Regular Profile Research Articles

Lipid profile in an apparently healthy Nigerian population

To describe the pattern of lipid profile of members of staff of a tertiary education institution in South-West Nigeria with a view to assessing risk of cardiovascular disease among them. One hundred and ninety three (193) members of staff of the Institution were involved in the study. Questionnaires were administered to obtain information on demographic characteristics and medical history of respondents. Weight, height and blood pressure of participants were measured and the Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated. Fasting plasma lipid profile parameters--Total cholesterol (TC), High Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) , Low Density Lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and Triglycerides (TG)) were also determined in all the participants using standard assay methods. Mean TC, HDL-C, LDL-C and TG were 4.04 mmol/L, 1.63 mmol/L, 1.98 mmol/L and 0.92 mmol/L respectively . Mean BMI was 25.98 kg/m2. Twenty-eight (14.5%) participants had mean cholesterol values e" 5.2 mM/L, 19 men had HDL values<1.0 mM/L and 28 women had HDL values<1.3 mM/L (making a total of 24.3% of the study population). Twenty (10.4%) had LDL cholesterol e"3.3 mM/L, while 14 (7.3 %) had triglyceride valuese" 1.7 mM/L. One hundred and thirty one (67.8%) participants had values of all lipid parameters within reference range while 62 (32.8%) had abnormality in 1 or more of the parameters. Sixty two participants (32.1%) were overweight while 45 (23.3%) were obese. Statistically significant differences were found when TG and BMI levels of male participants were compared with those of their female counterparts. Abnormalities in lipid profile parameters were found mostly in participants who were 40 years and above. Age of participants correlated positively with total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels while LDL-C levels correlated negatively with HDL levels. A significant proportion of the population had abnormality in one or more Lipid profile parameters, the most common being low HDL cholesterol levels. A considerable number of participants were also either overweight or obese. Most of the abnormalities in lipid profile were found in participants e" 40 years. The study underscores a need to sensitise members of the community to regular lipid profile check up .

Drawing of continuous sections with a regular polygon profile

When designing the drawing process of sections with a regular polygon profile, it is convenient to use analytical expressions that make it possible to operatively evaluate the effect of different manufacturing factors. A calculation procedure for stress in this process is proposed. The relationships are derived for the calculation of the drawing stress, the optimal angle for the drawing-tool channel, the limiting deformation rate with the use of a standard tool, and the stress-state characteristic in the axial part of the deformation zone. The application of a drawing tool with optimum angles decreases the accumulation rate for defects of the metal structure and makes it possible to decrease the number of intermediate thermal treatments during multiple drawing.

MoS2 Transistors Fabricated via Plasma-Assisted Nanoprinting of Few-Layer MoS2 Flakes into Large-Area Arrays

Large-area few-layer-MoS2 device arrays are desirable for scale-up applications in nanoelectronics. Here we present a novel approach for producing orderly arranged, pristine few-layer MoS2 flakes, which holds significant potential to be developed into a nanomanufacturing technology that can be scaled up. We pattern bulk MoS2 stamps using lithographic techniques and subsequently transfer-print prepatterned MoS2 features onto pristine and plasma-charged SiO2 substrates. Our work successfully demonstrates the transfer printing of MoS2 flakes into ordered arrays over cm(2)-scale areas. Especially, the MoS2 patterns printed on plasma-charged substrates feature a regular edge profile and a narrow distribution of MoS2 flake thicknesses (i.e., 3.0 ± 1.9 nm) over cm(2)-scale areas. Furthermore, we experimentally show that our plasma-assisted printing process can be generally used for producing other emerging atomically layered nanostructures (e.g., graphene nanoribbons). We also demonstrate working n-type transistors made from printed MoS2 flakes that exhibit excellent properties (e.g., ON/OFF current ratio 10(5)-10(7), field-effect mobility on SiO2 gate dielectrics 6 to 44 cm(2)/(V s)) as well as good uniformity of such transistor parameters over a large area. Finally, with additional plasma treatment processes, we also show the feasibility of creation of p-type transistors as well as pn junctions in MoS2 flakes. This work lays an important foundation for future scale-up nanoelectronic applications of few-layer-MoS2 micro- and nanostructures.

