Complete Set Of Tests Research Articles

ID 42 – Empowering executive functions by neuromodulation (tDCS) in healthy elderly: Psychometric and EEG evidences

Objective While the contribution of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) in preventing cognitive decline is looked with interest, NIBS empowerment of healthy elderly is understudied. The present research aims at investigating the effect of prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in empowering executive functions and electrophysiologic attention responses in healthy aging. Methods 22 participants have been assigned to the intervention or control group and underwent a complex assessment at T0 and at T1 – after three months. The anodal tDCS protocol lasted eight weeks (three sessions per week), with twice-weekly administration of tasks tapping on executive functions. A complete set of standardized cognitive tests and an electroencephalographic recording during a challenging computerized attention task have been integrated in the assessment protocol. Results T0–T1 comparisons highlighted a significant increase in post-intervention performances for the tDCS group. Specifically, tests tapping on executive functions and automatic electrophysiologic attention responses showed positive modulations. Conclusions The consistency of behavioral and electrophysiologic findings suggests that a moderately intensive NIBS protocol might mediate the empowerment of specific cognitive functions even in healthy aging people. Key message Physiological aging is a dynamic process, where non-invasive interventions may capitalize on resources of the cognitive reserve to help improving cognitive functioning.

Efficacy and safety of ANGIPARSTM for the treatment of skin manifestations of scleroderma:a phase 2 clinical trial

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of ANGIPARS™ in a phase 2 clinical trial. Methods: This study was performed as a phase 2 clinical trial without a control group between May 2007 and September 2008 in the Iranian Rheumatology Research Center on a group of volunteer patients that were diagnosed with scleroderma. Patients with the diagnosis of diffuse or limited scleroderma without the involvement ofinternal organs were given 100 mg ANGIPARSTM capsules three times a day for 6 months, followed by 2 capsules a day for a further 3 months. Follow-up continued for a year. At the baseline, modified Rodnan score, pain severity and number of pitting ulcers, number of perioral folds, finger to palm distance, and open- mouth area were assessed in each patient. The measurements were repeated on a monthly basis and their change from the baseline was calculated. Possible adverse effects were monitored at regular monthly intervals through a complete set of laboratory tests and clinical examination. Results: Eleven patients including 10 females were recruited. The mean age was 39 years (SD = 10.2). No significant changes and no abnormality in laboratory measures were found during the study. Repeated measure analysis revealed a significant reduction in the modified Rodnan score (Mean reduction= 38%, P value < 0.001), finger to palm distance and number of pitting ulcers (mean reduction 33% & 87.5%, respectively, and P values < 0.001 & 0.003, respectively), and an increase in open-mouth area (mean reduction = 20.6%, P value = 0.041). The drug had no effect the pain of the ulcers or on the perioral folds. Conclusion: ANGIPARSTM is efficient and safe for the treatment of the skin manifestations of scleroderma. Conducting a phase III placebo controlled randomized trial is recommended.

Prognostic models based on patient snapshots and time windows: Predicting disease progression to assisted ventilation in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease and the most common neurodegenerative disorder of young adults. ALS patients present a rapidly progressive motor weakness. This usually leads to death in a few years by respiratory failure. The correct prediction of respiratory insufficiency is thus key for patient management. In this context, we propose an innovative approach for prognostic prediction based on patient snapshots and time windows. We first cluster temporally-related tests to obtain snapshots of the patient’s condition at a given time (patient snapshots). Then we use the snapshots to predict the probability of an ALS patient to require assisted ventilation after k days from the time of clinical evaluation (time window). This probability is based on the patient’s current condition, evaluated using clinical features, including functional impairment assessments and a complete set of respiratory tests. The prognostic models include three temporal windows allowing to perform short, medium and long term prognosis regarding progression to assisted ventilation. Experimental results show an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) in the test set of approximately 79% for time windows of 90, 180 and 365days. Creating patient snapshots using hierarchical clustering with constraints outperforms the state of the art, and the proposed prognostic model becomes the first non population-based approach for prognostic prediction in ALS. The results are promising and should enhance the current clinical practice, largely supported by non-standardized tests and clinicians’ experience.

Enhancing Predictive Accuracy of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy Using Blood Biochemistry Features and Iterative Multitier Ensembles.

Blood biochemistry attributes form an important class of tests, routinely collected several times per year for many patients with diabetes. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of blood biochemistry for improving the predictive accuracy of the diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) progression. Blood biochemistry contributes to CAN, and so it is a causative factor that can provide additional power for the diagnosis of CAN especially in the absence of a complete set of Ewing tests. We introduce automated iterative multitier ensembles (AIME) and investigate their performance in comparison to base classifiers and standard ensemble classifiers for blood biochemistry attributes. AIME incorporate diverse ensembles into several tiers simultaneously and combine them into one automatically generated integrated system so that one ensemble acts as an integral part of another ensemble. We carried out extensive experimental analysis using large datasets from the diabetes screening research initiative (DiScRi) project. The results of our experiments show that several blood biochemistry attributes can be used to supplement the Ewing battery for the detection of CAN in situations where one or more of the Ewing tests cannot be completed because of the individual difficulties faced by each patient in performing the tests. The results show that AIME provide higher accuracy as a multitier CAN classification paradigm. The best predictive accuracy of 99.57% has been obtained by the AIME combining decorate on top tier with bagging on middle tier based on random forest. Practitioners can use these findings to increase the accuracy of CAN diagnosis.

Single-electron thermal noise

We report the observation of thermal noise in the motion of single electrons in an ultimately small dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The nanometer-scale transistors that compose the DRAM resolve the thermal noise in single-electron motion. A complete set of fundamental tests conducted on this single-electron thermal noise shows that the noise perfectly follows all the aspects predicted by statistical mechanics, which include the occupation probability, the law of equipartition, a detailed balance, and the law of kT/C. In addition, the counting statistics on the directional motion (i.e., the current) of the single-electron thermal noise indicate that the individual electron motion follows the Poisson process, as it does in shot noise.

SU‐E‐T‐27: A Tool for Routine Quality Assurance of Radiotherapy Dose Calculation Software

Purpose:Dose calculation software is thoroughly evaluated when it is commissioned; however, evaluation of periodic software updates is typically limited in scope due to staffing constraints and the need to quickly return the treatment planning system to clinical service. We developed a tool for quickly and comprehensively testing and documenting dose calculation software against measured data.Methods:A tool was developed using MatLab (The MathWorks, Natick, MA) for evaluation of dose calculation algorithms against measured data. Inputs to the tool are measured data, reference DICOM RT PLAN files describing the measurements, and dose calculations in DICOM format. The tool consists of a collection of extensible modules that can perform analysis of point dose, depth dose curves, and profiles using dose difference, distance‐to‐agreement, and the gamma‐index. Each module generates a report subsection that is incorporated into a master template, which is converted to final form in portable document format (PDF).Results:After each change to the treatment planning system, a report can be generated in approximately 90 minutes. The tool has been in use for more than 5 years, spanning 5 versions of the eMC and 4 versions of the AAA. We have detected changes to the algorithms that affected clinical practice once during this period.Conclusion:Our tool provides an efficient method for quality assurance of dose calculation software, providing a complete set of tests for an update. Future work includes the addition of plan level tests, allowing incorporation of, for example, the TG‐119 test suite for IMRT, and integration with the treatment planning system via an application programming interface. Integration with the planning system will permit fully‐automated testing and reporting at scheduled intervals.

Generalized Correlations for the Estimation of Condensate Power in Flooded Cylinders

Condensate accumulated inside dryer cylinders will produce an increased power demand and eventually the inability of the dryer drive to accelerate the section. In a previous paper, these authors presented an online estimation algorithm capable of detecting the presence of condensate during a section starting. In this paper, a complete set of tests is run over two experimental cylinders covering up to 40% of cylinder volumes, and the complete set of power curves are reported and analyzed. Specifically, the presence of a combined cascading-rimming region in the medium to high condensate loads is confirmed. This combined mode modifies the pattern followed by the maximum power in the low condensate region. Using these data, high-order and simplified correlations are proposed for the estimation of condensate in flooded dryer cylinders. These new correlations increase the capacity of the online estimation algorithm to give good estimations of the condensate load present inside the dryer cylinders up to 55 mm of rim thickness.

Do Firms Benefit from Complementarity Effect in R&amp;D and What Drives Their R&amp;D Strategy Choices?

This paper analyzes whether firms conducting internal R&D and acquiring external high-tech equipment experience a complementarity effect. For German CIS data we conduct a complete set of indirect and direct complementarity tests refining the analysis by looking at various types of innovations and industries. Complementary effects are found in the indirect but not so in the direct approach. In contrast to previous literature, we find the distinct R&D strategy choices to be significant drivers of innovative activity and we identify contextual variables explaining the joint occurrence of the two strategies.

Quantitative Price Tests in Antitrust Market Definition with an Application to the Savory Snacks Markets

Abstract In this paper, we utilize the complete set of quantitative tests at the disposal of economists for delineating antitrust markets. This includes the Small but Significant Increase in Price (SSNIP) test but also a large number of traditional and newer price co-movement tests. We apply these tests to the savory snacks market using Greek bi-monthly data. This market has been subject to many antitrust investigations because of its market structure and its important implications for consumer welfare. However, no dominant view has yet emerged regarding the appropriate definition of the relevant market. Our results indicate that a wide relevant market definition is appropriate.

Introduction of a sexual health practice nurse is associated with increased STI testing of men who have sex with men in primary care

BackgroundThe study objective was to investigate the effect of the introduction of a sexual health practice nurse on HIV and STI testing in a general practice that specialized in gay men’s health.MethodsThis observational study compared the proportion of gay and other men who have sex with men (MSM) tested for HIV, syphilis, chlamydia (urethral and anal) and gonorrhoea (anal), or all of the above (defined as a complete set of tests at a single visit), two years before and one year after the nurse was introduced (Clinic A). Clinic B, a general practice which also specialized in gay men’s health, but with no sexual health nurse, was used as a control.ResultsIn Clinic A, amongst HIV negative MSM the proportion of men who had a complete set of HIV and STI tests increased from 41% to 47% (p < 0.01) after the nurse was introduced. Amongst HIV positive MSM attending clinic A there was an increase in the proportion of men who had a complete set of tests after the nurse was introduced from 27% to 43% (p < 0.001). In Clinic B there was no significant increase in testing in the proportion of either HIV negative or HIV positive men who had a complete set of tests over the same time periods.ConclusionsThe introduction of the sexual health practice nurse resulted in significant increases in episodes of complete STI testing among MSM. The effect was most pronounced among HIV positive MSM.

Sci-Fri PM: Delivery - 05: A complete set of VMAT machine-specific QA tests using EPID.

During a VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) radiation delivery, various machine parameters (gantry position and speed, MLC leaves position, dose rate, etc) have to be highly synchronized and coordinated. To ensure that all of the machine components are effectively operating together requires unique machine-specific quality assurance (QA) tests. The purpose of this work is to describe a complete set of VMAT machine-specific QA tests using Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID). To address the need for VMAT machine-specific QA tests, Varian has recommended 6 EPID-based tests for commissioning and QA of RapidArc™ capable machines. Recent studies have identified that these Varian tests do not define a complete set of tests needed for adequate commissioning and machine-specific QA of RapidArc machines. The goal of this work is twofold: a) to report and discuss the results of the original 6 Varian's EPID-based tests, and b) to extend the original set by adding 2 more EPID-based tests, which results in a more complete and comprehensive set of tests. We have demonstrated that the Varian EPID-based QA tests can be used to verify that the synchronization of Dose Rate, Gantry Speed and MLC Leaves speed is generally to within 1.5% during a RapidArc delivery. Also, the gantry rotation does not have any significant effect on MLC leaves positional accuracy during a RapidArc delivery. Finally, we have introduced a new EPID-based QA test, which can be used to verify that the angular accuracy of the gantry position during a RapidArc delivery is to within ∼1 degree.

Linear and non-linear viscoelastic properties of ethylene vinyl acetate/nano-crystalline cellulose composites

This paper reports on the melt rheological properties of ethylene vinyl acetate containing between 0 and 10 wt.% of nano-crystalline cellulose (NCC). A complete set of rheological tests including frequency sweeps, shear transients, and uniaxial elongations was performed. Frequency sweeps showed that at low frequencies, a pseudo solid-like behavior was obtained for NCC concentrations higher than 5%. This behavior was related to hydrogen bonding between NCC particles and the creation of particle networks as the result of particle–particle interactions. For transient shear tests, all compositions presented a stress overshoot at high shear rates before reaching a steady state. It was found that the amplitude of this overshoot depends on both NCC content and shear rate. On the other hand, the time to reach the maximum was found to be highly shear rate dependent but concentration dependence was rather weak. For uniaxial extensional flow, higher extensional viscosity was observed with increasing NCC content. On the other hand, strain hardening was found to decrease with increasing NCC content.

Gibbs2: A new version of the quasiharmonic model code. II. Models for solid-state thermodynamics, features and implementation

In the second article of the series, we present the Gibbs2 code, a Fortran90 reimplementation of the original Gibbs program [Comput. Phys. Commun. 158 (2004) 57] for the calculation of pressure–temperature dependent thermodynamic properties of solids under the quasiharmonic approximation. We have taken advantage of the detailed analysis carried out in the first paper to implement robust fitting techniques. In addition, new models to introduce temperature effects have been incorporated, from the simple Debye model contained in the original article to a full quasiharmonic model that requires the phonon density of states at each calculated volume. Other interesting novel features include the empirical energy corrections, that rectify systematic errors in the calculation of equilibrium volumes caused by the choice of the exchange-correlation functional, the electronic contributions to the free energy and the automatic computation of phase diagrams. Full documentation in the form of a userʼs guide and a complete set of tests and sample data are provided along with the source code. Program summaryProgram title:Gibbs2Catalogue identifier: AEJI_v1_0Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEJI_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queenʼs University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: GNU General Public License, v3No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 936 087No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 8 596 671Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: Fortran90Computer: Any running Unix/LinuxOperating system: Unix, GNU/LinuxClassification: 7.8External routines: Part of the minpack, pppack and slatec libraries (downloaded from www.netlib.org) are distributed along with the program.Nature of problem: Given the static E(V) curve, and possibly vibrational information such as the phonon density of states, calculate the equilibrium volume and thermodynamic properties of a solid at arbitrary temperatures and pressures in the framework of the quasiharmonic approximation.Additional comments: A detailed analysis concerning the fitting of equations of state has been carried out in the first part of this article, and implemented in the code presented here.Running time: The tests provided only take a few seconds to run.

Simple Fatigue Testing Machine for Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites seem to be the best options in many structural applications. Such applications are often exposed to fatigue loads, and therefore, the fatigue behavior of the composites must be studied in order to achieve a proper design. This is fulfilled by means of an experimental characterization, in which a lot of specimens are tested because of the several parameters involved (i.e., fiber/matrix ratio, fiber orientation, staking sequence, etc.). Besides, the fatigue tests must be carried out at low frequencies, in order to avoid temperature increments in the polymer matrix, which would change the mechanical properties of the composite. Consequently, considerable time is consumed to perform a complete set of tests and, when using conventional servohydraulic testing machines, costs rise notably. A machine to perform fatigue tests of composite materials under constant amplitude load cycles and a wide range of load ratios is presented in this paper. This machine exhibits as main goals the fulfillment of the corresponding standard requirements, a very low cost compared to conventional servohydraulic testing machines and, consequently, makes reasonably priced to have several machines testing specimens simultaneously, in order to reduce the necessary time to complete the whole characterization.

Experimental Evaluation of the Variable-Feedrate Intelligent Segmentation Method for High-Speed, High-Precision Micromilling

This study will present an experimental evaluation of the variable-feedrate intelligent segmentation (VFIS) method described by Mayor and Sodemann (2008, “Intelligent Tool-Path Segmentation for Improved Stability and Reduced Machining Time in Micromilling,” ASME J. Manuf. Sci. Eng., 130(3), p. 031121). The apparatus for the tests will be identified and the approach to the testing procedure will be laid out, including the means of evaluation of the method. A detailed explanation is then given for the choice of process parameters. This is followed by the introduction of the β parameter as an additional factor in the VFIS implementation. Results are presented from cutting tests. The first set of test results presented is from a complete set of evaluation tests performed on sine wave geometries. The second set is an evaluation of the fan and airfoil shapes used previously in the numerical simulations of the VFIS method. It is found that the VFIS method is able to successfully constrain geometric error to within specified bounds in most cases. The cutting time for the VFIS method shows as much as 53% reduction relative to the nonuniform rational B-spline-based trajectory generation method.

Understanding Air Release through Air Valves

Water transients with entrapped air can originate large pressure peaks that can severely damage distribution networks. Entrapped air can have a damping or amplifying effect on these undesirable pressure peaks. Unfortunately, the complexity of the phenomenon too often makes it difficult to obtain a fully reliable prediction about when air pockets will mitigate or accentuate water transients. Furthermore, the value of some of the parameters involved in the conventional numerical models cannot be calculated or measured and need to be determined through a calibration process. With the aim of overcoming most of the aforementioned uncertainties, this paper summarizes a complete set of tests conducted at WL | Delft Hydraulics. These tests were simulated by means of a tailored numerical model that includes a set of parameters whose values were determined by means of a calibration process. The experimental setup, a large-scale facility, consisted of a single steep pipeline with an air valve installed at its top end. Air release through different air valves was tested under different conditions.

Thermomechanical Fatigue Behavior of Bare and Coated CMSX-4

Highly cooled turbine blades undergo very high thermal gradients during rapid engine idle-max-idle cycling. Traditional isothermal fatigue data are often insufficient for predicting service lives. A complete set of high temperature tests, in the range of 750–1050°C, was performed on single crystal alloy CMSX-4. The test program comprised tensile, creep, low cycle fatigue, and thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) tests. In particular the cycle time for TMF was 3 min, aiming to simulate the real high-power transient conditions in aircraft engines. Clockwise and counterclockwise diamond cycle types were applied on bare and coated specimens to investigate their influence on the fatigue limit. The comparison of the results obtained with the available ones from open literature is discussed.

A Simple and Sensitive HPLC-UV Method for Quantitation of Lovastatin in Human Plasma: Application to a Bioequivalence Study

An available, simple, sensitive, and rapid method has been developed for determination of the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin in human plasma. The analytical procedure involves a one-step liquid-liquid extraction method using atorvastatin as internal standard. Chromatographic separation was carried out on a reversed phase C(18) column using a mixture of 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH 7) and acetonitrile (44.5 : 55.5, v/v) as mobile phase with UV detection set at 238 nm. The total run time of analysis was 6 min with the retention time of lovastatin being 4.3 min. A complete set of analytical method validation tests were carried out on the method. Accordingly, the method was linear in the wide range of 1-100 ng/ml. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) for lovastatin were 0.5 and 1 ng/ml, respectively. The method was shown to be precise with average within-run and between-run variations of 10.45+/-6.88 and 8.68+/-5.13%, respectively. The average within-run and between-run accuracy of the method throughout its linear range was 113.33+/-3.98 and 105.72+/-5.07%, respectively. The mean relative recovery of lovastatin from human plasma by the developed method was 88.61+/-7.00%. The applicability of the method in real pharmacokinetic situations was evaluated successfully during a bioequivalence study in 14 fasting healthy male volunteers.

Simplified spectraphotometric method for the detection of red blood cell agglutination

Human error is the most significant factor attributed to incompatible blood transfusions. A spectrophotometric approach to blood typing has been developed by examining the spectral slopes of dilute red blood cell (RBC) suspensions in saline, in the presence and absence of various antibodies, offering a technique for the quantitative determination of agglutination intensity [Transfusion39, 1051, 1999TRANAT0041-113210.1046/j.1537-2995.1999.39101051.x]. We offer direct theoretical prediction of the observed change in slope in the 660-1000 nm range through the use of the T-matrix approach and Lorenz-Mie theory for light scattering by dilute RBC suspensions. Following a numerical simulation using the T-matrix code, we present a simplified sensing method for detecting agglutination. The sensor design has been prototyped, fully characterized, and evaluated through a complete set of tests with over 60 RBC samples and compared with the full spectrophotometric method. The LED and photodiode pairs are found to successfully reproduce the spectroscopic determination of red blood cell agglutination.

M1576 Curcumin Suppresses Insulin-Induced Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation By Interrupting Insulin Signaling and Attenuating Oxidative Stress

Different tests using non-invasive biochemical markers to predict liver fibrosis have been described. The aim of this study was to assess an external validation of the APRI and Forn's fibrosis indexes in our population of HCV chronic hepatitis Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective study in 251 patients with chronic HCV-hepatitis. All the patients were assessed by both liver biopsy and a complete set of liver function tests. Liver biopsies were graded by a single experienced observer using the METAVIR scoring system. Fibrosis was classified as mild (grade F0 F1), intermediate (grade F2) and severe (F3 F4). We considered significant fibrosis the intermediate and severe grades. Forn's fibrosis and APRI indexes were calculated using published mathematical formulae. For data analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used, using the SPSS 11.0 statistical package. Differences with P< 0.05 values were considered significant. Results: Mean age was 40.9 years (SD 0.56). 64% were females. The VHC genotype 1 was found in 169 out of 224 patients who were checked. Fibrosis found in liver biopsies was mild in 52.2%, intermediate in 27.1% and severe 20.7% of samples. Patients with mild fibrosis had a Forn's score of 4.17 (SD 1.52) vs 4.78 (SD 1.50) in pts with significant fibrosis. Difference of means was significant (95% CI: 0.23-0.98). Likewise the APRI score was 0.64 (25thto 75th-percentile values 0.45-0.97) in mild fibrosis vs. 0.93 (P25-75 0.58-1.54) in significant fibrosis (p=0.00008). The Forn's and the APRI scores were able to predict mild fibrosis in 60.8% vs. 66.7%, and significant fibrosis in 50% vs. 49% of the cases, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy for prediction of fibrosis improved making use of both indexes simultaneously, 69.9% for mild fibrosis and 53.9% for significant fibrosis. However, using multivariate logistic regression, the predictive model was only able to explain 10.1% of the fibrosis. On the other hand we did not find any statistical difference in cholesterol levels of patients with different genotypes of HCV. Conclusion. Despite the fact that both indexes were related with the degree of fibrosis, in our experience they are not reliable enough to replace liver biopsy in the assessment of fibrosis grade.