124 research outputs found
New York Court of Appeals Holds for the First Time That an X-Ray Is a Writing Subject to the Best Evidence Rule, Thererby Admitting Secondary Evidence to Describe the Contents of a Lost X-Ray
New York Court of Appeals Holds for the First Time That an X-Ray Is a Writing Subject to the Best Evidence Rule, Thererby Admitting Secondary Evidence to Describe the Contents of a Lost X-Ray
Techniques for Tree Species Classification with Hyperspectral Imagery at NEON Science Sites
Studies three sets of techniques for hyperspectral tree species classification at NEON science sites, aiming to work towards producing a general classification model
Oral serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin improves duodenal immune reconstitution and absorption function in patients with HIV enteropathy.
ObjectivesTo examine the impact of serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin, an oral medical food known to neutralize bacterial antigen and reduce intestinal inflammation, on restoration of mucosal immunity and gastrointestinal function in individuals with HIV enteropathy.DesignOpen-label trial with intensive 8-week phase of bovine serum immunoglobulin (SBI) 2.5 g twice daily with a 4-week washout period and an optional 9-month extension study.MethodsHIV enteropathy was defined as chronic gastrointestinal symptoms including frequent loose or watery stools despite no identifiable, reversible cause. Upper endoscopy for tissue immunofluorescent antibody assay and disaccharide gut permeability/absorption studies were performed before and after 8 weeks of SBI to test mucosal immunity and gastrointestinal function. Blood was collected for markers of microbial translocation, inflammation, and collagen kinetics. A validated gastrointestinal questionnaire assessed changes in symptoms.ResultsAll eight participants experienced profound improvement in symptoms with reduced bowel movements/day (P = 0.008) and improvements in stool consistency (P = 0.008). Gut permeability was normal before and after the intervention, but D-xylose absorption increased in seven of eight participants. Mucosal CD4 lymphocyte densities increased by a median of 139.5 cells/mm2 from 213 to 322 cells/mm2 (P = 0.016). Intestinal-fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP), a marker of enterocyte damage, initially rose in seven of eight participants after 8 weeks (P = 0.039), and then fell below baseline in four of five who continued receiving SBI (P = 0.12). Baseline serum I-FABP levels were negatively correlated with subsequent rise in mucosal CD4 lymphocyte densities (r = -0.74, P = 0.046).ConclusionSBI significantly increases intestinal mucosal CD4 lymphocyte counts, improves duodenal function, and showed evidence of promoting intestinal repair in the setting of HIV enteropathy
Calibration of Smearing and Cooling Algorithms in SU(3)-Color Gauge Theory
The action and topological charge are used to determine the relative rates of
standard cooling and smearing algorithms in pure SU(3)-color gauge theory. We
consider representative gauge field configurations on lattices
at and lattices at . We find the
relative rate of variation in the action and topological charge under various
algorithms may be succinctly described in terms of simple formulae. The results
are in accord with recent suggestions from fat-link perturbation theory.Comment: RevTeX, 25 pages, 22 figures, full resolution jpeg version of Fig. 22
can be obtained from
http://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/cssm/papers_etc/SmearingComp.jp
Hybrid Monte Carlo with Fat Link Fermion Actions
The use of APE smearing or other blocking techniques in lattice fermion
actions can provide many advantages. There are many variants of these fat link
actions in lattice QCD currently, such as FLIC fermions. The FLIC fermion
formalism makes use of the APE blocking technique in combination with a
projection of the blocked links back into the special unitary group. This
reunitarisation is often performed using an iterative maximisation of a gauge
invariant measure. This technique is not differentiable with respect to the
gauge field and thus prevents the use of standard Hybrid Monte Carlo simulation
algorithms. The use of an alternative projection technique circumvents this
difficulty and allows the simulation of dynamical fat link fermions with
standard HMC and its variants. The necessary equations of motion for FLIC
fermions are derived, and some initial simulation results are presented. The
technique is more general however, and is straightforwardly applicable to other
smearing techniques or fat link actions
Isolated Cervical Dystonia: Diagnosis and Classification
This document presents a consensus on the diagnosis and classification of isolated cervical dystonia (iCD) with a review of proposed terminology. The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Dystonia Study Group convened a panel of experts to review the main clinical and diagnostic issues related to iCD and to arrive at a consensus on diagnostic criteria and classification. These criteria are intended for use in clinical research, but also may be used to guide clinical practice. The benchmark is expert clinical observation and evaluation. The criteria aim to systematize the use of terminology as well as the diagnostic process, to make it reproducible across centers and applicable by expert and non-expert clinicians. Although motor abnormalities remain central, increasing recognition has been given to nonmotor manifestations, which are incorporated into the current criteria. Three iCD presentations are described in some detail: idiopathic (focal or segmental) iCD, genetic iCD, and acquired iCD. The relationship between iCD and isolated head tremor is also reviewed. Recognition of idiopathic iCD has two levels of certainty, definite or probable, supported by specific diagnostic criteria. Although a probable diagnosis is appropriate for clinical practice, a higher diagnostic level may be required for specific research studies. The consensus retains elements proven valuable in previous criteria and omits aspects that are no longer justified, thereby encapsulating diagnosis according to current knowledge. As understanding of iCD expands, these criteria will need continuous revision to accommodate new advances. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Isolated Cervical Dystonia:Diagnosis and Classification
