LIGO Physics Environmental Monitoring at the 40-meter Prototype

When Einstein formulated General Relativity, he made numerous predictions including the existence of gravitational waves. Until now, though, they have been impossible to detect. LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, has been built to overcome this. Major difficulties arise as a result of the fact that gravitational waves are inherently weak; LIGO is expected to detect stretching on the order of 10-18 meters. With the need for such precise measurements, a very large number of unwanted effects have to be minimized. Thus, physical environmental effects must be monitored with care and analyzed. Among the tools needed are a weather monitor, accelerometers and seismometers, and vacuum monitors. Each of these devices must be connected to the network and queried by the database, and the data coming from them must be analyzed. In order to accomplish all this, we must setup the hardware; write code to query each device and format the data; create GUIs to display the data; and design data analysis programs. Such systems have been designed and built for the two LIGO observatory sites. In this project I implement a Physical Environmental Monitoring system for the Caltech 40-meter Interferometer Prototype Laboratory, and analyze the data obtained

Population-specific Mini Nutritional Assessment effectively predicts the nutritional state and follow-up mortality of institutionalized elderly Taiwanese regardless of cognitive status

[[abstract]]The study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a modified Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) for assessing the nutritional status and predicting follow-up mortality of institutionalized elderly Taiwanese. The study was conducted in a large long-term care centre in central Taiwan. Trained interviewers assisted by the caregivers elicited sociodemographic data, healthcare and disease history, and answers to the MNA screen from each subject. One researcher performed all subjects' anthropometric measurements. Plasma albumin and cholesterol concentrations were determined. Results showed that the MNA without BMI, modified according to population-specific mid-arm circumference and calf circumference cut-points, effectively predicted the nutritional risk status of the elderly regardless of cognitive status. Substituting caregiver's assessments for self-viewed nutrition and health status (questions O and P of MNA) improved the predicting power of the tool in cognition-normal subjects. Results showed that 21.9 % of the elderly were malnourished, 59.2 % were at risk of malnutrition and 18.9 % were normal according to self-assessment whereas 14.2 % were malnourished, 59.2 % were at risk of malnutrition, and 26.6 % were normal according to caregiver's evaluation. The tool was also effective in predicting 12- and 6-month follow-up mortality in cognition-normal and cognition-impaired elderly, respectively. Results indicate that a population-specific MNA can effectively predict the nutritional status and 6-month follow-up mortality of elderly Taiwanese regardless of cognitive condition. Easier and wider application of the tool will enable early detection of emerging nutritional problems and timely intervention to prevent the development of severe malnutrition in the elderly

Creating a ribonuclease T-tat that preferentially recognizes and hydrolyzes HIV-1 TAR RNA in vitro and in vivo

A ribonuclease, RNase T-tat, specifically designed to hydrolyze the TAR RNA of HIV-1 virus has been engineered. The protein was made by domain swapping the TAT peptide at the loop 3 position of ribonuclease T1. The RNase T-tat maintains a guanine-specific RNA hydrolytic activity, and characteristically displayed a specific affinity for the TAR RNA of HIV-1. In the in vitro and in vivo assays, the RNase T-tat preferentially inhibited the expression of TAR-bearing mRNA through cis-TAR targeting, suggesting that RNase T-tat may be potentially useful for the disruption of the initial stage of the transcription process of HIV-1 virus

A population-specific Mini-Nutritional Assessment can effectively grade the nutritional status of stroke rehabilitation patients in Taiwan

