Modification Of Index Research Articles

Local measurement of mass transfer in a reactive spray for CO2 capture

CO2 capture is still a major challenge for the environment and decarbonization of gas streams. It has been industrially feasible for several decades using chemical absorption by alkanolamine solvents. The purpose of this work is to characterize the mass transfer in a spray contactor during CO2 absorption using monoethanolamine as a solvent. A new, effective way to investigate mass transfer is to measure the refractive index during the reactive absorption. Indeed, the concentration and temperature evolution inside the droplet during absorption induces a modification of the refractive index. By using rainbow refractometry technique (GRT), the liquid side mass transfer coefficient was measured in a controlled gas atmosphere during a transfer process in aqueous 30 % (w/w) monoethanolamine and compared to the literature.

An Evaluation of Plaque Removal Efficacy of Five Commercially Available Toothbrushes: A Comparative Clinical Study

Background and Objectives – The aim of the study is to compare the plaque removal efficacy of five commercially available tooth brushes. Materials & Methods –The study group consisted of 75 subjects with age ranging 17 to 27 years distributed into five groups- Group A [Colgate Supershine], Group B [Colgate Zig zag], Group C [Oral B Allrounder], Group D [Oral B Fresh Clean], Group E [Pepsodent double action]. Study was single blinded, randomized clinical trial. Turesky- Gilmore- Glickmann Modification of Quigley-Hein Plaque Index and Modified Sulcular bleeding index were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Results – All brushes showed significant reduction in plaque score over 8 weeks. The percentage of plaque reduction from baseline to 4 weeks for Group A, B, C, D & E is 58.74, 61.95, 57.86, 50.28 & 53.59 respectively. The percentage of plaque reduction from baseline to 8 weeks for Group A, B, C, D & E is 67.83, 76.11, 62.86, 56.42 & 60.13 respectively. The percentage of plaque reduction from 4 weeks to 8 weeks for Group A, B, C, D & E is 22.03, 37.21, 11.86, 12.36 & 14.08 respectively. However, the reduction of plaque scores is greater in Group B [76%] when compared to other groups. Conclusion – Within the limitations of the study, the data derived from the study shows that all the tooth brushes has shown decrease in plaque scores. In comparison, Colgate Zig zag [Group B] has some beneficial effects in reduction of plaque scores.

Synthesis and Characterization of Diolefin/Propylene Copolymers by Ziegler‐Natta Polymerization

SummaryDiolefins can be used as comonomers in propylene copolymerizations in order to modify some of the final properties of the obtained poly(propylene) (PP) resins. Although reduction of catalyst activity can be expected when such copolymerizations are performed with standard heterogeneous Ziegler‐ Natta catalysts, copolymers containing 1,5‐hexadiene (HD) and 1,7‐octadiene (OD) can be produced at high rates when the comonomer content is sufficiently low (below 2 mol%); however, the presence of very small amounts of 5‐ethylidene‐2‐norbornene (ENB) leads to complete catalyst inhibition. It is shown that incorporation of dienes lead to decrease of the melting point of the final product, especially in presence of ENB. When compared to HD, addition of OD causes more pronounced modification of the melt flow index and weight‐average molecular weight, although the xylene solubles is less sensitive to the comonomer feed when the comonomer composition is low. Obtained results indicate that small amounts of dienes can be used at plant site to modify the final properties of PP resins produced with standard heterogeneous Ziegler‐Natta polymerizations.

Strain-optic active control for quantum integrated photonics.

We present a practical method for active phase control on a photonic chip that has immediate applications in quantum photonics. Our approach uses strain-optic modification of the refractive index of individual waveguides, effected by a millimeter-scale mechanical actuator. The resulting phase change of propagating optical fields is rapid and polarization-dependent, enabling quantum applications that require active control and polarization encoding. We demonstrate strain-optic control of non-classical states of light in silica, showing the generation of 2-photon polarisation N00N states by manipulating Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. We also demonstrate switching times of a few microseconds, which are sufficient for silica-based feed-forward control of photonic quantum states.