PWE-081 Thioguanine Remains an Acceptable Alternative Immunosuppressant in IBD

IntroductionA significant proportion of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients do not tolerate conventional thiopurines (azathioprine (AZA) and mercaptopurine (MP)). Thioguanine (TG) remains an alternative immunomodulator (IM) and has been in...

MO‐F‐WAB‐11: Investigation of CBCT‐Based Patient Positioning Accuracy in Lung SBRT: Correlation with Breathing Irregularity

Purpose: To evaluate breathing irregularity induced error in CBCT‐based patient positioning in lung SBRT and correlate the error with a measure of breathing variability. Methods: The 4D extended cardiac‐torso (XCAT) digital phantom was used to generate 10‐phase 4DCT and CBCT images using in‐house developed simulation programs. Images were generated for various respiratory profiles (one regular sinusoidal and 10 irregular) and tumor sizes (1 cm, 2 cm, 3 cm). Maximum intensity projection (MIP) and average intensity projection (AIP) images were generated from 4DCT images. Image registrations between CBCT and AIP were performed for each respiratory profile and tumor size by four clinicians (two physicians and two physicists) based on target volume matching. Error of registration was determined as the difference between manual CBCT‐to‐AIP registration and known registration between the two. Breathing irregularities of the respiratory profiles were measured and correlated to errors of registration. Results: Inter‐observer variation of registration was 0.15 mm, 0.34 mm, and 0.69 mm, in the medial‐lateral (ML), anterior‐posterior (AP), and superior‐inferior (SI) direction, respectively. For the regular profile, negligible errors of registration were found in all directions (median&lt;0.5 mm). For the irregular profiles and all tumor sizes, small errors (median=0.5 mm) were found in the ML and AP directions, while non‐trivial errors were seen in the SI direction (median (+/− SD): 2.10 (+/− 2.27) mm). No significant difference in mean error of registration was found for different tumor sizes (p&gt;0.6). Maximum error of registration in the ML, AP, and SI direction was 1.2 mm, 2.6 mm, and 8.4 mm, respectively. Mild correlations (R2 range: 0.37 to 0.47) were observed between error of registration error and breathing irregularity for all tumor sizes. Conclusion: Irregular breathing can induce error in CBCT‐based image registration in lung SBRT. This error increases as the breathing irregularity increases.

Numerical modeling of steady-state flow of a non-Newtonian power-law fluid in a rough-walled fracture

Numerical simulations of power-law fluid flow in a rough fracture of regular or irregular topography were carried out using the finite-volume method under the assumptions of the lubrication theory approximation. The model was verified by comparing its results with analytical results available for regular 1D sinusoidal profiles across or along the flow. For a regular profile with sinusoidal variation of the aperture in both directions, the model confirmed that a geometric average can be used as a first approximation, as long as the variation in the profile is not too large. For all fracture topographies studied, reducing the exponent, i.e. making the fluid more shear-thinning, resulted in increasing equivalent hydraulic aperture. The normalized equivalent hydraulic aperture decreased with the normalized standard deviation of the fracture aperture for all fracture topographies studied, except a fracture with a large-scale feature representing a zone of overlap in the middle of the fracture. The validity of the assumptions made in the numerical simulations, in particular the lubrication theory approximation, is discussed and the directions for future work are outlined in conclusion.

