MD Simulations of P-Type ATPases in a Lipid Bilayer System.

PubMed

Autzen, Henriette Elisabeth; Musgaard, Maria

2016-01-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a computational method which provides insight on protein dynamics with high resolution in both space and time, in contrast to many experimental techniques. MD simulations can be used as a stand-alone method to study P-type ATPases as well as a complementary method aiding experimental studies. In particular, MD simulations have proved valuable in generating and confirming hypotheses relating to the structure and function of P-type ATPases. In the following, we describe a detailed practical procedure on how to set up and run a MD simulation of a P-type ATPase embedded in a lipid bilayer using software free of use for academics. We emphasize general considerations and problems typically encountered when setting up simulations. While full coverage of all possible procedures is beyond the scope of this chapter, we have chosen to illustrate the MD procedure with the Nanoscale Molecular Dynamics (NAMD) and the Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD) software suites.

From observational to analytical morphology of the stratum corneum: progress avoiding hazardous animal and human testings

PubMed Central

Piérard, Gérald E; Courtois, Justine; Ritacco, Caroline; Humbert, Philippe; Fanian, Ferial; Piérard-Franchimont, Claudine

2015-01-01

Background In cosmetic science, noninvasive sampling of the upper part of the stratum corneum is conveniently performed using strippings with adhesive-coated discs (SACD) and cyanoacrylate skin surface strippings (CSSSs). Methods Under controlled conditions, it is possible to scrutinize SACD and CSSS with objectivity using appropriate methods of analytical morphology. These procedures apply to a series of clinical conditions including xerosis grading, comedometry, corneodynamics, corneomelametry, corneosurfametry, corneoxenometry, and dandruff assessment. Results With any of the analytical evaluations, SACD and CSSS provide specific salient information that is useful in the field of cosmetology. In particular, both methods appear valuable and complementary in assessing the human skin compatibility of personal skincare products. Conclusion A set of quantitative analytical methods applicable to the minimally invasive and low-cost SACD and CSSS procedures allow for a sound assessment of cosmetic effects on the stratum corneum. Under regular conditions, both methods are painless and do not induce adverse events. Globally, CSSS appears more precise and informative than the regular SACD stripping. PMID:25767402

Comprehensible Presentation of Topological Information

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

Weber, Gunther H.; Beketayev, Kenes; Bremer, Peer-Timo

2012-03-05

Topological information has proven very valuable in the analysis of scientific data. An important challenge that remains is presenting this highly abstract information in a way that it is comprehensible even if one does not have an in-depth background in topology. Furthermore, it is often desirable to combine the structural insight gained by topological analysis with complementary information, such as geometric information. We present an overview over methods that use metaphors to make topological information more accessible to non-expert users, and we demonstrate their applicability to a range of scientific data sets. With the increasingly complex output of exascale simulations,more » the importance of having effective means of providing a comprehensible, abstract overview over data will grow. The techniques that we present will serve as an important foundation for this purpose.« less

Complementary medicine in cancer care: adding a therapy dog to the team.

PubMed

Marcus, Dawn A

2012-08-01

Animal-assisted therapy, including visits from certified therapy dogs, offer a valuable and often underutilized resource for addressing unmet needs in cancer patients. Prospective research studies have documented symptomatic benefits for reducing pain, psychological distress, and fatigue in a variety of patient populations, including cancer patients. Utilizing consistent policies minimizes patient risk and infection control concerns associated with animal visits.

Free-Energy Profiles of Membrane Insertion of the M2 Transmembrane Peptide from Influenza A Virus

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

ABSTRACT The insertion of the M2 transmembrane peptide from influenza A virus into a membrane has been studied with molecular - dynamics simulations ...performed replica-exchange molecular - dynamics simulations with umbrella-sampling techniques to characterize the probability distribution and conformation...atomic- detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation techniques represent a valuable complementary methodology to inves- tigate membrane-insertion of

Complementary alternative medicine use in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Erzurum, Turkey.

PubMed

Arýkan, Duygu; Sívríkaya, Sibel Karaca; Olgun, Nermin

2009-08-01

The aims of this study were: (i) to determine the types of complementary and alternative medicine use among children with type I diabetes mellitus as reported by parents and (ii) to describe sociodemographic and medical factors associated with the use of such treatments in families residing in Eastern Turkey. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a tremendously challenging and complex disease for children and families to manage. Therefore, the use of complementary and alternative medicines among children with type 1 diabetes is becoming increasingly popular. Survey. Parents of 100 paediatric patients (who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at least 6 months prior to the study) who visited the participating paediatric endocrinology multidisciplinary centres and clinics for diabetes management were included in the study. Data were collected by using a semi-structured questionnaire. Results. Fifty-two per cent of the parents reported the use of one or more complementary alternative medicine therapies. Most such users (59.6%) were using oral herbal preparations; including morus alba (leaves) aloe vera and stinging nettle. Since we found that 78.6% of those using herbals were satisfied with their results and 69.2% were planning to continue use, it is important for healthcare providers to have relevant knowledge about complementary alternative medicine use and learn about its efficacy and effects (positive and adverse) of these treatments. Relevance to clinical practice. Botanical substitute for insulin seems unlikely, but complementary alternative treatments may provide valuable clues for the development of new oral hypoglycaemic agents and simple dietary agents. It is important for healthcare providers to have up-to-date knowledge about the use and effects of complementary alternative medicines in the outpatient clinical care setting.

Clinical indications and perceived effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine in departments of obstetrics in Germany: a questionnaire study.

PubMed

Münstedt, Karsten; Brenken, Anja; Kalder, Matthias

2009-09-01

Our earlier study on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) methods showed that acupuncture, homeopathy, and aromatherapy are available in most obstetrics departments in Germany but it did not evaluate the clinical indications for using CAM. The present study aimed to explore further the effectiveness of CAM use in obstetrics. We sent all departments of obstetrics in North Rhine-Westphalia a questionnaire designed to delineate their use of acupuncture, homeopathy, and aromatherapy during childbirth. It sought details on who provided the CAM therapy (midwife or physician). We asked respondents to indicate on a five-point scale how reasonable or otherwise they would consider the provision of CAM in each of six common problem situations and to estimate for each the proportion of patients given the CAM treatment. Respondents were also asked about the rationale for offering CAM, quality assurance and side effects. Spearman's bivariate correlation, cross-tabulation and Pearson's chi(2) test were used for statistical analysis. About 73.4% (138/187) of the departments responded. Acupuncture and homoeopathy were most widely used. Although obstetricians are responsible for patient care, decisions to provide CAM were largely taken by midwives, and the midwives' belief in the methods' effectiveness and patient demand were the principle motivating factors. Rates of CAM use in the six problem scenarios evaluated were directly related to practitioners' perceptions of the methods' therapeutic effectiveness. CAM methods were widely offered despite the lack of evidence of effectiveness or information on adverse consequences. In Germany, including CAM in the mandatory national quality assurance measures and perinatal surveys would provide valuable information; CAM use elsewhere merits further study.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with cancer in northern Turkey: analysis of cost and satisfaction.

PubMed

Aydin Avci, Ilknur; Koç, Zeliha; Sağlam, Zeynep

2012-03-01

The aims of this study were to determine (1) the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use among patients with cancer, (2) the method of use of the particular therapy, (3) the reasons for using complementary and alternative medicine therapies, (4) the benefits experienced by the use of complementary and alternative medicine, (5) the source of information about complementary and alternative medicine therapies and, (6) the satisfaction and cost of complementary and alternative medicine. Complementary and alternative medicine consists of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices and products that are not considered at present to be a part of conventional medicine. The majority of patients who use complementary and alternative medicine use more than one method. Complementary and alternative medicine use is more common in cases of advanced disease or poor prognosis. This is a descriptive study of complementary and alternative medicine. This study was conducted in the Chemotherapy Unit at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Turkey, between 18 March 2008-30 June 2008. Two hundred fifty-three patients with cancer, among 281 patients who applied to the chemotherapy clinic between these dates, agreed to take part in the study with whom contact could be made were included. A questionnaire including descriptive characteristics in collecting data, characteristics about diseases and their treatments, complementary and alternative medicine information and implementation situations and a control list about complementary and alternative medicine implementations were given. The collected data were evaluated by computer using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test and Student's t-test. In this study, 94·1% of the patients were content with medical treatment, 58·9% of them used complementary and alternative medicine treatments, 41·1% did not use any complementary and alternative medicine treatments. The satisfaction level of the patients with complementary and alternative medicine methods was slightly above mediocre (2·33 SD 0·64, on a scale of 1-3). The average cost per capita spent by the patients using complementary and alternative medicine for all the different methods was US$288·26. It was determined that although patients did not have enough knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine methods, the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine and satisfaction levels are high that complementary and alternative medicine users spend substantial sums of money for these methods. To sustain medical treatment and prognosis of cancer, it is important for nurses to consult with their patients regarding the use and potential risks of some complementary and alternative medicine. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

From supersonic shear wave imaging to full-field optical coherence shear wave elastography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nahas, Amir; Tanter, Mickaël; Nguyen, Thu-Mai; Chassot, Jean-Marie; Fink, Mathias; Claude Boccara, A.

2013-12-01

Elasticity maps of tissue have proved to be particularly useful in providing complementary contrast to ultrasonic imaging, e.g., for cancer diagnosis at the millimeter scale. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers an endogenous contrast based on singly backscattered optical waves. Adding complementary contrast to OCT images by recording elasticity maps could also be valuable in improving OCT-based diagnosis at the microscopic scale. Static elastography has been successfully coupled with full-field OCT (FF-OCT) in order to realize both micrometer-scale sectioning and elasticity maps. Nevertheless, static elastography presents a number of drawbacks, mainly when stiffness quantification is required. Here, we describe the combination of two methods: transient elastography, based on speed measurements of shear waves induced by ultrasonic radiation forces, and FF-OCT, an en face OCT approach using an incoherent light source. The use of an ultrafast ultrasonic scanner and an ultrafast camera working at 10,000 to 30,000 images/s made it possible to follow shear wave propagation with both modalities. As expected, FF-OCT is found to be much more sensitive than ultrafast ultrasound to tiny shear vibrations (a few nanometers and micrometers, respectively). Stiffness assessed in gel phantoms and an ex vivo rat brain by FF-OCT is found to be in good agreement with ultrasound shear wave elastography.

Complementary and alternative medicine used by persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders to alleviate symptom distress.

PubMed

Stake-Nilsson, Kerstin; Hultcrantz, Rolf; Unge, Peter; Wengström, Yvonne

2012-03-01

The aim of this study was to describe the complementary and alternative medicine methods most commonly used to alleviate symptom distress in persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders. People with functional gastrointestinal disorders face many challenges in their everyday lives, and each individual has his/her own way of dealing with this illness. The experience of illness often leads persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders to complementary and alternative medicine as a viable healthcare choice. Quantitative and describing design. A study-specific complementary and alternative medicine questionnaire was used, including questions about complementary and alternative medicine methods used and the perceived effects of each method. Efficacy assessments for each method were preventive effect, partial symptom relief, total symptom relief or no effect. A total of 137 persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders answered the questionnaire, 62% (n = 85) women and 38% (n = 52) men. A total of 28 different complementary and alternative medicine methods were identified and grouped into four categories: nutritional, drug/biological, psychological activity and physical activity. All persons had tried at least one method, and most methods provided partial symptom relief. Persons with functional gastrointestinal disorders commonly use complementary and alternative medicine methods to alleviate symptoms. Nurses have a unique opportunity to expand their roles in this group of patients. Increased knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine practices would enable a more comprehensive patient assessment and a better plan for meaningful interventions that meet the needs of individual patients. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Application of infrared spectroscopy and pyrolysis gas chromatography for characterisation of adhesive tapes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zięba-Palus, Janina; Nowińska, Sabina; Kowalski, Rafał

2016-12-01

Infrared spectroscopy and pyrolysis GC/MS were applied in the comparative analysis of adhesive tapes. By providing information about the polymer composition, it was possible to classify both backings and adhesives of tapes into defined chemical classes. It was found that samples of the same type (of backings and adhesives) and similar infrared spectra can in most cases be effectively differentiated using Py-GC/MS, sometimes based only on the presence of peaks of very low intensity originating from minor components. The results obtained enabled us to draw the conclusion that Py-GC/MS appears to be a valuable analytical technique for examining tapes, which is complementary to infrared spectroscopy. Identification of pyrolysis products enables discrimination of samples. Both methods also provide crucial information that is useful for identification of adhesive tapes found at the crime scene.

Separating astrophysical sources from indirect dark matter signals

PubMed Central

Siegal-Gaskins, Jennifer M.

2015-01-01

Indirect searches for products of dark matter annihilation and decay face the challenge of identifying an uncertain and subdominant signal in the presence of uncertain backgrounds. Two valuable approaches to this problem are (i) using analysis methods which take advantage of different features in the energy spectrum and angular distribution of the signal and backgrounds and (ii) more accurately characterizing backgrounds, which allows for more robust identification of possible signals. These two approaches are complementary and can be significantly strengthened when used together. I review the status of indirect searches with gamma rays using two promising targets, the Inner Galaxy and the isotropic gamma-ray background. For both targets, uncertainties in the properties of backgrounds are a major limitation to the sensitivity of indirect searches. I then highlight approaches which can enhance the sensitivity of indirect searches using these targets. PMID:25304638

Identification of specific bovine blood biomarkers with a non-targeted approach using HPLC ESI tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Lecrenier, M C; Marbaix, H; Dieu, M; Veys, P; Saegerman, C; Raes, M; Baeten, V

2016-12-15

Animal by-products are valuable protein sources in animal nutrition. Among them are blood products and blood meal, which are used as high-quality material for their beneficial effects on growth and health. Within the framework of the feed ban relaxation, the development of complementary methods in order to refine the identification of processed animal proteins remains challenging. The aim of this study was to identify specific biomarkers that would allow the detection of bovine blood products and processed animal proteins using tandem mass spectrometry. Seventeen biomarkers were identified: nine peptides for bovine plasma powder; seven peptides for bovine haemoglobin powder, including six peptides for bovine blood meal; and one peptide for porcine blood. They were not detected in several commercial compound feed or feed materials, such as blood by-products of other animal origins, milk-derived products and fish meal. These biomarkers could be used for developing a species-specific and blood-specific detection method. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complementary-encoding holographic associative memory using a photorefractive crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, ShiFu; Wu, Minxian; Yan, Yingbai; Jin, Guofan

1996-06-01

We present a holographic implementation of accurate associative memory with only one holographic memory system. In the implementation, the stored and test images are coded by using complementary-encoding method. The recalled complete image is also a coded image that can be decoded with a decoding mask to get an original image or its complement image. The experiment shows that the complementary encoding can efficiently increase the addressing accuracy in a simple way. Instead of the above complementary-encoding method, a scheme that uses complementary area-encoding method is also proposed for the holographic implementation of gray-level image associative memory with accurate addressing.

Comparison of stimulated and spontaneous laser-radar methods for the remote sensing of ocean physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonard, Donald A.; Sweeney, Harold E.

1990-09-01

The physical properties of ocean water, in the top few ten meters, are of great interest in the scientific, engineering, and general oceanographic communities. Subsurface profiles of temperature, salinity, and sound speed measured by laser radar in real time on a synoptic basis over a wide area from an airborne platform would provide valuable information complementary to the data that is now readily available. The laser-radar technique specifically applicable to ocean sensing uses spectroscopic analysis of the inelastic backscattered optical signal. Two methods have received considerable attention for remote sensing and both have been demonstrated in field experiments. These are spontaneous Raman1 and spontaneous Brillouin2 scattering. A discussion of these two processes and a comparison of their properties that are useful for remote sensing was presented3 at SPIE Ocean Optics IX. This paper compares ocean remote sensing using stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) processes with better known spontaneous methods. The results of laboratory measurements of temperature using SBS and some preliminary results of SRS are presented with extensions to performance estimates of potential field systems.

SEM morphological studies of carbonates and the search for ancient life on Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Elia, M.; Blanco, A.; Galiano, A.; Orofino, V.; Fonti, S.; Mancarella, F.; Guido, A.; Russo, F.; Mastandrea, A.

2017-04-01

Next space missions will investigate the possibility of extinct or extant life on Mars. Studying the infrared spectral modifications, induced by thermal processing on different carbonate samples (recent shells and fossils of different ages), we developed a method able to discriminate biogenic carbonates from their abiogenic counterparts. The method has been successfully applied to microbialites, i.e. bio-induced carbonates deposits, and particularly to stromatolites, the laminated fabric of microbialites, some of which can be ascribed to among the oldest traces of biological activity known on Earth. These results are of valuable importance since such carbonates are linked to primitive living organisms that can be considered as good analogues for putative Martian life forms. Considering that the microstructures of biogenic carbonate are different from those of abiogenic origin, we investigated the micromorphology of shells, skeletal grains and microbialites at different scale with a scanning electron microscope. The results show that this line of research may provide an alternative and complementary approach to other techniques developed in the past by our group to distinguish biotic from abiotic carbonates. In this paper, we present some results that can be of valuable interest since they demonstrate the utility for a database of images concerning the structures and textures of relevant carbonate minerals. Such data may be useful for the analysis of Martian samples, coming from sample return missions or investigated by future in situ explorations, aimed to characterize the near-subsurface of Mars in search for past or present life.

The Prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Dermatology Outpatients in Shiraz, Iran

PubMed Central

Dastgheib, Ladan; Farahangiz, Saman; Adelpour, Zeinab; Salehi, Alireza

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to assess complementary and alternative medicine use and its related factors among Iranian dermatology outpatients. In this cross-sectional study, a self-structured questionnaire was administered to 600 dermatology outpatients. Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression test were used. A total of 188 (31.3%) patients had used one of complementary and alternative medicine methods. The most frequent method used was herbal medicine (89.9%). The mean years of duration of the skin condition were significantly higher in complementary and alternative medicine users compared with nonusers (P = .037). Patients with acne and alopecia significantly used more complementary and alternative medicine (odds ratio: 2.48 and 3.19, respectively). There was a significant relationship between education and using complementary and alternative medicine (P < .001). Complementary and alternative medicine use is prevalent among our patients and we should think of ways of educating general population about complementary and alternative medicine methods and their potential risks and benefits and encourage our health care workers to communicate these materials with their patients. PMID:28446027

The Prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Dermatology Outpatients in Shiraz, Iran.

PubMed

Dastgheib, Ladan; Farahangiz, Saman; Adelpour, Zeinab; Salehi, Alireza

2017-10-01

The objective of this study was to assess complementary and alternative medicine use and its related factors among Iranian dermatology outpatients. In this cross-sectional study, a self-structured questionnaire was administered to 600 dermatology outpatients. Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression test were used. A total of 188 (31.3%) patients had used one of complementary and alternative medicine methods. The most frequent method used was herbal medicine (89.9%). The mean years of duration of the skin condition were significantly higher in complementary and alternative medicine users compared with nonusers ( P = .037). Patients with acne and alopecia significantly used more complementary and alternative medicine (odds ratio: 2.48 and 3.19, respectively). There was a significant relationship between education and using complementary and alternative medicine ( P < .001). Complementary and alternative medicine use is prevalent among our patients and we should think of ways of educating general population about complementary and alternative medicine methods and their potential risks and benefits and encourage our health care workers to communicate these materials with their patients.

Usefulness of real-time PCR as a complementary tool to the monitoring of Legionella spp. and Legionella pneumophila by culture in industrial cooling systems.

PubMed

Touron-Bodilis, A; Pougnard, C; Frenkiel-Lebossé, H; Hallier-Soulier, S

2011-08-01

This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of quantification by real-time PCR as a management tool to monitor concentrations of Legionella spp. and Legionella pneumophila in industrial cooling systems and its ability to anticipate culture trends by the French standard method (AFNOR T90-431). Quantifications of Legionella bacteria were achieved by both methods on samples from nine cooling systems with different water qualities. Proportion of positive samples for L. pneumophila quantified by PCR was clearly lower in deionized or river waters submitted to a biocide treatment than in raw river waters, while positive samples for Legionella spp. were quantified for almost all the samples. For some samples containing PCR inhibitors, high quantification limits (up to 4·80 × 10(5) GU l(-1) ) did not allow us to quantify L. pneumophila, when they were quantified by culture. Finally, the monitoring of concentrations of L. pneumophila by both methods showed similar trends for 57-100% of the samples. These results suggest that, if some methodological steps designed to reduce inhibitory problems and thus decrease the quantification limits, could be developed to quantify Legionella in complex waters, the real-time PCR could be a valuable complementary tool to monitor the evolution of L. pneumophila concentrations. This study shows the possibility of using real-time PCR to monitor L. pneumophila proliferations in cooling systems and the importance to adapt nucleic acid extraction and purification protocols to raw waters. Journal of Applied Microbiology © 2011 The Society for Applied Microbiology. No claim to French Government works.

Applications and biomonitoring issues of recombinant erythropoietins for doping control.

PubMed

Tsitsimpikou, Christina; Kouretas, Demetrios; Tsarouhas, Konstantinos; Fitch, Kenneth; Spandidos, Demetrios A; Tsatsakis, Aristides

2011-02-01

The biochemical actions and side effects of recombinant erythropoietins (rhEPOs), their analogs and mimetics, their misuse as doping agents, and the principal analytical strategies developed to identify them in athletes' biologic fluids are reviewed. Patients who experience a range of pathologies have benefited from the administration of rhEPOs to correct severe anemia. Currently, monitoring the biologic effect of rhEPO in patients under treatment is by measuring the hemoglobin concentration. However, it may be valuable to directly monitor the actual levels of the administered drug and determine a dose-dependent correlation with any clinical adverse effect observed. This may permit the adoption of a patient-specific administration regime. Currently, the method of detecting EPO approved for doping control is an isoelectric-focusing, double-blotting, chemiluminescence assay based on charge differences between isoforms of rhEPOs and endogenous EPO in urine. The advantages and limitations of this method are presented. A new approach using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as a complementary tool to the established method is discussed. The application of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry for the direct detection of the rhEPO molecules may prove to be promising. Indirect evidence of rhEPO abuse by athletes is based on the analysis of blood parameters (hemoglobin hematocrit, reticulocytes, macrocytes, etc) and serum markers (concentration of EPO and serum transferrin receptors, etc). Enrichment of the screened parameters with gene or biochemical markers revealing altered erythropoiesis and adoption of longitudinal monitoring of athletes' hematologic and biochemical parameters could also be a complementary approach in the fight against doping.

Ambiguities and completeness of SAS data analysis: investigations of apoferritin by SAXS/SANS EID and SEC-SAXS methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zabelskii, D. V.; Vlasov, A. V.; Ryzhykau, Yu L.; Murugova, T. N.; Brennich, M.; Soloviov, D. V.; Ivankov, O. I.; Borshchevskiy, V. I.; Mishin, A. V.; Rogachev, A. V.; Round, A.; Dencher, N. A.; Büldt, G.; Gordeliy, V. I.; Kuklin, A. I.

2018-03-01

The method of small angle scattering (SAS) is widely used in the field of biophysical research of proteins in aqueous solutions. Obtaining low-resolution structure of proteins is still a highly valuable method despite the advances in high-resolution methods such as X-ray diffraction, cryo-EM etc. SAS offers the unique possibility to obtain structural information under conditions close to those of functional assays, i.e. in solution, without different additives, in the mg/mL concentration range. SAS method has a long history, but there are still many uncertainties related to data treatment. We compared 1D SAS profiles of apoferritin obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and SAS methods. It is shown that SAS curves for X-ray diffraction crystallographic structure of apoferritin differ more significantly than it might be expected due to the resolution of the SAS instrument. Extrapolation to infinite dilution (EID) method does not sufficiently exclude dimerization and oligomerization effects and therefore could not guarantee total absence of dimers account in the final SAS curve. In this study, we show that EID SAXS, EID SANS and SEC-SAXS methods give complementary results and when they are used all together, it allows obtaining the most accurate results and high confidence from SAS data analysis of proteins.

The utilization of ERTS-1 data for the study of the French Atlantic Littoral. [coastal water and geomorphology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demathieu, P. G.; Verger, F. H.

1974-01-01

The French Atlantic Littoral (FRALIT) program uses ERTS-1 data to study coastal geomorphology and waters. ERTS-1 gives an overall picture of the phenomena for the first time due mainly to channel 4 data, but the other channels also contribute valuable complementary data on superficial waters. These studies have already resulted in accurate maps of the mud transported south-westwards from the mouth of the River Loire.

A lecture program on complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients--evaluation of the pilot phase.

PubMed

Huebner, J; Ebel, M; Muenstedt, K; Micke, O; Prott, F J; Muecke, R; Hoppe, A

2015-06-01

About half of all patients with cancer use complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). In 2013, we started a lecture program for patients, followed by evidence-based recommendations on counseling on CAM. These recommendations have been published before by this working group. The aim of the program is to provide scientific facts on the most often used CAM methods in standardized presentations which help patients discuss the topic with their oncologists and support shared decision making. The article presents the evaluation of the pilot phase. Participants received a standardized questionnaire before the start of the lecture. The questionnaire comprises four parts: demographic data, data concerning experience with CAM, satisfaction with the lecture, and needs for further information on CAM. In 2013, seven lectures on CAM were given in cooperation with regional branches of the German Cancer Society in several German states. Four hundred sixty patients and relatives took part (75% females and 16% males). Forty-eight percent formerly had used CAM. Most often named sources of information on CAM were print media (48%) and the Internet (37%). Most participants rated additional written information valuable. About one third would like to have an individual consultation concerning CAM. A standardized presentation of evidence on CAM methods most often used, together with recommendations on the self-management of symptoms, is highly appreciated. The concept of a highly interactive lecture comprising is feasible and if presented in lay terminology, adequate. In order to give additional support on the topic, written information should be provided as the first step.

Success of Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Education & Public Outreach (E/PO) in Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freed, M. S.; Lowder, S. C.; McKenzie, D. E.

2013-03-01

The Space Public Outreach Team (SPOT) program at Montana State University (MSU) is the main component of SDO E/PO efforts in Montana. SPOT brings energetic presentations of recent science & NASA missions to students in primary & secondary schools. Presenters are university undergraduates that visit a diverse group of K-12 students from both rural & urban areas of Montana. This program is extremely cost effective, a valuable service-learning experience for undergraduates at MSU and has repeatedly received praise from both teachers and students. A complementary effort for training schoolteachers entitled NASA Education Activity Training (NEAT) is also employed. NEAT illustrates to teachers inexpensive and highly effective methods for demonstrating difficult science concepts to their students. We will highlight the successes and lessons learned from SPOT & NEAT, so that other E/PO programs can use it as a template to further science literacy in our nation's schools.

Locating grey literature on communication disorders.

PubMed

Shpilko, Inna

2005-01-01

This article provides an overview of selected Web-based resources containing grey literature in the area of communication disorders. It is geared to practitioners, researchers, students, and consumers seeking reliable, freely available scientific information. Grey (or gray) literature has been defined as "that which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business, and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers."1 This paper reviews various general reference sources potentially containing grey literature on communication disorders. This review includes identification of the methods specialists in this field use to obtain this valuable, yet often overlooked, literature. Access points and search tools for identifying grey literature on communication disorders are recommended. Commercial databases containing grey literature are not included. Conclusions presented in this article are considered complementary to traditionally published information resources on communication disorders, such as scholarly journals, online databases, etc.

Science and Faith: Discussing Astronomy Research with Religious Audiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koekemoer, Anton M.

2006-12-01

An important component of our outreach as research astronomers involves interaction with the religious community. From my personal perspective, being an active research astronomer who is also a practicing Christian, I am sometimes invited to present the latest astronomical research to church audiences and other religious groups; belonging to both communities thereby provides a valuable means of contributing to the dialogue between science and religion. These opportunities can be used to explain that science and religion are not necessarily in conflict but can be considered to be quite complementary. For instance, an important aspect of religion deals with the purpose of our existence, while science is more focussed on providing physical explanations for what we observe in the world, using a well-defined scientific process. Hence, religious believers need not necessarily abandon their faith in order to accept mainstream scientific research; these address very different and complementary aspects of our existence. Recent ideas such as Intelligent Design attempt to address the scientific method, but do not address the ultimate religious question of purpose and do not contribute towards reconciling science and religion in this sense. Ultimately, every individual arrives at their own understanding of this rather complex interplay; I will present some personal reflections on general approaches for discussing mainstream astronomical research with religious audiences, aimed at helping to advance the dialogue between religion and science in general.

Identifying Complementary and Alternative Medicine Usage Information from Internet Resources. A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Sharma, Vivekanand; Holmes, John H; Sarkar, Indra N

2016-08-05

Identify and highlight research issues and methods used in studying Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) information needs, access, and exchange over the Internet. A literature search was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines from PubMed to identify articles that have studied Internet use in the CAM context. Additional searches were conducted at Nature.com and Google Scholar. The Internet provides a major medium for attaining CAM information and can also serve as an avenue for conducting CAM related surveys. Based on the literature analyzed in this review, there seems to be significant interest in developing methodologies for identifying CAM treatments, including the analysis of search query data and social media platform discussions. Several studies have also underscored the challenges in developing approaches for identifying the reliability of CAM-related information on the Internet, which may not be supported with reliable sources. The overall findings of this review suggest that there are opportunities for developing approaches for making available accurate information and developing ways to restrict the spread and sale of potentially harmful CAM products and information. Advances in Internet research are yet to be used in context of understanding CAM prevalence and perspectives. Such approaches may provide valuable insights into the current trends and needs in context of CAM use and spread.

Probing plasmons in three dimensions by combining complementary spectroscopies in a scanning transmission electron microscope

DOE PAGES

Hachtel, Jordan A.; Marvinney, Claire; Mouti, Anas; ...

2016-03-02

The nanoscale optical response of surface plasmons in three-dimensional metallic nanostructures plays an important role in many nanotechnology applications, where precise spatial and spectral characteristics of plasmonic elements control device performance. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and cathodoluminescence (CL) within a scanning transmission electron microscope have proven to be valuable tools for studying plasmonics at the nanoscale. Each technique has been used separately, producing three-dimensional reconstructions through tomography, often aided by simulations for complete characterization. Here we demonstrate that the complementary nature of the two techniques, namely that EELS probes beam-induced electronic excitations while CL probes radiative decay, allows usmore » to directly obtain a spatially- and spectrally-resolved picture of the plasmonic characteristics of nanostructures in three dimensions. Furthermore, the approach enables nanoparticle-by-nanoparticle plasmonic analysis in three dimensions to aid in the design of diverse nanoplasmonic applications.« less

Hair: a complementary source of bioanalytical information in forensic toxicology.

PubMed

Barroso, Mário; Gallardo, Eugenia; Vieira, Duarte Nuno; López-Rivadulla, Manuel; Queiroz, João António

2011-01-01

Hair has been used for years in the assessment and documentation of human exposure to drugs, as it presents characteristics that make it extremely valuable for this purpose, namely the fact that sample collection is performed in a noninvasive manner, under close supervision, the possibility of collecting a specimen reflecting a similar timeline in the case of claims or suspicion of a leak in the chain of custody, and the increased window of detection for the drugs. For these reasons, testing for drugs in hair provides unique and useful information in several fields of toxicology, from which the most prominent is the possibility of studying individual drug use histories by means of segmental analysis. This paper will review the unique role of hair as a complementary sample in documenting human exposure to drugs in the fields of clinical and forensic toxicology and workplace drug testing.

Women's attitudes towards the use of complementary and alternative medicine products during pregnancy.

PubMed

Frawley, J; Sibbritt, D; Broom, A; Gallois, C; Steel, A; Adams, J

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to analyse women's attitudes towards the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) products during pregnancy. The study sample was obtained via the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health or ALSWH. A response rate of 79.2% (n = 1,835) was attained. Women who use herbal medicines (34.5%, n = 588) view CAM as a preventative measure, are looking for something holistic and are concerned about evidence of clinical efficacy when considering the use of these products during pregnancy. Women who use aromatherapy (17.4%, n = 319) and homoeopathy (13.3%, n = 244) want more personal control over their body and are concerned more about their own personal experience of the efficacy of CAM than clinical evidence of efficacy. As CAM use in pregnancy appears to be increasingly commonplace, insights into women's attitudes towards CAM are valuable for maternity healthcare providers.

Improving the complementary methods to estimate evapotranspiration under diverse climatic and physical conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anayah, F. M.; Kaluarachchi, J. J.

2014-06-01

Reliable estimation of evapotranspiration (ET) is important for the purpose of water resources planning and management. Complementary methods, including complementary relationship areal evapotranspiration (CRAE), advection aridity (AA) and Granger and Gray (GG), have been used to estimate ET because these methods are simple and practical in estimating regional ET using meteorological data only. However, prior studies have found limitations in these methods especially in contrasting climates. This study aims to develop a calibration-free universal method using the complementary relationships to compute regional ET in contrasting climatic and physical conditions with meteorological data only. The proposed methodology consists of a systematic sensitivity analysis using the existing complementary methods. This work used 34 global FLUXNET sites where eddy covariance (EC) fluxes of ET are available for validation. A total of 33 alternative model variations from the original complementary methods were proposed. Further analysis using statistical methods and simplified climatic class definitions produced one distinctly improved GG-model-based alternative. The proposed model produced a single-step ET formulation with results equal to or better than the recent studies using data-intensive, classical methods. Average root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute bias (BIAS) and R2 (coefficient of determination) across 34 global sites were 20.57 mm month-1, 10.55 mm month-1 and 0.64, respectively. The proposed model showed a step forward toward predicting ET in large river basins with limited data and requiring no calibration.

Ensemble Data Mining Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oza, Nikunj C.

2004-01-01

Ensemble Data Mining Methods, also known as Committee Methods or Model Combiners, are machine learning methods that leverage the power of multiple models to achieve better prediction accuracy than any of the individual models could on their own. The basic goal when designing an ensemble is the same as when establishing a committee of people: each member of the committee should be as competent as possible, but the members should be complementary to one another. If the members are not complementary, Le., if they always agree, then the committee is unnecessary---any one member is sufficient. If the members are complementary, then when one or a few members make an error, the probability is high that the remaining members can correct this error. Research in ensemble methods has largely revolved around designing ensembles consisting of competent yet complementary models.

Qualitative methods: what are they and why use them?

PubMed Central

Sofaer, S

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of reasons why qualitative methods have been used and can be used in health services and health policy research, to describe a range of specific methods, and to give examples of their application. DATA SOURCES: Classic and contemporary descriptions of the underpinnings and applications of qualitative research methods and studies that have used such methods to examine important health services and health policy issues. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Qualitative research methods are valuable in providing rich descriptions of complex phenomena; tracking unique or unexpected events; illuminating the experience and interpretation of events by actors with widely differing stakes and roles; giving voice to those whose views are rarely heard; conducting initial explorations to develop theories and to generate and even test hypotheses; and moving toward explanations. Qualitative and quantitative methods can be complementary, used in sequence or in tandem. The best qualitative research is systematic and rigorous, and it seeks to reduce bias and error and to identify evidence that disconfirms initial or emergent hypotheses. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative methods have much to contribute to health services and health policy research, especially as such research deals with rapid change and develops a more fully integrated theory base and research agenda. However, the field must build on the best traditions and techniques of qualitative methods and must recognize that special training and experience are essential to the application of these methods. PMID:10591275

Approach to Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Biomarker Discovery and Evaluation in HIV Infection

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

Price, Richard W.; Peterson, Julia; Fuchs, Dietmar

2013-12-13

Central nervous system (CNS) infection is a nearly universal facet of systemic HIV infection that varies in character and neurological consequences. While clinical staging and neuropsychological test performance have been helpful in evaluating patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers present a valuable and objective approach to more accurate diagnosis, assessment of treatment effects and understanding of evolving pathobiology. We review some lessons from our recent experience with CSF biomarker studies. We have used two approaches to biomarker analysis: targeted, hypothesis-driven and non-targeted exploratory discovery methods. We illustrate the first with data from a cross-sectional study of defined subject groups across themore » spectrum of systemic and CNS disease progression and the second with a longitudinal study of the CSF proteome in subjects initiating antiretroviral treatment. Both approaches can be useful and, indeed, complementary. The first is helpful in assessing known or hypothesized biomarkers while the second can identify novel biomarkers and point to broad interactions in pathogenesis. Common to both is the need for well-defined samples and subjects that span a spectrum of biological activity and biomarker concentrations. Previouslydefined guide biomarkers of CNS infection, inflammation and neural injury are useful in categorizing samples for analysis and providing critical biological context for biomarker discovery studies. CSF biomarkers represent an underutilized but valuable approach to understanding the interactions of HIV and the CNS and to more objective diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. Both hypothesis-based and discovery methods can be useful in advancing the definition and use of these biomarkers.« less

Approach to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker discovery and evaluation in HIV infection.

PubMed

Price, Richard W; Peterson, Julia; Fuchs, Dietmar; Angel, Thomas E; Zetterberg, Henrik; Hagberg, Lars; Spudich, Serena; Smith, Richard D; Jacobs, Jon M; Brown, Joseph N; Gisslen, Magnus

2013-12-01

Central nervous system (CNS) infection is a nearly universal facet of systemic HIV infection that varies in character and neurological consequences. While clinical staging and neuropsychological test performance have been helpful in evaluating patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers present a valuable and objective approach to more accurate diagnosis, assessment of treatment effects and understanding of evolving pathobiology. We review some lessons from our recent experience with CSF biomarker studies. We have used two approaches to biomarker analysis: targeted, hypothesis-driven and non-targeted exploratory discovery methods. We illustrate the first with data from a cross-sectional study of defined subject groups across the spectrum of systemic and CNS disease progression and the second with a longitudinal study of the CSF proteome in subjects initiating antiretroviral treatment. Both approaches can be useful and, indeed, complementary. The first is helpful in assessing known or hypothesized biomarkers while the second can identify novel biomarkers and point to broad interactions in pathogenesis. Common to both is the need for well-defined samples and subjects that span a spectrum of biological activity and biomarker concentrations. Previously-defined guide biomarkers of CNS infection, inflammation and neural injury are useful in categorizing samples for analysis and providing critical biological context for biomarker discovery studies. CSF biomarkers represent an underutilized but valuable approach to understanding the interactions of HIV and the CNS and to more objective diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. Both hypothesis-based and discovery methods can be useful in advancing the definition and use of these biomarkers.

Real-time capture of student reasoning while writing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franklin, Scott V.; Hermsen, Lisa M.

2014-12-01

We present a new approach to investigating student reasoning while writing: real-time capture of the dynamics of the writing process. Key-capture or video software is used to record the entire writing episode, including all pauses, deletions, insertions, and revisions. A succinct shorthand, "S notation," is used to highlight significant moments in the episode that may be indicative of shifts in understanding and can be used in followup interviews for triangulation. The methodology allows one to test the widespread belief that writing is a valuable pedagogical technique, which currently has little directly supportive research. To demonstrate the method, we present a case study of a writing episode. The data reveal an evolution of expression and articulation, discontinuous in both time and space. Distinct shifts in the tone and topic that follow long pauses and revisions are not restricted to the most recently written text. Real-time writing analysis, with its study of the temporal breaks and revision locations, can serve as a complementary tool to more traditional research methods (e.g., speak-aloud interviews) into student reasoning during the writing process.

Toward a new methodological paradigm for testing theories of health behavior and health behavior change.

PubMed

Noar, Seth M; Mehrotra, Purnima

2011-03-01

Traditional theory testing commonly applies cross-sectional (and occasionally longitudinal) survey research to test health behavior theory. Since such correlational research cannot demonstrate causality, a number of researchers have called for the increased use of experimental methods for theory testing. We introduce the multi-methodological theory-testing (MMTT) framework for testing health behavior theory. The MMTT framework introduces a set of principles that broaden the perspective of how we view evidence for health behavior theory. It suggests that while correlational survey research designs represent one method of testing theory, the weaknesses of this approach demand that complementary approaches be applied. Such approaches include randomized lab and field experiments, mediation analysis of theory-based interventions, and meta-analysis. These alternative approaches to theory testing can demonstrate causality in a much more robust way than is possible with correlational survey research methods. Such approaches should thus be increasingly applied in order to more completely and rigorously test health behavior theory. Greater application of research derived from the MMTT may lead researchers to refine and modify theory and ultimately make theory more valuable to practitioners. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

geneCommittee: a web-based tool for extensively testing the discriminatory power of biologically relevant gene sets in microarray data classification.

PubMed

Reboiro-Jato, Miguel; Arrais, Joel P; Oliveira, José Luis; Fdez-Riverola, Florentino

2014-01-30

The diagnosis and prognosis of several diseases can be shortened through the use of different large-scale genome experiments. In this context, microarrays can generate expression data for a huge set of genes. However, to obtain solid statistical evidence from the resulting data, it is necessary to train and to validate many classification techniques in order to find the best discriminative method. This is a time-consuming process that normally depends on intricate statistical tools. geneCommittee is a web-based interactive tool for routinely evaluating the discriminative classification power of custom hypothesis in the form of biologically relevant gene sets. While the user can work with different gene set collections and several microarray data files to configure specific classification experiments, the tool is able to run several tests in parallel. Provided with a straightforward and intuitive interface, geneCommittee is able to render valuable information for diagnostic analyses and clinical management decisions based on systematically evaluating custom hypothesis over different data sets using complementary classifiers, a key aspect in clinical research. geneCommittee allows the enrichment of microarrays raw data with gene functional annotations, producing integrated datasets that simplify the construction of better discriminative hypothesis, and allows the creation of a set of complementary classifiers. The trained committees can then be used for clinical research and diagnosis. Full documentation including common use cases and guided analysis workflows is freely available at http://sing.ei.uvigo.es/GC/.

Error minimization algorithm for comparative quantitative PCR analysis: Q-Anal.

PubMed

OConnor, William; Runquist, Elizabeth A

2008-07-01

Current methods for comparative quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis, the threshold and extrapolation methods, either make assumptions about PCR efficiency that require an arbitrary threshold selection process or extrapolate to estimate relative levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts. Here we describe an algorithm, Q-Anal, that blends elements from current methods to by-pass assumptions regarding PCR efficiency and improve the threshold selection process to minimize error in comparative qPCR analysis. This algorithm uses iterative linear regression to identify the exponential phase for both target and reference amplicons and then selects, by minimizing linear regression error, a fluorescence threshold where efficiencies for both amplicons have been defined. From this defined fluorescence threshold, cycle time (Ct) and the error for both amplicons are calculated and used to determine the expression ratio. Ratios in complementary DNA (cDNA) dilution assays from qPCR data were analyzed by the Q-Anal method and compared with the threshold method and an extrapolation method. Dilution ratios determined by the Q-Anal and threshold methods were 86 to 118% of the expected cDNA ratios, but relative errors for the Q-Anal method were 4 to 10% in comparison with 4 to 34% for the threshold method. In contrast, ratios determined by an extrapolation method were 32 to 242% of the expected cDNA ratios, with relative errors of 67 to 193%. Q-Anal will be a valuable and quick method for minimizing error in comparative qPCR analysis.

Anti-complementary activity of enzyme-treated traditional Korean rice wine (Makgeolli) hydrolysates.

PubMed

Bae, Song Hwan; Choi, Jang Won; Ra, Kyung Soo; Yu, Kwang-Won; Shin, Kwang-Soon; Park, Sung Sun; Suh, Hyung Joo

2012-06-01

Makgeolli brewed from rice contains about 150 g kg(-1) alcohol and has a fragrance as well as an acidic and sweet taste. During the brewing process, by-products such as rice bran and brewery cake are produced. At the end of fermentation the matured mash is transferred to a filter cloth and the Makgeolli is squeezed out from the cake, leaving the lees of the mash. These by-products have continued to increase every year, resulting in an ecological problem. It is therefore important to develop new uses for them. The objective of this study was to use the by-products from the brewing of Makgeolli as a valuable functional food or nutraceutical. The anti-complementary activities of crude polysaccharides isolated from Cytolase hydrolysates of Makgeolli lees at concentrations of 1000 and 500 µg mL(-1) were 84.15 and 78.70% respectively. The activity of polysaccharide krestin (PSK) was 60.00% at 1000 µg mL(-1). The active polysaccharide obtained with Cytolase comprised mainly glucose and mannose (molar ratio 1.00:0.62). Glucose- and mannose-rich crude polysaccharides were isolated from the Cytolase hydrolysate of Makgeolli lees. The polysaccharides retain anti-complementary activity to enhance the immune system as a functional food or nutraceutical. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Towards Carbon-Neutral CO2 Conversion to Hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Mattia, Davide; Jones, Matthew D; O'Byrne, Justin P; Griffiths, Owen G; Owen, Rhodri E; Sackville, Emma; McManus, Marcelle; Plucinski, Pawel

2015-12-07

With fossil fuels still predicted to contribute close to 80 % of the primary energy consumption by 2040, methods to limit further CO2 emissions in the atmosphere are urgently needed to avoid the catastrophic scenarios associated with global warming. In parallel with improvements in energy efficiency and CO2 storage, the conversion of CO2 has emerged as a complementary route with significant potential. In this work we present the direct thermo-catalytic conversion of CO2 to hydrocarbons using a novel iron nanoparticle-carbon nanotube (Fe@CNT) catalyst. We adopted a holistic and systematic approach to CO2 conversion by integrating process optimization-identifying reaction conditions to maximize conversion and selectivity towards long chain hydrocarbons and/or short olefins-with catalyst optimization through the addition of promoters. The result is the production of valuable hydrocarbons in a manner that can approach carbon neutrality under realistic industrial process conditions. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Kanzelhöhe Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pötzi, Werner; Temmer, Manuela; Veronig, Astrid; Hirtenfellner-Polanec, Wolfgang; Baumgartner, Dietmar

2013-04-01

Kanzelhöhe Observatory (KSO; kso.ac.at) located in the South of Austria is part of the Institute of Physics of the University of Graz. Since the early 1940s, the Sun has been observed in various layers and wavelengths. Currently, KSO provides high-cadence full-disk observations of the solar disk in three wavelengths: H-alpha line, Ca II K line, white light. Real-time images are published online. For scientific use, the data is processed, and immediately available to the scientific community after each observing day via the Kanzelhöhe Online Data Archive archive (KODA; kanzelhohe.uni-graz.at). KSO is part of the Global H-Alpha Network and is also one of the contributing stations for the international sunspot number. In the frame of ESA's Space Situational Awareness program, methods are currently under development for near-real image recognition with respect to solar flares and filaments. These data products will give valuable complementary information for the solar sources of space weather.

The Role of Phlebotomy (Fasd) and Wet Cupping (Hijamat) to Manage Dizziness and Vertigo From the Viewpoint of Persian Medicine

PubMed Central

Kordafshari, Gholamreza; Ardakani, Mohammad Reza Shams; Keshavarz, Mansoor; Esfahani, Mohammad Mehdi; Nazem, Esmaeil; Moghimi, Maryam; Zargaran, Arman; Kenari, Hoorieh Mohammadi

2016-01-01

Dizziness and vertigo are the most common complaints of patients that has a high economic burden on the health system. In modern medicine, treatment for dizziness and vertigo consists of chemical pharmacological therapy. Although these drugs are useful in controlling the disease, their side effects and inefficiency in full control of the disease require the use of complementary medicine in this field. Persian medicine consists of valuable experiences of Persian medicine scholars based on the theory of humors and temperaments. In Persian medicine, 2 types of disease are presented: dizziness (sadar) and vertigo (dovar). Persian medicine physicians expressed a different mechanism of action than modern medicine for these diseases. They believed that accumulation of abnormal humors, reeh (normal bloating) or causative pathologic substances, is the basic cause of sadar and dovar and that the most important treatment is cleansing the body, particularly the head from accumulated substances by bloodletting methods.

G protein-coupled receptor internalization assays in the high-content screening format.

PubMed

Haasen, Dorothea; Schnapp, Andreas; Valler, Martin J; Heilker, Ralf

2006-01-01

High-content screening (HCS), a combination of fluorescence microscopic imaging and automated image analysis, has become a frequently applied tool to study test compound effects in cellular disease-modeling systems. This chapter describes the measurement of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) internalization in the HCS format using a high-throughput, confocal cellular imaging device. GPCRs are the most successful group of therapeutic targets on the pharmaceutical market. Accordingly, the search for compounds that interfere with GPCR function in a specific and selective way is a major focus of the pharmaceutical industry today. This chapter describes methods for the ligand-induced internalization of GPCRs labeled previously with either a fluorophore-conjugated ligand or an antibody directed against an N-terminal tag of the GPCR. Both labeling techniques produce robust assay formats. Complementary to other functional GPCR drug discovery assays, internalization assays enable a pharmacological analysis of test compounds. We conclude that GPCR internalization assays represent a valuable medium/high-throughput screening format to determine the cellular activity of GPCR ligands.

Small angle x-ray scattering with edge-illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Modregger, Peter; Cremona, Tiziana P.; Benarafa, Charaf; Schittny, Johannes C.; Olivo, Alessandro; Endrizzi, Marco

2016-08-01

Sensitivity to sub-pixel sample features has been demonstrated as a valuable capability of phase contrast x-ray imaging. Here, we report on a method to obtain angular-resolved small angle x-ray scattering distributions with edge-illumination- based imaging utilizing incoherent illumination from an x-ray tube. Our approach provides both the three established image modalities (absorption, differential phase and scatter strength), plus a number of additional contrasts related to unresolved sample features. The complementarity of these contrasts is experimentally validated by using different materials in powder form. As a significant application example we show that the extended complementary contrasts could allow the diagnosis of pulmonary emphysema in a murine model. In support of this, we demonstrate that the properties of the retrieved scattering distributions are consistent with the expectation of increased feature sizes related to pulmonary emphysema. Combined with the simplicity of implementation of edge-illumination, these findings suggest a high potential for exploiting extended sub-pixel contrasts in the diagnosis of lung diseases and beyond.

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the Measurement of Spatial Structures and Fuel Distribution in Flames.

PubMed

Kotzagianni, Maria; Kakkava, Eirini; Couris, Stelios

2016-04-01

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is used for the mapping of local structures (i.e., reactants and products zones) and for the determination of fuel distribution by means of the local equivalence ratio ϕ in laminar, premixed air-hydrocarbon flames. The determination of laser threshold energy to induce breakdown in the different zones of flames is employed for the identification and demarcation of the local structures of a premixed laminar flame, while complementary results about fuel concentration were obtained from measurements of the cyanogen (CN) band Β(2)Σ(+)--Χ(2)Σ(+), (Δυ = 0) at 388.3 nm and the ratio of the atomic lines of hydrogen (Hα) and oxygen (O(I)), Hα/O. The combination of these LIBS-based methods provides a relatively simple to use, rapid, and accurate tool for online and in situ combustion diagnostics, providing valuable information about the fuel distribution and the spatial variations of the local structures of a flame. © The Author(s) 2016.

Probing the top-quark width using the charge identification of b jets

DOE PAGES

Giardino, Pier Paolo; Zhang, Cen

2017-07-18

We propose a new method for measuring the top-quark width based on the on-/off-shell ratio of b -charge asymmetry in pp → Wbj production at the LHC. The charge asymmetry removes virtually all backgrounds and related uncertainties, while remaining systematic and theoretical uncertainties can be taken under control by the ratio of cross sections. Limited only by statistical error, in an optimistic scenario, we find that our approach leads to good precision at high integrated luminosity, at a few hundred MeV assuming 300 – 3000 fb -1 at the LHC. The approach directly probes the total width, in such amore » way that model-dependence can be minimized. It is complementary to existing cross section measurements which always leave a degeneracy between the total rate and the branching ratio, and provides valuable information about the properties of the top quark. Here, the proposal opens up new opportunities for precision top measurements using a b-charge identification algorithm.« less

The relation of Complementary-Alternative Medicine use with glomerular filtration rate and depression in patients with chronic kidney disease at predialysis stage.

PubMed

Esen, Bennur; Atay, Ahmet Engin; Gokmen, Emel Saglam; Karakoc, Ayten; Sari, Hakan; Sarisakal, Samprie; Kahvecioglu, Serdar; Kayabasi, Hasan; Sit, Dede

2015-05-08

Complementary and alternative medicine is a broad field of health including all health care practices and methods; and their accompanying theories and beliefs. In the present study, we aimed to examine the frequency of complementary-alternative medicine use, and its relation with glomerular filtration rate and depression in patients with chronic kidney disease at predialysis stage. A total of 1053 predialysis patients; 518 female and 535 male, that were followed up with chronic kidney disease for at least 3 months were enrolled into the study. Demographic features, biochemical parameters and findings of physical examination were recorded. Their compliance to diet, and knowledge about disease were questioned. Beck depression inventory and questionnaire regarding to complementary-alternative medicine use were performed. The overall frequency of complementary-alternative medicine use was 40.3% . Total ratio of herbal products was 46%. Complementary-alternative medicine use was significantly more frequent in female or single patients, and patients that informed about chronic kidney disease or under strict diet (p:0.007, p:0.016, p:0.02, p:0.016; respectively). When glomerular filtration rate of participants were considered, complementary-alternative medicine use was similar in different stages of kidney disease. Depression was observed in 41.9% of patients and significantly frequent in patients with alternative method use (p:0.002). Depression score was higher as creatinine increases and glomerular filtration rate decreases (p:0.002; r: 0,093). We determined that complementary-alternative medicine use gradually increases at predialysis stage as glomerular filtration rate decreases and there is a strict relation between complementary-alternative medicine use and depression or female gender. Disorder related stressors may lead to seeking of alternative methods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Factors related to complementary/alternative medicine use among cancer patients in central Anatolia.

PubMed

Er, Ozlem; Mistik, Selcuk; Ozkan, Metin; Ozturk, Ahmet; Altinbas, Mustafa

2008-01-01

We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of and factors related to the use of complementary/alternative medicine among cancer patients undergoing or following conventional treatment at the Erciyes University Oncology Hospital in Central Anatolia. Face-to-face interview and a questionnaire were carried out with cancer patients attending the outpatient clinic of Medical Oncology. Questionnaire items included patients' demographic data, treatment, use of complementary/alternative medicine and possible related factors. Multivariate analysis was performed to compare the factors related to use of complementary/alternative medicine. A total of 268 consecutive cancer patients were enrolled in the study. Overall, 43% of the patients were using or had used complementary/alternative medicine. Totally, 90% of the patients using complementary/alternative medicine utilized herbs, and most of the herbs used were stinging nettle. Nearly half of the patients using complementary/alternative medicine (46.1%) were aiming to fight the disease. Among users, nearly half of them regarded the method used as effective and 54 (50.5%) suggested the use of complementary/alternative medicine to other patients. Only 23.1% of the patients discussed the use of complementary/alternative medicine with their physician. In logistic regression analysis, younger age, higher educational status, advanced stage of the disease, longer duration of the disease and current treatment status were significantly associated with the use of complementary/alternative medicine. In our regression model, the predictivity rate of these variables was 72.2% for use of complementary/alternative medicine according to the backward Wald test. Use of complementary/alternative medicine among cancer patients in our center is modestly high, and the most common method is herbal therapy. Communication between the patient and the physician should be improved on this subject.

The pituitary gland under infrared light - in search of a representative spectrum for homogeneous regions.

PubMed

Banas, A; Banas, K; Furgal-Borzych, A; Kwiatek, W M; Pawlicki, B; Breese, M B H

2015-04-07

The pituitary gland is a small but vital organ in the human body. It is located at the base of the brain and is often described as the master gland due to its multiple functions. The pituitary gland secretes and stores hormones, such as the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), growth hormone (hGH), prolactin, gonadotropins, and luteinizing hormones, as well as the antidiuretic hormone (ADH). A proper diagnosis of pituitary disorders is of utmost importance as this organ participates in regulating a variety of body functions. Typical histopathological analysis provides much valuable information, but it gives no insight into the biochemical background of the changes that occur within the gland. One approach that could be used to evaluate the biochemistry of tissue sections obtained from pituitary disorders is Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectromicroscopy. In order to collect diagnostically valuable information large areas of tissue must be investigated. This work focuses on obtaining a unique and representative FTIR spectrum characteristic of one type of cell architecture within a sample. The idea presented is based on using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) for data evaluation to search for uniform patterns within samples from the perspective of FTIR spectra. The results obtained demonstrate that FTIR spectromicroscopy, combined with proper statistical evaluation, can be treated as a complementary method for histopathological analysis and ipso facto can increase the sensitivity and specificity for detecting various disorders not only for the pituitary gland, but also for other human tissues.

78 FR 66755 - National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Notice of Closed Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-06

... Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Notice of Closed Meeting Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory... Alternative Medicine Special Emphasis Panel; RFA-AT14-001 and AT14- 002: SBIR Methods Development for Natural... Scientific Review, National Center for Complementary, & Alternative Medicine, NIH, 6707 Democracy Blvd...

Cooperative genomic alteration network reveals molecular classification across 12 major cancer types

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hongyi; Deng, Yulan; Zhang, Yong; Ping, Yanyan; Zhao, Hongying; Pang, Lin; Zhang, Xinxin; Wang, Li; Xu, Chaohan; Xiao, Yun; Li, Xia

2017-01-01

The accumulation of somatic genomic alterations that enables cells to gradually acquire growth advantage contributes to tumor development. This has the important implication of the widespread existence of cooperative genomic alterations in the accumulation process. Here, we proposed a computational method HCOC that simultaneously consider genetic context and downstream functional effects on cancer hallmarks to uncover somatic cooperative events in human cancers. Applying our method to 12 TCGA cancer types, we totally identified 1199 cooperative events with high heterogeneity across human cancers, and then constructed a pan-cancer cooperative alteration network. These cooperative events are associated with genomic alterations of some high-confident cancer drivers, and can trigger the dysfunction of hallmark associated pathways in a co-defect way rather than single alterations. We found that these cooperative events can be used to produce a prognostic classification that can provide complementary information with tissue-of-origin. In a further case study of glioblastoma, using 23 cooperative events identified, we stratified patients into molecularly relevant subtypes with a prognostic significance independent of the Glioma-CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (GCIMP). In summary, our method can be effectively used to discover cancer-driving cooperative events that can be valuable clinical markers for patient stratification. PMID:27899621

A Robust Linear Feature-Based Procedure for Automated Registration of Point Clouds

PubMed Central

Poreba, Martyna; Goulette, François

2015-01-01

With the variety of measurement techniques available on the market today, fusing multi-source complementary information into one dataset is a matter of great interest. Target-based, point-based and feature-based methods are some of the approaches used to place data in a common reference frame by estimating its corresponding transformation parameters. This paper proposes a new linear feature-based method to perform accurate registration of point clouds, either in 2D or 3D. A two-step fast algorithm called Robust Line Matching and Registration (RLMR), which combines coarse and fine registration, was developed. The initial estimate is found from a triplet of conjugate line pairs, selected by a RANSAC algorithm. Then, this transformation is refined using an iterative optimization algorithm. Conjugates of linear features are identified with respect to a similarity metric representing a line-to-line distance. The efficiency and robustness to noise of the proposed method are evaluated and discussed. The algorithm is valid and ensures valuable results when pre-aligned point clouds with the same scale are used. The studies show that the matching accuracy is at least 99.5%. The transformation parameters are also estimated correctly. The error in rotation is better than 2.8% full scale, while the translation error is less than 12.7%. PMID:25594589

Fluorescence anisotropy (polarization): from drug screening to precision medicine

PubMed Central

Zhang, Hairong; Wu, Qian; Berezin, Mikhail Y.

2016-01-01

Introduction Fluorescence anisotropy (FA) is one of the major established methods accepted by industry and regulatory agencies for understanding the mechanisms of drug action and selecting drug candidates utilizing a high-throughput format. Areas covered This review covers the basics of FA and complementary methods, such as fluorescence lifetime anisotropy and their roles in the drug discovery process. The authors highlight the factors affecting FA readouts, fluorophore selection, and instrumentation. Furthermore, the authors describe the recent development of a successful, commercially valuable FA assay for Long QT syndrome drug toxicity to illustrate the role that FA can play in the early stages of drug discovery. Expert opinion Despite the success in drug discovery, the FA-based technique experiences competitive pressure from other homogeneous assays. That being said, FA is an established yet rapidly developing technique, recognized by academic institutions, the pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory agencies across the globe. The technical problems encountered in working with small molecules in homogeneous assays are largely solved, and new challenges come from more complex biological molecules and nanoparticles. With that, FA will remain one of the major work-horse techniques leading to precision (personalized) medicine. PMID:26289575

Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Chronic Constipation

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Chronic constipation, an ancient disease, is prevalent, and costly in the general population. Complementary and alternative therapies are frequently used for constipation. This review introduces various methods of complementary and alternative therapies, including acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, and herbal medicine. Efficacy, safety, influence factors, sham control design, and mechanisms of these therapies are discussed and evaluated. Acupuncture or electroacupuncture was found to be most commonly used for constipation among these complementary and alternative therapies, followed by herbal medicine. Although only a small number of clinical studies are flawless, our review of the literature seems to suggest that acupuncture or electroacupuncture and herbal medicine are effective in treating constipation, whereas findings on massage and moxibustion are inconclusive. More well-designed clinical trials are needed to improve and prove the efficacy of the complementary and alternative therapies for constipation; mechanistic studies that would lead to wide spread use and improvement of the methods are also discussed in this review. PMID:26064163

Inclusion of Alternative and Complementary Therapies in CACREP Training Programs: A Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lumadue, Christine A.; Munk, Melanie; Wooten, H. Ray

2005-01-01

Given a heightened focus within the mental health profession on creative, complementary, and alternative practices, the authors surveyed CACREP programs with respect to their inclusion of such approaches in counselor training. For the purpose of this study, these approaches were designated as complementary and alternative methods (CAM) and defined…

Tropospheric Ozone Source Attribution in Southern California during Summer 2014 Based on Lidar Measurements and Model Simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Granados Munoz, Maria Jose; Johnson, Matthew S.; Leblanc, Thierry

2016-01-01

In the past decades, significant efforts have been made to increase tropospheric ozone long-term monitoring. A large number of ground-based, airborne and space-borne instruments are currently providing valuable data to contribute to better understand tropospheric ozone budget and variability. Nonetheless, most of these instruments provide in-situ surface and column-integrated data, whereas vertically resolved measurements are still scarce. Besides ozonesondes and aircraft, lidar measurements have proven to be valuable tropospheric ozone profilers. Using the measurements from the tropospheric ozone differential absorption lidar (DIAL) located at the JPL Table Mountain Facility, California, and the GEOS-Chem and GEOS-5 model outputs, the impact of the North American monsoon on tropospheric ozone during summer 2014 is investigated. The influence of the Monsoon lightning-induced NOx will be evaluated against other sources (e.g. local anthropogenic emissions and the stratosphere) using also complementary data such as backward-trajectories analysis, coincident water vapor lidar measurements, and surface ozone in-situ measurements.

Evaluation of a honey-impregnated tulle dressing in primary care.

PubMed

Stephen-Haynes, Jackie

2004-06-01

Honey has been used for its healing properties for centuries and has been used to dress wounds with favourable results. The emergence of antibiotic resistance and growing interest in "natural" or "complementary" therapies has led to an interest in honey dressings. Much of the research to date has been related to honey's antibacterial properties. However, the healing properties claimed for honey also include stimulating new tissue growth, moist wound healing, fluid handling and promoting epithelialization. Until recently, honey had not been developed as a wound management product and was not a certified pharmaceutical device. Activon Tulle is a sterile, non-adherent dressing impregnated with Leptospermum scoparium hone. The claimed properties of honey dressings would make this a valuable addition to the dressing currently available in the primary care setting. An evaluation was undertaken involving 20 patients with a variety of wounds. A conclusion is drawn that while further research is needed, medical grade honey does appear to be a valuable addition to the wound management formulary.

Investigating the complementary value of discrete choice experiments for the evaluation of barriers and facilitators in implementation research: a questionnaire survey

PubMed Central

van Helvoort-Postulart, Debby; van der Weijden, Trudy; Dellaert, Benedict GC; de Kok, Mascha; von Meyenfeldt, Maarten F; Dirksen, Carmen D

2009-01-01

Background The potential barriers and facilitators to change should guide the choice of implementation strategy. Implementation researchers believe that existing methods for the evaluation of potential barriers and facilitators are not satisfactory. Discrete choice experiments (DCE) are relatively new in the health care sector to investigate preferences, and may be of value in the field of implementation research. The objective of our study was to investigate the complementary value of DCE for the evaluation of barriers and facilitators in implementation research. Methods Clinical subject was the implementation of the guideline for breast cancer surgery in day care. We identified 17 potential barriers and facilitators to the implementation of this guideline. We used a traditional questionnaire that was made up of statements about the potential barriers and facilitators. Respondents answered 17 statements on a five-point scale ranging from one (fully disagree) to five (fully agree). The potential barriers and facilitators were included in the DCE as decision attributes. Data were gathered among anaesthesiologists, surgical oncologists, and breast care nurses by means of a paper-and-pencil questionnaire. Results The overall response was 10%. The most striking finding was that the responses to the traditional questionnaire hardly differentiated between barriers. Forty-seven percent of the respondents thought that DCE is an inappropriate method. These respondents considered DCE too difficult and too time-consuming. Unlike the traditional questionnaire, the results of a DCE provide implementation researchers and clinicians with a relative attribute importance ranking that can be used to prioritize potential barriers and facilitators to change, and hence to better fine-tune the implementation strategies to the specific problems and challenges of a particular implementation process. Conclusion The results of our DCE and traditional questionnaire would probably lead to different implementation strategies. Although there is no 'gold standard' for prioritising potential barriers and facilitators to the implementation of change, theoretically, DCE would be the method of choice. However, the feasibility of using DCE was less favourable. Further empirical applications should investigate whether DCE can really make a valuable contribution to the implementation science. PMID:19250555

Conditional Entropy and Location Error in Indoor Localization Using Probabilistic Wi-Fi Fingerprinting.

PubMed

Berkvens, Rafael; Peremans, Herbert; Weyn, Maarten

2016-10-02

Localization systems are increasingly valuable, but their location estimates are only useful when the uncertainty of the estimate is known. This uncertainty is currently calculated as the location error given a ground truth, which is then used as a static measure in sometimes very different environments. In contrast, we propose the use of the conditional entropy of a posterior probability distribution as a complementary measure of uncertainty. This measure has the advantage of being dynamic, i.e., it can be calculated during localization based on individual sensor measurements, does not require a ground truth, and can be applied to discrete localization algorithms. Furthermore, for every consistent location estimation algorithm, both the location error and the conditional entropy measures must be related, i.e., a low entropy should always correspond with a small location error, while a high entropy can correspond with either a small or large location error. We validate this relationship experimentally by calculating both measures of uncertainty in three publicly available datasets using probabilistic Wi-Fi fingerprinting with eight different implementations of the sensor model. We show that the discrepancy between these measures, i.e., many location estimates having a high location error while simultaneously having a low conditional entropy, is largest for the least realistic implementations of the probabilistic sensor model. Based on the results presented in this paper, we conclude that conditional entropy, being dynamic, complementary to location error, and applicable to both continuous and discrete localization, provides an important extra means of characterizing a localization method.