The hematopoietic stem cell transplant comorbidity index can predict for 30-day readmission following autologous stem cell transplant for lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Patients who undergo autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) for hematologic malignancies frequently have multiple comorbidities. The hematopoietic cell transplantation-specific comorbidity index (HCT-CI), a transplant-specific modification of the Charlson Comorbidity Index, can predict risk of readmission following allogeneic stem cell transplant. Its utility in the autologous setting is unknown. We evaluated 620 patients who underwent ASCT at the Ohio State University from 2007 to 2012 for lymphoma or multiple myeloma (MM) to identify factors associated with readmission. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to estimate the odds of readmission within 30 days of discharge following ASCT. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate overall survival (OS). Sixty-four patients were readmitted within 30 days; the most common indications were fever and prolonged gastrointestinal toxicity. Multiple myeloma compared with lymphoma (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.06–3.38, p=0.03), HCT-CI≥3 (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.03–2.96, p=0.04), and length of hospitalization ≥28 days (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.26–7.83, p=0.01) remained significantly associated with 30-day readmission in a multivariable model. While the model had excellent fit (p > 0.75), its ability to predict individual patients who would be readmitted was less than acceptable (ROC=0.64, 95% CI: 0.57–0.71). In a multivariable proportional hazards model, 30-day readmission (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.04–3.18, p=0.04), length of hospitalization ≥28 days (HR 4.93, 95% CI 2.65–9.18, p<0.001), and chemorefractory disease (HR 3.08, 95% CI 1.74–5.43, p<0.001) were independently associated with inferior OS, but HCT-CI was not. Evaluation of other assessment tools may allow for better prediction of outcomes following ASCT.

The Influence of Audibility on Speech Recognition With Nonlinear Frequency Compression for Children and Adults With Hearing Loss

The primary goal of nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) and other frequency-lowering strategies is to increase the audibility of high-frequency sounds that are not otherwise audible with conventional hearing aid (HA) processing due to the degree of hearing loss, limited HA bandwidth, or a combination of both factors. The aim of the present study was to compare estimates of speech audibility processed by NFC with improvements in speech recognition for a group of children and adults with high-frequency hearing loss. Monosyllabic word recognition was measured in noise for 24 adults and 12 children with mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Stimuli were amplified based on each listener's audiogram with conventional processing (CP) with amplitude compression or with NFC and presented under headphones using a software-based HA simulator. A modification of the speech intelligibility index (SII) was used to estimate audibility of information in frequency-lowered bands. The mean improvement in SII was compared with the mean improvement in speech recognition. All but 2 listeners experienced improvements in speech recognition with NFC compared with CP, consistent with the small increase in audibility that was estimated using the modification of the SII. Children and adults had similar improvements in speech recognition with NFC. Word recognition with NFC was higher than CP for children and adults with mild to severe hearing loss. The average improvement in speech recognition with NFC (7%) was consistent with the modified SII, which indicated that listeners experienced an increase in audibility with NFC compared with CP. Further studies are necessary to determine whether changes in audibility with NFC are related to speech recognition with NFC for listeners with greater degrees of hearing loss, with a greater variety of compression settings, and using auditory training.

Comparison of Manual and Electric Toothbrush in Dental Plaque Removal: A Clinical Trial

Background: Mechanical oral hygiene procedures are the most effective means of plaque removal and toothbrush is the most commonly used tool for mechanical plaque removal worldwide. There is an array of available manual and electric toothbrushes in the market. Thus, choosing the best one for dental plaque removal can be of great help for patients. Objectives: This study aimed at compare the efficacy of dental plaque removal using a manual and an electric toothbrush. Materials and Methods: This experimental, single-blinded sequential clinical trial was conducted on 12 patients (ten females and two males) who aged 21 to 30 years old. The tested manual toothbrush was 35-mm soft Oral-B Pulsar and the electric one was Oral-B Professional Care 8500 DLX chargeable D18. Patients’ dental plaque score was set as zero through scaling, root planning, and polishing. Subjects were avoided tooth cleaning for three days and on day four, plaque accumulation was assessed using Tureskey's modification of Quigley and Hein plaque index. Results: The mean of plaque index was 2.13 ± 0.83 and 2.11 ± 1.01 in the manual and electric toothbrush groups, respectively. No significant difference was detected between the study toothbrushes in terms of plaque removal (P = 0.374); however, with the manual tooth brushing, plaque removal was significantly greater in the buccal than in lingual surface and in the maxilla than in the mandible (P = 0.03 and P = 0.015, respectively). Conclusions: Similar to previous studies, this study could not show the superiority of electric toothbrush over manual in plaque removal. After 72 hours, the mean of plaque index was greater in buccal than in lingual surface, which may be attributed to the natural cleansing action of the tongue.

