Attenuation Research Articles

P704 The effect of antiTNFα and anti-integrin agents on liver steatosis in inlamatory bowel disease patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been recognized as a common condition in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and could contribute to their overall morbidity. Anti-TNFα and anti-integrin agents have been the cornerstones of IBD therapy with proven clinical efficacy, but it΄s effect on liver steatosis is still unclear. Therefore this study aimed to evaluate the impact of anti-TNFα and anti-integrin agents on liver steatosis in IBD patients with proven NAFLD. Methods A total of 32 IBD patients with NAFLD, naive to biologic agents, 21 with an established diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, and 11 with Crohn’s disease were prospectively recruited for the study. NAFLD was defined by a baseline attenuation (ATT) coefficient measured by shear-wave (SW) elastometry of 0.63 dB/cm/MHz or higher and a baseline alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of more than 40 IU/L for males and 35 IU/L for females. The exclusion criteria were alcohol use (consuming > 40 g alcohol/day for men and > 20 g/day for women in the preceding 12 months), concomitant chronic viral hepatitis, the presence of hepatic carcinoma, biliary disease, drug use, and hypothyroidism. A total of 11 patients were treated with Adalimumab, 9 patients with Infliximab, and 12 patients with Vedolizumab. The SW elastometry and laboratory exams were performed at the moment of therapy induction and after the 6-month course of therapy. Results The anti-TNFα treatment significantly reduced liver steatosis according to the ATT coefficient dynamic (0.70±0.07 vs 0.66±0.03 dB/cm/MHz, p=0.021) and ALT level dynamic came on the verge of statistical significance (44±7 vs 40±6 IU/L, p=0.058). We did not observe a significant difference between the Infliximab- and Adalimumab-treated patients. The anti-integrin agent, Vedolizumab, had no impact on liver steatosis (0.66±0.03 vs 0.67±0.04 dB/cm/MHz) and ALT level dynamic (47±4 vs 45±5, p=0.29). Both groups of agents had no impact on patients’ lipid profile dynamic. We found no correlation between liver steatosis level and CRP and fecal calprotectin dynamic. Conclusion In the short term, we observed potential beneficial effects of anti-TNFα agents on liver steatosis of IBD patients with proven NAFLD.

Amelioration of lipopolysaccharide induced acute lung injury in mice by p-coumaric acid through att enuation of inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Amelioration of lipopolysaccharide induced acute lung injury in mice by p-coumaric acid through att enuation of inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis

Study of Variations in Mass Absorption Efficiency of Elemental Carbon Influenced by Different Measurement Techniques and Vehicle Emission

An inter-comparison study of mass absorption efficiency (MAE) of elemental carbon (EC) by different sampling modes and measurements was conducted at the School of the Environment (SE) and Station for Observing Regional Processes of the Earth System (SORPES) in Nanjing from November 2015 to October 2016. Compared with offline sampling, the underestimation in MAE of online sampling was mainly due to the decreased optical attenuation (ATN) from the losing EC, and the difference in MAEs of the two types of sampling was greatly influenced by secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. Based on five temperature protocols, which include four NIOSH-derived protocols and one IMPROVE-A protocol, dependence of MAE on the temperature protocol was investigated. The main reason for the change in MAE estimation was the difference in EC determination. The result showed that low peak inert mode temperature (Tpeak) produced a small amount of pyrolysis carbon, and this carbon fraction was typically classified as organic carbon (OC), resulting in overestimation of EC and thereby underestimation of MAE. In order to study the influence of vehicle emission of highway on MAE values of EC, the simultaneous observation at SE and SORPES was conducted. The mean MAE of SE was 8.5% lower than that of SORPES. EC concentration was estimated to decrease by 0.13 μg/m3 with an increment distance of 100 m. Good correlation was found between the differential ATN for the two sites and the proportion of secondary organic carbon (SOC) at SORPES (R2 = 0.71). These results indicated that high MAE at SORPES was expected to be relevant with the dry deposition of EC from vehicle emission and the lensing effect by SOA coating.

