Shorter Lag Time Research Articles

Altmetrics versus traditional bibliometrics: Short-time lag and short-time life?

Altmetrics versus traditional bibliometrics: Short-time lag and short-time life?

Oral raft forming in situ gelling system for site specific delivery of calcium

In situ gelling Raft forming system (GRFS), a novel sol-gel system of calcium carbonate (CC) was developed with the aim to prolong the gastric residence time and thereby the bioavailability. A simple lattice mixture design was adopted to study the effect of formulation composition (% HPMC K100 M and % Xanthan gum), on buoyancy lag times, percent of CC released at 1hr and 6hr. The mathematical models generated by analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that the levels of HPMC K100 M and Xanthan gum were found to significantly affect all the three responses. The optimized formulation developed by numerical optimization technique was found to display short buoyancy lag time (10.90 ± 0.56 s), minimum burst release (20.74 ± 1.08%) in 1 h and controlled yet near complete release (87.25 ± 1.81%) in 6 h. The experimental data for the optimized formulations was in agreement with that predicted by the mathematical models proving the validity of the models generated. In vivo radiographic studies in rabbits indicated that optimized batch displayed a mean gastric retention time of 5.64 ± 0.43 h that was significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to the marketed suspension that exhibited a mean gastric retention time of less than 1 h. The studies proved that the GRFS gastroretentive systems can be a promising platform to improve bioavailability of nutrients having absorption window in upper gastrointestinal tract.

EFFECT OF IMAGE MATCHING WINDOW SIZE ON SATELLITE JITTER FREQUENCY DETECTION

Abstract. Satellite attitude jitter is a common and complex phenomenon for high-resolution satellites and it is detectable by multi-temporal image matching. This paper analyses the effect of image matching window size on jitter frequency detection. First, two simulation images with a given short time lag and line scanning frequency affected by a modelled jitter are generated based on the principle of dynamic imaging model. Then, the relative image distortions are obtained by dense image matching with different matching window size and the frequency is estimated through spectrum analysis of the obtained image distortions. The experimental results demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of high frequency jitter detection based on dense image matching, and the results indicated that the maximum detectable frequency is almost not affected by the change of image matching window size, which provided useful demonstration of image-based satellite jitter detection capacity.

The importance of short lag-time in the runoff forecasting model based on long short-term memory

It is still very challenging to enhance the accuracy and stability of daily runoff forecasts, especially several days ahead, owing to the non-linearity of the forecasted processes. Here, we hypothesize that short lag-time has a significant impact on forecasting results. Thus, we incorporate short previous time steps into long short-term memory (LSTM) and develop the Self-Attentive Long Short-Term Memory (SA-LSTM). In SA-LSTM, the self-attention mechanism is used to model interdependencies within short previous time steps. SA-LSTM is evaluated at eight runoff datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that, compared with state-of-art benchmark models, SA-LSTM achieves the best performance. The RMSEs of SA-LSTM are at least 2.3% smaller than that of the second best model at the seventh day. The NSEs and NSE_In of SA-LSTM are at least 4.6% and 6.4% higher than those of the second best model at the seventh day. Furthermore, SA-LSTM also surpasses the baseline methods for base, mean and peak flows. The superiority of SA-LSTM can be attributed to its exploitation of information in short lag-time.

In-vitro evaluation of meloxicam permeation using response surface methodology

The influences of combination of different mechanisms of penetration enhancers (such as azone, sodium lauryl sulfate and menthol) on the percutaneous absorption of meloxicam formulations throughh rat skin were investigated using uniform deign and response surface methodology. The uniform design was applied to prepare systematic model formulations which were composed of three formulation factors: Azone (x1), sodium lauryl sulfate (x2), and menthol (x3). The result showed that azone had the highest potential influence on the penetration absorption of meloxicam, followed by sodium lauryl sulfate and menthol. With zero-order delivery, the required flux of meloxicam gel to maintain a therapeutic concentration was about 400 μg/hr/cm2. The result showed that the optimal addition concentration of azone at 4% to 6% could be obtained at high penetration rate and short lag time of meloxicam gel. It was shown that as the concentration of sodium lauryl sulfate increased from 0% to 12% the flux and cumulative amount at 48 hr increased and lag time decreased. On the other hand, menthol had the effect of a shorter lag time. To validate the predictive ability of the hypothesized model, the predicted formulations were prepared and penetration experiments were performed. The predicted formulations were developed for the transdermal drug delivery system.