Vapor–Liquid–Liquid Equilibria Measurements for the Dehydration of Ethanol, Isopropanol, and n-Propanol via Azeotropic Distillation Using DIPE and Isooctane as Entrainers

Vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) and vapor–liquid–liquid equilibrium (VLLE) data were measured for the ethanol/diisopropyl ether (DIPE)/water, n-propanol/DIPE/water, and n-propanol/2,2,4-trimethylpentane (isooctane)/water systems at 101.3 kPa. The data were carefully measured in a Guillespie type still, equipped with an ultrasonic homogenizer. The VLE data were found to be thermodynamically consistent, and the LLE part of the VLLE data followed a regular profile according to the Othmer–Tobias correlation. VLLE were observed in the temperature ranges of (334.19 to 336.29) K, (335.31 to 345.76) K, and (347.74 to 352.31) K for the ethanol/DIPE/water, n-propanol/DIPE/water, and n-propanol/isooctane/water systems, respectively. These VLLE regions encompassed wide ranges for water and entrainer composition, with alcohol mole fractions of up to approximately 0.4. The ethanol/DIPE/water and n-propanol/isooctane/water systems displayed ternary heterogeneous azeotropes at (334.19 and 347.74) K, respectively. However, no ternary heterogeneous azeotrope was found for the n-propanol/DIPE/water system. The measured data were subsequently modeled in Aspen Plus with the nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL), universal functional UNIFAC(VLE), UNIFAC(LLE), and universal quasichemical UNIQUAC activity coefficient models, applying the default regression parameters built into Aspen Plus. UNIFAC(VLE) predicted the ethanol/DIPE/water system most accurately, while UNIQUAC performed the best for the n-propanol/DIPE/water. However, none of these models could predict the n-propanol/isooctane/water system with acceptable accuracy. The results of this study strongly support proposals that DIPE or di-n-propyl ether (DNPE) could be used as effective entrainers for alcohol dehydration, replacing the more traditional entrainers like benzene and cyclohexane.

Mechanical response of discontinuities of different joint wall contact strengths

An intensive investigation was set up to study the mechanical response of discontinuities with different joint wall compressive strengths. Physical models were employed in order to perform the planned studies. Models were designed to contain profiles of regular artificial joints molded by five types of plaster mortars each of which representing a distinct uniaxial compressive strength. The compressive strengths of plaster specimens ranged from 5.9 to 19.5 MPa. These specimens were prepared considering to have discontinuities of regular triangular asperity profile and were so designed to achieve joint walls of different strength material combinations. Direct shear tests were carried out on joints, and variations of shear stiffness, normal stiffness, and residual friction angle were investigated in various states. Details of the experiments, obtained data, the performed analyses, and the results are presented in this paper.

Gene expression profile during coffee fruit development and identification of candidate markers for phenological stages

The objective of this work was to identify genes that could be used as suitable markers for molecular recognition of phenological stages during coffee (Coffea arabica) fruit development. Four cultivars were evaluated as to their differential expression of genes associated to fruit development and maturation processes. Gene expression was characterized by both semi-quantitative and quantitative RT-PCR, in fruit harvested at seven different developmental stages, during three different seasons. No size polymorphisms or differential expression were observed among the cultivars for the evaluated genes; however, distinct expression profiles along fruit development were determined for each gene. Four out of the 28 evaluated genes exhibited a regular expression profile in all cultivars and harvest seasons, and, therefore, they were validated as candidate phenological markers of coffee fruit. The gene α-galactosidase can be used as a marker of green stage, caffeine synthase as a marker of transition to green and yellowish-green stages, and isocitrate lyase and ethylene receptor 3 as markers of late maturation.

SU-E-J-209: A Simple Method to Minimize Uncertainty in ITV Delineation: Phantom Verification.