Methodology to Create Reproducible Validation/Reference Materials for Comparison of Filter-Based Measurements of Carbonaceous Aerosols That Measure BC, BrC, EC, OC, and TC

A simple method that reproducibly creates validation/reference materials for comparison of methods that measure the carbonaceous content of atmospheric particulate matter deposited on filter media at concentrations relevant to atmospheric levels has been developed and evaluated. Commonly used methods to determine the major carbonaceous components of particles collected on filters include optical attenuation for “Black” (BC) and “Brown” (BrC) carbon, thermal-optical analysis (TOA) for “Elemental” (EC) and “Organic” (OC) carbon, and total combustion for “Total” carbon (TC). The new method uses a commercial inkjet printer to deposit ink containing both organic and inorganic components onto filter substrates at programmable print densities (print levels, as specified by the printer–software combination). A variety of filter media were evaluated. The optical attenuation (ATN) of the deposited sample was determined at 880 nm and 370 nm. Reproducibility or precision (as standard deviation or in percent as coefficient of variation) in ATN for Teflon-coated glass-fiber, Teflon, and cellulose substrates was better than 5%. Reproducibility for other substrates was better than 15%. EC and OC measured on quartz-fiber filters (QFF) compared to ATN measured at 880 nm and 370 nm on either QFF or Teflon-coated glass-fiber yielded R2 > 0.92 and >0.97, respectively. Four independent laboratories participated in a round robin study together with the reference laboratory. The propagated standard deviation among the five groups across all print levels was <2.2 ATN at 880 nm and <2.7 ATN at 370 nm with a coefficient of variation of <2% at ~100 ATN.

Ge20Se80-xBix (x ≤ 12) chalcogenide glasses for infrared and gamma sensing applications: structural, optical and gamma attenuation aspects

Ge20Se80-xBix (x ≤ 12) chalcogenide glasses for infrared and gamma sensing applications: structural, optical and gamma attenuation aspects

Computerized Tomography‐Derived Abdominal Body Fat Indices in a Healthy Young Midwestern US Population

Objective We report body composition via Computerized Tomography (CT)-derived adipose metric values for a young healthy population in the Midwestern United States across age, sex, and Body Mass Index (BMI) including Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue (SAT), Visceral adipose tissue (VAT), Sketelal Muscle (SM), and waist circumference (WC). Background To improve upon current inaccurate clinical assessments of body composition, national guidelines have recommended expanding diagnostic CT reporting to include body composition metrics which are currently not part of standard reporting. SAT, VAT, SM, and WC are easily measured in an automated format, providing precise measurement and better identification of adipose tissue distribution over traditional methods. However, there exists a paucity of normal reference values for these metrics. Data collected from a young and healthy population has been requested to allow for disease state comparisons. Aside from importance in body composition, these adipose metrics are also clinically relevant to other disease states, especially VAT with cardiovascular health. Hypothesis Pre-existing diagnostic CT scans be re-analyzed to obtain clinically relevant population-based data on body composition. Methods Pre-existing abdominal non-contrast computerized tomography (CT) scans from a young Midwestern population (19-40 years) were analyzed using Aquarius iNtuition software with automated identification of waist circumference and adipose tissue and skeletal muscle cross-sectional areas and densities. Normal health status and lack of chronic medical conditions among participants and Body Mass Index (BMI) were confirmed by automated screening and manual medical record review prior to analysis. Any abnormal or acute findings on CT led to exclusion. Results From 193 (45 male, 148 female) CT scans, for males, VAT surface area (SA) was 186.0 cm2 (SD=95.4) with attenuation (ATT) -96.7 HU (SD=8.6) and SAT SA was 265.6 cm2 (SD=191.5) with ATT -102.4 HU (SD=7.8); for females, VAT SA was 116.2 cm2 (SD=63.6) with ATT -93.8 HU (SD=8.7) and SAT SA was 309.6 cm2 (SD=186.2) with ATT -103.9 HU (SD=6.4). SM SA for males was 193.3 cm2 (SD=30.6) with ATT 40.4 HU (SD=8.4). SM SA for females was 127.9 cm2 (SD=21.9) with ATT 38.0 HU (SD=6.6) (Table 1). Pearson's correlation revealed BMI was statistically significant to the 0.01 level for a positive correlation with VAT, SAT, and SM SAs and a negative correlation for VAT, SAT, and SM ATTs (Figure 1 - VAT and BMI). Percentiles for sex-specific adipose tissue indices in accordance with body mass index were generated. An Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed males have statistically significantly higher VAT SA than females (p<0.001). Additionally, males have lower VAT ATT than Women (p=0.048). Males also have significantly higher SM SA than females and higher SM ATT than Women (p=0.045). Conclusions Adipose tissue indices are newly generated for a young healthy Midwestern United States population. This study provides novel data as our population is young, devoid of chronic disease states, and from a population with minimal existing data. Such information has the ability to provide a baseline for comparison across disease states and body weights.