Thermochronological and Geochronological Constraints on Late Cretaceous Unroofing and Proximal Sedimentation in the Sevier Orogenic Belt, Utah

AbstractA source‐to‐sink analysis incorporating geochronometric and thermochronometric data from the Sevier fold‐thrust belt (SFTB) and proximal synorogenic strata of the Canyon Range Conglomerate (CRC) and Indianola Group (IG) provides new insights into orogenic exhumation, erosional unroofing, and the interplay between thrusting and coarse clastic deposition in the Cretaceous Cordilleran foreland basin of western North America. Zircon (U‐Th)/He ages from the Pavant and Nebo thrust sheets record significant Cenomanian cooling indicative of synchronous exhumation and thrusting along a large segment of the SFTB in central and northern Utah. Detrital zircon (U‐Th)/He (DZHe) ages indistinguishable from depositional ages from the Cenomanian Dakota Formation and lower CRC also record rapid unroofing of the SFTB and synchronous deposition. DZHe data from wedge‐top deposits of the CRC record two significant unroofing episodes: Albo‐Cenomanian exhumation of the Pavant thrust and progressive unroofing of the Canyon Range culmination. For the IG, the presence of Paleozoic DZHe ages along with Paleozoic‐Mesozoic DZ U‐Pb ages in the Cenomanian Sanpete Formation suggests derivation from Paleozoic to Jurassic strata exhumed in the frontal Pavant and Nebo thrust sheets. After the Cenomanian episode of rapid exhumation, proximal foredeep strata recorded a widespread DZ provenance shift in the Turonian. Short DZHe lag time values from Campanian CRC and IG deposits reveal rapid exhumation of the SFTB during the Campanian. The synchroneity of major shortening and Campanian and Cenomanian changes in foreland basin architecture and provenance supports models proposing that active shortening in the fold‐thrust belt coincides with coarse clastic influx in foreland basins.

Economic distress and health: A fixed effects analysis of low‐income persons in Singapore

Using fixed effects regressions, this study examined the transactional effects of different types of economic status on the physical and mental health of low‐income persons in Singapore. Among the economic variables considered, unemployment and arrears had the most significant effects. This signals the physical and psychological distress of being out of work and possessing arrears while income is low. The insignificant effects of poor health on household earnings suggest possible earnings supplementation by other household members. The findings imply the fruitfulness of dually improving employment prospects and health, work activation that takes into consideration mental health effects, increasing affordability of health services in liberal welfare systems, improving mental bandwidth through reducing arrears accounts, and short lag time from application to receipt of assistance. These implications point to a larger question on health and welfare systems in an increasingly uncertain economic environment for households in poverty.Key Practitioner Message: • Employment and health are inter‐related: employment assistance incorporating physical and mental health interventions and vice versa can be more effective than either alone; • Compared with decreasing arrears amounts, reducing the number of arrears can more effectively relieve mental distress; • Effects between economic distress and health materialise quickly; minimising the lag time between application and receipt of assistance will provide great relief.