Assessment of ecological status in UK lakes using benthic diatoms

AbstractThe European Union’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires that all water bodies in Europe achieve good ecological status (GES) by 2015. We developed an ecological classification tool for UK lakes based on benthic diatoms, a key component of the biological-quality element macrophytes and phytobenthos. A database of 1079 epilithic and epiphytic diatom samples and matching environmental data was assembled from 228 UK lakes. The data set was divided into 3 lake types: low, medium, and high alkalinity. A lake trophic diatom index (LTDI) was developed based on modification of the trophic diatom index (TDI) for rivers, and ecological quality ratios (EQRs) were generated for each lake type. The high/good status boundary was defined as the 25th percentile of EQRs of all reference sites (identified based on independent sedimentary-diatom-assemblage data or catchment point-source and landuse data), whereas the good/moderate boundary was set at the point at which nutrient-sensitive and nutrient-tolerant t...

SAT0286 Paediatric Vasculitis Damage Index: A New Tool for Standardised Disease Assessment

BackgroundStandardised assessment of disease damage is one of the main components of the OMERACT core set of outcome measures in adult ANCA-associated vasculitis. There is no validated tool to assess...

AB1167-HPR Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability and Validity of the Turkish Version of the Upper Limb Functional Index (ULFI)

BackgroundThe Upper Limb Functional Index (ULFI) is a patient reported outcome measure with sound clinimetric properties and clinical viability for determination of upper limb status and impairment. To date, no...

Real GPA and Real SET: two antidotes to greed, sloth and cowardice in the college classroom

Recently published evidence of limited learning among American college students confirms the damage done when students, faculty and institutions pursue interests that conflict with the educational process. The ‘disengagement compact’ in which faculty tacitly trade lenient workloads and grading for higher student evaluation of teaching (SET) scores and fewer complaints from students does damage wherever it operates. The work of Johnson confirms the link between SET and grade inflation. We propose a modification of an earlier grade index, the Real Grade Point Average (GPA), and propose as well an index for SET scores, the Real SET, to make inflated grades and inflated SET scores more visible. Used by institutions, parts of institutions or individual faculty, Real GPA and Real SET would encourage and protect faculty and students who offer or seek out educational experiences that have not been deflected by greed, sloth or cowardice.

Monitoring Sensitivity to Land Degradation and Desertification with the Environmentally Sensitive Area Index: The Case of Lesvos Island

AbstractIn Europe, the most susceptible areas to land degradation and desertification (LDD) are found in the Mediterranean region. The present study focuses on the island of Lesvos (Greece) and maps the environmental sensitivity of the island to LDD between the years 1990 and 2000. Sensitivity is estimated with a modification of the MEDALUS Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) approach, employing 21 quantitative parameters divided in five main quality indices: climate, vegetation, soils, groundwater and socio‐economic quality. Parameterisation of these indices is achieved via remote sensing and ancillary data in a Geographical Information System (GIS). Results show that ~85% of the island is fragile or critically sensitive in both epochs. Fragile areas are on the increase, covering an estimated 72% of the island in 1990 and 77% in 2000, whereas critically sensitive areas decrease from 214 to 113 km2. By modifying the ESAI to include 10 additional parameters related to soil erosion, groundwater quality, demographic and grazing pressure, and by applying the modified ESAI in two—rather than one—periods, this study was able to identify that, contrary to previous belief, critically sensitive areas are also found in the eastern side of the island mainly due to human‐related factors. It is concluded that the proposed methodology is a useful tool for regional scale trend analyses of environmental sensitivity and the identification of LDD hot spots in Mediterranean environments. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Systematic review of surgical management of synchronous colorectal liver metastases

The optimal management of colorectal cancer with synchronous liver metastases has not yet been elucidated. The aim of the present study was systematically to review current evidence concerning the timing and sequence of surgical interventions: colon first, liver first or simultaneous. A systematic literature review was performed of clinical studies comparing the timing and sequence of surgical interventions in patients with synchronous liver metastases. Retrospective studies were included but case reports and small case series were excluded. Preoperative and intraoperative data, length of hospital stay, perioperative mortality and morbidity, and 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were compared. The studies were evaluated according to a modification of the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS) criteria. Eighteen papers were included and 21 entries analysed. Five entries favoured the simultaneous approach regarding duration of procedure, whereas three showed no difference; five entries favoured simultaneous treatment in terms of blood loss, whereas in four there was no difference; and all studies comparing length of hospital stay favoured the simultaneous approach. Five studies favoured the simultaneous approach in terms of morbidity and eight found no difference, and no study demonstrated a difference in perioperative mortality. One study suggested a better 5-year survival rate after staged procedures, and another suggested worse 1-year but better 3- and 5-year survival rates following the simultaneous approach. The median MINORS score was 10, with incomplete follow-up and outcome reporting accounting primarily for low scores. None of the three surgical strategies for synchronous colorectal liver metastases appeared inferior to the others.