Conditional Entropy and Location Error in Indoor Localization Using Probabilistic Wi-Fi Fingerprinting

PubMed Central

Berkvens, Rafael; Peremans, Herbert; Weyn, Maarten

2016-01-01

Localization systems are increasingly valuable, but their location estimates are only useful when the uncertainty of the estimate is known. This uncertainty is currently calculated as the location error given a ground truth, which is then used as a static measure in sometimes very different environments. In contrast, we propose the use of the conditional entropy of a posterior probability distribution as a complementary measure of uncertainty. This measure has the advantage of being dynamic, i.e., it can be calculated during localization based on individual sensor measurements, does not require a ground truth, and can be applied to discrete localization algorithms. Furthermore, for every consistent location estimation algorithm, both the location error and the conditional entropy measures must be related, i.e., a low entropy should always correspond with a small location error, while a high entropy can correspond with either a small or large location error. We validate this relationship experimentally by calculating both measures of uncertainty in three publicly available datasets using probabilistic Wi-Fi fingerprinting with eight different implementations of the sensor model. We show that the discrepancy between these measures, i.e., many location estimates having a high location error while simultaneously having a low conditional entropy, is largest for the least realistic implementations of the probabilistic sensor model. Based on the results presented in this paper, we conclude that conditional entropy, being dynamic, complementary to location error, and applicable to both continuous and discrete localization, provides an important extra means of characterizing a localization method. PMID:27706099

Spatiotemporal Fractionation Schemes for Irradiating Large Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

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

Unkelbach, Jan, E-mail: junkelbach@mgh.harvard.edu; Bussière, Marc R.; Chapman, Paul H.

2016-07-01

Purpose: To optimally exploit fractionation effects in the context of radiosurgery treatments of large cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). In current practice, fractionated treatments divide the dose evenly into several fractions, which generally leads to low obliteration rates. In this work, we investigate the potential benefit of delivering distinct dose distributions in different fractions. Methods and Materials: Five patients with large cerebral AVMs were reviewed and replanned for intensity modulated arc therapy delivered with conventional photon beams. Treatment plans allowing for different dose distributions in all fractions were obtained by performing treatment plan optimization based on the cumulative biologically effective dosemore » delivered at the end of treatment. Results: We show that distinct treatment plans can be designed for different fractions, such that high single-fraction doses are delivered to complementary parts of the AVM. All plans create a similar dose bath in the surrounding normal brain and thereby exploit the fractionation effect. This partial hypofractionation in the AVM along with fractionation in normal brain achieves a net improvement of the therapeutic ratio. We show that a biological dose reduction of approximately 10% in the healthy brain can be achieved compared with reference treatment schedules that deliver the same dose distribution in all fractions. Conclusions: Boosting complementary parts of the target volume in different fractions may provide a therapeutic advantage in fractionated radiosurgery treatments of large cerebral AVMs. The strategy allows for a mean dose reduction in normal brain that may be valuable for a patient population with an otherwise normal life expectancy.« less

Evaluation of Accuracy of DIAGNOdent in Diagnosis of Primary and Secondary Caries in Comparison to Conventional Methods

PubMed Central

Nokhbatolfoghahaie, Hanieh; Alikhasi, Marzieh; Chiniforush, Nasim; Khoei, Farzaneh; Safavi, Nassimeh; Yaghoub Zadeh, Behnoush

2013-01-01

Introduction: Today the prevalence of teeth decays has considerably decreased. Related organizations and institutions mention several reasons for it such as improvement of decay diagnostic equipment and tools which are even capable of detecting caries in their initial stages. This resulted in reduction of costs for patients and remarkable increase in teeth life span. There are many methods for decay diagnostic, like: visual and radiographic methods, devices with fluorescence such as Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF), Vista proof, Laser fluorescence (LF or DIAGNOdent), Fluorescence Camera (FC) and Digital radiography. Although DIAGNOdent is considered a valuable device for decay diagnostic ,there are concerns regarding its efficacy and accuracy. Considering the sensitivity of decaydiagnosis and the exorbitant annual expenses supported by government and people for caries treatment, finding the best method for early caries detection is of the most importance. Numerous studies were performed to compare different diagnostic methods with conflicting results. The objective of this study is a comparative review of the efficiency of DIAGNOdent in comparison to visual methods and radiographic methods in the diagnostic of teeth occlusal surfaces. Methods: Search of PubMed, Google Scholar electronic resources was performed in order to find clinical trials in English in the period between 1998 and 2013. Full texts of only 35 articles were available. Conclusion: Considering the sensitivity and specificity reported in the different studies, it seems that DIAGNOdent is an appropriate modality for caries detection as a complementary method beside other methods and its use alone to obtain treatment plan is not enough. PMID:25606325

Identity Projects in Complementary and Mainstream Schools: The Views of Albanian and Bulgarian Students in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tereshchenko, Antonina; Archer, Louise

2015-01-01

This paper contributes to the literature on complementary schools as sites of learning and social and cultural identification. We draw on a small-scale multi-method qualitative study conducted in Albanian and Bulgarian community schools in London to explore the agendas of "new" Eastern European complementary schools with respect to…

Testing large aspheric surfaces with complementary annular subaperture interferometric method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Xi; Wu, Fan; Lei, Baiping; Fan, Bin; Chen, Qiang

2008-07-01

Annular subaperture interferometric method has provided an alternative solution to testing rotationally symmetric aspheric surfaces with low cost and flexibility. However, some new challenges, particularly in the motion and algorithm components, appear when applied to large aspheric surfaces with large departure in the practical engineering. Based on our previously reported annular subaperture reconstruction algorithm with Zernike annular polynomials and matrix method, and the experimental results for an approximate 130-mm diameter and f/2 parabolic mirror, an experimental investigation by testing an approximate 302-mm diameter and f/1.7 parabolic mirror with the complementary annular subaperture interferometric method is presented. We have focused on full-aperture reconstruction accuracy, and discuss some error effects and limitations of testing larger aspheric surfaces with the annular subaperture method. Some considerations about testing sector segment with complementary sector subapertures are provided.

Attitudes of members of the German Society for Palliative Medicine toward complementary and alternative medicine for cancer patients.

PubMed

Conrad, A C; Muenstedt, K; Micke, O; Prott, F J; Muecke, R; Huebner, J

2014-07-01

A high proportion of cancer patients use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In oncology, risks of CAM are side effects and interactions. Our aim was to conduct a survey on professionals in palliative care regarding attitudes toward CAM. An internet-based survey with a standardized questionnaire was sent to all members of the German Society for Palliative Care. The questionnaire collected data on attitude toward CAM and experiences. Six hundred and ninety questionnaires (19 %) were returned (49 % physicians, 35 % nurses, 3 % psychologists). Acceptance of CAM is high (92 % for complementary and 54 % for alternative medicine). Most participants had already been asked on CAM by patients (95 %) and relatives (89 %). Forty-four percent already had used complementary methods and 5 % alternative methods. Only 21 % think themselves adequately informed. Seventy-four percent would use complementary methods in a patient with advanced tumor, and 62 % would use alternative therapy in patients if there was no other therapy. Even from those who are skeptical 45 % would treat a patient with alternative methods. In order to inform patients on CAM and to further patients' autonomy, evidence on benefits and harms of CAM must be provided. As awareness of risks from CAM is low and critical appraisal especially of alternative medicine missing, but interest on information on CAM is high, experts should provide evidence-based recommendations for CAM in palliative care to members of different professions. This could be done by a curriculum focusing on the most often used CAM methods.

Electron Capture Dissociation of Divalent Metal-adducted Sulfated N-Glycans Released from Bovine Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Wen; Håkansson, Kristina

2013-11-01

Sulfated N-glycans released from bovine thyroid stimulating hormone (bTSH) were ionized with the divalent metal cations Ca2+, Mg2+, and Co by electrospray ionization (ESI). These metal-adducted species were subjected to infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) and electron capture dissociation (ECD) and the corresponding fragmentation patterns were compared. IRMPD generated extensive glycosidic and cross-ring cleavages, but most product ions suffered from sulfonate loss. Internal fragments were also observed, which complicated the spectra. ECD provided complementary structural information compared with IRMPD, and all observed product ions retained the sulfonate group, allowing sulfonate localization. To our knowledge, this work represents the first application of ECD towards metal-adducted sulfated N-glycans released from a glycoprotein. Due to the ability of IRMPD and ECD to provide complementary structural information, the combination of the two strategies is a promising and valuable tool for glycan structural characterization. The influence of different metal ions was also examined. Calcium adducts appeared to be the most promising species because of high sensitivity and ability to provide extensive structural information.

Complementary knowledge sharing: Experiences of nursing students participating in an educational exchange program between Madagascar and Norway.

PubMed

Tjoflåt, Ingrid; Razaonandrianina, Julie; Karlsen, Bjørg; Hansen, Britt Sætre

2017-02-01

To describe how Malagasy and Norwegian nursing students experience an educational exchange program in Madagascar. Previous studies show that nursing students participating in an educational exchange program enhanced their cultural knowledge and experienced personal growth. However, few studies have described two-way exchange programs, including experiences from both the hosts' and the guest students' perspectives. This study applies a descriptive qualitative design. Data were collected in 2015 by means of five semi-structured interviews with Malagasy students and two focus group interview sessions with Norwegian students. They were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study was conducted in Madagascar. The data analyses revealed one main theme and two sub-themes related to the Malagasy and Norwegian nursing students' experiences. Main theme: complementary knowledge sharing; sub-themes: (1) learning from each other and (2) challenges of working together. The findings indicate that both the Malagasy and Norwegian nursing students experienced the exchange program as valuable and essential in exchanging knowledge. They also highlighted challenges, linked mainly to language barriers and the lack of available resources. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

American Academy of Pediatrics. The use of complementary and alternative medicine in pediatrics.

PubMed

Kemper, Kathi J; Vohra, Sunita; Walls, Richard

2008-12-01

The American Academy of Pediatrics is dedicated to optimizing the well-being of children and advancing family-centered health care. Related to these goals, the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the increasing use of complementary and alternative medicine in children and, as a result, the need to provide information and support for pediatricians. From 2000 to 2002, the American Academy of Pediatrics convened and charged the Task Force on Complementary and Alternative Medicine to address issues related to the use of complementary and alternative medicine in children and to develop resources to educate physicians, patients, and families. One of these resources is this report describing complementary and alternative medicine services, current levels of utilization and financial expenditures, and associated legal and ethical considerations. The subject of complementary and alternative medicine is large and diverse, and consequently, an in-depth discussion of each method of complementary and alternative medicine is beyond the scope of this report. Instead, this report will define terms; describe epidemiology; outline common types of complementary and alternative medicine therapies; review medicolegal, ethical, and research implications; review education and training for complementary and alternative medicine providers; provide resources for learning more about complementary and alternative medicine; and suggest communication strategies to use when discussing complementary and alternative medicine with patients and families.

Thermal conductivity profile determination in proton-irradiated ZrC by spatial and frequency scanning thermal wave methods

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

Jensen, C.; Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322; Chirtoc, M.

2013-10-07

Using complementary thermal wave methods, the irradiation damaged region of zirconium carbide (ZrC) is characterized by quantifiably profiling the thermophysical property degradation. The ZrC sample was irradiated by a 2.6 MeV proton beam at 600 °C to a dose of 1.75 displacements per atom. Spatial scanning techniques including scanning thermal microscopy (SThM), lock-in infrared thermography (lock-in IRT), and photothermal radiometry (PTR) were used to directly map the in-depth profile of thermal conductivity on a cross section of the ZrC sample. The advantages and limitations of each system are discussed and compared, finding consistent results from all techniques. SThM provides themore » best resolution finding a very uniform thermal conductivity envelope in the damaged region measuring ∼52 ± 2 μm deep. Frequency-based scanning PTR provides quantification of the thermal parameters of the sample using the SThM measured profile to provide validation of a heating model. Measured irradiated and virgin thermal conductivities are found to be 11.9 ± 0.5 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1} and 26.7 ±1 W m{sup −1} K{sup −1}, respectively. A thermal resistance evidenced in the frequency spectra of the PTR results was calculated to be (1.58 ± 0.1) × 10{sup −6} m{sup 2} K W{sup −1}. The measured thermal conductivity values compare well with the thermal conductivity extracted from the SThM calibrated signal and the spatially scanned PTR. Combined spatial and frequency scanning techniques are shown to provide a valuable, complementary combination for thermal property characterization of proton-irradiated ZrC. Such methodology could be useful for other studies of ion-irradiated materials.« less

Estimation of land-surface evaporation at four forest sites across Japan with the new nonlinear complementary method.

PubMed

Ai, Zhipin; Wang, Qinxue; Yang, Yonghui; Manevski, Kiril; Zhao, Xin; Eer, Deni

2017-12-19

Evaporation from land surfaces is a critical component of the Earth water cycle and of water management strategies. The complementary method originally proposed by Bouchet, which describes a linear relation between actual evaporation (E), potential evaporation (E po ) and apparent potential evaporation (E pa ) based on routinely measured weather data, is one of the various methods for evaporation calculation. This study evaluated the reformulated version of the original method, as proposed by Brutsaert, for forest land cover in Japan. The new complementary method is nonlinear and based on boundary conditions with strictly physical considerations. The only unknown parameter (α e ) was for the first time determined for various forest covers located from north to south across Japan. The values of α e ranged from 0.94 to 1.10, with a mean value of 1.01. Furthermore, the calculated evaporation with the new method showed a good fit with the eddy-covariance measured values, with a determination coefficient of 0.78 and a mean bias of 4%. Evaluation results revealed that the new nonlinear complementary relation performs better than the original linear relation in describing the relationship between E/E pa and E po /E pa , and also in depicting the asymmetry variation between E pa /E po and E/E po .

Nurses' beliefs, experiences and practice regarding complementary and alternative medicine in Taiwan.

PubMed

Smith, Graeme D; Wu, Shu-Chen

2012-09-01

To gain an insight into this issue, this study used a qualitative approach and aims to explore and describe nurses' beliefs, experiences and practice regarding complementary and alternative medicine in Taiwan. The integration of complementary and alternative medicine with conventional medicine has become more common worldwide in recent years. An increase in patient use and an expansion of nurses using complementary and alternative medicine has spawned further investigation. Most published studies have concentrated on the usage of complementary and alternative medicine in western societies and have focused principally on physicians' attitudes and practice patterns in this regard. Despite the large amount of time and the unique relationship that nurses share with their patients, little research has investigated the nurse's attitudes and practice regarding complementary and alternative medicine. Moreover, there has been no previous research into understanding this issue from the Taiwanese nursing perspective. A qualitative research design. By using an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative approach, data were collected from 11 registered nurses. The methods of the data collection were in-depth, semi-structured interviews, field notes and memos and the data were analysed using the constant comparative method. Three major categories emerged from the data; namely, a 'lack of clear definition', 'limited experience' and 'high interest' towards complementary and alternative medicine. These results suggest that the definition of complementary and alternative medicine is often unclear for nurses in Taiwan. Due to the organisational policies and personal knowledge base, very few nurses integrate complementary and alternative medicine into their daily practice. However, the nurses in Taiwan show a great desire to participate in complementary and alternative medicine continuing education programmes. This study is not only significant in filling the gap in the existing literature, but is also important in understanding this issue from the nurses' perspective, to offer a series of recommendations for policy, nursing education, nursing practice and suggestions for further research. This study highlights the importance of nursing attitude in the use of complementary and alternative medicine. Clinical nurses have the potential to provide appropriate information to their patients to ensure safe complementary and alternative medicine use. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Validating a two-high-threshold measurement model for confidence rating data in recognition.

PubMed

Bröder, Arndt; Kellen, David; Schütz, Julia; Rohrmeier, Constanze

2013-01-01

Signal Detection models as well as the Two-High-Threshold model (2HTM) have been used successfully as measurement models in recognition tasks to disentangle memory performance and response biases. A popular method in recognition memory is to elicit confidence judgements about the presumed old/new status of an item, allowing for the easy construction of ROCs. Since the 2HTM assumes fewer latent memory states than response options are available in confidence ratings, the 2HTM has to be extended by a mapping function which models individual rating scale usage. Unpublished data from 2 experiments in Bröder and Schütz (2009) validate the core memory parameters of the model, and 3 new experiments show that the response mapping parameters are selectively affected by manipulations intended to affect rating scale use, and this is independent of overall old/new bias. Comparisons with SDT show that both models behave similarly, a case that highlights the notion that both modelling approaches can be valuable (and complementary) elements in a researcher's toolbox.

Laboratory space physics: Investigating the physics of space plasmas in the laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howes, Gregory G.

2018-05-01

Laboratory experiments provide a valuable complement to explore the fundamental physics of space plasmas without the limitations inherent to spacecraft measurements. Specifically, experiments overcome the restriction that spacecraft measurements are made at only one (or a few) points in space, enable greater control of the plasma conditions and applied perturbations, can be reproducible, and are orders of magnitude less expensive than launching spacecraft. Here, I highlight key open questions about the physics of space plasmas and identify the aspects of these problems that can potentially be tackled in laboratory experiments. Several past successes in laboratory space physics provide concrete examples of how complementary experiments can contribute to our understanding of physical processes at play in the solar corona, solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, and the outer boundary of the heliosphere. I present developments on the horizon of laboratory space physics, identifying velocity space as a key new frontier, highlighting new and enhanced experimental facilities, and showcasing anticipated developments to produce improved diagnostics and innovative analysis methods. A strategy for future laboratory space physics investigations will be outlined, with explicit connections to specific fundamental plasma phenomena of interest.

Exploring candidate biomarkers for lung and prostate cancers using gene expression and flux variability analysis.

PubMed

Asgari, Yazdan; Khosravi, Pegah; Zabihinpour, Zahra; Habibi, Mahnaz

2018-02-19

Genome-scale metabolic models have provided valuable resources for exploring changes in metabolism under normal and cancer conditions. However, metabolism itself is strongly linked to gene expression, so integration of gene expression data into metabolic models might improve the detection of genes involved in the control of tumor progression. Herein, we considered gene expression data as extra constraints to enhance the predictive powers of metabolic models. We reconstructed genome-scale metabolic models for lung and prostate, under normal and cancer conditions to detect the major genes associated with critical subsystems during tumor development. Furthermore, we utilized gene expression data in combination with an information theory-based approach to reconstruct co-expression networks of the human lung and prostate in both cohorts. Our results revealed 19 genes as candidate biomarkers for lung and prostate cancer cells. This study also revealed that the development of a complementary approach (integration of gene expression and metabolic profiles) could lead to proposing novel biomarkers and suggesting renovated cancer treatment strategies which have not been possible to detect using either of the methods alone.

Evidence-based integrative medicine in clinical veterinary oncology.

PubMed

Raditic, Donna M; Bartges, Joseph W

2014-09-01

Integrative medicine is the combined use of complementary and alternative medicine with conventional or traditional Western medicine systems. The demand for integrative veterinary medicine is growing, but evidence-based research on its efficacy is limited. In veterinary clinical oncology, such research could be translated to human medicine, because veterinary patients with spontaneous tumors are valuable translational models for human cancers. An overview of specific herbs, botanics, dietary supplements, and acupuncture evaluated in dogs, in vitro canine cells, and other relevant species both in vivo and in vitro is presented for their potential use as integrative therapies in veterinary clinical oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Nonhuman gamblers: lessons from rodents, primates, and robots

PubMed Central

Paglieri, Fabio; Addessi, Elsa; De Petrillo, Francesca; Laviola, Giovanni; Mirolli, Marco; Parisi, Domenico; Petrosino, Giancarlo; Ventricelli, Marialba; Zoratto, Francesca; Adriani, Walter

2014-01-01

The search for neuronal and psychological underpinnings of pathological gambling in humans would benefit from investigating related phenomena also outside of our species. In this paper, we present a survey of studies in three widely different populations of agents, namely rodents, non-human primates, and robots. Each of these populations offers valuable and complementary insights on the topic, as the literature demonstrates. In addition, we highlight the deep and complex connections between relevant results across these different areas of research (i.e., cognitive and computational neuroscience, neuroethology, cognitive primatology, neuropsychiatry, evolutionary robotics), to make the case for a greater degree of methodological integration in future studies on pathological gambling. PMID:24574984

Enhancement Strategies for Frame-To Uas Stereo Visual Odometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kersten, J.; Rodehorst, V.

2016-06-01

Autonomous navigation of indoor unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) requires accurate pose estimations usually obtained from indirect measurements. Navigation based on inertial measurement units (IMU) is known to be affected by high drift rates. The incorporation of cameras provides complementary information due to the different underlying measurement principle. The scale ambiguity problem for monocular cameras is avoided when a light-weight stereo camera setup is used. However, also frame-to-frame stereo visual odometry (VO) approaches are known to accumulate pose estimation errors over time. Several valuable real-time capable techniques for outlier detection and drift reduction in frame-to-frame VO, for example robust relative orientation estimation using random sample consensus (RANSAC) and bundle adjustment, are available. This study addresses the problem of choosing appropriate VO components. We propose a frame-to-frame stereo VO method based on carefully selected components and parameters. This method is evaluated regarding the impact and value of different outlier detection and drift-reduction strategies, for example keyframe selection and sparse bundle adjustment (SBA), using reference benchmark data as well as own real stereo data. The experimental results demonstrate that our VO method is able to estimate quite accurate trajectories. Feature bucketing and keyframe selection are simple but effective strategies which further improve the VO results. Furthermore, introducing the stereo baseline constraint in pose graph optimization (PGO) leads to significant improvements.

Qualitative and Quantitative Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxins from Complex Matrices: Results of the First International Proficiency Test

PubMed Central

Worbs, Sylvia; Fiebig, Uwe; Zeleny, Reinhard; Schimmel, Heinz; Rummel, Andreas; Luginbühl, Werner; Dorner, Brigitte G.

2015-01-01

In the framework of the EU project EQuATox, a first international proficiency test (PT) on the detection and quantification of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) was conducted. Sample materials included BoNT serotypes A, B and E spiked into buffer, milk, meat extract and serum. Different methods were applied by the participants combining different principles of detection, identification and quantification. Based on qualitative assays, 95% of all results reported were correct. Successful strategies for BoNT detection were based on a combination of complementary immunological, MS-based and functional methods or on suitable functional in vivo/in vitro approaches (mouse bioassay, hemidiaphragm assay and Endopep-MS assay). Quantification of BoNT/A, BoNT/B and BoNT/E was performed by 48% of participating laboratories. It turned out that precise quantification of BoNT was difficult, resulting in a substantial scatter of quantitative data. This was especially true for results obtained by the mouse bioassay which is currently considered as “gold standard” for BoNT detection. The results clearly demonstrate the urgent need for certified BoNT reference materials and the development of methods replacing animal testing. In this context, the BoNT PT provided the valuable information that both the Endopep-MS assay and the hemidiaphragm assay delivered quantitative results superior to the mouse bioassay. PMID:26703724

Analysis of Antarctic glacigenic sediment provenance through geochemical and petrologic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Licht, Kathy J.; Hemming, Sidney R.

2017-05-01

The number of provenance studies of glacigenic sediments in Antarctica has increased dramatically over the past decade, providing an enhanced understanding of ice sheet history and dynamics, along with the broader geologic history. Such data have been used to assess glacial erosion patterns at the catchment scale, flow path reconstructions over a wide range of scales, and ice sheet fluctuations indicated by iceberg rafted debris in circumantarctic glacial marine sediments. It is notable that even though most of the bedrock of the continent is ice covered and inaccessible, provenance data can provide such valuable information about Antarctic ice and can even be used to infer buried rock types along with their geo- and thermochronologic history. Glacigenic sediments provide a broader array of provenance analysis opportunities than any other sediment type because of their wide range of grain sizes, and in this paper we review methods and examples from all size fractions that have been applied to the Antarctic glacigenic sedimentary record. Interpretations of these records must take careful consideration of the choice of analytical methods, uneven patterns of erosion, and spatial variability in sediment transport and rock types, which all may lead to a preferential identification of different elements of sources in the provenance analyses. Because of this, we advocate a multi-proxy approach and highlight studies that demonstrate the value of selecting complementary provenance methods.

Qualitative study of women's experience after therapeutic massage.

PubMed

Garakyaraghi, Mohammad; Givi, Mahshid; Moeini, Mahin; Eshghinezhad, Ameneh

2014-07-01

Hypertension has become a major problem throughout the world, especially in developing countries like Iran. As it is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, even small reductions in the prevalence can have potentially large public health benefits. Among the complementary methods, massage provides an effective means to lower the blood pressure. If nurses perceive the experiences of hypertensive patients receiving massage, they can use massage more effectively in their care plan. This is a descriptive phenomenological study. Deep interviews were conducted with nine prehypertensive women who received Swedish massage three times a week in a total of 10 sessions, with each session lasting 10-15 min. Then, the researcher conducted an interview using a 'grand tour question (open ended question) and the participants were then encouraged to speak freely explaining their thoughts and feelings about the experience of massage therapy. Data analysis was done by Colaizzi's method. Validity and reliability were obtained through measures such as real value, applicability, continuity, and authenticity. Women evaluated the massage therapy positively. The findings yielded six themes, including relaxation, sleeping better, reduction of anxiety and tension, reduction of fatigue, invigorating experience, improve connecting. This study demonstrates that a body-centered intervention like massage can be valuable in a multidisciplinary approach to women with prehypertension. This method is easy to learn and relatively short (10-15 min) to administer as a suitable complement in nursing care for this group of patients.

Line-of-sight effects in strong lensing: putting theory into practice

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

Birrer, Simon; Welschen, Cyril; Amara, Adam

2017-04-01

We present a simple method to accurately infer line of sight (LOS) integrated lensing effects for galaxy scale strong lens systems through image reconstruction. Our approach enables us to separate weak lensing LOS effects from the main strong lens deflector. We test our method using mock data and show that strong lens systems can be accurate probes of cosmic shear with a precision on the shear terms of ± 0.003 (statistical error) for an HST-like dataset. We apply our formalism to reconstruct the lens COSMOS 0038+4133 and its LOS. In addition, we estimate the LOS properties with a halo-rendering estimatemore » based on the COSMOS field galaxies and a galaxy-halo connection. The two approaches are independent and complementary in their information content. We find that when estimating the convergence at the strong lens system, performing a joint analysis improves the measure by a factor of two compared to a halo model only analysis. Furthermore the constraints of the strong lens reconstruction lead to tighter constraints on the halo masses of the LOS galaxies. Joint constraints of multiple strong lens systems may add valuable information to the galaxy-halo connection and may allow independent weak lensing shear measurement calibrations.« less

Using quantitative magnetic resonance methods to understand better the gel-layer formation on polymer-matrix tablets.

PubMed

Mikac, Urša; Kristl, Julijana; Baumgartner, Saša

2011-05-01

Magnetic resonance imaging is a powerful, non-invasive technique that can help improve our understanding of the hydrogel layer formed on swellable, polymer-matrix tablets, as well as the layer's properties and its influence on drug release. In this paper, the authors review the NMR and MRI investigations of hydrophilic, swellable polymers published since 1994. The review covers NMR studies on the properties of water and drugs within hydrated polymers. In addition, MRI studies using techniques for determining the different moving-front positions within the swollen tablets, the polymer concentration profiles across them, the influence of the incorporated drug, and so on, are presented. Some complementary methods are also briefly presented and discussed. Using MRI, the formation of a hydrogel along with simultaneous determination of the drug's position within it can be observed non-invasively. However, the MRI parameters can influence the signal's intensity and therefore they need to be considered carefully in order to prevent any misinterpretation of the results. MRI makes possible an in situ investigation of swollen-matrix tablets and provides valuable information that can lead, when combined with other techniques, to a better understanding of polymeric systems and a more effective development of optimal dosage forms.

Perceptions of Massage Therapists Participating in a Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Perlman, Adam; Dreusicke, Mark; Keever, Teresa; Ali, Ather

2015-01-01

Background Clinical practice and randomized trials often have disparate aims, despite involving similar interventions. Attitudes and expectancies of practitioners influence patient outcomes, and there is growing emphasis on optimizing provider–patient relationships. In this study, we evaluated the experiences of licensed massage therapists involved in a randomized controlled clinical trial using qualitative methodology. Methods Seven massage therapists who were interventionists in a randomized controlled trial participated in structured interviews approximately 30 minutes in length. Interviews focused on their experiences and perceptions regarding aspects of the clinical trial, as well as recommendations for future trials. Transcribed interviews were analyzed for emergent topics and themes using standard qualitative methods. Results Six themes emerged. Therapists discussed 1) promoting the profession of massage therapy through research, 2) mixed views on using standardized protocols, 3) challenges of sham interventions, 4) participant response to the sham intervention, 5) views on scheduling and compensation, and 6) unanticipated benefits of participating in research. Conclusions Therapists largely appreciated the opportunity to promote massage through research. They demonstrated insight and understanding of the rationale for a clinical trial adhering to a standardized protocol. Evaluating the experiences and ideas of complementary and alternative medicine practitioners provides valuable insight that is relevant for the implementation and design of randomized trials. PMID:26388961

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPRs) analysis of members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

PubMed

Botelho, Ana; Canto, Ana; Leão, Célia; Cunha, Mónica V

2015-01-01

Typical CRISPR (clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeat) regions are constituted by short direct repeats (DRs), interspersed with similarly sized non-repetitive spacers, derived from transmissible genetic elements, acquired when the cell is challenged with foreign DNA. The analysis of the structure, in number and nature, of CRISPR spacers is a valuable tool for molecular typing since these loci are polymorphic among strains, originating characteristic signatures. The existence of CRISPR structures in the genome of the members of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) enabled the development of a genotyping method, based on the analysis of the presence or absence of 43 oligonucleotide spacers separated by conserved DRs. This method, called spoligotyping, consists on PCR amplification of the DR chromosomal region and recognition after hybridization of the spacers that are present. The workflow beneath this methodology implies that the PCR products are brought onto a membrane containing synthetic oligonucleotides that have complementary sequences to the spacer sequences. Lack of hybridization of the PCR products to a specific oligonucleotide sequence indicates absence of the correspondent spacer sequence in the examined strain. Spoligotyping gained great notoriety as a robust identification and typing tool for members of MTBC, enabling multiple epidemiological studies on human and animal tuberculosis.

Non-pharmacologic labour pain relief.

PubMed

Prasertcharoensuk, Witoon; Thinkhamrop, Jadsada

2004-10-01

Many women would like to avoid pharmacological or invasive methods of pain management in labour and this may contribute towards the popularity of complementary methods of pain management. This review examined currently available evidence supporting the use of alternative and complementary therapies for pain management in labour. To examine the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour on maternal and perinatal morbidity. The trials included three trials of hypnosis (n = 189), one involving audio-analgesia (n = 25), one involving (n = 22), and one trial of music (n = 30). Women receiving hypnosis were more satisfied with their pain management in labour compared with controls (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.55 to 4.71). No differences were seen for women recieving, music or audio analgesia. Hypnosis may be beneficial for the management of pain during labour. However, few complementary therapies have been subjected to proper scientific study.

Evaluation of a filmed clinical scenario as a teaching resource for an introductory pharmacology unit for undergraduate health students: A pilot study.

PubMed

East, Leah; Hutchinson, Marie

2015-12-01

Simulation is frequently being used as a learning and teaching resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, however reporting of the effectiveness of simulation particularly within the pharmacology context is scant. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a filmed simulated pharmacological clinical scenario as a teaching resource in an undergraduate pharmacological unit. Pilot cross-sectional quantitative survey. An Australian university. 32 undergraduate students completing a healthcare degree including nursing, midwifery, clinical science, health science, naturopathy, and osteopathy. As a part of an undergraduate online pharmacology unit, students were required to watch a filmed simulated pharmacological clinical scenario. To evaluate student learning, a measurement instrument developed from Bloom's cognitive domains (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) was employed to assess pharmacological knowledge conceptualisation and knowledge application within the following fields: medication errors; medication adverse effects; medication interactions; and, general pharmacology. The majority of participants were enrolled in an undergraduate nursing or midwifery programme (72%). Results demonstrated that the majority of nursing and midwifery students (56.52%) found the teaching resource complementary or more useful compared to a lecture although less so compared to a tutorial. Students' self-assessment of learning according to Bloom's cognitive domains indicated that the filmed scenario was a valuable learning tool. Analysis of variance indicated that health science students reported higher levels of learning compared to midwifery and nursing. Students' self-report of the learning benefits of a filmed simulated clinical scenario as a teaching resource suggest enhanced critical thinking skills and knowledge conceptualisation regarding pharmacology, in addition to being useful and complementary to other teaching and learning methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ANTI-ULCEROGENIC EFFICACY AND MECHANISMS OF EDIBLE AND NATURAL INGREDIENTS IN NSAID-INDUCED ANIMAL MODELS

PubMed Central

Bi, Weiping; Hu, Lizhi; Man, Mao-Qiang

2017-01-01

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of the most commonly used medicines and proven to be effective for certain disorders. Some people use NSAIDs on daily basis for preventive purpose. But a variety of severe side effects can be induced by NSAIDs. Studies have shown that edible natural ingredients exhibit preventive benefit of gastric ulcer. This paper reviews the efficacy and safety of edible natural ingredients in preventing the development of gastric ulcer induced by NSAIDs in animal models. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, using the terms “herbal medicines” and “gastric ulcer”, “herbal medicines” and “peptic ulcer”, “food” and “peptic ulcer”, “food” and “gastric ulcer”, “natural ingredient” and “peptic ulcer”, “natural ingredient” and “gastric ulcer”, “alternative medicine” and “peptic ulcer”, “alternative medicine” and “gastric ulcer”, “complementary medicine” and “peptic ulcer”, “complementary medicine” and “gastric ulcer” in papers published in English between January 1, 1960 and January 31, 2016, resulting in a total of 6146 articles containing these terms. After exclusion of studies not related prevention, not in NSAID model or using non-edible natural ingredients, 54 articles were included in this review. Results: Numerous studies have demonstrated that edible natural ingredients exhibit antiulcerogenic benefit in NSAID-induced animal models. The mechanisms by which edible, ingredient-induced anti-ulcerogenic effects include stimulation of mucous cell proliferation, antioxidation, inhibition of gastric acid secretion, as well as inhibition of H (+), K (+)- ATPase activities. Utilization of edible, natural ingredients could be a safe, valuable alternative to prevent the development of NSAID-induced gastric ulcer, particularly for the subjects who are long-term users of NSAIDs. PMID:28638885

Qualitative study of women's experience after therapeutic massage

PubMed Central

Garakyaraghi, Mohammad; Givi, Mahshid; Moeini, Mahin; Eshghinezhad, Ameneh

2014-01-01

Background: Hypertension has become a major problem throughout the world, especially in developing countries like Iran. As it is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, even small reductions in the prevalence can have potentially large public health benefits. Among the complementary methods, massage provides an effective means to lower the blood pressure. If nurses perceive the experiences of hypertensive patients receiving massage, they can use massage more effectively in their care plan. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive phenomenological study. Deep interviews were conducted with nine prehypertensive women who received Swedish massage three times a week in a total of 10 sessions, with each session lasting 10-15 min. Then, the researcher conducted an interview using a ‘grand tour question (open ended question) and the participants were then encouraged to speak freely explaining their thoughts and feelings about the experience of massage therapy. Data analysis was done by Colaizzi's method. Validity and reliability were obtained through measures such as real value, applicability, continuity, and authenticity. Results: Women evaluated the massage therapy positively. The findings yielded six themes, including relaxation, sleeping better, reduction of anxiety and tension, reduction of fatigue, invigorating experience, improve connecting. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that a body-centered intervention like massage can be valuable in a multidisciplinary approach to women with prehypertension. This method is easy to learn and relatively short (10-15 min) to administer as a suitable complement in nursing care for this group of patients. PMID:25183981

A Fast Projection-Based Algorithm for Clustering Big Data.

PubMed

Wu, Yun; He, Zhiquan; Lin, Hao; Zheng, Yufei; Zhang, Jingfen; Xu, Dong

2018-06-07

With the fast development of various techniques, more and more data have been accumulated with the unique properties of large size (tall) and high dimension (wide). The era of big data is coming. How to understand and discover new knowledge from these data has attracted more and more scholars' attention and has become the most important task in data mining. As one of the most important techniques in data mining, clustering analysis, a kind of unsupervised learning, could group a set data into objectives(clusters) that are meaningful, useful, or both. Thus, the technique has played very important role in knowledge discovery in big data. However, when facing the large-sized and high-dimensional data, most of the current clustering methods exhibited poor computational efficiency and high requirement of computational source, which will prevent us from clarifying the intrinsic properties and discovering the new knowledge behind the data. Based on this consideration, we developed a powerful clustering method, called MUFOLD-CL. The principle of the method is to project the data points to the centroid, and then to measure the similarity between any two points by calculating their projections on the centroid. The proposed method could achieve linear time complexity with respect to the sample size. Comparison with K-Means method on very large data showed that our method could produce better accuracy and require less computational time, demonstrating that the MUFOLD-CL can serve as a valuable tool, at least may play a complementary role to other existing methods, for big data clustering. Further comparisons with state-of-the-art clustering methods on smaller datasets showed that our method was fastest and achieved comparable accuracy. For the convenience of most scholars, a free soft package was constructed.

Investigation into the use of complementary and alternative medicine and affecting factors in Turkish asthmatic patients.

PubMed

Tokem, Yasemin; Aytemur, Zeynep Ayfer; Yildirim, Yasemin; Fadiloglu, Cicek

2012-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of complementary and alternative medicine usage in asthmatic patients living in the west of Turkey, the most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine methods and socio-demographic factors affecting this and factors related to the disease. While the rate of complementary and alternative medicine usage in asthmatic patients and the reasons for using it vary, practices specific to different countries and regions are of interest. Differing cultural and social factors even in geographically similar regions can affect the type of complementary and alternative medicine used. Two hundred asthmatic patients registered in the asthma outpatient clinic of a large hospital in Turkey and who had undergone pulmonary function tests within the previous six months were included in this study, which was planned according to a descriptive design. The patients filled out a questionnaire on their demographic characteristics and complementary and alternative medicine usage. The proportion of patients who reported using one or more of the complementary and alternative medicine methods was 63·0%. Of these patients, 61·9% were using plants and herbal treatments, 53·2% were doing exercises and 36·5% said that they prayed. The objectives of their use of complementary and alternative medicine were to reduce asthma-related complaints (58%) and to feel better (37·8%). The proportion of people experiencing adverse effects was 3·3% (n = 4). Factors motivating asthmatic patients to use complementary and alternative medicine were the existence of comorbid diseases and a long period since diagnosis (p < 0·05). No statistically significant difference was found between the use of complementary and alternative medicine and the severity of the disease, pulmonary function test parameters, the number of asthma attacks or hospitalisations because of asthma within the last year (p > 0·05). Understanding by nurses of the causes and patterns of the use of complementary and alternative medicine in asthmatic patients helps them in directing patient care and patient safety. Nurses should conduct comprehensive diagnostics in the light of complementary and alternative medicine use, and they should be aware of the potential risks. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Complementary and Alternative Approaches to Pain Relief During Labor

PubMed Central

Theau-Yonneau, Anne

2007-01-01

This review evaluated the effect of complementary and alternative medicine on pain during labor with conventional scientific methods using electronic data bases through 2006 were used. Only randomized controlled trials with outcome measures for labor pain were kept for the conclusions. Many studies did not meet the scientific inclusion criteria. According to the randomized control trials, we conclude that for the decrease of labor pain and/or reduction of the need for conventional analgesic methods: (i) There is an efficacy found for acupressure and sterile water blocks. (ii) Most results favored some efficacy for acupuncture and hydrotherapy. (iii) Studies for other complementary or alternative therapies for labor pain control have not shown their effectiveness. PMID:18227907

Resourcing the clinical complementary medicine information needs of Australian medical students: Results of a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Templeman, Kate; Robinson, Anske; McKenna, Lisa

2016-09-01

The aim of this study was to identify Australian medical students' complementary medicine information needs. Thirty medical students from 10 medical education faculties across Australian universities were recruited. Data were generated using in-depth semi-structured interviews and constructivist grounded theory method was used to analyze and construct data. Students sought complementary medicine information from a range of inadequate sources, such as pharmacological texts, Internet searches, peer-reviewed medical journals, and drug databases. The students identified that many complementary medicine resources may not be regarded as objective, reliable, differentiated, or comprehensive, leaving much that medical education needs to address. Most students sought succinct, easily accessible, evidence-based information to inform safe and appropriate clinical decisions about complementary medicines. A number of preferred resources were identified that can be recommended and actively promoted to medical students. Therefore, specific, evidence-based complementary medicine databases and secondary resources should be subscribed and recommended to medical schools and students, to assist meeting professional responsibilities regarding complementary medicines. These findings may help inform the development of appropriate medical information resources regarding complementary medicines. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Accurate Simulation and Detection of Coevolution Signals in Multiple Sequence Alignments

PubMed Central

Ackerman, Sharon H.; Tillier, Elisabeth R.; Gatti, Domenico L.

2012-01-01

Background While the conserved positions of a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) are clearly of interest, non-conserved positions can also be important because, for example, destabilizing effects at one position can be compensated by stabilizing effects at another position. Different methods have been developed to recognize the evolutionary relationship between amino acid sites, and to disentangle functional/structural dependencies from historical/phylogenetic ones. Methodology/Principal Findings We have used two complementary approaches to test the efficacy of these methods. In the first approach, we have used a new program, MSAvolve, for the in silico evolution of MSAs, which records a detailed history of all covarying positions, and builds a global coevolution matrix as the accumulated sum of individual matrices for the positions forced to co-vary, the recombinant coevolution, and the stochastic coevolution. We have simulated over 1600 MSAs for 8 protein families, which reflect sequences of different sizes and proteins with widely different functions. The calculated coevolution matrices were compared with the coevolution matrices obtained for the same evolved MSAs with different coevolution detection methods. In a second approach we have evaluated the capacity of the different methods to predict close contacts in the representative X-ray structures of an additional 150 protein families using only experimental MSAs. Conclusions/Significance Methods based on the identification of global correlations between pairs were found to be generally superior to methods based only on local correlations in their capacity to identify coevolving residues using either simulated or experimental MSAs. However, the significant variability in the performance of different methods with different proteins suggests that the simulation of MSAs that replicate the statistical properties of the experimental MSA can be a valuable tool to identify the coevolution detection method that is most effective in each case. PMID:23091608

Systematic review of computational methods for identifying miRNA-mediated RNA-RNA crosstalk.

PubMed

Li, Yongsheng; Jin, Xiyun; Wang, Zishan; Li, Lili; Chen, Hong; Lin, Xiaoyu; Yi, Song; Zhang, Yunpeng; Xu, Juan

2017-10-25

Posttranscriptional crosstalk and communication between RNAs yield large regulatory competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks via shared microRNAs (miRNAs), as well as miRNA synergistic networks. The ceRNA crosstalk represents a novel layer of gene regulation that controls both physiological and pathological processes such as development and complex diseases. The rapidly expanding catalogue of ceRNA regulation has provided evidence for exploitation as a general model to predict the ceRNAs in silico. In this article, we first reviewed the current progress of RNA-RNA crosstalk in human complex diseases. Then, the widely used computational methods for modeling ceRNA-ceRNA interaction networks are further summarized into five types: two types of global ceRNA regulation prediction methods and three types of context-specific prediction methods, which are based on miRNA-messenger RNA regulation alone, or by integrating heterogeneous data, respectively. To provide guidance in the computational prediction of ceRNA-ceRNA interactions, we finally performed a comparative study of different combinations of miRNA-target methods as well as five types of ceRNA identification methods by using literature-curated ceRNA regulation and gene perturbation. The results revealed that integration of different miRNA-target prediction methods and context-specific miRNA/gene expression profiles increased the performance for identifying ceRNA regulation. Moreover, different computational methods were complementary in identifying ceRNA regulation and captured different functional parts of similar pathways. We believe that the application of these computational techniques provides valuable functional insights into ceRNA regulation and is a crucial step for informing subsequent functional validation studies. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Complementary Health Approaches Used in the Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Erdoğan, Zeynep; Atik, Derya

Intensive care units are care centers where, in order to provide the maximum benefit to individuals whose life is in danger, many lifesaving technological tools and devices are present, and morbidity and mortality rates are high. In the intensive care unit, when classic treatments fail or become unbearable because of side effects, complementary methods have been suggested to be the best alternative. Complementary health approaches are methods that are used both for the continuation and the improvement of the well-being of an individual and as additions to medical treatments that are based on a holistic approach. These applications are especially helpful in the treatment of the stresses, anxieties, and other symptoms of unstable patients in the intensive care unit who do not tolerate traditional treatment methods well, increasing their psychological and physiological well-being, helping them sleep and rest. In intensive care patients, in order to decrease the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation, antiemetic and medicine needs, mechanical ventilation duration, and the intensity of the disease as well as to cope with symptoms such as pain, anxiety, physiological parameters, dyspnea, and sleep problems, body-mind interventions such as massage, reflexology, acupressure, aromatherapy, music therapy, energy therapies (healing touch, therapeutic touch, the Yakson method), and prayer are used as complementary health approaches.

Hairpin Bisulfite Sequencing: Synchronous Methylation Analysis on Complementary DNA Strands of Individual Chromosomes.

PubMed

Giehr, Pascal; Walter, Jörn

2018-01-01

The accurate and quantitative detection of 5-methylcytosine is of great importance in the field of epigenetics. The method of choice is usually bisulfite sequencing because of the high resolution and the possibility to combine it with next generation sequencing. Nevertheless, also this method has its limitations. Following the bisulfite treatment DNA strands are no longer complementary such that in a subsequent PCR amplification the DNA methylation patterns information of only one of the two DNA strand is preserved. Several years ago Hairpin Bisulfite sequencing was developed as a method to obtain the pattern information on complementary DNA strands. The method requires fragmentation (usually by enzymatic cleavage) of genomic DNA followed by a covalent linking of both DNA strands through ligation of a short DNA hairpin oligonucleotide to both strands. The ligated covalently linked dsDNA products are then subjected to a conventional bisulfite treatment during which all unmodified cytosines are converted to uracils. During the treatment the DNA is denatured forming noncomplementary ssDNA circles. These circles serve as a template for a locus specific PCR to amplify chromosomal patterns of the region of interest. As a result one ends up with a linearized product, which contains the methylation information of both complementary DNA strands.

Instrumental and perceptual phonetic analyses: the case for two-tier transcriptions.

PubMed

Howard, Sara; Heselwood, Barry

2011-11-01

In this article, we discuss the relationship between instrumental and perceptual phonetic analyses. Using data drawn from typical and atypical speech production, we argue that the use of two-tier transcriptions, which can compare and contrast perceptual and instrumental information, is valuable both for our general understanding of the mechanisms of speech production and perception and also for assessment and intervention for individuals with atypical speech production. The central tenet of our case is that instrumental and perceptual analyses are not in competition to give a single 'correct' account of speech data. They take instead perspectives on complementary phonetic domains, which interlock in the speech chain to encompass production, transmission and perception.

Electrets used to measure exhaust cloud effluents from Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) during demonstration model (DM-2) static test firing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susko, M.

1978-01-01

Electrets were compared with fixed flow samplers during static test firing. The measurement of the rocket exhaust effluents by samplers and electrets indicated that the Solid Rocket Motor had no significant effect on the air quality in the area sampled. The results show that the electrets (a passive device which needs no power) can be used effectively alongside existing measuring devices (which need power). By placing electrets in areas where no power is available, measurements may be obtained. Consequently, it is a valuable complementary instrument in measuring rocket exhaust effluents in areas where other measuring devices may not be able to assess the contaminants.

[The whole world in a cup of coffee. Case reports].

PubMed

De Fiore, Luca

2009-01-01

There is a rising interest for clinical cases in medicine. Actually, they don't necessarily conflict with the evidence-based medicine approach; rather, as several authors made clear, EBM-oriented case reports and clinical trials could be complementary. Cases and case series could even represent the first line of evidence and they are extremely valuable in discovering new pathologies and monitoring unexpected drug effects. They also play a relevant role in continuing medical education. The new section of Recenti Progressi in Medicina is edited by a prominent Italian research Institute (Istituto di Fisiologia Clinica, CNR). It focuses on a single case, guiding the physicians' decision-making from differential diagnosis to the treatment options.

Fetal MRI as a complementary technique after prenatal diagnosis of persistent vitelline artery in an otherwise normal fetus.

PubMed

Bravo, Coral; De León-Luis, Juan; Gámez, Francisco; Ruiz, Yolanda; Pintado, Pilar; Pérez, Ricardo; Ortiz-Quintana, Luis

2013-10-01

Prenatal ultrasound is the standard for the diagnosis of fetal anomalies. However, fetal MRI has emerged as a valuable diagnosis tool to complete the study of fetal malformations. Type II single umbilical artery results from the absence of both umbilical arteries and persistence of the vitelline artery. It has been described only in fetuses with sirenomelia or caudal regression syndrome. We report a favorable outcome in a normal fetus in which prenatal ultrasound and MRI showed a single umbilical artery arising from the aorta. The etiology of such a finding and its possible consequences are discussed. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

ConoDictor: a tool for prediction of conopeptide superfamilies.

PubMed

Koua, Dominique; Brauer, Age; Laht, Silja; Kaplinski, Lauris; Favreau, Philippe; Remm, Maido; Lisacek, Frédérique; Stöcklin, Reto

2012-07-01

ConoDictor is a tool that enables fast and accurate classification of conopeptides into superfamilies based on their amino acid sequence. ConoDictor combines predictions from two complementary approaches-profile hidden Markov models and generalized profiles. Results appear in a browser as tables that can be downloaded in various formats. This application is particularly valuable in view of the exponentially increasing number of conopeptides that are being identified. ConoDictor was written in Perl using the common gateway interface module with a php submission page. Sequence matching is performed with hmmsearch from HMMER 3 and ps_scan.pl from the pftools 2.3 package. ConoDictor is freely accessible at http://conco.ebc.ee.

Advances in Understanding the Role of Frozen Precipitation in High Latitude Hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

L'Ecuyer, T. S.; Wood, N.; Smalley, M.; McIlhattan, E.; Kulie, M.

2017-12-01

Satellite-based millimeter wavelength radar observations provide a unique perspective on the global character of frozen precipitation that has been difficult to detect using conventional spaceborne precipitation sensors. This presentation will describe the methodology underpinning the ten-year CloudSat global snowfall product and discuss the results of a number of complementary approaches that have been adopted to quantify its uncertainties. These datasets are shedding new light on the distribution, character, and impacts of frozen precipitation on high latitude hydrology. Inferred regional snowfall accumulations, for example, provide valuable constraints on projected changes in precipitation and mass balance on the Antarctic ice sheet in climate models. When placed in the broader context of complementary observations from other A-Train sensors, instantaneous snowfall estimates also hint at the large-scale processes that influence snow formation including air-sea interactions associated with cold-air outbreaks, lake-effect snows, and orographic enhancement. Simultaneous CloudSat and CALIPSO observations further emphasize the important role snowfall plays in the lifetime of super-cooled liquid containing clouds in the Arctic and highlight a model deficiency with important implications for surface energy and mass balance on the Greenland ice sheet.

Complementary and alternative medicine usage and its determinant factors among Iranian infertile couples.

PubMed

Dehghan, Mahlagha; Mokhtarabadi, Sima; Heidari, Fatemeh Ghaedi

2018-04-04

Background The aim of this study was to determine the status of utilizing some complementary and alternative medicine techniques in infertile couples. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 250 infertile couples referred to a hospital in Kerman using convenience sampling. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to study the prevalence and user satisfaction of complementary and alternative medicines. Results Results indicated that 49.6% of the infertile couples used at least one of the complementary and alternative medicines during the past year. Most individuals used spiritual techniques (71.8% used praying and 70.2% used Nazr) and medicinal plants (54.8%). Safety is the most important factor affecting the satisfaction of infertile couples with complementary treatments (couples think that such treatments are safe (54.8%)). Discussion Concerning high prevalence of complementary and alternative treatments in infertile couples, incorporating such treatments into the healthcare education and promoting the awareness of infertile individuals seem crucial.

Does experience of the 'occult' predict use of complementary medicine? Experience of, and beliefs about, both complementary medicine and ways of telling the future.

PubMed

Furnham, A

2000-12-01

This study looked at the relationship between ratings of the perceived effectiveness of 24 methods for telling the future, 39 complementary therapies (CM) and 12 specific attitude statements about science and medicine. A total of 159 participants took part. The results showed that the participants were deeply sceptical of the effectiveness of the methods for telling the future which factored into meaningful and interpretable factors. Participants were much more positive about particular, but not all, specialties of complementary medicine (CM). These also factored into a meaningful factor structure. Finally, the 12 attitude to science/medicine statements revealed four factors: scepticism of medicine; the importance of psychological factors; patient protection; and the importance of scientific evaluation. Regressional analysis showed that belief in the total effectiveness of different ways of predicting the future was best predicted by beliefs in the effectiveness of the CM therapies. Although interest in the occult was associated with interest in CM, participants were able to distinguish between the two, and displayed scepticism about the effectiveness of methods of predicting the future and some CM therapies. Copyright 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Percutaneous transendocardial delivery of self-complementary adeno-associated virus 6 achieves global cardiac gene transfer in canines

PubMed Central

Bish, Lawrence T.; Sleeper, Meg M.; Brainard, Benjamin; Cole, Stephen; Russell, Nicholas; Withnall, Elanor; Arndt, Jason; Reynolds, Caryn; Davison, Ellen; Sanmiguel, Julio; Wu, Di; Gao, Guangping; Wilson, James M.; Sweeney, H. Lee

2011-01-01

Achieving efficient cardiac gene transfer in a large animal model has proven to be technically challenging. Prior strategies have employed cardio-pulmonary bypass or dual catheterization with the aid of vasodilators to deliver vectors, such as adenovirus, adeno-associated virus or plasmid DNA. While single stranded adeno-associated virus vectors have shown the greatest promise, they suffer from delayed expression, which might be circumvented by using self-complementary vectors. We sought to optimize cardiac gene transfer using a percutaneous transendocardial injection catheter to deliver adeno-associated virus vectors to the canine myocardium. Four vectors were evaluated—single stranded adeno-associated virus 9, self-complementary adeno-associated virus 9, self-complementary adeno-associated virus 8, self-complementary adeno-associated virus 6—so that comparison could be made between single stranded and self complementary vectors as well as among serotypes 9, 8, and 6. We demonstrate that self-complementary adeno-associated virus is superior to single stranded adeno-associated virus and that adeno-associated virus 6 is superior to other serotypes evaluated. Biodistribution studies revealed that vector genome copies were 15 to 4000 times more abundant in the heart than in any other organ for self-complementary adeno-associated virus 6. Percutaneous transendocardial injection of self-complementary adeno-associated virus 6 is a safe, effective method for achieving efficient cardiac gene transfer. PMID:18813281

[A method for the implementation and promotion of access to comprehensive and complementary primary healthcare practices].

PubMed

Santos, Melissa Costa; Tesser, Charles Dalcanale

2012-11-01

The rendering of integrated and complementary practices in the Brazilian Unified Health System is fostered to increase the comprehensiveness of care and access to same, though it is a challenge to incorporate them into the services. Our objective is to provide a simple method of implementation of such practices in Primary Healthcare, derived from analysis of experiences in municipalities, using partial results of a master's thesis that employed research-action methodology. The method involves four stages: 1 - defininition of a nucleus responsible for implementation and consolidation thereof; 2 - situational analysis, with definition of the existing competent professionals; 3 - regulation, organization of access and legitimation; and 4 - implementation cycle: local plans, mentoring and ongoing education in health. The phases are described, justified and briefly discussed. The method encourages the development of rational and sustainable actions, sponsors participatory management, the creation of comprehensivenessand the broadening of care provided in Primary Healthcare by offering progressive and sustainable comprehensive and complementary practices.

Noninvasive Evaluation of Special Alloys for Prostheses Using Complementary Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savin, A.; Vizureanu, P.; Prevorovsky, Z.; Chlada, M.; Krofta, J.; Baltatu, M. S.; Istrate, B.; Steigmann, R.

2018-06-01

Ti-Mo-Si alloys have gained the attention of biomedical industry due to specific strength and corrosion resistance and the best biocompatibility among metallic materials used in medical prostheses. In order to characterize the material, the experimental determination of elastic matrix, mechanical wear and the probability of appearance and propagation of thin cracks are imposed. Thus, resonant ultrasound spectroscopy and acoustic emission as non-invasive methods and complementary methods as SEM, EDX are involved, to choose the best concentration of elements with the aim of mechanical properties improvement.

Characterization of glioblastoma in an orthotopic mouse model with magnetic resonance elastography.

PubMed

Schregel, Katharina; Nazari, Navid; Nowicki, Michal O; Palotai, Miklos; Lawler, Sean E; Sinkus, Ralph; Barbone, Paul E; Patz, Samuel

2017-11-29

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor. It is highly malignant and has a correspondingly poor prognosis. Diagnosis and monitoring are mainly accomplished with MRI, but remain challenging in some cases. Therefore, complementary methods for tumor detection and characterization would be beneficial. Using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), we performed a longitudinal study of the biomechanical properties of intracranially implanted GBM in mice and compared the results to histopathology. The biomechanical parameters of viscoelastic modulus, shear wave speed and phase angle were significantly lower in tumors compared with healthy brain tissue and decreased over time with tumor progression. Moreover, some MRE parameters revealed sub-regions at later tumor stages, which were not easily detectable on anatomical MRI images. Comparison with histopathology showed that softer tumor regions contained necrosis and patches of viable tumor cells. In contrast, areas of densely packed tumor cells and blood vessels identified with histology coincided with higher values of viscoelastic modulus and shear wave speed. Interestingly, the phase angle was independent from these anatomical variations. In summary, MRE depicted longitudinal and morphological changes in GBM and may prove valuable for tumor characterization in patients. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quantitative Resistance to Plant Pathogens in Pyramiding Strategies for Durable Crop Protection.

PubMed

Pilet-Nayel, Marie-Laure; Moury, Benoît; Caffier, Valérie; Montarry, Josselin; Kerlan, Marie-Claire; Fournet, Sylvain; Durel, Charles-Eric; Delourme, Régine

2017-01-01

Quantitative resistance has gained interest in plant breeding for pathogen control in low-input cropping systems. Although quantitative resistance frequently has only a partial effect and is difficult to select, it is considered more durable than major resistance (R) genes. With the exponential development of molecular markers over the past 20 years, resistance QTL have been more accurately detected and better integrated into breeding strategies for resistant varieties with increased potential for durability. This review summarizes current knowledge on the genetic inheritance, molecular basis, and durability of quantitative resistance. Based on this knowledge, we discuss how strategies that combine major R genes and QTL in crops can maintain the effectiveness of plant resistance to pathogens. Combining resistance QTL with complementary modes of action appears to be an interesting strategy for breeding effective and potentially durable resistance. Combining quantitative resistance with major R genes has proven to be a valuable approach for extending the effectiveness of major genes. In the plant genomics era, improved tools and methods are becoming available to better integrate quantitative resistance into breeding strategies. Nevertheless, optimal combinations of resistance loci will still have to be identified to preserve resistance effectiveness over time for durable crop protection.

Timely initiation of complementary feeding and associated factors among children aged 6 to 12 months in Northern Ethiopia: an institution-based cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for the first six months of life is critical for the wellbeing of the child. In the mean while, timely initiation and starting nutritionally-adequate, safe, age-appropriate complementary feeding at six months is recommended for the better health and development of infants. According to the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2011, timely initiation of complementary feeding in Ethiopia at the 6th month was only 51%. The purpose of this study is to determine the magnitude of timely initiation of complementary feeding and associated factors in Mekelle town, Northern Ethiopia. Methods An institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 422 mothers of infants aged from six months to one year selected from six public health facilities. Sample size proportional to the patient flow rate of each institution was allocated and systematic random sampling method was used to get the study participant. An exit interview using structured questionnaire was conducted about their experience on complementary feeding and related experience. The questionnaire was pretested among 21 mothers. Data were entered with EPI info version 3.5.1 and cleaning and analysis was done by using SPSS version 16. Frequencies distribution, binary and multiple logistic regressions were done. OR and 95% confidence interval was computed. Result The prevalence of timely initiation of complementary feeding at sixth month was 62.8% (265/422, 95% C.I: 58.1, 67.31%). Educational level, occupation of mother, parity, having ANC follow up, and birth preparedness were found to be independent predictor of timely initiation of complementary feeding. Conclusions Almost two-third of mothers initiated complementary feeding at six month of child’ age as recommended. This was relatively higher prevalence than most developing countries. However, significant proportion of mothers still did not initiate complementary feeding timely. Mothers who are illiterate and completed only primary school need more attention. All mothers must be encouraged to make antenatal care follow up. PMID:24195592

Digital quantification of gene expression using emulsion PCR.

PubMed

Shi, Xiaolong; Tang, Chao; Wang, Wei; Zhou, Dequan; Lu, Zuhong

2010-01-01

Here we describe a single-molecule quantitative assay of mRNA levels based on mRNA mediate-ligation and BEAMing (beads, emulsion, amplification, and magnetics) technique, which allows accurate and parallel measurement of multiple genes from a small amount of cells. In this method, a pair of oligos complementary target mRNA was used to probe transcripts for each gene of interest. The ligated products of oligos pair were clonally amplified on beads in millions of parallel compartmentalized droplets in a water-in-oil emulsion. The levels of each transcript within a sample were measured by counting the number of the correspondingly amplified beads which were immobilized on a glass surface. To demonstrate its utility, this method has been applied to the quantitation of the mRNA levels for two transcription factors, Klf4 and Sox5, and a housekeeping gene, Gapdh, in human leukemia K562 cells before and after induction with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Interestingly, we found a significant downregulation of the mRNA level of Sox5 after phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate treatment. The mRNA mediate-ligation and BEAMing technique provides an accurate and sensitive way to quantify the amount of multiple specific mRNA in a very small number of cells, which may be valuable in the studies requiring precise and parallel quantization of multiple mRNA in the defined cell populations.

Empirical Mode Decomposition and k-Nearest Embedding Vectors for Timely Analyses of Antibiotic Resistance Trends

PubMed Central

Teodoro, Douglas; Lovis, Christian

2013-01-01

Background Antibiotic resistance is a major worldwide public health concern. In clinical settings, timely antibiotic resistance information is key for care providers as it allows appropriate targeted treatment or improved empirical treatment when the specific results of the patient are not yet available. Objective To improve antibiotic resistance trend analysis algorithms by building a novel, fully data-driven forecasting method from the combination of trend extraction and machine learning models for enhanced biosurveillance systems. Methods We investigate a robust model for extraction and forecasting of antibiotic resistance trends using a decade of microbiology data. Our method consists of breaking down the resistance time series into independent oscillatory components via the empirical mode decomposition technique. The resulting waveforms describing intrinsic resistance trends serve as the input for the forecasting algorithm. The algorithm applies the delay coordinate embedding theorem together with the k-nearest neighbor framework to project mappings from past events into the future dimension and estimate the resistance levels. Results The algorithms that decompose the resistance time series and filter out high frequency components showed statistically significant performance improvements in comparison with a benchmark random walk model. We present further qualitative use-cases of antibiotic resistance trend extraction, where empirical mode decomposition was applied to highlight the specificities of the resistance trends. Conclusion The decomposition of the raw signal was found not only to yield valuable insight into the resistance evolution, but also to produce novel models of resistance forecasters with boosted prediction performance, which could be utilized as a complementary method in the analysis of antibiotic resistance trends. PMID:23637796

Breastfeeding, Infant Formula, and Introduction to Complementary Foods-Comparing Data Obtained by Questionnaires and Health Visitors' Reports to Weekly Short Message Service Text Messages.

PubMed

Bruun, Signe; Buhl, Susanne; Husby, Steffen; Jacobsen, Lotte Neergaard; Michaelsen, Kim F; Sørensen, Jan; Zachariassen, Gitte

2017-11-01

Studies on prevalence and effects of breastfeeding call for reliable and precise data collection to optimize infant nutrition, growth, and health. Data on breastfeeding and infant nutrition are at risk of, for example, recall bias or social desirability bias. The aim of the present analysis was to compare data on infant nutrition, that is, breastfeeding, use of infant formula, and introduction to complementary foods, obtained by four different methods. We assumed that weekly short message service (SMS) questions were the most reliable method, to which the other methods were compared. The study population was part of the Odense Child Cohort. The four methods used were: (a) self-administered questionnaire 3 months postpartum, (b) self-administered questionnaire 18 months postpartum, (c) registrations from health visitors visiting the families several times within the first year of life, and (d) weekly SMS questions introduced shortly after birth. In total, 639 singleton mothers with data from all four methods were included. The proportion of mothers initiating breastfeeding varied from 86% to 97%, the mean duration of exclusive breastfeeding from 12 to 19 weeks, and the mean age when introduced to complementary foods from 19 to 21 weeks. The mean duration of any breastfeeding was 33 weeks across methods. Compared with the weekly SMS questions, the self-administered questionnaires and the health visitors' reports resulted in a greater proportion of mothers with an unknown breastfeeding status, a longer duration of exclusive breastfeeding and later introduction to complementary foods, while the duration of any breastfeeding did not differ.

Complementary Feeding Knowledge, Practices, and Dietary Diversity among Mothers of Under-Five Children in an Urban Community in Lagos State, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Olatona, Foluke Adenike; Adenihun, Jesupelumi Oreoluwa; Aderibigbe, Sunday Adedeji; Adeniyi, Oluwafunmilayo Funke

2017-01-01

Background and Objectives: Inappropriate complementary feeding is a major cause of child malnutrition and death. This study determined the complementary feeding knowledge, practices, minimum dietary diversity, and acceptable diet among mothers of under-five children in an urban Local Government Area of Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Eti-Osa area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 355 mothers and infants. Data was collected using a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire and 24-hour diet recall was used to assess dietary diversity. Data was analyzed using Epi-Info. Results: Knowledge of complementary feeding was low (14.9%) and was associated with older mothers’ age, being married, and higher level of education. The prevalence of timely initiation of complementary feeding (47.9%), dietary diversity (16.0%) and minimum acceptable diet for children between 6 and 9 months (16%) were low. Overall, appropriate complementary feeding practice was low (47.0%) and associated with higher level of mothers’ education and occupation. Conclusions and Global Health Implications: Complementary feeding knowledge and practices were poor among mothers of under-5 especially the non-literate. Reduction of child malnutrition through appropriate complementary feeding remains an important global health goal. Complementary feeding education targeting behavioral change especially among young, single and uneducated mothers in developing countries is important to reduce child morbidity and mortality. PMID:28798893

A metamaterial terahertz modulator based on complementary planar double-split-ring resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chang-hui; Kuang, Deng-feng; Chang, Sheng-jiang; Lin, Lie

2013-07-01

A metamaterial based on complementary planar double-split-ring resonator (DSRR) structure is presented and demonstrated, which can optically tune the transmission of the terahertz (THz) wave. Unlike the traditional DSRR metamaterials, the DSRR discussed in this paper consists of two split rings connected by two bridges. Numerical simulations with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method reveal that the transmission spectra of the original and the complementary metamaterials are both in good agreement with Babinet's principle. Then by increasing the carrier density of the intrinsic GaAs substrate, the magnetic response of the complementary special DSRR metamaterial can be weakened or even turned off. This metamaterial structure is promised to be a narrow-band THz modulator with response time of several nanoseconds.

Expectations from different perspectives on future work outcome of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

PubMed

Holwerda, Anja; Brouwer, Sandra; de Boer, Michiel R; Groothoff, Johan W; van der Klink, Jac J L

2015-03-01

Expectations strongly influence future employment outcomes and social networks seem to mediate employment success of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The aim of this study is to examine the expectations of young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from special needs education, their parents and their school teachers regarding future work and the extent to which these expectations predict work outcome. Data on 341 young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, coming from special needs education, aged 17-20 years, and with an ability to work according to the Social Security Institute were examined. The school teacher's expectation was the only perspective that significantly predicted entering competitive employment, with a complementary effect of the expectation of parents and a small additional effect of the expectation of the young adult. Expectations of school teachers and parents are valuable in predicting work outcome. Therefore, it is important for professionals working with the young adult in the transition from school to work to incorporate the knowledge of school teachers and parents regarding the abilities of the young adult to enter competitive employment as a valuable source of information.