Shadowing in the manual modality

Motor simulation has emerged as a mechanism for both predictive action perception and language comprehension. By deriving a motor command, individuals can predictively represent the outcome of an unfolding action as a forward model. Evidence of simulation can be seen via improved participant performance for stimuli that conform to the participant's individual characteristics (an egocentric bias). There is little evidence, however, from individuals for whom action and language take place in the same modality: sign language users. The present study asked signers and nonsigners to shadow (perform actions in tandem with various models), and the delay between the model and participant (“lag time”) served as an indicator of the strength of the predictive model (shorter lag time = more robust model). This design allowed us to examine the role of (a) motor simulation during action prediction, (b) linguistic status in predictive representations (i.e., pseudosigns vs. grooming gestures), and (c) language experience in generating predictions (i.e., signers vs. nonsigners). An egocentric bias was only observed under limited circumstances: when nonsigners began shadowing grooming gestures. The data do not support strong motor simulation proposals, and instead highlight the role of (a) production fluency and (b) manual rhythm for signer productions. Signers showed significantly faster lag times for the highly skilled pseudosign model and increased temporal regularity (i.e., lower standard deviations) compared to nonsigners. We conclude sign language experience may (a) reduce reliance on motor simulation during action observation, (b) attune users to prosodic cues (c) and induce temporal regularities during action production.

Rapid cold slab subduction of the Paleo-Tethys: Insights from lawsonite-bearing blueschist in the Changning–Menglian orogenic belt, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

The Changning–Menglian orogenic belt (CMOB) in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau is considered as the main suture of the Paleozoic Paleo-Tethys that separates Gondwana-derived continental fragments from Eurasia-derived ones. Understanding the evolutionary history of this orogenic belt is of critical importance in the reconstruction of the tectonic history of Paleo-Tethys. The CMOB preserves well-exposed blueschist facies rocks, albeit their tectonometamorphic history and protolith signatures remain poorly constrained. Here we present, for the first time, results from a detailed investigation of lawsonite-bearing blueschist rocks, including epidote-magnesioriebeckite schist and garnet-ferroglaucophane schist from the CMOB and involving petrological, mineralogical, thermodynamic modeling, whole-rock geochemical, and geochronological studies. The epidote-magnesioriebeckite schist samples and garnet-ferroglaucophane schist samples display OIB- and E-MORB-like geochemical affinities, respectively, and have whole-rock εNd (t) values in the range of −5.4–+4.4, suggesting that their protoliths were mainly oceanic crust with limited degree of crustal assimilation. Magmatic zircon grains from the garnet-ferroglaucophane schist samples yield protolith ages of 253–250 Ma. Combined with previous data, our data represent the youngest ages of rock formation in the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean reported to date. The epidote-magnesioriebeckite schist samples show a peak assemblage of magnesioriebeckite + lawsonite + augite-aegirine + phengite + titanite + allanite, with peak P–T conditions of 12.4–16.8 kbar and 350–406 °C. In contrast, the garnet-ferroglaucophane schist samples preserve a peak assemblage of garnet + ferroglaucophane + omphacite + lawsonite + phengite + titanite/ilmenite/rutile ± allanite and yield peak P–T conditions of 19.5–22.6 kbar and 490–510 °C. The epidote-magnesioriebeckite schists and garnet-ferroglaucophane schists record a nearly complete clockwise P–T loop characterized by a steep prograde P–T path with a low thermal gradient of ~5–8 °C/km followed by cooling or overprinting by isothermal decompression. Reconstruction of the metamorphic P–T evolution, together an evaluation of previous age data, allows us to propose rapid subduction of cold oceanic lithosphere to depths of 50–75 km at a rate of ~6.3–9.3 km/Myr during Early-Middle Triassic (248–240 Ma), followed by exhumation in the Late Triassic (231–214 Ma). The short time lag (<10 Ma) between the protolith generation and the high-pressure metamorphic peak further supports a rapid subduction process. Our results suggest that the young oceanic slab was dragged down by the thicker, long-lived, and cold downgoing Paleo-Tethyan Ocean plate, where it experienced blueschist-facies metamorphism. The co-occurrence of lawsonite-bearing epidote-magnesioriebeckite schists and garnet-ferroglaucophane schists and eclogites further points to a cold thermal structure at the convergent plate interface, leading to the interpretation that the CMOB represents a typical oceanic subduction-accretion belt. The results presented in this study provide important insights into the geodynamic evolution of the Paleo-Tethys.

