Intensity Mapping with Carbon Monoxide Emission Lines and the Redshifted 21 cm Line

We quantify the prospects for using emission lines from rotational transitions of the CO molecule to perform an `intensity mapping' observation at high redshift during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). The aim of CO intensity mapping is to observe the combined CO emission from many unresolved galaxies, to measure the spatial fluctuations in this emission, and use this as a tracer of large scale structure at very early times in the history of our Universe. This measurement would help determine the properties of molecular clouds -- the sites of star formation -- in the very galaxies that reionize the Universe. We further consider the possibility of cross-correlating CO intensity maps with future observations of the redshifted 21 cm line. The cross spectrum is less sensitive to foreground contamination than the auto power spectra, and can therefore help confirm the high redshift origin of each signal. Furthermore, the cross spectrum measurement would help extract key information about the EoR, especially regarding the size distribution of ionized regions. We discuss uncertainties in predicting the CO signal at high redshift, and discuss strategies for improving these predictions. Under favorable assumptions, and feasible specifications for a CO survey mapping the CO(2-1) and CO(1-0) lines, the power spectrum of CO emission fluctuations and its cross spectrum with future 21 cm measurements from the MWA are detectable at high significance.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Ap

Assessment of Vessel Density on Non-Contrast Computed Tomography to Detect Basilar Artery Occlusion

Introduction: Basilar artery occlusion (BAO) may be clinically occult due to variable and non-specific symptomatology. We evaluated the qualitative and quantitative determination of a hyperdense basilar artery (HDBA) on non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) brain for the diagnosis of BAO.Methods: We conducted a case control study of patients with confirmed acute BAO vs a control group of suspected acute stroke patients without BAO. Two EM attending physicians, one third-year EM resident, and one medical student performed qualitative and quantitative assessments for the presence of a HDBA on axial NCCT images. Our primary outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity for BAO. Our secondary outcomes were inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the qualitative and quantitative assessments.Results: We included 60 BAO and 65 control patients in our analysis. Qualitative assessment of the hyperdense basilar artery sign was poorly sensitive (54%–72%) and specific (55%–89%). Quantitative measurement improved the specificity of hyperdense basilar artery assessment for diagnosing BAO, with a threshold of 61.0–63.8 Hounsfield units demonstrating relatively high specificity of 85%–94%. There was moderate inter-rater agreement for the qualitative assessment of HDBA (Fleiss’ kappa statistic 0.508, 95% confidence interval: 0.435–0.581). Agreement improved for quantitative assessments, but still fell in the moderate range (Shrout-Fleiss intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.635). Intra-rater reliability for the quantitative assessments of the two attending physician reviewers demonstrated substantial consistency.Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of carefully examining basilar artery density when interpreting the NCCT of patients with altered consciousness or other signs and symptoms concerning for an acute basilar artery occlusion. If the Hounsfield unit density of the basilar artery exceeds 61 Hounsfield units, BAO should be highly suspected

Systemic sclerosis is associated with specific alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota in two independent cohorts.

ObjectiveTo compare faecal microbial composition in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) from 2 independent cohorts with controls and to determine whether certain genera are associated with SSc-gastrointestinal tract (GIT) symptoms.DesignAdult patients with SSc from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and Oslo University Hospital (OUH) and healthy controls participated in this study (1:1:1). All participants provided stool specimens for 16S rRNA sequencing. Linear discriminant analysis effect size demonstrated genera with differential expression in SSc. Differential expression analysis for sequence count data identified specific genera associated with GIT symptoms as assessed by the GIT 2.0 questionnaire.ResultsThe UCLA-SSc and OUH-SSc cohorts were similar in age (52.1 and 60.5 years, respectively), disease duration (median (IQR): 6.6 (2.5-16.4) and 7.0 (1.0-19.2) years, respectively), gender distribution (88% and 71%, respectively), and GIT symptoms (mean (SD) total GIT 2.0 scores of 0.7 (0.6) and 0.6 (0.5), respectively). Principal coordinate analysis illustrated significant microbial community differences between SSc and controls (UCLA: p=0.001; OUH: p=0.002). Patients with SSc had significantly lower levels of commensal genera deemed to protect against inflammation, such as Bacteroides (UCLA and OUH), Faecalibacterium (UCLA), Clostridium (OUH); and significantly higher levels of pathobiont genera, such as Fusobacterium (UCLA), compared with controls. Increased abundance of Clostridium was associated with less severe GIT symptoms in both cohorts.ConclusionsThe present analysis detected specific aberrations in the lower GIT microbiota of patients with SSc from 2 geographically and ethnically distinct cohorts. These findings suggest that GIT dysbiosis may be a pathological feature of the SSc disease state

Logarithmic singularities and quantum oscillations in magnetically doped topological insulators

We report magnetotransport measurements on magnetically doped (Bi,Sb)$_2$Te$_3$ films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. In Hallbar devices, logarithmic dependence on temperature and bias voltage are obseved in both the longitudinal and anomalous Hall resistance. The interplay of disorder and electron-electron interactions is found to explain quantitatively the observed logarithmic singularities and is a dominant scattering mechanism in these samples. Submicron scale devices exhibit intriguing quantum oscillations at high magnetic fields with dependence on bias voltage. The observed quantum oscillations can be attributed to bulk and surface transport.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figure

Use of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in the Treatment of Neonatal Brachial Plexus Palsy: A Literature Review

Background: The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of current literature on the effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) for restoring motion and function in neonatal brachial plexus palsy (NBPP). Method: A database search was conducted for NMES articles published between 1947 and 2015. Pre and posttreatment data were extracted for muscle power, active range of motion (AROM), and morphometric measurements. Results: An initial search yielded 2,721 articles. A further title/abstract review produced 27 articles; of these, four met the inclusion criteria. Treatment protocols varied. There were no changes in average Medical Research Council (MRC) scores following treatment for elbow flexion, shoulder abduction, or wrist extension. Shoulder flexion increased from MRC 1 to 4. AROM improved following treatment. Conclusions: Evidence for improved muscle strength after NMES is mixed. Improvement in AROM is more consistent. Due to variations in treatment modalities, patient profiles, and adjunct treatment, a clinical trial to isolate the effects of NMES in NBPP is required. Since improved motion and function has been reported, NMES in NBPP therapy remains reasonable

Association of RENAL nephrometry score with outcomes of minimally invasive partial nephrectomy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98294/1/iju3222.pd

Promoter Attenuation in Gene Therapy: Interferon-γ and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibit Transgene Expression

Overview summary Transgene expression can be eliminated even in the presence of substantial amounts of vector DNA in the transduced cells, which suggests that mechanisms other than the antigen-specific immune response may mediate non-cytodestructive events that determine the presence of transgene expression. Our data indicate that the cytokines interferon-γ) (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibit transgene expression from certain widely used viral promoters/enhancers (human cytomegalovirus immediate early, Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat, simian virus 40, Moloney murine leukemia virus long terminal repeat) delivered by adenoviral, retroviral, or plasmid vectors in vivo. Inhibition is at the mRNA level and cytokines do not cause vector DNA degradation, inhibit total cellular protein synthesis, or kill infected/transfected cells. Thus, cytokine-regulated promoter function rather than specific immune destruction could limit transgene expression. These results have significant implications for the construction of transfer vectors for human gene therapy because gene transfer vectors could be exposed to a cytokine-rich environment when they are administered in vivo.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/63157/1/hum.1997.8.17-2019.pd