Tc-99m (methylene diphosphonate) SPECT quantitative imaging: Impact of attenuation map generation from SPECT-non-attenuation corrected and MR images on the diagnosis of bone metastasis

Tc-99m (methylene diphosphonate) SPECT quantitative imaging: Impact of attenuation map generation from SPECT-non-attenuation corrected and MR images on the diagnosis of bone metastasis

A developed model predictive control scheme for vibration attenuation of building structures

Model predictive control (MPC) is an optimal control algorithm in which the current control action is obtained by solving an optimization problem in the presence of hard and soft constraints in the finite time horizons sequentially. In most cases, neglecting the effects of the external loads in predicting the future responses of the structures lead to inaccurate control action. Therefore, it could be beneficial to consider the effects of external loads in the future within the MPC to improve its accuracy. In this paper, a developed model predictive control (DMPC) scheme is introduced. For this purpose, a forecasting seismic excitation model is formulated by two sequential autoregressive (AR) models. One of those estimates the future output of the seismic excitation and the second one enhances the estimation accuracy. Then, the efficiency of the presented approach is demonstrated by the numerical study of two benchmark buildings equipped with an active tuned mass damper (ATMD). The performance of the proposed MPC is finally compared with the conventional and ideal MPCs. The numerical outputs prove the competency and higher conformity of the proposed MPC with the ideal one almost in all of the cases. Twelve benchmark performance indices are also utilized for determining the superiority of the method. The average conformity values for all of the performance indices for the proposed method in the three- and nine-story buildings are by up to 17.75% and 9% more than the values in conventional one, respectively.

A quadrature-free Legendre polynomial approach for the fast modelling guided circumferential wave in anisotropic fractional order viscoelastic hollow cylinders

Compared to the traditional integer order viscoelastic model, a fractional order derivative viscoelastic model is shown to be advantageous. The characteristics of guided circumferential waves in an anisotropic fractional order Kelvin–Voigt viscoelastic hollow cylinder are investigated by a quadrature-free Legendre polynomial approach combining the Weyl definition of fractional order derivatives. The presented approach can obtain dispersion solutions in a stable manner from an eigenvalue/eigenvector problem for the calculation of wavenumbers and displacement profiles of viscoelastic guided wave, which avoids a lot of numerical integration calculation in a traditional polynomial method and greatly improves the computational efficiency. Comparisons with the related studies are conducted to validate the correctness of the presented approach. The full three dimensional spectrum of an anisotropic fractional Kelvin–Voigt hollow cylinder is plotted. The influence of fractional order and material parameters on the phase velocity dispersion and attenuation curves of guided circumferential wave is discussed in detail. Moreover, the difference of the phase velocity dispersion and attenuation characteristics between the Kelvin–Voigt and hysteretic viscoelastic models is also illustrated. The presented approach along with the observed wave features should be particularly useful in non-destructive evaluations using waves in viscoelastic waveguides.

