fingerprick and plasma and 0.901 between DBS-venous and plasma, and the bias was -0.07 log copies/mL between DBS-fingerprick and plasma and -0.02 log copies/mL between DBS-venous and plasma. The sensitivity of DBS-fingerprick and DBS-venous was 93%, while the specificity of both DBS methods was 95%. The results demonstrated that the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay with DBS sample protocol is highly sensitive, specific and precise across a wide dynamic range and correlates well with plasma values. The Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay with DBS sample protocol provides an alternative sample collection and transfer option in resource-limited settings and expands the utility of a viral load test to monitor HIV-1 ART treatment for infected patients. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stability and sensitivity of ABR flow control protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Wie K.; Kim, Yuseok; Chiussi, Fabio; Toh, Chai-Keong

1998-10-01

This tutorial paper surveys the important issues in stability and sensitivity analysis of ABR flow control of ATM networks. THe stability and sensitivity issues are formulated in a systematic framework. Four main cause of instability in ABR flow control are identified: unstable control laws, temporal variations of available bandwidth with delayed feedback control, misbehaving components, and interactions between higher layer protocols and ABR flow control. Popular rate-based ABR flow control protocols are evaluated. Stability and sensitivity is shown to be the fundamental issues when the network has dynamically-varying bandwidth. Simulation result confirming the theoretical studies are provided. Open research problems are discussed.

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP): A tutorial (expanded version)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sanders, Robert M.; Weaver, Alfred C.

1990-01-01

The Xpress Transfer Protocol (XTP) is a reliable, real-time, light weight transfer layer protocol. Current transport layer protocols such as DoD's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and ISO's Transport Protocol (TP) were not designed for the next generation of high speed, interconnected reliable networks such as fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) and the gigabit/second wide area networks. Unlike all previous transport layer protocols, XTP is being designed to be implemented in hardware as a VLSI chip set. By streamlining the protocol, combining the transport and network layers and utilizing the increased speed and parallelization possible with a VLSI implementation, XTP will be able to provide the end-to-end data transmission rates demanded in high speed networks without compromising reliability and functionality. This paper describes the operation of the XTP protocol and in particular, its error, flow and rate control; inter-networking addressing mechanisms; and multicast support features, as defined in the XTP Protocol Definition Revision 3.4.

Delta Alert: Expanding Gerotrauma Criteria to Improve Patient Outcomes: A 2-Year Study.

PubMed

Wiles, Lynn L; Day, Mark D

Because of their decreased physical reserve and increased risk of complications, the geriatric trauma patient (GTP) population warrants heightened awareness by clinical staff. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the institution of a third-tier trauma protocol results in a change in GTP outcomes, complications, and mortality rates. Researchers conducted a retrospective review of 2 years of data from the trauma registry, hospital quality improvement audits, and patient charts to examine what, if any, patient outcomes were impacted by the institution of the expanded GTP protocol. Sample homogeneity was determined. Emergency department (ED) length of stay and time to the operating room decreased in the protocol cohort. The rate of complications decreased from 16.4% preprotocol to 1.6% postprotocol. Discharge to home rates in the GTP population improved from 31% preprotocol to nearly 77% postimplementation of the protocol. The expanded GTP protocol front loads evaluation and resuscitation to be consistent with ED trauma protocols already in place. By fast-tracking radiology and laboratory testing, patients injuries are identified and the appropriate consultations are initiated. Appropriate inpatient nursing unit placement is identified or treatment and discharge from the ED are expedited. The expanded GTP protocol provided early and comprehensive evaluation and interventions for GTPs who fall outside of traditional trauma alert criteria. Patients spend less time in the ED and the hospital. Patients had decreased length of stay in the ED, less complications, and return to home rates showed significant improvement after the protocol was implemented.

Role of viral and bacterial pathogens in causing pneumonia among Western Australian children: a case–control study protocol

PubMed Central

Bhuiyan, Mejbah Uddin; Snelling, Thomas L; West, Rachel; Lang, Jurissa; Rahman, Tasmina; Borland, Meredith L; Thornton, Ruth; Kirkham, Lea-Ann; Sikazwe, Chisha; Martin, Andrew C; Richmond, Peter C; Smith, David W; Jaffe, Adam; Blyth, Christopher C

2018-01-01

Introduction Pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality globally. Introduction of the conjugate Haemophilus influenzae B and multivalent pneumococcal vaccines in developed countries including Australia has significantly reduced the overall burden of bacterial pneumonia. With the availability of molecular diagnostics, viruses are frequently detected in children with pneumonia either as primary pathogens or predispose to secondary bacterial infection. Many respiratory pathogens that are known to cause pneumonia are also identified in asymptomatic children, so the true contribution of these pathogens to childhood community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unclear. Since the introduction of pneumococcal vaccines, very few comprehensive studies from developed countries have attempted to determine the bacterial and viral aetiology of pneumonia. We aim to determine the contribution of bacteria and viruses to childhood CAP to inform further development of effective diagnosis, treatment and preventive strategies. Methods and analysis We are conducting a prospective case–control study (PneumoWA) where cases are children with radiologically confirmed pneumonia admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) and controls are healthy children identified from PMH outpatient clinics and from local community immunisation clinics. The case–control ratio is 1:1 with 250 children to be recruited in each arm. Nasopharyngeal swabs are collected from both cases and controls to detect the presence of viruses and bacteria by PCR; pathogen load will be assessed by quantitative PCR. The prevalence of pathogens detected in cases and controls will be compared, the OR of detection and population attributable fraction to CAP for each pathogen will be determined; relationships between pathogen load and disease status and severity will be explored. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the human research ethics committees of PMH, Perth, Australia (PMH HREC REF 2014117EP). Findings will be disseminated at research conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. PMID:29549211

Ground reaction force comparison of controlled resistance methods to isoinertial loading of the squat exercise - biomed 2010.