Complementary and alternative medicine for multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Schwarz, S; Knorr, C; Geiger, H; Flachenecker, P

2008-09-01

We analyzed characteristics, motivation, and effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine in a large sample of people with multiple sclerosis. A 53-item survey was mailed to the members of the German Multiple Sclerosis Society, chapter of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Surveys of 1573 patients (48.5 +/- 11.7 years, 74% women, duration of illness 18.1 +/- 10.5 years) were analyzed. In comparison with conventional medicine, more patients displayed a positive attitude toward complementary and alternative medicine (44% vs 38%, P < 0.05), with 70% reporting lifetime use of at least one method. Among a wide variety of complementary and alternative medicine, diet modification (41%), Omega-3 fatty acids (37%), removal of amalgam fillings (28%), vitamins E (28%), B (36%), and C (28%), homeopathy (26%), and selenium (24%) were cited most frequently. Most respondents (69%) were satisfied with the effects of complementary and alternative medicine. Use of complementary and alternative medicine was associated with religiosity, functional independence, female sex, white-collar job, and higher education (P < 0.05). Compared with conventional therapies, complementary and alternative medicine rarely showed unwanted side effects (9% vs 59%, P < 0.00001). A total of 52% stated that the initial consultation with their physician lasted less than 15 min. To conclude, main reasons for the use of complementary and alternative medicine include the high rate of side effects and low levels of satisfaction with conventional treatments and brief patients/physicians contacts.

Fluorometric aptasensing of the neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid by using multiple complementary strands and gold nanoparticles.

PubMed

Bahreyni, Amirhossein; Yazdian-Robati, Rezvan; Ramezani, Mohammad; Abnous, Khalil; Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad

2018-04-29

A fluorometric aptamer-based assay was developed for ultrasensitive and selective determination of the neonicotinoid insecticide acetamiprid. The method is based on the use of an aptamer against acetamiprid, multiple complementary strands (CSs), and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). It is found that by using different CSs, the sensitivity and selectivity of the method is enhanced. On addition of acetamiprid to the aptamer, they will bind to each other and CS1-fluorescein (FAM)-labeled CS2 (as a dsDNA) will be formed. The FAM-labeled dsDNA does not bind to the AuNPs (as a strong quencher) and remains free in the environment, resulting in a strong fluorescence intensity. Without the introduction of acetamiprid, FAM-labeled CS2 binds to AuNPs directly and indirectly through hybridization with CS3 immobilized on the surface of the AuNPs. So, the fluorescence intensity of FAM-labeled CS2 is significantly quenched by AuNPs. The method can detect acetamiprid in the 5 to 50 nM concentration range with a 2.8 nM detection limit. The assay was applied to the determination of acetamiprid in spiked tap water where is gave recoveries that ranged between 95.4% and 94.4%. Graphical abstract (a) In the presence of acetamiprid, aptamer interacts with acetamiprid. The formation of aptamer/acetamiprid causes pairing of complementary strand 1 with FAM-labeled complementary strand, leading to a strong fluorescence intensity. (b) In the absence of acetamiprid, aptamer is hybridized with complementary strand 1. Thus, a very weak fluorescence signal is detected.

Reciprocal and Complementary Sibling Interactions, Relationship Quality and Socio-Emotional Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karos, Leigh Karavasilis; Howe, Nina; Aquan-Assee, Jasmin

2007-01-01

Associations between reciprocal and complementary sibling interactions, sibling relationship quality, and children's socio-emotional problem solving were examined in 40 grade 5-6 children (M age = 11.5 years) from middle class, Caucasian, Canadian families using a multi-method approach (i.e. interviews, self-report questionnaires, daily diary…

Smoking, health, risk, and perception.

PubMed

Carbone, Jared C; Kverndokk, Snorre; Røgeberg, Ole Jørgen

2005-07-01

We provide a description of health-related incentives faced by a rational smoker by considering the role of perception in both immediate quality-of-life effects of smoking and future risk of mortality. A person who adapts psychologically to a lowered health state, smokes more early in life and shifts demands for health investments and health-complementary activities later in life. He also smokes more in total. Someone aware of the full mortality consequences of smoking, smokes less and demands less medical care than someone who believes that these effects are highly reversible. The impacts of new information on mortality risk are most valuable early in life. Lastly, someone endowed with a longer life expectancy smokes more in the first part of life but conditional on access to medical care.

Chromophoric Nucleoside Analogues: Synthesis and Characterization of 6-Aminouracil-Based Nucleodyes.

PubMed

Freeman, Noam S; Moore, Curtis E; Wilhelmsson, L Marcus; Tor, Yitzhak

2016-06-03

Nucleodyes, visibly colored chromophoric nucleoside analogues, are reported. Design criteria are outlined and the syntheses of cytidine and uridine azo dye analogues derived from 6-aminouracil are described. Structural analysis shows that the nucleodyes are sound structural analogues of their native nucleoside counterparts, and photophysical studies demonstrate that the nucleodyes are sensitive to microenvironmental changes. Quantum chemical calculations are presented as a valuable complementary tool for the design of strongly absorbing nucleodyes, which overlap with the emission of known fluorophores. Förster critical distance (R0) calculations determine that the nucleodyes make good FRET pairs with both 2-aminopurine (2AP) and pyrrolocytosine (PyC). Additionally, unique tautomerization features exhibited by 5-(4-nitrophenylazo)-6-oxocytidine (8) are visualized by an extraordinary crystal structure.

Multinuclear solid film state NMR studies of metal oxide catalysts and minerals

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

Maxwell, R.S.; Stec, D.F.; Ellis, P.D.

1996-10-01

Several of our investigations of heterogeneous process by novel NMR experiments and analyses are reviewed and the utility and limitations of NMR spectroscopy for these areas discussed. Out studies have included the following: dynamics and arrangements of proton-containing adsorbates, primarily Bronsted acid sites and water, on the surface of zirconia and alumina catalysts; hydrogen dynamics and coordinates in synthetic aluminum oxyhydroxides; phase separation and crystallinity of synthetic minerals. In combination with the complementary results obtained in our laboratory via infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis (primarily TGA and DSC), and catalytic activity measurements, these NMR data provide unique and valuable information onmore » atomic and molecular dynamics, identities, and structures without requiring pristine, single crystal specimens.« less

Advances in analytical methodologies to guide bioprocess engineering for bio-therapeutics.

PubMed

Saldova, Radka; Kilcoyne, Michelle; Stöckmann, Henning; Millán Martín, Silvia; Lewis, Amanda M; Tuite, Catherine M E; Gerlach, Jared Q; Le Berre, Marie; Borys, Michael C; Li, Zheng Jian; Abu-Absi, Nicholas R; Leister, Kirk; Joshi, Lokesh; Rudd, Pauline M

2017-03-01

This study was performed to monitor the glycoform distribution of a recombinant antibody fusion protein expressed in CHO cells over the course of fed-batch bioreactor runs using high-throughput methods to accurately determine the glycosylation status of the cell culture and its product. Three different bioreactors running similar conditions were analysed at the same five time-points using the advanced methods described here. N-glycans from cell and secreted glycoproteins from CHO cells were analysed by HILIC-UPLC and MS, and the total glycosylation (both N- and O-linked glycans) secreted from the CHO cells were analysed by lectin microarrays. Cell glycoproteins contained mostly high mannose type N-linked glycans with some complex glycans; sialic acid was α-(2,3)-linked, galactose β-(1,4)-linked, with core fucose. Glycans attached to secreted glycoproteins were mostly complex with sialic acid α-(2,3)-linked, galactose β-(1,4)-linked, with mostly core fucose. There were no significant differences noted among the bioreactors in either the cell pellets or supernatants using the HILIC-UPLC method and only minor differences at the early time-points of days 1 and 3 by the lectin microarray method. In comparing different time-points, significant decreases in sialylation and branching with time were observed for glycans attached to both cell and secreted glycoproteins. Additionally, there was a significant decrease over time in high mannose type N-glycans from the cell glycoproteins. A combination of the complementary methods HILIC-UPLC and lectin microarrays could provide a powerful and rapid HTP profiling tool capable of yielding qualitative and quantitative data for a defined biopharmaceutical process, which would allow valuable near 'real-time' monitoring of the biopharmaceutical product. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pediatric Brain Extraction Using Learning-based Meta-algorithm

PubMed Central

Shi, Feng; Wang, Li; Dai, Yakang; Gilmore, John H.; Lin, Weili; Shen, Dinggang

2012-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging of pediatric brain provides valuable information for early brain development studies. Automated brain extraction is challenging due to the small brain size and dynamic change of tissue contrast in the developing brains. In this paper, we propose a novel Learning Algorithm for Brain Extraction and Labeling (LABEL) specially for the pediatric MR brain images. The idea is to perform multiple complementary brain extractions on a given testing image by using a meta-algorithm, including BET and BSE, where the parameters of each run of the meta-algorithm are effectively learned from the training data. Also, the representative subjects are selected as exemplars and used to guide brain extraction of new subjects in different age groups. We further develop a level-set based fusion method to combine multiple brain extractions together with a closed smooth surface for obtaining the final extraction. The proposed method has been extensively evaluated in subjects of three representative age groups, such as neonate (less than 2 months), infant (1–2 years), and child (5–18 years). Experimental results show that, with 45 subjects for training (15 neonates, 15 infant, and 15 children), the proposed method can produce more accurate brain extraction results on 246 testing subjects (75 neonates, 126 infants, and 45 children), i.e., at average Jaccard Index of 0.953, compared to those by BET (0.918), BSE (0.902), ROBEX (0.901), GCUT (0.856), and other fusion methods such as Majority Voting (0.919) and STAPLE (0.941). Along with the largely-improved computational efficiency, the proposed method demonstrates its ability of automated brain extraction for pediatric MR images in a large age range. PMID:22634859

Study on recognition technology of complementary image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chengxiang; Hu, Xuejuan; Jian, Yaobo; Zhang, Li

2006-11-01

Complementation image is often used as a guard technology in the trademark and paper currency. The key point of recognizing this kind of images is judging the complementary effect of complementation printing. The perspective images are usually not clear and legible, so it is difficult to recognize them. In this paper, a new method is proposed. Firstly, capture the image by reflex. Secondly, find the same norm to man-made pair printing. Lastly, judge the true and false of paper currency by the complementary effect of complementation printing. This is the purpose of inspecting the false. Theoretic analysis and simulation results reveal that the effect of man-made pair printing is good, the method has advantages such as simplicity, high calculating speed, and good robust to different RMB. The experiment results reveal that the conclusion is reasonable, and demonstrates that this approach is effective.

Willingness to Pay for Complementary Health Care Insurance in Iran.

PubMed

Nosratnejad, Shirin; Rashidian, Arash; Akbari Sari, Ali; Moradi, Najme

2017-09-01

Complementary health insurance is increasingly used to remedy the limitations and shortcomings of the basic health insurance benefit packages. Hence, it is essential to gather reliable information about the amount of Willingness to Pay (WTP) for health insurance. We assessed the WTP for health insurance in Iran in order to suggest an affordable complementary health insurance. The study sample consisted of 300 household heads all over provinces of Iran in 2013. The method applied was double bounded dichotomous choice and open-ended question approach of contingent valuation. The average WTP for complementary health insurance per person per month by double bounded dichotomous choice and open-ended question method respectively was 199000 and 115300 Rials (8 and 4.6 USD, respectively). Household's heads with higher levels of income and those who worked had more WTP for the health insurance. Besides, the WTP increased in direct proportion to the number of insured members of each household and in inverse proportion to the family size. The WTP value can be used as a premium in a society. As an important finding, the study indicated that the households were willing to pay higher premiums than currently collected for the complementary health insurance coverage in Iran. This offers the policy makers the opportunity to increase the premium and provide good benefits package for insured people of country then better risk pooling.

Role of New Functional MRI Techniques in the Diagnosis, Staging, and Followup of Gynecological Cancer: Comparison with PET-CT

PubMed Central

Alvarez Moreno, Elena; Jimenez de la Peña, Mar; Cano Alonso, Raquel

2012-01-01

Recent developments in diagnostic imaging techniques have magnified the role and potential of both MRI and PET-CT in female pelvic imaging. This article reviews the techniques and clinical applications of new functional MRI (fMRI) including diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI), dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI, comparing with PET-CT. These new emerging provide not only anatomic but also functional imaging, allowing detection of small volumes of active tumor at diagnosis and early disease relapse, which may not result in detectable morphological changes at conventional imaging. This information is useful in distinguishing between recurrent/residual tumor and post-treatment changes and assessing treatment response, with a clear impact on patient management. Both PET-CT and now fMRI have proved to be very valuable tools for evaluation of gynecologic tumors. Most papers try to compare these techniques, but in our experience both are complementary in management of these patients. Meanwhile PET-CT is superior in diagnosis of ganglionar disease; fMRI presents higher accuracy in local preoperative staging. Both techniques can be used as biomarkers of tumor response and present high accuracy in diagnosis of local recurrence and peritoneal dissemination, with complementary roles depending on histological type, anatomic location and tumoral volume. PMID:22315683

Probing the intracellular fate of supramolecular nanocarriers and their cargo with FRET schemes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thapaliya, Ek Raj; Fowley, Colin; Callan, Bridgeen; Tang, Sicheng; Zhang, Yang; Callan, John F.; Raymo, Françisco M.

2017-02-01

We designed a strategy to monitor self-assembling supramolecular nanocarriers and their cargo simultaneously in the intracellular space with fluorescence measurements. It is based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between complementary chromophores covalently integrated in the macromolecular backbone of amphiphilic polymers and/or noncovalently encapsulated in supramolecular assemblies of the amphiphilic components. Indeed, these polymers assemble into a micelles in aqueous phase to bring energy donors and acceptors in close proximity and allow energy transfer. The resulting supramolecular assemblies maintain their integrity after travelling into the intracellular space and do not lose their molecular guests in the process. Furthermore, this mechanism can also be exploited to probe the fate of complementary nanoparticles introduced within cells in consecutive incubation steps. Efficient energy transfer occurs in the intracellular space after the sequential incubation of nanocarriers incorporating donors first and then nanoparticles containing acceptors or vice versa. The two sets of nanostructured assemblies ultimately co-localize in the cell interior to bring donors and acceptors together and enable energy transfer. Thus, this protocol is particularly valuable to monitor the transport properties of supramolecular nanocarriers inside living cells and can eventually contribute to the fundamental understating of the ability of these promising vehicles to deliver contrast agents and/or drugs intracellularly in view of possible diagnostics and/or therapeutic applications.

Use of Complementary Medicine in Older Americans: Results from the Health and Retirement Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Jose; Cirillo, Dominic J.; Weir, David R.; Nisly, Nicole L.; Wallace, Robert B.

2005-01-01

Purpose: The correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) utilization among elders have not been fully investigated. This study was designed to identify such correlates in a large sample of older adults, thus generating new data relevant to consumer education, medical training, and health practice and policy. Design and Methods: A…

Procedure for normalization of cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Bonaldo, Maria DeFatima; Soares, Marcelo Bento

1997-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library constructed in a vector capable of being converted to single-stranded circles and capable of producing complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles comprising: (a) converting the cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles; (c) hybridizing the single-stranded circles converted in step (a) with complementary nucleic acid molecules of step (b) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded circles from the hybridized single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library.

[Analysis of Conformational Features of Watson-Crick Duplex Fragments by Molecular Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics Methods].

PubMed

Poltev, V I; Anisimov, V M; Sanchez, C; Deriabina, A; Gonzalez, E; Garcia, D; Rivas, F; Polteva, N A

2016-01-01

It is generally accepted that the important characteristic features of the Watson-Crick duplex originate from the molecular structure of its subunits. However, it still remains to elucidate what properties of each subunit are responsible for the significant characteristic features of the DNA structure. The computations of desoxydinucleoside monophosphates complexes with Na-ions using density functional theory revealed a pivotal role of DNA conformational properties of single-chain minimal fragments in the development of unique features of the Watson-Crick duplex. We found that directionality of the sugar-phosphate backbone and the preferable ranges of its torsion angles, combined with the difference between purines and pyrimidines. in ring bases, define the dependence of three-dimensional structure of the Watson-Crick duplex on nucleotide base sequence. In this work, we extended these density functional theory computations to the minimal' fragments of DNA duplex, complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphates complexes with Na-ions. Using several computational methods and various functionals, we performed a search for energy minima of BI-conformation for complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphates complexes with different nucleoside sequences. Two sequences are optimized using ab initio method at the MP2/6-31++G** level of theory. The analysis of torsion angles, sugar ring puckering and mutual base positions of optimized structures demonstrates that the conformational characteristic features of complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphates complexes with Na-ions remain within BI ranges and become closer to the corresponding characteristic features of the Watson-Crick duplex crystals. Qualitatively, the main characteristic features of each studied complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphates complex remain invariant when different computational methods are used, although the quantitative values of some conformational parameters could vary lying within the limits typical for the corresponding family. We observe that popular functionals in density functional theory calculations lead to the overestimated distances between base pairs, while MP2 computations and the newer complex functionals produce the structures that have too close atom-atom contacts. A detailed study of some complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphate complexes with Na-ions highlights the existence of several energy minima corresponding to BI-conformations, in other words, the complexity of the relief pattern of the potential energy surface of complementary desoxydinucleoside monophosphate complexes. This accounts for variability of conformational parameters of duplex fragments with the same base sequence. Popular molecular mechanics force fields AMBER and CHARMM reproduce most of the conformational characteristics of desoxydinucleoside monophosphates and their complementary complexes with Na-ions but fail to reproduce some details of the dependence of the Watson-Crick duplex conformation on the nucleotide sequence.

Effect of sequencing of complementary feeding in relation to breast-feeding on total intake in infants.

PubMed

Shah, Dheeraj; Singh, Meenakshi; Gupta, Piyush; Faridi, M M A

2014-03-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether the order of complementary feeding in relation to breast-feeding affects breast milk, semisolid, or total energy intake in infants. The present study was designed as a randomized crossover trial. The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. The study participants were 25 healthy infants between the ages of 7 and 11 months who were exclusively breast-fed for at least 6 months and were now receiving complementary foods for at least 1 month in addition to breast-feeding. Infants were randomized to follow a sequence of either complementary feeding before breast-feeding (sequence A) or complementary feeding after breast-feeding (sequence B) for the first day (24 hours) of the study period using simple randomization. For the next day, the sequence was reversed for each child. All babies received 3 actively fed complementary food meals per day (morning, afternoon, and evening). A semisolid study diet was prepared in the hospital by cooking rice and pulse with oil using a standard method, ensuring the energy density of at least 0.6 kcal/g. The infants were allowed ad libitum breast-feeding during the observation period. Semisolid intake was directly measured and breast milk intake was quantified by test weighing method. Energy intake from complementary foods was calculated from the product of energy density of the diet served on that day and the total amount consumed. The total energy intake and energy intake from breast milk and complementary foods between the 2 sequences were compared. The mean (standard deviation) energy intake from breast milk during 12 hours of daytime by following sequence A (complementary feeding before breast-feeding) was 132.0 (67.4) kcal in comparison with 135.9 (56.2) kcal in sequence B, which was not statistically different (P = 0.83). The mean (standard deviation) energy consumed from semisolids in sequences A and B was also comparable (88.6 [75.5] kcal vs. 85.5 [89.7] kcal; P = 0.58). The total energy intake during daytime in sequence A was 220.6 (96.2) kcal in comparison with 221.5 (94.0) kcal in sequence B, which was also comparable (P = 0.97). The results related to energy intake through breast milk and total energy intake were not different when insensible losses during feeding were adjusted in both groups. Altering the sequence of complementary feeding in relation to breast-feeding does not affect total energy intake.

How yield relates to ash content, Δ13C and Δ18O in maize grown under different water regimes

PubMed Central

Cabrera-Bosquet, Llorenç; Sánchez, Ciro; Araus, José Luis

2009-01-01

Background and Aims Stable isotopes have proved a valuable phenotyping tool when breeding for yield potential and drought adaptation; however, the cost and technical skills involved in isotope analysis limit its large-scale application in breeding programmes. This is particularly so for Δ18O despite the potential relevance of this trait in C4 crops. The accumulation of minerals (measured as ash content) has been proposed as an inexpensive way to evaluate drought adaptation and yield in C3 cereals, but little is known of the usefulness of this measure in C4 cereals such as maize (Zea mays). The present study investigates how yield relates to ash content, Δ13C and Δ18O, and evaluates the use of ash content as an alternative or complementary criterion to stable isotopes in assessing yield potential and drought resistance in maize. Methods A set of tropical maize hybrids developed by CIMMYT were subjected to different water availabilities, in order to induce water stress during the reproductive stages under field conditions. Ash content and Δ13C were determined in leaves and kernels. In addition, Δ18O was measured in kernels. Key Results Water regime significantly affected yield, ash content and stable isotopes. The results revealed a close relationship between ash content in leaves and the traits informing about plant water status. Ash content in kernels appeared to reflect differences in sink–source balance. Genotypic variation in grain yield was mainly explained by the combination of ash content and Δ18O, whilst Δ13C did not explain a significant percentage of such variation. Conclusions Ash content in leaves and kernels proved a useful alternative or complementary criterion to Δ18O in kernels for assessing yield performance in maize grown under drought conditions. PMID:19773272

Rural Australian community pharmacists' views on complementary and alternative medicine: a pilot study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are being used increasingly across the world. In Australia, community pharmacists are a major supplier of these products but knowledge of the products and interactions with other medicines is poor. Information regarding the use of CAMs by metropolitan pharmacists has been documented by the National Prescribing Service (NPS) in Australia but the views of rural/regional community pharmacists have not been explored. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and information seeking of a cohort of rural community pharmacists towards CAMs and to compare the findings to the larger NPS study. Methods A cross sectional self-administered postal questionnaire was mailed to all community pharmacists in one rural/regional area of Australia. Using a range of scales, data was collected regarding attitudes, knowledge, information seeking behaviour and demographics. Results Eighty eligible questionnaires were returned. Most pharmacists reported knowing that they should regularly ask consumers if they are using CAMs but many lacked the confidence to do so. Pharmacists surveyed for this study were more knowledgeable in regards to side effects and interactions of CAMs than those in the NPS survey. Over three quarters of pharmacists surveyed reported sourcing CAM information at least several times a month. The most frequently sought information was drug interactions, dose, contraindications and adverse effects. A variety of resources were used to source information, the most popular source was the internet but the most useful resource was CAM text books. Conclusions Pharmacists have varied opinions on the use of CAMs and many lack awareness of or access to good quality CAMs information. Therefore, there is a need to provide pharmacists with opportunities for further education. The data is valuable in assisting interested stakeholders with the development of initiatives to address the gaps in attitudes, knowledge and to improve effectiveness of information seeking behaviour. PMID:22035220

Visualizing Antimicrobials in Bacterial Biofilms: Three-Dimensional Biochemical Imaging Using TOF-SIMS.

PubMed

Davies, Sarah K; Fearn, Sarah; Allsopp, Luke P; Harrison, Freya; Ware, Ecaterina; Diggle, Stephen P; Filloux, Alain; McPhail, David S; Bundy, Jacob G

2017-01-01

Bacterial biofilms are groups of bacteria that exist within a self-produced extracellular matrix, adhering to each other and usually to a surface. They grow on medical equipment and inserts such as catheters and are responsible for many persistent infections throughout the body, as they can have high resistance to many antimicrobials. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause both acute and chronic infections and is used as a model for research into biofilms. Direct biochemical methods of imaging of molecules in bacterial biofilms are of high value in gaining a better understanding of the fundamental biology of biofilms and biochemical gradients within them. Time of flight-secondary-ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is one approach, which combines relatively high spatial resolution and sensitivity and can perform depth profiling analysis. It has been used to analyze bacterial biofilms but has not yet been used to study the distribution of antimicrobials (including antibiotics and the antimicrobial metal gallium) within biofilms. Here we compared two methods of imaging of the interior structure of P. aeruginosa in biological samples using TOF-SIMS, looking at both antimicrobials and endogenous biochemicals: cryosectioning of tissue samples and depth profiling to give pseudo-three-dimensional (pseudo-3D) images. The sample types included both simple biofilms grown on glass slides and bacteria growing in tissues in an ex vivo pig lung model. The two techniques for the 3D imaging of biofilms are potentially valuable complementary tools for analyzing bacterial infection. IMPORTANCE Modern analytical techniques are becoming increasingly important in the life sciences; imaging mass spectrometry offers the opportunity to gain unprecedented amounts of information on the distribution of chemicals in samples-both xenobiotics and endogenous compounds. In particular, simultaneous imaging of antibiotics (and other antimicrobial compounds) and bacterium-derived metabolites in complex biological samples could be very important in the future for helping to understand how sample matrices impact the survival of bacteria under antibiotic challenge. We have shown that an imaging mass spectrometric technique, TOF-SIMS, will be potentially extremely valuable for this kind of research in the future.

A review of nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and ability to communicate the risks and benefits of complementary and alternative medicine.

PubMed

Chang, Hsiao-Yun; Chang, Huai-Lu

2015-06-01

This study reviewed existing literature to investigate how frequently nurses include complementary and alternative forms of medicine in their clinical practice. In so doing, we investigated nurses' knowledge of and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine as well as their ability to communicate the risks and benefits of these therapies with patients. Little information is available concerning nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine or how they incorporate these therapies into their practice. In addition, little is known about the ability of nurses to communicate the risks and benefits of complementary and alternative medicine to their patients. This study used a scoping review method to map and synthesise existing literature. Both electronic and manual searches were used to identify relevant studies published between January 2007 and January 2014. The review was conducted in five stages: (1) identification of research question(s), (2) locate studies, (3) selection of studies, (4) charting of data, and (5) collating, summarising, and reporting of results. Fifteen papers met the inclusion criteria for this review, among which 53·7% referenced how frequently nurses include complementary and alternative medicine in their practice. We found that 66·4% of nurses had positive attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine; however, 77·4% did not possess a comprehensive understanding of the associated risks and benefits. In addition, nearly half of the respondents (47·3-67·7%) reported feeling uncomfortable discussing complementary and alternative medicine therapies with their patients. The lack of knowledge about complementary and alternative medicine among nurses is a cause for concern, particularly in light of its widespread application. Findings from this study suggest that health care professionals need to promote evidence informed decision-making in complementary and alternative medicine practice and be knowledgeable enough to discuss complementary and alternative medicine therapies. Without involvement of complementary and alternative medicine communication on the part of our profession, we may put our patients at risk of uninformed and without medical guidance. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Who cares about the history of science?

PubMed Central

Chang, Hasok

2017-01-01

The history of science has many functions. Historians should consider how their work contributes to various functions, going beyond a simple desire to understand the past correctly. There are both internal and external functions of the history of science in relation to science itself; I focus here on the internal, as they tend to be neglected these days. The internal functions can be divided into orthodox and complementary. The orthodox function is to assist with the understanding of the content and methods of science as it is now practised. The complementary function is to generate and improve scientific knowledge where current science itself fails to do so. Complementary functions of the history of science include the raising of critical awareness, and the recovery and extension of past scientific knowledge that has become forgotten or neglected. These complementary functions are illustrated with some concrete examples.

MSPocket: an orientation-independent algorithm for the detection of ligand binding pockets.

PubMed

Zhu, Hongbo; Pisabarro, M Teresa

2011-02-01

Identification of ligand binding pockets on proteins is crucial for the characterization of protein functions. It provides valuable information for protein-ligand docking and rational engineering of small molecules that regulate protein functions. A major number of current prediction algorithms of ligand binding pockets are based on cubic grid representation of proteins and, thus, the results are often protein orientation dependent. We present the MSPocket program for detecting pockets on the solvent excluded surface of proteins. The core algorithm of the MSPocket approach does not use any cubic grid system to represent proteins and is therefore independent of protein orientations. We demonstrate that MSPocket is able to achieve an accuracy of 75% in predicting ligand binding pockets on a test dataset used for evaluating several existing methods. The accuracy is 92% if the top three predictions are considered. Comparison to one of the recently published best performing methods shows that MSPocket reaches similar performance with the additional feature of being protein orientation independent. Interestingly, some of the predictions are different, meaning that the two methods can be considered complementary and combined to achieve better prediction accuracy. MSPocket also provides a graphical user interface for interactive investigation of the predicted ligand binding pockets. In addition, we show that overlap criterion is a better strategy for the evaluation of predicted ligand binding pockets than the single point distance criterion. The MSPocket source code can be downloaded from http://appserver.biotec.tu-dresden.de/MSPocket/. MSPocket is also available as a PyMOL plugin with a graphical user interface.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Attitudes and Use among Health Educators in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ping; Priestley, Jennifer; Porter, Kandice Johnson; Petrillo, Jane

2010-01-01

Background: Interest in and use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the United States is increasing. However, CAM remains an area of nascency for researchers and western practitioners. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine U.S. health educators' attitudes toward CAM and their use of common CAM therapies. Methods: A…

Parents' Use of Complementary Health Approaches for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindly, Olivia J.; Thorburn, Sheryl; Heisler, Karen; Reyes, Nuri M.; Zuckerman, Katharine E.

2018-01-01

Knowledge of why parents use complementary health approaches (CHA) for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited. We conducted a mixed methods study to better understand factors influencing parents' decision to use CHA for ASD. Parent-reported data about CHA use were collected on a probability sample of 352 young children with ASD in…

A Survey of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Knowledge among Health Educators in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Ping; Priestley, Jennifer Lewis; Johnson, Roy D.

2008-01-01

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is popular among U.S. health care consumers, but no study has examined how much health educators know about CAM. Purpose: To examine the knowledge of basic CAM concepts and common CAM therapies among health educators in the U.S. Methods: An online survey was conducted among 1,299 health…

Simultaneous detection and quantitation of organic impurities in methamphetamine by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, a complementary technique for methamphetamine profiling.

PubMed

Li, Li; Brown, Jaclyn L; Toske, Steven G

2018-04-06

The analysis of organic impurities plays an important role in the impurity profiling of methamphetamine, which in turn provides valuable information about methamphetamine manufacturing, in particular its synthetic route, chemicals, and precursors used. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) is ideally suited for this purpose due to its excellent sensitivity, selectivity, and wide linear range in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. In this study, a dilute-and-shoot UHPLC-MS/MS method was developed for the simultaneous identification and quantitation of 23 organic manufacturing impurities in illicit methamphetamine. The developed method was validated in terms of stability, limit of detection (LOD), lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), accuracy, and precision. More than 100 illicitly prepared methamphetamine samples were analyzed. Due to its ability to detect ephedrine/pseudoephedrine and its high sensitivity for critical target markers (eg, chloro-pseudoephedrine, N-cyclohexylamphetamine, and compounds B and P), more impurities and precursor/pre-precursors were identified and quantified versus the current procedure by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Consequently, more samples could be classified by their synthetic routes. However, the UHPLC-MS/MS method has difficulty in detecting neutral and untargeted emerging manufacturing impurities and can therefore only serve as a complement to the current method. Despite this deficiency, the quantitative information acquired by the presented UHPLC-MS/MS methodology increased the sample discrimination power, thereby enhancing the capacity of methamphetamine profiling program (MPP) to conduct sample-sample comparisons. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Prenatal MR imaging of a meconium pseudocyst extending to the right subphrenic space with right lung compression.

PubMed

Wong, Alex M; Toh, Cheng-Hong; Lien, Reyin; Chao, An-Shine; Wong, Ho-Fai; Ng, Koon-Kwan

2006-11-01

Meconium pseudocyst results from a loculated inflammation occurring in response to spillage of meconium into the peritoneal cavity after a bowel perforation. Certain cystic lesions, such as abscesses and dermoid and epidermoid cysts, are known to show reduced water diffusion on DWI. MRI has recently become a valuable adjunct to ultrasonography for fetal gastrointestinal anomalies. Complementary to ultrasonography, prenatal MRI can help further characterize the lesion and can clearly demonstrate the anatomical relationship between the lesion and adjacent organs. We report a case of meconium pseudocyst that was prenatally imaged with ultrasonography and MRI, postnatally complicated by pneumoperitoneum, and proved by postnatal surgery and histopathology. We emphasize the MRI of the pseudocyst, particularly T1-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging.

Performance of different synchronization measures in real data: A case study on electroencephalographic signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quian Quiroga, R.; Kraskov, A.; Kreuz, T.; Grassberger, P.

2002-04-01

We study the synchronization between left and right hemisphere rat electroencephalographic (EEG) channels by using various synchronization measures, namely nonlinear interdependences, phase synchronizations, mutual information, cross correlation, and the coherence function. In passing we show a close relation between two recently proposed phase synchronization measures and we extend the definition of one of them. In three typical examples we observe that except mutual information, all these measures give a useful quantification that is hard to be guessed beforehand from the raw data. Despite their differences, results are qualitatively the same. Therefore, we claim that the applied measures are valuable for the study of synchronization in real data. Moreover, in the particular case of EEG signals their use as complementary variables could be of clinical relevance.

The Horse Boy--attending to the stories our patients tell us.

PubMed

Karlinsky, Harry

2013-07-01

In the summer of 2007, Rupert Isaacson and Kirsten Neff set off to Mongolia on an extraordinary journey to heal their 7-year old autistic son. Their story was captured on film by a small crew, and both the resulting documentary, The Horse Boy, and the associated book have reached a wide audience. For those involved in psychiatric education, the film represents a valuable opportunity to explore a range of relevant clinical and ethical issues with their learners, including an introduction to the world of complementary and alternative medicine and the emerging discipline of narrative medicine. Perhaps most importantly, The Horse Boy is an impetus for health professionals to consider their own responsibilities when determined patients in their care undertake such remarkable quests to heal themselves or their loved ones.

Bone Scan Index and Progression-free Survival Data for Progressive Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients Who Received ODM-201 in the ARADES Multicentre Study.

PubMed

Reza, Mariana; Jones, Robert; Aspegren, John; Massard, Christophe; Mattila, Leena; Mustonen, Mika; Wollmer, Per; Trägårdh, Elin; Bondesson, Eva; Edenbrandt, Lars; Fizazi, Karim; Bjartell, Anders

2016-12-01

ODM-201, a new-generation androgen receptor inhibitor, has shown clinical efficacy in prostate cancer (PCa). Quantitative methods are needed to accurately assess changes in bone as a measurement of treatment response. The Bone Scan Index (BSI) reflects the percentage of skeletal mass a given tumour affects. To evaluate the predictive value of the BSI in metastatic castration-resistant PCa (mCRPC) patients undergoing treatment with ODM-201. From a total of 134 mCRPC patients who participated in the Activity and Safety of ODM-201 in Patients with Progressive Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer clinical trial and received ODM-201, we retrospectively selected all those patients who had bone scan image data of sufficient quality to allow for both baseline and 12-wk follow-up BSI-assessments (n=47). We used the automated EXINI bone BSI software (EXINI Diagnostics AB, Lund, Sweden) to obtain BSI data. We used the Cox proportional hazards model and Kaplan-Meier estimates to investigate the association among BSI, traditional clinical parameters, disease progression, and radiographic progression-free survival (rPFS). In the BSI assessments, at follow-up, patients who had a decrease or at most a 20% increase from BSI baseline had a significantly longer time to progression in bone (median not reached vs 23 wk, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.07-0.58; p=0.003) and rPFS (median: 50 wk vs 14 wk; HR: 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.74; p=0.006) than those who had a BSI increase >20% during treatment. The on-treatment change in BSI was significantly associated with rPFS in mCRPC patients, and an increase >20% in BSI predicted reduced rPFS. BSI for quantification of bone metastases may be a valuable complementary method for evaluation of treatment response in mCRPC patients. An increase in Bone Scan Index (BSI) was associated with shorter time to disease progression in patients treated with ODM-201. BSI may be a valuable method of complementing treatment response evaluation in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pitfall Traps and Mini-Winkler Extractor as Complementary Methods to Sample Soil Coleoptera.

PubMed

Carneiro, A C; Batistella, D A; Battirola, L D; Marques, M I

2016-02-01

We compared abundance, species richness, and capture efficiency with pitfall traps and mini-Winkler extractors to examine their use as complementary methods for sampling soil Coleoptera during dry (2010) and high water seasons (2011) in three areas, including inundated and non-inundated regions, in the Pantanal of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil. We paired treatments with two 10 × 10 m plots in inundated and non-inundated locations that were repeated three times in each location for a total of 18 plots. In each plot, we used nine pitfall traps and collected 2 m(2) of leaf litter and surface soil samples with mini-Winkler extractors. We collected a total of 4260 adult beetles comprising 36 families, 113 genera, and 505 species. Most were caught in pitfalls (69%) and the remainder in the mini-Winkler extractors (31%). Each method provided distinct information about the beetle community: 252 species were captured only in pitfall traps, 147 using only the mini-Winkler extractors, and these methods shared another 106 species. Pitfall and mini-Winkler contribute in different ways for the sampling of the soil beetle community, and so they should be considered complementary for a more thorough assessment of community diversity.

Complementary and alternative medicine whole systems research: beyond identification of inadequacies of the RCT.

PubMed

Verhoef, Marja J; Lewith, George; Ritenbaugh, Cheryl; Boon, Heather; Fleishman, Susan; Leis, Anne

2005-09-01

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) often consists of whole systems of care (such as naturopathic medicine or traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)) that combine a wide range of modalities to provide individualised treatment. The complexity of these interventions and their potential synergistic effect requires innovative evaluative approaches. Model validity, which encompasses the need for research to adequately address the unique healing theory and therapeutic context of the intervention, is central to whole systems research (WSR). Classical randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are limited in their ability to address this need. Therefore, we propose a mixed methods approach that includes a range of relevant and holistic outcome measures. As the individual components of most whole systems are inseparable, complementary and synergistic, WSR must not focus only on the "active" ingredients of a system. An emerging WSR framework must be non-hierarchical, cyclical, flexible and adaptive, as knowledge creation is continuous, evolutionary and necessitates a continuous interplay between research methods and "phases" of knowledge. Finally, WSR must hold qualitative and quantitative research methods in equal esteem to realize their unique research contribution. Whole systems are complex and therefore no one method can adequately capture the meaning, process and outcomes of these interventions.

Online Wavelet Complementary velocity Estimator.

PubMed

Righettini, Paolo; Strada, Roberto; KhademOlama, Ehsan; Valilou, Shirin

2018-02-01

In this paper, we have proposed a new online Wavelet Complementary velocity Estimator (WCE) over position and acceleration data gathered from an electro hydraulic servo shaking table. This is a batch estimator type that is based on the wavelet filter banks which extract the high and low resolution of data. The proposed complementary estimator combines these two resolutions of velocities which acquired from numerical differentiation and integration of the position and acceleration sensors by considering a fixed moving horizon window as input to wavelet filter. Because of using wavelet filters, it can be implemented in a parallel procedure. By this method the numerical velocity is estimated without having high noise of differentiators, integration drifting bias and with less delay which is suitable for active vibration control in high precision Mechatronics systems by Direct Velocity Feedback (DVF) methods. This method allows us to make velocity sensors with less mechanically moving parts which makes it suitable for fast miniature structures. We have compared this method with Kalman and Butterworth filters over stability, delay and benchmarked them by their long time velocity integration for getting back the initial position data. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Super-resolution fusion of complementary panoramic images based on cross-selection kernel regression interpolation.

PubMed

Chen, Lidong; Basu, Anup; Zhang, Maojun; Wang, Wei; Liu, Yu

2014-03-20

A complementary catadioptric imaging technique was proposed to solve the problem of low and nonuniform resolution in omnidirectional imaging. To enhance this research, our paper focuses on how to generate a high-resolution panoramic image from the captured omnidirectional image. To avoid the interference between the inner and outer images while fusing the two complementary views, a cross-selection kernel regression method is proposed. First, in view of the complementarity of sampling resolution in the tangential and radial directions between the inner and the outer images, respectively, the horizontal gradients in the expected panoramic image are estimated based on the scattered neighboring pixels mapped from the outer, while the vertical gradients are estimated using the inner image. Then, the size and shape of the regression kernel are adaptively steered based on the local gradients. Furthermore, the neighboring pixels in the next interpolation step of kernel regression are also selected based on the comparison between the horizontal and vertical gradients. In simulation and real-image experiments, the proposed method outperforms existing kernel regression methods and our previous wavelet-based fusion method in terms of both visual quality and objective evaluation.

Research methods in complementary and alternative medicine: an integrative review.

PubMed

de Almeida Andrade, Fabiana; Schlechta Portella, Caio Fabio

2018-01-01

The scientific literature presents a modest amount of evidence in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). On the other hand, in practice, relevant results are common. The debates among CAM practitioners about the quality and execution of scientific research are important. Therefore, the aim of this review is to gather, synthesize and describe the differentiated methodological models that encompass the complexity of therapeutic interventions. The process of bringing evidence-based medicine into clinical practice in CAM is essential for the growth and strengthening of complementary medicines worldwide. Copyright © 2017 Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Procedure for normalization of cDNA libraries

DOEpatents

Bonaldo, M.D.; Soares, M.B.

1997-12-30

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library constructed in a vector capable of being converted to single-stranded circles and capable of producing complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles comprising: (a) converting the cDNA library in single-stranded circles; (b) generating complementary nucleic acid molecules to the single-stranded circles; (c) hybridizing the single-stranded circles converted in step (a) with complementary nucleic acid molecules of step (b) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded circles from the hybridized single-stranded circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. 1 fig.

Lipophilic oligonucleotides spontaneously insert into lipid membranes, bind complementary DNA strands, and sequester into lipid-disordered domains.

PubMed

Bunge, Andreas; Kurz, Anke; Windeck, Anne-Kathrin; Korte, Thomas; Flasche, Wolfgang; Liebscher, Jürgen; Herrmann, Andreas; Huster, Daniel

2007-04-10

For the development of surface functionalized bilayers, we have synthesized lipophilic oligonucleotides to combine the molecular recognition mechanism of nucleic acids and the self-assembly characteristics of lipids in planar membranes. A lipophilic oligonucleotide consisting of 21 thymidine units and two lipophilic nucleotides with an alpha-tocopherol moiety as a lipophilic anchor was synthesized using solid-phase methods with a phosphoramadite strategy. The interaction of the water soluble lipophilic oligonucleotide with vesicular lipid membranes and its capability to bind complementary DNA strands was studied using complementary methods such as NMR, EPR, DSC, fluorescence spectroscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. This oligonucleotide inserted stably into preformed membranes from the aqueous phase. Thereby, no significant perturbation of the lipid bilayer and its stability was observed. However, the non-lipidated end of the oligonucleotide is exposed to the aqueous environment, is relatively mobile, and is free to interact with complementary DNA strands. Binding of the complementary single-stranded DNA molecules is fast and accomplished by the formation of Watson-Crick base pairs, which was confirmed by 1H NMR chemical shift analysis and fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The molecular structure of the membrane bound DNA double helix is very similar to the free double-stranded DNA. Further, the membrane bound DNA double strands also undergo regular melting. Finally, in raft-like membrane mixtures, the lipophilic oligonucleotide was shown to preferentially sequester into liquid-disordered membrane domains.

[Alternative and complementary medicine from the primary care physician's viewpoint].

PubMed

Soós, Sándor Árpád; Eőry, Ajándék; Eőry, Ajándok; Harsányi, László; Kalabay, László

2015-07-12

The patients initiate the use of complementary and alternative medicine and this often remains hidden from their primary care physician. To explore general practitioners' knowledge and attitude towards complementary and alternative medicine, and study the need and appropriate forms of education, as well as ask their opinion on integration of alternative medicine into mainstream medicine. A voluntary anonymous questionnaire was used on two conferences for general practitioners organized by the Family Medicine Department of Semmelweis University. Complementary and alternative medicine was defined by the definition of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and certified modalities were all listed. 194 general practitioners answered the questionnaire (39.8% response rate). 14% of the responders had licence in at least one of the complementary and alternative therapies, 45% used complementary and alternative therapy in their family in case of illness. It was the opinion of the majority (91.8%) that it was necessary to be familiar with every method used by their patients, however, 82.5% claimed not to have enough knowledge in complementary medicine. Graduate and postgraduate education in the field was thought to be necessary by 86% of the responders; increased odds for commitment in personal education was found among female general practitioners, less than 20 years professional experience and personal experience of alternative medicine. These data suggest that general practitioners would like to know more about complementary and alternative medicine modalities used by their patients. They consider education of medical professionals necessary and a special group is willing to undergo further education in the field.

Hyperspectral Analysis of Soil Total Nitrogen in Subsided Land Using the Local Correlation Maximization-Complementary Superiority (LCMCS) Method.

PubMed

Lin, Lixin; Wang, Yunjia; Teng, Jiyao; Xi, Xiuxiu

2015-07-23

The measurement of soil total nitrogen (TN) by hyperspectral remote sensing provides an important tool for soil restoration programs in areas with subsided land caused by the extraction of natural resources. This study used the local correlation maximization-complementary superiority method (LCMCS) to establish TN prediction models by considering the relationship between spectral reflectance (measured by an ASD FieldSpec 3 spectroradiometer) and TN based on spectral reflectance curves of soil samples collected from subsided land which is determined by synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technology. Based on the 1655 selected effective bands of the optimal spectrum (OSP) of the first derivate differential of reciprocal logarithm ([log{1/R}]'), (correlation coefficients, p < 0.01), the optimal model of LCMCS method was obtained to determine the final model, which produced lower prediction errors (root mean square error of validation [RMSEV] = 0.89, mean relative error of validation [MREV] = 5.93%) when compared with models built by the local correlation maximization (LCM), complementary superiority (CS) and partial least squares regression (PLS) methods. The predictive effect of LCMCS model was optional in Cangzhou, Renqiu and Fengfeng District. Results indicate that the LCMCS method has great potential to monitor TN in subsided lands caused by the extraction of natural resources including groundwater, oil and coal.

Balancing Hole and Electron Conduction in Ambipolar Split-Gate Thin-Film Transistors.

PubMed

Yoo, Hocheon; Ghittorelli, Matteo; Lee, Dong-Kyu; Smits, Edsger C P; Gelinck, Gerwin H; Ahn, Hyungju; Lee, Han-Koo; Torricelli, Fabrizio; Kim, Jae-Joon

2017-07-10

Complementary organic electronics is a key enabling technology for the development of new applications including smart ubiquitous sensors, wearable electronics, and healthcare devices. High-performance, high-functionality and reliable complementary circuits require n- and p-type thin-film transistors with balanced characteristics. Recent advancements in ambipolar organic transistors in terms of semiconductor and device engineering demonstrate the great potential of this route but, unfortunately, the actual development of ambipolar organic complementary electronics is currently hampered by the uneven electron (n-type) and hole (p-type) conduction in ambipolar organic transistors. Here we show ambipolar organic thin-film transistors with balanced n-type and p-type operation. By manipulating air exposure and vacuum annealing conditions, we show that well-balanced electron and hole transport properties can be easily obtained. The method is used to control hole and electron conductions in split-gate transistors based on a solution-processed donor-acceptor semiconducting polymer. Complementary logic inverters with balanced charging and discharging characteristics are demonstrated. These findings may open up new opportunities for the rational design of complementary electronics based on ambipolar organic transistors.

Proposal of indicators to evaluate complementary feeding based on World Health Organization indicators.

PubMed

Saldan, Paula Chuproski; Venancio, Sonia Isoyama; Saldiva, Silvia Regina Dias Medici; de Mello, Débora Falleiros

2016-09-01

This study compares complementary feeding World Health Organization (WHO) indicators with those built in accordance with Brazilian recommendations (Ten Steps to Healthy Feeding). A cross-sectional study was carried out during the National Immunization Campaign against Poliomyelitis in Guarapuava-Paraná, Brazil, in 2012. Feeding data from 1,355 children aged 6-23 months were obtained through the 24 h diet recall. Based on five indicators, the proportion of adequacy was evaluated: introduction of solid, semi-solid, or soft foods; minimum dietary diversity; meal frequency; acceptable diet; and consumption of iron-rich foods. Complementary feeding showed adequacy higher than 85% in most WHO indicators, while review by the Ten Steps assessment method showed a less favorable circumstance and a high intake of unhealthy foods. WHO indicators may not reflect the complementary feeding conditions of children in countries with low malnutrition rates and an increased prevalence of overweight/obesity. The use of indicators according to the Ten Steps can be useful to identify problems and redirect actions aimed at promoting complementary feeding. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Dietary patterns and the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and neurodegenerative diseases.

PubMed

Medina-Remón, Alexander; Kirwan, Richard; Lamuela-Raventós, Rosa M; Estruch, Ramón

2018-01-22

Diet and lifestyle play a significant role in the development chronic diseases; however the full complexity of this relationship is not yet understood. Dietary pattern investigation, which reflects the complexity of dietary intake, has emerged as an alternative and complementary approach for examining the association between diet and chronic diseases. Literature on this association has largely focused on individual nutrients, with conflicting outcomes, but individuals consume a combination of foods from many groups that form dietary patterns. Our objective was to systematically review the current findings on the effects of dietary patterns on chronic diseases. In this review, we describe and discuss the relationships between dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean, the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, Prudent, Seventh-day Adventists, and Western, with risk of obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and neurodegenearive diseases. Evidence is increasing from both observational and clinical studies that plant-based dietary patterns, which are rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, are valuable in preventing various chronic diseases, whereas a diet high in red and processed meat, refined grains and added sugar seems to increase said risk. Dietary pattern analysis might be especially valuable to the development and evaluation of food-based dietary guidelines.

FunShift: a database of function shift analysis on protein subfamilies

PubMed Central

Abhiman, Saraswathi; Sonnhammer, Erik L. L.

2005-01-01

Members of a protein family normally have a general biochemical function in common, but frequently one or more subgroups have evolved a slightly different function, such as different substrate specificity. It is important to detect such function shifts for a more accurate functional annotation. The FunShift database described here is a compilation of function shift analysis performed between subfamilies in protein families. It consists of two main components: (i) subfamilies derived from protein domain families and (ii) pairwise subfamily comparisons analyzed for function shift. The present release, FunShift 12, was derived from Pfam 12 and consists of 151 934 subfamilies derived from 7300 families. We carried out function shift analysis by two complementary methods on families with up to 500 members. From a total of 179 210 subfamily pairs, 62 384 were predicted to be functionally shifted in 2881 families. Each subfamily pair is provided with a markup of probable functional specificity-determining sites. Tools for searching and exploring the data are provided to make this database a valuable resource for protein function annotation. Knowledge of these functionally important sites will be useful for experimental biologists performing functional mutation studies. FunShift is available at http://FunShift.cgb.ki.se. PMID:15608176

Fundamental energy limits of SET-based Brownian NAND and half-adder circuits. Preliminary findings from a physical-information-theoretic methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ercan, İlke; Suyabatmaz, Enes

2018-06-01

The saturation in the efficiency and performance scaling of conventional electronic technologies brings about the development of novel computational paradigms. Brownian circuits are among the promising alternatives that can exploit fluctuations to increase the efficiency of information processing in nanocomputing. A Brownian cellular automaton, where signals propagate randomly and are driven by local transition rules, can be made computationally universal by embedding arbitrary asynchronous circuits on it. One of the potential realizations of such circuits is via single electron tunneling (SET) devices since SET technology enable simulation of noise and fluctuations in a fashion similar to Brownian search. In this paper, we perform a physical-information-theoretic analysis on the efficiency limitations in a Brownian NAND and half-adder circuits implemented using SET technology. The method we employed here establishes a solid ground that enables studying computational and physical features of this emerging technology on an equal footing, and yield fundamental lower bounds that provide valuable insights into how far its efficiency can be improved in principle. In order to provide a basis for comparison, we also analyze a NAND gate and half-adder circuit implemented in complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology to show how the fundamental bound of the Brownian circuit compares against a conventional paradigm.

PSEA-Quant: a protein set enrichment analysis on label-free and label-based protein quantification data.

PubMed

Lavallée-Adam, Mathieu; Rauniyar, Navin; McClatchy, Daniel B; Yates, John R

2014-12-05

The majority of large-scale proteomics quantification methods yield long lists of quantified proteins that are often difficult to interpret and poorly reproduced. Computational approaches are required to analyze such intricate quantitative proteomics data sets. We propose a statistical approach to computationally identify protein sets (e.g., Gene Ontology (GO) terms) that are significantly enriched with abundant proteins with reproducible quantification measurements across a set of replicates. To this end, we developed PSEA-Quant, a protein set enrichment analysis algorithm for label-free and label-based protein quantification data sets. It offers an alternative approach to classic GO analyses, models protein annotation biases, and allows the analysis of samples originating from a single condition, unlike analogous approaches such as GSEA and PSEA. We demonstrate that PSEA-Quant produces results complementary to GO analyses. We also show that PSEA-Quant provides valuable information about the biological processes involved in cystic fibrosis using label-free protein quantification of a cell line expressing a CFTR mutant. Finally, PSEA-Quant highlights the differences in the mechanisms taking place in the human, rat, and mouse brain frontal cortices based on tandem mass tag quantification. Our approach, which is available online, will thus improve the analysis of proteomics quantification data sets by providing meaningful biological insights.

PSEA-Quant: A Protein Set Enrichment Analysis on Label-Free and Label-Based Protein Quantification Data

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The majority of large-scale proteomics quantification methods yield long lists of quantified proteins that are often difficult to interpret and poorly reproduced. Computational approaches are required to analyze such intricate quantitative proteomics data sets. We propose a statistical approach to computationally identify protein sets (e.g., Gene Ontology (GO) terms) that are significantly enriched with abundant proteins with reproducible quantification measurements across a set of replicates. To this end, we developed PSEA-Quant, a protein set enrichment analysis algorithm for label-free and label-based protein quantification data sets. It offers an alternative approach to classic GO analyses, models protein annotation biases, and allows the analysis of samples originating from a single condition, unlike analogous approaches such as GSEA and PSEA. We demonstrate that PSEA-Quant produces results complementary to GO analyses. We also show that PSEA-Quant provides valuable information about the biological processes involved in cystic fibrosis using label-free protein quantification of a cell line expressing a CFTR mutant. Finally, PSEA-Quant highlights the differences in the mechanisms taking place in the human, rat, and mouse brain frontal cortices based on tandem mass tag quantification. Our approach, which is available online, will thus improve the analysis of proteomics quantification data sets by providing meaningful biological insights. PMID:25177766

Short-time fractional Fourier methods for the time-frequency representation of chirp signals.

PubMed

Capus, Chris; Brown, Keith

2003-06-01

The fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) provides a valuable tool for the analysis of linear chirp signals. This paper develops two short-time FrFT variants which are suited to the analysis of multicomponent and nonlinear chirp signals. Outputs have similar properties to the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) but show improved time-frequency resolution. The FrFT is a parameterized transform with parameter, a, related to chirp rate. The two short-time implementations differ in how the value of a is chosen. In the first, a global optimization procedure selects one value of a with reference to the entire signal. In the second, a values are selected independently for each windowed section. Comparative variance measures based on the Gaussian function are given and are shown to be consistent with the uncertainty principle in fractional domains. For appropriately chosen FrFT orders, the derived fractional domain uncertainty relationship is minimized for Gaussian windowed linear chirp signals. The two short-time FrFT algorithms have complementary strengths demonstrated by time-frequency representations for a multicomponent bat chirp, a highly nonlinear quadratic chirp, and an output pulse from a finite-difference sonar model with dispersive change. These representations illustrate the improvements obtained in using FrFT based algorithms compared to the STFT.

Ultramicroscopy as a novel tool to unravel the tropism of AAV gene therapy vectors in the brain.

PubMed

Alves, Sandro; Bode, Julia; Bemelmans, Alexis-Pierre; von Kalle, Christof; Cartier, Nathalie; Tews, Björn

2016-06-20

Recombinant adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors have advanced to the vanguard of gene therapy. Numerous naturally occurring serotypes have been used to target cells in various tissues. There is a strong need for fast and dynamic methods which efficiently unravel viral tropism in whole organs. Ultramicroscopy (UM) is a novel fluorescence microscopy technique that images optically cleared undissected specimens, achieving good resolutions at high penetration depths while being non-destructive. UM was applied to obtain high-resolution 3D analysis of AAV transduction in adult mouse brains, especially in the hippocampus, a region of interest for Alzheimer's disease therapy. We separately or simultaneously compared transduction efficacies for commonly used serotypes (AAV9 and AAVrh10) using fluorescent reporter expression. We provide a detailed comparative and quantitative analysis of the transduction profiles. UM allowed a rapid analysis of marker fluorescence expression in neurons with intact projections deep inside the brain, in defined anatomical structures. Major hippocampal neuronal transduction was observed with both vectors, with slightly better efficacy for AAV9 in UM. Glial response and synaptic marker expression did not change post transduction.We propose UM as a novel valuable complementary tool to efficiently and simultaneously unravel tropism of different viruses in a single non-dissected adult rodent brain.

Trace metals in fluids lining the respiratory system of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and diffuse lung diseases.

PubMed

Bargagli, Elena; Lavorini, Federico; Pistolesi, Massimo; Rosi, Elisabetta; Prasse, Antje; Rota, Emilia; Voltolini, Luca

2017-07-01

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an interstitial lung disease with a poor prognosis and an undefined etiopathogenesis. Oxidative stress contributes to alveolar injury and fibrosis development and, because transition metals are essential to the functioning of most proteins involved in redox reactions, a better knowledge of metal concentrations and metabolism in the respiratory system of IPF patients may provide a valuable complementary approach to prevent and manage a disease which is often misdiagnosed or diagnosed in later stages. The present review summarizes and discusses literature data on the elemental composition of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), induced sputum and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) from patients affected by IPF and healthy subjects. Available data are scanty and the lack of consistent methods for the collection and analysis of lung and airways lining fluids makes it difficult to compare the results of different studies. However, the elemental composition of BAL samples from IPF patients seems to have a specific profile that can be distinguished from that of patients with other interstitial lung diseases (ILD) or control subjects. Suggestions are given towards standard sampling and analytical procedures of BAL samples, in the aim to assess typical element concentration patterns and their potential role as biomarkers of IPF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Resolving the Origins of Crystalline Anharmonicity Using Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy and ab Initio Simulations.

PubMed

Ruggiero, Michael T; Zeitler, J Axel

2016-11-17

Anharmonicity has been shown to be an important piece of the fundamental framework that dictates numerous observable phenomena. In particular, anharmonicity is the driving force of vibrational relaxation processes, mechanisms that are integral to the proper function of numerous chemical processes. However, elucidating its origins has proven difficult due to experimental and theoretical challenges, specifically related to separating the anharmonic contributions from other unrelated effects. While no one technique is particularly suited for providing a complete picture of anharmonicity, by combining multiple complementary methods such a characterization can be made. In this study the role of individual atomic interactions on the anharmonic properties of crystalline purine, the building block of many DNA and RNA nucleobases, is studied by experimental terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations (AIMD). In particular, the detailed vibrational information provided by the DFT calculations is used to interpret the atomic origins of anharmonic-related effects as determined by the AIMD calculations, which are in good agreement with the experimental data. The results highlight that anharmonicity is especially pronounced in the intermolecular interactions, particularly along the amine hydrogen bond coordinate, and yields valuable insight into what is similarly observed complex biosystems and crystalline solids.

Using low-frequency pulsar observations to study the 3-D structure of the Galactic magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobey, C.; LOFAR Collaboration; MWA Collaboration

2018-05-01

The Galactic magnetic field (GMF) plays a role in many astrophysical processes and is a significant foreground to cosmological signals, such as the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), but is not yet well understood. Dispersion and Faraday rotation measurements (DMs and RMs, respectively) towards a large number of pulsars provide an efficient method to probe the three-dimensional structure of the GMF. Low-frequency polarisation observations with large fractional bandwidth can be used to measure precise DMs and RMs. This is demonstrated by a catalogue of RMs (corrected for ionospheric Faraday rotation) from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), with a growing complementary catalogue in the southern hemisphere from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). These data further our knowledge of the three-dimensional GMF, particularly towards the Galactic halo. Recently constructed or upgraded pathfinder and precursor telescopes, such as LOFAR and the MWA, have reinvigorated low-frequency science and represent progress towards the construction of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), which will make significant advancements in studies of astrophysical magnetic fields in the future. A key science driver for the SKA-Low is to study the EoR, for which pulsar and polarisation data can provide valuable insights in terms of Galactic foreground conditions.

Two complementary fluorimetric assays for the determination of aminoquinoline binding and uptake by human erythrocytes in vitro.

PubMed

Basilico, Nicoletta; Cortelezzi, Lucia; Serpellini, Chiara; Taramelli, Donatella; Omodeo-Salè, Fausta; Salè, Fausta

2009-02-15

We provide two simple low-cost and low-tech procedures to measure with good precision and accuracy the binding and internalization into human erythrocytes of chloroquine and other aminoquinolines. The methods are based on the high fluorescence of the quinoline ring and are complementary. Method A evaluates residual drugs in the supernatants of treated erythrocytes, whereas method B quantifies the total uptake by whole cells and the fraction bound to the membranes. Drug uptake is dose dependent and related to the number of erythrocytes. These assays could be useful when studying the cell interaction of quinoline-type compounds not available in the radioactive form.

Capsule endoscope localization based on computer vision technique.

PubMed

Liu, Li; Hu, Chao; Cai, Wentao; Meng, Max Q H

2009-01-01

To build a new type of wireless capsule endoscope with interactive gastrointestinal tract examination, a localization and orientation system is needed for tracking 3D location and 3D orientation of the capsule movement. The magnetic localization and orientation method produces only 5 DOF, but misses the information of rotation angle along capsule's main axis. In this paper, we presented a complementary orientation approach for the capsule endoscope, and the 3D rotation can be determined by applying computer vision technique on the captured endoscopic images. The experimental results show that the complementary orientation method has good accuracy and high feasibility.

Complementary Feeding Practices of Mothers and Their Perceived Impacts on Young Children: Findings from KEEA District of Ghana.

PubMed

Egyir, Bridget K; Ramsay, Samantha A; Bilderback, Barry; Safaii, SeAnne

2016-09-01

Objective Appropriate and timely complementary feeding practices are fundamental to a child's growth, health, and development during the first 2 years of life. This study aimed to understand (1) Ghanaian mother's complementary feeding practices, and (2) their perceived and observed impacts of complementary feeding on their children. Methods Ghanaian mothers with children 4-24 months of age were recruited from four communities in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem district in the Central Region of Ghana (n = 99). A qualitative methodological approach with focus group interview discussions was used. Eleven focus group interviews were conducted, and were audio recorded and transcribed. The audio transcriptions were coded and analyzed into pertinent themes, meta-themes, and theoretical concepts. Results Over 80 % (85) of mothers reported poor knowledge about the effects of complementary feeding on their children and 45 % (45) of the children were undernourished, indicating inappropriate complementary feeding practices. Some mothers held misconceptions about the effect of food on children's health. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) mothers' background knowledge about food, child health and growth outcomes, (2) mothers' motivation in feeding their children, (3) barriers to feeding, (4) foods mothers offered their children. Conclusion for Practice Nutrition education on complementary feeding is needed for Ghanaian mothers. Health facilities and community outreach programs could be a venue to provide education to mothers regarding infant and young child feeding practices in Ghana.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in obstetrics and gynaecology: a survey of office-based obstetricians and gynaecologists regarding attitudes towards CAM, its provision and cooperation with other CAM providers in the state of Hesse, Germany.

PubMed

Münstedt, K; Maisch, M; Tinneberg, H R; Hübner, J

2014-12-01

Whereas we have some information on complementary medicine in the field of oncology, little is known about complementary medicine in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology especially outside of hospitals. All office-based obstetricians and gynaecologists in the state of Hesse, Germany, were contacted and asked to fill in an assessment form regarding cooperation in the field of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), as well as the perceived efficacy of various CAM methods for a number of pathological conditions in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology. It was found that more than half of Hessian office-based obstetricians and gynaecologists had existing cooperation regarding CAM, especially with colleagues, but also midwives, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and health practitioners. The probability of cooperation was significantly inversely associated with age. It was found that the probability for advising CAM differed between various health problems. The following CAM methods were considered reasonable for the treatment of different conditions: phytotherapy for climacteric complaints and premenstrual syndrome; homoeopathy for puerperal problems; acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine for complaints during pregnancy; and dietary supplements for the side effects of cancer therapy. The analysis shows that there is much cooperation in the field of CAM. Comparison between physicians' perceived efficacy of CAM methods and objective findings shows that there is a need for the provision of valid information in the field.

TU-H-CAMPUS-IeP3-01: Simultaneous PET Restoration and PET/CT Co-Segmentation Using a Variational Method

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

Li, L; Tan, S; Lu, W

Purpose: PET images are usually blurred due to the finite spatial resolution, while CT images suffer from low contrast. Segment a tumor from either a single PET or CT image is thus challenging. To make full use of the complementary information between PET and CT, we propose a novel variational method for simultaneous PET image restoration and PET/CT images co-segmentation. Methods: The proposed model was constructed based on the Γ-convergence approximation of Mumford-Shah (MS) segmentation model for PET/CT co-segmentation. Moreover, a PET de-blur process was integrated into the MS model to improve the segmentation accuracy. An interaction edge constraint termmore » over the two modalities were specially designed to share the complementary information. The energy functional was iteratively optimized using an alternate minimization (AM) algorithm. The performance of the proposed method was validated on ten lung cancer cases and five esophageal cancer cases. The ground truth were manually delineated by an experienced radiation oncologist using the complementary visual features of PET and CT. The segmentation accuracy was evaluated by Dice similarity index (DSI) and volume error (VE). Results: The proposed method achieved an expected restoration result for PET image and satisfactory segmentation results for both PET and CT images. For lung cancer dataset, the average DSI (0.72) increased by 0.17 and 0.40 than single PET and CT segmentation. For esophageal cancer dataset, the average DSI (0.85) increased by 0.07 and 0.43 than single PET and CT segmentation. Conclusion: The proposed method took full advantage of the complementary information from PET and CT images. This work was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute Grants R01CA172638. Shan Tan and Laquan Li were supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, under Grant Nos. 60971112 and 61375018.« less

Blade attachment assembly

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

Garcia-Crespo, Andres Jose; Delvaux, John McConnell; Miller, Diane Patricia

An assembly and method for affixing a turbomachine rotor blade to a rotor wheel are disclosed. In an embodiment, an adaptor member is provided disposed between the blade and the rotor wheel, the adaptor member including an adaptor attachment slot that is complementary to the blade attachment member, and an adaptor attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot. A coverplate is provided, having a coverplate attachment member that is complementary to the rotor wheel attachment slot, and a hook for engaging the adaptor member. When assembled, the coverplate member matingly engages with the adaptor member, andmore » retains the blade in the adaptor member, and the assembly in the rotor wheel.« less

The complementary medicine (CAM) for the treatment of chronic pain: scientific evidence regarding the effects of healing touch massage.