Decision analysis of agroforestry options reveals adoption risks for resource-poor farmers

Agroforestry interventions have the potential to benefit the livelihoods of farmers and communities worldwide. However, given the high system complexity, the long-term benefits of agroforestry are difficult to anticipate. This study aimed to integrate uncertainty into long-term performance projections for agroforestry interventions in the highlands of Northwest Vietnam. We applied decision analysis and probabilistic modeling approaches to produce economic ex-ante assessments for seven agroforestry options (intercropping of maize, forage grass, or coffee with tea, nut, fruit, and timber trees) promoted in the region. Our results indicate that farmers likely prefer annual monocultures due to the relatively early incomes and short time-lag on returns. However, the results also show that annual profits from monocrops can be expected to decrease over time, due mainly to unsustainable soil use. Agroforestry systems, on the other hand, return substantial profits in the long term, but they also incur high establishment and maintenance costs and can generate net losses in the first few years. Initial financial incentives to compensate for these losses may help in promoting agroforestry adoption in the region. Uncertainties related to farmers’ time preference, crop yields, and crop prices appeared to have the greatest influence on whether monocropping or agroforestry emerged as the preferable option. Narrowing these key knowledge gaps may offer additional clarity on farmers’ optimal course of action and provide guidance for agencies promoting agroforestry interventions in Vietnam and elsewhere. Our model produced a set of plausible ranges for net present values and highlighted critical variables, more clarity on which would support decision-making under uncertainty. Our innovative research approach proved effective in providing forecasts of uncertain outcomes and can be useful for informing similar development interventions in other contexts.

Enhancing Hydrogen Production Performance by Developing Thermotolerant Fermentative Mixed Consortium via High Temperature Stress Acclimation

A thermotolerant fermentative mixed consortium (TFMC) has been screened by directional high temperature stress acclimation for biohydrogen production. The kinetics and metabolic characteristics of TFMC for hydrogen production at high temperature has also been studied. the TFMC can achieve stable hydrogen production under mesophilic conditions at 38 °C with the maximum potential hydrogen production of 665.09 mL, which is decreases by 9.27% as compared to the original mixed consortium at 30 °C. The TFMC also has characteristic of short lag time of 27 h which is 22 h lower than initial group and high hydrogen production rate of 9.48 mL/h which improved 12.9%. The newly obtained TFMC highlights a great potential for biohydrogen production in tropical areas.

Interannual to Decadal Response of the Indonesian Throughflow Vertical Profile to Indo‐Pacific Forcing

AbstractThe Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) inflow through the Sulawesi, Maluku, and Halmahera Seas and the ITF outflow into the eastern tropical Indian Ocean, based on reanalysis and model data, are used to investigate the interannual to decadal response of the ITF vertical profile to Indo‐Pacific forcing. The thermocline (upper 300 m) inflow, driven by the North Pacific Ocean, negatively responds to El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) with almost no lag; while the thermocline outflow lags by 5–7 months. The sub‐thermocline (300–760 m) inflow, which is influenced by both the North and South Pacific, positively responds to ENSO and Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) indices with 13 months lag and displays a long‐term trend tracking the IPO index. Influenced by eastern Indian Ocean variations, the sub‐thermocline outflow positively correlates with the ENSO and IPO indices with about 7–9 months lag, a shorter lag time than the inflow.