PubMed

Paulus, David C; Reynolds, Michael C; Schilling, Brian K

2010-01-01

The ground reaction force during the concentric (raising) portion of the squat exercise was compared to that of isoinertial loading (free weights) for three pneumatically controlled resistance methods: constant resistance, cam force profile, and proportional force control based on velocity. Constant force control showed lower ground reaction forces than isoinertial loading throughout the range of motion (ROM). The cam force profile exhibited slightly greater ground reaction forces than isoinertial loading at 10 and 40% ROM with fifty-percent greater loading at 70% ROM. The proportional force control consistently elicited greater ground reaction force than isoinertial loading, which progressively ranged from twenty to forty percent increase over isoinertial loading except for being approximately equal at 85% ROM. Based on these preliminary results, the proportional control shows the most promise for providing loading that is comparable in magnitude to isoinertial loading. This technology could optimize resistance exercise for sport-specific training or as a countermeasure to atrophy during spaceflight.

Determination of Material Properties Near the Glass Transition Temperature for an Isogrid Boom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blandino, Joseph R.; Woods-Vedeler, Jessica A. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Experiments were performed and results obtained to determine the temperature dependence of the modulus of elasticity for a thermoplastic isogrid tube. The isogrid tube was subjected to axial tensile loads of 0-100 lbf and strain was measured at room and elevated temperatures of 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 190, and 200 F. These were based on tube manufacturer specifying an incorrect glass transition temperature of 210 F. Two protocols were used. For the first protocol the tube was brought to temperature and a tensile test performed. The tube was allowed to cool between tests. For the second protocol the tube was ramped to the desired test temperature and held. A tensile test was performed and the tube temperature ramped to the next test temperature. The second protocol spanned the entire test range. The strain rate was constant at 0.008 in/min. Room temperature tests resulted in the determination of an average modulus of 2.34 x 106 Psi. The modulus decreased above 100 F. At 140 F the modulus had decreased by 7.26%. The two test protocols showed good agreement below 160 F. At this point the glass transition temperature had been exceeded. The two protocols were not repeated because the tube failed.

Recovery and Enumeration of Cryptosporidium parvum from Animal Fecal Matrices

PubMed Central

Davies, Cheryl M.; Kaucner, Christine; Deere, Daniel; Ashbolt, Nicholas J.

2003-01-01

Accurate quantification of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in animal fecal deposits on land is an essential starting point for estimating watershed C. parvum loads. Due to the general poor performance and variable recovery efficiency of existing enumeration methods, protocols were devised based on initial dispersion of oocysts from feces by vortexing in 2 mM tetrasodium pyrophosphate, followed by immunomagnetic separation. The protocols were validated by using an internal control seed preparation to determine the levels of oocyst recovery for a range of fecal types. The levels of recovery of 102 oocysts from cattle feces (0.5 g of processed feces) ranged from 31 to 46%, and the levels of recovery from sheep feces (0.25 g of processed feces) ranged from 21% to 35%. The within-sample coefficients of variation for the percentages of recovery from five replicates ranged from 10 to 50%. The ranges for levels of recovery of oocysts from cattle, kangaroo, pig, and sheep feces (juveniles and adults) collected in a subsequent watershed animal fecal survey were far wider than the ranges predicted by the validation data. Based on the use of an internal control added to each fecal sample, the levels of recovery ranged from 0 to 83% for cattle, from 4 to 62% for sheep, from 1 to 42% for pigs, and from 40 to 73% for kangaroos. Given the variation in the levels of recovery of oocysts from different fecal matrices, it is recommended that an internal control be added to at least one replicate of every fecal sample analyzed to determine the percentage of recovery. Depending on the animal type and based on the lowest approximate percentages of recovery, between 10 and 100 oocysts g of feces−1 must be present to be detected. PMID:12732556

Influences of load characteristics on impaired control of grip forces in patients with cerebellar damage.

PubMed

Brandauer, B; Timmann, D; Häusler, A; Hermsdörfer, J

2010-02-01

Various studies showed a clear impairment of cerebellar patients to modulate grip force in anticipation of the loads resulting from movements with a grasped object. This failure corroborated the theory of internal feedforward models in the cerebellum. Cerebellar damage also impairs the coordination of multiple-joint movements and this has been related to deficient prediction and compensation of movement-induced torques. To study the effects of disturbed torque control on feedforward grip-force control, two self-generated load conditions with different demands on torque control-one with movement-induced and the other with isometrically generated load changes-were directly compared in patients with cerebellar degeneration. Furthermore the cerebellum is thought to be more involved in grip-force adjustment to self-generated loads than to externally generated loads. Consequently, an additional condition with externally generated loads was introduced to further test this hypothesis. Analysis of 23 patients with degenerative cerebellar damage revealed clear impairments in predictive feedforward mechanisms in the control of both self-generated load types. Besides feedforward control, the cerebellar damage also affected more reactive responses when the externally generated load destabilized the grip, although this impairment may vary with the type of load as suggested by control experiments. The present findings provide further support that the cerebellum plays a major role in predictive control mechanisms. However, this impact of the cerebellum does not strongly depend on the nature of the load and the specific internal forward model. Contributions to reactive (grip force) control are not negligible, but seem to be dependent on the physical characteristics of an externally generated load.