PubMed

Marletta, Giuseppe; Canfora, Angela; Roscani, Francesco; Cernicchiaro, Lucia; Cutrera, Maria; Russo, Marianna; Artioli, Giovanna; Sarli, Leopoldo

2015-09-09

Evidence-based medicine offers effective pathways of pharmacological treatment for chronic pain that may compromise the quality of life of patients; this is one of the main reasons why more and more people resort to traditional and complementary approaches, to try to maintain or regain their health. The effectiveness of the various forms of complementary treatments often cannot be proven objectively, which is why, given the need to find more concrete evidence of the effectiveness of complementary therapies with particular reference to the method of healing touch massage, a review of the literature was conducted in order to gather evidence of the efficacy of the specific method regarding pain and other health outcomes of patients with malignant disease to support a proposal for improvement, based on the practice of healing touch massage conducted by nurses. Systematic review. There are several examples (in some cases specifically regarding patients with tumors) of the positive effects of healing touch massage on pain, anxiety and fatigue, and also on biochemical parameters. The way to full recognition by both the institutional and the scientific community seems to promise fairly well, although it should be noted that the achievement of this goal will require further research avoiding the limitations of previous studies.

Systematic reviews of complementary therapies – an annotated bibliography. Part 3: Homeopathy

PubMed Central

Linde, Klaus; Hondras, Maria; Vickers, Andrew; Riet, Gerben ter; Melchart, Dieter

2001-01-01

Background Complementary therapies are widespread but controversial. We aim to provide a comprehensive collection and a summary of systematic reviews of clinical trials in three major complementary therapies (acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy). This article is dealing with homeopathy. Potentially relevant reviews were searched through the register of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field, the Cochrane Library, Medline, and bibliographies of articles and books. To be included articles had to review prospective clinical trials of homeopathy; had to describe review methods explicitly; had to be published; and had to focus on treatment effects. Information on conditions, interventions, methods, results and conclusions was extracted using a pretested form and summarized descriptively. Results Eighteen out of 22 potentially relevant reviews preselected in the screening process met the inclusion criteria. Six reviews addressed the question whether homeopathy is effective across conditions and interventions. The majority of available trials seem to report positive results but the evidence is not convincing. For isopathic nosodes for allergic conditions, oscillococcinum for influenza-like syndromes and galphimia for pollinosis the evidence is promising while in other areas reviewed the results are equivocal. Interpretation Reviews on homeopathy often address general questions. While the evidence is promising for some topics the findings of the available reviews are unlikely to end the controversy on this therapy. PMID:11527508

Metabolomic Fingerprinting in the Comprehensive Study of Liver Changes Associated with Onion Supplementation in Hypercholesterolemic Wistar Rats

PubMed Central

González-Peña, Diana; Dudzik, Danuta; García, Antonia; de Ancos, Begoña; Barbas, Coral; Sánchez-Moreno, Concepción

2017-01-01

The consumption of functional ingredients has been suggested to be a complementary tool for the prevention and management of liver disease. In this light, processed onion can be considered as a source of multiple bioactive compounds with hepatoprotective properties. The liver fingerprint of male Wistar rats (n = 24) fed with three experimental diets (control (C), high-cholesterol (HC), and high-cholesterol enriched with onion (HCO) diets) was obtained through a non-targeted, multiplatform metabolomics approach to produce broad metabolite coverage. LC-MS, CE-MS and GC-MS results were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses, providing a list of significant metabolites. All data were merged in order to figure out the most relevant metabolites that were modified by the onion ingredient. Several relevant metabolic changes and related metabolic pathways were found to be impacted by both HC and HCO diet. The model highlighted several metabolites (such as hydroxybutyryl carnitine and palmitoyl carnitine) modified by the HCO diet. These findings could suggest potential impairments in the energy−lipid metabolism, perturbations in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) cycle and β-oxidation modulated by the onion supplementation in the core of hepatic dysfunction. Metabolomics shows to be a valuable tool to evaluate the effects of complementary dietetic approaches directed to hepatic damage amelioration or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevention. PMID:28134852

Transcriptomes Reveal Genetic Signatures Underlying Physiological Variations Imposed by Different Fermentation Conditions in Lactobacillus plantarum

PubMed Central

Bongers, Roger S.; van Bokhorst-van de Veen, Hermien; Wiersma, Anne; Overmars, Lex; Marco, Maria L.; Kleerebezem, Michiel

2012-01-01

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are utilized widely for the fermentation of foods. In the current post-genomic era, tools have been developed that explore genetic diversity among LAB strains aiming to link these variations to differential phenotypes observed in the strains investigated. However, these genotype-phenotype matching approaches fail to assess the role of conserved genes in the determination of physiological characteristics of cultures by environmental conditions. This manuscript describes a complementary approach in which Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 was fermented under a variety of conditions that differ in temperature, pH, as well as NaCl, amino acid, and O2 levels. Samples derived from these fermentations were analyzed by full-genome transcriptomics, paralleled by the assessment of physiological characteristics, e.g., maximum growth rate, yield, and organic acid profiles. A data-storage and -mining suite designated FermDB was constructed and exploited to identify correlations between fermentation conditions and industrially relevant physiological characteristics of L. plantarum, as well as the associated transcriptome signatures. Finally, integration of the specific fermentation variables with the transcriptomes enabled the reconstruction of the gene-regulatory networks involved. The fermentation-genomics platform presented here is a valuable complementary approach to earlier described genotype-phenotype matching strategies which allows the identification of transcriptome signatures underlying physiological variations imposed by different fermentation conditions. PMID:22802930

Complementary and alternative medicine use in children with thalassaemia.

PubMed

Efe, Emine; Işler, Ayşegül; Sarvan, Süreyya; Başer, Hayriye; Yeşilipek, Akif

2013-03-01

The aims of this study were to: (1) determine the types of complementary and alternative medicine use among children with thalassaemia as reported by parents and (2) describe sociodemographic and medical factors associated with the use of such treatments in families residing in southern Turkey. Thalassaemia is one of the most common human genetic diseases. Despite the therapeutic efforts, patients will encounter a variety of physical and psychological problems. Therefore, the use of complementary and alternative medicines among children thalassaemia is becoming increasingly popular. This is a descriptive study of complementary and alternative medicine. This study was conducted in the Hematology Outpatient Clinic at Akdeniz University Hospital and in the Thalassemia Centre at Ministry of Health Antalya Education and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey, between January 2010-December 2010. Parents of 97 paediatric patients, among 125 parents who applied to the haematology outpatient clinic and thalassaemia centre between these dates, agreed to take part in the study with whom contact could be made were included. Data were collected by using a questionnaire. The proportion of parents who reported using one or more of the complementary and alternative medicine methods was 82·5%. Of these parents, 61·8% were using prayer/spiritual practice, 47·4% were using nutritional supplements and 35·1% were using animal materials. It was determined that a significant portion of the parents using complementary and alternative medicine use it to treat their children's health problems, they were informed about complementary and alternative medicine by their paediatricians and family elders, and they have discussed the use of complementary and alternative medicine with healthcare professionals. To sustain medical treatment and prognosis of thalassaemia, it is important for nurses to consult with their patients and parents regarding the use and potential risks of some complementary and alternative medicine. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Law's Dilemma: Validating Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Clash of Evidential Paradigms

PubMed Central

Iyioha, Ireh

2011-01-01

This paper examines the (in)compatibility between the diagnostic and therapeutic theories of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and a science-based regulatory framework. Specifically, the paper investigates the nexus between statutory legitimacy and scientific validation of health systems, with an examination of its impact on the development of complementary and alternative therapies. The paper evaluates competing theories for validating CAM ranging from the RCT methodology to anthropological perspectives and contends that while the RCT method might be beneficial in the regulation of many CAM therapies, yet dogmatic adherence to this paradigm as the exclusive method for legitimizing CAM will be adverse to the independent development of many CAM therapies whose philosophies and mechanisms of action are not scientifically interpretable. Drawing on history and research evidence to support this argument, the paper sues for a regulatory model that is accommodative of different evidential paradigms in support of a pluralistic healthcare system that balances the imperative of quality assurance with the need to ensure access. PMID:20953428

Detection of DNA damage by using hairpin molecular beacon probes and graphene oxide.

PubMed

Zhou, Jie; Lu, Qian; Tong, Ying; Wei, Wei; Liu, Songqin

2012-09-15

A hairpin molecular beacon tagged with carboxyfluorescein in combination with graphene oxide as a quencher reagent was used to detect the DNA damage by chemical reagents. The fluorescence of molecular beacon was quenched sharply by graphene oxide; while in the presence of its complementary DNA the quenching efficiency decreased because their hybridization prevented the strong adsorbability of molecular beacon on graphene oxide. If the complementary DNA was damaged by a chemical reagent and could not form intact duplex structure with molecular beacon, more molecular beacon would adsorb on graphene oxide increasing the quenching efficiency. Thus, damaged DNA could be detected based on different quenching efficiencies afforded by damaged and intact complementary DNA. The damage effects of chlorpyrifos-methyl and three metabolites of styrene such as mandelieaeids, phenylglyoxylieaeids and epoxystyrene on DNA were studied as models. The method for detection of DNA damage was reliable, rapid and simple compared to the biological methods. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rapid Estimation of Astaxanthin and the Carotenoid-to-Chlorophyll Ratio in the Green Microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis Using Flow Cytometry.

PubMed

Chen, Junhui; Wei, Dong; Pohnert, Georg

2017-07-19

The green microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis can accumulate significant amounts of valuable carotenoids, mainly natural astaxanthin, a product with applications in functional food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and with potential therapeutic value in cardiovascular and neurological diseases. To optimize the production of astaxanthin, it is essential to monitor the content of astaxanthin in algal cells during cultivation. The widely used HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) method for quantitative astaxanthin determination is time-consuming and laborious. In the present work, we present a method using flow cytometry (FCM) for in vivo determination of the astaxanthin content and the carotenoid-to-chlorophyll ratio (Car/Chl) in mixotrophic C. zofingiensis . The method is based on the assessment of fluorescent characteristics of cellular pigments. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of living cells was determined by FCM to monitor pigment formation based on the correlation between MFI detected in particular channels (FL1: 533 ± 15 nm; FL2: 585 ± 20 nm; FL3: >670 nm) and pigment content in algal cells. Through correlation and regression analysis, a linear relationship was observed between MFI in FL2 (band-pass filter, emission at 585 nm in FCM) and astaxanthin content (in HPLC) and applied for predicting astaxanthin content. With similar procedures, the relationships between MFI in different channels and Car/Chl ratio in mixotrophic C. zofingiensis were also determined. Car/Chl ratios could be estimated by the ratios of MFI (FL1/FL3, FL2/FL3). FCM is thus a highly efficient and feasible method for rapid estimation of astaxanthin content in the green microalga C. zofingiensis . The rapid FCM method is complementary to the current HPLC method, especially for rapid evaluation and prediction of astaxanthin formation as it is required during the high-throughput culture in the laboratory and mass cultivation in industry.

Rapid Estimation of Astaxanthin and the Carotenoid-to-Chlorophyll Ratio in the Green Microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis Using Flow Cytometry

PubMed Central

Chen, Junhui; Pohnert, Georg

2017-01-01

The green microalga Chromochloris zofingiensis can accumulate significant amounts of valuable carotenoids, mainly natural astaxanthin, a product with applications in functional food, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and with potential therapeutic value in cardiovascular and neurological diseases. To optimize the production of astaxanthin, it is essential to monitor the content of astaxanthin in algal cells during cultivation. The widely used HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) method for quantitative astaxanthin determination is time-consuming and laborious. In the present work, we present a method using flow cytometry (FCM) for in vivo determination of the astaxanthin content and the carotenoid-to-chlorophyll ratio (Car/Chl) in mixotrophic C. zofingiensis. The method is based on the assessment of fluorescent characteristics of cellular pigments. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of living cells was determined by FCM to monitor pigment formation based on the correlation between MFI detected in particular channels (FL1: 533 ± 15 nm; FL2: 585 ± 20 nm; FL3: >670 nm) and pigment content in algal cells. Through correlation and regression analysis, a linear relationship was observed between MFI in FL2 (band-pass filter, emission at 585 nm in FCM) and astaxanthin content (in HPLC) and applied for predicting astaxanthin content. With similar procedures, the relationships between MFI in different channels and Car/Chl ratio in mixotrophic C. zofingiensis were also determined. Car/Chl ratios could be estimated by the ratios of MFI (FL1/FL3, FL2/FL3). FCM is thus a highly efficient and feasible method for rapid estimation of astaxanthin content in the green microalga C. zofingiensis. The rapid FCM method is complementary to the current HPLC method, especially for rapid evaluation and prediction of astaxanthin formation as it is required during the high-throughput culture in the laboratory and mass cultivation in industry. PMID:28753934

Efficient and simpler method to construct normalized cDNA libraries with improved representations of full-length cDNAs

DOEpatents

Soares, Marcelo Bento; Bonaldo, Maria de Fatima

1998-01-01

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library comprising: (a) constructing a directionally cloned library containing cDNA inserts wherein the insert is capable of being amplified by polymerase chain reaction; (b) converting a double-stranded cDNA library into single-stranded DNA circles; (c) generating single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) by polymerase chain reaction with appropriate primers; (d) hybridizing the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) with the complementary single-stranded nucleic acid molecules generated in step (c) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; and (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded DNA circles from the hybridized DNA circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. This invention also provides a method to normalize a cDNA library wherein the generating of single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) is by excising cDNA inserts from the double-stranded cDNA library; purifying the cDNA inserts from cloning vectors; and digesting the cDNA inserts with an exonuclease. This invention further provides a method to construct a subtractive cDNA library following the steps described above. This invention further provides normalized and/or subtractive cDNA libraries generated by the above methods.

Hyperspectral Analysis of Soil Total Nitrogen in Subsided Land Using the Local Correlation Maximization-Complementary Superiority (LCMCS) Method

PubMed Central

Lin, Lixin; Wang, Yunjia; Teng, Jiyao; Xi, Xiuxiu

2015-01-01

The measurement of soil total nitrogen (TN) by hyperspectral remote sensing provides an important tool for soil restoration programs in areas with subsided land caused by the extraction of natural resources. This study used the local correlation maximization-complementary superiority method (LCMCS) to establish TN prediction models by considering the relationship between spectral reflectance (measured by an ASD FieldSpec 3 spectroradiometer) and TN based on spectral reflectance curves of soil samples collected from subsided land which is determined by synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technology. Based on the 1655 selected effective bands of the optimal spectrum (OSP) of the first derivate differential of reciprocal logarithm ([log{1/R}]′), (correlation coefficients, p < 0.01), the optimal model of LCMCS method was obtained to determine the final model, which produced lower prediction errors (root mean square error of validation [RMSEV] = 0.89, mean relative error of validation [MREV] = 5.93%) when compared with models built by the local correlation maximization (LCM), complementary superiority (CS) and partial least squares regression (PLS) methods. The predictive effect of LCMCS model was optional in Cangzhou, Renqiu and Fengfeng District. Results indicate that the LCMCS method has great potential to monitor TN in subsided lands caused by the extraction of natural resources including groundwater, oil and coal. PMID:26213935

Efficient and simpler method to construct normalized cDNA libraries with improved representations of full-length cDNAs

DOEpatents

Soares, M.B.; Fatima Bonaldo, M. de

1998-12-08

This invention provides a method to normalize a cDNA library comprising: (a) constructing a directionally cloned library containing cDNA inserts wherein the insert is capable of being amplified by polymerase chain reaction; (b) converting a double-stranded cDNA library into single-stranded DNA circles; (c) generating single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) by polymerase chain reaction with appropriate primers; (d) hybridizing the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) with the complementary single-stranded nucleic acid molecules generated in step (c) to produce partial duplexes to an appropriate Cot; and (e) separating the unhybridized single-stranded DNA circles from the hybridized DNA circles, thereby generating a normalized cDNA library. This invention also provides a method to normalize a cDNA library wherein the generating of single-stranded nucleic acid molecules complementary to the single-stranded DNA circles converted in step (b) is by excising cDNA inserts from the double-stranded cDNA library; purifying the cDNA inserts from cloning vectors; and digesting the cDNA inserts with an exonuclease. This invention further provides a method to construct a subtractive cDNA library following the steps described above. This invention further provides normalized and/or subtractive cDNA libraries generated by the above methods. 25 figs.

Carbohydrate composition, viscosity, solubility, and sensory acceptance of sweetpotato- and maize-based complementary foods

PubMed Central

Amagloh, Francis Kweku; Mutukumira, Anthony N.; Brough, Louise; Weber, Janet L.; Hardacre, Allan; Coad, Jane

2013-01-01

Background Cereal-based complementary foods from non-malted ingredients form a relatively high viscous porridge. Therefore, excessive dilution, usually with water, is required to reduce the viscosity to be appropriate for infant feeding. The dilution invariably leads to energy and nutrient thinning, that is, the reduction of energy and nutrient densities. Carbohydrate is the major constituent of food that significantly influences viscosity when heated in water. Objectives To compare the sweetpotato-based complementary foods (extrusion-cooked ComFa, roller-dried ComFa, and oven-toasted ComFa) and enriched Weanimix (maize-based formulation) regarding their 1) carbohydrate composition, 2) viscosity and water solubility index (WSI), and 3) sensory acceptance evaluated by sub-Sahara African women as model caregivers. Methods The level of simple sugars/carbohydrates was analysed by spectrophotometry, total dietary fibre by enzymatic-gravimetric method, and total carbohydrate and starch levels estimated by calculation. A Rapid Visco™ Analyser was used to measure viscosity. WSI was determined gravimetrically. A consumer sensory evaluation was used to evaluate the product acceptance of the roller-dried ComFa, oven-toasted ComFa, and enriched Weanimix. Results The sweetpotato-based complementary foods were, on average, significantly higher in maltose, sucrose, free glucose and fructose, and total dietary fibre, but they were markedly lower in starch content compared with the levels in the enriched Weanimix. Consequently, the sweetpotato-based complementary foods had relatively low apparent viscosity, and high WSI, than that of enriched Weanimix. The scores of sensory liking given by the caregivers were highest for the roller-dried ComFa, followed by the oven-toasted ComFa, and, finally, the enriched Weanimix. Conclusion The sweetpotato-based formulations have significant advantages as complementary food due to the high level of endogenous sugars and low starch content that reduce the viscosity, increase the solubility, impart desirable sensory characteristics, and potentially avoid excessive energy and nutrient thinning. PMID:23516115

Complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour.

PubMed

Smith, C A; Collins, C T; Cyna, A M; Crowther, C A

2003-01-01

Many women would like to avoid pharmacological or invasive methods of pain management in labour and this may contribute towards the popularity of complementary methods of pain management. This review examined currently available evidence supporting the use of alternative and complementary therapies for pain management in labour. To examine the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour on maternal and perinatal morbidity. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register (July 2002), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2002), MEDLINE (1966 to July 2002), EMBASE (1980 to July 2002) and CINAHL (1980 to July 2002). The inclusion criteria included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials comparing complementary and alternative therapies with placebo, no treatment or pharmacological forms of pain management in labour. All women whether primiparous or multiparous, and in spontaneous or induced labour, in the first and second stage of labour were included. Meta-analysis was performed using relative risks for dichotomous outcomes and weighted mean differences for continuous outcomes. The outcome measures were maternal satisfaction, use of pharmacological pain relief and maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. Seven trials involving 366 women and using different modalities of pain management were included in this review. The trials included one involving acupuncture (n = 100), one involving audio-analgesia (n = 25), one involving aromatherapy (n = 22), three trials of hypnosis (n = 189) and one trial of music (n = 30). The trial of acupuncture decreased the need for pain relief (relative risk (RR) 0.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.81). Women receiving hypnosis were more satisfied with their pain management in labour compared with controls (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.55 to 4.71). No differences were seen for women receiving aromatherapy, music or audio analgesia. Acupuncture and hypnosis may be beneficial for the management of pain during labour. However, few complementary therapies have been subjected to proper scientific study and the number of women studied is small.

Advanced Pharmacotherapy Evidenced by Pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Lee, Yeon Jung; Oh, Soo Hyun; Park, Chanmin; Hong, Minha; Lee, Ah Rah; Yoo, Hee Jeong; Shin, Chan Young; Cheon, Keun-Ah

2014-01-01

In clinical practice, pharmacological treatment is mostly focused on behavioral symptoms in everyday life. Nevertheless, persistent effort continues to develop medication for causal treatment. Recent changes in diagnostic criteria from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) to DSM-5 would affect not only diagnosing approaches, but also therapeutic approaches. Because previous pervasive developmental disorders have been integrated into a single entity, the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we have to prepare for what medications are valuable for the ASD. In this article, we reviewed the following etiological treatment: acetylcholine and glutamate related medicine; amino acid medicine such as secretin, endogenous opioid, and oxytocin; complementary and alternative medicine such as chelating agents, vitamins, and omega-3; promising drugs related to the scope of pharmacogenetics currently under study. PMID:24851117

A new approach for cloning hLIF cDNA from genomic DNA isolated from the oral mucous membrane.

PubMed

Cui, Y H; Zhu, G Q; Chen, Q J; Wang, Y F; Yang, M M; Song, Y X; Wang, J G; Cao, B Y

2011-11-25

Complementary DNA (cDNA) is valuable for investigating protein structure and function in the study of life science, but it is difficult to obtain by traditional reverse transcription. We employed a novel strategy to clone human leukemia inhibitory factor (hLIF) gene cDNA from genomic DNA, which was directly isolated from the mucous membrane of mouth. The hLIF sequence, which is 609 bp long and is composed of three exons, can be acquired within a few hours by amplifying each exon and splicing all of them using overlap-PCR. This new approach developed is simple, time- and cost-effective, without RNA preparation or cDNA synthesis, and is not limited to the specific tissues for a particular gene and the expression level of the gene.

Experiences in extraction of contact parameters from process-evaluation test-structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lieneweg, Udo

1988-01-01

Six-terminal-contact test structures are introduced for characterizing ohmic contacts between a metal and a heavily doped semiconductor layer. Specifically, the six-terminal test structure supplies the additional information needed in order to calculate the transmission length and eventual corrections to the characteristic resistance per unit width due to finite contact length. The essential feature of this test structure is a square contact with four taps in the lower (semiconductor) layer. Every other one of these taps is used for current injection ('front'). From the voltage drop at the opposite tap and the side taps, the 'end' resistance and the 'side' resistances are calculated. The test structures are shown to give valuable information complementary to the common front resistance measurements. The interfacial resistivity is obtained directly after proper correction for flange effects.

Inferring field-scale properties of a fractured aquifer from ground surface deformation during a well test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuite, Jonathan; Longuevergne, Laurent; Bour, Olivier; Boudin, Frédérick; Durand, Stéphane; Lavenant, Nicolas

2015-12-01

Fractured aquifers which bear valuable water resources are often difficult to characterize with classical hydrogeological tools due to their intrinsic heterogeneities. Here we implement ground surface deformation tools (tiltmetry and optical leveling) to monitor groundwater pressure changes induced by a classical hydraulic test at the Ploemeur observatory. By jointly analyzing complementary time constraining data (tilt) and spatially constraining data (vertical displacement), our results strongly suggest that the use of these surface deformation observations allows for estimating storativity and structural properties (dip, root depth, and lateral extension) of a large hydraulically active fracture, in good agreement with previous studies. Hence, we demonstrate that ground surface deformation is a useful addition to traditional hydrogeological techniques and opens possibilities for characterizing important large-scale properties of fractured aquifers with short-term well tests as a controlled forcing.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of General Practitioners toward Complementary and Alternative Medicine: a Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Barikani, Ameneh; Beheshti, Akram; Javadi, Maryam; Yasi, Marzieh

2015-08-01

Orientation of public and physicians to the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is one of the most prominent symbols of structural changes in the health service system. The aim of his study was a determination of knowledge, attitude, and practice of general practitioners in complementary and alternative medicine. This cross- sectional study was conducted in Qazvin, Iran in 2013. A self-administered questionnaire was used for collecting data including four information parts: population information, physicians' attitude and knowledge, methods of getting information and their function. A total of 228 physicians in Qazvin comprised the population of study according to the deputy of treatment's report of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. A total of 150 physicians were selected randomly, and SPSS Statistical program was used to enter questionnaires' data. Results were analyzed as descriptive statistics and statistical analysis. Sixty percent of all responders were male. About sixty (59.4) percent of participating practitioners had worked less than 10 years.96.4 percent had a positive attitude towards complementary and alternative medicine. Knowledge of practitioners about traditional medicine in 11 percent was good, 36.3% and 52.7% had average and little information, respectively. 17.9% of practitioners offered their patients complementary and alternative medicine for treatment. Although there was little knowledge among practitioners about traditional medicine and complementary approaches, a significant percentage of them had attitude higher than the lower limit.

Should Bouchet's hypothesis be taken into account in rainfall-runoff modelling? An assessment over 308 catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oudin, Ludovic; Michel, Claude; Andréassian, Vazken; Anctil, François; Loumagne, Cécile

2005-12-01

An implementation of the complementary relationship hypothesis (Bouchet's hypothesis) for estimating regional evapotranspiration within two rainfall-runoff models is proposed and evaluated in terms of streamflow simulation efficiency over a large sample of 308 catchments located in Australia, France and the USA. Complementary relationship models are attractive approaches to estimating actual evapotranspiration because they rely solely on climatic variables. They are even more interesting since they are supported by a conceptual description underlying the interactions between the evapotranspirating surface and the atmospheric boundary layer, which was highlighted by Bouchet (1963). However, these approaches appear to be in contradiction with the methods prevailing in rainfall-runoff models, which compute actual evapotranspiration using soil moisture accounting procedures. The approach adopted in this article is to introduce the estimation of actual evapotranspiration provided by complementary relationship models (complementary relationship for areal evapotranspiration and advection aridity) into two rainfall-runoff models. Results show that directly using the complementary relationship approach to estimate actual evapotranspiration does not give better results than the soil moisture accounting procedures. Finally, we discuss feedback mechanisms between potential evapotranspiration and soil water availability, and their possible impact on rainfall-runoff modelling. Copyright

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Work Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Associated With Job Contentment in Dental Professionals: Indian Outlook

PubMed Central

Gupta, Devanand; Bhaskar, Dara John; Gupta, Kumar Rajendra; Karim, Bushra; Kanwar, Alpana; Jain, Ankita; Yadav, Ankit; Saini, Priya; Arya, Satya; Sachdeva, Neha

2014-01-01

Background High prevalence rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSD) among dentists have been reported. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies can be helpful in managing and preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine if dental professionals are using CAM for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Who have greater job satisfaction: dentist who uses Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) or conventional therapy (CT) as a treatment modality for WRMSD Method Dentists who registered in Uttar Pradesh state, India under Indian Dental Council, Uttar Pradesh branch (n=1134) were surveyed. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analyses and logistic regression. Result A response rate of 53% (n=601) was obtained, revealing that 82% (n=487) of the respondents suffered from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The use of complementary and alternative medicine or conventional therapy was reported among 80% (n=390) of the dentists with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Complementary and alternative medicine users reported greater overall health compared to conventional therapy users (P<0.001). Of those with work-related musculoskeletal disorders, 35.5% (n=172) considered a career change for once, and 4.0% (n=19) reported having left dentistry. Conclusion Complementary and alternative medicine therapies may improve quality of life, reduce work disruptions and enhance job satisfaction for dentists who suffer from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. It is important that dentists incorporate complementary and alternative medicine strategies into practice to facilitate musculoskeletal health that will enable longer and healthier careers, increase productivity, provide safer workplace and prevent musculoskeletal disorders. PMID:24795512

Operando XRD studies as a tool for determination of transport parameters of mobile ions in electrode materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondracki, Łukasz; Kulka, Andrzej; Świerczek, Konrad; Ziąbka, Magdalena; Molenda, Janina

2017-11-01

In this work a detailed operando XRD investigations of structural properties of LixMn2O4 manganese spinel are shown to be a complementary, successful method of determination of diffusion coefficient D and surface exchange coefficient k in the working electrode. Kinetics of lithium ions transport are estimated on the basis of rate of structural changes of the cathode material during a relaxation stage after a high current charge, i.e. during structural relaxation of the material. The presented approach seems to be applicable as a complementary method of determination of transport coefficients for all intercalation-type electrode materials.

Rapid method to detect duplex formation in sequencing by hybridization methods, a method for constructing containment structures for reagent interaction

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, Andrei Darievich; Yershov, Gennadiy Moiseyevich; Guschin, Dmitry Yuryevich; Gemmell, Margaret Anne; Shick, Valentine V.; Proudnikov, Dmitri Y.; Timofeev, Edward N.

2002-01-01

A method for determining the existence of duplexes of oligonucleotide complementary molecules is provided whereby a plurality of immobilized oligonucleotide molecules, each of a specific length and each having a specific base sequence, is contacted with complementary, single stranded oligonucleotide molecules to form a duplex so as to facilitate intercalation of a fluorescent dye between the base planes of the duplex. The invention also provides for a method for constructing oligonucleotide matrices comprising confining light sensitive fluid to a surface, exposing said light-sensitive fluid to a light pattern so as to cause the fluid exposed to the light to polymerize into discrete units and adhere to the surface; and contacting each of the units with a set of different oligonucleotide molecules so as to allow the molecules to disperse into the units.

New echocardiographic windows for quantitative determination of aortic regurgitation volume using color Doppler flow convergence and vena contracta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiota, T.; Jones, M.; Agler, D. A.; McDonald, R. W.; Marcella, C. P.; Qin, J. X.; Zetts, A. D.; Greenberg, N. L.; Cardon, L. A.; Sun, J. P.;

Synthetic river valleys: Creating prescribed topography for form-process inquiry and river rehabilitation design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, R. A.; Pasternack, G. B.; Wallender, W. W.

2014-06-01

The synthesis of artificial landforms is complementary to geomorphic analysis because it affords a reflection on both the characteristics and intrinsic formative processes of real world conditions. Moreover, the applied terminus of geomorphic theory is commonly manifested in the engineering and rehabilitation of riverine landforms where the goal is to create specific processes associated with specific morphology. To date, the synthesis of river topography has been explored outside of geomorphology through artistic renderings, computer science applications, and river rehabilitation design; while within geomorphology it has been explored using morphodynamic modeling, such as one-dimensional simulation of river reach profiles, two-dimensional simulation of river networks, and three-dimensional simulation of subreach scale river morphology. To date, no approach allows geomorphologists, engineers, or river rehabilitation practitioners to create landforms of prescribed conditions. In this paper a method for creating topography of synthetic river valleys is introduced that utilizes a theoretical framework that draws from fluvial geomorphology, computer science, and geometric modeling. Such a method would be valuable to geomorphologists in understanding form-process linkages as well as to engineers and river rehabilitation practitioners in developing design surfaces that can be rapidly iterated. The method introduced herein relies on the discretization of river valley topography into geometric elements associated with overlapping and orthogonal two-dimensional planes such as the planform, profile, and cross section that are represented by mathematical functions, termed geometric element equations. Topographic surfaces can be parameterized independently or dependently using a geomorphic covariance structure between the spatial series of geometric element equations. To illustrate the approach and overall model flexibility examples are provided that are associated with mountain, lowland, and hybrid synthetic river valleys. To conclude, recommended advances such as multithread channels are discussed along with potential applications.

EDITORIAL: (Nano)characterization of semiconductor materials and structures (Nano)characterization of semiconductor materials and structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonanni, Alberta

2011-06-01

The latest impressive advancements in the epitaxial fabrication of semiconductors and in the refinement of characterization techniques have the potential to allow insight into the deep relation between materials' structural properties and their physical and chemical functionalities. Furthermore, while the comprehensive (nano)characterization of semiconductor materials and structures is becoming more and more necessary, a compendium of the currently available techniques is lacking. We are positive that an overview of the hurdles related to the specific methods, often leading to deceptive interpretations, will be most informative for the broad community working on semiconductors, and will help in shining some light onto a plethora of controversial reports found in the literature. From this perspective, with this special issue we address and highlight the challenges and misinterpretations related to complementary local (nanoscale) and more global experimental methods for the characterization of semiconductors. The six topical reviews and the three invited papers by leading experts in the specific fields collected in here are intended to provide the required broad overview on the possibilities of actual (nano)characterization methods, from the microscopy of single quantum structures, over the synchrotron-based absorption and diffraction of nano-objects, to the contentious detection of tiny magnetic signals by quantum interference and resonance techniques. We are grateful to all the authors for their valuable contributions. Moreover, I would like to thank the Editorial Board of the journal for supporting the realization of this special issue and for inviting me to serve as Guest Editor. We greatly appreciate the work of the reviewers, of the editorial staff of Semiconductor Science and Technology and of IOP Publishing. In particular, the efforts of Alice Malhador in coordinating this special issue are acknowledged.

New echocardiographic windows for quantitative determination of aortic regurgitation volume using color Doppler flow convergence and vena contracta.

PubMed

Shiota, T; Jones, M; Agler, D A; McDonald, R W; Marcella, C P; Qin, J X; Zetts, A D; Greenberg, N L; Cardon, L A; Sun, J P; Sahn, D J; Thomas, J D

1999-04-01

Color Doppler images of aortic regurgitation (AR) flow acceleration, flow convergence (FC), and the vena contracta (VC) have been reported to be useful for evaluating severity of AR. However, clinical application of these methods has been limited because of the difficulty in clearly imaging the FC and VC. This study aimed to explore new windows for imaging the FC and VC to evaluate AR volumes in patients and to validate this in animals with chronic AR. Forty patients with AR and 17 hemodynamic states in 4 sheep with strictly quantified AR volumes were evaluated. A Toshiba SSH 380A with a 3.75-MHz transducer was used to image the FC and VC. After routine echo Doppler imaging, patients were repositioned in the right lateral decubitus position, and the FC and VC were imaged from high right parasternal windows. In only 15 of the 40 patients was it possible to image clearly and measure accurately the FC and VC from conventional (left decubitus) apical or parasternal views. In contrast, 31 of 40 patients had clearly imaged FC regions and VCs using the new windows. In patients, AR volumes derived from the FC and VC methods combined with continuous velocity agreed well with each other (r = 0.97, mean difference = -7.9 ml +/- 9.9 ml/beat). In chronic animal model studies, AR volumes derived from both the VC and the FC agreed well with the electromagnetically derived AR volumes (r = 0.92, mean difference = -1.3 +/- 4.0 ml/beat). By imaging from high right parasternal windows in the right decubitus position, complementary use of the FC and VC methods can provide clinically valuable information about AR volumes.

Rapid method to detect duplex formation in sequencing by hybridization methods

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, A.D.; Timofeev, E.N.; Florentiev, V.L.; Kirillov, E.V.

1999-01-19

A method for determining the existence of duplexes of oligonucleotide complementary molecules is provided. A plurality of immobilized oligonucleotide molecules, each of a specific length and each having a specific base sequence, is contacted with complementary, single stranded oligonucleotide molecules to form a duplex. Each duplex facilitates intercalation of a fluorescent dye between the base planes of the duplex. The invention also provides for a method for constructing oligonucleotide matrices comprising confining light sensitive fluid to a surface and exposing the light-sensitive fluid to a light pattern. This causes the fluid exposed to the light to coalesce into discrete units and adhere to the surface. This places each of the units in contact with a set of different oligonucleotide molecules so as to allow the molecules to disperse into the units. 13 figs.

Rapid method to detect duplex formation in sequencing by hybridization methods

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, Andrei Darievich; Timofeev, Edward Nikolaevich; Florentiev, Vladimer Leonidovich; Kirillov, Eugene Vladislavovich

1999-01-01

A method for determining the existence of duplexes of oligonucleotide complementary molecules is provided whereby a plurality of immobilized oligonucleotide molecules, each of a specific length and each having a specific base sequence, is contacted with complementary, single stranded oligonucleotide molecules to form a duplex so as to facilitate intercalation of a fluorescent dye between the base planes of the duplex. The invention also provides for a method for constructing oligonucleotide matrices comprising confining light sensitive fluid to a surface, exposing said light-sensitive fluid to a light pattern so as to cause the fluid exposed to the light to coalesce into discrete units and adhere to the surface; and contacting each of the units with a set of different oligonucleotide molecules so as to allow the molecules to disperse into the units.

Rosacea Patient Perspectives on Homeopathic and Over-the-counter Therapies

PubMed Central

Lan, Lucy; Kuo, Sandy; Huang, Karen E.; Taylor, Sarah L.; Feldman, Steven R.

2015-01-01

Background: Rosacea patients commonly employ nonprescription therapies. The authors’ aim was to understand rosacea patients’ perceptions of over-the-counter products, complementary and alternative medicine, and homeopathic therapies. Method: A public, online discussion forum comprising 3,350 members and 27,051 posts provided a source of 346 posts on patient perceptions on alternative rosacea treatments. Results: Three major themes of nonprescription treatment were identified—motivation for use, patient-provider discussions, and experience with these treatments. Perceived medication failure, barriers to treatment, and distrust of physicians drive patients to seek nonprescription therapies. Still, patients prefer to consult a physician on incorporating nonprescription therapies into treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine natural products (19.4% of posts), complementary and alternative medicine practices (16.5%), and homeopathic medicine (3.8%) were commonly discussed. Conclusion: Physicians have an opportunity to be a trusted source of information on the strengths and weaknesses of skin care products and other complementary treatments for rosacea. PMID:26557217

Complementary filter implementation in the dynamic language Lua

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadowski, Damian; Sawicki, Aleksander; Lukšys, Donatas; Slanina, Zdenek

2017-08-01

The article presents the complementary filter implementation, that is used for the estimation of the pitch angle, in Lua script language. Inertial sensors as accelerometer and gyroscope were used in the study. Methods of angles estimation using acceleration and angular velocity sensors were presented in the theoretical part of the article. The operating principle of complementary filter has been presented. The prototype of Butterworth's analogue filter and its digital equivalent have been designed. Practical implementation of the issue was performed with the use of PC and DISCOVERY evaluation board equipped with STM32F01 processor, L3GD20 gyroscope and LS303DLHC accelerometer. Measurement data was transmitted by UART serial interface, then processed with the use of Lua software and luaRS232 programming library. Practical implementation was divided into two stages. In the first part, measurement data has been recorded and then processed with help of a complementary filter. In the second step, coroutines mechanism was used to filter data in real time.

Efficiency of snake sampling methods in the Brazilian semiarid region.

PubMed

Mesquita, Paula C M D; Passos, Daniel C; Cechin, Sonia Z

2013-09-01

The choice of sampling methods is a crucial step in every field survey in herpetology. In countries where time and financial support are limited, the choice of the methods is critical. The methods used to sample snakes often lack objective criteria, and the traditional methods have apparently been more important when making the choice. Consequently researches using not-standardized methods are frequently found in the literature. We have compared four commonly used methods for sampling snake assemblages in a semiarid area in Brazil. We compared the efficacy of each method based on the cost-benefit regarding the number of individuals and species captured, time, and financial investment. We found that pitfall traps were the less effective method in all aspects that were evaluated and it was not complementary to the other methods in terms of abundance of species and assemblage structure. We conclude that methods can only be considered complementary if they are standardized to the objectives of the study. The use of pitfall traps in short-term surveys of the snake fauna in areas with shrubby vegetation and stony soil is not recommended.

Method for deploying and recovering a wave energy converter

DOEpatents

Mundon, Timothy R

2017-05-23

A system for transporting a buoy and a heave plate. The system includes a buoy and a heave plate. An outer surface of the buoy has a first geometrical shape. A surface of the heave plate has a geometrical shape complementary to the first geometrical shape of the buoy. The complementary shapes of the buoy and the heave plate facilitate coupling of the heave plate to the outer surface of the buoy in a transport mode.

Systematic reviews of complementary therapies – an annotated bibliography. Part 2: Herbal medicine

PubMed Central

Linde, Klaus; ter Riet, Gerben; Hondras, Maria; Vickers, Andrew; Saller, Reinhard; Melchart, Dieter

2001-01-01

Background Complementary therapies are widespread but controversial. We aim to provide a comprehensive collection and a summary of systematic reviews of clinical trials in three major complementary therapies (acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy). This article is dealing with herbal medicine. Potentially relevant reviews were searched through the register of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field, the Cochrane Library, Medline, and bibliographies of articles and books. To be included articles had to review prospective clinical trials of herbal medicines; had to describe review methods explicitly; had to be published; and had to focus on treatment effects. Information on conditions, interventions, methods, results and conclusions was extracted using a pre-tested form and summarized descriptively. Results From a total of 79 potentially relevant reviews pre-selected in the screening process 58 met the inclusion criteria. Thirty of the reports reviewed ginkgo (for dementia, intermittent claudication, tinnitus, and macular degeneration), hypericum (for depression) or garlic preparations (for cardiovascular risk factors and lower limb atherosclerosis). The quality of primary studies was criticized in the majority of the reviews. Most reviews judged the available evidence as promising but definitive conclusions were rarely possible. Conclusions Systematic reviews are available on a broad range of herbal preparations prescribed for defined conditions. There is very little evidence on the effectiveness of herbalism as practised by specialist herbalists who combine herbs and use unconventional diagnosis. PMID:11518548

A New Method for Obtaining Russell-Saunders Terms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ying; Liu, Yue; Liu, Bihui

2011-01-01

A new method for obtaining Russell-Saunders terms of atomic configurations is reported. This new method is significantly different from, while at the same time complementary to, previously published methods for obtaining atomic terms. This novel procedure is elicited by the method used to determine the splitting of S, P, D terms in weak ligand…

Automatic identification of resting state networks: an extended version of multiple template-matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guaje, Javier; Molina, Juan; Rudas, Jorge; Demertzi, Athena; Heine, Lizette; Tshibanda, Luaba; Soddu, Andrea; Laureys, Steven; Gómez, Francisco

2015-12-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging in resting state (fMRI-RS) constitutes an informative protocol to investigate several pathological and pharmacological conditions. A common approach to study this data source is through the analysis of changes in the so called resting state networks (RSNs). These networks correspond to well-defined functional entities that have been associated to different low and high brain order functions. RSNs may be characterized by using Independent Component Analysis (ICA). ICA provides a decomposition of the fMRI-RS signal into sources of brain activity, but it lacks of information about the nature of the signal, i.e., if the source is artifactual or not. Recently, a multiple template-matching (MTM) approach was proposed to automatically recognize RSNs in a set of Independent Components (ICs). This method provides valuable information to assess subjects at individual level. Nevertheless, it lacks of a mechanism to quantify how much certainty there is about the existence/absence of each network. This information may be important for the assessment of patients with severely damaged brains, in which RSNs may be greatly affected as a result of the pathological condition. In this work we propose a set of changes to the original MTM that improves the RSNs recognition task and also extends the functionality of the method. The key points of this improvement is a standardization strategy and a modification of method's constraints that adds flexibility to the approach. Additionally, we also introduce an analysis to the trustworthiness measurement of each RSN obtained by using template-matching approach. This analysis consists of a thresholding strategy applied over the computed Goodness-of-Fit (GOF) between the set of templates and the ICs. The proposed method was validated on 2 two independent studies (Baltimore, 23 healthy subjects and Liege, 27 healthy subjects) with different configurations of MTM. Results suggest that the method will provide complementary information for characterization of RSNs at individual level.

Vegetation Continuous Fields--Transitioning from MODIS to VIIRS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DiMiceli, C.; Townshend, J. R.; Sohlberg, R. A.; Kim, D. H.; Kelly, M.

2015-12-01

Measurements of fractional vegetation cover are critical for accurate and consistent monitoring of global deforestation rates. They also provide important parameters for land surface, climate and carbon models and vital background data for research into fire, hydrological and ecosystem processes. MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) products provide four complementary layers of fractional cover: tree cover, non-tree vegetation, bare ground, and surface water. MODIS VCF products are currently produced globally and annually at 250m resolution for 2000 to the present. Additionally, annual VCF products at 1/20° resolution derived from AVHRR and MODIS Long-Term Data Records are in development to provide Earth System Data Records of fractional vegetation cover for 1982 to the present. In order to provide continuity of these valuable products, we are extending the VCF algorithms to create Suomi NPP/VIIRS VCF products. This presentation will highlight the first VIIRS fractional cover product: global percent tree cover at 1 km resolution. To create this product, phenological and physiological metrics were derived from each complete year of VIIRS 8-day surface reflectance products. A supervised regression tree method was applied to the metrics, using training derived from Landsat data supplemented by high-resolution data from Ikonos, RapidEye and QuickBird. The regression tree model was then applied globally to produce fractional tree cover. In our presentation we will detail our methods for creating the VIIRS VCF product. We will compare the new VIIRS VCF product to our current MODIS VCF products and demonstrate continuity between instruments. Finally, we will outline future VIIRS VCF development plans.

Clustering gene expression regulators: new approach to disease subtyping.

PubMed

Pyatnitskiy, Mikhail; Mazo, Ilya; Shkrob, Maria; Schwartz, Elena; Kotelnikova, Ekaterina

2014-01-01

One of the main challenges in modern medicine is to stratify different patient groups in terms of underlying disease molecular mechanisms as to develop more personalized approach to therapy. Here we propose novel method for disease subtyping based on analysis of activated expression regulators on a sample-by-sample basis. Our approach relies on Sub-Network Enrichment Analysis algorithm (SNEA) which identifies gene subnetworks with significant concordant changes in expression between two conditions. Subnetwork consists of central regulator and downstream genes connected by relations extracted from global literature-extracted regulation database. Regulators found in each patient separately are clustered together and assigned activity scores which are used for final patients grouping. We show that our approach performs well compared to other related methods and at the same time provides researchers with complementary level of understanding of pathway-level biology behind a disease by identification of significant expression regulators. We have observed the reasonable grouping of neuromuscular disorders (triggered by structural damage vs triggered by unknown mechanisms), that was not revealed using standard expression profile clustering. For another experiment we were able to suggest the clusters of regulators, responsible for colorectal carcinoma vs adenoma discrimination and identify frequently genetically changed regulators that could be of specific importance for the individual characteristics of cancer development. Proposed approach can be regarded as biologically meaningful feature selection, reducing tens of thousands of genes down to dozens of clusters of regulators. Obtained clusters of regulators make possible to generate valuable biological hypotheses about molecular mechanisms related to a clinical outcome for individual patient.

Clustering Gene Expression Regulators: New Approach to Disease Subtyping

PubMed Central

Pyatnitskiy, Mikhail; Mazo, Ilya; Shkrob, Maria; Schwartz, Elena; Kotelnikova, Ekaterina

2014-01-01

One of the main challenges in modern medicine is to stratify different patient groups in terms of underlying disease molecular mechanisms as to develop more personalized approach to therapy. Here we propose novel method for disease subtyping based on analysis of activated expression regulators on a sample-by-sample basis. Our approach relies on Sub-Network Enrichment Analysis algorithm (SNEA) which identifies gene subnetworks with significant concordant changes in expression between two conditions. Subnetwork consists of central regulator and downstream genes connected by relations extracted from global literature-extracted regulation database. Regulators found in each patient separately are clustered together and assigned activity scores which are used for final patients grouping. We show that our approach performs well compared to other related methods and at the same time provides researchers with complementary level of understanding of pathway-level biology behind a disease by identification of significant expression regulators. We have observed the reasonable grouping of neuromuscular disorders (triggered by structural damage vs triggered by unknown mechanisms), that was not revealed using standard expression profile clustering. For another experiment we were able to suggest the clusters of regulators, responsible for colorectal carcinoma vs adenoma discrimination and identify frequently genetically changed regulators that could be of specific importance for the individual characteristics of cancer development. Proposed approach can be regarded as biologically meaningful feature selection, reducing tens of thousands of genes down to dozens of clusters of regulators. Obtained clusters of regulators make possible to generate valuable biological hypotheses about molecular mechanisms related to a clinical outcome for individual patient. PMID:24416320

3D visualization and quantification of bone and teeth mineralization for the study of osteo/dentinogenesis in mice models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchadier, A.; Vidal, C.; Ordureau, S.; Lédée, R.; Léger, C.; Young, M.; Goldberg, M.

2011-03-01

Research on bone and teeth mineralization in animal models is critical for understanding human pathologies. Genetically modified mice represent highly valuable models for the study of osteo/dentinogenesis defects and osteoporosis. Current investigations on mice dental and skeletal phenotype use destructive and time consuming methods such as histology and scanning microscopy. Micro-CT imaging is quicker and provides high resolution qualitative phenotypic description. However reliable quantification of mineralization processes in mouse bone and teeth are still lacking. We have established novel CT imaging-based software for accurate qualitative and quantitative analysis of mouse mandibular bone and molars. Data were obtained from mandibles of mice lacking the Fibromodulin gene which is involved in mineralization processes. Mandibles were imaged with a micro-CT originally devoted to industrial applications (Viscom, X8060 NDT). 3D advanced visualization was performed using the VoxBox software (UsefulProgress) with ray casting algorithms. Comparison between control and defective mice mandibles was made by applying the same transfer function for each 3D data, thus allowing to detect shape, colour and density discrepencies. The 2D images of transverse slices of mandible and teeth were similar and even more accurate than those obtained with scanning electron microscopy. Image processing of the molars allowed the 3D reconstruction of the pulp chamber, providing a unique tool for the quantitative evaluation of dentinogenesis. This new method is highly powerful for the study of oro-facial mineralizations defects in mice models, complementary and even competitive to current histological and scanning microscopy appoaches.

Characterization of selected municipal solid waste components to estimate their biodegradability.

PubMed

Bayard, R; Benbelkacem, H; Gourdon, R; Buffière, P

2018-06-15

Biological treatments of Residual Municipal Solid Waste (RMSW) allow to divert biodegradable materials from landfilling and recover valuable alternative resources. The biodegradability of the waste components needs however to be assessed in order to design the bioprocesses properly. The present study investigated complementary approaches to aerobic and anaerobic biotests for a more rapid evaluation. A representative sample of residual MSW was collected from a Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant and sorted out into 13 fractions according to the French standard procedure MODECOM™. The different fractions were analyzed for organic matter content, leaching behavior, contents in biochemical constituents (determined by Van Soest's acid detergent fiber method), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Bio-Methane Potential (BMP). Experimental data were statistically treated by Principal Components Analysis (PCA). Cumulative oxygen consumption from BOD tests and cumulative methane production from BMP tests were found to be positively correlated in all waste fractions. No correlation was observed between the results from BOD or BMP bioassays and the contents in cellulose-like, hemicelluloses-like or labile organic compounds. No correlation was observed either with the results from leaching tests (Soluble COD). The contents in lignin-like compounds, evaluated as the non-extracted RES fraction in Van Soest's method, was found however to impact negatively the biodegradability assessed by BOD or BMP tests. Since cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin are the polymers responsible for the structuration of lignocellulosic complexes, it was concluded that the structural organization of the organic matter in the different waste fractions was more determinant on biodegradability than the respective contents in individual biopolymers. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validating a Method to Assess Lipreading, Audiovisual Gain, and Integration During Speech Reception With Cochlear-Implanted and Normal-Hearing Subjects Using a Talking Head.

PubMed

Schreitmüller, Stefan; Frenken, Miriam; Bentz, Lüder; Ortmann, Magdalene; Walger, Martin; Meister, Hartmut

Watching a talker's mouth is beneficial for speech reception (SR) in many communication settings, especially in noise and when hearing is impaired. Measures for audiovisual (AV) SR can be valuable in the framework of diagnosing or treating hearing disorders. This study addresses the lack of standardized methods in many languages for assessing lipreading, AV gain, and integration. A new method is validated that supplements a German speech audiometric test with visualizations of the synthetic articulation of an avatar that was used, for it is feasible to lip-sync auditory speech in a highly standardized way. Three hypotheses were formed according to the literature on AV SR that used live or filmed talkers. It was tested whether respective effects could be reproduced with synthetic articulation: (1) cochlear implant (CI) users have a higher visual-only SR than normal-hearing (NH) individuals, and younger individuals obtain higher lipreading scores than older persons. (2) Both CI and NH gain from presenting AV over unimodal (auditory or visual) sentences in noise. (3) Both CI and NH listeners efficiently integrate complementary auditory and visual speech features. In a controlled, cross-sectional study with 14 experienced CI users (mean age 47.4) and 14 NH individuals (mean age 46.3, similar broad age distribution), lipreading, AV gain, and integration of a German matrix sentence test were assessed. Visual speech stimuli were synthesized by the articulation of the Talking Head system "MASSY" (Modular Audiovisual Speech Synthesizer), which displayed standardized articulation with respect to the visibility of German phones. In line with the hypotheses and previous literature, CI users had a higher mean visual-only SR than NH individuals (CI, 38%; NH, 12%; p < 0.001). Age was correlated with lipreading such that within each group, younger individuals obtained higher visual-only scores than older persons (rCI = -0.54; p = 0.046; rNH = -0.78; p < 0.001). Both CI and NH benefitted by AV over unimodal speech as indexed by calculations of the measures visual enhancement and auditory enhancement (each p < 0.001). Both groups efficiently integrated complementary auditory and visual speech features as indexed by calculations of the measure integration enhancement (each p < 0.005). Given the good agreement between results from literature and the outcome of supplementing an existing validated auditory test with synthetic visual cues, the introduced method can be considered an interesting candidate for clinical and scientific applications to assess measures important for AV SR in a standardized manner. This could be beneficial for optimizing the diagnosis and treatment of individual listening and communication disorders, such as cochlear implantation.

Comparing methods suitable for monitoring marine mammals in low visibility conditions during seismic surveys.

PubMed

Verfuss, Ursula K; Gillespie, Douglas; Gordon, Jonathan; Marques, Tiago A; Miller, Brianne; Plunkett, Rachael; Theriault, James A; Tollit, Dominic J; Zitterbart, Daniel P; Hubert, Philippe; Thomas, Len

2018-01-01

Loud sound emitted during offshore industrial activities can impact marine mammals. Regulations typically prescribe marine mammal monitoring before and/or during these activities to implement mitigation measures that minimise potential acoustic impacts. Using seismic surveys under low visibility conditions as a case study, we review which monitoring methods are suitable and compare their relative strengths and weaknesses. Passive acoustic monitoring has been implemented as either a complementary or alternative method to visual monitoring in low visibility conditions. Other methods such as RADAR, active sonar and thermal infrared have also been tested, but are rarely recommended by regulatory bodies. The efficiency of the monitoring method(s) will depend on the animal behaviour and environmental conditions, however, using a combination of complementary systems generally improves the overall detection performance. We recommend that the performance of monitoring systems, over a range of conditions, is explored in a modelling framework for a variety of species. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine approaches to mental health care and psychological wellbeing in India and China.

PubMed

Thirthalli, Jagadisha; Zhou, Liang; Kumar, Kishore; Gao, Jie; Vaid, Henna; Liu, Huiming; Hankey, Alex; Wang, Guojun; Gangadhar, Bangalore N; Nie, Jing-Bao; Nichter, Mark

2016-07-01

India and China face the same challenge of having too few trained psychiatric personnel to manage effectively the substantial burden of mental illness within their population. At the same time, both countries have many practitioners of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine who are a potential resource for delivery of mental health care. In our paper, part of The Lancet and Lancet Psychiatry's Series about the China-India Mental Health Alliance, we describe and compare types of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine in India and China. Further, we provide a systematic overview of evidence assessing the effectiveness of these alternative approaches for mental illness and discuss challenges in research. We suggest how practitioners of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and mental health professionals might forge collaborative relationships to provide more accessible, affordable, and acceptable mental health care in India and China. A substantial proportion of individuals with mental illness use traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine, either exclusively or with biomedicine, for reasons ranging from faith and cultural congruence to accessibility, cost, and belief that these approaches are safe. Systematic reviews of the effectiveness of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine find several approaches to be promising for treatment of mental illness, but most clinical trials included in these systematic reviews have methodological limitations. Contemporary methods to establish efficacy and safety-typically through randomised controlled trials-need to be complemented by other means. The community of practice built on collaborative relationships between practitioners of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine and providers of mental health care holds promise in bridging the treatment gap in mental health care in India and China. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ground Characterization Studies in Canakkale Pilot Site of LIQUEFACT Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozcep, F.; Oztoprak, S.; Aysal, N.; Bozbey, I.; Tezel, O.; Ozer, C.; Sargin, S.; Bekin, E.; Almasraf, M.; Cengiz Cinku, M.; Ozdemir, K.

2017-12-01

The our aim is to outline the ground characterisation studies in Canakkale test site. Study is based on the EU H2020 LIQUEFACT project entitled "Liquefact: Assessment and mitigation of liquefaction potential across Europe: a holistic approach to protect structures / infrastructures for improved resilience to earthquake-induced liquefaction disasters". Objectives and extent of ground characterization for Canakkale test site includes pre-existing soil investigation studies and complementary field studies. There were several SPT and geophysical tests carried out in the study area. Within the context of the complementary tests, six (6) study areas in the test site were chosen and complementary tests were carried out in these areas. In these areas, additional boreholes were opened and SPT tests were performed. It was decided that additional CPT (CPTU and SCPT) and Marchetti Dilatometer (DMT) tests should be carried out within the scope of the complementary testing. Seismic refraction, MASW and micro tremor measurements had been carried out in pre-existing studies. Shear wave velocities obtained from MASW measurements were evaluated to the most rigorous level. These tests were downhole seismic, PS-logging, seismic refraction, 2D-ReMi, MASW, micro tremor (H/V Nakamura method), 2D resistivity and resonance acoustic profiling (RAP). RAP is a new technique which will be explained briefly in the relevant section. Dynamic soil properties had not been measured in pre-existing studies, therefore these properties were investigated within the scope of the complementary tests. Selection of specific experimental tests of the complementary campaign was based on cost-benefit considerations Within the context of complementary field studies, dynamic soil properties were measured using resonant column and cyclic direct shear tests. Several sieve analyses and Atterberg Limits tests which were documented in the pre-existing studies were evaluated. In the complementary study carried out, additional sieve analyses and Atterberg Limit tests were carried out. It was aimed to make some correlations between geophysical measurements and other field measurements; such as SPT, blow count values.

Green autofluorescence, a double edged monitoring tool for bacterial growth and activity in micro-plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihalcescu, Irina; Van-Melle Gateau, Mathilde; Chelli, Bernard; Pinel, Corinne; Ravanat, Jean-Luc

2015-12-01

The intrinsic green autofluorescence of an Escherichia coli culture has long been overlooked and empirically corrected in green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter experiments. We show here, by using complementary methods of fluorescence analysis and HPLC, that this autofluorescence, principally arise from the secreted flavins in the external media. The cells secrete roughly 10 times more than what they keep inside. We show next that the secreted flavin fluorescence can be used as a complementary method in measuring the cell concentration particularly when the classical method, based on optical density measure, starts to fail. We also demonstrate that the same external flavins limit the dynamical range of GFP quantification and can lead to a false interpretation of lower global dynamic range of expression than what really happens. In the end we evaluate different autofluorescence correction methods to extract the real GFP signal.

Modified complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition and intrinsic mode functions evaluation index for high-speed train gearbox fault diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dongyue; Lin, Jianhui; Li, Yanping

2018-06-01

Complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) has been developed for the mode-mixing problem in Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method. Compared to the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), the CEEMD method reduces residue noise in the signal reconstruction. Both CEEMD and EEMD need enough ensemble number to reduce the residue noise, and hence it would be too much computation cost. Moreover, the selection of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) for further analysis usually depends on experience. A modified CEEMD method and IMFs evaluation index are proposed with the aim of reducing the computational cost and select IMFs automatically. A simulated signal and in-service high-speed train gearbox vibration signals are employed to validate the proposed method in this paper. The results demonstrate that the modified CEEMD can decompose the signal efficiently with less computation cost, and the IMFs evaluation index can select the meaningful IMFs automatically.

Advancing complementary and alternative medicine through social network analysis and agent-based modeling.

PubMed

Frantz, Terrill L

2012-01-01

This paper introduces the contemporary perspectives and techniques of social network analysis (SNA) and agent-based modeling (ABM) and advocates applying them to advance various aspects of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). SNA and ABM are invaluable methods for representing, analyzing and projecting complex, relational, social phenomena; they provide both an insightful vantage point and a set of analytic tools that can be useful in a wide range of contexts. Applying these methods in the CAM context can aid the ongoing advances in the CAM field, in both its scientific aspects and in developing broader acceptance in associated stakeholder communities. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Complementary feeding patterns among ethnic groups in rural western China.

PubMed

Qu, Peng-Fei; Zhang, Ya; Li, Jia-Mei; Zhang, Ruo; Yang, Jiao-Mei; Lei, Fang-Liang; Li, Shan-Shan; Liu, Dan-Meng; Dang, Shao-Nong; Yan, Hong

This study investigated complementary feeding practices among four ethnic groups (Han, Uygur, Tibetan, and Zhuang) based on a cross-sectional survey in rural western China. In 2005, a stratified multistage cluster random sampling method was used to recruit 9712 children (7411 Han, 1032 Uygur, 678 Tibetan, and 591 Zhuang) between 6 and 35 months of age and their mothers from 45 counties in 10 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) in western China. The rates of early introduction (before 6 months) of complementary foods in four ethnic groups (Han, Uygur, Tibetan, and Zhuang) were 71.30%, 95.95%, 82.40%, and 72.30%, respectively. The Infant and Child Feeding Index (ICFI) for Uygur and Tibetan children was lower than that for Han children at all age groups. Uygur children were more likely to have unqualified ICFI compared with Han children in a multivariate logistic regression (odds ratio (OR)=5.138, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.340-6.084). A higher level of maternal education, greater family wealth, and the availability of complementary feeding educational materials decreased the likelihood of an unqualified ICFI. The nutritional status of children (Han, Tibetan, and Zhuang) with qualified ICFI was better than that for children with unqualified ICFI. Appropriate interventions are required to improve complementary feeding practices in rural western China.

Zepto-molar electrochemical detection of Brucella genome based on gold nanoribbons covered by gold nanoblooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahi, Amid; Sattarahmady, Naghmeh; Heli, Hossein

2015-12-01

Gold nanoribbons covered by gold nanoblooms were sonoelectrodeposited on a polycrystalline gold surface at -1800 mV (vs. AgCl) with the assistance of ultrasound and co-occurrence of the hydrogen evolution reaction. The nanostructure, as a transducer, was utilized to immobilize a Brucella-specific probe and fabrication of a genosensor, and the process of immobilization and hybridization was detected by electrochemical methods, using methylene blue as a redox marker. The proposed method for detection of the complementary sequence, sequences with base-mismatched (one-, two- and three-base mismatches), and the sequence of non-complementary sequence was assayed. The fabricated genosensor was evaluated for the assay of the bacteria in the cultured and human samples without polymerase chain reactions (PCR). The genosensor could detect the complementary sequence with a calibration sensitivity of 0.40 μA dm3 mol-1, a linear concentration range of 10 zmol dm-3 to 10 pmol dm-3, and a detection limit of 1.71 zmol dm-3.

Complementary construction of ideal nonimaging concentrators and its applications.

PubMed

Gordon, J M

1996-10-01

A construction principle for ideal nonimaging concentrators based on the complementary edge rays outside the nominal field of view is presented, with illustrations for the trumpet, compound parabolic concentrator, and compound hyperbolic concentrator. A simple string construction for the trumpet concentrator is shown to follow from this observation-the trumpet having been the one ideal concentrator for which no string-construction method had previously been noted. An application of these observations for solar concentrator design when nonisothermal receivers are advantageous is also presented.

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

Hirokawa, Takako; /U. Colorado, Boulder /SLAC

In this paper, we examine data acquisition in a high harmonic generation (HHG) lab and preliminary data analysis with the Cyclohexadiene Collaboration at the Linac Coherent Lightsource (LCLS) at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. HHG experiments have a large number of parameters that need to be monitored constantly. In particular, the pressure of the target is critical to HHG yield. However, this pressure can fluctuate wildly and without a tool to monitor it, it is difficult to analyze the correlation between HHG yield and the pressure. I used the Arduino microcontroller board and created a complementary MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI),more » thereby enhancing the ease with which users can acquire time-stamped parameter data. Using the Arduino, it is much easier to match the pressure to the corresponding HHG yield. Collecting data by using the Arduino and the GUI is flexible, user-friendly, and cost-effective. In the future, we hope to be able to control and monitor parts of the lab with the Arduino alone. While more parameter information is needed in the HHG lab, we needed to reduce the amount of data during the cyclohexadiene collaboration. This was achieved by sorting the data into bins and filtering out unnecessary details. This method was highly effective in that it minimized the amount of data without losing any valuable information. This effective preliminary data analysis technique will continue to be used to decrease the size of the collected data.« less

a Method for the Registration of Hemispherical Photographs and Tls Intensity Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, A.; Schilling, A.; Maas, H.-G.

2012-07-01

Terrestrial laser scanners generate dense and accurate 3D point clouds with minimal effort, which represent the geometry of real objects, while image data contains texture information of object surfaces. Based on the complementary characteristics of both data sets, a combination is very appealing for many applications, including forest-related tasks. In the scope of our research project, independent data sets of a plain birch stand have been taken by a full-spherical laser scanner and a hemispherical digital camera. Previously, both kinds of data sets have been considered separately: Individual trees were successfully extracted from large 3D point clouds, and so-called forest inventory parameters could be determined. Additionally, a simplified tree topology representation was retrieved. From hemispherical images, leaf area index (LAI) values, as a very relevant parameter for describing a stand, have been computed. The objective of our approach is to merge a 3D point cloud with image data in a way that RGB values are assigned to each 3D point. So far, segmentation and classification of TLS point clouds in forestry applications was mainly based on geometrical aspects of the data set. However, a 3D point cloud with colour information provides valuable cues exceeding simple statistical evaluation of geometrical object features and thus may facilitate the analysis of the scan data significantly.

Vitrification, a complementary cryopreservation method for Betula pendula Roth.

PubMed

Ryynänen, Leena; Aronen, Tuija

2005-10-01

Cryopreservation--the storage of plant germplasm in liquid nitrogen--provides a modern tool for the conservation of forest genetic resources. It is especially applicable for species in which their micropropagation can be initiated from mature tree buds, e.g., silver birch (Betula pendula Roth), thus enabling the conservation of specific genotypes: endangered elite trees and trees expressing rare, valuable or interesting characteristics. The aim of the present study was to develop a vitrification protocol applicable for the cryostorage of silver birch that avoids the use of expensive sophisticated freezers. The average recovery of vitrified axillary silver birch buds was 71% using a protocol that started with four-week cold hardening of bud-bearing in vitro donor shoots on modified medium under short day conditions. After cold hardening, the excised axillary buds were precultivated on medium containing 0.7 M sucrose for 24 h under the same conditions as during the cold hardening period. Following preculture, the buds were treated with loading solution containing 2M glycerol and 0.4 M sucrose for 20 min at room temperature. Finally, the buds were dehydrated with PVS2 cryoprotectant for 120 min followed by direct immersion in liquid nitrogen. According to the morphology and the RAPD profiles of regenerated plants in the greenhouse, the genetic fidelity of the vitrified birch material seems to have remained unchanged.