SAT-645 An Indication for Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Glucocorticoid-Treated Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction: Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) are increasingly used to optimize management of diabetes mellitus (DM) in the outpatient setting. CGMS measure interstitial glucose concentration, which closely approximates plasma glucose after a short time lag, every 5 min for up to 72 h. CGMS provides detailed information regarding nocturnal and postprandial glycemia, whereas standard finger-stick blood glucose (BG) monitoring regimens do not. As such, CGMS has the potential to provide great insight into the glycemic effect of Glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Case Presentation: A 76-year-old male with past medical history of DM type 2 with retinopathy and interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) requiring home oxygen therapy underwent CGMS for 2 weeks for optimization of BG control. Most recent HbA1C was 7.6%. His DM regimen included Levemir 30 units in AM and 50 units in PM, Aspart 22 units with breakfast, 18 units with lunch and 25 units with dinner, and Metformin 500mg PO BID. During this study the average BG for first 10 days on CGMS was 123-154 mg/dL with BG below 80 mg/dL about 5-28% of time. He had an acute flare of IPF during the study and prednisone 10 mg PO daily was required on the last 2 days. After starting prednisone postprandial hyperglycemia (HYPER) was noted and average BG values ranged from 185-238 mg/dL and no hypoglycemia (HYPO) was noted. Discussion: Endogenous GC excess in Cushing’s syndrome predominantly increases post-prandial BG concentration with fasting BG often in the normal range. If exogenous GCs cause a similar pattern of HYPER, current conventional strategies may inadequately treat postprandial HYPER, and use of long-acting basal insulin may precipitate nocturnal HYPO. Avoidance of HYPO is important because it has been implicated as a potential cause of increased mortality in patients receiving intensive insulin therapy. However, few studies have provided a detailed analysis of the effect of various GCs with different half-lives on BG concentration to optimize treatment of GC-induced HYPER. Our findings have important implications for clinical practice. First, prednisone-treated patients should be educated regarding the importance of checking capillary BG concentration after lunch and before and after dinner, because reliance on measurement of morning BG is likely to underestimate prednisone-induced HYPER. Second, glucose-lowering therapy should be predominantly directed at the time period between midday and midnight. Caution should be exercised with the use of long-acting basal insulin, because it may precipitate nocturnal HYPO, when the effect of prednisone wanes. Because the first glucose excursion begins on an average 3 h after prednisone administration, higher insulin doses at lunch and dinner are likely to be required. Furthermore, CGMS can be used to evaluate glycemic control in patients with DM when treated with various glucocorticoids.

A Comparison of Fire Weather Indices with MODIS Fire Days for the Natural Regions of Alaska

Research Highlights: Flammability of wildland fuels is a key factor influencing risk-based decisions related to preparedness, response, and safety in Alaska. However, without effective measures of current and expected flammability, the expected likelihood of active and problematic wildfires in the future is difficult to assess and prepare for. This study evaluates the effectiveness of diverse indices to capture high-risk fires. Indicators of drought and atmospheric drivers are assessed along with the operational Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS). Background and Objectives: In this study, 13 different indicators of atmospheric conditions, fuel moisture, and flammability are compared to determine how effective each is at identifying thresholds and trends for significant wildfire activity. Materials and Methods: Flammability indices are compared with remote sensing characterizations that identify where and when fire activity has occurred. Results: Among these flammability indicators, conventional tools calibrated to wildfire thresholds (Duff Moisture Code (DMC) and Buildup Index (BUI)), as well as measures of atmospheric forcing (Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD)), performed best at representing the conditions favoring initiation and size of significant wildfire events. Conventional assessments of seasonal severity and overall landscape flammability using DMC and BUI can be continued with confidence. Fire models that incorporate BUI in overall fire potential and fire behavior assessments are likely to produce effective results throughout boreal landscapes in Alaska. One novel result is the effectiveness of VPD throughout the state, making it a potential alternative to FFMC among the short-lag/1-day indices. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the societal value of research that joins new academic research results with operational needs. Developing the framework to do this more effectively will bring science to action with a shorter lag time, which is critical as we face growing challenges from a changing climate.