Fragility and molecular mobility in micro- and nano-layered PC/PMMA films

The values of the fragility index of polycarbonate/poly(methylmetacrylate) multilayer films have been determined for materials having thicknesses varying from micro- to nano-scales. The influence of the layer thickness reduction down to 12 nm has been shown to have very different influence on the glass transition parameters of the two polymers. Polycarbonate has exhibited a huge sensitivity to such geometric scale modifications while no modification has been observed for PMMA. A large decrease of the fragility index m, has been observed for PC. This modification is proportional to length scale variations of molecular cooperative motions at Tg, ξ(Tg). In regard to the molecular structure of each polymer, these results show that this correlation between fragility index and ξ(Tg) is mainly associated to modifications of intermolecular interactions and local density. These material parameters are influencing the activation volume ΔV# which plays a role on the modification of the fragility index.

Site-based plaque removal efficacy of four branded toothbrushes and the effect of dental floss in interproximal plaque removal: a randomized examiner-blind controlled study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sitelevel plaque removal efficacy of four commercially available toothbrushes. The adjunctive benefit of dental floss on interproximal plaque removal was also evaluated. This study was designed as a randomized examiner- blinded clinical study involving 60 subjects. The subjects were randomly divided into four groups of 15 participants each, and a particular branded toothbrush was allotted for each group. Brushing technique, toothpaste, and brushing time were standardized for all the subjects. The Turesky- Gilmore-Glickman modification of Quigley-Hein plaque index was used to evaluate plaque scores at baseline, and 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks by one blinded examiner. After 2 weeks, the subjects were provided with dental floss to be used in conjunction with the toothbrush. Buccal, lingual, and interproximal plaque reduction percentages were computed and analyzed for statistical significance. The four toothbrushes showed similar plaque removal scores at the three sites, with no statistical significance (P > .05). The interproximal plaque removal scores of the four toothbrushes were the least at 2 weeks (25%) when compared with buccal (65%) and lingual (60%) percentage scores. The addition of dental floss significantly increased the interproximal plaque removal scores, with 4-week scores revealing 70% removal. These data revealed the lack of significance between the four toothbrushes studied, which is in line with previous studies. The addition of dental floss had a significant effect on the interproximal plaque removal, which could be crucial in the maintenance of gingival health.

Analysis of the Evolution of Tannic Acid Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles Using Mie Theory

Spherical gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have been synthesized in aqueous solutions using sodium citrate (SC) and tannic acid (TA) as reducing and stabilizing agents. Upon addition of TA and compared to the GNP TA-free aqueous solutions, a reduction of the GNPs size and consequently a dramatic change of their optical properties have been observed and quantitatively analyzed using Mie theory. An increase in the concentration of TA reveals a modification of the colloidal solution refractive index that is evidenced by the shift in the peak position of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band. The variations of the peak absorbance with the TA concentration are examined in the low and high concentration regimes.

Effect modification of body mass index and body fat percentage on fatty liver disease in a Japanese population

No previous study has performed multivariate analysis of the risk factors of fatty liver disease (FL), focusing on the effect of weight gain of ≥ 10 kg since the age of 20, and no analysis model exists that simultaneously evaluates body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP) as adjustment variables. To investigate these, we collected anthropometric data from health checkups, and conducted a cross-sectional study (targeting 1851 males and 1259 females aged 30 years or over). Regardless of sex, weight gain of ≥10 kg since the age of 20 was positively associated with FL. Our stratified analysis of BFP into two categories, to evaluate the interaction between BMI and BFP in FL, indicated an approximately fivefold increase in the odds ratio in the male group with high BMI and BFP values compared to those with low BMI and BFP values, with a synergy index of 1.77 > 1. On the other hand, females demonstrated no significant additive interaction, with a synergy index of 0.49 < 1. We revealed that weight gain ≥ 10 kg since the age of 20 is significantly associated with FL regardless of sex. In addition, by performing a synergy index (S), we showed that the additive interaction between BMI and BFP in FL differs according to gender.