Evaluation of the malaria rapid diagnostic test VIKIA malaria Ag Pf/Pan™ in endemic and non-endemic settings

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are a useful tool in endemic malaria countries, where light microscopy is not feasible. In non-endemic countries they can be used as complementary tests to provide timely results in case of microscopy inexperience. This study aims to compare the new VIKIA Malaria Ag Pf/Pan™ RDT with PCR-corrected microscopy results and the commonly used CareStart™ RDT to diagnose falciparum and non-falciparum malaria in the endemic setting of Bamako, Mali and the non-endemic setting of Lyon, France. Methods Blood samples were collected during a 12-months and six-months period in 2011 from patients suspected to have malaria in Lyon and Bamako respectively. The samples were examined by light microscopy, the VIKIA Malaria Ag Pf/Pan™ test and in Bamako additionally with the CareStart™ RDT. Discordant results were corrected by real-time PCR. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were used to evaluate test performance. Results Samples of 877 patients from both sites were included. The VIKIA Malaria Ag Pf/Pan™ had a sensitivity of 98% and 96% for Plasmodium falciparum in Lyon and Bamako, respectively, performing similar to PCR-corrected microscopy. Conclusions The VIKIA Malaria Ag Pf/Pan™ performs similar to PCR-corrected microscopy for the detection of P. falciparum, making it a valuable tool in malaria endemic and non-endemic regions. PMID:23742633

N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptides in dogs and cats: A technical and clinical review

PubMed Central

de Lima, Gabriela Vieira; Ferreira, Felipp da Silveira

2017-01-01

Biomarkers are quantitative indicators of biological processes performed by an organ or system. In recent years, natriuretic peptides (NPs) have emerged as important tools in the diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of heart diseases. Research has shown that serum and plasma levels of N-terminal pro brain NP (NT-proBNP) in dogs and cats are the only biomarkers that afford to diagnose and monitor congestive processes and, indirectly, the myocardial function of small animals. The present review discusses the peer-reviewed specialized literature about NT-proBNP and presents and compares the potential clinical applications of this NP in veterinary medicine of small animals, considering diagnosis, follow-up, and prognosis of myocardial or systemic diseases. The relevance of NT-proBNP is associated with sample stability, easy determination in laboratory, sensitivity, accuracy, and the possibility to analyze myocardial function. These advantages are specially important when NT-proBNP is compared with other cardiac biomarkers, mostly those that indicate the integrity of the myocardial cell. Fast NT-proBNP assays are marketed today and may be used in association with complementary tests. Together, these methods are an important source of information in differential diagnosis of heart and lung diseases as well in the early diagnosis of cardiopathy in dogs and cats, proving valuable tools in treatment and prognosis. PMID:29062197

Use of shear wave elastography to differentiate benign and malignant breast lesions

PubMed Central

Olgun, Deniz Çebi; Korkmazer, Bora; Kılıç, Fahrettin; Dikici, Atilla Süleyman; Velidedeoğlu, Mehmet; Aydoğan, Fatih; Kantarcı, Fatih; Yılmaz, Mehmet Halit

2014-01-01

PURPOSE We aimed to determine the correlations between the elasticity values of solid breast masses and histopathological findings to define cutoff elasticity values differentiating malignant from benign lesions. MATERIALS and METHODS A total of 115 solid breast lesions of 109 consecutive patients were evaluated prospectively using shear wave elastography (SWE). Two orthogonal elastographic images of each lesion were obtained. Minimum, mean, and maximum elasticity values were calculated in regions of interest placed over the stiffest areas on the two images; we also calculated mass/fat elasticity ratios. Correlation of elastographic measurements with histopathological results were studied. RESULTS Eighty-three benign and thirty-two malignant lesions were histopathologically diagnosed. The minimum, mean, and maximum elasticity values, and the mass/fat elasticity ratios of malignant lesions, were significantly higher than those of benign lesions. The cutoff value was 45.7 kPa for mean elasticity (sensitivity, 96%; specificity, 95%), 54.3 kPa for maximum elasticity (sensitivity, 95%; specificity, 94%), 37.1 kPa for minimum elasticity (sensitivity, 96%; specificity, 95%), and 4.6 for the mass/fat elasticity ratio (sensitivity, 97%; specificity, 95%). CONCLUSION SWE yields additional valuable quantitative data to ultrasonographic examination on solid breast lesions. SWE may serve as a complementary tool for diagnosis of breast lesions. Long-term clinical studies are required to accurately select lesions requiring biopsy. PMID:24509183

Chapter 29: Unproved and controversial methods and theories in allergy-immunology.

PubMed

Shah, Rachna; Greenberger, Paul A

2012-01-01

Unproved methods and controversial theories in the diagnosis and management of allergy-immunology are those that lack scientific credibility. Some definitions are provided for perspective because in chronic medical conditions, frequently, nonscientifically based treatments are developed that can have a very positive psychological effect on the patients in the absence of objective physical benefit. Standard practice can be described as "the methods of diagnosis and treatment used by reputable physicians in a particular subspecialty or primary care practice" with the understanding that diagnosis and treatment options are consistent with established mechanisms of conditions or diseases.(3) Conventional medicine (Western or allopathic medicine) is that which is practiced by the majority of MDs, DOs, psychologists, RNs, and physical therapists. Complementary medicine uses the practice of conventional medicine with complementary and alternative medicine such as using acupuncture for pain relief in addition to opioids. Alternative medicine implies use of complementary and alternative practices in place of conventional medicine. Unproved and controversial methods and theories do not have supporting data, validation, and sufficient scientific scrutiny, and they should not be used in the practice of allergy-immunology. Some examples of unproven theories about allergic immunologic conditions include allergic toxemia, idiopathic environmental intolerance, association with childhood vaccinations, and adrenal fatigue. Unconventional (unproved) diagnostic methods for allergic-immunologic conditions include cytotoxic tests, provocation-neutralization, electrodermal diagnosis, applied kinesiology assessments, and serum IgG or IgG(4) testing. Unproven treatments and intervention methods for allergic-immunologic conditions include acupuncture, homeopathy ("likes cure likes"), halotherapy, and autologous urine injections.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in children with cancer: effect on survival.

PubMed

Karalı, Yasin; Demirkaya, Metin; Sevinir, Betül

2012-05-01

The objective of the present study was to determine the type, frequency, the reason why complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments are used, the factors related with their use, and the effects of CAM usage on long-term survival. Families of a total of 120 children with cancer between 0-18 years of age, including 50 (41.7%) girls and 70 (58.3%) boys, participated in our study. The authors found that 88 patients (73.3%) used at least one CAM method, the most common (95.5%) of which was biologically based therapies. Most frequently used biologically based therapies were dietary supplements and herbal products. The most commonly used dietary supplement or herbal product was honey (43.2%) or stinging nettle (43.2%), respectively. We found that patients used such CAM methods as complementary to, but not instead of, conventional therapy. Sixty-nine out of 88 patient families (78.4%) shared the CAM method they used with their physicians. No statistically significant relation was found between socioeconomic, sociodemographic, or other factors or items and CAM use. The mean follow-up period of the CAM users and nonusers groups was 79.4 ± 36.7 (21.3-217.9) and 90.9 ± 50.3 (27.4-193.7) months, respectively. Five-year survival rates for CAM users and nonusers were found as 81.5% and 86.5%, respectively (P > .05). In conclusion, families of children with cancer use complementary and alternative treatment frequently. They do not attempt to replace conventional treatment with CAM. Higher rates of CAM use was found in families with higher educational level. CAM usage did not affect the long-term survival.

Bioinspired construction of multi-enzyme catalytic systems.

PubMed

Shi, Jiafu; Wu, Yizhou; Zhang, Shaohua; Tian, Yu; Yang, Dong; Jiang, Zhongyi

2018-06-18

Enzyme catalysis, as a green, efficient process, displays exceptional functionality, adaptivity and sustainability. Multi-enzyme catalysis, which can accomplish the tandem synthesis of valuable materials/chemicals from renewable feedstocks, establishes a bridge between single-enzyme catalysis and whole-cell catalysis. Multi-enzyme catalysis occupies a unique and indispensable position in the realm of biological reactions for energy and environmental applications. Two complementary strategies, i.e., compartmentalization and substrate channeling, have been evolved by living organisms for implementing the complex in vivo multi-enzyme reactions (MERs), which have been applied to construct multi-enzyme catalytic systems (MECSs) with superior catalytic activity and stabilities in practical biocatalysis. This tutorial review aims to present the recent advances and future prospects in this burgeoning research area, stressing the features and applications of the two strategies for constructing MECSs and implementing in vitro MERs. The concluding remarks are presented with a perspective on the construction of MECSs through rational combination of compartmentalization and substrate channeling.

Challenges and solutions for the analysis of in situ , in crystallo micro-spectrophotometric data

DOE PAGES

Dworkowski, Florian S. N.; Hough, Michael A.; Pompidor, Guillaume; ...

2015-01-01

Combining macromolecular crystallography with in crystallo micro-spectrophotometry yields valuable complementary information on the sample, including the redox states of metal cofactors, the identification of bound ligands and the onset and strength of undesired photochemistry, also known as radiation damage. However, the analysis and processing of the resulting data differs significantly from the approaches used for solution spectrophotometric data. The varying size and shape of the sample, together with the suboptimal sample environment, the lack of proper reference signals and the general influence of the X-ray beam on the sample have to be considered and carefully corrected for. In the presentmore » article, we discuss how to characterize and treat these sample-dependent artefacts in a reproducible manner and we demonstrate the SLS-APE in situ, in crystallo optical spectroscopy data-analysis toolbox.« less

Multifunctional-layered materials for creating membrane-restricted nanodomains and nanoscale imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, P.

2016-01-01

Experimental platform that allows precise spatial positioning of biomolecules with an exquisite control at nanometer length scales is a valuable tool to study the molecular mechanisms of membrane bound signaling. Using micromachined thin film gold (Au) in layered architecture, it is possible to add both optical and biochemical functionalities in in vitro. Towards this goal, here, I show that docking of complementary DNA tethered giant phospholiposomes on Au surface can create membrane-restricted nanodomains. These nanodomains are critical features to dissect molecular choreography of membrane signaling complexes. The excited surface plasmon resonance modes of Au allow label-free imaging at diffraction-limited resolution of stably docked DNA tethered phospholiposomes, and lipid-detergent bicelle structures. Such multifunctional building block enables realizing rigorously controlled in vitro set-up to model membrane anchored biological signaling, besides serving as an optical tool for nanoscale imaging.

The faces of breastfeeding support: Experiences of mothers seeking breastfeeding support online.

PubMed

Bridges, Nicole

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to advance understanding of the experiences of mothers using closed Facebook groups attached to the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and how these mothers find and share breastfeeding support and information using this forum. The study involved members of three closed Facebook groups that were chosen as interesting cases for study, based on the volume and nature of their posts. Members of these three groups then participated in online depth interviews and online semi-structured focus groups. The overarching theme identified was support, with four sub-themes that describe the nature of online breastfeeding support within the Facebook environment. These sub-themes are: community, complementary, immediate and information. It was found that social networking sites (SNSs) provide support from the trusted community. It is immediate, it complements existing support or services that ABA provides and also provides practical and valuable information for its users.

The materials processing research base of the Materials Processing Center. Report for FY 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flemings, M. C.

1983-01-01

The work described, while involving research in the broad field of materials processing, has two common features: the problems are closed related to space precessing of materials and have both practical and fundamental significance. An interesting and important feature of many of the projects is that the interdisciplinary nature of the problem mandates complementary analytical modeling/experimental approaches. An other important aspect of many of the projects is the increasing use of mathematical modeling techniques as one of the research tools. The predictive capability of these models, when tested against measurements, plays a very important role in both the planning of experimental programs and in the rational interpretation of the results. Many of the projects described have a space experiment as their ultimate objective. Mathematical models are proving to be extremely valuable in projecting the findings of ground - based experiments to microgravity conditions.

Health and healing: spiritual, pharmaceutical, and mechanical medicine.

PubMed

Hutch, Richard A

2013-09-01

Modern medical practice is identified as a relatively recent way of approaching human ill health in the wide scope of how people have addressed sickness throughout history and across a wide range of cultures. The ideological biases of medical or "allopathic" (disease as "other" or "outsider") practice are identified and grafted onto other perspectives on how people not engaged in modern medicine have achieved healing and health. Alternative forms of healing and health open a consideration of ethnomedicine, many forms of which are unknown and, hence, untested by modern medical research. Ethnomedicine the world over and throughout human history has displayed unique spiritual (vitalism), pharmaceutical (herbs/drugs), and mechanical (manipulation/surgery) approaches to treating illness. The argument is that modern allopathic medicine would do well to consider such "world medicine" as having valuable alternative and complementary therapies, the use of which could enhance contemporary medical advice and practice.

Electron microscopic visualization of complementary labeled DNA with platinum-containing guanine derivative.

PubMed

Loukanov, Alexandre; Filipov, Chavdar; Mladenova, Polina; Toshev, Svetlin; Emin, Saim

2016-04-01

The object of the present report is to provide a method for a visualization of DNA in TEM by complementary labeling of cytosine with guanine derivative, which contains platinum as contrast-enhanced heavy element. The stretched single-chain DNA was obtained by modifying double-stranded DNA. The labeling method comprises the following steps: (i) stretching and adsorption of DNA on the support film of an electron microscope grid (the hydrophobic carbon film holding negative charged DNA); (ii) complementary labeling of the cytosine bases from the stretched single-stranded DNA pieces on the support film with platinum containing guanine derivative to form base-specific hydrogen bond; and (iii) producing a magnified image of the base-specific labeled DNA. Stretched single-stranded DNA on a support film is obtained by a rapid elongation of DNA pieces on the surface between air and aqueous buffer solution. The attached platinum-containing guanine derivative serves as a high-dense marker and it can be discriminated from the surrounding background of support carbon film and visualized by use of conventional TEM observation at 100 kV accelerated voltage. This method allows examination of specific nucleic macromolecules through atom-by-atom analysis and it is promising way toward future DNA-sequencing or molecular diagnostics of nucleic acids by electron microscopic observation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Methods for chromosome-specific staining

DOEpatents

Gray, Joe W.; Pinkel, Daniel

1995-01-01

Methods and compositions for chromosome-specific staining are provided. Compositions comprise heterogenous mixtures of labeled nucleic acid fragments having substantially complementary base sequences to unique sequence regions of the chromosomal DNA for which their associated staining reagent is specific. Methods include methods for making the chromosome-specific staining compositions of the invention, and methods for applying the staining compositions to chromosomes.

Regional Variation in Use of Complementary Health Approaches by U.S. Adults

MedlinePlus

... part of their yoga exercise. Data sources and methods Data from the 2012 NHIS were used for ... sampling design of NHIS. The Taylor series linearization method was chosen for estimation of standard errors. Differences ...

Anticancer activity of rhamnoallosan against DU-145 cells is kinetically complementary to coexisting Polyphenolics in Psidium guajava budding leaves.

PubMed

Chen, Kuan-Chou; Hsieh, Chiu-Lan; Huang, Kuan-Dar; Ker, Yaw-Bee; Chyau, Charng-Cherng; Peng, Robert Y

2009-07-22

Psidium guajava L. is a valuable farm fruit plant having many medicinal uses. Previously its budding leaves (PE) were shown to contain huge amounts of soluble polyphenolics (SP) including (in mg/g) gallic acid (348), catechin (102), epicatechin (60), rutin (100), quercetin (102), and rutin (100) and to exhibit potent anticancer activity. However, reconstitution of these polyphenolics recovered only 40% of the original bioactivity, and the soluble carbohydrate (SC) portion in PE was suspected to contribute the remaining. PE contained a novel rhamnoallosan, which had a carbohydrate/protein (w/w) ratio = 29.06%/10.27% (=2.83, average molecular mass of 5029 kDa), characteristically evidencing a peptidoglycan, consisting of a composition (mole % ratio) of rhamnose/allose/arabinose/tallose/xylose/fucose/glucose/mannose/galactose = 36.05:24.24:8.76:7.95:7.37:5.90:3.69:3.19:2.85 and of amino acid (in wt %) glycine/leucine/proline/alanine/methionine/isoleucine/valine/histidine/tyrosine/phenylalanine/cysteine/aspartic acid/lysine/glutamic acid = 37.12:12.68:10.05:8.97:5.99:4.89:4.83:4.25:4.05:2.78:1.86:1.10:0.73:0.70. Kinetic analysis showed comparable apparent cell-killing rate coefficients (k(app)) to be 4.03 x 10(3) and 2.92 x 10(3) cells mg(-1) h(-1), respectively, by SP and SC, evidencing the complementary anti-DU-145 bioactivity in nature.

Absolute determination of single-stranded and self-complementary adeno-associated viral vector genome titers by droplet digital PCR.

PubMed

Lock, Martin; Alvira, Mauricio R; Chen, Shu-Jen; Wilson, James M

2014-04-01

Accurate titration of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector genome copies is critical for ensuring correct and reproducible dosing in both preclinical and clinical settings. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the current method of choice for titrating AAV genomes because of the simplicity, accuracy, and robustness of the assay. However, issues with qPCR-based determination of self-complementary AAV vector genome titers, due to primer-probe exclusion through genome self-annealing or through packaging of prematurely terminated defective interfering (DI) genomes, have been reported. Alternative qPCR, gel-based, or Southern blotting titering methods have been designed to overcome these issues but may represent a backward step from standard qPCR methods in terms of simplicity, robustness, and precision. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is a new PCR technique that directly quantifies DNA copies with an unparalleled degree of precision and without the need for a standard curve or for a high degree of amplification efficiency; all properties that lend themselves to the accurate quantification of both single-stranded and self-complementary AAV genomes. Here we compare a ddPCR-based AAV genome titer assay with a standard and an optimized qPCR assay for the titration of both single-stranded and self-complementary AAV genomes. We demonstrate absolute quantification of single-stranded AAV vector genomes by ddPCR with up to 4-fold increases in titer over a standard qPCR titration but with equivalent readout to an optimized qPCR assay. In the case of self-complementary vectors, ddPCR titers were on average 5-, 1.9-, and 2.3-fold higher than those determined by standard qPCR, optimized qPCR, and agarose gel assays, respectively. Droplet digital PCR-based genome titering was superior to qPCR in terms of both intra- and interassay precision and is more resistant to PCR inhibitors, a desirable feature for in-process monitoring of early-stage vector production and for vector genome biodistribution analysis in inhibitory tissues.

Dysmenorrhea Characteristics of Female Students of Health School and Affecting Factors and Their Knowledge and Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Methods.

PubMed

Midilli, Tulay Sagkal; Yasar, Eda; Baysal, Ebru

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the menstruation and dysmenorrhea characteristics and the factors affecting dysmenorrhea of health school students, and the knowledge and use of the methods of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) on the part of those students with dysmenorrhea. This is a descriptive study. A descriptive analysis was made by calculating the number, percentage, mean, Pearson χ, and logistic regression analysis. A total of 488 female students participated in the research and 87.7% (n = 428) of all students experienced dysmenorrhea. It was detected that a family history of dysmenorrhea and regular menstrual cycles of the students were dysmenorrhea-affecting factors (P < .05). Seven of 10 students with dysmenorrhea used CAM methods. Heat application of CAM methods for dysmenorrhea management was the most commonly used and also known by the students. The students who experienced severe pain used analgesics (P < .05) and CAM methods (P < .05).

A Developmental History of Polymer Mass Spectrometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vergne, Matthew J.; Hercules, David M.; Lattimer, Robert P.

2007-01-01

The history of the development of mass spectroscopic methods used to characterize polymers is discussed. The continued improvements in methods and instrumentation will offer new and better ways for the mass spectral characterization of polymers and mass spectroscopy (MS) should be recognized as a complementary polymer characterization method along…

Designing, Teaching, and Evaluating Two Complementary Mixed Methods Research Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christ, Thomas W.

2009-01-01

Teaching mixed methods research is difficult. This longitudinal explanatory study examined how two classes were designed, taught, and evaluated. Curriculum, Research, and Teaching (EDCS-606) and Mixed Methods Research (EDCS-780) used a research proposal generation process to highlight the importance of the purpose, research question and…

Parental attitudes toward pediatric use of complementary/alternative medicine in Turkey.

PubMed

Ustuner Top, Fadime; Konuk Sener, Dilek; Cangur, Sengul

2017-07-01

This study was conducted to determine the pediatric usage of complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) by parents in Turkey, the incidence of using these methods, and the factors affecting their use. The sectional and relational design of the study included a sample of 497 parents who took children for treatment at the Maternity and Children's Hospital in Giresun, Turkey. Data for the study were collected via the Personal Information Form and the Evaluation Form for Complementary/Alternative Treatment Use. The data collection tools were filled out by the researchers during the face-to-face interviews. Data obtained from the study were analyzed by Pearson chi-square, Fisher-Freeman-Halton and Fisher's exact (posthoc Bonferroni) tests and Z-test. It was determined that 97.7% of the parents had used at least one CAM method. Moreover, the parents had used CAM methods mostly for respiratory complaints. The CAM methods were most commonly used for the symptoms of fever, diarrhea, and cough. It was observed that the most commonly used alternative methods in the past were vitamin/mineral remedies, cold treatments, and hodja (Islamic teacher) consultations, while the most common alternative methods currently used are massage, music, and cold treatment. In addition, the differences found between CAM users in terms of sociodemographic characteristics were not statistically significant. It is crucial for nurses to learn the characteristics of the health/disease treatments used by those with whom they work in order to increase the efficiency of the service they provide. Thus, it was recommended that nurses should be knowledgeable and aware of the benefits/side effects, treatment methods, and contraindications of CAM. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of pH and complementary ion concentration on nitrate removal using puroliteA400 Resin impregnated Cu in batch system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turmuzi, M.; Tarigan, Z. N.; Nadapdap, L.; Batubara, F.

2018-02-01

The total nitrogen content in water bodies should be below 50 mg NO3 -/L (11.3 mgN/l) World Health Organization (WHO) 2006. The content of nitrogen exceeding the quality standard threshold will cause damage to the aquatic ecosystem and be carcinogenic to humans. The Purolite A-400 resin will be modified with Cu metal by batch method to see the adsorption allowance of nitrate in synthetic liquid waste with nitrate concentration of 50 mg/l. This study will evaluate the effect of pH and complementary ions on the adsorption process. From the result of the research, the second order pseudo model is the most suitable adsorption kinetics model. For the adsorption isotherms the most suitable model is the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The optimum pH conditions were at the range of 8.5. The addition of complementary ions sulfate and phosphate did not show any significant change, but sulfate is the most effective complementary ion with a content of 20 mg/l.

Method for in situ heating of hydrocarbonaceous formations

DOEpatents

Little, William E.; McLendon, Thomas R.

1987-01-01

A method for extracting valuable constituents from underground hydrocarbonaceous deposits such as heavy crude tar sands and oil shale is disclosed. Initially, a stratum containing a rich deposit is hydraulically fractured to form a horizontally extending fracture plane. A conducting liquid and proppant is then injected into the fracture plane to form a conducting plane. Electrical excitations are then introduced into the stratum adjacent the conducting plate to retort the rich stratum along the conducting plane. The valuable constituents from the stratum adjacent the conducting plate are then recovered. Subsequently, the remainder of the deposit is also combustion retorted to further recover valuable constituents from the deposit. Various R.F. heating systems are also disclosed for use in the present invention.

Recruiting and retaining family caregivers to a randomized controlled trial on mindfulness-based stress reduction.

PubMed

Whitebird, Robin R; Kreitzer, Mary Jo; Lewis, Beth A; Hanson, Leah R; Crain, A Lauren; Enstad, Chris J; Mehta, Adele

2011-09-01

Caregivers for a family member with dementia experience chronic long-term stress that may benefit from new complementary therapies such as mindfulness-based stress reduction. Little is known however, about the challenges of recruiting and retaining family caregivers to research on mind-body based complementary therapies. Our pilot study is the first of its kind to successfully recruit caregivers for a family member with dementia to a randomized controlled pilot study of mindfulness-based stress reduction. The study used an array of recruitment strategies and techniques that were tailored to fit the unique features of our recruitment sources and employed retention strategies that placed high value on establishing early and ongoing communication with potential participants. Innovative recruitment methods including conducting outreach to health plan members and generating press coverage were combined with standard methods of community outreach and paid advertising. We were successful in exceeding our recruitment goal and retained 92% of the study participants at post-intervention (2 months) and 90% at 6 months. Recruitment and retention for family caregiver interventions employing mind-body based complementary therapies can be successful despite many challenges. Barriers include cultural perceptions about the use and benefit of complementary therapies, cultural differences with how the role of family caregiver is perceived, the use of group-based designs requiring significant time commitment by participants, and travel and respite care needs for busy family caregivers. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of employees in public day care centers knowledge about breastfeeding and complementary feeding

PubMed Central

Souza, Joelânia Pires de O.; Prudente, Amanda Moura; Silva, Dyene Aparecida; Pereira, Leandro Alves; Rinaldi, Ana Elisa M.

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge of public day care centers employees about breastfeeding and complementary feeding. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 15 public day care centers randomly selected in the city of Uberlandia, Southeast Brazil. A questionnaire applied to school principals, teachers, educators and general services assistants (GSA) included demographic and socioeconomic variables and questions about knowledge on breastfeeding, complementary feeding besides employees' perceptions about these subjects. Kruskal-Wallis with multiple comparison and chi-square tests were used to compare variables by professional category. RESULTS: 304 employees participated in the study. The highest percentages of correct answers were noted for questions about exclusive breastfeeding: definition - 97% (n=296) and duration - 65% (n=199). Regarding complementary feeding, 61% (n=187) correctly answered about the appropriate age to introduce it, with a lower percentage for meat (56%; n=170) and sugar (16%; n=50). Concerning employees' perceptions, 9% (n=29) believed that there is weak breast milk, 79% (n=241) and 51% (n=157) reported the negative influence of bottle feeding and pacifier use on breastfeeding. Among the interviewed subjects, 77% (n=234) answered that they had a positive influence on the quality of the food given to the children. There were no differences in the answers according to professional category, except for the negative influence of pacifiers on breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: Employees of public day care centers knew more about breastfeeding than about complementary feeding. Educational activities about breastfeeding and complementary feeding are necessary for day care centers employees. PMID:24473953

Multi-Channel Optical Coherence Elastography Using Relative and Absolute Shear-Wave Time of Flight

PubMed Central

Elyas, Eli; Grimwood, Alex; Erler, Janine T.; Robinson, Simon P.; Cox, Thomas R.; Woods, Daniel; Clowes, Peter; De Luca, Ramona; Marinozzi, Franco; Fromageau, Jérémie; Bamber, Jeffrey C.

2017-01-01

Elastography, the imaging of elastic properties of soft tissues, is well developed for macroscopic clinical imaging of soft tissues and can provide useful information about various pathological processes which is complementary to that provided by the original modality. Scaling down of this technique should ply the field of cellular biology with valuable information with regard to elastic properties of cells and their environment. This paper evaluates the potential to develop such a tool by modifying a commercial optical coherence tomography (OCT) device to measure the speed of shear waves propagating in a three-dimensional (3D) medium. A needle, embedded in the gel, was excited to vibrate along its long axis and the displacement as a function of time and distance from the needle associated with the resulting shear waves was detected using four M-mode images acquired simultaneously using a commercial four-channel swept-source OCT system. Shear-wave time of arrival (TOA) was detected by tracking the axial OCT-speckle motion using cross-correlation methods. Shear-wave speed was then calculated from inter-channel differences of TOA for a single burst (the relative TOA method) and compared with the shear-wave speed determined from positional differences of TOA for a single channel over multiple bursts (the absolute TOA method). For homogeneous gels the relative method provided shear-wave speed with acceptable precision and accuracy when judged against the expected linear dependence of shear modulus on gelatine concentration (R2 = 0.95) and ultimate resolution capabilities limited by 184μm inter-channel distance. This overall approach shows promise for its eventual provision as a research tool in cancer cell biology. Further work is required to optimize parameters such as vibration frequency, burst length and amplitude, and to assess the lateral and axial resolutions of this type of device as well as to create 3D elastograms. PMID:28107368

Methods and compositions for chromosome-specific staining

DOEpatents

Gray, Joe W.; Pinkel, Daniel

2003-07-22

Methods and compositions for chromosome-specific staining are provided. Compositions comprise heterogenous mixtures of labeled nucleic acid fragments having substantially complementary base sequences to unique sequence regions of the chromosomal DNA for which their associated staining reagent is specific. Methods include methods for making the chromosome-specific staining compositions of the invention, and methods for applying the staining compositions to chromosomes.

High-resolution nerve ultrasound and magnetic resonance neurography as complementary neuroimaging tools for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

PubMed Central

Pitarokoili, Kalliopi; Kronlage, Moritz; Bäumer, Philip; Schwarz, Daniel; Gold, Ralf; Bendszus, Martin; Yoon, Min-Suk

2018-01-01

Background: We present a clinical, electrophysiological, sonographical and magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) study examining the complementary role of two neuroimaging methods of the peripheral nervous system for patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Furthermore, we explore the significance of cross-sectional area (CSA) increase through correlations with MRN markers of nerve integrity. Methods: A total of 108 nerve segments on the median, ulnar, radial, tibial and fibular nerve, as well as the lumbar and cervical plexus of 18 CIDP patients were examined with high-resonance nerve ultrasound (HRUS) and MRN additionally to the nerve conduction studies. Results: We observed a fair degree of correlation of the CSA values for all nerves/nerve segments between the two methods, with a low random error in Bland–Altman analysis (bias = HRUS-CSA − MRN-CSA, −0.61 to −3.26 mm). CSA in HRUS correlated with the nerve T2-weighted (nT2) signal increase as well as with diffusion tensor imaging parameters such as fractional anisotropy, a marker of microstructural integrity. HRUS-CSA of the interscalene brachial plexus correlated significantly with the MRN-CSA and nT2 signal of the L5 and S1 roots of the lumbar plexus. Conclusions: HRUS allows for reliable CSA imaging of all peripheral nerves and the cervical plexus, and CSA correlates with markers of nerve integrity. Imaging of proximal segments as well as the estimation of nerve integrity require MRN as a complementary method. PMID:29552093

A general method for targeted quantitative cross-linking mass spectrometry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) provides protein structural information by identifying covalently linked proximal amino acid residues on protein surfaces. The information gained by this technique is complementary to other structural biology methods such as x-ray crystallography, NM...

Educational interventions for improving primary caregiver complementary feeding practices for children aged 24 months and under.

PubMed

Arikpo, Dachi; Edet, Ededet Sewanu; Chibuzor, Moriam T; Odey, Friday; Caldwell, Deborah M

2018-05-18

Although complementary feeding is a universal practice, the methods and manner in which it is practiced vary between cultures, individuals and socioeconomic classes. The period of complementary feeding is a critical time of transition in the life of an infant, and inappropriate complementary feeding practices, with their associated adverse health consequences, remain a significant global public health problem. Educational interventions are widely acknowledged as effective in promoting public health strategy, and those aimed at improving complementary feeding practices provide information about proper complementary feeding practices to caregivers of infants/children. It is therefore important to summarise evidence on the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve the complementary feeding practices of caregivers of infants. To assess the effectiveness of educational interventions for improving the complementary feeding (weaning) practices of primary caregivers of children of complementary feeding age, and related health and growth outcomes in infants. In November 2017, we searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, 10 other databases and two trials registers. We also searched the reference lists of relevant studies and reviews to identify any additional studies. We did not limit the searches by date, language or publication status. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), comparing educational interventions to no intervention, usual practice, or educational interventions provided in conjunction with another intervention, so long as the educational intervention was only available in the experimental group and the adjunctive intervention was available to the control group. Study participants included caregivers of infants aged 4 to 24 months undergoing complementary feeding. Pregnant women who were expected to give birth and commence complementary feeding during the period of the study were also included. Two review authors independently extracted data on participants, settings, interventions, methodology and outcomes using a specifically-developed and piloted data extraction form. We calculated risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous data, and mean differences (MD) and 95% CIs for continuous data. Where data permitted, we conducted a meta-analysis using a random-effects model. We assessed the included studies for risk of bias and also assessed the quality of evidence using the GRADE approach. We included 23 studies (from 35 reports) with a total of 11,170 caregiver-infant pairs who were randomly assigned to receive an educational intervention delivered to the caregiver or usual care. Nineteen of the included studies were community-based studies while four were facility-based studies. In addition, 13 of the included studies were cluster-randomised while the others were individually randomised. Generally, the interventions were focused on the introduction of complementary feeding at the appropriate time, the types and amount of complementary foods to be fed to infants, and hygiene. Using the GRADE criteria, we assessed the quality of the evidence as moderate, mostly due to inadequate allocation concealment and insufficient blinding.Educational interventions led to improvements in complementary feeding practices for age at introduction of complementary foods (average RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.83 to 0.94; 4 studies, 1738 children; moderate-quality evidence) and hygiene practices (average RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.55; 4 studies, 2029 participants; moderate-quality evidence). For duration of exclusive breastfeeding, pooled results were compatible with both a reduction and an increase in the outcome (average RR 1.58, 95% CI 0.77 to 3.22; 3 studies, 1544 children; very low-quality evidence). There was limited (low to very low-quality) evidence of an effect for all growth outcomes.Quality of evidenceThere is moderate to very low-quality evidence that educational interventions can improve complementary feeding practices but insufficient evidence to conclude that it impacts growth outcomes. Overall, we found evidence that education improves complementary feeding practices.

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like transmission in side-coupled complementary split-ring resonators.

PubMed

Guo, Yinghui; Yan, Lianshan; Pan, Wei; Luo, Bin; Wen, Kunhua; Guo, Zhen; Luo, Xiangang

2012-10-22

We investigate a plasmonic waveguide system based on side-coupled complementary split-ring resonators (CSRR), which exhibits electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like transmission. LC resonance model is utilized to explain the electromagnetic responses of CSRR, which is verified by simulation results of finite difference time domain method. The electromagnetic responses of CSRR can be flexible handled by changing the asymmetry degree of the structure and the width of the metallic baffles. Cascaded CSRRs also have been studied to obtain EIT-like transmission at visible and near-infrared region, simultaneously.

[Investigations about concept and history of apitherapy--a contribution to complementary alternative medicine].

PubMed

Teichfischer, Philipp

2010-01-01

Since a few decades one can recognize a continuous boom of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM). Against this background in the present manuscript the conceptual, historical and methodical requirements of the so-called Apitherapy, which has been in an institutionalization process since approximately four decades ago, are investigated. As one result of these investigations the bee venom therapy is here characterized as the real root of this relative new stream within the natural medicine. Its history and theory will be exposed in detail in a following article.

Simplified Microarray Technique for Identifying mRNA in Rare Samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Almeida, Eduardo; Kadambi, Geeta

2007-01-01

Two simplified methods of identifying messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and compact, low-power apparatuses to implement the methods, are at the proof-of-concept stage of development. These methods are related to traditional methods based on hybridization of nucleic acid, but whereas the traditional methods must be practiced in laboratory settings, these methods could be practiced in field settings. Hybridization of nucleic acid is a powerful technique for detection of specific complementary nucleic acid sequences, and is increasingly being used for detection of changes in gene expression in microarrays containing thousands of gene probes. A traditional microarray study entails at least the following six steps: 1. Purification of cellular RNA, 2. Amplification of complementary deoxyribonucleic acid [cDNA] by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 3. Labeling of cDNA with fluorophores of Cy3 (a green cyanine dye) and Cy5 (a red cyanine dye), 4. Hybridization to a microarray chip, 5. Fluorescence scanning the array(s) with dual excitation wavelengths, and 6. Analysis of the resulting images. This six-step procedure must be performed in a laboratory because it requires bulky equipment.

Towards estimation of respiratory muscle effort with respiratory inductance plethysmography signals and complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition.

PubMed

Chen, Ya-Chen; Hsiao, Tzu-Chien

2018-07-01

Respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) sensor is an inexpensive, non-invasive, easy-to-use transducer for collecting respiratory movement data. Studies have reported that the RIP signal's amplitude and frequency can be used to discriminate respiratory diseases. However, with the conventional approach of RIP data analysis, respiratory muscle effort cannot be estimated. In this paper, the estimation of the respiratory muscle effort through RIP signal was proposed. A complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition method was used, to extract hidden signals from the RIP signals based on the frequency bands of the activities of different respiratory muscles. To validate the proposed method, an experiment to collect subjects' RIP signal under thoracic breathing (TB) and abdominal breathing (AB) was conducted. The experimental results for both the TB and AB indicate that the proposed method can be used to loosely estimate the activities of thoracic muscles, abdominal muscles, and diaphragm. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

DELINEATION OF SUBSURFACE HYDROCARBON CONTAMINANT DISTRIBUTION USING A DIRECT PUSH RESISTIVITY METHOD

EPA Science Inventory

A direct push resistivity method was evaluated as a complementary screening tool to provide rapid in-situ contaminant detection to aid in better defining locations for drilling, sampling, and monitoring well installation at hazardous waste sites. Nine continuous direct push resi...

MEASUREMENT OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN EXHALED BREATH AS COLLECTED IN EVACUATED ELECTROPOLISHED CANISTERS

EPA Science Inventory

A set of three complementary analytical methods were developed specifically for exhaled breath as collected in evacuated stainless steel canisters using gas chromatography - mass spectrometry detection. The first is a screening method to quantify the carbon dioxide component (gen...

Mixed Methods in CAM Research: A Systematic Review of Studies Published in 2012

PubMed Central

Bishop, Felicity L.; Holmes, Michelle M.

2013-01-01

Background. Mixed methods research uses qualitative and quantitative methods together in a single study or a series of related studies. Objectives. To review the prevalence and quality of mixed methods studies in complementary medicine. Methods. All studies published in the top 10 integrative and complementary medicine journals in 2012 were screened. The quality of mixed methods studies was appraised using a published tool designed for mixed methods studies. Results. 4% of papers (95 out of 2349) reported mixed methods studies, 80 of which met criteria for applying the quality appraisal tool. The most popular formal mixed methods design was triangulation (used by 74% of studies), followed by embedded (14%), sequential explanatory (8%), and finally sequential exploratory (5%). Quantitative components were generally of higher quality than qualitative components; when quantitative components involved RCTs they were of particularly high quality. Common methodological limitations were identified. Most strikingly, none of the 80 mixed methods studies addressed the philosophical tensions inherent in mixing qualitative and quantitative methods. Conclusions and Implications. The quality of mixed methods research in CAM can be enhanced by addressing philosophical tensions and improving reporting of (a) analytic methods and reflexivity (in qualitative components) and (b) sampling and recruitment-related procedures (in all components). PMID:24454489

Methods for chromosome-specific staining

DOEpatents

Gray, J.W.; Pinkel, D.

1995-09-05

Methods and compositions for chromosome-specific staining are provided. Compositions comprise heterogeneous mixtures of labeled nucleic acid fragments having substantially complementary base sequences to unique sequence regions of the chromosomal DNA for which their associated staining reagent is specific. Methods include ways for making the chromosome-specific staining compositions of the invention, and methods for applying the staining compositions to chromosomes. 3 figs.

Optimal model of PDIG based microgrid and design of complementary stabilizer using ICA.

PubMed

Amini, R Mohammad; Safari, A; Ravadanegh, S Najafi

2016-09-01

The generalized Heffron-Phillips model (GHPM) for a microgrid containing a photovoltaic (PV)-diesel machine (DM)-induction motor (IM)-governor (GV) (PDIG) has been developed at the low voltage level. A GHPM is calculated by linearization method about a loading condition. An effective Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) approach for PV network has been done using sliding mode control (SMC) to maximize output power. Additionally, to improve stability of microgrid for more penetration of renewable energy resources with nonlinear load, a complementary stabilizer has been presented. Imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) is utilized to design of gains for the complementary stabilizer with the multiobjective function. The stability analysis of the PDIG system has been completed with eigenvalues analysis and nonlinear simulations. Robustness and validity of the proposed controllers on damping of electromechanical modes examine through time domain simulation under input mechanical torque disturbances. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asteroid models from photometry and complementary data sources

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

Kaasalainen, Mikko

I discuss inversion methods for asteroid shape and spin reconstruction with photometry (lightcurves) and complementary data sources such as adaptive optics or other images, occultation timings, interferometry, and range-Doppler radar data. These are essentially different sampling modes (generalized projections) of plane-of-sky images. An important concept in this approach is the optimal weighting of the various data modes. The maximum compatibility estimate, a multi-modal generalization of the maximum likelihood estimate, can be used for this purpose. I discuss the fundamental properties of lightcurve inversion by examining the two-dimensional case that, though not usable in our three-dimensional world, is simple to analyze,more » and it shares essentially the same uniqueness and stability properties as the 3-D case. After this, I review the main aspects of 3-D shape representations, lightcurve inversion, and the inclusion of complementary data.« less

Complementary effect of patient volume and quality of care on hospital cost efficiency.

PubMed

Choi, Jeong Hoon; Park, Imsu; Jung, Ilyoung; Dey, Asoke

2017-06-01

This study explores the direct effect of an increase in patient volume in a hospital and the complementary effect of quality of care on the cost efficiency of U.S. hospitals in terms of patient volume. The simultaneous equation model with three-stage least squares is used to measure the direct effect of patient volume and the complementary effect of quality of care and volume. Cost efficiency is measured with a data envelopment analysis method. Patient volume has a U-shaped relationship with hospital cost efficiency and an inverted U-shaped relationship with quality of care. Quality of care functions as a moderator for the relationship between patient volume and efficiency. This paper addresses the economically important question of the relationship of volume with quality of care and hospital cost efficiency. The three-stage least square simultaneous equation model captures the simultaneous effects of patient volume on hospital quality of care and cost efficiency.

Association of Frontline Worker-Provided Services with Change in Block-Level Complementary Feeding Indicators: An Ecological Analysis from Bihar, India

PubMed Central

Das, Aritra; Mahapatra, Sanchita; Sai Mala, Guntur; Chaudhuri, Indrajit; Mahapatra, Tanmay

2016-01-01

Background Insufficiencies in complementary feeding put infants and young children at increased risk of undernutrition. Till now, most Indian studies have looked at the individual level determinants of complementary feeding practices. We aimed to evaluate the association of frontline worker (FLW) provided nutritional counselling services, with change in community level indicators of complementary feeding practices among 9–11 month old children over time. Methods The study data was obtained from five rounds of ‘Lot Quality Assurance Sampling’ survey in eight districts of Bihar, an impoverished Indian state. The surveys were conducted as evaluation exercises for the ‘Integrated Family Health Initiative (IFHI)’–a multi-faceted program aimed at improving the maternal and child health outcomes in Bihar. The main outcome indicators were—current breastfeeding, age-appropriate minimum frequency of semi-solid food, age-appropriate minimum quantity of semi-solid food, initiation of complementary feeding at the right age, and dietary diversity. Repeated measures analysis was performed to determine the association of changes in the outcome indicators with coverage of FLW-provided counselling services. Results Visits by FLW, advices on age-appropriate frequency and handwashing were significant predictors of receiving age-appropriate frequency of feeding. The determinants of receiving age-appropriate quantity were—advices on age appropriate frequency and advices on handwashing. Receiving food support from AWC and FLW visits were significantly associated with initiating complementary feeding at the right age. Conclusions The present study identified the critical elements among the different types of FLW-provided services. The study findings, from an economically and socially underdeveloped region of India, would inform the relevant programs about the nutritional counselling services that need to be emphasized upon for reducing the burden of childhood malnutrition. PMID:27832211

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by patients with hematological diseases experience at a university hospital in northeast Mexico

PubMed Central

Jaime-Pérez, José Carlos; Chapa-Rodríguez, Adrián; Rodríguez-Martínez, Marisol; Colunga-Pedraza, Perla Rocío; Marfil-Rivera, Luis Javier; Gómez-Almaguer, David

2012-01-01

Background Complementary and alternative medicine includes a diverse group of medical and healthcare systems, practices and products not considered part of conventional medicine. Although there is information on unconventional practices in oncological diseases, specific data regarding the use of complementary and alternative medicine by hematology patients is scarce. Objective The aim of this study is to document the prevalence of this modality of unconventional therapy in patients with malignant and benign hematological diseases, particularly children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Methods An observational study of adult patients and guardians of children with malignant or benign hematological diseases was carried out by applying a structured questionnaire detailing the use and results of the most prevalent complementary and alternative medicine practices. Results One hundred and twenty patients were included; 104 had malignant and 16 had benign hematological diseases. The use of complementary and alternative medicine was greater in benign diseases but the difference was not statistically significant (64.7% versus 41.7%; p-value = 0.08). Patients and guardians with high school or college educations used these alternative practices more than patients with less schooling (60.7% versus 54.7%; p-value = 0.032). The use of folk remedies was most prevalent followed by herbal preparations and spiritual healing. Sixty-four percent of patients that used these unconventional practices reported improvement in their symptoms and increased capacity to perform daily activities. Conclusion No significant difference was documented between patients with malignant or benign hematological diseases using these alternative practices. The majority of complementary and alternative medicine users reported improvement of the disease or chemotherapy-related symptoms. PMID:23049401

Structure-based affinity maturation of a chimeric anti-ricin antibody C4C13.

PubMed

Luo, Longlong; Luo, Qun; Guo, Leiming; Lv, Ming; Lin, Zhou; Geng, Jing; Li, Xinying; Li, Yan; Shen, Beifen; Qiao, Chunxia; Feng, Jiannan

2014-01-01

Ricin is a highly lethal toxin. Anti-ricin chimeric monoclonal antibody (mAb) C4C13 was prepared in our lab; however, its binding affinity was much weaker than that of the parent antibody 4C13. In this study, based on the computer-guided homology modeling and conformational optimization methods, the 3-D structure of C4C13 variable regions Fv was constructed and optimized. Using molecular docking and dynamics simulation methods, the 3-D complex structure of ricin and C4C13 Fv was obtained. Considering the orientation property, surface electrostatic distribution, residues chemical and physical character and intermolecular hydrogen bond, the binding mode and key residues were predicted. According to C4C13 Fv fragment and ricin complementary binding surface, electrostatic attraction periphery and van der Waals interaction interface, three mutants (i.e., M1 (N(H102)F, W(H103)Y); M2 (W(H103)Y) and M3 (R(L90)G)) were designed, in which M1 and M2 were predicted to possess higher antigen-binding activity than C4C13, while M3 was weaker. The relative affinity assays by ELISA showed that M1 and M2 mutations had higher affinity (9.6 and 18.3 nmol/L) than C4C13 (130 nmol/L) and M3 had weaker affinity (234.5 nmol/L) than C4C13. The results showed that the modeling complex structure of the antigen (ricin) and antibody (C4C13) is reasonable. Our work offered affinity maturated antibodies by site mutations, which were beneficial for valuable anti-ricin antibody design and preparation in future.

Interpreting linear support vector machine models with heat map molecule coloring

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Model-based virtual screening plays an important role in the early drug discovery stage. The outcomes of high-throughput screenings are a valuable source for machine learning algorithms to infer such models. Besides a strong performance, the interpretability of a machine learning model is a desired property to guide the optimization of a compound in later drug discovery stages. Linear support vector machines showed to have a convincing performance on large-scale data sets. The goal of this study is to present a heat map molecule coloring technique to interpret linear support vector machine models. Based on the weights of a linear model, the visualization approach colors each atom and bond of a compound according to its importance for activity. Results We evaluated our approach on a toxicity data set, a chromosome aberration data set, and the maximum unbiased validation data sets. The experiments show that our method sensibly visualizes structure-property and structure-activity relationships of a linear support vector machine model. The coloring of ligands in the binding pocket of several crystal structures of a maximum unbiased validation data set target indicates that our approach assists to determine the correct ligand orientation in the binding pocket. Additionally, the heat map coloring enables the identification of substructures important for the binding of an inhibitor. Conclusions In combination with heat map coloring, linear support vector machine models can help to guide the modification of a compound in later stages of drug discovery. Particularly substructures identified as important by our method might be a starting point for optimization of a lead compound. The heat map coloring should be considered as complementary to structure based modeling approaches. As such, it helps to get a better understanding of the binding mode of an inhibitor. PMID:21439031

Addressing holistic healthcare needs of oncology patients: Implementation and evaluation of a complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) course within an elective module designed for healthcare professionals.

PubMed

Klafke, Nadja; Homberg, Angelika; Glassen, Katharina; Mahler, Cornelia

2016-12-01

Patients, and especially oncology patients, increasingly demand information and application of complementary therapies to supplement their conventional medical treatment and follow-up care. Due to the widespread interest in holistic treatment opportunities in oncology populations, healthcare professionals need to be prepared in differentiating evidence-based methods of the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) spectrum and how to consult with patients about it. This paper reports on the implementation and evaluation of a newly designed module "Complementary and Alternative Medicine in oncological healthcare" in the bachelor degree program Interprofessional Health Care (B.Sc.). The study applied a developed evaluation questionnaire to capture students' perspectives on the CAM contents. This assessment instrument was administered pre and post the CAM teaching unit. Interprofessional medical education, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany. The integration of the CAM elective module was possible and was met by positive response. Students' interest was reflected in an increase of their self-reported knowledge gain and positive CAM attitude. Comparison of pre and post evaluation data demonstrate that, particularly, students' expectations on developing their own opinion about CAM, and getting an overview of the evidence-base of different CAM methods have been met. Evaluation results indicate that the module content was in line with the students' expectations and may have positively impacted on their general CAM attitude. The results support us in continuing to offer this CAM course within the elective module to prepare today's healthcare professionals for patient-oriented healthcare delivery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of maternal education about complementary feeding and provision of complementary foods on child growth in developing countries

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Childhood undernutrition is prevalent in low and middle income countries. It is an important indirect cause of child mortality in these countries. According to an estimate, stunting (height for age Z score < -2) and wasting (weight for height Z score < -2) along with intrauterine growth restriction are responsible for about 2.1 million deaths worldwide in children < 5 years of age. This comprises 21 % of all deaths in this age group worldwide. The incidence of stunting is the highest in the first two years of life especially after six months of life when exclusive breastfeeding alone cannot fulfill the energy needs of a rapidly growing child. Complementary feeding for an infant refers to timely introduction of safe and nutritional foods in addition to breast-feeding (BF) i.e. clean and nutritionally rich additional foods introduced at about six months of infant age. Complementary feeding strategies encompass a wide variety of interventions designed to improve not only the quality and quantity of these foods but also improve the feeding behaviors. In this review, we evaluated the effectiveness of two most commonly applied strategies of complementary feeding i.e. timely provision of appropriate complementary foods (± nutritional counseling) and education to mothers about practices of complementary feeding on growth. Recommendations have been made for input to the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) model by following standardized guidelines developed by Child Health Epidemiology Reference Group (CHERG). Methods We conducted a systematic review of published randomized and quasi-randomized trials on PubMed, Cochrane Library and WHO regional databases. The included studies were abstracted and graded according to study design, limitations, intervention details and outcome effects. The primary outcomes were change in weight and height during the study period among children 6-24 months of age. We hypothesized that provision of complementary food and education of mother about complementary food would significantly improve the nutritional status of the children in the intervention group compared to control. Meta-analyses were generated for change in weight and height by two methods. In the first instance, we pooled the results to get weighted mean difference (WMD) which helps to pool studies with different units of measurement and that of different duration. A second meta-analysis was conducted to get a pooled estimate in terms of actual increase in weight (kg) and length (cm) in relation to the intervention, for input into the LiST model. Results After screening 3795 titles, we selected 17 studies for inclusion in the review. The included studies evaluated the impact of provision of complementary foods (±nutritional counseling) and of nutritional counseling alone. Both these interventions were found to result in a significant increase in weight [WMD 0.34 SD, 95% CI 0.11 – 0.56 and 0.30 SD, 95 % CI 0.05-0.54 respectively) and linear growth [WMD 0.26 SD, 95 % CI 0.08-0.43 and 0.21 SD, 95 % CI 0.01-0.41 respectively]. Pooled results for actual increase in weight in kilograms and length in centimeters showed that provision of appropriate complementary foods (±nutritional counseling) resulted in an extra gain of 0.25kg (±0.18) in weight and 0.54 cm (±0.38) in height in children aged 6-24 months. The overall quality grades for these estimates were that of ‘moderate’ level. These estimates have been recommended for inclusion in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) model. Education of mother about complementary feeding led to an extra weight gain of 0.30 kg (±0.26) and a gain of 0.49 cm (±0.50) in height in the intervention group compared to control. These estimates had been recommended for inclusion in the LiST model with an overall quality grade assessment of ‘moderate’ level. Conclusion Provision of appropriate complementary food, with or without nutritional education, and maternal nutritional counseling alone lead to significant increase in weight and height in children 6-24 months of age. These interventions can significantly reduce the risk of stunting in developing countries and are recommended for inclusion in the LiST tool. PMID:21501443

Nontraditional carbon reducing agents in smelting FMn78B ferromanganese and valuable manganese slag

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

P.A. Kravchenko; O.N. Sezonenko; O.L. Bespalov

The smelting of FeMn78B ferromanganese (0.7% P) by a flux-free method, with the production of valuable slag (36-38% Mn), is considered in the case where some of the coke nuts are replaced by anthracite and sometimes by long-flame coal.

Targeted self-assembly of functionalized carbon nanotubes on tumors

DOEpatents

Scheinberg, David A.; McDevitt, Michael R.; Villa, Carlos H.; Mulvey, J. Justin

2018-05-22

Provided herein are methods for delivering a molecule in situ to a cell and for treating a cancer via the in situ delivery. The methods comprise contacting or administering to the cell, as two separate components, a morpholino oligonucleotide comprising a targeting moiety followed by a single wall nanotube construct comprising second morpholino oligonucleotides complementary to the first morpholino oligonucleotides and one or both of a therapeutic or diagnostic payload molecule linked to the single wall nanotube construct. Upon self-assembly of a single wall nanotube complex via hybridization of the first morpholino and second complementary morpholino oligonucleotides at the cell, the payload molecule is delivered. Also provided is the two component self-assembly single wall nanotube system and the single wall nanotube construct comprising the second component.

Preferred delivery method and acceptability of Wheat-Soy Blend (WSB++) as a daily complementary food supplement in northwest Bangladesh.

PubMed

Shamim, Abu Ahmed; Hanif, Abu A M; Merrill, Rebecca D; Campbell, Rebecca K; Kumkum, Mehnaz Alam; Shaikh, Saijuddin; de Pee, Saskia; Ahmed, Tahmeed; Parveen, Monira; Mehra, Sucheta; Klemm, Rolf D W; Labrique, Alain B; West, Keith P; Christian, Parul

2015-01-01

Fortified blended foods (FBFs) are widely used to prevent undernutrition in early childhood in food-insecure settings. We field tested enhanced Wheat Soy Blend (WSB++)-a FBF fortified with micronutrients, milk powder, sugar, and oil-in preparation for a complementary food supplement (CFS) trial in rural northwestern Bangladesh. Formative work was conducted to determine the optimal delivery method (cooked vs. not) for this CFS, to examine mothers' child feeding practices with and acceptance of the WSB++, and to identify potential barriers to adherence. Our results suggest WSB++ is an acceptable CFS in rural Bangladesh and the requirement for mothers to cook WSB++ at home is unlikely to be a barrier to its daily use as a CFS in this population.

Synergistic soil moisture observation - an interdisciplinary multi-sensor approach to yield improved estimates across scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrön, M.; Fersch, B.; Jagdhuber, T.

2017-12-01

The representative determination of soil moisture across different spatial ranges and scales is still an important challenge in hydrology. While in situ measurements are trusted methods at the profile- or point-scale, cosmic-ray neutron sensors (CRNS) are renowned for providing volume averages for several hectares and tens of decimeters depth. On the other hand, airborne remote-sensing enables the coverage of regional scales, however limited to the top few centimeters of the soil.Common to all of these methods is a challenging data processing part, often requiring calibration with independent data. We investigated the performance and potential of three complementary observational methods for the determination of soil moisture below grassland in an alpine front-range river catchment (Rott, 55 km2) of southern Germany.We employ the TERENO preAlpine soil moisture monitoring network, along with additional soil samples taken throughout the catchment. Spatial soil moisture products have been generated using surveys of a car-mounted mobile CRNS (rover), and an aerial acquisition of the polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (F-SAR) of DLR.The study assesses (1) the viability of the different methods to estimate soil moisture for their respective scales and extents, and (2) how either method could support an improvement of the others. We found that in situ data can provide valuable information to calibrate the CRNS rover and to train the vegetation removal part of the polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) retrieval algorithm. Vegetation correction is mandatory to obtain the sub-canopy soil moisture patterns. While CRNS rover surveys can be used to evaluate the F-SAR product across scales, vegetation-related PolSAR products in turn can support the spatial correction of CRNS products for biomass water. Despite the different physical principles, the synthesis of the methods can provide reasonable soil moisture information by integrating from the plot to the landscape scale. The combination of in situ, CRNS, and remote-sensing data leads to substantial improvement, especially for the latter two. The study shows how interdisciplinary research can greatly advance the methodology and processing algorithms for individual geoscientific instruments and their hydrologically relevant products.

Rapid and specific purification of Argonaute-small RNA complexes from crude cell lysates

PubMed Central

Flores-Jasso, C. Fabián; Salomon, William E.; Zamore, Phillip D.

2013-01-01

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) direct Argonaute proteins, the core components of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), to cleave complementary target RNAs. Here, we describe a method to purify active RISC containing a single, unique small RNA guide sequence. We begin by capturing RISC using a complementary 2′-O-methyl oligonucleotide tethered to beads. Unlike other methods that capture RISC but do not allow its recovery, our strategy purifies active, soluble RISC in good yield. The method takes advantage of the finding that RISC partially paired to a target through its siRNA guide dissociates more than 300 times faster than a fully paired siRNA in RISC. We use this strategy to purify fly Ago1- and Ago2-RISC, as well as mouse AGO2-RISC. The method can discriminate among RISCs programmed with different guide strands, making it possible to deplete and recover specific RISC populations. Endogenous microRNA:Argonaute complexes can also be purified from cell lysates. Our method scales readily and takes less than a day to complete. PMID:23249751

Rapid and specific purification of Argonaute-small RNA complexes from crude cell lysates.

PubMed

Flores-Jasso, C Fabián; Salomon, William E; Zamore, Phillip D

2013-02-01

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) direct Argonaute proteins, the core components of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), to cleave complementary target RNAs. Here, we describe a method to purify active RISC containing a single, unique small RNA guide sequence. We begin by capturing RISC using a complementary 2'-O-methyl oligonucleotide tethered to beads. Unlike other methods that capture RISC but do not allow its recovery, our strategy purifies active, soluble RISC in good yield. The method takes advantage of the finding that RISC partially paired to a target through its siRNA guide dissociates more than 300 times faster than a fully paired siRNA in RISC. We use this strategy to purify fly Ago1- and Ago2-RISC, as well as mouse AGO2-RISC. The method can discriminate among RISCs programmed with different guide strands, making it possible to deplete and recover specific RISC populations. Endogenous microRNA:Argonaute complexes can also be purified from cell lysates. Our method scales readily and takes less than a day to complete.

Robust recognition of degraded machine-printed characters using complementary similarity measure and error-correction learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagita, Norihiro; Sawaki, Minako

1995-03-01

Most conventional methods in character recognition extract geometrical features such as stroke direction, connectivity of strokes, etc., and compare them with reference patterns in a stored dictionary. Unfortunately, geometrical features are easily degraded by blurs, stains and the graphical background designs used in Japanese newspaper headlines. This noise must be removed before recognition commences, but no preprocessing method is completely accurate. This paper proposes a method for recognizing degraded characters and characters printed on graphical background designs. This method is based on the binary image feature method and uses binary images as features. A new similarity measure, called the complementary similarity measure, is used as a discriminant function. It compares the similarity and dissimilarity of binary patterns with reference dictionary patterns. Experiments are conducted using the standard character database ETL-2 which consists of machine-printed Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana, alphanumeric, an special characters. The results show that this method is much more robust against noise than the conventional geometrical feature method. It also achieves high recognition rates of over 92% for characters with textured foregrounds, over 98% for characters with textured backgrounds, over 98% for outline fonts, and over 99% for reverse contrast characters.

Development of a Trypanosoma cruzi strain typing assay using MS2 peptide spectral libraries (Tc-STAMS2)

PubMed Central

de Oliveira, Gilberto Santos; Kawahara, Rebeca; Rosa-Fernandes, Livia; Avila, Carla Cristi; Teixeira, Marta M. G.; Larsen, Martin R.

2018-01-01

Background Chagas disease also known as American trypanosomiasis is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Over the last 30 years, Chagas disease has expanded from a neglected parasitic infection of the rural population to an urbanized chronic disease, becoming a potentially emergent global health problem. T. cruzi strains were assigned to seven genetic groups (TcI-TcVI and TcBat), named discrete typing units (DTUs), which represent a set of isolates that differ in virulence, pathogenicity and immunological features. Indeed, diverse clinical manifestations (from asymptomatic to highly severe disease) have been attempted to be related to T.cruzi genetic variability. Due to that, several DTU typing methods have been introduced. Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks such as high complexity and analysis time and all of them are based on genetic signatures. Recently, a novel method discriminated bacterial strains using a peptide identification-free, genome sequence-independent shotgun proteomics workflow. Here, we aimed to develop a Trypanosoma cruzi Strain Typing Assay using MS/MS peptide spectral libraries, named Tc-STAMS2. Methods/Principal findings The Tc-STAMS2 method uses shotgun proteomics combined with spectral library search to assign and discriminate T. cruzi strains independently on the genome knowledge. The method is based on the construction of a library of MS/MS peptide spectra built using genotyped T. cruzi reference strains. For identification, the MS/MS peptide spectra of unknown T. cruzi cells are identified using the spectral matching algorithm SpectraST. The Tc-STAMS2 method allowed correct identification of all DTUs with high confidence. The method was robust towards different sample preparations, length of chromatographic gradients and fragmentation techniques. Moreover, a pilot inter-laboratory study showed the applicability to different MS platforms. Conclusions and significance This is the first study that develops a MS-based platform for T. cruzi strain typing. Indeed, the Tc-STAMS2 method allows T. cruzi strain typing using MS/MS spectra as discriminatory features and allows the differentiation of TcI-TcVI DTUs. Similar to genomic-based strategies, the Tc-STAMS2 method allows identification of strains within DTUs. Its robustness towards different experimental and biological variables makes it a valuable complementary strategy to the current T. cruzi genotyping assays. Moreover, this method can be used to identify DTU-specific features correlated with the strain phenotype. PMID:29608573

Impact of animal-assisted therapy for outpatients with fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Marcus, Dawn A; Bernstein, Cheryl D; Constantin, Janet M; Kunkel, Frank A; Breuer, Paula; Hanlon, Raymond B

2013-01-01

Animal-assisted therapy using dogs trained to be calm and provide comfort to strangers has been used as a complementary therapy for a range of medical conditions. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of brief therapy dog visits for fibromyalgia patients attending a tertiary outpatient pain management facility compared with time spent in a waiting room. Open label with waiting room control. Tertiary care, university-based, outpatient pain management clinic. A convenience sample of fibromyalgia patients was obtained through advertisements posted in the clinic. Participants were able to spend clinic waiting time with a certified therapy dog instead of waiting in the outpatient waiting area. When the therapy dog was not available, individuals remained in the waiting area. OUTCOME MEASURES.: Self-reported pain, fatigue, and emotional distress were recorded using 11-point numeric rating scales before and after the therapy dog visit or waiting room time. Data were evaluated from 106 therapy dog visits and 49 waiting room controls, with no significant between-group demographic differences in participants. Average intervention duration was 12 minutes for the therapy dog visit and 17 minutes for the waiting room control. Significant improvements were reported for pain, mood, and other measures of distress among patients after the therapy dog visit, but not the waiting room control. Clinically meaningful pain relief (≥2 points pain severity reduction) occurred in 34% after the therapy dog visit and 4% in the waiting room control. Outcome was not affected by the presence of comorbid anxiety or depression. Brief therapy dog visits may provide a valuable complementary therapy for fibromyalgia outpatients. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Morphological and ultrastructural characterization of ionoregulatory cells in the teleost Oreochromis niloticus following salinity challenge combining complementary confocal scanning laser microscopy and transmission electron microscopy using a novel prefixation immunogold labeling technique.

PubMed

Fridman, Sophie; Rana, Krishen J; Bron, James E

2013-10-01

Aspects of ionoregulatory or mitochondria-rich cell (MRC) differentiation and adaptation in Nile tilapia yolk-sac larvae following transfer from freshwater to elevated salinities, that is, 12.5 and 20 ppt are described. Investigations using immunohistochemistry on whole-mount Nile tilapia larvae using anti- Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase as a primary antibody and Fluoronanogold™ (Nanoprobes) as a secondary immunoprobe allowed fluorescent labeling with the high resolution of confocal scanning laser microscopy combined with the detection of immunolabeled target molecules at an ultrastructural level using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It reports, for the first time, various developmental stages of MRCs within the epithelial layer of the tail of yolk-sac larvae, corresponding to immature, developing, and mature MRCs, identifiable by their own characteristic ultrastructure and form. Following transfer to hyperosmotic salinities the density of immunogold particles and well as the intricacy of the tubular system appeared to increase. In addition, complementary confocal scanning laser microscopy allowed identification of immunopositive ramifying extensions that appeared to emanate from the basolateral portion of the cell that appeared to be correlated with the localization of subsurface tubular areas displaying immunogold labeled Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase. This integrated approach describes a reliable and repeatable prefixation immunogold labeling technique allowing precise visualization of NaK within target cells combined with a 3D imaging that offers valuable insights into MRC dynamics at an ultrastructural level. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Using a mixed methods research design to investigate complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use among women with breast cancer in Ireland.

PubMed

Fox, Patricia; Butler, Michelle; Coughlan, Barbara; Murray, Mary; Boland, Noreen; Hanan, Terry; Murphy, Hilary; Forrester, Pauline; O' Brien, Marie; O' Sullivan, Nollaig

2013-08-01

To investigate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among women with breast cancer in Ireland using a mixed methods modified sequential explanatory design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with oncology professionals (n = 20) and CAM practitioners (n = 20) and this was followed by a survey of 406 women with breast cancer using the 'Use of Complementary and Alternative Therapies Survey' questionnaire (UCATS) (Lengacher et al., 2003). Follow up interviews were subsequently undertaken with a subset of this survey sample (n = 31). Over half of those surveyed (55.7%, n = 226) used some form of CAM since diagnosis. The most frequently used therapies were massage, herbal supplements (including herbs with oestrogenic properties), antioxidants, relaxation, counselling, health supplements, reflexology, reiki and support groups. Dietary interventions were used primarily to reduce symptoms and/or side effects while reduction of psychological stress was the primary reason for use of stress-reducing therapies. Most respondents reported that the CAM therapies they had used were helpful. The qualitative data elaborated on and provided clarification of the survey results. Similar to international studies, CAM is popular among women with breast cancer in Ireland. As such, the challenge for Irish oncology professionals is to identify low risk CAM therapies that are likely to benefit patients while educating patients and themselves on therapies which may be of concern. This study clearly illustrates the benefits of using a mixed methods approach to enhance our understanding of a complex clinical issue and thus we recommend that this method should be the method of choice when planning health services research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Management of Premature Ejaculation: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Cooper, Katy; Martyn-St James, Marrissa; Kaltenthaler, Eva; Dickinson, Kath; Cantrell, Anna; Ren, Shijie; Wylie, Kevan; Frodsham, Leila; Hood, Catherine

2017-03-01

Premature ejaculation (PE) is defined as ejaculation within 1 minute (lifelong PE) or 3 minutes (acquired PE), inability to delay ejaculation, and negative personal consequences. Management includes behavioral and pharmacologic approaches. To systematically review effectiveness, safety, and robustness of evidence for complementary and alternative medicine in managing PE. Nine databases including Medline were searched through September 2015. Randomized controlled trials evaluating complementary and alternative medicine for PE were included. Studies were included if they reported on intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) and/or another validated PE measurement. Adverse effects were summarized. Ten randomized controlled trials were included. Two assessed acupuncture, five assessed Chinese herbal medicine, one assessed Ayurvedic herbal medicine, and two assessed topical "severance secret" cream. Risk of bias was unclear in all studies because of unclear allocation concealment or blinding, and only five studies reported stopwatch-measured IELT. Acupuncture slightly increased IELT over placebo in one study (mean difference [MD] = 0.55 minute, P = .001). In another study, Ayurvedic herbal medicine slightly increased IELT over placebo (MD = 0.80 minute, P = .001). Topical severance secret cream increased IELT over placebo in two studies (MD = 8.60 minutes, P < .001), although inclusion criteria were broad (IELT < 3 minutes). Three studies comparing Chinese herbal medicine with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) favored SSRIs (MD = 1.01 minutes, P = .02). However, combination treatment with Chinese medicine plus SSRIs improved IELT over SSRIs alone (two studies; MD = 1.92 minutes, P < .00001) and over Chinese medicine alone (two studies; MD = 2.52 minutes, P < .00001). Adverse effects were not consistently assessed but where reported were generally mild. There is preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, Ayurvedic herbal medicine, and topical severance secret cream in improving IELT and other outcomes. However, results are based on clinically heterogeneous studies of unclear quality. There are sparse data on adverse effects or potential for drug interactions. Further well-conducted randomized controlled trials would be valuable. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour.