Irregular breathing causes variation in delineation of internal target volume (ITV), which is typically generated in the maximum intensity projection (MIP) images [1]. Previous studies have shown that MIP-based ITV can underestimate true tumor range [2]. This study examines a simple method to reduce such errors by combining the GTV of 3D-CT with the ITV of MIP. The Computerized Imaging Reference Systems (CIRS) Dynamic Thorax Phantom Model 008A (CIRS, Norfolk, VA) with CIRS motion control software was used to model 4 irregular patient respiratory profiles and one regular respiratory profile (sine wave). A 3 cm tumor insert was used as target. For each breathing profile, a 3D-CT and 3 repeated 4D-CT scans with random intervals within the breathing profile were performed on a 4-slice clinical scanner (Lightspeed, GE, WI). The RPM system (Varian, Palo Alto, CA) was used to track the respiratory profiles. GTV was contoured on 3D-CT, and ITV was contoured on each MIP (ITVMIP) using a consistent lung window by the same person. The new method of creating ITV was to combine the GTV and ITVMIP, namely ITVCOMB. To evaluate which ITV is more accurate, ITVCOMB and ITVMIP were compared to a 'ground truth' ITV (ITVGT) which was generated by combining the three ITVMIPs. For the regular profile, both ITVMIP (27.25 cm3 ) and ITVCOMB (28.12 cm3 ) were comparable to ITVGT (27.25 cm3 ). For irregular profiles, the mean absolute difference between ITVCOMB and ITVGT (6.3%±4.9) was significantly (p-value=0.0078) smaller than that between ITVMIP and ITVGT (18.1%±12.3). The results suggest that combining GTV of the 3D-CT with the ITV of the MIP is more accurate than the ITV of the MIP alone, and thus would be a simple method to reduce breathing irregularity induced errors in ITV delineation for treatment planning of lung cancer.

Designing Filters for Fast-Known NcRNA Identification

Detecting members of known noncoding RNA (ncRNA) families in genomic DNA is an important part of sequence annotation. However, the most widely used tool for modeling ncRNA families, the covariance model (CM), incurs a high-computational cost when used for genome-wide search. This cost can be reduced by using a filter to exclude sequences that are unlikely to contain the ncRNA of interest, applying the CM only where it is likely to match strongly. Despite recent advances, designing an efficient filter that can detect ncRNA instances lacking strong conservation while excluding most irrelevant sequences remains challenging. In this work, we design three types of filters based on multiple secondary structure profiles (SSPs). An SSP augments a regular profile (i.e., a position weight matrix) with secondary structure information but can still be efficiently scanned against long sequences. Multi-SSPbased filters combine evidence from multiple SSP matches and can achieve high sensitivity and specificity. Our SSP-based filters are extensively tested in BRAliBase III data set, Rfam 9.0, and a published soil metagenomic data set. In addition, we compare the SSPbased filters with several other ncRNA search tools including Infernal (with profile HMMs as filters), ERPIN, and tRNAscan-SE. Our experiments demonstrate that carefully designed SSP filters can achieve significant speedup over unfiltered CM search while maintaining high sensitivity for various ncRNA families. The designed filters and filter-scanning programs are available at our website: www.cse.msu.edu/~yannisun/ssp/.

Excitation of a system of electromagnetic oscillators in the field of a remote microwave radiation source. Part 1. High-Q systems

Results of simulation and experimental testing of a method of forming a periodic temperature profile on the surface of a dielectric body are presented. The temperature profile is formed by a system of passive electromagnetic (EM) oscillators heated in the field of a quasi-optical beam of external microwave radiation. It is shown that, in a system of parallel linear high-Q oscillators of a resonance length, a multimode EM-field structure is formed, which hampers formation of a uniform periodic structure of energy release zones and, therefore, formation of a regular temperature profile on the model’s surface. Feasible ways of solving this problem are proposed, including application of linear EM oscillators situated near a conducting reflecting screen at a distance much shorter than a quarter wavelength of the radiation.

Importance of Tensile Strength on the Shear Behavior of Discontinuities

In this study, the shear behavior of discontinuities possessing two different rock wall types with distinct separate compressive strengths was investigated. The designed profiles consisted of regular artificial joints molded by five types of plaster mortars, each representing a distinct uniaxial compressive strength. The compressive strengths of plaster specimens ranged from 5.9 to 19.5 MPa. These specimens were molded considering a regular triangular asperity profile and were designed so as to achieve joint walls with different strength material combinations. The results showed that the shear behavior of discontinuities possessing different joint wall compressive strengths (DDJCS) tested under constant normal load (CNL) conditions is the same as those possessing identical joint wall strengths, but the shear strength of DDJCS is governed by minor joint wall compressive strength. In addition, it was measured that the predicted values obtained by Barton’s empirical criterion are greater than the experimental results. The finding indicates that there is a correlation between the joint roughness coefficient (JRC), normal stress, and mechanical strength. It was observed that the mode of failure of asperities is either pure tensile, pure shear, or a combination of both. Therefore, Barton’s strength criterion, which considers the compressive strength of joint walls, was modified by substituting the compressive strength with the tensile strength. The validity of the modified criterion was examined by the comparison of the predicted shear values with the laboratory shear test results reported by Grasselli (Ph.D. thesis n.2404, Civil Engineering Department, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2001). These comparisons infer that the modified criterion can predict the shear strength of joints more precisely.