North Atlantic Oscillation affects dolphinfish catch and bycatch in the Western Mediterranean Sea

Dolphinfish is targeted by small-scale fisheries and is part of the bycatch of drifting surface longline targeting tuna and swordfish in the Mediterranean Sea. The main aim of the present study is to understand the effect of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on the dolphinfish bycatch of the Spanish longline fisheries in the Western Mediterranean Sea and, likewise on the catch of small-scale fisheries targeting dolphinfish associated to anchored fish aggregating devices (aFADs) in waters of the Balearic Islands. Understanding the impact of climatic effects is crucial to improve the assessment and management of the Mediterranean dolphinfish. In longline fisheries, the negative phases of the NAO with a short time lag increase the dolphinfish bycatch probability, with a CPUE higher than the mean of the study period. However, with a long time lag, the positive phases increase the dolphinfish bycatch probability, with a CPUE higher than the mean of the study period. On the other hand, when examining the Mallorca aFADs fisheries, the negative phases of the NAO with a long time lag increased the probability of catching fish with higher landings than the observed mean of the study period. The results suggest strong connections between the prevailing climate conditions in March and April and dolphinfish catches during the fishing season of this species in September and October.

Delayed Treatment for People Living With HIV in China, 2004-2016: An Analysis of An Observational Cohort.

Early universal access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) is critical in the control of the HIV epidemic. However, prompt initiation of ART remains problematic in China. This study analyzed the late testing and lag time between HIV diagnosis and initiation of ART from 2004 to 2016 and identified the risk factors for delayed initiation of ART. Data from 16,957 people living with HIV were abstracted from a hospital electronic health record database and a case report database for AIDS prevention and control in Yunnan province. Reasons for delayed initiation of ART were categorized into late testing, defined as CD4 count of < 350 cells/μL at baseline HIV diagnosis, and delayed access, defined as a lag time of > 1 month between the diagnosis and initiation of ART. Binary logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for late testing and delayed access. The CD4 counts at diagnosis increased from 201 ± 147 cells/μL (mean ± SD) in 2004 to 324 ± 238 cells/μL in 2016 (p = 0.024). The CD4 count was higher for persons < 45 years, unmarried, and men who have sex with men (MSM) (356, 357, and 409 cells/μL, respectively) compared to their peers in 2016 (p < 0.05). The lag time from diagnosis to initiation of ART was significantly reduced from 59.2 months in 2004 to 0.9 months in 2016 (p < 0.05). The shorter lag time over the years was consistent when analysis was stratified by sex, age, marital status, and transmission routes, even though the lag time for people using drugs was longest in 2016 (> 2 months versus 0.82 and 0.72 month of heterosexuals and MSM, respectively). Compared to their peers, married persons (AOR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.57, 0.69) were less likely to have delayed access to ART, and drugs-using patients (AOR = 3.58, 95%CI: 2.95,4.33) were more likely to have delayed access to ART. Late testing rather than delayed access to ART after a diagnosis remains problematic in China, although improvements have been seen for both parameters from 2004 to 2016. Our data highlight the importance of continued efforts to promote early diagnosis of HIV to prevent transmission, morbidity, and early mortality in HIV infection.

Design and development of a coating device: Multiple-droplet drop-casting (MDDC-Alpha).

We report the development of a coating device (multiple-droplet drop-casting), which releases multiple droplets simultaneously or with a short time-lag (<10 ms) using a multi-channel syringe pump to achieve deposition of large-area (up to ∼100 cm2) and patterned coatings. The device exhibits the following features and characteristics: simple, low-cost, and scalable; adaptive to various solution-processed materials; insensitive to small contaminations/impurities; minimizes material waste; and can create patterns (printing). The demonstration of the device performance was carried out by fabricating coatings using four strategic model solutions, namely, carbon nanotube ink, graphene oxide ink, [poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)] PEDOT:PSS solution, and n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone diluted methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3)-based light harvesting perovskite. We investigated the effect of release height (droplet velocity or Weber number) and the film area on the film characteristics. The results show that the device yields reproducible and uniform films on the order of micrometers in thickness and ∼1 μm in roughness.