PubMed

Smith, C A; Collins, C T; Cyna, A M; Crowther, C A

2006-10-18

Many women would like to avoid pharmacological or invasive methods of pain management in labour and this may contribute towards the popularity of complementary methods of pain management. This review examined currently available evidence supporting the use of alternative and complementary therapies for pain management in labour. To examine the effects of complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour on maternal and perinatal morbidity. We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (February 2006), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 1), MEDLINE (1966 to February 2006), EMBASE (1980 to February 2006) and CINAHL (1980 to February 2006). The inclusion criteria included published and unpublished randomised controlled trials comparing complementary and alternative therapies (but not biofeedback) with placebo, no treatment or pharmacological forms of pain management in labour. All women whether primiparous or multiparous, and in spontaneous or induced labour, in the first and second stage of labour were included. Meta-analysis was performed using relative risks for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences for continuous outcomes. The outcome measures were maternal satisfaction, use of pharmacological pain relief and maternal and neonatal adverse outcomes. Fourteen trials were included in the review with data reporting on 1537 women using different modalities of pain management; 1448 women were included in the meta-analysis. Three trials involved acupuncture (n = 496), one audio-analgesia (n = 24), two trials acupressure (n = 172), one aromatherapy (n = 22), five trials hypnosis (n = 729), one trial of massage (n = 60), and relaxation (n = 34). The trials of acupuncture showed a decreased need for pain relief (relative risk (RR) 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49 to 1.00, two trials 288 women). Women taught self-hypnosis had decreased requirements for pharmacological analgesia (RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.79, five trials 749 women) including epidural analgesia (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.40) and were more satisfied with their pain management in labour compared with controls (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.15 to 4.71, one trial). No differences were seen for women receiving aromatherapy, or audio analgesia. Acupuncture and hypnosis may be beneficial for the management of pain during labour; however, the number of women studied has been small. Few other complementary therapies have been subjected to proper scientific study.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with multiple sclerosis in Germany.

PubMed

Gotta, Mario; Mayer, Christoph A; Huebner, Jutta

2018-02-01

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) is becoming an increasingly important issue for those affected. Especially in Germany there are only a few studies dealing with CAM, as yet. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, the methods used, the subjective benefits as well as physician/patient communication. A structured questionnaire including demographic and disease-specific data, CAM use, perceived benefits as well as physician/patient communication was sent to real and web-based self-help groups for MS in Germany. 343 answers could be evaluated. 77.3% of the participants were females. The mean age was 45.0 ± 11.9 years and the duration of the disease was 12.0 ± 9.6 years. 81.9% said they were using CAM, nearly half (44.8%) used it alternatively to conventional medicine. The average number of CAM- methods used were 3.6. The most popular methods were vitamin supplements, Yoga/Thai chi/Qi Gong, relaxation techniques and meditation. Approximately half (139/49.5%) of CAM users disclosed this to their treating neurologist. Yet, 37,6% have doubts on the competence of the respective physician. Patients with MS have a strong interest in CAM. Usage as alternative therapy is widespread and puts patients at risk of progress of the disease. As patient/physician communication on the topic is increasing, neurologists should be attentive to guiding their patients through safe complementary methods. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Extrahepatic biliary atresia: diagnostic methods].

PubMed

Cauduro, Sydney M

2003-01-01

To emphasize the importance of precocious diagnosis of extrahepatic biliary atresia and its direct relationship with the surgical re-establishment of the biliary flow before the second month of life. To discuss several complementary methods with the aim of selecting the ones that present better evidence, and avoiding delays in diagnosis and worse prognostic. Bibliographical researching regarding the period of 1985-2001, in Medline and MdConsult, using the following key words: neo-natal cholestasis; extrahepatic biliary atresia; neo-natal hepatitis. National and foreign articles were also elected based on the bibliography of consulted publications, and when necessary, for better understanding of the theme, opinions emitted in theses and textbooks were referred. The revision of the consulted bibliography led to the assumption that early diagnosis of EHBA and surgical treatment to reestablish the biliary flow up to 60 days of life are fundamental in order to achieve good results. Among several complementary methods of diagnosis, cholangiography by MR, US and the hepatic biopsy are the ones that provide the largest success indexes. The referring of patients bearers of EHBA to centers of references in Brazil, is still made tardily, probably due to lack of enlightenment of the doctors of primary attention, allied to bureaucratic and technological difficulties. The experience in England in relation to the "Yellow Alert" program, allowed that the number of children referred to surgical treatment before the 60 days of life increased significantly. Among the complementary methods, the MR cholangiography, ultrasonography and hepatic biopsy should be used, depending on the technological resources of the diagnosis units.

Novel studies of non-aqueous volatiles in lint Cotton moisture tests by complementary thermal methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Moisture affects economical and rheological properties of cotton, making its accurate determination important. A significant difference in moisture contents between the current and most cited standard oven drying ASTM method (ASTM D 2495, SOD) and volumetric Karl Fischer Titration (KFT) has been est...

Two Undergraduate Process Modeling Courses Taught Using Inductive Learning Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soroush, Masoud; Weinberger, Charles B.

2010-01-01

This manuscript presents a successful application of inductive learning in process modeling. It describes two process modeling courses that use inductive learning methods such as inquiry learning and problem-based learning, among others. The courses include a novel collection of multi-disciplinary complementary process modeling examples. They were…

Comparison of multiple gene assembly methods for metabolic engineering

Treesearch

Chenfeng Lu; Karen Mansoorabadi; Thomas Jeffries

2007-01-01

A universal, rapid DNA assembly method for efficient multigene plasmid construction is important for biological research and for optimizing gene expression in industrial microbes. Three different approaches to achieve this goal were evaluated. These included creating long complementary extensions using a uracil-DNA glycosylase technique, overlap extension polymerase...

A fully automatic approach for multimodal PET and MR image segmentation in gamma knife treatment planning.

PubMed

Rundo, Leonardo; Stefano, Alessandro; Militello, Carmelo; Russo, Giorgio; Sabini, Maria Gabriella; D'Arrigo, Corrado; Marletta, Francesco; Ippolito, Massimo; Mauri, Giancarlo; Vitabile, Salvatore; Gilardi, Maria Carla

2017-06-01

Nowadays, clinical practice in Gamma Knife treatments is generally based on MRI anatomical information alone. However, the joint use of MRI and PET images can be useful for considering both anatomical and metabolic information about the lesion to be treated. In this paper we present a co-segmentation method to integrate the segmented Biological Target Volume (BTV), using [ 11 C]-Methionine-PET (MET-PET) images, and the segmented Gross Target Volume (GTV), on the respective co-registered MR images. The resulting volume gives enhanced brain tumor information to be used in stereotactic neuro-radiosurgery treatment planning. GTV often does not match entirely with BTV, which provides metabolic information about brain lesions. For this reason, PET imaging is valuable and it could be used to provide complementary information useful for treatment planning. In this way, BTV can be used to modify GTV, enhancing Clinical Target Volume (CTV) delineation. A novel fully automatic multimodal PET/MRI segmentation method for Leksell Gamma Knife ® treatments is proposed. This approach improves and combines two computer-assisted and operator-independent single modality methods, previously developed and validated, to segment BTV and GTV from PET and MR images, respectively. In addition, the GTV is utilized to combine the superior contrast of PET images with the higher spatial resolution of MRI, obtaining a new BTV, called BTV MRI . A total of 19 brain metastatic tumors, undergone stereotactic neuro-radiosurgery, were retrospectively analyzed. A framework for the evaluation of multimodal PET/MRI segmentation is also presented. Overlap-based and spatial distance-based metrics were considered to quantify similarity concerning PET and MRI segmentation approaches. Statistics was also included to measure correlation among the different segmentation processes. Since it is not possible to define a gold-standard CTV according to both MRI and PET images without treatment response assessment, the feasibility and the clinical value of BTV integration in Gamma Knife treatment planning were considered. Therefore, a qualitative evaluation was carried out by three experienced clinicians. The achieved experimental results showed that GTV and BTV segmentations are statistically correlated (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient: 0.898) but they have low similarity degree (average Dice Similarity Coefficient: 61.87 ± 14.64). Therefore, volume measurements as well as evaluation metrics values demonstrated that MRI and PET convey different but complementary imaging information. GTV and BTV could be combined to enhance treatment planning. In more than 50% of cases the CTV was strongly or moderately conditioned by metabolic imaging. Especially, BTV MRI enhanced the CTV more accurately than BTV in 25% of cases. The proposed fully automatic multimodal PET/MRI segmentation method is a valid operator-independent methodology helping the clinicians to define a CTV that includes both metabolic and morphologic information. BTV MRI and GTV should be considered for a comprehensive treatment planning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An analysis of the temperature dependence of the gate current in complementary heterojunction field-effect transistors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cunningham, Thomas J.; Fossum, Eric R.; Baier, Steven M.

1992-01-01

The temperature dependence of the gate current versus the gate voltage in complementary heterojunction field-effect transistors (CHFET's) is examined. An analysis indicates that the gate conduction is due to a combination of thermionic emission, thermionic-field emission, and conduction through a temperature-activated resistance. The thermionic-field emission is consistent with tunneling through the AlGaAs insulator. The activation energy of the resistance is consistent with the ionization energy associated with the DX center in the AlGaAs. Methods reducing the gate current are discussed.

Single-pixel imaging using balanced detection and a digital micromirror device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soldevila, F.; Clemente, P.; Tajahuerce, E.; Uribe-Patarroyo, Néstor; Andrés, P.; Lancis, J.

2018-02-01

Over the past decade, single-pixel imaging (SPI) has established as a viable tool in scenarios where traditional imaging techniques struggle to provide images with acceptable quality in practicable times and reasonable costs. However, SPI still has several limitations inherent to the technique, such as working with spurious light and in real time. Here we present a novel approach, using complementary measurements and a single balanced detector. By using balanced detection, we improve the frame rate of the complementary measurement architectures by a factor of two. Furthermore, the use of a balanced detector provides environmental light immunity to the method.

Discussion of "Representation of People's Decisions in Health Information Systems: A Complementary Approach for Understanding Health Care Systems and Population Health".

PubMed

Al-Shorbaji, Najeeb; Borycki, Elizabeth M; Kimura, Michio; Lehmann, Christoph U; Lorenzi, Nancy M; Moura, Lincoln A; Winter, Alfred

2017-02-01

This article is part of a For-Discussion-Section of Methods of Information in Medicine about the paper "Representation of People's Decisions in Health Information Systems: A Complementary Approach for Understanding Health Care Systems and Population Health" written by Fernan Gonzalez Bernaldo de Quiros, Adriana Ruth Dawidowski, and Silvana Figar. It is introduced by an editorial. This article contains the combined commentaries invited to independently comment on the paper of de Quiros, Dawidowski, and Figar. In subsequent issues the discussion can continue through letters to the editor.

Attitudes toward and education about complementary and alternative medicine among adult patients with depression in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsu, Mei-Chi; Moyle, Wendy; Creedy, Debra; Venturato, Lorraine; Ouyang, Wen-Chen; Sun, Gwo-Ching

2010-04-01

To investigate patients' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine, the education nurses provided about complementary and alternative medicine for treating depression and to test whether such education mediates the effect of complementary and alternative medicine use and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Although we know that attitudes influence behaviour, very few studies simultaneously explore the relationship between attitudes, education and complementary and alternative medicine use. Survey. This study was conducted as part of a larger survey, using face-to-face survey interviews with 206 adult patients aged 50 years or over and hospitalised in conventional hospitals in Taiwan for treatment of depression. The attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine and patient education about complementary and alternative medicine instruments were specially developed for the study. Participants expressed slightly favourable attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Many participants (50%) expressed that they were willing to try any potential treatment for depression. They believed that complementary and alternative medicine helped them to feel better and to live a happier life. However, 66.5% of participants reported that they had inadequate knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine. Participants with a higher monthly income, longer depression duration and religious beliefs hold more positive attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Most participants were not satisfied with the education they received about complementary and alternative medicine. Patient education about complementary and alternative medicine was found to be a mediator for the use of complementary and alternative medicine. Patient education from nurses may predict patients' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Continuing nursing education is needed to enable nurses to respond knowledgeably to concerns patients may have about complementary and alternative medicine and treatment options. This study highlights the potential role of patient education about complementary and alternative medicine as an effective way of adjusting patients' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine and to link both patients' preferences for complementary and alternative medicine and health professionals' concerns about the proper use of complementary and alternative medicine for depression management and adverse drug interactions.

Chemical approaches to targeted protein degradation through modulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

PubMed

Collins, Ian; Wang, Hannah; Caldwell, John J; Chopra, Raj

2017-03-15

Manipulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome system to achieve targeted degradation of proteins within cells using chemical tools and drugs has the potential to transform pharmacological and therapeutic approaches in cancer and other diseases. An increased understanding of the molecular mechanism of thalidomide and its analogues following their clinical use has unlocked small-molecule modulation of the substrate specificity of the E3 ligase cereblon (CRBN), which in turn has resulted in the advancement of new immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) into the clinic. The degradation of multiple context-specific proteins by these pleiotropic small molecules provides a means to uncover new cell biology and to generate future drug molecules against currently undruggable targets. In parallel, the development of larger bifunctional molecules that bring together highly specific protein targets in complexes with CRBN, von Hippel-Lindau, or other E3 ligases to promote ubiquitin-dependent degradation has progressed to generate selective chemical compounds with potent effects in cells and in vivo models, providing valuable tools for biological target validation and with future potential for therapeutic use. In this review, we survey recent breakthroughs achieved in these two complementary methods and the discovery of new modes of direct and indirect engagement of target proteins with the proteasome. We discuss the experimental characterisation that validates the use of molecules that promote protein degradation as chemical tools, the preclinical and clinical examples disclosed to date, and the future prospects for this exciting area of chemical biology. © 2017 The Author(s).

Use of the film The Bridge to augment the suicide curriculum in undergraduate medical education.

PubMed

Retamero, Carolina; Walsh, Leorah; Otero-Perez, Guillermo

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use and reception of the movie The Bridge as complementary to the suicide curriculum of medical students. One hundred eighty second-year medical students watched The Bridge as a part of the neuroscience curriculum in understanding suicide. They completed a pre- and post-movie survey regarding the understanding of suicide risk, reasons for suicide, prevention of suicide, and impact of suicide on surviving families. The percentage of answers in categories agree, strongly agree, disagree, and strongly disagree were calculated. The significance of results was calculated using paired t tests. Students were also asked to comment on the movie. The comments were grouped according to themes, and the percentages of comments on each theme were calculated. Students consistently reported they found watching the movie The Bridge to be valuable. Students were very receptive to the idea of using a movie to augment instruction on suicide and agreed that it reinforced concepts used in lecture. They also believed that The Bridge should be shown to people in the medical field, and more than 80 % of students had detailed comments to make about one or more people in the story or about the story in general. The Bridge represents a useful method for instructing students and residents on suicide and has utility in medical education. It can and should be used alongside lectures for assisting in education about suicide.

Funnel plots and choropleth maps in cancer risk communication: a comparison of tools for disseminating population-based incidence data to stakeholders

PubMed Central

Cusimano, Rosanna; Zarcone, Maurizio; Mazzola, Sergio; Vitale, Francesco

2017-01-01

Background Population-based cancer registries provide epidemiological cancer information, but the indicators are often too complex to be interpreted by local authorities and communities, due to numeracy and literacy limitations. The aim of this paper is to compare the commonly used visual formats to funnel plots to enable local public health authorities and communities to access valid and understandable cancer incidence data obtained at the municipal level. Methods A funnel plot representation of standardised incidence ratio (SIR) was generated for the 82 municipalities of the Palermo Province with the 2003–2011 data from the Palermo Province Cancer Registry (Sicily, Italy). The properties of the funnel plot and choropleth map methodologies were compared within the context of disseminating epidemiological data to stakeholders. Results The SIRs of all the municipalities remained within the control limits, except for Palermo city area (SIR=1.12), which was sited outside the upper control limit line of 99.8%. The Palermo Province SIRs funnel plot representation was congruent with the choropleth map generated from the same data, but the former resulted more informative as shown by the comparisons of the weaknesses and strengths of the 2 visual formats. Conclusions Funnel plot should be used as a complementary valuable tool to communicate epidemiological data of cancer registries to communities and local authorities, visually conveying an efficient and simple way to interpret cancer incidence data. PMID:28363917

The next generation of galaxy evolution models: A symbiosis of stellar populations and chemical abundances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotulla, Ralf

2012-10-01

Over its lifespan Hubble has invested significant effort into detailed observations of galaxies both in the local and distant universe. To extract the physical information from the observed {spectro-}photometry requires detailed and accurate models. Stellar population synthesis models are frequently used to obtain stellar masses, star formation rate, galaxy ages and star formation histories. Chemical evolution models offer another valuable and complementary approach to gain insight into many of the same aspects, yet these two methods have rarely been used in combination.Our proposed next generation of galaxy evolution models will help us improve our understanding of how galaxies form and evolve. Building on GALEV evolutionary synthesis models we incorporate state-of-the-art input physics for stellar evolution of binaries and rotating stars as well as new spectral libraries well matched to the modern observational capabilities. Our improved chemical evolution model allows us to self-consistently trace abundances of individual elements, fully accounting for the increasing initial abundances of successive stellar generations. GALEV will support variable Initial Mass Functions {IMF}, enabling us to test recent observational findings of a non-universal IMF by predicting chemical properties and integrated spectra in an integrated and consistent manner.HST is the perfect instrument for testing this approach. Its wide wavelength coverage from UV to NIR enables precise SED fitting, and with its spatial resolution we can compare the inferred chemical evolution to studies of star clusters and resolved stellar populations in nearby galaxies.

The banana code-natural blend processing in the olfactory circuitry of Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Schubert, Marco; Hansson, Bill S; Sachse, Silke

2014-01-01

Odor information is predominantly perceived as complex odor blends. For Drosophila melanogaster one of the most attractive blends is emitted by an over-ripe banana. To analyze how the fly's olfactory system processes natural blends we combined the experimental advantages of gas chromatography and functional imaging (GC-I). In this way, natural banana compounds were presented successively to the fly antenna in close to natural occurring concentrations. This technique allowed us to identify the active odor components, use these compounds as stimuli and measure odor-induced Ca(2+) signals in input and output neurons of the Drosophila antennal lobe (AL), the first olfactory neuropil. We demonstrate that mixture interactions of a natural blend are very rare and occur only at the AL output level resulting in a surprisingly linear blend representation. However, the information regarding single components is strongly modulated by the olfactory circuitry within the AL leading to a higher similarity between the representation of individual components and the banana blend. This observed modulation might tune the olfactory system in a way to distinctively categorize odor components and improve the detection of suitable food sources. Functional GC-I thus enables analysis of virtually any unknown natural odorant blend and its components in their relative occurring concentrations and allows characterization of neuronal responses of complete neural assemblies. This technique can be seen as a valuable complementary method to classical GC/electrophysiology techniques, and will be a highly useful tool in future investigations of insect-insect and insect-plant chemical interactions.

Deciphering Multifactorial Resistance Phenotypes in Acinetobacter baumannii by Genomics and Targeted Label-free Proteomics.

PubMed

Cecchini, Tiphaine; Yoon, Eun-Jeong; Charretier, Yannick; Bardet, Chloé; Beaulieu, Corinne; Lacoux, Xavier; Docquier, Jean-Denis; Lemoine, Jerome; Courvalin, Patrice; Grillot-Courvalin, Catherine; Charrier, Jean-Philippe

2018-03-01

Resistance to β-lactams in Acinetobacter baumannii involves various mechanisms. To decipher them, whole genome sequencing (WGS) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were complemented by mass spectrometry (MS) in selected reaction monitoring mode (SRM) in 39 clinical isolates. The targeted label-free proteomic approach enabled, in one hour and using a single method, the quantitative detection of 16 proteins associated with antibiotic resistance: eight acquired β-lactamases ( i.e. GES, NDM-1, OXA-23, OXA-24, OXA-58, PER, TEM-1, and VEB), two resident β-lactamases ( i.e. ADC and OXA-51-like) and six components of the two major efflux systems ( i.e. AdeABC and AdeIJK). Results were normalized using "bacterial quantotypic peptides," i.e. peptide markers of the bacterial quantity, to obtain precise protein quantitation (on average 8.93% coefficient of variation for three biological replicates). This allowed to correlate the levels of resistance to β-lactam with those of the production of acquired as well as resident β-lactamases or of efflux systems. SRM detected enhanced ADC or OXA-51-like production and absence or increased efflux pump production. Precise protein quantitation was particularly valuable to detect resistance mechanisms mediated by regulated genes or by overexpression of chromosomal genes. Combination of WGS and MS, two orthogonal and complementary techniques, allows thereby interpretation of the resistance phenotypes at the molecular level. © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Detection of Alzheimer’s disease amyloid-beta plaque deposition by deep brain impedance profiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béduer, Amélie; Joris, Pierre; Mosser, Sébastien; Fraering, Patrick C.; Renaud, Philippe

2015-04-01

Objective. Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease in elderly people. Toxic brain amyloid-beta (Aß) aggregates and ensuing cell death are believed to play a central role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In this study, we investigated if we could monitor the presence of these aggregates by performing in situ electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements in AD model mice brains. Approach. In this study, electrical impedance spectroscopy measurements were performed post-mortem in APPPS1 transgenic mice brains. This transgenic model is commonly used to study amyloidogenesis, a pathological hallmark of AD. We used flexible probes with embedded micrometric electrodes array to demonstrate the feasibility of detecting senile plaques composed of Aß peptides by localized impedance measurements. Main results. We particularly focused on deep brain structures, such as the hippocampus. Ex vivo experiments using brains from young and old APPPS1 mice lead us to show that impedance measurements clearly correlate with the percentage of Aβ plaque load in the brain tissues. We could monitor the effects of aging in the AD APPPS1 mice model. Significance. We demonstrated that a localized electrical impedance measurement constitutes a valuable technique to monitor the presence of Aβ-plaques, which is complementary with existing imaging techniques. This method does not require prior Aβ staining, precluding the risk of variations in tissue uptake of dyes or tracers, and consequently ensuring reproducible data collection.

What Workshop or Inservice Activity Has Been Most Valuable to You in Your Teaching?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Laurel Eury; Quatroke, Rosanne; Simpson, Amy J.; Easterling, Victoria J.; Felps, Maryann; McAloon, Noreen Watson; Danforth, Kathleen M.

2001-01-01

Offers brief descriptions from seven secondary school teachers describing a workshop or inservice activity that has been particularly valuable for their teaching, including a Shakespeare seminar, a Socratic teaching seminar, English-as-a-second language courses, a new teacher induction program, a program on the "Brody paragraph" method, and the…

Development of a Trypanosoma cruzi strain typing assay using MS2 peptide spectral libraries (Tc-STAMS2).

PubMed

de Oliveira, Gilberto Santos; Kawahara, Rebeca; Rosa-Fernandes, Livia; Mule, Simon Ngao; Avila, Carla Cristi; Teixeira, Marta M G; Larsen, Martin R; Palmisano, Giuseppe

2018-04-01

Chagas disease also known as American trypanosomiasis is caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. Over the last 30 years, Chagas disease has expanded from a neglected parasitic infection of the rural population to an urbanized chronic disease, becoming a potentially emergent global health problem. T. cruzi strains were assigned to seven genetic groups (TcI-TcVI and TcBat), named discrete typing units (DTUs), which represent a set of isolates that differ in virulence, pathogenicity and immunological features. Indeed, diverse clinical manifestations (from asymptomatic to highly severe disease) have been attempted to be related to T.cruzi genetic variability. Due to that, several DTU typing methods have been introduced. Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks such as high complexity and analysis time and all of them are based on genetic signatures. Recently, a novel method discriminated bacterial strains using a peptide identification-free, genome sequence-independent shotgun proteomics workflow. Here, we aimed to develop a Trypanosoma cruzi Strain Typing Assay using MS/MS peptide spectral libraries, named Tc-STAMS2. The Tc-STAMS2 method uses shotgun proteomics combined with spectral library search to assign and discriminate T. cruzi strains independently on the genome knowledge. The method is based on the construction of a library of MS/MS peptide spectra built using genotyped T. cruzi reference strains. For identification, the MS/MS peptide spectra of unknown T. cruzi cells are identified using the spectral matching algorithm SpectraST. The Tc-STAMS2 method allowed correct identification of all DTUs with high confidence. The method was robust towards different sample preparations, length of chromatographic gradients and fragmentation techniques. Moreover, a pilot inter-laboratory study showed the applicability to different MS platforms. This is the first study that develops a MS-based platform for T. cruzi strain typing. Indeed, the Tc-STAMS2 method allows T. cruzi strain typing using MS/MS spectra as discriminatory features and allows the differentiation of TcI-TcVI DTUs. Similar to genomic-based strategies, the Tc-STAMS2 method allows identification of strains within DTUs. Its robustness towards different experimental and biological variables makes it a valuable complementary strategy to the current T. cruzi genotyping assays. Moreover, this method can be used to identify DTU-specific features correlated with the strain phenotype.

Complementary and conventional providers in cancer care: experience of communication with patients and steps to improve communication with other providers.

PubMed

Stub, Trine; Quandt, Sara A; Arcury, Thomas A; Sandberg, Joanne C; Kristoffersen, Agnete E

2017-06-08

Effective interdisciplinary communication is important to achieve better quality in health care. The aims of this study were to compare conventional and complementary providers' experience of communication about complementary therapies and conventional medicine with their cancer patients, and to investigate how they experience interdisciplinary communication and cooperation. This study analyzed data from a self-administrated questionnaire. A total of 606 different health care providers, from four counties in Norway, completed the questionnaire. The survey was developed to describe aspects of the communication pattern among oncology doctors, nurses, family physicians and complementary therapists (acupuncturists, massage therapists and reflexologists/zone-therapists). Between-group differences were analyzed using chi-square, ANOVA and Fisher's exact tests. Significance level was defined as p < 0.05 without adjustment for multiple comparisons. Conventional providers and complementary therapists had different patterns of communication with their cancer patients regarding complementary therapies. While complementary therapists advised their patients to apply both complementary and conventional modalities, medical doctors were less supportive of their patients' use of complementary therapies. Of conventional providers, nurses expressed more positive attitudes toward complementary therapies. Opportunities to improve communication between conventional and complementary providers were most strongly supported by complementary providers and nurses; medical doctors were less supportive of such attempts. A number of doctors showed lack of respect for complementary therapists, but asked for more research, guidelines for complementary modalities and training in conventional medicine for complementary therapists. For better quality of care, greater communication about complementary therapy use is needed between cancer patients and their conventional and complementary providers. In addition, more communication between conventional and complementary providers is needed. Nurses may have a crucial role in facilitating communication, as they are positive toward complementary therapies and they have more direct communication with patients about their treatment preferences.

Using an Ordinal Outranking Method Supporting the Acquisition of Military Equipment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

will concentrate on the well-known ORESTE method ([10],[12]) which is complementary to the PROMETHEE methods. There are other methods belonging to...the PROMETHEE methods. This MCDM method is taught in the curriculum of the High Staff College for Military Administrators of the Belgian MoD...C(b,a) similar to the preference indicators ( , ) and (b,a)a b  of the PROMETHEE methods (see [4] and SAS-080 14 and SAS-080 15). These

Complementary MS Methods Assist Conformational Characterization of Antibodies with Altered S-S Bonding Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Lisa M.; Zhang, Hao; Cui, Weidong; Kumar, Sandeep; Sperry, Justin B.; Carroll, James A.; Gross, Michael L.

2013-06-01

As therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) become a major focus in biotechnology and a source of the next-generation drugs, new analytical methods or combination methods are needed for monitoring changes in higher order structure and effects of post-translational modifications. The complexity of these molecules and their vulnerability to structural change provide a serious challenge. We describe here the use of complementary mass spectrometry methods that not only characterize mutant mAbs but also may provide a general framework for characterizing higher order structure of other protein therapeutics and biosimilars. To frame the challenge, we selected members of the IgG2 subclass that have distinct disulfide isomeric structures as a model to evaluate an overall approach that uses ion mobility, top-down MS sequencing, and protein footprinting in the form of fast photochemical oxidation of proteins (FPOP). These three methods are rapid, sensitive, respond to subtle changes in conformation of Cys → Ser mutants of an IgG2, each representing a single disulfide isoform, and may be used in series to probe higher order structure. The outcome suggests that this approach of using various methods in combination can assist the development and quality control of protein therapeutics.

Estimating selection through male fitness: three complementary methods illuminate the nature and causes of selection on flowering time

PubMed Central

Austen, Emily J.; Weis, Arthur E.

2016-01-01

Our understanding of selection through male fitness is limited by the resource demands and indirect nature of the best available genetic techniques. Applying complementary, independent approaches to this problem can help clarify evolution through male function. We applied three methods to estimate selection on flowering time through male fitness in experimental populations of the annual plant Brassica rapa: (i) an analysis of mating opportunity based on flower production schedules, (ii) genetic paternity analysis, and (iii) a novel approach based on principles of experimental evolution. Selection differentials estimated by the first method disagreed with those estimated by the other two, indicating that mating opportunity was not the principal driver of selection on flowering time. The genetic and experimental evolution methods exhibited striking agreement overall, but a slight discrepancy between the two suggested that negative environmental covariance between age at flowering and male fitness may have contributed to phenotypic selection. Together, the three methods enriched our understanding of selection on flowering time, from mating opportunity to phenotypic selection to evolutionary response. The novel experimental evolution method may provide a means of examining selection through male fitness when genetic paternity analysis is not possible. PMID:26911957

Mapping Phenotypic Information in Heterogeneous Textual Sources to a Domain-Specific Terminological Resource

PubMed Central

Ananiadou, Sophia

2016-01-01

Biomedical literature articles and narrative content from Electronic Health Records (EHRs) both constitute rich sources of disease-phenotype information. Phenotype concepts may be mentioned in text in multiple ways, using phrases with a variety of structures. This variability stems partly from the different backgrounds of the authors, but also from the different writing styles typically used in each text type. Since EHR narrative reports and literature articles contain different but complementary types of valuable information, combining details from each text type can help to uncover new disease-phenotype associations. However, the alternative ways in which the same concept may be mentioned in each source constitutes a barrier to the automatic integration of information. Accordingly, identification of the unique concepts represented by phrases in text can help to bridge the gap between text types. We describe our development of a novel method, PhenoNorm, which integrates a number of different similarity measures to allow automatic linking of phenotype concept mentions to known concepts in the UMLS Metathesaurus, a biomedical terminological resource. PhenoNorm was developed using the PhenoCHF corpus—a collection of literature articles and narratives in EHRs, annotated for phenotypic information relating to congestive heart failure (CHF). We evaluate the performance of PhenoNorm in linking CHF-related phenotype mentions to Metathesaurus concepts, using a newly enriched version of PhenoCHF, in which each phenotype mention has an expert-verified link to a concept in the UMLS Metathesaurus. We show that PhenoNorm outperforms a number of alternative methods applied to the same task. Furthermore, we demonstrate PhenoNorm’s wider utility, by evaluating its ability to link mentions of various other types of medically-related information, occurring in texts covering wider subject areas, to concepts in different terminological resources. We show that PhenoNorm can maintain performance levels, and that its accuracy compares favourably to other methods applied to these tasks. PMID:27643689

Purification of polymorphic components of complex genomes

DOEpatents

Stodolsky, Marvin

1991-01-01

A method is disclosed for processing related subject and reference macromolecule populations composed of complementary strands into their respective subject and reference populations of representative fragments and effectuating purification of unique polymorphic subject fragments.

Purification of polymorphic components of complex genomes

DOEpatents

Stodolsky, M.

1988-01-21

A method for processing related subject and reference macromolecule composed of complementary strand into their respective subject and reference populations of representative fragments and effectuating purification of unique polymorphic subject fragments. 1 fig.

Advanced surface-enhanced Raman gene probe systems and methods thereof

DOEpatents

Vo-Dinh, Tuan

2001-01-01

The subject invention is a series of methods and systems for using the Surface-Enhanced Raman (SER)-labeled Gene Probe for hybridization, detection and identification of SER-labeled hybridized target oligonucleotide material comprising the steps of immobilizing SER-labeled hybridized target oligonucleotide material on a support means, wherein the SER-labeled hybridized target oligonucleotide material comprise a SER label attached either to a target oligonucleotide of unknown sequence or to a gene probe of known sequence complementary to the target oligonucleotide sequence, the SER label is unique for the target oligonucleotide strands of a particular sequence wherein the SER-labeled oligonucleotide is hybridized to its complementary oligonucleotide strand, then the support means having the SER-labeled hybridized target oligonucleotide material adsorbed thereon is SERS activated with a SERS activating means, then the support means is analyzed.

New perspectives in tracing vector-borne interaction networks.

PubMed

Gómez-Díaz, Elena; Figuerola, Jordi

2010-10-01

Disentangling trophic interaction networks in vector-borne systems has important implications in epidemiological and evolutionary studies. Molecular methods based on bloodmeal typing in vectors have been increasingly used to identify hosts. Although most molecular approaches benefit from good specificity and sensitivity, their temporal resolution is limited by the often rapid digestion of blood, and mixed bloodmeals still remain a challenge for bloodmeal identification in multi-host vector systems. Stable isotope analyses represent a novel complementary tool that can overcome some of these problems. The utility of these methods using examples from different vector-borne systems are discussed and the extents to which they are complementary and versatile are highlighted. There are excellent opportunities for progress in the study of vector-borne transmission networks resulting from the integration of both molecular and stable isotope approaches. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A multidisciplinary approach to scars: a narrative review

PubMed Central

Zanier, Emiliano; Bordoni, Bruno

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to carry out a narrative review regarding the approach to scars through complementary and alternative medicine focusing on osteopathy, naturopathy, and other minor methods and traditional rehabilitative medicines, such as physiotherapy and manual therapies. We analyzed the existing literature regarding the possible influences of techniques relaxing the diaphragm – both manual and psychophysical relaxing techniques – and the consequent local response to events leading to scar tissue healing. The objective of the study is to become a useful instrument of knowledge for those manual therapists and professionals who deal with patients affected by discontinuity of the skin surface due to trauma or surgery. This article also intends to stimulate research in order to find and propose new methods of scar treatment, taking into consideration the information gained so far from other complementary and alternative disciplines. PMID:26316774

Indigenous Knowledge and Science Unite to Reveal Spatial and Temporal Dimensions of Distributional Shift in Wildlife of Conservation Concern

PubMed Central

Service, Christina N.; Adams, Megan S.; Artelle, Kyle A.; Paquet, Paul; Grant, Laura V.; Darimont, Chris T.

2014-01-01

Range shifts among wildlife can occur rapidly and impose cascading ecological, economic, and cultural consequences. However, occurrence data used to define distributional limits derived from scientific approaches are often outdated for wide ranging and elusive species, especially in remote environments. Accordingly, our aim was to amalgamate indigenous and western scientific evidence of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) records and detail a potential range shift on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. In addition, we test the hypothesis that data from each method yield similar results, as well as illustrate the complementary nature of this coupled approach. Combining information from traditional and local ecological knowledge (TEK/LEK) interviews with remote camera, genetic, and hunting data revealed that grizzly bears are now present on 10 islands outside their current management boundary. LEK interview data suggested this expansion has accelerated over the last 10 years. Both approaches provided complementary details and primarily affirmed one another: all islands with scientific evidence for occupation had consistent TEK/LEK evidence. Moreover, our complementary methods approach enabled a more spatially and temporally detailed account than either method would have afforded alone. In many cases, knowledge already held by local indigenous people could provide timely and inexpensive data about changing ecological processes. However, verifying the accuracy of scientific and experiential knowledge by pairing sources at the same spatial scale allows for increased confidence and detail. A similarly coupled approach may be useful across taxa in many regions. PMID:25054635

Complementary Feeding Interventions Have a Small but Significant Impact on Linear and Ponderal Growth of Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Panjwani, Anita; Heidkamp, Rebecca

2017-11-01

Background: World Health Assembly member states have committed to ambitious global targets for reductions in stunting and wasting by 2025. Improving complementary diets of children aged 6-23 mo is a recommended approach for reducing stunting in children <5 y old. Less is known about the potential of these interventions to prevent wasting. Objective: The aim of this article was to review and synthesize the current literature for the impact of complementary feeding interventions on linear [length-for-age z score (LAZ)] and ponderal [weight-for-length z score (WLZ)] growth of children aged 6-23 mo, with the specific goal of updating intervention-outcome linkages in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Methods: We started our review with studies included in the previous LiST review and searched for articles published since January 2012. We identified longitudinal trials that compared children aged 6-23 mo who received 1 of 2 types of complementary feeding interventions (nutrition education or counseling alone or complementary food supplementation with or without nutrition education or counseling) with a no-intervention control. We assessed study quality and generated pooled estimates of LAZ and WLZ change, as well as length and weight gain, for each category of intervention. Results: Interventions that provided nutrition education or counseling had a small but significant impact on linear growth in food-secure populations [LAZ standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.22] but not on ponderal growth. Complementary food supplementation interventions with or without nutrition education also had a small, significant effect in food-insecure settings on both LAZ (SMD: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.13) and WLZ (SMD: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.08). Conclusions: Nutrition education and complementary feeding interventions both had a small but significant impact on linear growth, and complementary feeding interventions also had an impact on ponderal growth of children aged 6-23 mo in low- and middle-income countries. The updated LiST model will support nutrition program planning and evaluation efforts by allowing users to model changes in intervention coverage on both stunting and wasting. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Tetraodon nigroviridis as a nonlethal model of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) infection

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

Xu Xiaopeng; Huang Lichao; Weng Shaoping

Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) is the type species of the genus Megalocytivirus, family Iridoviridae. We have previously established a high mortality ISKNV infection model of zebrafish (Danio rerio). In this study, a nonlethal Tetraodon nigroviridis model of ISKNV infection was established. ISKNV infection did not cause lethal disease in Tetraodon but could infect almost all the organs of this species. Electron microscopy showed ISKNV particles were present in infected tissues. Immunofluorescence and quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that nearly all the virions and infected cells were cleared at 14 d postinfection. The expression profiles of interferon-{gamma} andmore » tumor necrosis factor-{alpha} gene in response to ISKNV infection were significantly different in Tetraodon and zebrafish. The establishment of the nonlethal Tetraodon model of ISKNV infection can offer a valuable tool complementary to the zebrafish infection model for studying megalocytivirus disease, fish immune systems, and viral tropism.« less

Somatosensory evoked potentials in the assessment of peripheral neuropathies: Commented results of a survey among French-speaking practitioners and recommendations for practice.

PubMed

Morizot-Koutlidis, R; André-Obadia, N; Antoine, J-C; Attarian, S; Ayache, S S; Azabou, E; Benaderette, S; Camdessanché, J-P; Cassereau, J; Convers, P; d'Anglejean, J; Delval, A; Durand, M-C; Etard, O; Fayet, G; Fournier, E; Franques, J; Gavaret, M; Guehl, D; Guerit, J-M; Krim, E; Kubis, N; Lacour, A; Lozeron, P; Mauguière, F; Merle, P-E; Mesrati, F; Mutschler, V; Nicolas, G; Nordine, T; Pautot, V; Péréon, Y; Petiot, P; Pouget, J; Praline, J; Salhi, H; Trébuchon, A; Tyvaert, L; Vial, C; Zola, J-M; Zyss, J; Lefaucheur, J-P

2015-05-01

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are increasingly performed for the assessment of peripheral neuropathies, but no practical guidelines have yet been established in this specific application. To determine the relevant indication criteria and optimal technical parameters for SSEP recording in peripheral neuropathy investigation. A survey was conducted among the French-speaking practitioners with experience of SSEP recording in the context of peripheral neuropathies. The results of the survey were analyzed and discussed to provide recommendations for practice. SSEPs appear to be a second-line test when electroneuromyographic investigation is not sufficiently conclusive, providing complementary and valuable information on central and proximal peripheral conduction in the somatosensory pathways. Guidelines for a standardized recording protocol, including the various parameters to be measured, are proposed. We hope that these proposals will help to recognize the value of this technique in peripheral neuropathy assessment in clinical practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The fibres and polyphenols in sea buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides) extraction residues delay postprandial lipemia.

PubMed

Linderborg, Kaisa M; Lehtonen, Henna-Maria; Järvinen, Riikka; Viitanen, Matti; Kallio, Heikki

2012-06-01

The triacylglycerol (TAG) response to fatty meals containing dried and crushed berries or berry extraction residues was studied in a postprandial cross-over study with healthy normal-weight male volunteers. The berry material included sea buckthorn berries, sea buckthorn CO₂ extraction residue (CO₂-sea buckthorn) and sea buckthorn or black currant CO₂ and ethanol extraction residue (CO₂-EtOH-sea buckthorn, CO₂-EtOH-black currant). Extraction residues were used in order to advance the potential use of valuable side stream components containing polyphenols and fibre as human food. Compared to the berry-depleted control, all berry meals delayed lipemia, whereas there were no differences in the total area under the TAG response curve. The lipemic delay largely derived from the fibre rather than from the polyphenols. Even so, the effect of polyphenols may be complementary since sea buckthorn and CO₂-sea buckthorn showed significant differences in relation to control in a wider range of TAG areas than polyphenol-depleted CO₂-EtOH-sea buckthorn.

Protein complex prediction in large ontology attributed protein-protein interaction networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Yijia; Lin, Hongfei; Yang, Zhihao; Wang, Jian; Li, Yanpeng; Xu, Bo

2013-01-01

Protein complexes are important for unraveling the secrets of cellular organization and function. Many computational approaches have been developed to predict protein complexes in protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. However, most existing approaches focus mainly on the topological structure of PPI networks, and largely ignore the gene ontology (GO) annotation information. In this paper, we constructed ontology attributed PPI networks with PPI data and GO resource. After constructing ontology attributed networks, we proposed a novel approach called CSO (clustering based on network structure and ontology attribute similarity). Structural information and GO attribute information are complementary in ontology attributed networks. CSO can effectively take advantage of the correlation between frequent GO annotation sets and the dense subgraph for protein complex prediction. Our proposed CSO approach was applied to four different yeast PPI data sets and predicted many well-known protein complexes. The experimental results showed that CSO was valuable in predicting protein complexes and achieved state-of-the-art performance.

On-line monitoring of fluid bed granulation by photometric imaging.

PubMed

Soppela, Ira; Antikainen, Osmo; Sandler, Niklas; Yliruusi, Jouko

2014-11-01

This paper introduces and discusses a photometric surface imaging approach for on-line monitoring of fluid bed granulation. Five granule batches consisting of paracetamol and varying amounts of lactose and microcrystalline cellulose were manufactured with an instrumented fluid bed granulator. Photometric images and NIR spectra were continuously captured on-line and particle size information was extracted from them. Also key process parameters were recorded. The images provided direct real-time information on the growth, attrition and packing behaviour of the batches. Moreover, decreasing image brightness in the drying phase was found to indicate granule drying. The changes observed in the image data were also linked to the moisture and temperature profiles of the processes. Combined with complementary process analytical tools, photometric imaging opens up possibilities for improved real-time evaluation fluid bed granulation. Furthermore, images can give valuable insight into the behaviour of excipients or formulations during product development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hypnosis for procedure-related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients: a systematic review of effectiveness and methodology related to hypnosis interventions.

PubMed

Richardson, Janet; Smith, Joanna E; McCall, Gillian; Pilkington, Karen

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to systematically review and critically appraise the evidence on the effectiveness of hypnosis for procedure-related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients. A comprehensive search of major biomedical and specialist complementary and alternative medicine databases was conducted. Citations were included from the databases' inception to March 2005. Efforts were made to identify unpublished and ongoing research. Controlled trials were appraised using predefined criteria. Clinical commentaries were obtained for each study. Seven randomized controlled clinical trials and one controlled clinical trial were found. Studies report positive results, including statistically significant reductions in pain and anxiety/distress, but a number of methodological limitations were identified. Systematic searching and appraisal has demonstrated that hypnosis has potential as a clinically valuable intervention for procedure-related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients. Further research into the effectiveness and acceptability of hypnosis for pediatric cancer patients is recommended.

Use of calcium/aluminum ratios as indicators of stress in forest ecosystems

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

Cronan, C.S.; Grigal, D.F.

1995-03-01

The calcium/aluminum (Ca/Al) molar ratio of the soil solution provides a valuable measurement endpoint or ecological indicator for identification of approximate thresholds beyond which the risk of forest damage from Al stress and nutrient imbalances increases. The Ca/Al ratio can also be used as an indicator to assess forest ecosystem changes over time in response to acidic deposition, forest harvesting, or other processes contributing to acid soil infertility. Based on a critical review of literature on Al stress, we estimate that there is a 50:50 risk of adverse impacts on tree growth or nutrition when the soil solution Ca/Al ratiomore » is as low as 1.0, a 75% risk when the soil solution ratio is as low as 0.5, and nearly a 100% risk when the soil solution Ca/Al molar ratio is as low as 0.2. The Ca/Al ratio of the soil solution can be corroborated with other complementary indices.« less

Breastfeeding in Mexico was stable, on average, but deteriorated among the poor, whereas complementary feeding improved: results from the 1999 to 2006 National Health and Nutrition Surveys.

PubMed

González de Cossío, Teresita; Escobar-Zaragoza, Leticia; González-Castell, Dinorah; Reyes-Vázquez, Horacio; Rivera-Dommarco, Juan A

2013-05-01

We present: 1) indicators of infant and young child feeding practices (IYCFP) and median age of introduction of foods analyzed by geographic and socioeconomic variables for the 2006 national probabilistic Health Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT-2006); and 2) changes in IYCFP indicators between the 1999 national probabilistic Nutrition Survey and ENSANUT-2006, analyzed by the same variables. Participants were women 12-49 y and their <2-y-old children (2953 in 2006 and 3191 in 1999). Indicators were estimated with the status quo method. The median age of introduction of foods was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method using recall data. The national median duration of breastfeeding was similar in both surveys, 9.7 mo in 1999 and 10.4 mo in 2006, but decreased in the vulnerable population. In 1999 indigenous women breastfed 20.8 mo but did so for only 13.0 mo in 2006. The national percentage of those exclusively breastfeeding <6 mo also remained stable: 20% in 1999 and 22.3% in 2006. Nevertheless, exclusively breastfeeding <6 mo changed within the indigenous population, from 46% in 1999 to 34.5% in 2006. Between surveys, most breastfeeding indicators had lower values in vulnerable populations than in those better-off. Complementary feeding, however, improved overall. Complementary feeding was inadequately timed: median age of introduction of plain water was 3 mo, formula and non-human milk was 5 mo, and cereals, legumes, and animal foods was 5 mo. Late introduction of animal foods occurred among vulnerable indigenous population when 50% consumed these products at 8 mo. Mexican IYCFP indicate that public policy must protect breastfeeding while promoting the timely introduction of complementary feeding.

Combined analysis of whole human blood parameters by Raman spectroscopy and spectral-domain low-coherence interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnyba, M.; Wróbel, M. S.; Karpienko, K.; Milewska, D.; Jedrzejewska-Szczerska, M.

2015-07-01

In this article the simultaneous investigation of blood parameters by complementary optical methods, Raman spectroscopy and spectral-domain low-coherence interferometry, is presented. Thus, the mutual relationship between chemical and physical properties may be investigated, because low-coherence interferometry measures optical properties of the investigated object, while Raman spectroscopy gives information about its molecular composition. A series of in-vitro measurements were carried out to assess sufficient accuracy for monitoring of blood parameters. A vast number of blood samples with various hematological parameters, collected from different donors, were measured in order to achieve a statistical significance of results and validation of the methods. Preliminary results indicate the benefits in combination of presented complementary methods and form the basis for development of a multimodal system for rapid and accurate optical determination of selected parameters in whole human blood. Future development of optical systems and multivariate calibration models are planned to extend the number of detected blood parameters and provide a robust quantitative multi-component analysis.

Methodological Issues in Trials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Interventions

PubMed Central

Sikorskii, Alla; Wyatt, Gwen; Victorson, David; Faulkner, Gwen; Rahbar, Mohammad Hossein

2010-01-01

Background Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is widespread among cancer patients. Information on safety and efficacy of CAM therapies is needed for both patients and health care providers. Well-designed randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of CAM therapy interventions can inform both clinical research and practice. Objectives To review important issues that affect the design of RCTs for CAM interventions. Methods Using the methods component of the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) as a guiding framework, and a National Cancer Institute-funded reflexology study as an exemplar, methodological issues related to participants, intervention, objectives, outcomes, sample size, randomization, blinding, and statistical methods were reviewed. Discussion Trials of CAM interventions designed and implemented according to appropriate methodological standards will facilitate the needed scientific rigor in CAM research. Interventions in CAM can be tested using proposed methodology, and the results of testing will inform nursing practice in providing safe and effective supportive care and improving the well-being of patients. PMID:19918155

Display of disulfide-rich proteins by complementary DNA display and disulfide shuffling assisted by protein disulfide isomerase.

PubMed

Naimuddin, Mohammed; Kubo, Tai

2011-12-01

We report an efficient system to produce and display properly folded disulfide-rich proteins facilitated by coupled complementary DNA (cDNA) display and protein disulfide isomerase-assisted folding. The results show that a neurotoxin protein containing four disulfide linkages can be displayed in the folded state. Furthermore, it can be refolded on a solid support that binds efficiently to its natural acetylcholine receptor. Probing the efficiency of the display proteins prepared by these methods provided up to 8-fold higher enrichment by the selective enrichment method compared with cDNA display alone, more than 10-fold higher binding to its receptor by the binding assays, and more than 10-fold higher affinities by affinity measurements. Cotranslational folding was found to have better efficiency than posttranslational refolding between the two investigated methods. We discuss the utilities of efficient display of such proteins in the preparation of superior quality proteins and protein libraries for directed evolution leading to ligand discovery. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Benefits of Multiple Methods for Evaluating HIV Counseling and Testing Sites in Pennsylvania.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Encandela, John A.; Gehl, Mary Beth; Silvestre, Anthony; Schelzel, George

1999-01-01

Examines results from two methods used to evaluate publicly funded human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing in Pennsylvania. Results of written mail surveys of all sites and interviews from a random sample of 30 sites were similar in terms of questions posed and complementary in other ways. (SLD)

Nucleic acid indexing

DOEpatents

Guilfoyle, Richard A.; Guo, Zhen

2001-01-01

A restriction site indexing method for selectively amplifying any fragment generated by a Class II restriction enzyme includes adaptors specific to fragment ends containing adaptor indexing sequences complementary to fragment indexing sequences near the termini of fragments generated by Class II enzyme cleavage. A method for combinatorial indexing facilitates amplification of restriction fragments whose sequence is not known.

Nucleic acid indexing

DOEpatents

Guilfoyle, Richard A.; Guo, Zhen

1999-01-01

A restriction site indexing method for selectively amplifying any fragment generated by a Class II restriction enzyme includes adaptors specific to fragment ends containing adaptor indexing sequences complementary to fragment indexing sequences near the termini of fragments generated by Class II enzyme cleavage. A method for combinatorial indexing facilitates amplification of restriction fragments whose sequence is not known.

Microchip method for the enrichment of specific DNA sequences

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, A.D.; Lysov, Y.P.; Shick, V.V.; Dubiley, S.A.

1998-12-22

A method for enriching specific genetic material sequences is provided, whereby oligonucleotide molecules complementary to the desired genetic material is first used to isolate the genetic material from a first source of genomic material. Then the genetic material is used as a label to isolate similar genetic sequences from other sources. 4 figs.

Microchip method for the enrichment of specific DNA sequences

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, Andrei Darievich; Lysov, Yuri Petrovich; Shick, Valentine Vladimirovich; Dubiley, Svetlana Alekseevna

1998-01-01

A method for enriching specific genetic material sequences is provided, whereby oligonucleotide molecules complementary to the desired genetic material is first used to isolate the genetic material from a first source of genomic material. Then the genetic material is used as a label to isolate similar genetic sequences from other sources.

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

Bogdanov, Yu. I., E-mail: bogdanov-yurii@inbox.ru; Avosopyants, G. V.; Belinskii, L. V.

We describe a new method for reconstructing the quantum state of the electromagnetic field from the results of mutually complementary optical quadrature measurements. This method is based on the root approach and displaces squeezed Fock states are used as the basis. Theoretical analysis and numerical experiments demonstrate the considerable advantage of the developed tools over those described in the literature.

Building Salt Marshes Along the Coasts of the Continental United States

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-05-01

phytoplankton and submergent aquatic production. 17 U ~.% PRODUCERS HERBIVORES CARNIVORES NO.. proolifif Pers Other herbOivoous isect*fles ’ BACTERIA...highly beneficial in protecting shellfish beds from excessive siltation and increasing light penetra- tion which promotes phytoplankton production...Valuable; planting methods undeveloped 5. Easily planted but possible pest 6. Valuable and easily planted; usually volunteers 7. Dominant species; better

"Placebo effect is probably what we refer to as patient healing power": A qualitative pilot study examining how Norwegian complementary therapists reflect on their practice.

PubMed

Stub, Trine; Foss, Nina; Liodden, Ingrid

2017-05-12

Complementary therapists spend considerable time with their patients, especially in the first consultation. The communication between patients and their therapists is important for raising consciousness and activation of the patient's self-healing power. Thus, the aims in this study were to delineate what complementary therapists regard as essential in patient consultations, their view of the healing process, and how the therapists understand the placebo effect and its position in the healing process. Semi-structured individual interviews (n = 4), focus group interview (n = 1) and participant observation were conducted among four different complementary therapists in a Norwegian community. The text data was transcribed verbatim and the analysis of the material was conducted according to conventional and direct content analysis. Some codes were predefined and others were defined during the analysis. The pilot study showed that the implemented methods seems feasible and fit well with the aims of this study. Complementary therapists (chiropractor, naprapath (musculoskeletal therapist), acupuncturist and acupuncturist/homeopath) representing four different complementary modalities participated. A combination of the conversation and examination during the first consultation formed the basis for the therapist's choice of treatment. A successful consultation was characterized by a fruitful relationship between the therapist and the patient. Moreover, the therapist needs to be humble and show the patient respect. Patients' positive beliefs and expectations about the treatment play a significant role in the healing process. The more hope the therapist can bring about, the more easily the patient can start believing that it is possible to get well. This was a pilot study. Therefore the findings should be appreciated as limited and preliminary. Therapists' and patients' mutual understanding and treatment goals were essential for a successful consultation. The therapists emphasized their professional skills and therapeutic competence as important when building fruitful relationships with their patients. Exerting authority and making the patient feel confident were essential factors for a successful healing process. The complementary therapists understood the placebo effect as the patient's self-healing power, resulting from establishing trust and belief in the treatment process.

Mineral content of complementary foods.

PubMed

Jani, Rati; Udipi, S A; Ghugre, P S

2009-01-01

To document mineral contents iron, zinc, calcium, energy contents and nutrient densities in complementary foods commonly given to young urban slum children. Information on dietary intake was collected from 892 mothers of children aged 13-24 months, using 24 hour dietary recall and standardized measures. Three variations of 27 most commonly prepared recipes were analyzed and their energy (Kcal/g) and nutrient densities (mg/100 Kcal) were calculated. Considerable variations were observed in preparation of all items fed to the children. Cereal-based items predominated their diets with only small amount of vegetables/fruits. Fenugreek was the only leafy vegetable included, but was given to only 1-2% of children. Iron, calcium, zinc contents of staple complementary foods ranged from: 0.33 mg to 3.73 mg, 4 mg to 64 mg, and 0.35 mg to 2.99 mg/100 respectively. Recipes diluted with less water and containing vegetables, spices had higher mineral content. Minerals densities were higher for dals, fenugreek vegetable, khichdi and chapatti. Using the median amounts of the various recipes fed to children, intakes of all nutrients examined especially calcium and iron was low. There is an urgent need to educate mothers about consistency, dilution, quantity, frequency, method of preparation, inclusion of micronutrient-rich foods, energy-dense complementary foods and gender equality.

76 FR 68769 - Bridging the Idea Development Evaluation Assessment and Long-Term Initiative and Total Product...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-07

... complementary methodological frameworks of the IDEAL and TPLC initiatives, more comprehensive and applicable... devices, surgical operations, and invasive medical procedures; Unique study designs and reporting methods...

Purification of polymorphic components of complex genomes

DOEpatents

Stodolsky, M.

1991-07-16

A method is disclosed for processing related subject and reference macromolecule populations composed of complementary strands into their respective subject and reference populations of representative fragments and effectuating purification of unique polymorphic subject fragments. 1 figure.

Preventive Screening of Women Who Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine Providers

PubMed Central

Tyree, Patrick T.; Lafferty, William E.

2009-01-01

Abstract Background Many women use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Although CAM use has been associated with reductions in conventionally recommended pediatric preventive care (e.g., vaccination), little is known about associations between CAM use and receipt of recommended preventive screening in women. Methods Using Washington State insurance data from 2000 to 2003, the authors generated clustered logistic regression models, examining associations between provider-based CAM use and receipt of screening tests for Chlamydia trachomatis, breast cancer, and cervical cancer: (1) contrasting women who used CAM providers only (alternative use) and women who used both conventional and CAM providers (complementary use) with women who used conventional care only and (2) testing associations between screening and use of four specific CAM provider types—naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, massage therapists, and acupuncturists. Results Both alternative and complementary use was associated with reduced Chlamydia screening. Cancer screening increased with complementary use but decreased with alternative use of CAM. Use of naturopathy was associated with decreased mammography, whereas all four CAM therapies were positively associated with Papanicolaou testing. Conclusions When used in conjunction with conventional care, use of provider-based CAM may signal high interest in various types of health-promoting behavior, including cancer screening. Negative associations between CAM and Chlamydia screening and between naturopathy and mammography require additional study. Interventions with CAM providers and their patients, aimed at improving rates of conventionally recommended screening, might encourage greater focus on preventive care, an important task when CAM providers serve as women's only contact with the healthcare system. PMID:19630554

Use of Complementary Health Approaches Among Children Aged 4–17 Years in the United States: National Health Interview Survey, 2007–2012

PubMed Central

Black, Lindsey I.; Clarke, Tainya C.; Barnes, Patricia M.; Stussman, Barbara J.; Nahin, Richard L.

2015-01-01

Objective This report presents national estimates of the use of complementary health approaches among children aged 4–17 years in the United States. Selected modalities are compared for 2007 and 2012 to examine changes over time. Methods Data from the 2007 and 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) were analyzed for this report. The combined sample included 17,321 interviews with knowledgeable adults about children aged 4–17 years. Point estimates and estimates of their variances were calculated using SUDAAN software to account for the complex sampling design of NHIS. Differences between percentages were evaluated using two-sided significance tests at the 0.05 level. Results The use of complementary health approaches among children did not change significantly since 2007 (from 12.0% in 2007 to 11.6% in 2012). However, one approach, the use of traditional healers, showed a statistically significant decrease in use, from 1.1% in 2007 to 0.1% in 2012. No other significant decreases were identified. An increase in the use of yoga was observed during this period (from 2.3% in 2007 to 3.1% in 2012). Nonvitamin, nonmineral dietary supplements; chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation; and yoga, tai chi, or qi gong were the most commonly used complementary health approaches in both 2007 and 2012. Also consistent between 2007 and 2012 was that complementary health approaches were most frequently used for back or neck pain, head or chest cold, anxiety or stress, and other musculoskeletal conditions. PMID:25671583

Complementary health insurance, out- of- pocket expenditures, and health services utilization: A population- based survey.

PubMed

Homaie Rad, Enayatollah; Kavosi, Zahra; Moghadamnia, Mohammad Taghi; Arefnezhad, Masoud; Arefnezhad, Masoumeh; Felezi Nasiri, Banfashe

2017-01-01

Background: Studies have shown that people using complementary health insurances have more access to health services than others. In the present study, we aimed at finding the differences between out- of- pocket payments and health service utilizations in complementary health insurances (CHIs) users and nonusers. Methods: Propensity score matching was used to compare the 2 groups. First, confounder variables were identified, and then propensity score matching was used to compare out- of- pocket expenditures with dental, general physician, hospital inpatient, emergency services, nursing, midwifery, laboratory services, specialists and rehabilitation services utilization. Results: Our results revealed no significant differences between the 2 groups in out- of- pocket health expenditures. Also, the specialist visits, inpatient services at the hospital, and dental services were higher in people who used CHIs compared to nonusers. Conclusion: People did not change their budget share for health care services after using CHIs. The payments were equal for people who were not CHIs users due to the increase in the quantity of the services.

Numerical approach to describe complementary drying of banana slices osmotically dehydrated

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva Júnior, Aluízio Freire; da Silva, Wilton Pereira; de Farias Aires, Juarez Everton; Farias Aires, Kalina Lígia C. A.

2018-02-01

In this work, diffusion model was used to describe the water loss in the complementary drying process of cylindrical slices of banana pretreated by osmotic dehydration. A numerical solution has been proposed for the diffusion equation in cylindrical coordinates, which was obtained through the Finite Volume Method. The diffusion equation was discretized assuming that the effective water diffusivity and the dimensions of a finite cylinder may vary; also considering the boundary condition of the third kind. The banana slices were cut in length of about 1.00 cm and average radius 1.70 cm before osmotic pretreatment, and completed the pretreatment with length of about 0.74 cm and average radius 1.40 cm. The complementary drying was carried out in a kiln with circulation and air exchange. Drying temperatures were the same as used in the osmotic pretreatment (40 to 70 °C). The proposed model described well the water loss, with good statistical indicators for all fits.

The Dutch complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) protocol: to ensure the safe and effective use of complementary and alternative medicine within Dutch mental health care.

PubMed

Hoenders, H J Rogier; Appelo, Martin T; van den Brink, Erik H; Hartogs, Bregje M A; de Jong, Joop T V M

2011-12-01

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is subject to heated debates and prejudices. Studies show that CAM is widely used by psychiatric patients, usually without the guidance of a therapist and without the use of a solid working method, leading to potential health risks. The purpose of this study is to facilitate the judicious use of CAM alongside conventional psychiatry in an outpatient psychiatric clinic. A search was made through scientific and legal articles and discussion in focus groups. In the Centre for Integrative Psychiatry (CIP) of Lentis in The Netherlands, some carefully selected CAM are offered under strict conditions, alongside conventional treatments. Because of the controversy and the potential health risks, Lentis designed a protocol that is presented. The CIP hopes, by using this protocol, to better serve and respect the individual needs and preferences of the diversity of psychiatric patients in our Dutch multicultural society, and better protect them from harm.

Complementary and alternative treatment in functional dyspepsia

PubMed Central

Chiarioni, Giuseppe; Pesce, Marcella; Fantin, Alberto; Sarnelli, Giovanni

2017-01-01

Introduction and aim The popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treating functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) has steadily increased in Western countries. We aimed at analyzing available data on CAM effectiveness in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients. Methods A bibliographical search was performed in PubMed using the following keywords: “complementary/alternative medicine,” “hypnosis,” “acupuncture” and/or “functional dyspepsia.” Results In community settings, almost 50% of patients with FGIDs used CAM therapies. Herbal remedies consist of multi-component preparations, whose mechanisms of action have not been systematically clarified. Few studies analyzed the effectiveness of acupuncture in Western countries, yielding conflicting results and possibly reflecting a population bias of this treatment. Hypnosis has been extensively used in irritable bowel syndrome, but few data support its role in treating FD. Conclusions Although some supporting well-designed studies have been recently performed, additional randomized, controlled trials are needed before stating any recommendation on CAM effectiveness in treating FD. PMID:29435308

Psycho-Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use among Selected Rural Communities in Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Ganasegeran, Kurubaran; Rajendran, Anantha Kumar; Al-Dubai, Sami Abdo Radman

2014-01-01

Introduction The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a source of cure has gained much spectrum worldwide, despite skeptics and advocates of evidence-based practice conceptualized such therapies as human nostrum. Objective This study aimed to explore the factors affecting CAM use among rural communities in Malaysia. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on 288 occupants across four rural villages within the District of Selama, Perak, Malaysia. A survey that consisted of socio-economic characteristics, history of CAM use and the validated Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (HCAMQ) were used. Results The prevalence of self-reported CAM use over the past one year was 53.1%. Multiple logistic regression analyses yielded three significant predictors of CAM use: monthly household income of less than MYR 2500, higher education level, and positive attitude towards CAM. Conclusion Psycho-socioeconomic factors were significantly associated with CAM use among rural communities in Malaysia. PMID:25375256

The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Scandinavia.

PubMed

Nilsson, Jonas; Källman, Mikael; Östlund, Ulrika; Holgersson, Georg; Bergqvist, Michael; Bergström, Stefan

2016-07-01

Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used among patients with cancer. This usage may have potentially harmful effects, especially when combined with anticancer drugs. However, some complementary methods may benefit patients. This review investigated the prevalence of CAM use among patients with cancer in Scandinavia and secondly studied the educational levels of CAM users compared to non-users. A systematic search of the PubMed library was carried out to locate articles published between January 2000 and October 2015 that investigated prevalence of CAM use among Scandinavian patients with cancer. Twenty-two articles were found, of which nine were included in the review. The prevalence of CAM use was 7.9% to 53%, with an average of 36.0% across all studies. Use of CAM is widespread among patients with cancer. Knowledge about CAM should be disseminated to both patients and staff in order to optimise discussions about CAM in clinical practice. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine by pediatric patients with functional and organic gastrointestinal diseases: results from a multicenter survey.

PubMed

Vlieger, Arine M; Blink, Marjolein; Tromp, Ellen; Benninga, Marc A

2008-08-01

Many pediatric patients use complementary and alternative medicine, especially when facing a chronic illness for which treatment options are limited. So far, research on the use of complementary and alternative medicine in patients with functional gastrointestinal disease has been scarce. This study was designed to assess complementary and alternative medicine use in children with different gastrointestinal diseases, including functional disorders, to determine which factors predicted complementary and alternative medicine use and to assess the willingness of parents to participate in future studies on complementary and alternative medicine efficacy and safety. The prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use was assessed by using a questionnaire for 749 children visiting pediatric gastroenterology clinics of 9 hospitals in the Netherlands. The questionnaire consisted of 35 questions on the child's gastrointestinal disease, medication use, health status, past and future complementary and alternative medicine use, reasons for its use, and the necessity of complementary and alternative medicine research. In this study population, the frequency of complementary and alternative medicine use was 37.6%. A total of 60.3% of this group had used complementary and alternative medicine specifically for their gastrointestinal disease. This specific complementary and alternative medicine use was higher in patients with functional disorders than organic disorders (25.3% vs 17.2%). Adverse effects of allopathic medication, school absenteeism, age

FMLRC: Hybrid long read error correction using an FM-index.