The problematic backreaction of SUSY-breaking branes

In this paper we investigate the localisation of SUSY-breaking branes which, in the smeared approximation, support specific non-BPS vacua. We show, for a wide class of boundary conditions, that there is no flux vacuum when the branes are described by a genuine delta-function. Even more, we find that the smeared solution is the unique solution with a regular brane profile. Our setup consists of a non-BPS AdS7 solution in massive IIA supergravity with smeared anti-D6-branes and fluxes T-dual to ISD fluxes in IIB supergravity.

A new dedicated ultrashort steerable balloon for side branch ostial dilatation

A dedicated balloon with a short beveled tip and the ability to rotate it from the proximal hub was successfully used to dilate the origin of a side branch which became totally occluded after deployment of a stent in the main vessel. Although regular low profile balloons are mostly successful in crossing struts of previously deployed stents, this new device has the potential to offer a more predictable and rapid solution in routine practice.

Pressure-driven flow of wormlike micellar solutions in rectilinear microchannels

AbstractIn this paper the inhomogeneous response of the (two species) VCM model (Vasquez et al., A network scission model for wormlike micellar solutions. I. Model formulation and homogeneous flow predictions, J. Non-Newtonian Fluid Mech. 144 (2007) 122–139) is examined in steady rectilinear pressure-driven flow through a planar channel. This microstructural network model incorporates elastically active network connections that break and reform mimicking the behavior of concentrated wormlike micellar solutions. The constitutive model, which includes non-local effects arising from Brownian motion and from the coupling between the stress and the microstructure (finite length worms), consists of a set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations describing the two micellar species (a long species ‘A’ and a shorter species ‘B’) which relax due to reptative and Rouse-like mechanisms as well as rupture of the long micellar chains. In pressure-driven flow, the velocity profile predicted by the VCM model deviates from the regular parabolic profile expected for a Newtonian fluid and exhibits a complex spatial structure. An apparent slip layer develops near the wall as a consequence of the microstructural boundary conditions and the shear-induced diffusion and rupture of the micellar species. Above a critical pressure drop, the flow exhibits shear banding with a high shear rate band located near the channel walls. This pressure-driven shear banding transition or ‘spurt’ has been observed experimentally in macroscopic and microscopic channel flow experiments. The detailed structure of the shear banding profiles and the resulting flow curves predicted by the model depend on the magnitude of the dimensionless diffusion parameter. For small channel dimensions, the solutions exhibit ‘non-local’ effects that are consistent with very recent experiments in microfluidic geometries (Masselon et al., Influence of boundary conditions and confinement on non local effects in flows of wormlike micellar systems, Phys. Rev. E 81 (2010) 021502).

Determination of the material damping ratio in the soil from SASW tests using the half-power bandwidth method