Abstract 18841: Outcomes of Septal Myomectomy in the United States: A 13-year perspective

Background: Septal Myomectomy (MM) is the primary modality for left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) gradient reduction in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) patients with refractory symptoms. Extended follow-up data for MM from a large multi-center registry is sparse. METHODS: We queried the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) between 1998 and 2010 using ICD9 procedure code 37.33 for MM. Only adult patients with HOCM (ICD-9-CM code 425.1) were included. Out of these, patients with any arrhythmia diagnosis were excluded. The NIS represents 20% of all hospitals in the US. We defined severity of co-morbidities using Deyo modification of Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI), where higher scores (0-33) represent increasing burden. Three level hierarchical mixed models were created to identify independent multivariate predictors of complications and mortality for MM. Hierarchical mixed effects linear regression models were used to evaluate cost of hospitalization and length of stay (LOS). RESULTS: The overall mortality was 5.9%. 5.4% of the patients had significant post-operative bleeding necessitating transfusion while 8.7% had complete heart block requiring a pacemaker. Increasing CCI was associated with a higher rate of complications and mortality (OR 2.42, 95% CI (1.17-4.98), p-value 0.02). The mean cost of hospitalization was $40,444 +/- 1,786 while the average LOS was 8.69 +/- 0.35 days. Occurrence of any post-operative complications was associated with an increased cost of hospitalization (+$33,870, p&lt;.01) and LOS (+6.1 days, p&lt;.01). Conclusions: We observed a relatively higher mortality rate for surgical MM than published literature with cardiac complications being most common specifically complete heart block. Increasing severity of co-morbidities was predictive of poorer outcomes while a higher burden of post-operative complications was associated with a higher cost of hospitalization and LOS.

CARING (CAncer Risk and INsulin analoGues): The Association of Diabetes Mellitus and Cancer Risk with Focus on Possible Determinants - A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

Background: Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM) may experience an increased risk of cancer; however, it is not certain whether this effect is due to diabetes per se.Objective: To examine the association between DM and cancers by a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the PRISMA guidelines.Data Sources: The systematic literature search includes Medline at PubMed, Embase, Cinahl, Bibliotek.dk, Cochrane library, Web of Science and SveMed+ with the search terms: “Diabetes mellitus”, “Neoplasms”, and “Risk of cancer”.Study Eligibility Criteria: The included studies compared the risk of cancer in diabetic patients versus non-diabetic patients. All types of observational study designs were included.Results: Diabetes patients were at a substantially increased risk of liver (RR=2.1), and pancreas (RR=2.2) cancer. Modestly elevated significant risks were also found for ovary (RR=1.2), breast (RR=1.1), cervix (RR=1.3), endometrial (RR=1.4), several digestive tract (RR=1.1-1.5), kidney (RR=1.4), and bladder cancer (RR=1.1). The findings were similar for men and women, and unrelated to study design. Meta-regression analyses showed limited effect modification of body mass index, and possible effect modification of age, gender, with some influence of study characteristics (population source, cancer- and diabetes ascertainment).Limitations: Publication bias seemed to be present. Only published data were used in the analyses.Conclusions: The systematic review and meta-analysis confirm the previous results of increased cancer risk in diabetes and extend this to additional cancer sites. Physicians in contact with patients with diabetes should be aware that diabetes patients are at an increased risk of cancer.

III–V Oxidation: Discoveries and Applications in Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Since the discovery of III-V oxidation by Dallesasse and Holonyak in 1989, significant progress has been made, both technically and commercially, on the use of oxides in compound semiconductor devices. The process-induced modification of refractive index and conductivity allows control of the two carriers of information in optoelectronic systems, the photon and the electron, enabling wide-ranging device applications. Of great technical and commercial importance has been the use of oxidation for the fabrication of high-speed vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), first implemented by Deppe's group at The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX, USA). Here, the low refractive index III-V oxide's interaction with the optical modes inside the VCSEL creates an optimal overlap of gain and field, enabling lasers with ultralow threshold currents and desirable optical beam properties. The discovery of III-V oxidation, key technical milestones in the fabrication of photonic and electronic devices that use oxidation, and the application to VCSELs are reviewed.