Influence of outdoor running fatigue and medial tibial stress syndrome on accelerometer-based loading and stability.

PubMed

Schütte, Kurt H; Seerden, Stefan; Venter, Rachel; Vanwanseele, Benedicte

2018-01-01

Medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) is a common overuse running injury with pathomechanics likely to be exaggerated by fatigue. Wearable accelerometry provides a novel alternative to assess biomechanical parameters continuously while running in more ecologically valid settings. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of outdoor running fatigue and MTSS on both dynamic loading and dynamic stability derived from trunk and tibial accelerometery. Runners with (n=14) and without (n=16) history of MTSS performed an outdoor fatigue run of 3200m. Accelerometer-based measures averaged per lap included dynamic loading of the trunk and tibia (i.e. axial peak positive acceleration, signal power magnitude, and shock attenuation) as well as dynamic trunk stability (i.e. tri-axial root mean square ratio, step and stride regularity, and sample entropy). Regression coefficients from generalised estimating equations were used to evaluate group by fatigue interactions. No evidence could be found for dynamic loading being higher with fatigue in runners with MTSS history (all measures p>0.05). One significant group by running fatigue interaction effect was detected for dynamic stability. Specifically, in MTSS only, decreases mediolateral sample entropy i.e. loss of complexity was associated with running fatigue (p<0.01). The current results indicate that entire acceleration waveform signals reflecting mediolateral trunk control is related to MTSS history, a compensation that went undetected in the non-fatigued running state. We suggest that a practical outdoor running fatigue protocol that concurrently captures trunk accelerometry-based movement complexity warrants further prospective investigation as an in-situ screening tool for MTSS individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using gait parameters to detect fatigue and responses to ice slurry during prolonged load carriage.

PubMed

Tay, Cheryl S; Lee, Jason K W; Teo, Ya S; Foo, Phildia Q Z; Tan, Pearl M S; Kong, Pui W

2016-01-01

This study examined (1) if changes in gait characteristics could indicate the exertional heat stress experienced during prolonged load carriage, and (2) if gait characteristics were responsive to a heat mitigation strategy. In an environmental chamber replicating tropical climatic conditions (ambient temperature 32°C, 70% relative humidity), 16 males aged 21.8 (1.2) years performed two trials of a work-rest cycle protocol consisting two bouts of 4-km treadmill walks with 30-kg load at 5.3km/h separated by a 15-min rest period. Ice slurry (ICE) or room temperature water (29°C) as a control (CON) was provided in 200-ml aliquots. The fluids were given 10min before the start, at the 15(th) and 30(th) min of each work cycle, and during each rest period. Spatio-temporal gait characteristics were obtained at the start and end of each work-rest cycle using a floor-based photocell system (OptoGait) and a high-speed video camera at 120Hz. Repeated-measure analysis of variance (trial×time) showed that with time, step width decreased (p=.024) while percent crossover steps increased (p=.008) from the 40(th) min onwards. Reduced stance time variability (-11.1%, p=.029) step width variability (-8.2%, p=.001), and percent crossover step (-18.5%, p=.010) were observed in ICE compared with CON. No differences in step length and most temporal variables were found. In conclusion, changes in frontal plane gait characteristics may indicate exertional heat stress during prolonged load carriage, and some of these changes may be mitigated with ice slurry ingestion. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Flatworld Simulation Control Architecture (FSCA): A Framework for Scalable Immersive Visualization Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

handling using the X10 home automation protocol. Each 3D graphics client renders its scene according to an assigned virtual camera position. By having...control protocol. DMX is a versatile and robust framework which overcomes limitations of the X10 home automation protocol which we are currently using

Difficult‐to‐control asthma management through the use of a specific protocol

PubMed Central

Giavina‐Bianchi, Pedro; Aun, Marcelo Vivolo; Bisaccioni, Carla; Agondi, Rosana; Kalil, Jorge

2010-01-01

The present study is a critical review of difficult‐to‐control asthma, highlighting the characteristics and severity of the disease. It also presents a protocol for the management of patients with this asthma phenotype. The protocol, which was based on relevant studies in the literature, is described and analyzed. PMID:21049219

Output Containment Control of Linear Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems Using Internal Model Principle.

PubMed

Zuo, Shan; Song, Yongduan; Lewis, Frank L; Davoudi, Ali

2017-01-04

This paper studies the output containment control of linear heterogeneous multi-agent systems, where the system dynamics and even the state dimensions can generally be different. Since the states can have different dimensions, standard results from state containment control do not apply. Therefore, the control objective is to guarantee the convergence of the output of each follower to the dynamic convex hull spanned by the outputs of leaders. This can be achieved by making certain output containment errors go to zero asymptotically. Based on this formulation, two different control protocols, namely, full-state feedback and static output-feedback, are designed based on internal model principles. Sufficient local conditions for the existence of the proposed control protocols are developed in terms of stabilizing the local followers' dynamics and satisfying a certain H∞ criterion. Unified design procedures to solve the proposed two control protocols are presented by formulation and solution of certain local state-feedback and static output-feedback problems, respectively. Numerical simulations are given to validate the proposed control protocols.