Formalin Potentials in the Pathogenic Attenuation of Eimeria tenella based on Oocyst Productions

Formalin Potentials in the Pathogenic Attenuation of Eimeria tenella based on Oocyst Productions

Attenuation characteristics of electromagnetic wave in inductive coupled plasma based on variation of discharge power

The application of Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) can cause a wide range high density plasma and has great advantages in electromagnetic wave attenuation. Studying the process of interaction between ICP and electromagnetic wave, we established the electromagnetic wave propagation in inhomogeneous plasma, adopted hierarchical model for the diagnosis of the interaction of plasma and electromagnetic wave, and studied the electromagnetic wave attenuation under different conditions of input power. The experiment method of inductively coupled plasma for attenuation electromagnetic wave was proposed. Based on the model of plasma covering over the metal plate, the arch system for measurement of microwave reflectivity of plasma was established. The interaction of closed-plasma and electromagnetic wave with a bandwidth of 4−8 GHz was studied, the effect on microwave reflection of different rf power was evaluated analyzed, and the experimental measurement and calculation results were analyzed. The experimental results show that the inductively coupled plasma attenuates the electromagnetic wave in 5.92−6.8 GHz band obviously by power regulation.

Residual bearing capacity of steel-concrete composite beams under fatigue loading

This study was conducted to investigate the residual bearing capacity of steel-concrete composite beams under highcycle fatigue loading through experiments and theoretical analysis. Six test beams with stud connectors were designed and fabricated for static, complete fatigue, and partial fatigue tests. The failure modes and the degradation of several mechanical performance indicators of the composite beams under high-cycle fatigue loading were analyzed. A calculation method for the residual bearing capacity of the composite beams after certain quantities of cyclic loading cycles was established by introducing nonlinear fatigue damage models for concrete, steel beam, and shear connectors beginning with the material residual strength attenuation process. The results show that the failure mode of the composite beams under the given fatigue load appears to be primarily affected by the number of cycles. As the number of fatigue loadings increases, the failure mode transforms from midspan concrete crushing to stud cutting. The bearing capacity of a 3.0-m span composite beam after two million fatigue cycles is degraded by 30.7% due to premature failure of the stud. The calculated values of the residual bearing capacity method of the composite beam established in this paper agree well with the test values, which indicates that the model is feasibly applicable.

Efeitos do HIIT no perfil metabólico de idosos com Diabetes Mellitus tipo 2

Programas de exercício físico propiciam na atenuação dos efeitos deletérios do envelhecimento, tal como os processos relacionados a resistência à insulina e diabetes mellitus tipo 2 nos idosos. Partindo desse pressuposto, o presente trabalho tem o objetivo de identificar os efeitos do programa HIIT no perfil metabólico de idosos com diabetes tipo 2. O estudo trata-se de uma pesquisa bibliográfica com abordagem qualitativa. Foi observado que o HIIT atua diretamente no processo de lipotoxicidade, reduzindo níveis de ácidos graxos livres circulantes, bem como, na redução da expressão de adipocinas pró inflamatórias. Conclui-se que o HIIT é uma valiosa ferramenta para o controle/atenuação da resistência à insulina em idosos diabéticos tipo 2.

Stoneley wave propagation in nonlocal isotropic magneto-thermoelastic solid with multi-dual-phase lag heat transfer

In the present paper we have investigated the Stoneley wave propagation at the interface of two dissimilar homogeneous nonlocal magneto-thermoelastic media under the effect of hall current applied to multi-dual-phase lag heat transfer. The secular equations of Stoneley waves have been derived by using appropriate boundary conditions. The wave characteristics such as attenuation coefficients, temperature distribution and phase velocity are computed and have been depicted graphically. Effect of nonlocal parameter and hall effect are studied on the attenuation coefficient, phase velocity, temperature distribution change, stress component and displacement component. Also, some particular cases have been discussed from the present study.