This document presents a consensus on the diagnosis and classification of isolated cervical dystonia (iCD) with a review of proposed terminology. The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Dystonia Study Group convened a panel of experts to review the main clinical and diagnostic issues related to iCD and to arrive at a consensus on diagnostic criteria and classification. These criteria are intended for use in clinical research, but also may be used to guide clinical practice. The benchmark is expert clinical observation and evaluation. The criteria aim to systematize the use of terminology as well as the diagnostic process, to make it reproducible across centers and applicable by expert and non-expert clinicians. Although motor abnormalities remain central, increasing recognition has been given to nonmotor manifestations, which are incorporated into the current criteria. Three iCD presentations are described in some detail: idiopathic (focal or segmental) iCD, genetic iCD, and acquired iCD. The relationship between iCD and isolated head tremor is also reviewed. Recognition of idiopathic iCD has two levels of certainty, definite or probable, supported by specific diagnostic criteria. Although a probable diagnosis is appropriate for clinical practice, a higher diagnostic level may be required for specific research studies. The consensus retains elements proven valuable in previous criteria and omits aspects that are no longer justified, thereby encapsulating diagnosis according to current knowledge. As understanding of iCD expands, these criteria will need continuous revision to accommodate new advances.</p
The Hamiltonian limit of (3+1)D SU(3) lattice gauge theory on anisotropic lattices
The extreme anisotropic limit of Euclidean SU(3) lattice gauge theory is
examined to extract the Hamiltonian limit, using standard path integral Monte
Carlo (PIMC) methods. We examine the mean plaquette and string tension and
compare them to results obtained within the Hamiltonian framework of Kogut and
Susskind. The results are a significant improvement upon previous Hamiltonian
estimates, despite the extrapolation procedure necessary to extract
observables. We conclude that the PIMC method is a reliable method of obtaining
results for the Hamiltonian version of the theory. Our results also clearly
demonstrate the universality between the Hamiltonian and Euclidean formulations
of lattice gauge theory. It is particularly important to take into account the
renormalization of both the anisotropy, and the Euclidean coupling ,
in obtaining these results.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure
Effects of Combined CCR5/Integrase Inhibitors-Based Regimen on Mucosal Immunity in HIV-Infected Patients Naïve to Antiretroviral Therapy: A Pilot Randomized Trial
Whether initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens aimed at achieving greater concentrations within gut associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) impacts the level of mucosal immune reconstitution, inflammatory markers and the viral reservoir remains unknown. We included 12 HIV- controls and 32 ART-naïve HIV patients who were randomized to efavirenz, maraviroc or maraviroc+raltegravir, each with fixed-dose tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine. Rectal and duodenal biopsies were obtained at baseline and at 9 months of ART. We performed a comprehensive assay of T-cell subsets by flow cytometry, T-cell density in intestinal biopsies, plasma and tissue concentrations of antiretroviral drugs by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy, and plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), lipoteichoic acid (LTA), soluble CD14 (sCD14) and zonulin-1 each measured by ELISA. Total cell-associated HIV DNA was measured in PBMC and rectal and duodenal mononuclear cells. Twenty-six HIV-infected patients completed the follow-up. In the duodenum, the quadruple regimen resulted in greater CD8+ T-cell density decline, greater normalization of mucosal CCR5+CD4+ T-cells and increase of the naïve/memory CD8+ T-cell ratio, and a greater decline of sCD14 levels and duodenal HIV DNA levels (P = 0.004 and P = 0.067, respectively), with no changes in HIV RNA in plasma or tissue. Maraviroc showed the highest drug distribution to the gut tissue, and duodenal concentrations correlated well with other T-cell markers in duodenum, i.e., the CD4/CD8 ratio, %CD4+ and %CD8+ HLA-DR+CD38+ T-cells. Maraviroc use elicited greater activation of the mucosal naïve CD8+ T-cell subset, ameliorated the distribution of the CD8+ T-cell maturational subsets and induced higher improvement of zonulin-1 levels. These data suggest that combined CCR5 and integrase inhibitor based combination therapy in ART treatment naïve patients might more effectively reconstitute duodenal immunity, decrease inflammatory markers and impact on HIV persistence by cell-dependent mechanisms, and show unique effects of MVC in duodenal immunity driven by higher drug tissue penetration and possibly by class-dependent effects
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