PubMed

Wang, Jeremy R; Holt, James; McMillan, Leonard; Jones, Corbin D

2018-02-09

Long read sequencing is changing the landscape of genomic research, especially de novo assembly. Despite the high error rate inherent to long read technologies, increased read lengths dramatically improve the continuity and accuracy of genome assemblies. However, the cost and throughput of these technologies limits their application to complex genomes. One solution is to decrease the cost and time to assemble novel genomes by leveraging "hybrid" assemblies that use long reads for scaffolding and short reads for accuracy. We describe a novel method leveraging a multi-string Burrows-Wheeler Transform with auxiliary FM-index to correct errors in long read sequences using a set of complementary short reads. We demonstrate that our method efficiently produces significantly more high quality corrected sequence than existing hybrid error-correction methods. We also show that our method produces more contiguous assemblies, in many cases, than existing state-of-the-art hybrid and long-read only de novo assembly methods. Our method accurately corrects long read sequence data using complementary short reads. We demonstrate higher total throughput of corrected long reads and a corresponding increase in contiguity of the resulting de novo assemblies. Improved throughput and computational efficiency than existing methods will help better economically utilize emerging long read sequencing technologies.

Complementary use of optical coherence tomography and 5-aminolevulinic acid induced fluorescent spectroscopy for diagnosis of neoplastic processes in cervix and vulva

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapozhnikova, Veronika V.; Shakhova, Natalia M.; Kamensky, Vladislav A.; Kuranov, Roman V.; Loshenov, Victor B.; Petrova, Svetlana A.

2003-07-01

A new approach to improving the diagnostic value of optical methods is suggested, which is based on a complementary investigation of different optical parameters of biotissues. The aim of this paper is comparative study of the feasibility of two optical methods - fluorescence spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography - for visualization of borders of neoplastic processes in the uterine cervix and vulva. Fluorescence spectroscopy is based on the detection of biochemical and optical coherence tomography on backscattering properties in norm and pathological changes of tissues. By means of these optical methods changes in biochemical and morphological properties of tissues were investigated. A parallel analysis of these two optical methods and histology from the center of tumors and their optical borders was made. Thirteen female patients with neoplastic changes in uterine cervix and vulva were enrolled in this study. The borders of the tumor determined by optical methods (fluorescence spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography) are coinciding with the biopsy proved ones. In addition, OCT and fluorescence borders of tumor in the uterine cervix and vulva exceeds colposcopically detectable borders, the averaging difference 2 mm. In future optical methods would considerably enhance diagnostic accuracy of conventional methods used in oncogynecology.

Comparison of PSF maxima and minima of multiple annuli coded aperture (MACA) and complementary multiple annuli coded aperture (CMACA) systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratnam, Challa; Lakshmana Rao, Vadlamudi; Lachaa Goud, Sivagouni

2006-10-01

In the present paper, and a series of papers to follow, the Fourier analytical properties of multiple annuli coded aperture (MACA) and complementary multiple annuli coded aperture (CMACA) systems are investigated. First, the transmission function for MACA and CMACA is derived using Fourier methods and, based on the Fresnel-Kirchoff diffraction theory, the formulae for the point spread function are formulated. The PSF maxima and minima are calculated for both the MACA and CMACA systems. The dependence of these properties on the number of zones is studied and reported in this paper.

Discussion of “Representation of People’s Decisions in Health Information Systems: A Complementary Approach for Understanding Health Care Systems and Population Health”

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Summary This article is part of a For-Discussion-Section of Methods of Information in Medicine about the paper “Representation of People’s Decisions in Health Information Systems: A Complementary Approach for Understanding Health Care Systems and Population Health” written by Fernan Gonzalez Bernaldo de Quiros, Adriana Ruth Dawidowski, and Silvana Figar. It is introduced by an editorial. This article contains the combined commentaries invited to independently comment on the paper of de Quiros, Dawidowski, and Figar. In subsequent issues the discussion can continue through letters to the editor. PMID:28144678

A nanophosphor-based method for selective DNA recovery in Synthosomes.

PubMed

Nallani, Madhavan; Onaca, Ozana; Gera, Nimish; Hildenbrand, Karlheinz; Hoheisel, Werner; Schwaneberg, Ulrich

2006-01-01

A nanocompartment system composed of an ABA triblock copolymer, where A is poly(dimethylsiloxane) and B is poly(2-methyloxazoline), has been developed for selective recovery and detection of DNA. Translocation of TAMRA-labeled complementary primers into the nanocompartment system has been achieved through two deletion mutants (FhuA Delta1-129; FhuA Delta1-160) of the channel protein FhuA. Translocation was monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer through hybridization of the TAMRA-labeled primer to the complementary sequence of a nanophosphor-DNA-conjugate, which reduces its half-life (FhuA Delta1-129, 16.0% reduced; FhuA Delta1-160, 39.0% reduced).

Analysis and model on space-time characteristics of wind power output based on the measured wind speed data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wenhui; Feng, Changyou; Qu, Jixian; Zha, Hao; Ke, Dan

2018-02-01

Most of the existing studies on wind power output focus on the fluctuation of wind farms and the spatial self-complementary of wind power output time series was ignored. Therefore the existing probability models can’t reflect the features of power system incorporating wind farms. This paper analyzed the spatial self-complementary of wind power and proposed a probability model which can reflect temporal characteristics of wind power on seasonal and diurnal timescales based on sufficient measured data and improved clustering method. This model could provide important reference for power system simulation incorporating wind farms.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Treatment of Food Allergy.

PubMed

Li, Xiu-Min

2018-02-01

The prevalence of food allergy is increasing. Food allergy can be life threatening and there is no approved treatment available. Allergen avoidance and rescue medication remain the sole management tools. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is common in the United States. However, research into safety and efficacy for food allergy is limited. Continued scientific research into food allergy herbal formula 2 (FAHF-2), refined methods of formulation, purified compounds, and other modalities are needed. Traditional Chinese medicine is the main component of CAM in the United States. Conventional doctors, CAM practitioners, and patients' families must collaborate to comanage these patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Gradual effects of therapeutic touch in reducing anxiety in university students].

PubMed

Gomes, Vanessa Miranda; Silva, Maria Júlia Paes da; Araújo, Eutália Aparecida Cândido

2008-01-01

This is quantitative research conducted with 42 students of a public university using the Therapeutic Touch - Krieger-Kunz Method and the application of a questionnaire validated in Brazil to assess anxiety in three sessions. Subjects were divided into two groups: experimental (1), in which the complementary therapy was used; and control (2), in which a mock of the technique, with no therapeutic intention, was applied. The objective was to identify the gradual influence of that health complementary therapy upon the students' state of anxiety. The analysis of the data showed a statistically significant reduction of the state of anxiety in both groups, with pd' 0.05.

Using ClinicalTrials.gov to Supplement Information in Ophthalmology Conference Abstracts about Trial Outcomes: A Comparison Study

PubMed Central

Scherer, Roberta W.; Huynh, Lynn; Ervin, Ann-Margret; Dickersin, Kay

2015-01-01

Background Including results from unpublished randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in a systematic review may ameliorate the effect of publication bias in systematic review results. Unpublished RCTs are sometimes described in abstracts presented at conferences, included in trials registers, or both. Trial results may not be available in a trials register and abstracts describing RCT results often lack study design information. Complementary information from a trials register record may be sufficient to allow reliable inclusion of an unpublished RCT only available as an abstract in a systematic review. Methods We identified 496 abstracts describing RCTs presented at the 2007 to 2009 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meetings; 154 RCTs were registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Two persons extracted verbatim primary and non-primary outcomes reported in the abstract and ClinicalTrials.gov record. We compared each abstract outcome with all ClinicalTrials.gov outcomes and coded matches as complete, partial, or no match. Results We identified 800 outcomes in 152 abstracts (95 primary [51 abstracts] and 705 [141 abstracts] non-primary outcomes). No outcomes were reported in 2 abstracts. Of 95 primary outcomes, 17 (18%) agreed completely, 53 (56%) partially, and 25 (26%) had no match with a ClinicalTrials.gov primary or non-primary outcome. Among 705 non-primary outcomes, 56 (8%) agreed completely, 205 (29%) agreed partially, and 444 (63%) had no match with a ClinicalTrials.gov primary or non-primary outcome. Among the 258 outcomes partially agreeing, we found additional information on the time when the outcome was measured more often in ClinicalTrials.gov than in the abstract (141/258 (55%) versus 55/258 (21%)). We found no association between the presence of non-matching “new” outcomes and year of registration, time to registry update, industry sponsorship, or multi-center status. Conclusion Conference abstracts may be a valuable source of information about results for outcomes of unpublished RCTs that have been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Complementary additional descriptive information may be present for outcomes reported in both sources. However, ARVO abstract authors also present outcomes not reported in ClinicalTrials.gov and these may represent analyses not originally planned. PMID:26107924

Complementary and alternative medicine: a survey of its use in pediatric cardiology

PubMed Central

Adams, Denise; Whidden, Ashley; Honkanen, Meeri; Dagenais, Simon; Clifford, Tammy; Baydala, Lola; King, W. James

2014-01-01

Background The use of complementary and alternative medicine is high among children and youth with chronic illnesses, including patients with cardiac conditions. Our goal was to assess the prevalence and patterns of such use among patients presenting to academic pediatric cardiology clinics in Canada. Methods A survey instrument was developed to inquire about current or previous use of complementary and alternative medicine products and practices, including indications, beliefs, sources of information and whether this use was discussed with physicians. Between February and July 2007, the survey was administered to patients (or their parents/guardians) presenting to 2 hospital-based cardiology clinics: the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Ontario. Results At the Stollery Children’s Hospital, 64.1% of the 145 respondents had used complementary and alternative medicine compared with 35.5% of the 31 respondents at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (p = 0.003). Overall, the most common products in current use were multivitamins (70.6%), vitamin C (22.1%), calcium (13.2%), unspecified “cold remedies” (11.8%) and fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids (11.8%). The most common practices in current use were massage (37.5%), faith healing (25.0%), chiropractic (20.0%), aromatherapy (15.0%) and Aboriginal healing (7.5%). Many patients (44.9%) used complementary and alternative medicine products at the same time as conventional prescription drugs. Concurrent use was discussed with physicians or pharmacists by 64.3% and 31.3% of respondents, respectively. Interpretation Use of complementary and alternative medicine products and practices was high among patients seen in the pediatric cardiology clinics in our study. Most respondents believed that the use of these products and practices was helpful; few reported harms and many did not discuss this use with their physicians, increasing the potential for interactions with prescribed medications. PMID:25485246

Amoeba-related health risk in drinking water systems: could monitoring of amoebae be a complementary approach to current quality control strategies?

PubMed

Codony, Francesc; Pérez, Leonardo Martín; Adrados, Bárbara; Agustí, Gemma; Fittipaldi, Mariana; Morató, Jordi

2012-01-01

Culture-based methods for fecal indicator microorganisms are the standard protocol to assess potential health risk from drinking water systems. However, these traditional fecal indicators are inappropriate surrogates for disinfection-resistant fecal pathogens and the indigenous pathogens that grow in drinking water systems. There is now a range of molecular-based methods, such as quantitative PCR, which allow detection of a variety of pathogens and alternative indicators. Hence, in addition to targeting total Escherichia coli (i.e., dead and alive) for the detection of fecal pollution, various amoebae may be suitable to indicate the potential presence of pathogenic amoeba-resisting microorganisms, such as Legionellae. Therefore, monitoring amoeba levels by quantitative PCR could be a useful tool for directly and indirectly evaluating health risk and could also be a complementary approach to current microbial quality control strategies for drinking water systems.

Music's use for anesthesia and analgesia.

PubMed

Matsota, Paraskevi; Christodoulopoulou, Theodora; Smyrnioti, Maria Eleni; Pandazi, Ageliki; Kanellopoulos, Ilias; Koursoumi, Evgenia; Karamanis, Periandros; Kostopanagiotou, Georgia

2013-04-01

This review article provides an overview of published data regarding the involvement of music in anesthesia practice. Music is an important topic for research in different fields of anesthesiology. The use of music preoperatively is aimed at reducing anxiety, stress, and fear. However, the effect of music on perception of pain intraoperatively is controversial, according to studies of both adults and children undergoing various surgical procedures under general and/or regional anesthesia. In postoperative pain management, postanesthesia care, and neonatal intensive care, music can be a complementary method for reducing pain, anxiety, and stress. Music is a mild anxiolytic, but it is relatively ineffective when a pain stimulus is severe. However, music is inexpensive, easily administered, and free of adverse effects, and as such, can serve as complementary method for treating perioperative stress and for acute and chronic pain management, even though music's effectiveness depends on each individual patient's disposition and severity of pain stimulus.

Mesomorphic phase transitions of 3F7HPhF studied by complementary methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deptuch, Aleksandra; Jaworska-Gołąb, Teresa; Marzec, Monika; Pociecha, Damian; Fitas, Jakub; Żurowska, Magdalena; Tykarska, Marzena; Hooper, James

2018-02-01

Physical properties and the phase sequence of (S)-4‧-(1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl)biphenyl-4-yl 4-[7-(2,2,3,3,4,4,4-heptafluorobutoxy) heptyl-1-oxy]-2-fluorobenzoate exhibiting the liquid crystalline paraelectric smectic A*, ferroelectric smectic C* and antiferroelectric smectic CA* phases were studied by complementary methods in the temperature range from -125 to 120 °C. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements together with polarizing optical microscopy provided the phase sequence, including the glass transition and a cold crystallization. X-ray diffraction was used to obtain the unit-cell parameters of the crystal phase, as well as the layer thickness and correlation length in the liquid crystalline smectic phases. The tilt angle was found to reach 45°, as determined from the measurements of the layer thickness and molecular modeling. Relaxation processes in the smectic phases and the fragility parameter were studied using frequency-domain dielectric spectroscopy.

Two Case Studies in the Scientific Method: Antisense Experiments and HIV Vaccination Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilfoile, Patrick

1999-01-01

Presents two recent cases that can be used in the classroom to illustrate the application of scientific methods in biological research: (1) the use of a complementary RNA or DNA molecule to block the production or translation of an mRNA molecule; and (2) the development of HIV trial vaccines. Contains 20 references. (WRM)

Implementing a Flipped Classroom: A Case Study of Biology Teaching in a Greek High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gariou-Papalexiou, Angeliki; Papadakis, Spyros; Manousou, Evangelia; Georgiadu, Irene

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of the model of the "flipped classroom" as a complementary method to school distance education in junior high school Biology. The "flipped classroom" model attempts a different way of organizing the educational process according to which the traditional methods of…

ANTI-ULCEROGENIC EFFICACY AND MECHANISMS OF EDIBLE AND NATURAL INGREDIENTS IN NSAID-INDUCED ANIMAL MODELS.

PubMed

Bi, Weiping; Hu, Lizhi; Man, Mao-Qiang

2017-01-01

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a class of the most commonly used medicines and proven to be effective for certain disorders. Some people use NSAIDs on daily basis for preventive purpose. But a variety of severe side effects can be induced by NSAIDs. Studies have shown that edible natural ingredients exhibit preventive benefit of gastric ulcer. This paper reviews the efficacy and safety of edible natural ingredients in preventing the development of gastric ulcer induced by NSAIDs in animal models. A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, using the terms "herbal medicines" and "gastric ulcer", "herbal medicines" and "peptic ulcer", "food" and "peptic ulcer", "food" and "gastric ulcer", "natural ingredient" and "peptic ulcer", "natural ingredient" and "gastric ulcer", "alternative medicine" and "peptic ulcer", "alternative medicine" and "gastric ulcer", "complementary medicine" and "peptic ulcer", "complementary medicine" and "gastric ulcer" in papers published in English between January 1, 1960 and January 31, 2016, resulting in a total of 6146 articles containing these terms. After exclusion of studies not related prevention, not in NSAID model or using non-edible natural ingredients, 54 articles were included in this review. Numerous studies have demonstrated that edible natural ingredients exhibit antiulcerogenic benefit in NSAID-induced animal models. The mechanisms by which edible, ingredient-induced anti-ulcerogenic effects include stimulation of mucous cell proliferation, antioxidation, inhibition of gastric acid secretion, as well as inhibition of H (+), K (+)- ATPase activities. Utilization of edible, natural ingredients could be a safe, valuable alternative to prevent the development of NSAID-induced gastric ulcer, particularly for the subjects who are long-term users of NSAIDs.

Methods for Genome-Wide Analysis of Gene Expression Changes in Polyploids

PubMed Central

Wang, Jianlin; Lee, Jinsuk J.; Tian, Lu; Lee, Hyeon-Se; Chen, Meng; Rao, Sheetal; Wei, Edward N.; Doerge, R. W.; Comai, Luca; Jeffrey Chen, Z.

2007-01-01

Polyploidy is an evolutionary innovation, providing extra sets of genetic material for phenotypic variation and adaptation. It is predicted that changes of gene expression by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for novel variation in nascent and established polyploids (Liu and Wendel, 2002; Osborn et al., 2003; Pikaard, 2001). Studying gene expression changes in allopolyploids is more complicated than in autopolyploids, because allopolyploids contain more than two sets of genomes originating from divergent, but related, species. Here we describe two methods that are applicable to the genome-wide analysis of gene expression differences resulting from genome duplication in autopolyploids or interactions between homoeologous genomes in allopolyploids. First, we describe an amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)–complementary DNA (cDNA) display method that allows the discrimination of homoeologous loci based on restriction polymorphisms between the progenitors. Second, we describe microarray analyses that can be used to compare gene expression differences between the allopolyploids and respective progenitors using appropriate experimental design and statistical analysis. We demonstrate the utility of these two complementary methods and discuss the pros and cons of using the methods to analyze gene expression changes in autopolyploids and allopolyploids. Furthermore, we describe these methods in general terms to be of wider applicability for comparative gene expression in a variety of evolutionary, genetic, biological, and physiological contexts. PMID:15865985

Attitudes towards and personal use of complementary and alternative medicine amongst clinicians working in audiovestibular disciplines.

PubMed

Crundwell, G; Baguley, D M

2016-08-01

Literature indicates that complementary and alternative medicine is used by patients with auditory and vestibular symptoms. This study sought to determine the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine uptake, and examine attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine in clinicians working with audiovestibular disorder patients. The Holistic Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire and a devised questionnaire about recent and lifetime use of complementary and alternative medicine were used. Fifty-four individuals, including audiologists, ENT surgeons, nurses and rehabilitationists, completed the questionnaires (67 per cent response rate). Lifetime prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine uptake was 44 per cent, and 12-month prevalence was 22 per cent. Uptake was more common in females, but there was no significant difference in use when comparing age, seniority or profession. Attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine were mildly adverse, but sizeable standard deviation indicates wide-ranging attitudes. Clinicians working with patients with audiovestibular disorders have a range of attitudes towards complementary and alternative medicine. Personal uptake of complementary and alternative medicine was lower than that of the general UK population, but remains sizeable.

Researcher / Researched: Repositioning Research Paradigms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meerwald, Agnes May Lin

2013-01-01

"Researcher / Researched" calls for a complementary research methodology by proposing autoethnography as both a method and text that crosses the boundaries of conventional and alternative methodologies in higher education. Autoethnography rearticulates the researcher / researched positions by blurring the boundary between them. This…

Use of household ingredients as complementary medicines for perceived hypoglycemic benefit among Sri Lankan diabetic patients; a cross-sectional survey

PubMed Central

Medagama, Arjuna Bandara; Senadhira, Danusha

2015-01-01

Background: Biologic based therapies are frequently used as complementary medicines in diabetes. The aim of this study was to identify the commonly used herbal remedies and their preparations in Sri Lankan patients with Type 2 diabetes. Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 220 diabetic patients using herbal remedies for perceived glycemic benefit. Results: All the patients used their regular conventional medications together with herbal remedies. The most commonly used medication was metformin (91.4%). Ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis) was the most commonly used herbal remedy (32%), followed by crepe ginger (Costus speciosus) (25%) and bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) (20%). Herbal remedies used less frequently were finger millet (Eleusine corocana) (5%), anguna leaves (Wattakaka volubilis) (5%), goat weed (Scoparia dulcis) (4%), Salacia reticulata (4%), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) (3%) and tree turmeric (Coscinium fenestratum) (0.5%). None of the patients used commercially available over-the-counter herbal products. The common preparations were salads (72.8%), curries (12.8%), herbal tea (6%), and herbal porridges (6%). Conclusion: The practice of using household ingredients as complementary medicines is common in Sri Lanka. Few herbal remedies and their methods of preparation have limited evidence for efficacy. In view of the frequent use by diabetic patients each needs to be documented for reference and scientifically explored about their hypoglycemic potential. PMID:26401401

Seamless Tracing of Human Behavior Using Complementary Wearable and House-Embedded Sensors

PubMed Central

Augustyniak, Piotr; Smoleń, Magdalena; Mikrut, Zbigniew; Kańtoch, Eliasz

2014-01-01

This paper presents a multimodal system for seamless surveillance of elderly people in their living environment. The system uses simultaneously a wearable sensor network for each individual and premise-embedded sensors specific for each environment. The paper demonstrates the benefits of using complementary information from two types of mobility sensors: visual flow-based image analysis and an accelerometer-based wearable network. The paper provides results for indoor recognition of several elementary poses and outdoor recognition of complex movements. Instead of complete system description, particular attention was drawn to a polar histogram-based method of visual pose recognition, complementary use and synchronization of the data from wearable and premise-embedded networks and an automatic danger detection algorithm driven by two premise- and subject-related databases. The novelty of our approach also consists in feeding the databases with real-life recordings from the subject, and in using the dynamic time-warping algorithm for measurements of distance between actions represented as elementary poses in behavioral records. The main results of testing our method include: 95.5% accuracy of elementary pose recognition by the video system, 96.7% accuracy of elementary pose recognition by the accelerometer-based system, 98.9% accuracy of elementary pose recognition by the combined accelerometer and video-based system, and 80% accuracy of complex outdoor activity recognition by the accelerometer-based wearable system. PMID:24787640

A mixed-methods evaluation of complementary therapy services in palliative care: yoga and dance therapy.

PubMed

Selman, L E; Williams, J; Simms, V

2012-01-01

To inform service provision and future research, we evaluated two complementary therapy services: yoga classes and dance therapy [The Lebed Method (TLM)]. Both were run as 6-week group courses. Patients completed the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing questionnaire pre- and post-course. Mean change over time was calculated for patient-nominated concern and well-being scores. Qualitative data regarding factors affecting health other than the therapy and benefits of the service were analysed using content analysis. Eighteen patients participated (mean age 63.8 years; 16 female; 14 cancer diagnoses); 10 were doing yoga, five TLM, and three both yoga and TLM; 14 completed more than one assessed course. Patients' most prevalent concerns were: mobility/fitness (n= 20), breathing problems (n= 20), arm, shoulder and neck problems (n= 18), difficulty relaxing (n= 8), back/postural problems (n= 8), fear/anxiety (n= 5). Factors affecting patients' health other than the therapy were prevalent and predominantly negative (e.g. treatment side effects). Patients reported psycho-spiritual, physical and social benefits. Concern scores improved significantly (P < 0.001) for both therapies; improved well-being was clinically significant for yoga. Evaluations of group complementary therapy services are feasible, can be conducted effectively and have implications for future research. Yoga and TLM may be of benefit in this population. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Hybrid imaging: Instrumentation and Data Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cal-Gonzalez, Jacobo; Rausch, Ivo; Shiyam Sundar, Lalith K.; Lassen, Martin L.; Muzik, Otto; Moser, Ewald; Papp, Laszlo; Beyer, Thomas

2018-05-01

State-of-the-art patient management frequently requires the use of non-invasive imaging methods to assess the anatomy, function or molecular-biological conditions of patients or study subjects. Such imaging methods can be singular, providing either anatomical or molecular information, or they can be combined, thus, providing "anato-metabolic" information. Hybrid imaging denotes image acquisitions on systems that physically combine complementary imaging modalities for an improved diagnostic accuracy and confidence as well as for increased patient comfort. The physical combination of formerly independent imaging modalities was driven by leading innovators in the field of clinical research and benefited from technological advances that permitted the operation of PET and MR in close physical proximity, for example. This review covers milestones of the development of various hybrid imaging systems for use in clinical practice and small-animal research. Special attention is given to technological advances that helped the adoption of hybrid imaging, as well as to introducing methodological concepts that benefit from the availability of complementary anatomical and biological information, such as new types of image reconstruction and data correction schemes. The ultimate goal of hybrid imaging is to provide useful, complementary and quantitative information during patient work-up. Hybrid imaging also opens the door to multi-parametric assessment of diseases, which will help us better understand the causes of various diseases that currently contribute to a large fraction of healthcare costs.

[Systematic Review of the Application of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and their Potential Therapeutic Benefits in the Treatment of Ophthalmology Patients].

PubMed

Welte, A K; Hahn, U; Büssing, A; Krummenauer, F

2017-05-01

Purpose A systematic review was carried out of the reported therapeutic effects of complementary and alternative medicine methods as supplementary or primary treatments for patients suffering from glaucoma, cataract or age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Material and Methods For the years 1990 to 2013, the following databases were screened for reports of the application of complementary and alternative treatments: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CAMbase and AMED. Both randomised and prospective non-randomised patient trials were included in the review; results were evaluated in the following classes: "phytotherapy", "acupuncture/acupressure", "biofeedback" and "other alternative treatments". The studies were evaluated by measures of clinical effect, statistical significance (p value and/or confidence interval) and the underlying trial design. Results 30 clinical trials were included, including 13 on glaucoma, 5 on cataract and 12 on AMD patients. These trials were based on patient numbers of 6 - 332, 27 - 157 and 6 - 328 patients, respectively. Phytotherapy was applied in 14 trials, including 6 on glaucoma patients (all 6 with a controlled design, and 3 of which reporting statistically significant results); 5 trials were on cataract patients (3 with a controlled design and 2 with a significant result) and 3 on AMD patients (only 1 with a controlled design, with a significant result). Acupuncture/acupressure was investigated in 9 trials, 5 on glaucoma patients (3 with a controlled design, 1 with a significant result); no acupuncture/acupressure trial was found in cataract patients, but 4 trials in AMD patients (none with a controlled design). Biofeedback was studied in 4 trials, all on AMD patients (only one with a controlled design, without statistically significant findings). Conclusion Despite its rigorous inclusion criteria, this review identified several clinical trials on complementary and alternative medicine in ophthalmological patients. Phytotherapeutic methods gave significant results in half of the reported controlled trials, whereas there were few significant benefits with acupuncture or acupressure. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Computational intelligence for the Balanced Scorecard: studying performance trends of hemodialysis clinics.

PubMed

Cattinelli, Isabella; Bolzoni, Elena; Chermisi, Milena; Bellocchio, Francesco; Barbieri, Carlo; Mari, Flavio; Amato, Claudia; Menzer, Marcus; Stopper, Andrea; Gatti, Emanuele

2013-07-01

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a general, widely employed instrument for enterprise performance monitoring based on the periodic assessment of strategic Key Performance Indicators that are scored against preset targets. The BSC is currently employed as an effective management support tool within Fresenius Medical Care (FME) and is routinely analyzed via standard statistical methods. More recently, the application of computational intelligence techniques (namely, self-organizing maps) to BSC data has been proposed as a way to enhance the quantity and quality of information that can be extracted from it. In this work, additional methods are presented to analyze the evolution of clinic performance over time. Performance evolution is studied at the single-clinic level by computing two complementary indexes that measure the proportion of time spent within performance clusters and improving/worsening trends. Self-organizing maps are used in conjunction with these indexes to identify the specific drivers of the observed performance. The performance evolution for groups of clinics is modeled under a probabilistic framework by resorting to Markov chain properties. These allow a study of the probability of transitioning between performance clusters as time progresses for the identification of the performance level that is expected to become dominant over time. We show the potential of the proposed methods through illustrative results derived from the analysis of BSC data of 109 FME clinics in three countries. We were able to identify the performance drivers for specific groups of clinics and to distinguish between countries whose performances are likely to improve from those where a decline in performance might be expected. According to the stationary distribution of the Markov chain, the expected trend is best in Turkey (where the highest performance cluster has the highest probability, P=0.46), followed by Portugal (where the second best performance cluster dominates, with P=0.50), and finally Italy (where the second best performance cluster has P=0.34). These results highlight the ability of the proposed methods to extract insights about performance trends that cannot be easily extrapolated using standard analyses and that are valuable in directing management strategies within a continuous quality improvement policy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

LiDAR and 2D Electrical Resistivity Tomography as a Supplement of Geomorphological Investigations in Urban Areas: a Case Study from the City of Wrocław (SW Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasprzak, Marek; Traczyk, Andrzej

2014-06-01

In urbanized areas, particularly in lowland terrains and floors of large river valleys, the natural land configuration is often hard to recognize due to a long history of human activity. Accordingly, archaeological works in cities, which supply knowledge on settlement conditions, are usually accompanied by geological and geomophological research. Lately, data from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) have become a valuable source of information on urban land configuration. Geophysical methods are also becoming increasingly popular in background studies. The paper presents a method of using and linking these sources of spatial information about landforms in such areas. The main aim is to identify to what extent these complementary sources of data and the proposed method can be used in such a specific environment to reconstruct natural, buried terrain morphology. The city of Wrocław in Central Europe serves as an example. To this end geomorphometric studies were conducted with the use of digital elevation models (DEMs) based on LiDAR scanning and derivated land-surface parameters—SAGA Wetness Index, Channel Network Base Level and Altitude above Channel Network. The study also involved determining morphological edges and measurements of the meanders of the Odra, as well as expanding information on the spatial distribution of alluvia and the structure of slope breaks. To this end, geophysical measurements were conducted using the Two-Dimensional Electrical Resistivity Tomography method. Additionally, five typical sequences of man-made ground present within the perimeter of the city were distinguished. As a result, a map of the main landforms of Wrocław is presented. Finally, we argue that although high resolution DEM and derivate land-surface parameters are very useful in terrain analysis, places with thick man-made ground or strongly levelled areas must be recognized by geoarchaeological excavations or geological bore holes. The geophysical survey is useful to identify buried morphological edges and older relief elements in open areas.

Escherichia coli contamination of child complementary foods and association with domestic hygiene in rural Bangladesh.

PubMed

Parvez, Sarker Masud; Kwong, Laura; Rahman, Musarrat Jabeen; Ercumen, Ayse; Pickering, Amy J; Ghosh, Probir K; Rahman, Md Zahidur; Das, Kishor Kumar; Luby, Stephen P; Unicomb, Leanne

2017-05-01

To determine the frequency and concentration of Escherichia coli in child complementary food and its association with domestic hygiene practices in rural Bangladesh. A total of 608 households with children <2 years were enrolled. We collected stored complementary food samples, performed spot checks on domestic hygiene and measured ambient temperature in the food storage area. Food samples were analysed using the IDEXX most probable number (MPN) method with Colilert-18 media to enumerate E. coli. We calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) to assess the relationship between E. coli and domestic hygiene practices using modified Poisson regression, adjusting for clustering and confounders. Fifty-eight percentage of stored complementary food was contaminated with E. coli, and high levels of contamination (≥100 MPN/dry g food) were found in 12% of samples. High levels of food contamination were more prevalent in compounds where the food was stored uncovered (APR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2-3.2), transferred from the storage pot to the serving dish using hands (APR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.2) or stored for >4 h (APR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.5, 4.2), in compounds where water was unavailable in the food preparation area (APR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.6, 4.2), where ≥1 fly was captured in the food preparation area (APR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.6), or where the ambient temperature was high (>25-40 °C) in the food storage area (APR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.5, 4.4). Interventions to keep stored food covered and ensure water availability in the food preparation area would be expected to reduce faecal contamination of complementary foods. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

EMERGY METHODS: VALUABLE INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT TOOLS

EPA Science Inventory

NHEERL's Atlantic Ecology Division is investigating emergy methods as tools for integrated assessment in several projects evaluating environmental impacts, policies, and alternatives for remediation and intervention. Emergy accounting is a methodology that provides a quantitative...

Algorithms for Learning Preferences for Sets of Objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagstaff, Kiri L.; desJardins, Marie; Eaton, Eric

2010-01-01

A method is being developed that provides for an artificial-intelligence system to learn a user's preferences for sets of objects and to thereafter automatically select subsets of objects according to those preferences. The method was originally intended to enable automated selection, from among large sets of images acquired by instruments aboard spacecraft, of image subsets considered to be scientifically valuable enough to justify use of limited communication resources for transmission to Earth. The method is also applicable to other sets of objects: examples of sets of objects considered in the development of the method include food menus, radio-station music playlists, and assortments of colored blocks for creating mosaics. The method does not require the user to perform the often-difficult task of quantitatively specifying preferences; instead, the user provides examples of preferred sets of objects. This method goes beyond related prior artificial-intelligence methods for learning which individual items are preferred by the user: this method supports a concept of setbased preferences, which include not only preferences for individual items but also preferences regarding types and degrees of diversity of items in a set. Consideration of diversity in this method involves recognition that members of a set may interact with each other in the sense that when considered together, they may be regarded as being complementary, redundant, or incompatible to various degrees. The effects of such interactions are loosely summarized in the term portfolio effect. The learning method relies on a preference representation language, denoted DD-PREF, to express set-based preferences. In DD-PREF, a preference is represented by a tuple that includes quality (depth) functions to estimate how desired a specific value is, weights for each feature preference, the desired diversity of feature values, and the relative importance of diversity versus depth. The system applies statistical concepts to estimate quantitative measures of the user s preferences from training examples (preferred subsets) specified by the user. Once preferences have been learned, the system uses those preferences to select preferred subsets from new sets. The method was found to be viable when tested in computational experiments on menus, music playlists, and rover images. Contemplated future development efforts include further tests on more diverse sets and development of a sub-method for (a) estimating the parameter that represents the relative importance of diversity versus depth, and (b) incorporating background knowledge about the nature of quality functions, which are special functions that specify depth preferences for features.

A case study of alternative site response explanatory variables in Parkfield, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, E.M.; Baise, L.G.; Kayen, R.E.; Morgan, E.C.; Kaklamanos, J.

2011-01-01

The combination of densely-spaced strong-motion stations in Parkfield, California, and spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) profiles provides an ideal dataset for assessing the accuracy of different site response explanatory variables. We judge accuracy in terms of spatial coverage and correlation with observations. The performance of the alternative models is period-dependent, but generally we observe that: (1) where a profile is available, the square-root-of-impedance method outperforms VS30 (average S-wave velocity to 30 m depth), and (2) where a profile is unavailable, the topographic-slope method outperforms surficial geology. The fundamental site frequency is a valuable site response explanatory variable, though less valuable than VS30. However, given the expense and difficulty of obtaining reliable estimates of VS30 and the relative ease with which the fundamental site frequency can be computed, the fundamental site frequency may prove to be a valuable site response explanatory variable for many applications. ?? 2011 ASCE.

Report from the Second International Conference of Traditional and Complementary Medicine on Health 2015

PubMed Central

Isidoro, Ciro; Huang, Chia-Chi; Sheen, Lee-Yan

2016-01-01

The Second International Conference of Traditional and Complementary Medicine on Health was held from October 24th through 27th at the GIS National Taiwan University Convention Center in Taipei. Twenty-seven invited speakers, representative of fourteen Countries, delivered their lecture in front of an audience of more than two hundreds of attendees. In addition, a poster exhibition with seventy-two presenters completed the scientific sessions. The leitmotif of the Conference was to promote a common platform in which all medical knowledge is integrated to improve the health care system. Traditional medicine and complementary medicine are characterized by a holistic approach to prevent and cure diseases, making use of natural products and/or physical manipulations. In this context, the Conference emphasized the importance of the Quality Control and of standardized methods for the authentication, preparation and characterization of the herbal products and nutrient supplements, as well as the need for controlled clinical trials and for experimental studies to demonstrate the efficacy and to understand the underlying mechanisms of the preventive and curative treatments. In this report, we highlight the novel findings and the perspectives in Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM; 傳統暨互補醫學 chuán tǒng jì hù bǔ yī xué) that emerged during the conference. PMID:26870692

COMplementary Primer ASymmetric PCR (COMPAS-PCR) Applied to the Identification of Salmo salar, Salmo trutta and Their Hybrids

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Avoiding complementarity between primers when designing a PCR assay constitutes a central rule strongly anchored in the mind of the molecular scientist. 3’-complementarity will extend the primers during PCR elongation using one another as template, consequently disabling further possible involvement in traditional target amplification. However, a 5’-complementarity will leave the primers unchanged during PCR cycles, albeit sequestered to one another, therefore also suppressing target amplification. We show that 5’-complementarity between primers may be exploited in a new PCR method called COMplementary-Primer-Asymmetric (COMPAS)-PCR, using asymmetric primer concentrations to achieve target PCR amplification. Moreover, such a design may paradoxically reduce spurious non-target amplification by actively sequestering the limiting primer. The general principles were demonstrated using 5S rDNA direct repeats as target sequences to design a species-specific assay for identifying Salmo salar and Salmo trutta using almost fully complementary primers overlapping the same target sequence. Specificity was enhanced by using 3’-penultimate point mutations and the assay was further developed to enable identification of S. salar x S. trutta hybrids by High Resolution Melt analysis in a 35 min one-tube assay. This small paradigm shift, using highly complementary primers for PCR, should help develop robust assays that previously would not be considered. PMID:27783658

Cancer and Complementary Health Approaches

MedlinePlus

... Cancer Institute's activities in research on complementary health approaches. Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Web ... complementary health approaches. Information on complementary health approaches in cancer treatment: ...

Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Patients

MedlinePlus

... Ask about Your Treatment Research Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Patients Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is ... based on scientific evidence from research studies. Complementary medicine refers to treatments that are used with standard ...

Spectral manipulation and complementary spectra with birefringence polarization control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Pan-Feng; Han, Pin

2017-03-01

A polarization control method using crystal birefringence is suggested to manipulate polychromatic light. This scheme can be used with narrower bandwidth to produce various spectral effects, such as a notch filter, a flat top, and triangle-type, nipple-type, and central-frequency-dominant distributions. A modulated spectrum with greater bandwidth can be used as an optical frequency ruler, and phenomena called complementary spectra are also proposed, where the two spectral distributions, produced by rotating the polarizer, complement each other in the sense that the peaks and valleys in one spectrum are the reverse in the other. These results benefit the controlling of the spectral shape and the measurement of an unknown optical frequency.

General method for labeling siRNA by click chemistry with fluorine-18 for the purpose of PET imaging.

PubMed

Mercier, Frédéric; Paris, Jérôme; Kaisin, Geoffroy; Thonon, David; Flagothier, Jessica; Teller, Nathalie; Lemaire, Christian; Luxen, André

2011-01-19

The alkyne-azide Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen cycloaddition, a click-type reaction, was used to label a double-stranded oligonucleotide (siRNA) with fluorine-18. An alkyne solid support CPG for the preparation of monostranded oligonucleotides functionalized with alkyne has been developed. Two complementary azide labeling agents (1-(azidomethyl)-4-[(18)F]fluorobenzene) and 1-azido-4-(3-[(18)F]fluoropropoxy)benzene have been produced with 41% and 35% radiochemical yields (decay-corrected), respectively. After annealing with the complementary strand, the siRNA was directly labeled by click chemistry with [(18)F]fluoroazide to produce the [(18)F]-radiolabeled siRNA with excellent radiochemical yield and purity.

Nutraceutical use in late-stage cancer

PubMed Central

Morris, Jay; Brown, Vondina; Ellis, Jane; Logothetis, Britt; Weber, Rebecca

2012-01-01

Access to a wealth of information on the internet has led many cancer patients to use complementary methods as an adjunct to traditional therapy for cancer, with, and more often, without informing their primary caregiver. Of the common complementary modalities, the use of dietary supplements appears to be highly prevalent in patients in active treatment for cancer, and later in cancer survivors. Emerging research suggests that some plant-based agents may, indeed, impact late-stage cancer, influencing molecular processes corrupted by tumor cells to evade detection, expand clonally, and invade surrounding tissues. The intent of this article is to review some of the current science underpinning the use of nutraceuticals in the latter stages of cancer. PMID:20714787

Signal enhancement based on complex curvelet transform and complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Lieqian; Wang, Deying; Zhang, Yimeng; Zhou, Datong

2017-09-01

Signal enhancement is a necessary step in seismic data processing. In this paper we utilize the complementary ensemble empirical mode decomposition (CEEMD) and complex curvelet transform (CCT) methods to separate signal from random noise further to improve the signal to noise (S/N) ratio. Firstly, the original data with noise is decomposed into a series of intrinsic mode function (IMF) profiles with the aid of CEEMD. Then the IMFs with noise are transformed into CCT domain. By choosing different thresholds which are based on the noise level difference of each IMF profile, the noise in original data can be suppressed. Finally, we illustrate the effectiveness of the approach by simulated and field datasets.

Complementary nonparametric analysis of covariance for logistic regression in a randomized clinical trial setting.

PubMed

Tangen, C M; Koch, G G

1999-03-01

In the randomized clinical trial setting, controlling for covariates is expected to produce variance reduction for the treatment parameter estimate and to adjust for random imbalances of covariates between the treatment groups. However, for the logistic regression model, variance reduction is not obviously obtained. This can lead to concerns about the assumptions of the logistic model. We introduce a complementary nonparametric method for covariate adjustment. It provides results that are usually compatible with expectations for analysis of covariance. The only assumptions required are based on randomization and sampling arguments. The resulting treatment parameter is a (unconditional) population average log-odds ratio that has been adjusted for random imbalance of covariates. Data from a randomized clinical trial are used to compare results from the traditional maximum likelihood logistic method with those from the nonparametric logistic method. We examine treatment parameter estimates, corresponding standard errors, and significance levels in models with and without covariate adjustment. In addition, we discuss differences between unconditional population average treatment parameters and conditional subpopulation average treatment parameters. Additional features of the nonparametric method, including stratified (multicenter) and multivariate (multivisit) analyses, are illustrated. Extensions of this methodology to the proportional odds model are also made.

Helical cone beam CT with an asymmetrical detector.

PubMed

Zamyatin, Alexander A; Taguchi, Katsuyuki; Silver, Michael D

2005-10-01

If a multislice or other area detector is shifted to one side to cover a larger field of view, then the data are truncated on one side. We propose a method to restore the missing data in helical cone-beam acquisitions that uses measured data on the longer side of the asymmetric detector array. The method is based on the idea of complementary rays, which is well known in fan beam geometry; in this paper we extend this concept to the cone-beam case. Different cases of complementary data coverage and dependence on the helical pitch are considered. The proposed method is used in our prototype 16-row CT scanner with an asymmetric detector and a 700 mm field of view. For evaluation we used scanned body phantom data and computer-simulated data. To simulate asymmetric truncation, the full, symmetric datasets were truncated by dropping either 22.5% or 45% from one side of the detector. Reconstructed images from the prototype scanner with the asymmetrical detector show excellent image quality in the extended field of view. The proposed method allows flexible helical pitch selection and can be used with overscan, short-scan, and super-short-scan reconstructions.

78 FR 5807 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-28

... employ the complementary quantitative and qualitative methods of previous research. The combination of... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research...

Method for performing site-specific affinity fractionation for use in DNA sequencing

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, Andrei Darievich; Lysov, Yuri Petrovich; Dubley, Svetlana A.

1999-01-01

A method for fractionating and sequencing DNA via affinity interaction is provided comprising contacting cleaved DNA to a first array of oligonucleotide molecules to facilitate hybridization between said cleaved DNA and the molecules; extracting the hybridized DNA from the molecules; contacting said extracted hybridized DNA with a second array of oligonucleotide molecules, wherein the oligonucleotide molecules in the second array have specified base sequences that are complementary to said extracted hybridized DNA; and attaching labeled DNA to the second array of oligonucleotide molecules, wherein the labeled re-hybridized DNA have sequences that are complementary to the oligomers. The invention further provides a method for performing multi-step conversions of the chemical structure of compounds comprising supplying an array of polyacrylamide vessels separated by hydrophobic surfaces; immobilizing a plurality of reactants, such as enzymes, in the vessels so that each vessel contains one reactant; contacting the compounds to each of the vessels in a predetermined sequence and for a sufficient time to convert the compounds to a desired state; and isolating the converted compounds from said array.

Miniaturized reaction vessel system, method for performing site-specific biochemical reactions and affinity fractionation for use in DNA sequencing

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, Andrei Darievich; Lysov, Yuri Petrovich; Dubley, Svetlana A.

2000-01-01

A method for fractionating and sequencing DNA via affinity interaction is provided comprising contacting cleaved DNA to a first array of oligonucleotide molecules to facilitate hybridization between said cleaved DNA and the molecules; extracting the hybridized DNA from the molecules; contacting said extracted hybridized DNA with a second array of oligonucleotide molecules, wherein the oligonucleotide molecules in the second array have specified base sequences that are complementary to said extracted hybridized DNA; and attaching labeled DNA to the second array of oligonucleotide molecules, wherein the labeled re-hybridized DNA have sequences that are complementary to the oligomers. The invention further provides a method for performing multi-step conversions of the chemical structure of compounds comprising supplying an array of polyacrylamide vessels separated by hydrophobic surfaces; immobilizing a plurality of reactants, such as enzymes, in the vessels so that each vessel contains one reactant; contacting the compounds to each of the vessels in a predetermined sequence and for a sufficient time to convert the compounds to a desired state; and isolating the converted compounds from said array.

A new method to evaluate human-robot system performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, G.; Weisbin, C. R.

2003-01-01

One of the key issues in space exploration is that of deciding what space tasks are best done with humans, with robots, or a suitable combination of each. In general, human and robot skills are complementary. Humans provide as yet unmatched capabilities to perceive, think, and act when faced with anomalies and unforeseen events, but there can be huge potential risks to human safety in getting these benefits. Robots provide complementary skills in being able to work in extremely risky environments, but their ability to perceive, think, and act by themselves is currently not error-free, although these capabilities are continually improving with the emergence of new technologies. Substantial past experience validates these generally qualitative notions. However, there is a need for more rigorously systematic evaluation of human and robot roles, in order to optimize the design and performance of human-robot system architectures using well-defined performance evaluation metrics. This article summarizes a new analytical method to conduct such quantitative evaluations. While the article focuses on evaluating human-robot systems, the method is generally applicable to a much broader class of systems whose performance needs to be evaluated.

Complementary Electromagnetic Non-Destructive Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Gui Yun; Wilson, John; Morozov, Maxim

2011-06-01

The use of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) for defect detection and failure prediction in structures and specimens is widespread in energy industries, aimed at ageing power plants and pipelines, material degradation, fatigue and radiation damage, etc. At present there are no suitable electromagnetic NDE methods for the measurement and characterization of material degradation, in irradiated samples in particular, which is very important and timely for the nuclear power industry in the UK. This paper reports recent developments in the field of electromagnetic (EM) NDE at Newcastle University, including pulsed eddy current (PEC), pulsed magnetic flux leakage (PMFL), magnetic Barkhausen emission (MBE) and magneto-acoustic emission (MAE). As different EM methods have different strengths, an integrative EM framework is introduced. Case studies through the second round robin tests organized by the Universal Network for Magnetic Non-Destructive Evaluation (UNMNDE), representing eighteen leading research groups worldwide in the area of electromagnetic NDE, are reported. Twelve samples with different ageing times and rolling reduction ratios were tested using different magnetic methods among the UNMNDE members. Based on the studies, the complementary characteristics of electromagnetic techniques for NDE are discussed.

Method for performing site-specific affinity fractionation for use in DNA sequencing

DOEpatents

Mirzabekov, A.D.; Lysov, Y.P.; Dubley, S.A.

1999-05-18

A method for fractionating and sequencing DNA via affinity interaction is provided comprising contacting cleaved DNA to a first array of oligonucleotide molecules to facilitate hybridization between the cleaved DNA and the molecules; extracting the hybridized DNA from the molecules; contacting the extracted hybridized DNA with a second array of oligonucleotide molecules, wherein the oligonucleotide molecules in the second array have specified base sequences that are complementary to the extracted hybridized DNA; and attaching labeled DNA to the second array of oligonucleotide molecules, wherein the labeled re-hybridized DNA have sequences that are complementary to the oligomers. The invention further provides a method for performing multi-step conversions of the chemical structure of compounds comprising supplying an array of polyacrylamide vessels separated by hydrophobic surfaces; immobilizing a plurality of reactants, such as enzymes, in the vessels so that each vessel contains one reactant; contacting the compounds to each of the vessels in a predetermined sequence and for a sufficient time to convert the compounds to a desired state; and isolating the converted compounds from the array. 14 figs.

(U) Introduction to Monte Carlo Methods

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

Hungerford, Aimee L.

2017-03-20

Monte Carlo methods are very valuable for representing solutions to particle transport problems. Here we describe a “cook book” approach to handling the terms in a transport equation using Monte Carlo methods. Focus is on the mechanics of a numerical Monte Carlo code, rather than the mathematical foundations of the method.

The Value of Mixed Methods Research: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKim, Courtney A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the perceived value of mixed methods research for graduate students. The quantitative phase was an experiment examining the effect of a passage's methodology on students' perceived value. Results indicated students scored the mixed methods passage as more valuable than those who…

The cross-sectional GRAS sample: A comprehensive phenotypical data collection of schizophrenic patients

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Schizophrenia is the collective term for an exclusively clinically diagnosed, heterogeneous group of mental disorders with still obscure biological roots. Based on the assumption that valuable information about relevant genetic and environmental disease mechanisms can be obtained by association studies on patient cohorts of ≥ 1000 patients, if performed on detailed clinical datasets and quantifiable biological readouts, we generated a new schizophrenia data base, the GRAS (Göttingen Research Association for Schizophrenia) data collection. GRAS is the necessary ground to study genetic causes of the schizophrenic phenotype in a 'phenotype-based genetic association study' (PGAS). This approach is different from and complementary to the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on schizophrenia. Methods For this purpose, 1085 patients were recruited between 2005 and 2010 by an invariable team of traveling investigators in a cross-sectional field study that comprised 23 German psychiatric hospitals. Additionally, chart records and discharge letters of all patients were collected. Results The corresponding dataset extracted and presented in form of an overview here, comprises biographic information, disease history, medication including side effects, and results of comprehensive cross-sectional psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurological examinations. With >3000 data points per schizophrenic subject, this data base of living patients, who are also accessible for follow-up studies, provides a wide-ranging and standardized phenotype characterization of as yet unprecedented detail. Conclusions The GRAS data base will serve as prerequisite for PGAS, a novel approach to better understanding 'the schizophrenias' through exploring the contribution of genetic variation to the schizophrenic phenotypes. PMID:21067598

Distribution of Lepidopteran Larvae on Norway Spruce: Effects of Slope and Crown Aspect.

PubMed

Kulfan, Ján; Dvořáčková, Katarína; Zach, Peter; Parák, Michal; Svitok, Marek

2016-04-01

Lepidoptera associated with Norway spruce, Picea abies (L.) Karsten, play important roles in ecosystem processes, acting as plant pests, prey for predators, and hosts for parasites and parasitoids. Their distribution patterns in spruce crowns and forests are only poorly understood. We examined how slope and crown aspect affect the occurrence and abundance of moth larvae on solitary spruce trees in a montane region in Central Europe. Moth larvae were collected from southern and northern crowns of trees growing on south- and north-facing slopes (four treatments) using emergence boxes at the end of winter and by the beating method during the growing season. Species responses to slope and crown aspect were not uniform. Treatment effects on moth larvae were stronger in the winter than during the growing season. In winter, the abundance of bud-boring larvae was significantly higher in northern than in southern crowns regardless of the slope aspect, while both slope and aspect had marginally significant effects on abundance of miners. During the growing season, the occurrence of free-living larvae was similar among treatments. Emergence boxes and beating spruce branches are complementary techniques providing valuable insights into the assemblage structure of moth larvae on Norway spruce. Due to the uneven distribution of larvae detected in this study, we recommend adoption of a protocol that explicitly includes sampling of trees from contrasting slopes and branches from contrasting crown aspect in all seasons. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Isotopically nonstationary 13C flux analysis of changes in Arabidopsis thaliana leaf metabolism due to high light acclimation

PubMed Central

Ma, Fangfang; Jazmin, Lara J.; Young, Jamey D.; Allen, Doug K.

2014-01-01

Improving plant productivity is an important aim for metabolic engineering. There are few comprehensive methods that quantitatively describe leaf metabolism, although such information would be valuable for increasing photosynthetic capacity, enhancing biomass production, and rerouting carbon flux toward desirable end products. Isotopically nonstationary metabolic flux analysis (INST-MFA) has been previously applied to map carbon fluxes in photoautotrophic bacteria, which involves model-based regression of transient 13C-labeling patterns of intracellular metabolites. However, experimental and computational difficulties have hindered its application to terrestrial plant systems. We performed in vivo isotopic labeling of Arabidopsis thaliana rosettes with 13CO2 and estimated fluxes throughout leaf photosynthetic metabolism by INST-MFA. Plants grown at 200 µmol m-2s−1 light were compared with plants acclimated for 9 d at an irradiance of 500 µmol⋅m−2⋅s−1. Approximately 1,400 independent mass isotopomer measurements obtained from analysis of 37 metabolite fragment ions were regressed to estimate 136 total fluxes (54 free fluxes) under each condition. The results provide a comprehensive description of changes in carbon partitioning and overall photosynthetic flux after long-term developmental acclimation of leaves to high light. Despite a doubling in the carboxylation rate, the photorespiratory flux increased from 17 to 28% of net CO2 assimilation with high-light acclimation (Vc/Vo: 3.5:1 vs. 2.3:1, respectively). This study highlights the potential of 13C INST-MFA to describe emergent flux phenotypes that respond to environmental conditions or plant physiology and cannot be obtained by other complementary approaches. PMID:25368168

Real-time functional mapping: potential tool for improving language outcome in pediatric epilepsy surgery

PubMed Central

Korostenskaja, Milena; Chen, Po-Ching; Salinas, Christine M.; Westerveld, Michael; Brunner, Peter; Schalk, Gerwin; Cook, Jane C.; Baumgartner, James; Lee, Ki H.

2015-01-01

Accurate language localization expands surgical treatment options for epilepsy patients and reduces the risk of postsurgery language deficits. Electrical cortical stimulation mapping (ESM) is considered to be the clinical gold standard for language localization. While ESM affords clinically valuable results, it can be poorly tolerated by children, requires active participation and compliance, carries a risk of inducing seizures, is highly time consuming, and is labor intensive. Given these limitations, alternative and/or complementary functional localization methods such as analysis of electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity in high gamma frequency band in real time are needed to precisely identify eloquent cortex in children. In this case report, the authors examined 1) the use of real-time functional mapping (RTFM) for language localization in a high gamma frequency band derived from ECoG to guide surgery in an epileptic pediatric patient and 2) the relationship of RTFM mapping results to postsurgical language outcomes. The authors found that RTFM demonstrated relatively high sensitivity (75%) and high specificity (90%) when compared with ESM in a “next-neighbor” analysis. While overlapping with ESM in the superior temporal region, RTFM showed a few other areas of activation related to expressive language function, areas that were eventually resected during the surgery. The authors speculate that this resection may be associated with observed postsurgical expressive language deficits. With additional validation in more subjects, this finding would suggest that surgical planning and associated assessment of the risk/benefit ratio would benefit from information provided by RTFM mapping. PMID:24995815

The banana code—natural blend processing in the olfactory circuitry of Drosophila melanogaster

PubMed Central

Schubert, Marco; Hansson, Bill S.; Sachse, Silke

2014-01-01

Odor information is predominantly perceived as complex odor blends. For Drosophila melanogaster one of the most attractive blends is emitted by an over-ripe banana. To analyze how the fly's olfactory system processes natural blends we combined the experimental advantages of gas chromatography and functional imaging (GC-I). In this way, natural banana compounds were presented successively to the fly antenna in close to natural occurring concentrations. This technique allowed us to identify the active odor components, use these compounds as stimuli and measure odor-induced Ca2+ signals in input and output neurons of the Drosophila antennal lobe (AL), the first olfactory neuropil. We demonstrate that mixture interactions of a natural blend are very rare and occur only at the AL output level resulting in a surprisingly linear blend representation. However, the information regarding single components is strongly modulated by the olfactory circuitry within the AL leading to a higher similarity between the representation of individual components and the banana blend. This observed modulation might tune the olfactory system in a way to distinctively categorize odor components and improve the detection of suitable food sources. Functional GC-I thus enables analysis of virtually any unknown natural odorant blend and its components in their relative occurring concentrations and allows characterization of neuronal responses of complete neural assemblies. This technique can be seen as a valuable complementary method to classical GC/electrophysiology techniques, and will be a highly useful tool in future investigations of insect-insect and insect-plant chemical interactions. PMID:24600405

Periodic array-based substrates for surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayerhöfer, Thomas G.; Popp, Jürgen

2018-01-01

At the beginning of the 1980s, the first reports of surface-enhanced infrared spectroscopy (SEIRS) surfaced. Probably due to signal-enhancement factors of only 101 to 103, which are modest compared to those of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), SEIRS did not reach the same significance up to date. However, taking the compared to Raman scattering much larger cross-sections of infrared absorptions and the enhancement factors together, SEIRS reaches about the same sensitivity for molecular species on a surface in terms of the cross-sections as SERS and, due to the complementary nature of both techniques, can valuably augment information gained by SERS. For the first 20 years since its discovery, SEIRS relied completely on metal island films, fabricated by either vapor or electrochemical deposition. The resulting films showed a strong variance concerning their structure, which was essentially random. Therefore, the increase in the corresponding signal-enhancement factors of these structures stagnated in the last years. In the very same years, however, the development of periodic array-based substrates helped SEIRS to gather momentum. This development was supported by technological progress concerning electromagnetic field solvers, which help to understand plasmonic properties and allow targeted design. In addition, the strong progress concerning modern fabrication methods allowed to implement these designs into practice. The aim of this contribution is to critically review the development of these engineered surfaces for SEIRS, to compare the different approaches with regard to their performance where possible, and report further gain of knowledge around and in relation to these structures.

Utility of registries for post-marketing evaluation of medicines. A survey of Swedish health care quality registries from a regulatory perspective

PubMed Central

Feltelius, Nils; Gedeborg, Rolf; Holm, Lennart; Zethelius, Björn

2017-01-01

Aim The aim of this study was to describe content and procedures in some selected Swedish health care quality registries (QRs) of relevance to regulatory decision-making. Methods A workshop was organized with participation of seven Swedish QRs which subsequently answered a questionnaire regarding registry content on drug treatments and outcomes. Patient populations, coverage, data handling and quality control, as well as legal and ethical aspects are presented. Scientific publications from the QRs are used as a complementary measure of quality and scientific relevance. Results The registries under study collect clinical data of high relevance to regulatory and health technology agencies. Five out of seven registries provide information on the drug of interest. When applying external quality criteria, we found a high degree of fulfillment, although information on medication was not sufficient to answer all questions of regulatory interest. A notable strength is the option for linkage to the Prescribed Drug Registry and to information on education and socioeconomic status. Data on drugs used during hospitalization were also collected to some extent. Outcome measures collected resemble those used in relevant clinical trials. All registries collected patient-reported outcome measures. The number of publications from the registries was substantial, with studies of appropriate design, including randomized registry trials. Conclusions Quality registries may provide a valuable source of post-marketing data on drug effectiveness, safety, and cost-effectiveness. Closer collaboration between registries and regulators to improve quality and usefulness of registry data could benefit both regulatory utility and value for health care providers. PMID:28276780

Patient Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines in an Outpatient Pediatric Neurology Clinic.

PubMed

Kenney, Daniel; Jenkins, Sarah; Youssef, Paul; Kotagal, Suresh

2016-05-01

This article describes the use of complementary and alternative medicines in an outpatient pediatric neurology clinic, and assesses family attitudes toward the efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines versus prescription medications. Complementary and alternative medicine is an important element of the modern health care landscape. There is limited information about whether, and to what extent, families perceive its utility in childhood neurological disorders. Surveys were distributed to 500 consecutive patients at a child neurology clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Questions pertained to the child's diagnoses, use of complementary and alternative medicines, and the specific complementary and alternative medicine modalities that were used. Opinions were also gathered on the perceived efficacy of complementary and alternative medicines and prescription medications. Data were compared using χ(2) or Fisher exact tests as indicated. A total of 484 surveys were returned, of which 327 were usable. Only 17.4% admitted to use of complementary and alternative medicine to treat neurological problems. However, in follow-up questioning, actually 41.6% of patients recognized that they were using one or more types of complementary and alternative medicines. Disorders associated with a statistically significant increased prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use were headache (50.8% with headache used complementary and alternative medicine versus 35.7% without headache; P = 0.008, Fisher exact test), chronic fatigue (63.2% vs 38.8%; P = 0.005, Fisher exact test), and sleep disorders (77.1% vs 37.3%; P < 0.0001, Fisher exact test). A large proportion of pediatric neurology patients in our clinic are also using complementary and alternative medicine. Only 38.5% of these recognize themselves as using complementary and alternative medicine, underlining the need to inquire in-depth about its use. Patients who are less satisfied with their prescription medications are more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine, perhaps reflecting the less tractable nature of their disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Length and weight of very low birth weight infants in Germany at 2 years of age: does it matter at what age they start complementary food?

PubMed

Spiegler, J; Eisemann, N; Ehlers, S; Orlikowsky, T; Kannt, O; Herting, E; Göpel, W

2015-06-01

We analysed at what age parents start complementary food in very low birth weight infants, determined risk factors for early introduction of complementary food (post-term age) and analysed whether the age at introduction of complementary food influences height or weight at 2 years of age. Parents of premature infants born in 2009-2011 answered questionnaires regarding introduction of complementary food in the first year of life (N=2262) and were followed up at a post-term age of 2 years (N=981). Length and weight were compared with full-term infants from the KiGGs study. Logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to study predictors for early introduction of complementary food and the influence of age at introduction of complementary food on later height and weight. Average age at introduction of complementary food was 3.5 months post-term age. The lower the gestational age at birth, the earlier (post-term age) vegetables and meat were introduced. Age at introduction of complementary food was influenced by intrauterine growth restriction, gestational age at birth, maternal education and a developmental delay perceived by the parents. Length and weight at a post-term age of 2 years was not negatively influenced by early introduction of complementary food. VLBW infants are introduced to complementary food on average before a post-term age of 4 months. There was no negative effect of early introduction of complementary food on height and weight at 2 years of age.

Ligand interaction scan: a general method for engineering ligand-sensitive protein alleles.

PubMed

Erster, Oran; Eisenstein, Miriam; Liscovitch, Mordechai

2007-05-01

The ligand interaction scan (LIScan) method is a general procedure for engineering small molecule ligand-regulated forms of a protein that is complementary to other 'reverse' genetic and chemical-genetic methods for drug-target validation. It involves insertional mutagenesis by a chemical-genetic 'switch', comprising a genetically encoded peptide module that binds with high affinity to a small-molecule ligand. We demonstrated the method with TEM-1 beta-lactamase, using a tetracysteine hexapeptide insert and a biarsenical fluorescein ligand (FlAsH).

Enantioselective Protonation

PubMed Central

Mohr, Justin T.; Hong, Allen Y.; Stoltz, Brian M.

2010-01-01

Enantioselective protonation is a common process in biosynthetic sequences. The decarboxylase and esterase enzymes that effect this valuable transformation are able to control both the steric environment around the proton acceptor (typically an enolate) and the proton donor (typically a thiol). Recently, several chemical methods to achieve enantioselective protonation have been developed by exploiting various means of enantiocontrol in different mechanisms. These laboratory transformations have proven useful for the preparation of a number of valuable organic compounds. PMID:20428461

Propagation method of saving valuable strains from a Mycobacterium liflandii infection in Western clawed frogs (Silurana tropicalis).

PubMed

Chai, Norin; Bronchain, Odile; Panteix, Gilles; Godreuil, Sylvain; de Medeiros, Christophe; Saunders, Richard; Bouts, Tim; de Luze, Amaury

2012-03-01

Mycobacterium liflandii has been responsible for an emerging infection reported in the international trade of Western clawed frogs (Silurana tropicalis). This study shows that this mycolactone-producing Mycobacterium (MPM) has expanded its distribution range to France. The results of this study suggest that the use of in vitro fertilization to maintain genetic lines could be a temporary solution for valuable S. tropicalis propagation.

Special Section: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM):Quiz on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

MedlinePlus

... Special Section CAM Quiz on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Past Issues / Winter 2009 Table of Contents For ... low back pain. True False Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes: Meditation Chiropractic Use of natural products, ...

Tracing back the nascence of a new sex-determination pathway to the ancestor of bees and ants

PubMed Central

Schmieder, Sandra; Colinet, Dominique; Poirié, Marylène

2012-01-01

In several Hymenoptera, sexual fate is determined by the allelic composition at the complementary sex-determiner locus, a sex-determination mechanism that can strongly affect population dynamics. To date, the molecular identification of complementary sex determiner has only been achieved in the honeybee, where the complementary sex-determiner gene was reported to have arisen from duplication of the feminizer gene. Strikingly, the complementary sex-determiner gene was also proposed to be unique to the honeybee lineage. Here we identify feminizer and complementary sex-determiner orthologues in bumble bees and ants. We further demonstrate that the duplication of feminizer that produced complementary sex determiner occurred before the divergence of Aculeata species (~120 Myr ago). Finally, we provide evidence that the two genes evolved concertedly through gene conversion, complementary sex-determiner evolution being additionally shaped by mosaic patterns of selection. Thus, the complementary sex-determiner gene likely represents the molecular basis for single locus-complementary sex determination in the Aculeata infra-order, and possibly, in the entire Hymenoptera order. PMID:22692538

Capillary electrophoresis, a method for the determination of nucleic acid ligands covalently attached to quantum dots representing a donor of Förster resonance energy transfer.

PubMed

Datinská, Vladimíra; Klepárník, Karel; Belšánová, Barbora; Minárik, Marek; Foret, František

2018-05-09

The synthesis and determination of the structure of a Förster resonance energy transfer probe intended for the detection of specific nucleic acid sequences are described here. The probe is based on the hybridization of oligonucleotide modified quantum dots with a fluorescently labeled nucleic acid sample resulting in changes of the fluorescence emission due to the energy transfer effect. The stoichiometry distribution of oligonucleotides conjugated to quantum dots was determined by capillary electrophoresis separation. The results indicate that one to four molecules of oligonucleotide are conjugated to the surface of a single nanoparticle. This conclusion is confirmed by the course of the dependence of Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency on the concentration of fluorescently labeled complementary single-stranded nucleic acid, showing saturation. While the energy transfer efficiency of the probe hybridized with complementary nucleic acid strands was 30%, negligible efficiency was observed with a non-complementary strands. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Identification of Skin Electrical Injury Using Infrared Imaging: A Possible Complementary Tool for Histological Examination

PubMed Central

Lin, Hancheng; Wang, Zhenyuan; Dong, Hongmei

2017-01-01

In forensic practice, determination of electrocution as a cause of death usually depends on the conventional histological examination of electrical mark in the body skin, but the limitation of this method includes subjective bias by different forensic pathologists, especially for identifying suspicious electrical mark. The aim of our work is to introduce Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in combination with chemometrics as a complementary tool for providing an relatively objective diagnosis. The results of principle component analysis (PCA) showed that there were significant differences of protein structural profile between electrical mark and normal skin in terms of α-helix, antiparallel β-sheet and β-sheet content. Then a partial least square (PLS) model was established based on this spectral dataset and used to discriminate electrical mark from normal skin areas in independent tissue sections as revealed by color-coded digital maps, making the visualization of electrical injury more intuitively. Our pilot study demonstrates the potential of FTIR spectroscopy as a complementary tool for diagnosis of electrical mark. PMID:28118398

Shape measurement of objects with large discontinuities and surface isolations using complementary grating projection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, Yudong; Zhao, Yang; Li, Dacheng

1999-11-01

Grating projection 3D profilometry has three major problems that have to be handled with great care. They are local shadows, phase discontinuities and surface isolations. Carrying no information, shadow areas give us no clue about the profile there. Phase discontinuities often baffle phase unwrappers because they may be generated for several reasons difficult to distinguish. Spatial phase unwrapping will inevitably fail if the object under teste have surface isolations. In this paper, a complementary grating projection profilometry is reported, which attempts to tackle the three aforementioned problems simultaneously. This technique involves projecting two grating patterns form both sides of the CCD camera. Phase unwrapping is carried out pixel by pixel using the two phase maps based on the excess fraction method, which is immune to phase discontinuities or surface isolations. Complementary projection makes sure that no area in the visible volume of CCD is devoid of fringe information, although in some cases a small area of the reconstructed profile is of low accuracy compared with others. The system calibration procedures and measurement results are presented in detail, and possible improvement is discussed.