[[abstract]]To determine whether a modified version of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment without body mass index could effectively assess the nutritional risk status of stroke rehabilitation patients in Taiwan. The Mini-Nutritional Assessment was developed on the basis of clinical data of Western populations. Although widely used, its application to assess stroke rehabilitation patients has been limited. Further, to get best results, population-specific modifications to address anthropometric and lifestyle differences have been suggested, especially for non-Caucasian populations. The study assessed the nutritional status of stroke rehabilitation patients who enrolled in the Long-term Care Service of Taipei. Strokes who were > 40 years old, in the program for > 1 month and cognitively able to answer the questions were recruited to participate in the study. An on-site in-person interview with structured questionnaire elicited information on personal data, disease history and healthcare use and answers to the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Activities of Daily Living and the Mini-Nutritional Assessment. Patient's nutritional status was assessed with the Mini-Nutritional Assessment in three versions: the original, population-specific (MNA-TI) and population-specific, without body mass index (MNA-TII). The original Mini-Nutritional Assessment rated 24% of patients malnourished and 57% at risk of malnutrition. Similar results, 14 and 64%, respectively, for MNA-TI; and 19 and 57%, respectively, for MNA-TII were observed. Both the original and the modified versions of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment can effectively rate the nutritional risk status of stroke rehabilitation patients in Taiwan. Version MNA-TII that adopted population-specific anthropometric cut-values but without body mass index can effectively predict the nutritional status of stroke patients. The modified scale (MNA-TII) can enhance the application of the tool and timely detection and intervention of undernutrition among stroke rehabilitation patients. It can also help to improve job efficiency of the primary care professionals

Population-specific modifications of the short-form Mini Nutritional Assessment and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool for elderly Taiwanese

[[abstract]]Background: The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) are two widely used malnutrition screening scales. Objective: The study was to compare the grading ability of the two scales, and to determine whether adoption of population-specific anthropometric cut-points could improve the grading ability of these tools and whether calf circumference (CC) could be an acceptable alternative to BMI in these scales. Design: Purposive sampling. Settings: Outpatients receiving annual physical examination at an area hospital. Participants: Community-living elderly who were 65 years or older, able to communicate orally, without acute health conditions and willing to sign a study-consent. Methods: Subjects were measured for anthropometrics and blood biochemical indicators, and interviewed for personal data and answers to the MNA and MUST. The risk of malnutrition was evaluated with the short-form MNA (MNA-SF) and the MUST, each in three versions (the original, Taiwan version-1 (T1) which adopted population-specific anthropometric cut-points, and Taiwan version-2 (T2) which replaced BMI with CC). Long-form (LF) MNA versions served as references. Results: Results showed that (a) in both scales, patterns of nutritional status rated with the original versions were different from those rated with respective modified versions but ratings made with two modified versions were the same, (b) the T2 versions showed the best grading ability based on agreement with the reference (MNA-LF), and (c) MNA-SF versions rated greater proportions of subjects at risk of malnutrition than the respective MUST versions. Conclusions: (a) Adoption of population-specific anthropometric cut-points improves the grading ability of the MNA-SF and the MUST in community-living Taiwanese, (b) CC is an acceptable alternative to BMI for both MNA-SF and MUST, and (c) nutritional assessment tools should be as Much population or ethnically specific as possible to account for cultural and anthropometric differences across populations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Modified Mininutritional Assessment Can Effectively Assess the Nutritional Status of Patients on Hemodialysis

[[abstract]]Objective: We sought to determine whether the MNA (Mininutritional Assessment) would be an effective tool for assessing the nutritional status of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Design: Purposive sampling. Setting: Two hospital-managed hemodialysis centers in central Taiwan. Patients: Subjects were 95 ambulatory patients older than 40 years without acute diseases or infections who had received hemodialysis treatment at the center for longer than 30 days. Methods: Each subject was interviewed with a structured questionnaire to elicit basic personal data and health- and lifestyle-related information and answered questions on the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire and MNA. Serum biochemical data were obtained from their routine measurement. The nutritional status of each subject was graded with two modified MNA versions. MNA-TI adopted population-specific anthropometric cut-points, and MNA-TII further had the body mass index question deleted from the scale and question scores adjusted but maintained the same 30 total points. Results: Based on the strength of correlation with the key nutrition-related parameters including appetite status, serum creatinine, percent weight loss, hospital length of stay, number of prescribed drugs, and hemodialysis time, both modified MNA versions reflected the nutritional status of Taiwanese hemodialysis patients better than the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire. Serum albumin did not reflect nutritional status well in these hemodialysis patients. MNA-TI predicted 26.4% and MNA-TII predicted 29.5% of hemodialysis patients were either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Conclusions: Both versions of the modified MNA are effective in assessing the nutritional status of hemodialysis patients. MNA-TII without body mass index is a significant improvement for hemodialysis patients because body weights fluctuate significantly between dialysis sessions. (C) 2009 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved