Identical Time Intervals Research Articles

Proposal for Low-Cost Optical Sensor for Measuring Flow Velocities in Aquatic Environments.

The ocean, with its intricate processes, plays a pivotal role in shaping marine life, habitats, and the Earth's climate. This study addresses issues such as beach erosion, the survival of propagules from species like Posidonia oceanica, and nutrient distribution. To tackle these challenges, we propose an innovative sensor that quantifies hydrodynamic velocity by measuring the output voltage derived from detecting changes in light absorption and scattering using LEDs and LDRs. Our results not only demonstrate the effectiveness of the sensor but also the accuracy of the processing algorithm. Notably, the blue LED exhibited the lowest mean relative error of 7.59% in freshwater, while the yellow LED was most precise in chlorophyll-containing water, with a mean relative error of 6.80%. In a runoff simulation, we observed similar velocities with the blue, green, and white LEDs, 6.89 cm/s, 6.99 cm/s, and 7.05 cm/s, respectively, for nearly identical time intervals. It is important to highlight that our proposed sensor is not only effective but also highly cost-efficient, representing less than 0.43% of the cost of a Nortek Vector 6 MHz and 0.18% of the Teledyne Workhorse II 300 kHz Marine. This makes it a key tool for managing marine ecosystems sustainably.

Development and Interrelation of Pain, Depression, and Anxiety in Music Students: Does Successful Treatment of Pain Have an Impact on Mental Health?

Musculoskeletal pain is a common problem among professional musicians as well as music students. Studies have emphasized the effectiveness of music-specific physiotherapy for affected musicians. This study was designed to evaluate if physiotherapy treatment of pain-affected music students had an impact on pain perception as well as psychological well-being. To explore the possible development of musculoskeletal pain, depression, and anxiety, a second sample of pain-free music students, matched for age and gender, was examined twice at identical time intervals. A convenience sample of 31 university music students with moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain and 31 pain-free music students, matched in age and gender, were included in the study. Both groups were examined physically and completed biographical, music-related, and psychological questionnaires. Perceived pain intensity was assessed with a visual-analogue scale (VAS), and depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD). Music students with pain received a series of 12 sessions of musician-specific physiotherapy, while controls waited for the same amount of time for retesting. On the 10-cm VAS, music students with pain reported an average improvement in pain intensity from a baseline of 6.25 (SD 1.95) to 2.7 (2.03) after the intervention, while the controls (music students without pain) did not change. Furthermore, music students with pain indicated higher depression and anxiety scores as compared to the control group before and after therapy. After intervention, music students with pain with higher BDI-II scores demonstrated clinical improvement concerning depression, but no significant improvement in mental health was found in the pain group taken as a whole. Physiotherapy was effective in reducing pain symptoms in music students affected by chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, physiotherapy did not improve mental health in pain-affected music students. Additional psychotherapeutic interventions may be needed to support music students with psychological comorbidities such as depression and anxiety.

Pain management after microtia repair with costal cartilage: De-escalation and opioid use reduction

ObjectiveComplex and invasive postoperative pain regimens for microtia reconstruction with costal cartilage are often utilized. These generate added costs and invasiveness. We evaluated the effectiveness of a de-escalated pain regimen without use of invasive interventions. MethodsCase series of patients who underwent stage 1 microtia reconstruction with a modified Nagata/Firmin technique from 2017 to 2020 at a pediatric tertiary care hospital. Patients received intraoperative bupivacaine intercostal blocks and scheduled acetaminophen. Adjunct medications administered and pain scores (Wong-Baker FACES and FLACC-Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) at intervals 2–72 h postoperatively were recorded. Narcotic use, peak and median pain scores, and length of stay were compared with published values. ResultsTwenty patients were included. Mean age of 12 and length of stay of 2.8 days. Average postoperative FACES scores between 0 and 72 h ranged between 0.7 and 4.0. The average peak pain score was 6.1 (±2.0). FLACC scores were low. Narcotics (0.59 ±0 .35 Morphine Milligram Equivalents/kg) were given to 17 patients. Compared to Shaffer et al. (paravertebral catheter-based infusion), total narcotics use (p = 0.03), peak pain (p = 0.0001), and length of stay (p = 0.001) were less. Compared to Woo et al. (intercostal catheter-based infusion), median pain scores at identical time intervals were lower (p = 0.04). ConclusionIntraoperative intercostal nerve blocks followed by scheduled, weight-based acetaminophen, adjunctive medications (ibuprofen and lidocaine patches), and rescue narcotics are effective in managing pain following microtia repair with autologous costal cartilage. It results in decreased narcotic usage, shorter length of stay, and lower pain scores compared to more complex regimens.

Diurnal rhythm of human semen quality: analysis of large-scale human sperm bank data and timing-controlled laboratory study.

STUDY QUESTIONCan we identify diurnal oscillations in human semen parameters as well as peak times of semen quality?SUMMARY ANSWERHuman semen parameters show substantial diurnal oscillation, with most parameters reaching a peak between 1100 and 1500 h.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYA circadian clock appears to regulate different physiological functions in various organs, but it remains controversial whether diurnal rhythms occur in human semen parameters.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThe medical record of a provincial human sperm bank (HSB) with 33 430 semen samples collected between 0800 and 1700 h from 1 March 2010 to 8 July 2015 was used to analyze variation in semen parameters among time points. A laboratory study was conducted to collect semen samples (n = 36) from six volunteers at six time points with identical time intervals (2 days plus 4 h) between 6 June and 8 July in 2019, in order to investigate the diurnal oscillation of semen parameters in vivo, with a strictly controlled abstinence period. Therefore, the sperm bank study with a large sample size and the in vivo study with a strictly controlled abstinence period in a 24-h time window could be compared to describe the diurnal rhythms in human semen parameters.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSSamples were obtained from potential HSB donors and from participants in the laboratory study who were volunteers, recruited by flyers distributed in the community. Total sperm count, sperm concentration, semen volume, progressive motility and total motility were assessed using computer-aided sperm analysis. In addition, sperm chromatin integrity parameters (DNA fragmentation index and high DNA stainability) were assessed by the sperm chromatin structure assay, and sperm viability was measured with flow cytometry in the laboratory study.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEThe 33 430 samples from the HSB showed a temporal variation in total sperm count, sperm concentration, semen volume, progressive motility and total motility (all P < 0.001) between 0800 and 1700 h. Consequently, the eligibility of semen samples for use in ART, based on bank standards, fluctuated with time point. Each hour earlier/later than 1100 h was associated with 1.14-fold risk of ineligibility. Similarly, the 36 samples taken during the 24-h time window showed diurnal oscillation. With the pre-collection abstinence period strictly controlled, most semen parameters reached the most favorable level between 1100 and 1500 h.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONSome of the possible confounding factors, such as energy intake, which might influence semen quality or diurnal rhythms, were not adjusted for in the analyses. In addition, the findings should be considered with caution because the study was conducted in a specific population, time and place, while the timing of oscillations could differ with changing conditions.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThe findings could help us to estimate semen quality more precisely and to obtain higher quality sperm for use in ART and in natural conception.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81871208) and National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC1002001). There are no conflicts of interest to declare.TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERN/A.

Characterizing and correcting phase biases in short-term, multilooked interferograms

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is widely used to measure deformation of the Earth's surface over large areas and long time periods. A common strategy to overcome coherence loss in long-term interferograms is to use multiple multilooked shorter interferograms, which can cover the same time period but maintain coherence. However, it has recently been shown that using this strategy can introduce a bias (also referred to as a “fading signal”) in the interferometric phase. We isolate the signature of the phase bias by constructing “daisy chain” sums of short-term interferograms of different length covering identical 1-year time intervals. This shows that the shorter interferograms are more affected by this phenomenon and the degree of the effect depends on ground cover types; cropland and forested pixels have significantly larger bias than urban pixels and the bias for cropland mimics subsidence throughout the year, whereas forests mimics subsidence in the spring and heave in the autumn. We, propose a method for correcting the phase bias, based on the assumption, borne out by our observations, that the bias in an interferogram is linearly related to the sum of the bias in shorter interferograms spanning the same time. We tested the algorithm over a study area in western Turkey by comparing average velocities against results from a phase linking approach, which estimates the single primary phases from all the interferometric pairs, and has been shown to be almost insensitive to the phase bias. Our corrected velocities agree well with those from a phase linking approach. Our approach can be applied to global compilations of short-term interferograms and provides accurate long-term velocity estimation without a requirement for coherence in long-term interferograms.

Designing and Implementing a Novel Solar Panel Tracker Leveraging Reinforcement Learning Technique

As of today, the average efficiency of household solar panels is less than 20 percent, so less than 20 percent of solar energy is converted into household electricity. Our goal is to explore various techniques that not only enhance this efficiency but also are scalable to households. We plan to use reinforcement learning technique that provides the centralized intelligence for controlling a large set of trackers for household solar panels. Reinforcement learning is a proven machine learning technique to explore unknown environments while maximizing a reward. This is desirable because each household's environment is different. Furthermore, the tracker is purely software-driven with no dependency on specialized hardware. This makes it simple, easy to deploy, and suitable for large-scale application. In this project, we designed and implemented a reinforcement learning technique for a solar panel tracker that adjusts the solar panel’s orientations to maximize the sun ray receptance. The tracker explores an optimal orientation, taking into account of the environmental variations such as the sun’s location and shade caused by surrounding obstacles. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our solution, we placed two identical solar panels side-by-side. One is mounted on our solar panel tracker; the other is stationary. We then collected voltage measurements from both solar panels at identical time intervals between 8 AM to 5 PM each day. We repeated the same benchmark testing for several days. Our results have shown that the solar panel on our smart tracker consistently offers higher electricity voltage output than the one without.

Combinatorial Anti-Tumor Activity in Animal Models of a Novel CD123 x CD3 Bispecific Dart® Molecule (MGD024) with Cytarabine, Venetoclax or Azacitidine Supports Combination Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Combinatorial Anti-Tumor Activity in Animal Models of a Novel CD123 x CD3 Bispecific Dart® Molecule (MGD024) with Cytarabine, Venetoclax or Azacitidine Supports Combination Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Repetitive T1 Imaging Influences Gray Matter Volume Estimations in Structural Brain Imaging.

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is a widely used tool for studying structural patterns of brain plasticity, brain development and disease. The source of the T1-signal changes is not understood. Most of these changes are discussed to represent loss or possibly gain of brain gray matter and recent publications speculate also about non-structural changes affecting T1-signal. We investigated the potential of pain stimulation to ultra-short-term alter gray matter signal changes in pain relevant brain regions in healthy volunteers using a longitudinal design. Immediately following regional nociceptive input, we detected significant gray matter volume (GMV) changes in central pain processing areas, i.e. anterior cingulate and insula cortex. However, similar results were observed in a control group using the identical time intervals but without nociceptive painful input. These GMV changes could be reproduced in almost 100 scanning sessions enrolling 72 healthy individuals comprising repetitive magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo (MPRAGE) sequences. These data suggest that short-term longitudinal repetitive MPRAGE may produce significant GMV changes without any intervention. Future studies investigating brain plasticity should focus and specifically report a consistent timing at which time-point during the experiment the T1-weighted scan is conducted. There is a necessity of a control group for longitudinal imaging studies.

How to Arrange Follow-Up Time-Intervals for Longitudinal Brain MRI Studies in Neurodegenerative Diseases

BackgroundLongitudinal brain MRI monitoring in neurodegeneration potentially provides substantial insights into the temporal dynamics of the underlying biological process, but is time- and cost-intensive and may be a burden to patients with disabling neurological diseases. Thus, the conceptualization of follow-up time-intervals in longitudinal MRI studies is an essential challenge and substantial for the results. The objective of this work is to discuss the association of time-intervals and the results of longitudinal trends in the frequently used design of one baseline and two follow-up scans.MethodsDifferent analytical approaches for calculating the linear trend of longitudinal parameters were studied in simulations including their performance of dealing with outliers; these simulations were based on the longitudinal striatum atrophy in MRI data of Huntington’s disease patients, detected by atlas-based volumetry (ABV).ResultsFor the design of one baseline and two follow-up visits, the simulations with outliers revealed optimum results for identical time-intervals between baseline and follow-up scans. However, identical time-intervals between the three acquisitions lead to the paradox that, depending on the fit method, the first follow-up scan results do not influence the final results of a linear trend analysis.ConclusionsThis theoretical study analyses how the design of longitudinal imaging studies with one baseline and two follow-up visits influences the results. Suggestions for the analysis of longitudinal trends are provided.

Emergency department visits during the 4/20 cannabis celebration

BackgroundAnnual ‘4/20’ cannabis festivals occur around the world on April 20 and often feature synchronised consumption of cannabis at 4:20 pm. The relationship between these events and demand for emergency...

Effect of Perioperative Pregabalin on Incidence of Chronic Postmastectomy Pain Syndrome: A Prospective Randomized Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.

Background:Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women. Chronic pain after breast surgeries is a well-known entity and is mainly neuropathic in nature. The primary aim of this study was to assess the effect of pregabalin given as preventive analgesic on the incidence of chronic postmastectomy pain.Methods:A randomized control trial (RCT) was performed on 80 patients. Patients were allocated into two groups. Group 1 received pregabalin (Lyrica, Pfizer) 75 mg. BD starting from the morning of surgery and continued for 1 week. Group 2 received placebo capsules at identical time intervals. Patients were followed up for 3 months postoperatively. Incidence, severity, and location of chronic pain were recorded. The primary objective was to evaluate the effect of perioperative oral pregabalin on the incidence of chronic postmastectomy pain (at 3 months postoperatively).Results:Of the 80 patients enrolled, 71 patients completed the study and were assessed for final outcomes. Incidence of chronic pain was comparable in both groups, with 16 out of 35 patients in Group 1 (44.7%) and 20 out of 36 patients in Group 2 (55.6%) reported chronic pain (P = 0.407). There was no difference between the severity of chronic pain (numeric rating scale ≥ 4) in both groups (P = 0.307). Incidence of adverse effects was comparable in both groups.Conclusion:This RCT shows that perioperative pregabalin may not have a role in the prevention of chronic pain after breast surgeries.

Effects Of Postactivation Potentiation On Subsequent 40-yard Sprint Performance In 16- To 23-year-old Male Athletes

Postactivation potentiation (PAP) is a physiological adaptation which enables the muscles’ contractile properties to optimally perform. PAP is engendered through pre- performance conditioning activities, such as parallel back squats performed prior to a vertical jump test. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of postactivation potentiation on subsequent 40-yard sprint performance in 16- to 23-year-old male athletes, specifically, the effects of hexagonal bar deadlifts (HBD) and weighted sled sprints (WSS) as PAP-loading protocols. METHODS: Thirty-one male subjects (age, 16.9 ± 1.4 years; height, 180.2 ± 6.2 cm; weight 83.4 ± 19.2 kg) participated in this study. Testing sessions included two different visits, a control trial and a PAP-loading protocol trial separated by ~48-hours, counterbalanced, allowing each subject to act as his own control. The HBD (n = 8) group performed four sets of HBD as the PAP-loading protocol, using body weight (BW) to calculate estimated one repetition max (1RM). The WSS (n = 23) group performed four sets of WSS for 15-yards, using WSS loads of 25%, and 50% BW. Both PAP-loading protocols were followed by a 6-minute rest period and concluded with two laser-timed 40-yard sprint performances. Control trials for both groups consisted of identical time intervals as the PAP trial, with active movement utilized instead of the PAP-loading protocol. RESULTS: The PAP trials had faster average 40-yard sprint times (5.35 ± 0.44 s) compared to the control trials (5.39 ± 0.39 s) for all subjects. The average difference for the PAP trials (-0.04 ± 0.10) was statistically significant (p = 0.029). However, there was statistical significance (p = 0.035) between PAP-loading groups, with WSS being the only group to improve in sprint time for the PAP trial. The WSS group improved in 40-yard sprint time for the PAP trial (5.33 ± 0.45 s) compared to the control trial (5.40 ± 0.41 s) with a PAP difference of -0.06 ± 0.10 s for 40-yard sprint time. CONCLUSION: The use of a PAP-loading protocol enhances 40-yard sprint performance, with the use of WSS proving to generate faster sprint times compared to the HBD. Table 2: Average Control Trial (Trial A) vs Average PAP Trial (Trial X) (mean ± SD) Figure 3: Average control trial (trial A) vs average PAP trial (trial X)

Task-related changes in degree centrality and local coherence of the posterior cingulate cortex after major cardiac surgery in older adults.

Older adults often display postoperative cognitive decline (POCD) after surgery, yet it is unclear to what extent functional connectivity (FC) alterations may underlie these deficits. We examined for postoperative voxel-wise FC changes in response to increased working memory load demands in cardiac surgery patients and nonsurgical controls. Older cardiac surgery patients (n = 25) completed a verbal N-back working memory task during MRI scanning and cognitive testing before and 6weeks after surgery; nonsurgical controls with cardiac disease (n = 26) underwent these assessments at identical time intervals. We measured postoperative changes in degree centrality, the number of edges attached to a brain node, and local coherence, the temporal homogeneity of regional functional correlations, using voxel-wise graph theory-based FC metrics. Group × time differences were evaluated in these FC metrics associated with increased N-back working memory load (2-back > 1-back), using a two-stage partitioned variance, mixed ANCOVA. Cardiac surgery patients demonstrated postoperative working memory load-related degree centrality increases in the left dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (dPCC; p < .001, cluster p-FWE < .05). The dPCC also showed a postoperative increase in working memory load-associated local coherence (p < .001, cluster p-FWE < .05). dPCC degree centrality and local coherence increases were inversely associated with global cognitive change in surgery patients (p < .01), but not in controls. Cardiac surgery patients showed postoperative increases in working memory load-associated degree centrality and local coherence of the dPCC that were inversely associated with postoperative global cognitive outcomes and independent of perioperative cerebrovascular damage.

Optimizing observations of drizzle onset with millimeter-wavelength radars

Abstract. Cloud Doppler radars are increasingly used to study cloud and precipitation microphysical processes. Typical bulk cloud properties such as liquid or ice content are usually derived using the first three standard moments of the radar Doppler spectrum. Recent studies demonstrated the value of higher moments for the reduction of retrieval uncertainties and for providing additional insights into microphysical processes. Large effort has been undertaken, e.g., within the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program to ensure high quality of radar Doppler spectra. However, a systematic approach concerning the accuracy of higher moment estimates and sensitivity to basic radar system settings, such as spectral resolution, integration time and beam width, are still missing. In this study, we present an approach on how to optimize radar settings for radar Doppler spectra moments in the specific context of drizzle detection. The process of drizzle development has shown to be particularly sensitive to higher radar moments such as skewness. We collected radar raw data (I/Q time series) from consecutive zenith-pointing observations for two liquid cloud cases observed at the cloud observatory JOYCE in Germany. The I/Q data allowed us to process Doppler spectra and derive their moments using different spectral resolutions and integration times during identical time intervals. This enabled us to study the sensitivity of the spatiotemporal structure of the derived moments to the different radar settings. The observed signatures were further investigated using a radar Doppler forward model which allowed us to compare observed and simulated sensitivities and also to study the impact of additional hardware-dependent parameters such as antenna beam width. For the observed cloud with drizzle onset we found that longer integration times mainly modify spectral width (Sw) and skewness (Sk), leaving other moments mostly unaffected. An integration time of 2 s seems to be an optimal compromise: both observations and simulations revealed that a 10 s integration time – as it is widely used for European cloud radars – leads to a significant turbulence-induced increase of Sw and reduction of Sk compared to 2 s integration time. This can lead to significantly different microphysical interpretations with respect to drizzle water content and effective radius. A change from 2 s to even shorter integration times (0. 4 s) has much smaller effects on Sw and Sk. We also find that spectral resolution has a small impact on the moment estimations, and thus on the microphysical interpretation of the drizzle signal. Even the coarsest spectral resolution studied, 0. 08 ms−1, seems to be appropriate for calculation moments of drizzling clouds. Moreover, simulations provided additional insight into the microphysical interpretation of the skewness signatures observed: in low (high)-turbulence conditions, only drizzle larger than 20 µm (40 µm) can generate Sk values above the Sk noise level (in our case 0.4). Higher Sk values are also obtained in simulations when smaller beam widths are adopted.

Social Skills Intervention Participation and Associated Improvements in Executive Function Performance.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication. It has been postulated that such difficulties are related to disruptions in underlying cognitive processes such as executive function. The present study examined potential changes in executive function performance associated with participation in the Social Competence Intervention (SCI) program, a short-term intervention designed to improve social competence in adolescents with ASD. Laboratory behavioral performance measures were used to separately evaluate potential intervention-related changes in individual executive function component processes (i.e., working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility) in a sample of 22 adolescents with ASD both before and after intervention. For comparison purposes, a demographically matched sample of 14 individuals without ASD was assessed at identical time intervals. Intervention-related improvements were observed on the working memory task, with gains evident in spatial working memory and, to a slightly lesser degree, verbal working memory. Significant improvements were also found for a working memory-related aspect of the task switching test (i.e., mixing costs). Taken together, these findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that participation in the SCI program is accompanied by changes in underlying neurocognitive processes such as working memory.

A Comparison of Wireless Pulse Oximetry Technologies during SustainedShivering in Post-Operative Patients

Background: Pulse oximetry measures oxygen saturation in arterial blood non-invasively and is routinely practiced in many clinical settings. Technological advancements have expanded the performance capabilities of these devices to operate wirelessly, making pulse oximetry measures more convenient to obtain. Factors such as patient motion however can potentially complicate the ability to retrieve these measures. We examined the performance of two wireless pulse oximeters in patients who shiver postoperatively. Methods: Two additional pulse oximeter sensors (Masimo and Nonin) were added to 30 patients who shivered post-operatively and met eligibility criteria. Dropout rates were calculated by dividing the number of times that each instrument displayed no SpO2 or pulse rate value by the total time both sensors were in camera view for that subject. We used Wilcoxon matched pairs tests to compare the average time until the first reading displayed on the sensor for each device as well as dropout times. Dropout events were also compared using McNemar's test. Results: Drops in signal occurred in thirteen subjects. The Masimo sensor had more dropouts and a longer average drop duration, which was found to be statistically significant (p=0.02). Masimo's sensor required more s on average than Nonin's (8.86>8.78) to display the first reading, but this was not found to be statistically significant (p=0.90). Masimo also had a higher percentage of drops however this was not statistically significant (p=0.07). Conclusion: Overall incidence of shivering was low among patients in this setting (0.1%). More than 1/3 of subjects experienced drops during identical time intervals indicating that motion artifact may impact results regardless of technology. Additionally, Masimo's sensor is not meant for clinical use thereby raising questions regarding our statistically significant result in this particular setting. Combined with results from part I of this study, we cannot confidently detect a statistically significant difference between manufacturers.

SpO2 and Pulse Rate Data: A Comparison of Current Technologies during Sustained Shivering in Post-Operative Patients

Pulse oximetry is a noninvasive method of measuring the oxygen saturation (SpO2) of the arterial blood and is considered standard-of-care in post-operative settings. Patient motion or low perfusion can present challenges in obtaining accurate readings. Postoperative shivering occurs in anywhere from 5-65% of patients who have received general anesthesia and can manifest as continuous tremors and/or sporadic muscle movements. Objective: Compare the effect of post-operative shivering on functioning capabilities of two commercially available pulse oximeters. Methods: Two additional pulse oximeter sensors (Nonin 7500 Pulse Oximeter with 8000AA Sensor and Masimo Rad-8 with Rainbow DCI SC-200 Adult Reusable Sensor) were added to 40 shivering patients who met eligibility criteria. Shivering episodes were documented by recording the start and stop times for each episode as it occurred. Dropout rates for each device were calculated by dividing the amount of time that each instrument displayed no SpO2 or pulse rate value by the total time of the test. A 2-sample T-test was performed to compare dropout times of the devices and dropout rates were compared using a z-test for 2 proportions. Results: Drops in signal occurred in fourteen subjects. The Masimo sensor dropped 21 times, for an average of 40 seconds per drop and Nonin's dropped 16 times averaging 29 seconds per drop. Nonin's dropout rate of 0.108 was less than that of Masimo's at 0.149, however this difference was not found to be statistically significant (p=0.87). Conclusion: The incidence of shivering was very low among patients in this particular study setting (0.1%) For 5 different subjects, both sensors experienced drops during identical time intervals indicating that motion artifact may impact readings regardless of specific technology. Clinically significant shivering varied in duration among subjects therefore individual shiver rates varied as well. This preliminary analysis shows no significant difference between Nonin and Masimo sensors.

Molecular dynamics analysis of the effect of electronic polarization on the structure and single-particle dynamics of mixtures of ionic liquids and lithium salts.

We report a molecular dynamics study on the effect of electronic polarization on the structure and single-particle dynamics of mixtures of the aprotic ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-imide ([EMIM][TFSI]) doped with a lithium salt with the same anion at 298 K and 1 bar. In particular, we analyze the effect of electron density fluctuations on radial distribution functions, velocity autocorrelation functions, cage correlation functions, mean-squared displacements, and vibrational densities of states, comparing the predictions of the quantum-chemistry-based Atomistic Polarizable Potential for Liquids, Electrolytes, & Polymers (APPLE&P) with those of its nonpolarizable version and those of the standard non-polarizable Optimized Potentials for Liquid Simulations-All Atom (OPLS-AA). We found that the structure of the mixture is scarcely modified by the fluctuations in electron charge of their constituents, but their transport properties are indeed quite drastically changed, with larger mobilities being predicted for the different species in the bulk mixtures with the polarizable force field. Specifically, the mean-squared displacements are larger for the polarizable potentials at identical time intervals and the intermediate subdiffusive plateaus are greatly reduced, so the transition to the diffusive regime takes place much earlier than in the non-polarizable media. Moreover, the correlations of the added cations inside their cages are weakened out earlier and their vibrational densities of states are slightly red-shifted, reflecting the weakening effect of the electronic polarization on the Coulomb coupling in these dense ionic media. The comparison of OPLS-AA with non-polarizable APPLE&P indicates that adding polarization to OPLS-AA is not sufficient to achieve results close to experiments.

Attenuation of Oxidative Stress by Ischemic Preconditioning in an Experimental Model of Intraabdominal Hypertension

ABSTRACTPurpose: Increased intra-abdominal pressure, as used in laparoscopic surgery or seen in intraabdominal hypertension (IAH), is associated with tissue ischemia and oxidative stress. Ischemic preconditioning (IP) is a method successfully used in liver and transplant surgery, in order to attenuate the detrimental effects of ischemia and reperfusion. In this experimental study, we tested the ability of IP to modify oxidative stress induced by extremely high intraabdominal pressures. Methods: Twenty-five female pigs were studied and divided in three groups: a control group, a pneumoperitoneum group (with pressure of 30 mmHg), and an ischemic preconditioning group (initially subjected to preconditioning with pressure of 25 mmHg for 15 min and desufflation for 15 min and then to pneumoperitoneum as in pneumoperitoneum group). Blood samples were obtained at identical time intervals in the three groups. Total oxidative capacity, total antioxidative capacity and total nitric oxide (NO), nitrite and nitrate concentrations were measured and compared between groups. Results: IP increased total antioxidative capacity (p = .045) and protective mediators like nitrite (p = .022). It was also associated with a trend toward lower levels of total oxidative capacity at the end of the abdominal desufflation period but statistical significance was not met. Conclusions: IP attenuated oxidative stress induced by IAH, mainly by increasing antioxidative capacity and the levels of protective mediators. The fact that IP was effective, even when used at extremely high levels of intraabdominal pressure, reinforces the interest on this method but further studies are needed to clarify its mechanism of action and potential clinical applications.

The effects of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) treatment on brain function in individuals with phenylketonuria

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare genetic condition characterized by an absence or mutation of the PAH enzyme, which is necessary for the metabolism of the amino acid phenylalanine into tyrosine. Recently, sapropterin dihydrochloride, a synthetic form of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), has been introduced as a supplemental treatment to dietary phe control for PKU. Very little is known regarding BH4 treatment and its effect on brain and cognition. The present study represents the first examination of potential changes in neural activation in patients with PKU during BH4 treatment. To this end, we utilized an n-back working memory task in conjunction with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to evaluate functional brain integrity in a sample of individuals with PKU at three timepoints: Just prior to BH4 treatment, after 4 weeks of treatment, and after 6 months of treatment. Neural activation patterns observed for the PKU treatment group were compared with those of a demographically-matched sample of healthy non-PKU individuals who were assessed at identical time intervals. Consistent with past research, baseline evaluation revealed impaired working memory and atypical brain activation in the PKU group as compared to the non-PKU group. Most importantly, BH4 treatment was associated with improvements in both working memory and brain activation, with neural changes evident earlier (4-week timepoint) than changes in working memory performance (6-month timepoint).