Assessment of Toll Like receptor 2 Gene Polymorphism in Children with B Cell Defects and Respiratory Tract Infections

Abstract Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in childhood. Respiratory defenses against infection involve a diverse and complex system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a type of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), resulting in initiation of innate immune response and promotion of adaptive immunity. TLR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) impair the ability to respond properly to TLR ligands and increase susceptibility to infectious or inflammatory diseases. The aim of the work: To examine TLR2 Arginine 677Tryptophan (Arg 677Trp) and Arginine753Glutamine (Arg753Gln) gene polymorphisms in patients with recurrent or chronic respiratory tract infections with or without predominantly antibody deficiency (PAD). Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional case-control study included 30 patients with known PAD with/ or without respiratory tract infections, 20 non-PAD patients with recurrent chest infections and 20 age and sex-matched healthy controls. All children included in the study were subjected to full history taking, complete physical examination and laboratory investigations including CBC, serum immunoglobulins levels and genetic analysis of the TLR2 Arg677Trp and Arg753Gln polymorphisms. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest with contrast, pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid culture and sensitivity were performed to patients with recurrent and/or chronic chest infections. Results: There was a significant difference in the expression of Arg753Gln polymorphism (p 0.04) between PAD patients with and without recurrent chest infections. Patients with mutant or heterozygote state of this polymorphism had a short diagnosis lag (time elapsed between onset of symptoms and date of diagnosis). There was a significant relationship between this polymorphism and the duration of hospital admission (longer hospital stay in patients with mutant allele). A significant difference between non-PAD patients with recurrent chest infections and healthy controls regarding Arg 677 Trp polymorphism (p 0.04) was elicited. Conclusion: Our results suggest that Arg 677 Trp polymorphism could be a risk factor for increased susceptibility to recurrent and /or chronic respiratory tract infections in patients without PAD, while Arg753Gln polymorphism might be an additional risk factor for severe infections in PAD patients.

An adaptive variable-parameters scheme for the simultaneous monitoring of the mean and variability of an autocorrelated multivariate normal process

ABSTRACTDue to advances in technology, sampling procedures and short lag times between successive sampling, autocorrelation among the measured data has become common in most applications. Neglecting autocorrelation leads to a poor false alarm performance. In the current paper, the effect of the autocorrelation on the performance of a variable-parameters multivariate single control chart is investigated in the case of the simultaneous monitoring of the mean and variability. At first, formulas for the sample mean and variability of a multivariate autoregressive-moving average process are derived. Then, a variable-parameters single control chart is developed for the simultaneous monitoring of the mean vector and the covariance matrix of an autocorrelated multivariate normal process. Next, the performance of the proposed control chart is evaluated by using eight performance measures based on a dedicated Markov chain model. Finally, by presenting an illustrative example, the application of the proposed scheme is demonstrated in practice.

A Novel in situ Approach to Studying Detrusor Smooth Muscle Cells in Mice

The aim of our study was to develop a novel approach to investigating mouse detrusor smooth muscle cell (SMC) physiological activity, utilizing an acute tissue dissection technique and confocal calcium imaging. The bladder of a sacrificed adult female NMRI mouse was dissected. We used light and transmission electron microscopy to assess morphology of SMCs within the tissue. Calcium imaging in individual SMCs was performed using confocal microscopy during stimulation with increasing concentrations of carbamylcholine (CCh). SMCs were identified according to their morphology and calcium activity. We determined several parameters describing the SMC responses: delays to response, recruitment, relative activity, and contraction of the tissue. CCh stimulation revealed three different SMC phenotypes: spontaneously active SMCs with and without CCh-enhanced activity and SMCs with CCh-induced activity only. SMCs were recruited into an active state in response to CCh-stimulation within a narrow range (1–25 µM); causing activation of virtually all SMCs. Maximum calcium activity of SMCs was at about 25 µM, which coincided with a visible tissue contraction. Finally, we observed shorter time lags before response onsets with higher CCh concentrations. In conclusion, our novel in situ approach proved to be a robust and reproducible method to study detrusor SMC morphology and physiology.