A Hybrid Authentication and Authorization Process for Control System Networks

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

Manz, David O.; Edgar, Thomas W.; Fink, Glenn A.

2010-08-25

Convergence of control system and IT networks require that security, privacy, and trust be addressed. Trust management continues to plague traditional IT managers and is even more complex when extended into control system networks, with potentially millions of entities, a mission that requires 100% availability. Yet these very networks necessitate a trusted secure environment where controllers and managers can be assured that the systems are secure and functioning properly. We propose a hybrid authentication management protocol that addresses the unique issues inherent within control system networks, while leveraging the considerable research and momentum in existing IT authentication schemes. Our hybridmore » authentication protocol for control systems provides end device to end device authentication within a remote station and between remote stations and control centers. Additionally, the hybrid protocol is failsafe and will not interrupt communication or control of vital systems in a network partition or device failure. Finally, the hybrid protocol is resilient to transitory link loss and can operate in an island mode until connectivity is reestablished.« less

Comparison of five different defibrillators using recommended energy protocols.

PubMed

Zelinka, M; Buić, D; Zelinka, I

2007-09-01

Biphasic defibrillators represent a great step ahead in defibrillation. The manufacturers claim that biphasic defibrillators are able to compensate for differences in transthoracic impedance. That should mean that all patients should be defibrillated with approximately the same amount of current, regardless of their transthoracic impedance. We assessed one monophasic and four biphasic defibrillators. The defibrillators were discharged into resistive loads of 50, 90 and 130 Omega, simulating transthoracic impedance. For each waveform we used energy protocols recommended by the manufacturers and guidelines 2005. Waveforms were observed with on a digitising oscilloscope on a current sensing resistor. We compared the electrical properties of different waveforms and two defibrillators with the same type of waveform. The influence of different impedance on shape, duration and amplitude of current flow were also observed for each waveform. Measurements showed a significant difference in current flow at different impedance loads. At low impedance the mean current is well above expectations for all the defibrillators studied and at high impedance load we observed a big reduction of current amplitude. We can conclude that the compensating mechanisms of biphasic defibrillators are, from electrical point of view, negligible. From the laws of physics it is practically impossible to keep same level of current at given time with same energy at higher impedance. That is why we should reconsider the use of different energy equivalents between patients with different transthoracic impedance and not between different defibrillation impulses.

The impact of glucocorticosteroids administered for systemic diseases on the osseointegration and survival of dental implants placed without bone grafting-A retrospective study in 31 patients.

PubMed

Petsinis, Vassilis; Kamperos, Georgios; Alexandridi, Foteini; Alexandridis, Konstantinos

2017-08-01

To evaluate the impact of glucocorticosteroids, administered for the treatment of systemic diseases, on the osseointegration and survival of dental implants placed without bone grafting. A retrospective study was conducted in search of patients treated with dental implants while receiving glucocorticosteroid therapy for various systemic diseases. In these cases, a conventional two-stage surgical protocol was used, without bone regeneration procedures. The osseointegration was clinically and radiographically tested at the uncovering of the implants. The follow-up after loading was set at a minimum of 3 years. A total of 31 patients were included in the study. Of the 105 dental implants placed, 104 were osseointegrated (99%). No bone absorption was radiographically noted at the uncovering of the osseointegrated implants. All of the osseointegrated implants were successfully loaded for the prosthetic restoration. The mean follow-up period after loading was 71 months, with an implant survival rate of 99%. Glucocorticosteroid intake for systemic diseases does not have a significant impact on the osseointegration and the 3-year survival of dental implants placed with a conventional two-stage surgical protocol and without bone grafting. Therefore, it should not be considered a contraindication for dental implant placement. Copyright © 2017 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two new Controlled not Gate Based Quantum Secret Sharing Protocols without Entanglement Attenuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhen-Chao; Hu, Ai-Qun; Fu, An-Min

2016-05-01

In this paper, we propose two new controlled not gate based quantum secret sharing protocols. In these two protocols, each photon only travels once, which guarantees the agents located in long distance can be able to derive the dealer's secret without suffering entanglement attenuation problem. The protocols are secure against trojan horse attack, intercept-resend attack, entangle-measure attack and entanglement-swapping attack. The theoretical efficiency for qubits of these two protocols can approach 100 %, except those used for eavesdropping checking, all entangled states can be used for final secret sharing.

Three-dimensional lumbar segment movement characteristics during paediatric cerebral palsy gait.

PubMed

Kiernan, D; Malone, A; O'Brien, T; Simms, C K

2017-03-01

Kinematic analysis of the trunk during cerebral palsy (CP) gait has been well described. In contrast, movement of the lumbar spine is generally ignored. This is most likely due to the complex nature of the spine. As an alternative to using complex sensor protocols, this study modelled the lumbar region as a single segment and investigated characteristic patterns of movement during CP gait. In addition, the impact of functional level of impairment and the relationship with lower lumbar spinal loading were examined. Fifty-two children with CP (26 GMFCS I and 26 GMFCS II) and 26 controls were recruited. A full barefoot 3-dimensional kinematic and kinetic analysis were conducted. Lumbar segment movement demonstrated increased forward flexion for CP children. This movement became more pronounced according to GMFCS level with GMFCS II children demonstrating increases of up to 8°. In addition, a moderate correlation was present between lumbar flexion/extension and L5/S1 sagittal moments (r=0.427 in the global frame and r=0.448 with respect to the pelvis, p<0.01). Children with CP demonstrated increased movement of the lumbar region compared to TD, with movement becoming more excessive as GMFCS level increased. Excessive forward flexion and loading at the lumbar spine were linked. However, the moderate correlation suggests other contributors to increased loading were present. In conclusion, this study is a first step at identifying how lumbar segment movement is altered during CP gait. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temperature-time issues in bioburden control for planetary protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Benton C.