Developing A Method for Inter-Seed Effect Correction in 125I Interstitial Brachytherapy Using Artificial Neural Network

Introduction: Treatment planning systems use TG-43 dose calculation protocol for brachytherapy sources. Dose calculations based on TG-43 formalism do not correct the perturbations due to the presence of tissue inhomogeneity, applicators, and inter-seed effects. Inter-seed attenuation has an important effect on dosimetry in permanent implant brachytherapy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the inter-seed attenuation effect for I-125 permanent implants. Then, a software was developed to find the real dose distribution for different combinations of sources. Materials and methods: In the first step, a hypothetical generic source model was designed based on the configurations of different commercial source types. MCNP5 Monte Carlo code was utilized to simulate the single active generic source at the center of the phantom, and an inactive placed at various positions inside the phantom. An algorithm was introduced using artificial neural network models that can estimate the dose distribution in presence of inactive sources. Results: The Monte Carlo calculation results showed that the dose distribution is clearly affected by the inter-seed attenuation effect. Comparison of the artificial neural network results with the Monte Carlo simulation results show that the artificial neural networks can predict the inter-seed attenuation with acceptable accuracy, and with not much greater than 3% deviation.Discussion and conclusions: Inter-seed effect is dependent on the distance between the seeds. Decreasing distances would cause more effect. According to the results, it seems that the artificial neural network can be used as a tool for correction of inter-seed attenuation effect in treatment planning systems.

Soil vibration induced by railway traffic around a pile under the inclined bedrock condition

Rail transit lines usually pass through many complicated topographies in mountain areas. The influence of inclined bedrock on the train-induced soil vibration response was investigated. Model tests were conducted to comparatively analyze the vibration attenuation under inclined bedrock and horizontal bedrock conditions. A three-dimension numerical model was built to make parameter analysis. The results show that under the horizontal bedrock condition, the peak velocity in different directions was almost the same, while it obviously changed under the inclined bedrock condition. Further, the peak velocity under inclined bedrock condition had a larger value. The peak velocity first increased and then decreased with depth, and the trend of the curve of vibration attenuation with depth presented as a quadratic parabola. The terrain conditions had a significant influence on the vibration responses, and the inclined soil surface mainly affected the shallow soil. The influence of the dip angle of bedrock on the peak velocity and vibration attenuation was related to the directions of the ground surface. As the soil thickness increased, the peak velocity decreased, and as it reached 173% of the embedded pile length, the influence of the inclined bedrock could be neglected.

Attenuation of the soil vibration amplitude at pile driving

Attenuation of the soil vibration amplitude at pile driving

Reflection of plane harmonic wave in rotating media with fractional order heat transfer

The aim of the present investigation is to examine the propagation of plane harmonic waves in transversely isotropic homogeneous magneto visco thermoelastic rotating medium with fractional order heat transfer and two temperature. It is found that, for two dimensional assumed model, there exist three types of coupled longitudinal waves (quasi-longitudinal, quasi-transverse and quasi-thermal) in frequency domain. phase velocities, specific loss, penetration depth, attenuation coefficients of various reflected waves are computed and depicted graphically. The effects of viscosity and fractional order parameter by varying different values are represented graphically.

Attenuation of Cisplatin–Induced Nephrotoxicity by p-Coumaric Acid through Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma (PPAR-γ) Agonism in male Rats

Attenuation of Cisplatin–Induced Nephrotoxicity by p-Coumaric Acid through Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma (PPAR-γ) Agonism in male Rats

Image fusion dehazing algorithm based on minimum channel and logarithmic attenuation

Image fusion dehazing algorithm based on minimum channel and logarithmic attenuation