Developing Computational Tools for Application of Toxicogenomics to Environmental Regulations and Risk Assessment

EPA Science Inventory

Toxicogenomics is the study of changes in gene expression, protein, and metabolite profiles within cells and tissues, complementary to more traditional toxicological methods. Genomics tools provide detailed molecular data about the underlying biochemical mechanisms of toxicity, a...

Transforming Coverage of Primary Prevention in Abnormal Psychology Courses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalton, James H.; And Others

1994-01-01

Maintains that a comprehensive understanding of abnormal psychology requires coverage of recent advances in primary prevention. Describes a conceptual scheme and recommends resources and teaching methods for instructors. Asserts that clinical and community psychology are conceptually distinct but complementary fields. (CFR)

Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of a standardized international questionnaire on use of alternative and complementary medicine (I-CAM - Q) for Argentina.

PubMed

Esteban, Santiago; Vázquez Peña, Fernando; Terrasa, Sergio

2016-03-31

The widespread and growing use of alternative and complementary medicine (CAM) worldwide has been thoroughly described. In Argentina the limited information on the use of CAM has been reported between 40 and 55 %. However, the rate of use is extremely variable worldwide. For this purpose the international questionnaire on the use of complementary and alternative medicines (I-CAM - Q), was developed. The implementation of a translated and cross-culturally adapted version of the questionnaire would allow for a reliable and standardized evaluation of the rate of use of CAM in Argentina. It would be a great step towards improving what we know about the healing habits of our population. The forward and back-translation method was used. Four translators were involved. A committee was commissioned to reconcile the different versions. The process of cross-cultural adaptation was made by consulting 17 alternative and complementary medicine experts using the DELPHI method. The retrieved questionnaire was evaluated in 18 patients sampled by convenience (9 men, different educational and self-reported health levels). The interviews consisted of three parts: an initial demographics questionnaire; the administration of the I-CAM-Q and finally the cognitive interview, which included reviewing the questionnaire and reexamining questions that generated doubts during the interview. The comprehension of the questions was also evaluated. As a last step, using the information obtained from the interviews, the final version of the questionnaire was drafted. The questionnaire seems to have been accepted by most patients during the interviews. Conflictive elements that emerged did not seem to have an impact on its administration. The flexibility of the questionnaire allowed to add professionals and practices which contributed to a more accurate local adaptation. Further research should focus on assessing the questionnaire's psychometric performance and validity, which so far has not been done.

Desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization high-resolution mass spectrometry: a complementary approach for the chemical analysis of atmospheric aerosols.

PubMed

Parshintsev, Jevgeni; Vaikkinen, Anu; Lipponen, Katriina; Vrkoslav, Vladimir; Cvačka, Josef; Kostiainen, Risto; Kotiaho, Tapio; Hartonen, Kari; Riekkola, Marja-Liisa; Kauppila, Tiina J

2015-07-15

On-line chemical characterization methods of atmospheric aerosols are essential to increase our understanding of physicochemical processes in the atmosphere, and to study biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Several techniques, including aerosol mass spectrometry, are nowadays available, but they all suffer from some disadvantages. In this research, desorption atmospheric pressure photoionization high-resolution (Orbitrap) mass spectrometry (DAPPI-HRMS) is introduced as a complementary technique for the fast analysis of aerosol chemical composition without the need for sample preparation. Atmospheric aerosols from city air were collected on a filter, desorbed in a DAPPI source with a hot stream of toluene and nitrogen, and ionized using a vacuum ultraviolet lamp at atmospheric pressure. To study the applicability of the technique for ambient aerosol analysis, several samples were collected onto filters and analyzed, with the focus being on selected organic acids. To compare the DAPPI-HRMS data with results obtained by an established method, each filter sample was divided into two equal parts, and the second half of the filter was extracted and analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The DAPPI results agreed with the measured aerosol particle number. In addition to the targeted acids, the LC/MS and DAPPI-HRMS methods were found to detect different compounds, thus providing complementary information about the aerosol samples. DAPPI-HRMS showed several important oxidation products of terpenes, and numerous compounds were tentatively identified. Thanks to the soft ionization, high mass resolution, fast analysis, simplicity and on-line applicability, the proposed methodology has high potential in the field of atmospheric research. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cell and molecular biology of the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias and little skate Leucoraja erinacea: insights from in vitro cultured cells.

PubMed

Barnes, D W

2012-04-01

Two of the most commonly used elasmobranch experimental model species are the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias and the little skate Leucoraja erinacea. Comparative biology and genomics with these species have provided useful information in physiology, pharmacology, toxicology, immunology, evolutionary developmental biology and genetics. A wealth of information has been obtained using in vitro approaches to study isolated cells and tissues from these organisms under circumstances in which the extracellular environment can be controlled. In addition to classical work with primary cell cultures, continuously proliferating cell lines have been derived recently, representing the first cell lines from cartilaginous fishes. These lines have proved to be valuable tools with which to explore functional genomic and biological questions and to test hypotheses at the molecular level. In genomic experiments, complementary (c)DNA libraries have been constructed, and c. 8000 unique transcripts identified, with over 3000 representing previously unknown gene sequences. A sub-set of messenger (m)RNAs has been detected for which the 3' untranslated regions show elements that are remarkably well conserved evolutionarily, representing novel, potentially regulatory gene sequences. The cell culture systems provide physiologically valid tools to study functional roles of these sequences and other aspects of elasmobranch molecular cell biology and physiology. Information derived from the use of in vitro cell cultures is valuable in revealing gene diversity and information for genomic sequence assembly, as well as for identification of new genes and molecular markers, construction of gene-array probes and acquisition of full-length cDNA sequences. © 2012 The Author. Journal of Fish Biology © 2012 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Microwaving human faecal sludge as a viable sanitation technology option for treatment and value recovery - A critical review.

PubMed

Afolabi, Oluwasola O D; Sohail, M

2017-02-01

The prolonged challenges and terrible consequences of poor sanitation, especially in developing economies, call for the exploration of new sustainable sanitation technologies. Such technologies must be: capable of effectively treating human faecal wastes without any health or environmental impacts; scalable to address rapid increases in population and urbanization; capable of meeting environmental regulations and standards for faecal management; and competitive with existing strategies. Further and importantly, despite its noxiousness and pathogenic load, the chemical composition of human faecal sludge indicates that it could be considered a potentially valuable, nutrient-rich renewable resource, rather than a problematic waste product. New approaches to faecal sludge management must consequently seek to incorporate a 'valuable resource recovery' approach, compatible with stringent treatment requirements. This review intends to advance the understanding of human faecal sludge as a sustainable organic-rich resource that is typically high in moisture (up to 97 per cent), making it a suitable candidate for dielectric heating, i.e. microwave irradiation, to promote faecal treatment, while also recovering value-added products such as ammonia liquor concentrate (suitable for fertilizers) and chars (suitable for fuel) - which can provide an economic base to sustain the technology. Additionally, microwaving human faecal sludge represents a thermally effective approach that can destroy pathogens, eradicate the foul odour associated human faecal sludge, while also preventing hazardous product formations and/or emissions, aside from other benefits such as improved dewaterability and heavy metals recovery. Key technological parameters crucial for scaling the technology as a complementary solution to the challenges of onsite sanitation are also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of complementary and alternative medicines during the third trimester.

PubMed

Pallivalapila, Abdul Rouf; Stewart, Derek; Shetty, Ashalatha; Pande, Binita; Singh, Rajvir; McLay, James S

2015-01-01

To estimate the prevalence, indications, and associated factors for complementary and alternative medicine use during the last trimester of pregnancy. A questionnaire survey was conducted of women with a live birth (N=700) admitted to the postnatal unit at the Royal Aberdeen Maternity Hospital, northeast Scotland. Outcome measures included: complementary and alternative medicine used; vitamins and minerals used; reasons for complementary and alternative medicine use; independent associated factors for use; views; and experiences. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed. The response rate was 79.6% of eligible women. Two thirds of respondents (61.4%) reported using complementary and alternative medicine, excluding vitamins and minerals, during the third trimester. Respondents reported using a total of 30 different complementary and alternative medicine modalities, of which oral herbal products were the most common (38% of respondents, 40 different products). The independent associated factors for complementary and alternative medicine use identified were: complementary and alternative medicine use before pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 4.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.39-7.95, P<.001); a university education (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.46-4.0, P=.001), and complementary and alternative medicine use by family or friends (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.61-3.47, P<.001). There was no association with health care professional recommendations. Users were significantly more likely than nonusers to agree that complementary and alternative medicines were safer than prescribed medicines (P=.006), less likely to be associated with side effects (P≤.001), and could interfere with conventional medicines (P≤.001). Despite the majority of respondents, and notably users, being uncertain about their safety and effectiveness, complementary and alternative medicine modalities and complementary and alternative medicine products are widely used during the third trimester of pregnancy in this study population. Although prior use was the most significant independent associated factor, the role of family and friends, rather than health professionals, in the decision to use complementary and alternative medicine may be of concern. III.

A combination of HPLC and automated data analysis for monitoring the efficiency of high-pressure homogenization.

PubMed

Eggenreich, Britta; Rajamanickam, Vignesh; Wurm, David Johannes; Fricke, Jens; Herwig, Christoph; Spadiut, Oliver

2017-08-01

Cell disruption is a key unit operation to make valuable, intracellular target products accessible for further downstream unit operations. Independent of the applied cell disruption method, each cell disruption process must be evaluated with respect to disruption efficiency and potential product loss. Current state-of-the-art methods, like measuring the total amount of released protein and plating-out assays, are usually time-delayed and involve manual intervention making them error-prone. An automated method to monitor cell disruption efficiency at-line is not available to date. In the current study we implemented a methodology, which we had originally developed to monitor E. coli cell integrity during bioreactor cultivations, to automatically monitor and evaluate cell disruption of a recombinant E. coli strain by high-pressure homogenization. We compared our tool with a library of state-of-the-art methods, analyzed the effect of freezing the biomass before high-pressure homogenization and finally investigated this unit operation in more detail by a multivariate approach. A combination of HPLC and automated data analysis describes a valuable, novel tool to monitor and evaluate cell disruption processes. Our methodology, which can be used both in upstream (USP) and downstream processing (DSP), describes a valuable tool to evaluate cell disruption processes as it can be implemented at-line, gives results within minutes after sampling and does not need manual intervention.

Age of Complementary Foods Introduction and Risk of Anemia in Children Aged 4-6 years: A Prospective Birth Cohort in China.

PubMed

Wang, Fenglei; Liu, Huijuan; Wan, Yi; Li, Jing; Chen, Yu; Zheng, Jusheng; Huang, Tao; Li, Duo

2017-03-23

Age of complementary foods introduction is associated with childhood anemia, but the ideal age for the introduction of complementary foods to infants is a continuing topic of debate. We examined the longitudinal association between complementary foods introduction age and risk of anemia in 18,446 children from the Jiaxing Birth Cohort, who had detailed complementary feeding records at 3 and 6 months of age and had hemoglobin concentrations measured at 4-6 years. Early introduction of complementary foods at 3-6 months of age was significantly associated with a higher risk of anemia (odds ratio = 1.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.28) and a lower hemoglobin concentration of -0.84 g/L (95% confidence interval: -1.33 to -0.35) in children aged 4-6 years, compared with those fed complementary foods starting at 6 months of age. When it comes to the specific type of complementary foods, early introduction of all plant-based foods was associated with increased anemia risks and lower hemoglobin concentrations, while early introduction of most animal-based foods was not. These findings may be informative regarding the appropriate time to introduce complementary foods in infants.

Massive integration of diverse protein quality assessment methods to improve template based modeling in CASP11

PubMed Central

Cao, Renzhi; Bhattacharya, Debswapna; Adhikari, Badri; Li, Jilong; Cheng, Jianlin

2015-01-01

Model evaluation and selection is an important step and a big challenge in template-based protein structure prediction. Individual model quality assessment methods designed for recognizing some specific properties of protein structures often fail to consistently select good models from a model pool because of their limitations. Therefore, combining multiple complimentary quality assessment methods is useful for improving model ranking and consequently tertiary structure prediction. Here, we report the performance and analysis of our human tertiary structure predictor (MULTICOM) based on the massive integration of 14 diverse complementary quality assessment methods that was successfully benchmarked in the 11th Critical Assessment of Techniques of Protein Structure prediction (CASP11). The predictions of MULTICOM for 39 template-based domains were rigorously assessed by six scoring metrics covering global topology of Cα trace, local all-atom fitness, side chain quality, and physical reasonableness of the model. The results show that the massive integration of complementary, diverse single-model and multi-model quality assessment methods can effectively leverage the strength of single-model methods in distinguishing quality variation among similar good models and the advantage of multi-model quality assessment methods of identifying reasonable average-quality models. The overall excellent performance of the MULTICOM predictor demonstrates that integrating a large number of model quality assessment methods in conjunction with model clustering is a useful approach to improve the accuracy, diversity, and consequently robustness of template-based protein structure prediction. PMID:26369671

76 FR 59707 - National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Notice of Closed Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-27

... Complementary & Alternative Medicine; Notice of Closed Meetings Pursuant to section 10(d) of the Federal... for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Special Emphasis Panel, Training and Education. Date... Complementary and Alternative Medicine Special Emphasis Panel, Clinical Studies of CAM Therapies. Date: November...

High volume medical web sites.

PubMed

Elliott, B; Elliott, G

2000-01-01

In 1998, 22 million individuals reported surfing the web for medical information, and this number will increase to over 30 million by 2000. Fifteen of the highest volume medical web sites are described in this paper. Sponsorship and/or ownership of the fifteen sites varied. The government sponsors one, and some are the products of well-known educational institutions. One site is supported by a consumer health organization, and the American Medical Association was in the top 15. However, the most common owners are commercial, for-profit businesses. Attributes of the ideal site were categorized, and include a robust privacy and disclosure statement with an emphasis on education and an appropriate role for advertising. The covering of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) should be in a balanced and unbiased manner. There has to be an emphasis on knowledge based evidence as opposed to testimonials, and sources should be timely and reviewed. Bibliographies of authors need to be available. Hyperlinking to other web resources is valuable, as even the largest of sites cannot come close to covering all of medicine.

Platelet-rich plasma: combinational treatment modalities for musculoskeletal conditions.

PubMed

Andia, Isabel; Abate, Michele

2018-04-01

Current research on common musculoskeletal problems, including osteoarticular conditions, tendinopathies, and muscle injuries, focuses on regenerative translational medicine. Platelet-rich plasma therapies have emerged as a potential approach to enhance tissue repair and regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma application aims to provide supraphysiological concentrations of platelets and optionally leukocytes at injured/pathological tissues mimicking the initial stages of healing. However, the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma is controversial in chronic diseases because patients' outcomes show partial improvements. Platelet-rich plasma can be customized to specific conditions by selecting the most appropriate formulation and timing for application or by combining platelet-rich plasma with synergistic or complementary treatments. To achieve this goal, researchers should identify and enhance the main mechanisms of healing. In this review, the interactions between platelet-rich plasma and healing mechanisms were addressed and research opportunities for customized treatment modalities were outlined. The development of combinational platelet-rich plasma treatments that can be used safely and effectively to manipulate healing mechanisms would be valuable and would provide insights into the processes involved in physiological healing and pathological failure.

Identification and Characterization of T5-Like Bacteriophages Representing Two Novel Subgroups from Food Products

PubMed Central

Sváb, Domonkos; Falgenhauer, Linda; Rohde, Manfred; Szabó, Judit; Chakraborty, Trinad; Tóth, István

2018-01-01

During recent years, interest in the use of bacteriophages as biocontrol agents against foodborne pathogens has increased, particularly for members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, with pathogenic Escherichia coli, Shigella, and Salmonella strains among them. Here, we report the isolation and characterisation of 12 novel T5-like bacteriophages from confiscated food samples. All bacterophages effectively lysed E. coli K-12 strains and were able to infect pathogenic E. coli strains representing enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), and enteroinvasive (EIEC) pathotypes, Shigella dysenteriae, S. sonnei strains, as well as multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli and multiple strains representing different Salmonella enterica serovars. All the bacteriophages exhibited Siphoviridae morphology. Whole genome sequencing of the novel T5-like bacteriophages showed that they represent two distinct groups, with the genome-based grouping correlating to the different host spectra. As these bacteriophages are of food origin, their stability and lack of any virulence genes, as well as their broad and mutually complementary host spectrum makes these new T5-like bacteriophages valuable candidates for use as biocontrol agents against foodborne pathogenic enterobacteria. PMID:29487585

Fire debris analysis for forensic fire investigation using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Soojin; Yoh, Jack J.

2017-08-01

The possibility verification of the first attempt to apply LIBS to arson investigation was performed. LIBS has capabilities for real time in-situ analysis and depth profiling. It can provide valuable information about the fire debris that are complementary to the classification of original sample components and combustion residues. In this study, fire debris was analyzed to determine the ignition source and existence of a fire accelerant using LIBS spectra and depth profiling analysis. Fire debris chemical composition and carbon layer thickness determines the possible ignition source while the carbon layer thickness of combusted samples represents the degree of sample carbonization. When a sample is combusted with fire accelerants, a thicker carbon layer is formed because the burning rate is increased. Therefore, depth profiling can confirm the existence of combustion accelerants, which is evidence of arson. Also investigation of fire debris by depth profiling is still possible when a fire is extinguished with water from fire hose. Such data analysis and in-situ detection of forensic signals via the LIBS may assist fire investigation at crime scenes.

Evaluation of T1/T2 ratios in a pilot study as a potential biomarker of biopsy: proven benign and malignant breast lesions in correlation with histopathological disease stage.

PubMed

Malikova, Marina A; Tkacz, Jaroslaw N; Slanetz, Priscilla J; Guo, Chao-Yu; Aakil, Adam; Jara, Hernan

2017-08-01

Early breast cancer detection is important for intervention and prognosis. Advances in treatment and outcome require diagnostic tools with highly positive predictive value. To study the potential role of quantitative MRI (qMRI) using T1/T2 ratios to differentiate benign from malignant breast lesions. A cross-sectional study of 69 women with 69 known or suspicious breast lesions were scanned with mixed-turbo spin echo pulse sequence. Patients were grouped according to histopathological assessment of disease stage: untreated malignant tumor, treated malignancy and benign disease. Elevated T1/T2 means were observed for biopsy-proven malignant lesions and for malignant lesions treated prior to qMRI with chemotherapy and/or radiation, as compared with benign lesions. The qMRI-obtained T1/T2 ratios correlated with histopathology. Analysis revealed correlation between elevated T1/T2 ratio and disease stage. This could provide valuable complementary information on tissue properties as an additional diagnostic tool.

Development of new stem cell-based technologies for carnivore reproduction research.

PubMed

Travis, A J; Kim, Y; Meyers-Wallen, V

2009-07-01

New reproductive technologies based on stem cells offer several potential benefits to carnivore species. For example, development of lines of embryonic stem cells in cats and dogs would allow for the generation of transgenic animal models, which could be used to advance both veterinary and human health. Techniques such as spermatogonial stem cell transplantation (SSCT) and testis xenografting offer new approaches to propagate genetically valuable individual males, even if they should die before producing sperm. These techniques might therefore have application to the conservation of endangered species of carnivores, as well as to biomedical research. Recently, our laboratory has successfully performed SSCT in the dog, with a recipient dog producing sperm of donor genetic origin. Testis xenografting has been used to produce sperm from pre-pubertal testis tissue from both cats and ferrets. These early steps reinforce the need not only for research on stem cell technologies, but also for additional research into complementary technologies of assisted reproduction in carnivores, so that the widest array of research and clinical benefits can be realized.

Effects of TGF-β1 and VEGF-A transgenes on the osteogenic potential of bone marrow stromal cells in vitro and in vivo

PubMed Central

Sumner, Dale R; Virdi, Amarjit S

2012-01-01

An exogenous supply of growth factors and bioreplaceable scaffolds may help bone regeneration. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of TGF-β1 and VEGF-A transgenes on the osteogenic potential of bone marrow stromal cells. Rat bone marrow stromal cells were transfected with plasmids encoding mouse TGF-β1 and/or VEGF-A complementary DNAs and cultured for up to 28 days. Furthermore, collagen scaffolds carrying combinations of the plasmids-transfected cells were implanted subcutaneously in rats. The transgenes increased alkaline phosphatase activity, enhanced mineralized nodule formation, and elevated osteogenic gene expressions in vitro. In vivo, messenger RNA expression of osteogenic genes such as BMPs and Runx2 elevated higher by the transgenes. The data indicate that exogenous TGF-β1 and VEGF-A acted synergistically and could induce osteoblastic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells in both cell culture and an animal model. The results may provide valuable information to optimize protocols for transgene-and-cell-based tissue engineering. PMID:22962632

Near Real-Time Surveillance of U.S. Norovirus Outbreaks by the Norovirus Sentinel Testing and Tracking Network - United States, August 2009-July 2015.

PubMed

Shah, Minesh P; Wikswo, Mary E; Barclay, Leslie; Kambhampati, Anita; Shioda, Kayoko; Parashar, Umesh D; Vinjé, Jan; Hall, Aron J

2017-02-24

Norovirus is the leading cause of endemic and epidemic acute gastroenteritis in the United States (1). New variant strains of norovirus GII.4 emerge every 2-4 years (2-4) and are often associated with increased disease and health care visits (5-7). Since 2009, CDC has obtained epidemiologic data on norovirus outbreaks from state health departments through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) (8) and laboratory data through CaliciNet (9). NORS is a web-based platform for reporting waterborne, foodborne, and enteric disease outbreaks of all etiologies, including norovirus, to CDC. CaliciNet, a nationwide electronic surveillance system of local and state public health and regulatory agency laboratories, collects genetic sequences of norovirus strains associated with gastroenteritis outbreaks. Because these two independent reporting systems contain complementary data, integration of NORS and CaliciNet records could provide valuable public health information about norovirus outbreaks. However, reporting lags and inconsistent identification codes in NORS and CaliciNet records have been an obstacle to developing an integrated surveillance system.

Identification of the man-made barium copper silicate pigments among some ancient Chinese artifacts through spectroscopic analysis.

PubMed

Li, Q H; Yang, J C; Li, L; Dong, J Q; Zhao, H X; Liu, S

2015-03-05

This article describes the complementary application of non-invasive micro-Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to the characterization of some ancient Chinese silicate artifacts. A total of 28 samples dated from fourth century BC to third century AD were analyzed. The results of chemical analysis showed that the vitreous PbO-BaO-SiO2 material was used to sinter these silicate artifacts. The barium copper silicate pigments including BaCuSi4O10, BaCuSi2O6 and BaCu2Si2O7 were widely identified from colorful areas of the samples by Raman spectroscopy. In addition, other crystalline phases such as Fe2O3, BaSi2O5, BaSO4, PbCO3 and quartz were also identified. The present study provides very valuable information to trace the technical evolution of man-made barium copper silicate pigments and their close relationship with the making of ancient PbO-BaO-SiO2 glaze and glass. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improvement of identification of Capnocytophaga canimorsus by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry using enriched database.

PubMed

Magnette, Amandine; Huang, Te-Din; Renzi, Francesco; Bogaerts, Pierre; Cornelis, Guy R; Glupczynski, Youri

2016-01-01

Capnocytophaga canimorsus and Capnocytophaga cynodegmi can be transmitted from dogs or cats and cause serious human infections. We aimed to evaluate the ability of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to identify these two Capnocytophaga species. Ninety-four C. canimorsus and 10 C. cynodegmi isolates identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing were analyzed. Using the MALDI BioTyper database, correct identification was achieved for only 16 of 94 (17%) C. canimorsus and all 10 C. cynodegmi strains, according to the manufacturer's log score specifications. Following the establishment of a complementary homemade reference database by addition of 51 C. canimorsus and 8 C. cynodegmi mass spectra, MALDI-TOF MS provided reliable identification to the species level for 100% of the 45 blind-coded Capnocytophaga isolates tested. MALDI-TOF MS can accurately identify C. canimorsus and C. cynodegmi using an enriched database and thus constitutes a valuable diagnostic tool in the clinical laboratory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Management of Usr-i-Tamth (Menstrual Pain) in Unani (Greco-Islamic) Medicine

PubMed Central

Sultana, Arshiya; Lamatunoor, Syed; Begum, Mazherunnisa; Qhuddsia, Q. N.

2015-01-01

Usr-i-tamth in Unani (Greco-Arabic) medicine is pain associated with menstruation, and classical manuscripts are enriched with traditional knowledge for the management of usr-i-tamth (menstrual pain/dysmenorrhoea). Hence, a comprehensive search was undertaken to find classical manuscripts for the management of menstrual pain was. We searched the Cochrane database, PubMed/Google Scholar, and other websites for articles on complementary and alternative medicine treatment and management of menstrual pain. The principal management as per Unani manuscripts is to produce analgesia and to treat the cause of usr-i-tamth such as abnormal temperament, menstrual irregularities/uterine diseases, and psychological and environmental factors. Furthermore, Unani medicines with emmenagogue, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties are beneficial for amelioration of usr-i-tamth. Herbs such as Apium graveolens, Cuminum cyminium, Foeniculum vulgare, Matricaria chamomilla and Nigella sativa possess the aforementioned properties and are proven scientifically for their efficacy in usr-i-tamth. Thus, validation and conservation of the traditional knowledge is essential for prospective research and valuable for use in the contemporary era. PMID:26721552

Pharmacological analyses of learning and memory in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

PubMed

Bailey, Jordan M; Oliveri, Anthony N; Levin, Edward D

2015-12-01

Over the last decade, zebrafish (Danio rerio) have become valuable as a complementary model in behavioral pharmacology, opening a new avenue for understanding the relationships between drug action and behavior. This species offers a useful intermediate approach bridging the gap between in vitro studies and traditional mammalian models. Zebrafish offer great advantages of economy compared to their rodent counterparts, their complex brains and behavioral repertoire offer great translational potential relative to in vitro models. The development and validation of a variety of tests to measure behavior, including cognition, in zebrafish have set the stage for the use of this animal for behavioral pharmacology studies. This has led to research into the basic mechanisms of cognitive function as well as screening for potential cognition-improving drug therapies, among other lines of research. As with all models, zebrafish have limitations, which span pharmacokinetic challenges to difficulties quantifying behavior. The use, efficacy and limitations associated with a zebrafish model of cognitive function are discussed in this review, within the context of behavioral pharmacology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study of oxygen/tetraethoxysilane plasmas in a helicon reactor using optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aumaille, K.; Granier, A.; Schmidt, M.; Grolleau, B.; Vallée, C.; Turban, G.

2000-08-01

Oxygen/tetraethoxysilane (O2/TEOS) plasmas created in a low-pressure (2 mTorr) rf helicon reactor have been studied by optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry as a function of the rf (13.56 MHz) power injected into the plasma, which is varied from 25 to 300 W. Complementary measurements for the interpretation of the mass spectrometric data have also been carried out using the threshold ionization mass spectrometry technique. It is shown that valuable information on the parent molecules is obtained by both optical emission spectroscopy and threshold ionization mass spectrometry techniques. At low rf power TEOS molecules and organic compounds like hydrocarbons (CH4, C2H2) and alcohols (CH3CH2OH) as well as H2, H2O, CO, O2, CO2 are observed. At high rf power TEOS and O2 molecules are totally or mostly depleted, the share of hydrocarbons decreases and carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water and hydrogen become the essential parts of the gas phase.

Identification of the man-made barium copper silicate pigments among some ancient Chinese artifacts through spectroscopic analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Q. H.; Yang, J. C.; Li, L.; Dong, J. Q.; Zhao, H. X.; Liu, S.

2015-03-01

This article describes the complementary application of non-invasive micro-Raman spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to the characterization of some ancient Chinese silicate artifacts. A total of 28 samples dated from fourth century BC to third century AD were analyzed. The results of chemical analysis showed that the vitreous PbO-BaO-SiO2 material was used to sinter these silicate artifacts. The barium copper silicate pigments including BaCuSi4O10, BaCuSi2O6 and BaCu2Si2O7 were widely identified from colorful areas of the samples by Raman spectroscopy. In addition, other crystalline phases such as Fe2O3, BaSi2O5, BaSO4, PbCO3 and quartz were also identified. The present study provides very valuable information to trace the technical evolution of man-made barium copper silicate pigments and their close relationship with the making of ancient PbO-BaO-SiO2 glaze and glass.

The functional interactome landscape of the human histone deacetylase family

PubMed Central

Joshi, Preeti; Greco, Todd M; Guise, Amanda J; Luo, Yang; Yu, Fang; Nesvizhskii, Alexey I; Cristea, Ileana M

2013-01-01

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a diverse family of essential transcriptional regulatory enzymes, that function through the spatial and temporal recruitment of protein complexes. As the composition and regulation of HDAC complexes are only partially characterized, we built the first global protein interaction network for all 11 human HDACs in T cells. Integrating fluorescence microscopy, immunoaffinity purifications, quantitative mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics, we identified over 200 unreported interactions for both well-characterized and lesser-studied HDACs, a subset of which were validated by orthogonal approaches. We establish HDAC11 as a member of the survival of motor neuron complex and pinpoint a functional role in mRNA splicing. We designed a complementary label-free and metabolic-labeling mass spectrometry-based proteomics strategy for profiling interaction stability among different HDAC classes, revealing that HDAC1 interactions within chromatin-remodeling complexes are largely stable, while transcription factors preferentially exist in rapid equilibrium. Overall, this study represents a valuable resource for investigating HDAC functions in health and disease, encompassing emerging themes of HDAC regulation in cell cycle and RNA processing and a deeper functional understanding of HDAC complex stability. PMID:23752268

Ion-ion coincidence imaging at high event rate using an in-vacuum pixel detector.

PubMed

Long, Jingming; Furch, Federico J; Durá, Judith; Tremsin, Anton S; Vallerga, John; Schulz, Claus Peter; Rouzée, Arnaud; Vrakking, Marc J J

2017-07-07

A new ion-ion coincidence imaging spectrometer based on a pixelated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor detector has been developed for the investigation of molecular ionization and fragmentation processes in strong laser fields. Used as a part of a velocity map imaging spectrometer, the detection system is comprised of a set of microchannel plates and a Timepix detector. A fast time-to-digital converter (TDC) is used to enhance the ion time-of-flight resolution by correlating timestamps registered separately by the Timepix detector and the TDC. In addition, sub-pixel spatial resolution (<6 μm) is achieved by the use of a center-of-mass centroiding algorithm. This performance is achieved while retaining a high event rate (10 4 per s). The spectrometer was characterized and used in a proof-of-principle experiment on strong field dissociative double ionization of carbon dioxide molecules (CO 2 ), using a 400 kHz repetition rate laser system. The experimental results demonstrate that the spectrometer can detect multiple ions in coincidence, making it a valuable tool for studying the fragmentation dynamics of molecules in strong laser fields.

Ion-ion coincidence imaging at high event rate using an in-vacuum pixel detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Jingming; Furch, Federico J.; Durá, Judith; Tremsin, Anton S.; Vallerga, John; Schulz, Claus Peter; Rouzée, Arnaud; Vrakking, Marc J. J.

2017-07-01

A new ion-ion coincidence imaging spectrometer based on a pixelated complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor detector has been developed for the investigation of molecular ionization and fragmentation processes in strong laser fields. Used as a part of a velocity map imaging spectrometer, the detection system is comprised of a set of microchannel plates and a Timepix detector. A fast time-to-digital converter (TDC) is used to enhance the ion time-of-flight resolution by correlating timestamps registered separately by the Timepix detector and the TDC. In addition, sub-pixel spatial resolution (<6 μm) is achieved by the use of a center-of-mass centroiding algorithm. This performance is achieved while retaining a high event rate (104 per s). The spectrometer was characterized and used in a proof-of-principle experiment on strong field dissociative double ionization of carbon dioxide molecules (CO2), using a 400 kHz repetition rate laser system. The experimental results demonstrate that the spectrometer can detect multiple ions in coincidence, making it a valuable tool for studying the fragmentation dynamics of molecules in strong laser fields.

Plant membrane proteomics.

PubMed

Ephritikhine, Geneviève; Ferro, Myriam; Rolland, Norbert

2004-12-01

Plant membrane proteins are involved in many different functions according to their location in the cell. For instance, the chloroplast has two membrane systems, thylakoids and envelope, with specialized membrane proteins for photosynthesis and metabolite and ion transporters, respectively. Although recent advances in sample preparation and analytical techniques have been achieved for the study of membrane proteins, the characterization of these proteins, especially the hydrophobic ones, is still challenging. The present review highlights recent advances in methodologies for identification of plant membrane proteins from purified subcellular structures. The interest of combining several complementary extraction procedures to take into account specific features of membrane proteins is discussed in the light of recent proteomics data, notably for chloroplast envelope, mitochondrial membranes and plasma membrane from Arabidopsis. These examples also illustrate how, on one hand, proteomics can feed bioinformatics for a better definition of prediction tools and, on the other hand, although prediction tools are not 100% reliable, they can give valuable information for biological investigations. In particular, membrane proteomics brings new insights over plant membrane systems, on both the membrane compartment where proteins are working and their putative cellular function.

LC-MS characterization of constituents of mesquite flour

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Using an LC-MS method in conjunction with two complementary types of chromatographic retention modes—namely reversed phase and aqueous normal phase (ANP)—various compounds present in mesquite flour extracts were identified. Because of the diverse types of chemical constituents found in such natural ...

A Stand-Alone Interactive Physics Showcase

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfaff, Daniel; Hagelgans, Anja; Weidemuller, Matthias; Bretzer, Klaus

2012-01-01

We present a showcase with interactive exhibits of basic physical experiments that constitutes a complementary method for teaching physics and interesting students in physical phenomena. Our interactive physics showcase, shown in Fig. 1, stimulates interest for science by letting the students experience, firsthand, surprising phenomena and…

Spatio-temporal cluster detection of chickenpox in Valencia, Spain in the period 2008-2012.

PubMed

Iftimi, Adina; Martínez-Ruiz, Francisco; Míguez Santiyán, Ana; Montes, Francisco

2015-05-18

Chickenpox is a highly contagious airborne disease caused by Varicella zoster, which affects nearly all non-immune children worldwide with an annual incidence estimated at 80-90 million cases. To analyze the spatiotemporal pattern of the chickenpox incidence in the city of Valencia, Spain two complementary statistical approaches were used. First, we evaluated the existence of clusters and spatio-temporal interaction; secondly, we used this information to find the locations of the spatio-temporal clusters via the space-time permutation model. The first method used detects any aggregation in our data but does not provide the spatial and temporal information. The second method gives the locations, areas and time-frame for the spatio-temporal clusters. An overall decreasing time trend, a pronounced 12-monthly periodicity and two complementary periods were observed. Several areas with high incidence, surrounding the center of the city were identified. The existence of aggregation in time and space was observed, and a number of spatio-temporal clusters were located.

Thesis survey results in the field of nursing regarding the use of complementary and alternative medical treatments in Turkey.

PubMed

Arslan, Gulsah Gurol; Denat, Yildiz; Dikmen, Yurdanur

2017-09-01

This descriptive literature review was planned to identify the prevalence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) usage, frequency of usage, types/fields of use in master's theses and PhD dissertations based on the CAM methods, which are commonly used in nursing practice in Turkey. Data was collected in Turkey from February to March 2014 through a review of the National Thesis Centre (NTC) Archives at the Chairmanship of the Council of Higher Education and by obtaining the nursing theses/dissertations on CAM done between 1996 and 2013. Data were analysed by distribution of frequencies and percentages for publication year, number in sampling, method, case group, CAM type, and purpose of use/effectiveness. A total of 88 theses/dissertations were located. It was found that a majority of the theses/dissertations investigated were interventional. Investigation of the purpose of CAM use in theses/dissertations showed that the studies examined the effects of CAM on symptom control.

Regulation of T-cell receptor signalling by membrane microdomains

PubMed Central

Razzaq, Tahir M; Ozegbe, Patricia; Jury, Elizabeth C; Sembi, Phupinder; Blackwell, Nathan M; Kabouridis, Panagiotis S

2004-01-01

There is now considerable evidence suggesting that the plasma membrane of mammalian cells is compartmentalized by functional lipid raft microdomains. These structures are assemblies of specialized lipids and proteins and have been implicated in diverse biological functions. Analysis of their protein content using proteomics and other methods revealed enrichment of signalling proteins, suggesting a role for these domains in intracellular signalling. In T lymphocytes, structure/function experiments and complementary pharmacological studies have shown that raft microdomains control the localization and function of proteins which are components of signalling pathways regulated by the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR). Based on these studies, a model for TCR phosphorylation in lipid rafts is presented. However, despite substantial progress in the field, critical questions remain. For example, it is unclear if membrane rafts represent a homogeneous population and if their structure is modified upon TCR stimulation. In the future, proteomics and the parallel development of complementary analytical methods will undoubtedly contribute in further delineating the role of lipid rafts in signal transduction mechanisms. PMID:15554919

Systemic errors in quantitative polymerase chain reaction titration of self-complementary adeno-associated viral vectors and improved alternative methods.

PubMed

Fagone, Paolo; Wright, J Fraser; Nathwani, Amit C; Nienhuis, Arthur W; Davidoff, Andrew M; Gray, John T

2012-02-01

Self-complementary AAV (scAAV) vector genomes contain a covalently closed hairpin derived from a mutated inverted terminal repeat that connects the two monomer single-stranded genomes into a head-to-head or tail-to-tail dimer. We found that during quantitative PCR (qPCR) this structure inhibits the amplification of proximal amplicons and causes the systemic underreporting of copy number by as much as 10-fold. We show that cleavage of scAAV vector genomes with restriction endonuclease to liberate amplicons from the covalently closed terminal hairpin restores quantitative amplification, and we implement this procedure in a simple, modified qPCR titration method for scAAV vectors. In addition, we developed and present an AAV genome titration procedure based on gel electrophoresis that requires minimal sample processing and has low interassay variability, and as such is well suited for the rigorous quality control demands of clinical vector production facilities.

Applicability of active infrared thermography for screening of human breast: a numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dua, Geetika; Mulaveesala, Ravibabu

2018-03-01

Active infrared thermography is a fast, painless, noncontact, and noninvasive imaging method, complementary to mammography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging methods for early diagnosis of breast cancer. This technique plays an important role in early detection of breast cancer to women of all ages, including pregnant or nursing women, with different sizes of breast, irrespective of either fatty or dense breast. This proposed complementary technique makes use of infrared emission emanating from the breast. Emanating radiations from the surface of the breast under test are detected with an infrared camera to map the thermal gradients over it, in order to reveal hidden tumors inside it. One of the reliable active infrared thermographic technique, linear frequency modulated thermal wave imaging is adopted to detect tumors present inside the breast. Further, phase and amplitude images are constructed using frequency and time-domain data analysis schemes. Obtained results show the potential of the proposed technique for early diagnosis of breast cancer in fatty as well as dense breasts.

Use of complementary and alternative medicine in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

PubMed

Höfer, Juliana; Hoffmann, Falk; Bachmann, Christian

2017-05-01

Despite limited evidence, complementary and alternative medicine treatments are popular in autism spectrum disorder. The aim of this review was to summarize the available evidence on complementary and alternative medicine use frequency in autism spectrum disorder. A systematic search of three electronic databases was performed. All research studies in English or German reporting data on the frequency of complementary and alternative medicine use in individuals with autism spectrum disorder were included. Two independent reviewers searched the literature, extracted information on study design and results, and assessed study quality using an established quality assessment tool. Twenty studies with a total of 9540 participants were included. The prevalence of any complementary and alternative medicine use ranged from 28% to 95% (median: 54%). Special diets or dietary supplements (including vitamins) were the most frequent complementary and alternative medicine treatments, ranking first in 75% of studies. There was some evidence for a higher prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine use in autism spectrum disorder compared to other psychiatric disorders and the general population. Approximately half of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder use complementary and alternative medicine. Doctors should be aware of this and should discuss complementary and alternative medicine use with patients and their carers, especially as the evidence is mixed and some complementary and alternative medicine treatments are potentially harmful.

Hypnotherapy: Fact or Fiction: A Review in Palliative Care and Opinions of Health Professionals

PubMed Central

Desai, Geetha; Chaturvedi, Santosh K; Ramachandra, Srinivasa

2011-01-01

Context: Complementary medicine like hypnotherapy is often used for pain and palliative care. Health professionals vary in views about hypnotherapy, its utility, value, and attitudes. Aims: To understand the opinions of health professionals on hypnotherapy. Settings and Design: A semi-qualitative method to survey opinions of the health professionals from various disciplines attending a programme on hypnotherapy was conducted. Materials and Methods: The survey form consisted of 32 statements about hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Participants were asked to indicate whether they agreed, disagreed, or were not sure about each statement. A qualitative feedback form was used to obtain further views about hypnotherapy. Statistical Analysis Used: Percentage, frequency distribution. Results: The sample consisted of 21 participants from various disciplines. Two-thirds of the participants gave correct responses to statements on dangerousness of hypnosis (90%), weak mind and hypnosis (86%), and hypnosis as therapy (81%). The participants gave incorrect responses about losing control in hypnosis (57%), hypnosis being in sleep (62%), and becoming dependent on hypnotist (62%). Participants were not sure if one could not hear the hypnotist one is not hypnotized (43%) about the responses on gender and hypnosis (38%), hypnosis leading to revealing secrets (23%). Conclusions: Despite patients using complementary medicine services, often health professionals are unaware of the issues associated with these services. These myths may interfere in using hypnotherapy as therapeutic tool in palliative care. It is important for health professionals to have an appropriate and evidence-based understanding about the complementary therapies including hypnotherapy. PMID:21976856

Complementary feeding and the early origins of obesity risk: a study protocol

PubMed Central

Muniandy, Naleena Devi; Allotey, Pascale A; Soyiri, Ireneous N; Reidpath, Daniel D

2016-01-01

Introduction The rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity worldwide calls for an intervention earlier in the life cycle. Studies show that nutrition during early infancy may contribute to later obesity. Hence, this study is designed to determine if the variation in complementary feeding practices poses a risk for the development of obesity later in life. A mixed methods approach will be used in conducting this study. Methods and analysis The target participants are infants born from January to June 2015 in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) platform. The SEACO is a Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) that is established in the District of Segamat in the state of Johor, Malaysia. For the quantitative strand, the sociodemographic data, feeding practices, anthropometry measurement and total nutrient intake will be assessed. The assessment will occur around the time complementary feeding is expected to start (7 Months) and again at 12 months. A 24-hour diet recall and a 2-day food diary will be used to assess the food intake. For the qualitative strand, selected mothers will be interviewed to explore their infant feeding practices and factors that influence their practices and food choices in detail. Ethics and dissemination Ethical clearance for this study was sought through the Monash University Human Research and Ethics Committee (application number CF14/3850-2014002010). Subsequently, the findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, national and international conferences. PMID:27852704

Closed-form integrator for the quaternion (euler angle) kinematics equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmore, Stephen A. (Inventor)

2000-01-01

The invention is embodied in a method of integrating kinematics equations for updating a set of vehicle attitude angles of a vehicle using 3-dimensional angular velocities of the vehicle, which includes computing an integrating factor matrix from quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a total integrated angular rate from the quantities corresponding to a 3-dimensional angular velocities, computing a state transition matrix as a sum of (a) a first complementary function of the total integrated angular rate and (b) the integrating factor matrix multiplied by a second complementary function of the total integrated angular rate, and updating the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix. Preferably, the method further includes computing a quanternion vector from the quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities, in which case the updating of the set of vehicle attitude angles using the state transition matrix is carried out by (a) updating the quanternion vector by multiplying the quanternion vector by the state transition matrix to produce an updated quanternion vector and (b) computing an updated set of vehicle attitude angles from the updated quanternion vector. The first and second trigonometric functions are complementary, such as a sine and a cosine. The quantities corresponding to the 3-dimensional angular velocities include respective averages of the 3-dimensional angular velocities over plural time frames. The updating of the quanternion vector preserves the norm of the vector, whereby the updated set of vehicle attitude angles are virtually error-free.

Methods for Probabilistic Radiological Dose Assessment at a High-Level Radioactive Waste Repository.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maheras, Steven James

Methods were developed to assess and evaluate the uncertainty in offsite and onsite radiological dose at a high-level radioactive waste repository to show reasonable assurance that compliance with applicable regulatory requirements will be achieved. Uncertainty in offsite dose was assessed by employing a stochastic precode in conjunction with Monte Carlo simulation using an offsite radiological dose assessment code. Uncertainty in onsite dose was assessed by employing a discrete-event simulation model of repository operations in conjunction with an occupational radiological dose assessment model. Complementary cumulative distribution functions of offsite and onsite dose were used to illustrate reasonable assurance. Offsite dose analyses were performed for iodine -129, cesium-137, strontium-90, and plutonium-239. Complementary cumulative distribution functions of offsite dose were constructed; offsite dose was lognormally distributed with a two order of magnitude range. However, plutonium-239 results were not lognormally distributed and exhibited less than one order of magnitude range. Onsite dose analyses were performed for the preliminary inspection, receiving and handling, and the underground areas of the repository. Complementary cumulative distribution functions of onsite dose were constructed and exhibited less than one order of magnitude range. A preliminary sensitivity analysis of the receiving and handling areas was conducted using a regression metamodel. Sensitivity coefficients and partial correlation coefficients were used as measures of sensitivity. Model output was most sensitive to parameters related to cask handling operations. Model output showed little sensitivity to parameters related to cask inspections.

Ethical responsibilities of pharmacists when selling complementary medicines: a systematic review.

PubMed

Salman Popattia, Amber; Winch, Sarah; La Caze, Adam

2018-04-01

The widespread sale of complementary medicines in community pharmacy raises important questions regarding the responsibilities of pharmacists when selling complementary medicines. This study reviews the academic literature that explores a pharmacist's responsibilities when selling complementary medicines. International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Embase, PubMed, Cinahl, PsycINFO and Philosopher's index databases were searched for articles written in English and published between 1995 and 2017. Empirical studies discussing pharmacists' practices or perceptions, consumers' expectations and normative studies discussing ethical perspectives or proposing ethical frameworks related to pharmacists' responsibilities in selling complementary medicines were included in the review. Fifty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies discussing the responsibilities of pharmacists selling complementary medicines had an empirical focus. Pharmacists and consumers identified counselling and ensuring safe use of complementary medicines as the primary responsibilities of pharmacists. No formal ethical framework is explicitly employed to describe the responsibilities of pharmacists selling complementary medicines. To the degree any ethical framework is employed, a number of papers implicitly rely on principlism. The studies discussing the ethical perspectives of selling complementary medicines mainly describe the ethical conflict between a pharmacist's business and health professional role. No attempt is made to provide guidance on appropriate ways to resolve the conflict. There is a lack of explicit normative advice in the existing literature regarding the responsibilities of pharmacists selling complementary medicines. This review identifies the need to develop a detailed practice-specific ethical framework to guide pharmacists regarding their responsibilities when selling complementary medicines. © 2018 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Expectations and responsibilities regarding the sale of complementary medicines in pharmacies: perspectives of consumers and pharmacy support staff.

PubMed

Iyer, Priya; McFarland, Reanna; La Caze, Adam

2017-08-01

Most sales of complementary medicines within pharmacies are conducted by pharmacy support staff. The absence of rigorous evidence for the effectiveness of many complementary medicines raises a number of ethical questions regarding the sale of complementary medicines in pharmacies. Explore (1) what consumers expect from pharmacists/pharmacies with regard to the sale of complementary medicines, and (2) how pharmacy support staff perceive their responsibilities when selling complementary medicines. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of pharmacy support staff and consumers in pharmacies in Brisbane. Consumers were asked to describe their expectations when purchasing complementary medicines. Pharmacy support staff were asked to describe their responsibilities when selling complementary medicines. Interviews were conducted and analysed using the techniques developed within Grounded Theory. Thirty-three consumers were recruited from three pharmacies. Consumers described complementary medicine use as a personal health choice. Consumer expectations on the pharmacist included: select the right product for the right person, expert product knowledge and maintaining a wide range of good quality stock. Twenty pharmacy support staff were recruited from four pharmacies. Pharmacy support staff employed processes to ensure consumers receive the right product for the right person. Pharmacy support staff expressed a commitment to aiding consumers, but few evaluated the reliability of effectiveness claims regarding complementary medicines. Pharmacists need to respect the personal health choices of consumers while also putting procedures in place to ensure safe and appropriate use of complementary medicines. This includes providing appropriate support to pharmacy support staff. © 2016 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

[Principles for molecular identification of traditional Chinese materia medica using DNA barcoding].

PubMed

Chen, Shi-Lin; Yao, Hui; Han, Jian-Ping; Xin, Tian-Yi; Pang, Xiao-Hui; Shi, Lin-Chun; Luo, Kun; Song, Jing-Yuan; Hou, Dian-Yun; Shi, Shang-Mei; Qian, Zhong-Zhi

2013-01-01

Since the research of molecular identification of Chinese Materia Medica (CMM) using DNA barcode is rapidly developing and popularizing, the principle of this method is approved to be listed in the Supplement of the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China. Based on the study on comprehensive samples, the DNA barcoding systems have been established to identify CMM, i.e. ITS2 as a core barcode and psbA-trnH as a complementary locus for identification of planta medica, and COI as a core barcode and ITS2 as a complementary locus for identification of animal medica. This article introduced the principle of molecular identification of CMM using DNA barcoding and its drafting instructions. Furthermore, its application perspective was discussed.

Method of acquiring an image from an optical structure having pixels with dedicated readout circuits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fossum, Eric R. (Inventor); Mendis, Sunetra (Inventor); Kemeny, Sabrina E. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

An imaging device formed as a monolithic complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuit in an industry standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor process, the integrated circuit including a focal plane array of pixel cells, each one of the cells including a photogate overlying the substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in an underlying portion of the substrate, a readout circuit including at least an output field effect transistor formed in the substrate, and a charge coupled device section formed on the substrate adjacent the photogate having a sensing node connected to the output transistor and at least one charge coupled device stage for transferring charge from the underlying portion of the substrate to the sensing node.

Characterizing genomic alterations in cancer by complementary functional associations.

PubMed

Kim, Jong Wook; Botvinnik, Olga B; Abudayyeh, Omar; Birger, Chet; Rosenbluh, Joseph; Shrestha, Yashaswi; Abazeed, Mohamed E; Hammerman, Peter S; DiCara, Daniel; Konieczkowski, David J; Johannessen, Cory M; Liberzon, Arthur; Alizad-Rahvar, Amir Reza; Alexe, Gabriela; Aguirre, Andrew; Ghandi, Mahmoud; Greulich, Heidi; Vazquez, Francisca; Weir, Barbara A; Van Allen, Eliezer M; Tsherniak, Aviad; Shao, Diane D; Zack, Travis I; Noble, Michael; Getz, Gad; Beroukhim, Rameen; Garraway, Levi A; Ardakani, Masoud; Romualdi, Chiara; Sales, Gabriele; Barbie, David A; Boehm, Jesse S; Hahn, William C; Mesirov, Jill P; Tamayo, Pablo

2016-05-01

Systematic efforts to sequence the cancer genome have identified large numbers of mutations and copy number alterations in human cancers. However, elucidating the functional consequences of these variants, and their interactions to drive or maintain oncogenic states, remains a challenge in cancer research. We developed REVEALER, a computational method that identifies combinations of mutually exclusive genomic alterations correlated with functional phenotypes, such as the activation or gene dependency of oncogenic pathways or sensitivity to a drug treatment. We used REVEALER to uncover complementary genomic alterations associated with the transcriptional activation of β-catenin and NRF2, MEK-inhibitor sensitivity, and KRAS dependency. REVEALER successfully identified both known and new associations, demonstrating the power of combining functional profiles with extensive characterization of genomic alterations in cancer genomes.

The potential of three different PCR-related approaches for the authentication of mixtures of herbal substances and finished herbal medicinal products.

PubMed

Doganay-Knapp, Kirsten; Orland, Annika; König, Gabriele M; Knöss, Werner

2018-04-01

Herbal substances and preparations thereof play an important role in healthcare systems worldwide. Due to the variety of these products regarding origin, composition and processing procedures, appropriate methodologies for quality assessment need to be considered. A majority of herbal substances is administered as multicomponent mixtures, especially in the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine and ayurvedic medicine, but also in finished medicinal products. Quality assessment of complex mixtures of herbal substances with conventional methods is challenging. Thus, emphasis of the present work was directed on the development of complementary methods to elucidate the composition of mixtures of herbal substances and finished herbal medicinal products. An indispensable prerequisite for the safe and effective use of herbal medicines is the unequivocal authentication of the medicinal plants used therein. In this context, we investigated the potential of three different PCR-related methods in the characterization and authentication of herbal substances. A multiplex PCR assay and a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay were established to analyze defined mixtures of the herbal substances Quercus cortex, Juglandis folium, Aristolochiae herba, Matricariae flos and Salviae miltiorrhizae radix et rhizoma and a finished herbal medicinal product. Furthermore, a standard cloning approach using universal primers targeting the ITS region was established in order to allow the investigation of herbal mixtures with unknown content. The cloning approach had some limitations regarding the detection/recovery of the components in defined mixtures of herbal substances, but the complementary use of two sets of universal primer pairs increased the detection of components out of the mixture. While the multiplex PCR did not retrace all components in the defined mixtures of herbal substances, the established qPCR resulted in simultaneous and specific detection of the five target sequences in all defined mixtures. These data indicate that for authentication purposes, complementary PCR-related methods are highly recommendable for the analysis of herbal mixtures in parallel. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Power Doppler Ultrasonography and Shear Wave Elastography as Complementary Imaging Methods for Suspected Local Breast Cancer Recurrence.

PubMed

Jales, Rodrigo Menezes; Dória, Maira Teixeira; Serra, Kátia Piton; Miranda, Mila Meneguelli; Menossi, Carlos Alberto; Schumacher, Klaus; Sarian, Luis Otávio

2018-06-01

To prospectively investigate the diagnostic accuracy and clinical consequences of power Doppler morphologic criteria and shear wave elastography (SWE) as complementary imaging methods for evaluation of suspected local breast cancer recurrence in the ipsilateral breast or chest wall. Thirty-two breast masses with a suspicion of local breast cancer recurrence on B-mode ultrasonography underwent complementary power Doppler and SWE evaluations. Power Doppler morphologic criteria were classified as avascular, hypovascular, or hypervascular. Shear wave elastography was classified according to a 5-point scale (SWE score) and SWE maximum elasticity. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed by the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve. A decision curve analysis assessed clinical consequences of each method. The reference standard for diagnosis was defined as core needle or excisional biopsy. Histopathologic examinations revealed 9 (28.2%) benign and 23 (71.8%) malignant cases. Power Doppler ultrasonography (US) had sensitivity of 34.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.6%-62.9%) and specificity of 45.4% (95% CI, 19.3%-71.5%). The SWE score (≥3) had sensitivity of 87.0% (95% CI, 66.4%-97.2%) and specificity of 44.4% (95% CI, 13.7%-78.8%). The SWE maximum elasticity (velocity > 6.5cm/s) had sensitivity of 87% (95% CI, 66.4%-97.2%) and specificity of 77.8% (95% CI, 40.0% to 97.2%). The areas under the curves for the SWE score and SWE maximum elasticity were 0.71 (95% CI, 0.53-0.87) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.64-0.93), respectively (P = .32). Power Doppler US is unsuitable for discrimination between local breast cancer recurrence and fibrosis. Although the SWE score and SWE maximum elasticity can make this discrimination, the use of these methods to determine biopsy may lead to poorer clinical outcomes than the current practice of performing biopsies of all suspicious masses. © 2017 by the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.

Starting up microbial enhanced oil recovery.

PubMed

Siegert, Michael; Sitte, Jana; Galushko, Alexander; Krüger, Martin

2014-01-01

This chapter gives the reader a practical introduction into microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) including the microbial production of natural gas from oil. Decision makers who consider the use of one of these technologies are provided with the required scientific background as well as with practical advice for upgrading an existing laboratory in order to conduct microbiological experiments. We believe that the conversion of residual oil into natural gas (methane) and the in situ production of biosurfactants are the most promising approaches for MEOR and therefore focus on these topics. Moreover, we give an introduction to the microbiology of oilfields and demonstrate that in situ microorganisms as well as injected cultures can help displace unrecoverable oil in place (OIP). After an initial research phase, the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) manager must decide whether MEOR would be economical. MEOR generally improves oil production but the increment may not justify the investment. Therefore, we provide a brief economical assessment at the end of this chapter. We describe the necessary state-of-the-art scientific equipment to guide EOR managers towards an appropriate MEOR strategy. Because it is inevitable to characterize the microbial community of an oilfield that should be treated using MEOR techniques, we describe three complementary start-up approaches. These are: (i) culturing methods, (ii) the characterization of microbial communities and possible bio-geochemical pathways by using molecular biology methods, and (iii) interfacial tension measurements. In conclusion, we hope that this chapter will facilitate a decision on whether to launch MEOR activities. We also provide an update on relevant literature for experienced MEOR researchers and oilfield operators. Microbiologists will learn about basic principles of interface physics needed to study the impact of microorganisms living on oil droplets. Last but not least, students and technicians trying to understand processes in oilfields and the techniques to examine them will, we hope, find a valuable source of information in this review.

Motions and entropies in proteins as seen in NMR relaxation experiments and molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Allnér, Olof; Foloppe, Nicolas; Nilsson, Lennart

2015-01-22

Molecular dynamics simulations of E. coli glutaredoxin1 in water have been performed to relate the dynamical parameters and entropy obtained in NMR relaxation experiments, with results extracted from simulated trajectory data. NMR relaxation is the most widely used experimental method to obtain data on dynamics of proteins, but it is limited to relatively short timescales and to motions of backbone amides or in some cases (13)C-H vectors. By relating the experimental data to the all-atom picture obtained in molecular dynamics simulations, valuable insights on the interpretation of the experiment can be gained. We have estimated the internal dynamics and their timescales by calculating the generalized order parameters (O) for different time windows. We then calculate the quasiharmonic entropy (S) and compare it to the entropy calculated from the NMR-derived generalized order parameter of the amide vectors. Special emphasis is put on characterizing dynamics that are not expressed through the motions of the amide group. The NMR and MD methods suffer from complementary limitations, with NMR being restricted to local vectors and dynamics on a timescale determined by the rotational diffusion of the solute, while in simulations, it may be difficult to obtain sufficient sampling to ensure convergence of the results. We also evaluate the amount of sampling obtained with molecular dynamics simulations and how it is affected by the length of individual simulations, by clustering of the sampled conformations. We find that two structural turns act as hinges, allowing the α helix between them to undergo large, long timescale motions that cannot be detected in the time window of the NMR dipolar relaxation experiments. We also show that the entropy obtained from the amide vector does not account for correlated motions of adjacent residues. Finally, we show that the sampling in a total of 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation can be increased by around 50%, by dividing the trajectory into 10 replicas with different starting velocities.

75 FR 11186 - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on Natural...

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2010-03-10

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2010-05-28

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2012-04-27

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Detailed exposure assessment of dietary furan for infants consuming commercially jarred complementary food based on data from the DONALD study.

PubMed

Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Maser, Elena; Kuballa, Thomas; Reusch, Helmut; Kersting, Mathilde; Alexy, Ute

2012-07-01

Furan is a possible human carcinogen regularly occurring in commercially jarred complementary foods. This paper will provide a detailed exposure assessment for babies consuming these foods considering different intake scenarios. The occurrence data on furan in complementary foods were based on our own headspace-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) analytical results (n = 286). The average furan content in meals and menus was between 20 and 30 µg kg(-1), which is in excellent agreement with results from other European countries. Using measured food consumption data from the Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) study, the average exposures for consumers of commercially jarred foods ranged between 182 and 688 ng kg(-1) bw day(-1), with a worst case scenario for P95 consumers ranging between 351 and 1066 ng kg(-1) bw day(-1). The exposure data were then used to characterize risk using the margin of exposure method based on a benchmark dose lower confidence limit for a 10% response (BMDL10) of 1.28 mg kg(-1) bw day(-1) for hepatocellular tumours in rats. The margin of exposures (MOEs) were below the threshold of 10 000, which is often used to define public health risks, in all scenarios, ranging between 7022 and 1861 for average consumers and between 3642 and 1200 for the P95 consumers. Mitigative measures to avoid furan in complementary foods should be of high priority for risk management. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A qualitative study of quality of life and the experience of complementary and alternative medicine in Korean women with constipation.

PubMed

Lee, Eun Jin; Warden, Sherry

2011-01-01

Twelve percent of people worldwide report suffering from self-defined constipation. Women experience constipation three times more than men. Many people have used complementary and alternative medicine for constipation, but there is no qualitative research about this issue. The purpose of this article was to describe Korean women's experience of treating chronic constipation with complementary and alternative medicine. A qualitative descriptive approach used in-depth, semistructured interviews with 10 Korean women in the United States who had constipation. Four themes were identified: (1) subjective definition of constipation; (2) efforts to find the reason for constipation; (3) efforts to find solutions for constipation (subtheme: frequent use of enemas, laxatives, and suppositories; expectation and disappointment for complementary and alternative medicine; finding individually effective solutions for constipation); and (4) negative impact on quality of life (subtheme: mental discomfort, changed appetite, and difficult relationships with people).Ten women reported that they had used exercise, massage, yogurt, vegetables, seeds of tangles (seaweed), mineral oil, milk with plums, mixed rice, walnuts, grapefruits, apples, oranges, aloe, oatmeal, soymilk, sweet potatoes, ground flax seed, and alcohol as a strategy for relieving constipation. Participants had also used herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, moxibustion, cupping therapy, hand acupuncture, senna tea, and soy bean past fomentation. In conclusion, living with constipation is an irritable and uncomfortable experience, and it motivated these women to select a variety of methods to reduce constipation.

Additional diagnostic value of multiplane echocardiography over biplane imaging in assessment of mitral prosthetic valves.

PubMed Central

Faletra, F.; De Chiara, F.; Corno, R.; Passini, L.

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate how often multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography yields new or complementary data in mitral prostheses in comparison with the exclusive use of biplane imaging. PATIENTS: 73 consecutive patients with mitral prostheses who underwent multiplane transoesophageal echocardiograpy between January 1993 and December 1994. METHODS: Biplane images (transverse and longitudinal planes) and multiplane images (transverse, longitudinal, and intermediate planes) were recorded on two separate videotapes. The data provided by multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography were evaluated as (a) new data (abnormalities missed by biplane imaging); (b) complementary data (better delineating lesions already visualised by biplane imaging); or (c) redundant data (data already provided by biplane imaging). RESULTS: Multiplane transoesophageal echocardiography revealed new abnormalities in seven patients (9.5%) (thrombi in three and paraprosthetic leaks in the remaining four) and complementary data in nine (12.3%). In patients with paraprosthetic regurgitation, the possibility of continuously visualising the sewing ring by means of sequential angulations allowed the circumferential extension of the leak to be measured. In seven patients with paravalvar regurgitation who underwent surgery, the extension of the leak as measured by the multiplane approach closely corresponded with the surgical data. CONCLUSIONS: In comparison with the exclusive use of biplane imaging, the multiplane approach added new or complementary data in a significant proportion of patients with mitral prostheses. The ability to obtain the sequential adjacent planes allowed a more reliable appraisal of the extension of the leak and other abnormalities. Images PMID:8697166

Using Replication Projects in Teaching Research Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Standing, Lionel G.; Grenier, Manuel; Lane, Erica A.; Roberts, Meigan S.; Sykes, Sarah J.

2014-01-01

It is suggested that replication projects may be valuable in teaching research methods, and also address the current need in psychology for more independent verification of published studies. Their use in an undergraduate methods course is described, involving student teams who performed direct replications of four well-known experiments, yielding…

Discovering complementary colors from the perspective of steam education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karabey, Burak; Yigit Koyunkaya, Melike; Enginoglu, Turan; Yurumezoglu, Kemal

2018-05-01

This study explored the theory and applications of complementary colors using a technology-based activity designed from the perspective of STEAM education. Complementary colors and their areas of use were examined from the perspective of physics, mathematics and art, respectively. The study, which benefits from technology, makes the theory of complementary colors accessible to all through practical applications and provides a multidisciplinary, integrated and innovative technique of teaching the subject of colors, which could be used to teach complementary colors.

Complementary and alternative medicine in women's health. Developing a research agenda.

PubMed

Murphy, P A; Kronenberg, F; Wade, C

1999-01-01

Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming an established intervention modality within the contemporary health care system. Various forms of complementary and alternative medicine are used by patients and practitioners alike, including chiropractic, massage, botanical medicine, homeopathy, and energy therapies. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine was established within the National Institutes of Health to facilitate evaluation of these alternative therapies, establish an information clearinghouse, and promote research in the field. This article discusses several aspects of complementary and alternative medicine, relates them to women's health, and describes the need for a research agenda to evaluate the impact of the complementary and alternative medicine modalities used for important conditions affecting women.

Extraction of valuable compounds from mangosteen pericarps by hydrothermal assisted sonication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Machmudah, Siti; Lestari, Sarah Duta; Shiddiqi, Qifni Yasa'Ash; Widiyastuti, Winardi, Sugeng; Wahyudiono, Kanda, Hideki; Goto, Motonobu

2015-12-01

Valuable compounds, such as xanthone and phenolic compounds, from mangosteen pericarps was extracted by hydrothermal treatment at temperatures of 120-160 °C and pressures of 5 MPa using batch and semi-batch extractor. This method is a simple and environmentally friendly extraction method requiring no chemicals other than water. Under these conditions, there is possibility for the formation of phenolic compounds from mangosteen pericarps from decomposition of bounds between lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose via autohydrolysis. In order to increase the amount of extracted valuable compounds, sonication pre-treament was performed prior to the hydrothermal extraction process. 30 min of sonication pre-treatment could increase significantly the amount of xanthone and phenolic compounds mangosteen pericarps extraction. In batch-system, the xanthone recovery approach to 100 % at 160 °C with 30 min sonication pre-treatment for 150 min extraction time. Under semi-batch process, the total phenolic compounds in the extract was 217 mg/g sample at 160 °C with 30 min sonication pre-treatment for 150 min total extraction time. The results revealed that hydrothermal extraction assisted sonication pre-treatment is applicable method for the isolation of polyphenolic compounds from other types of biomass and may lead to an advanced plant biomass components extraction technology.