2004-01-01

Heat energy, administered in the form of an elevated temperature heat soak over a specific interval of time, is a well-known method for inactivating organisms. Sterilization protocols, from commercial pasteurization to laboratory autoclaving, specify both temperature and time, as well as water activity, for treatments to achieve either acceptable reduction of bioburden or complete sterilization. In practical applications of planetary protection, whether to reduce spore load in forward or roundtrip contamination, or to exterminate putative organisms in returned samples from bodies suspected of possible life, avoidance of expensive or potentially damaging treatments of hardware (or samples) could be accomplished if reciprocal relationships between time duration and soak temperature could be established. Conservative rules can be developed from consideration of empirical test data, derived relationships, current standards and various theoretical or proven mechanisms for thermal damage to biological systems.

PLGA microspheres encapsulating siRNA.

PubMed

De Rosa, Giuseppe; Salzano, Giuseppina

2015-01-01

The therapeutic use of small interfering RNA (siRNA) represents a new and powerful approach to suppress the expression of pathologically genes. However, biopharmaceutical drawbacks, such as short half-life, poor cellular uptake, and unspecific distribution into the body, hamper the development of siRNA-based therapeutics. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide), (PLGA) microspheres can be a useful tool to overcome these issues. siRNA can be encapsulated into the PLGA microspheres, which protects the loaded nucleic acid against the enzymatic degradation. Moreover, PLGA microspheres can be injected directly into the action site, where the siRNA can be released in controlled manner, thus avoiding the need of frequent invasive administrations. The complete biodegradability of PLGA to monomers easily metabolized by the body, and its approval by FDA and EMA for parenteral administration, assure the safety of this copolymer and do not require the removal of the device after the complete drug release. In chapter, a basic protocol for the preparation of PLGA microspheres encapsulating siRNA is described. This protocol is based on a double emulsion/solvent evaporation technique, a well known and easy to reproduce method. This specific protocol has been developed to encapsulate a siRNA anti-TNFα in PLGA microspheres, and it has been designed and optimized to achieve high siRNA encapsulation efficiency and slow siRNA release in vitro. However, it can be extended also to other siRNA as well as other RNA or DNA-based oligonucleotides (miRNA, antisense, decoy, etc.). Depending on the applications, chemical modifications of the backbone and site-specific modification within the siRNA sequences could be required.

[Effect analysis on the two total load control methods for poisonous heavy metals].

PubMed

Fu, Guo-Wei

2012-12-01

Firstly it should be made clear that implementation of source total load control for the first type of pollutants is necessary for environmental pollution control legislation and economic structure regulation. This kind of surveillance method has been more practical to be implemented since the Manual of the Industry Discharge Coefficient of First National Pollution Sources Investigation was published. The source total load control and water environment total load control are independent of each other and none of them is redundant, on the other side they can be complementary to each other. In the present, some local planning managers are blurring and confusing the contents and styles of the two surveillance methods. They just use the water total load control to manage all the pollutants, and source total load control is discarded, which results in the loss of control for the first type of pollutants especially for the drinking water source surveillance. There is a big difference between the water quality standards and the water environmental background concentration values for the first type of pollutants in the Environmental quality standard for surface water (GB 3838-88), which means that there are problems such as "relaxing the pollutant discharge permit" and "risk induced by valence state change". Taking an enterprise with 10t electrolytic lead production capacity as an example, there is a big difference between the allowable lead discharged loads by the two total load surveillance methods. In summary, it will bring a lot of harmful effects if the water total load control is implemented for the two types of pollutants, so the source total load control and water environmental total load control should be implemented strictly at the same time.

Calcium pump kinetics determined in single erythrocyte ghosts by microphotolysis and confocal imaging.

PubMed

Kubitscheck, U; Pratsch, L; Passow, H; Peters, R

1995-07-01

The activity of the plasma membrane calcium pump was measured in single cells. Human red blood cell ghosts were loaded with a fluorescent calcium indicator and either caged calcium and ATP (protocol A) or caged ATP and calcium (protocol B). In a suitably modified laser scanning microscope either calcium or ATP were released by a short UV light pulse. The time-dependent fluorescence intensity of the calcium indicator was then followed in single ghosts by repetitive confocal imaging. The fluorescence intensity was converted into calcium concentration, which in turn was used to derive the kinetic parameters of the calcium pump, the Michaelis-Menten constant Km, and the maximal transport rate vmax. Km and vmax values derived in this manner were 24 +/- 14 microM and 1.0 +/- 0.6 microM/(ghost s) for protocol A, and 4 +/- 3 microM and 1.0 +/- 0.6 microM/(ghost s) for protocol B, respectively. The difference between A and B is presumably caused by calmodulin, which is inactive in the experiments with protocol A. The possibilities to extend the new method to living nucleus-containing cells transiently transfected with mutants of the plasma membrane calcium pump are discussed.