SUMMARY This paper presents a novel technique for the determination of the material damping ratio in shallow soil layers. It is based on the spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) test. The technique is an alternative to existing methods, where the damping ratio is determined from the spatial decay of the Rayleigh wave. These methods rely on the knowledge of the geometric damping, and may lead to incorrect results if the geometric damping is calculated based on an inaccurate shear wave velocity profile. The existing methods may also lead to incorrect results when higher modes contribute to the wavefield in the soil. In the proposed technique, the wavefield is transformed to the frequency–wavenumber domain. The resulting frequency–wavenumber spectrum exhibits a peak that corresponds to the fundamental Rayleigh wave. The dispersion curve is derived from the peak’s position, whereas the attenuation curve is derived from its width, using the half-power bandwidth method. Due to the use of the appropriate wavenumber transformation, this method does not require the calculation of the geometric damping. In addition, the occurrence of higher Rayleigh modes does not affect the attenuation curve associated with the fundamental Rayleigh wave, as higher modes appear as separate peaks in the frequency–wavenumber spectrum that do not interfere with the peak corresponding to the fundamental Rayleigh wave (except at the osculation points). Three benchmark problems are considered to validate the outlined technique; the results are compared with those obtained using existing methods. All methods perform well when applied to a regular soil profile, where the stiffness of the soil increases with depth. For soil profiles with a soft layer trapped between two stiffer layers, or where the soil properties vary smoothly with depth, the proposed technique yields more accurate results than the existing methods. The practical applicability of the new method is finally illustrated using experimental data collected from a test site in Belgium.

SU‐GG‐J‐84: ADiver: A Respiratory Physiology Based Motion Phantom for Evaluating Radiotherapy Motion Management

Purpose: Most phantoms for evaluating breathing‐motion management execute motions from a pre‐defined function or a stored profile. We have developed a phantom (aDiver) that models human respiratory physiology so that it responds to its respiration history. This is valuable in evaluating motion management methods that modify the breathing pattern of patients. Method and Materials: aDiver is based on a servo‐motor controlled linear actuator. Software is downloaded to the micro‐controller which drives the actuator to the programmed position. We developed the software so that multiple segments of a breathing cycle can be combined to construct profiles of different amplitudes, shapes and periods. It calculates the real‐time concentration of carbon dioxide according to the executed profile. It assumes that the metabolic output rate of carbon dioxide is constant and there is perfect mixing of the different gas components. At the beginning of each inhalation, it will determine the inhalation depth based on the current concentration of carbon dioxide. aDiver accepts an input signal to hold the breath immediately and an input to execute a deep inhalation. It can also set a panic output when the carbon dioxide concentration is above a set level. Results: aDiver can ‘breathe’ practically indefinitely, responding to input to hold the breath, breathing deeper after a breath hold, responding to input to take a deep breath, and setting the panic signal when needed. We have demonstrated that it can produce a regular breathing profile at tidal volume for respiratory gating, it can take deep breaths and hold the breath for Active Breathing Control (ABC) repeatedly, and it can hold the breath in every (or every other) breathing cycle for Audio‐gated Radiotherapy (ART) or Gated Breathing Synchronizer (GBS). Conclusion: aDiver simulates the breathing pattern of a human under different commands automatically. Supported in part by NIH P01‐CA59827.

Synthesis and Characterization of Fluorescent Polyoxometalate Nano-/Microrods

Fluorescent nano-/microrods of the polyoxometalate (POM) K4H[Eu(α-SiW11O39)- (H2O)2] ・ 17H2O were obtained in aqueous solution by a conventional synthesis method. The nano-/microrods have been characterized by elemental analysis and FT-IR, UV/Vis, and TG-DTA data, and their morphology was examined by ESEM-FEG, showing that the average ratio of diameter to length is 1 : 20. The obtained nano-/microrods exhibit a regular profile and an intense fluorescence.

Early meiosis in Rhynchospora pubera L. (Cyperaceae) is marked by uncommon ultrastructural features

The family Cyperaceae has an unusual microsporogenesis in which tetrad formation does not occur. In addition, other cytological features are important, such as the occurrence of holokinetic chromosomes and post-reductional meiosis. We have examined the ultrastructural features of the pollen mother cell (PMC) of Rhynchospora pubera. Anthers of several sizes were analyzed using light and transmission electron microscopy. The PMC before meiosis presented a central nucleus and a regular profile of the nuclear envelope. During prophase I, the nucleus was in the abaxial region of the cell. This cellular polarization was accompanied by other marked ultrastructural features in the nuclear envelope. Morphological changes involved dilations of perinuclear cisterns and polarization of the nuclear pore complexes. The results show that polarization occurs in the initial phases of microsporogenesis in R. pubera, unlike other plant species.