Development of an eco-protocol for seaweed chlorophylls extraction and possible applications in dye sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armeli Minicante, S.; Ambrosi, E.; Back, M.; Barichello, J.; Cattaruzza, E.; Gonella, F.; Scantamburlo, E.; Trave, E.

2016-07-01

Seaweeds are a reserve of natural dyes (chlorophylls a, b and c), characterized by low cost and easy supply, without potential environmental load in terms of land subtraction, and also complying with the requirements of an efficient waste management policy. In particular, the brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida is a species largely present in the Venice Lagoon area, and for it a removal strategy is actually mandatory. In this paper, we set-up an eco-protocol for the best extraction and preparation procedures of the pigment, with the aim of finding an easy and affordable method for chlorophyll c extraction, exploring at the same time the possibility of using these algae within local sustainable management integrated strategies, among which the possible use of chlorophylls as a dye source in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) is investigated. Experimental results suggest that the developed protocols are useful to optimize the chlorophyll c extraction, as shown by optical absorption spectroscopy measurements. The DSSCs built with the chlorophyll extracted by the proposed eco-protocol exhibit solar energy conversion efficiencies are similar to those obtained following extraction protocols with larger environmental impacts.

Zero-Gravity Locomotion Simulators: New Ground-Based Analogs for Microgravity Exercise Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perusek, Gail P.; DeWitt, John K.; Cavanagh, Peter R.; Grodsinsky, Carlos M.; Gilkey, Kelly M.

2007-01-01

Maintaining health and fitness in crewmembers during space missions is essential for preserving performance for mission-critical tasks. NASA's Exercise Countermeasures Project (ECP) provides space exploration exercise hardware and monitoring requirements that lead to devices that are reliable, meet medical, vehicle, and habitat constraints, and use minimal vehicle and crew resources. ECP will also develop and validate efficient exercise prescriptions that minimize daily time needed for completion of exercise yet maximize performance for mission activities. In meeting these mission goals, NASA Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, OH, USA), in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio, USA), has developed a suite of zero-gravity locomotion simulators and associated technologies to address the need for ground-based test analog capability for simulating in-flight (microgravity) and surface (partial-gravity) exercise to advance the health and safety of astronaut crews and the next generation of space explorers. Various research areas can be explored. These include improving crew comfort during exercise, and understanding joint kinematics and muscle activation pattern differences relative to external loading mechanisms. In addition, exercise protocol and hardware optimization can be investigated, along with characterizing system dynamic response and the physiological demand associated with advanced exercise device concepts and performance of critical mission tasks for Exploration class missions. Three zero-gravity locomotion simulators are currently in use and the research focus for each will be presented. All of the devices are based on a supine subject suspension system, which simulates a reduced gravity environment by completely or partially offloading the weight of the exercising test subject s body. A platform for mounting treadmill is positioned perpendicularly to the test subject. The Cleveland Clinic Zero-g Locomotion Simulator (ZLS) utilizes a pneumatic subject load device to apply a near constant gravity-replacement load to the test subject during exercise, and is currently used in conjunction with the General Clinical Research Center for evaluating exercise protocols using a bedrest analog. The enhanced ZLS (eZLS) at NASA Glenn Research Center features an offloaded treadmill that floats on a thin film of air and interfaces to a force reaction frame via variably-compliant isolators, or vibration isolation system. The isolators can be configured to simulate compliant interfaces to the vehicle, which affects mechanical loading to crewmembers during exercise, and has been used to validate system dynamic models for new countermeasures equipment designs, such as the second International Space Station treadmill slated for use in 2010. In the eZLS, the test subject and exercise device can be pitched at the appropriate angle for partial gravity simulations, such as lunar gravity (1/6th earth gravity). On both the eZLS and the NASA-Johnson Space Center standalone ZLS installed at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, USA, the subject's body weight relative to the treadmill is controlled via a linear motor subject load device (LM-SLD). The LM-SLD employs a force-feedback closed-loop control system to provide a relatively constant force to the test subject during locomotion, and is set and verified for subject safety prior to each session. Locomotion data were collected during parabolic flight and on the eZLS. The purpose was to determine the similarities and differences between locomotion in actual and simulated microgravity. Subjects attained greater amounts of hip flexion during walking and running during parabolic flight. During running, subjects had greater hip range of motion. Trunk motion was significantly less on the eZLS than during parabolic flight. Peak impact forces, loading rate, and impulse were greater on the eZLS than during parabolic while walking with a low external load (EL) and rning with a high EL. Activation timing differences existed between locations in all muscles except for the rectus femoris. The tibialis anterior and gluteus maximus were active for longer durations on the eZLS than in parabolic flight during walking. Ground reaction forces were greater with the LM-SLD than with bungees during eZLS locomotion. While the eZLS serves as a ground-based analog, researchers should be aware that subtle, but measurable, differences in kinematics and leg musculature activities exist between the environments. Aside from space applications, zero-gravity locomotion simulators may help medical researchers in the future with development of rehabilitative or therapeutic protocols for injured or ill patients. Zero-gravity locomotion simulators may be used as a ground-based test bed to support future missions for space exploration, and eventually may be used to simulate planetary locomotion in partial gravity environments, including the Moon and Mars. Figure: Zero-gravity Locomotion Simulator at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Protocol to Reconstruct Historical Contaminant Loading to Large Lakes: The Lake Michigan Sediment Record of Mercury

EPA Science Inventory

Samples of opportunity from Pb-210 dated sediment cores collected from Lake Michigan between 1994 and 1996 were analyzed for mercury. The storage of both anthropogenic and total (post-1850) mercury in the lake was calculated to be 186 and 228 metric tons, respectively. By setti...

14 CFR 27.681 - Limit load static tests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.681 Limit load... which— (1) The direction of the test loads produces the most severe loading in the control system; and... requirements for control system joints subject to angular motion. ...

The NINDS-Canadian stroke network vascular cognitive impairment neuropsychology protocols in Chinese.

PubMed

Wong, Adrian; Xiong, Yun-yun; Wang, Defeng; Lin, Shi; Chu, Winnie W C; Kwan, Pauline W K; Nyenhuis, David; Black, Sandra E; Wong, Ka Sing Lawrence; Mok, Vincent

2013-05-01

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) affects up to half of stroke survivors and predicts poor outcomes. Valid and reliable assessement for VCI is lacking, especially for the Chinese population. In 2005, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and Canadian Stroke Network (NINDS-CSN) Harmonisation workshop proposed a set of three neuropsychology protocols for VCI evaluation. This paper is to introduce the protocol design and to report the psychometric properties of the Chinese NINDS-CSN VCI protocols. Fifty patients with mild stroke (mean National Institute of Health Stroke Scale 2.2 (SD=3.2)) and 50 controls were recruited. The NINDS-CSN VCI protocols were adapted into Chinese. We assessed protocols' (1) external validity, defined by how well the protocol summary scores differentiated patients from controls using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis; (2) concurrent validity, by correlations with functional measures including Stroke Impact Scale memory score and Chinese Disability Assessment for Dementia; (3) internal consistency; and (4) ease of administration. All three protocols differentiated patients from controls (area under ROC for the three protocols between 0.77 to 0.79, p<0.001), and significantly correlated with the functional measures (Pearson r ranged from 0.37 to 0.51). A cut-off of 19/20 on MMSE identified only one-tenth of patients classified as impaired on the 5-min protocol. Cronbach's α across the four cognitive domains of the 60-min protocol was 0.78 for all subjects and 0.76 for stroke patients. The Chinese NINDS-CSN VCI protocols are valid and reliable for cognitive assessment in Chinese patients with mild stroke.

Effect of counter-pulsation control of a pulsatile left ventricular assist device on working load variations of the native heart.

PubMed

Choi, Seong Wook; Nam, Kyoung Won; Lim, Ki Moo; Shim, Eun Bo; Won, Yong Soon; Woo, Heung Myong; Kwak, Ho Hyun; Noh, Mi Ryoung; Kim, In Young; Park, Sung Min

2014-04-03

When using a pulsatile left ventricular assist device (LVAD), it is important to reduce the cardiac load variations of the native heart because severe cardiac load variations can induce ventricular arrhythmia. In this study, we investigated the effect of counter-pulsation control of the LVAD on the reduction of cardiac load variation. A ventricular electrocardiogram-based counter-pulsation control algorithm for a LVAD was implemented, and the effects of counter-pulsation control of the LVAD on the reduction of the working load variations of the left ventricle were determined in three animal experiments. Deviations of the working load of the left ventricle were reduced by 51.3%, 67.9%, and 71.5% in each case, and the beat-to-beat variation rates in the working load were reduced by 84.8%, 82.7%, and 88.2% in each ease after counter-pulsation control. There were 3 to 12 premature ventricle contractions (PVCs) before counter-pulsation control, but no PVCs were observed during counter-pulsation control. Counter-pulsation control of the pulsatile LVAD can reduce severe cardiac load variations, but the average working load is not markedly affected by application of counter-pulsation control because it is also influenced by temporary cardiac outflow variations. We believe that counter-pulsation control of the LVAD can improve the long-term safety of heart failure patients equipped with LVADs.

A Simple Bioconjugate Attachment Protocol for Use in Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy Experiments Based on Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers

PubMed Central

Attwood, Simon J.; Simpson, Anna M. C.; Stone, Rachael; Hamaia, SamirW.; Roy, Debdulal; Farndale, RichardW.; Ouberai, Myriam; Welland, Mark E.

2012-01-01

Single molecule force spectroscopy is a technique that can be used to probe the interaction force between individual biomolecular species. We focus our attention on the tip and sample coupling chemistry, which is crucial to these experiments. We utilised a novel approach of mixed self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols in conjunction with a heterobifunctional crosslinker. The effectiveness of the protocol is demonstrated by probing the biotin-avidin interaction. We measured unbinding forces comparable to previously reported values measured at similar loading rates. Specificity tests also demonstrated a significant decrease in recognition after blocking with free avidin. PMID:23202965

Performance Analysis of TCP Enhancements in Satellite Data Networks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broyles, Ren H.

1999-01-01

This research examines two proposed enhancements to the well-known Transport Control Protocol (TCP) in the presence of noisy communication links. The Multiple Pipes protocol is an application-level adaptation of the standard TCP protocol, where several TCP links cooperate to transfer data. The Space Communication Protocol Standard - Transport Protocol (SCPS-TP) modifies TCP to optimize performance in a satellite environment. While SCPS-TP has inherent advantages that allow it to deliver data more rapidly than Multiple Pipes, the protocol, when optimized for operation in a high-error environment, is not compatible with legacy TCP systems, and requires changes to the TCP specification. This investigation determines the level of improvement offered by SCPS-TP's Corruption Mode, which will help determine if migration to the protocol is appropriate in different environments. As the percentage of corrupted packets approaches 5 %, Multiple Pipes can take over five times longer than SCPS-TP to deliver data. At high error rates, SCPS-TP's advantage is primarily caused by Multiple Pipes' use of congestion control algorithms. The lack of congestion control, however, limits the systems in which SCPS-TP can be effectively used.

Grip force control in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Iyengar, Veena; Santos, Marcio J; Ko, Michael; Aruin, Alexander S

2009-10-01

Appropriate regulation of grip force is essential in performance of various activities of daily living such as drinking, eating, buttoning a shirt, and so on. The extent to which individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are able to regulate grip forces while performing elements of the activities of daily living is largely unknown. . To investigate how individuals with MS control grip force during performance of functional tasks. . This study evaluated the grip force control in selected individuals with MS (n = 9) and healthy control subjects (n = 9) while they performed the task of lifting and placing an instrumented object on a shelf and the task of lifting the object and bringing it close to the mouth to mimic drinking. The grip forces, object acceleration, force ratio, and time lag were recorded and analyzed. . The individuals with MS used significantly larger peak grip force and force ratio than control subjects while performing both tasks and for both hands. In addition, the time lag between the peaks of grip and load forces was significantly longer in individuals with MS. . The application of excessive grip force could predispose individuals with MS to additional fatigue and musculoskeletal overuse trauma. Rehabilitation protocols for the MS population may need to account for increased levels of grip force applied during the performance of functional tasks.

Combined wind turbine fatigue and ultimate load reduction by individual blade control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Y.; Leithead, W. E.

2014-06-01

If each blade of the wind turbine has individual pitch actuator, there is possibility of employing the pitch system to mitigate structural loads through advanced control methods. Previously, considerable reduction of blade lifetime equivalent fatigue loads has been achieved by Individual Blade Control (IBC) and in addition, it has also been shown the potential in blade ultimate loads reduction. However, both fatigue and ultimate loads impact on the design and life of wind turbine blades. In this paper, the design and application of IBC that concurrently reduce both blade fatigue and ultimate loads is investigated. The contributions of blade load spectral components, which are 1P, 2P and edgewise mode from blade in-plane and/or out-of-plane bending moments, are firstly explored. Four different control options for reducing various combinations of these load components are compared. In response to the different spectral peaks of both fatigue and ultimate loads, the controller has been designed so that it can act on different frequency components which vary with wind speed. The performance of the IBC controller on fatigue and ultimate load reduction is assessed by simulating a 5MW exemplar wind turbine. Simulation results show that with a proper selection of controlling inputs at different wind speed, the use of a single combined IBC can achieve satisfactory reduction on both fatigue and ultimate loads.

Basketball lay-up - foot loading characteristics and the number of trials necessary to obtain stable plantar pressure variables.

PubMed

Chua, YaoHui K; Quek, Raymond K K; Kong, Pui W

2017-03-01

This study aimed (1) to profile the plantar loading characteristics when performing the basketball lay-up in a realistic setting and (2) to determine the number of trials necessary to establish a stable mean for plantar loading variables during the lay-up. Thirteen university male basketball players [age: 23.0 (1.4) years, height: 1.75 (0.05) m, mass: 68.4 (8.6) kg] performed ten successful basketball lay-ups from a stationary position. Plantar loading variables were recorded using the Novel Pedar-X in-shoe system. Loading variables including peak force, peak pressure, and pressure-time integral were extracted from eight foot regions. Performance stability of plantar loading variables during the take-off and landing steps were assessed using the sequential averaging technique and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). High plantar loadings were experienced at the heel during the take-off steps, and both the heel and forefoot regions upon landing. The sequential estimation technique revealed a five-eight trial range to achieve a stable mean across all plantar loading variables, whereas ICC analysis was insensitive to inter-trial differences of repeated lay-up performances. Future studies and performance evaluation protocols on plantar loading during basketball lay-ups should include at least eight trials to ensure that the measurements obtained are sufficiently stable.

[Young women with HIV infection acquired by vertical transmission: Expectations of having uninfected children].

PubMed

Villarroel, Julia; Álvarez, Ana M; Salvador, Francisco; Chávez, Ana; Wu, Elba; Contardo, Verónica

2016-12-01

Pediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART), changed the prognosis of the disease, allowing young women infected by vertical transmission (TV) to be pregnant without risk for their fetus of acquiring this infection. To describe the clinical-immune status in pregnant women that acquired HV by vertical transmission, treatments received, monitoring of pregnancy and newborn characteristics. A protocol was performed, evaluating clinical and immunological parameters during pregnancy, ART used, protocol preventing vertical transmission (PPTV), and follow up of children to 18 months of age. Of 358 HIV-positive patients vertically infected, five women became pregnant, between 14 and 24 years old. Pregnancies were controlled in clinical/immune-stage N2 C3. They had received two to five therapies. Full PPTV was performed in all binomials. Pre-natal undetectable viral loads ranged from 4,700 ARN copies/mL. Five living children were born by Caesarean section, four of them with 37 weeks of completed gestation and one of them with 34 weeks of gestation. All received zidovudine (AZT) for 6 weeks. CD4 at 72 hours of life ranged from 48% to 74.6%. All children were born uninfected with HIV. Only two had mild anemia. Expectations of HIV mothers vertically infected to have healthy children are similar to those infected by horizontal transmission, using PPTV.