Controlled Heterogeneous Nucleation and Growth of Germanium Quantum Dots on Nanopatterned Silicon Dioxide and Silicon Nitride Substrates

Controlled heterogeneous nucleation and growth of Ge quantum dots (QDs) are demonstrated on SiO_2/Si_3N_4 substrates by means of a novel fabrication process of thermally oxidizing nanopatterned SiGe layers. The otherwise random self-assembly process for QDs is shown to be strongly influenced by the nanopatterning in determining both the location and size of the QDs. Ostwald ripening processes are observed under further annealing at the oxidation temperature. Both nanopattern oxidation and Ostwald ripening offer additional mechanisms for lithography for controlling the size and placement of the QDs

Association of Alzhemier\u27s Disease With Hepatitis C Among Patients With Bipolar Disorder

Associations of hepatitis C virus infection with Alzheimer’s disease have not been studied among higher risk, bipolar disorder patients. This population-based case-control study investigated the risks of hepatitis C virus infection among Alzheimer’s disease patients with bipolar disorder in the years preceding their Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. We used 2000–2013 data from the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database in Taiwan. Among patients with bipolar disorder, 73 were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (cases), who were compared with 365 individuals with bipolar disorder but without Alzheimer’s disease (randomly selected controls matched on sex, age, and index year with cases). Prior claims (before the diagnosis year/index year for controls) were screened for a diagnosis of hepatitis C virus infection. Conditional logistic regression models were used for analysis. We found that 23 (31.51%) and 60 (16.44%) patients with bipolar disease were identified with a hepatitis C diagnosis among those with and without Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Compared to controls, patients with Alzheimer’s disease showed 2.31-fold (95% confidence interval = 1.28–4.16) increased risk of hepatitis C infections adjusted for demographics and socio-economic status. Findings suggest an association of Alzheimer’s disease with a preceding diagnosis of hepatitis C infection among patients with bipolar disorder. Findings may suggest a need for increased awareness of and appropriate surveillance for Alzheimer’s disease in patients with bipolar disorder diagnosed with hepatitis C infection

Optimal Warranty Length and Selling Price to Maximize the Profit

This study focuses on the problem of determining the optimal coverage period and selling price of warranted products from the manufacturer’s perspective. We first consider how to maximize the profit per unit under the assumption that the product can be sold or the demand is independent of the warranty policy. Then we try to maximize the total profit for a planning period for the case where the demand for the product depends on the warranty coverage period and selling price. Since the warranty period and the selling price should be positively correlated, we first solve the profit maximization problem with the warranty depended demand under the constraint that the selling price is a linear function of the warranty coverage period (warranty based pricing). Furthermore, we investigate the case when such a constraint is removed (non-warranty-based pricing). Optimizing on two independent decision variables, the coverage period and the selling price, certainly improves the total profit. Under the two variable optimal conditions, it is observed that while the positive relationship between the optimal coverage period and the optimal price is confirmed, it is more complex than a linear one. We also find that the profit advantage for the non-warranty-based pricing over the warranty-based pricing is more significant for shorter coverage period. However, when the coverage period exceeds a threshold value, such a profit advantage becomes insignificant. The results of this study provide practitioners with useful insights in designing the profit optimal product warranty in highly competitive market

Online assessment of patients' views on hospital performances using Rasch model's KIDMAP diagram

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To overcome the drawback of individual item-by-item box plots of disclosure for patient views on healthcare service quality, we propose to inspect interrelationships among items that measure a common entity. A visual diagram on the Internet is developed to provide thorough information for hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used the Rasch rating scale model to analyze the 2003 English inpatient questionnaire data regarding patient satisfactory perception, which were collected from 169 hospitals, examined model-data fit, and developed a KIDMAP diagram on the Internet depicting the satisfaction level of each hospital and investigating aberrant responses with Z-scores and MNSQ statistics for individual hospitals. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis was conducted to verify construct equivalence across types of hospitals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>18 of the 45 items fit to the model's expectations, indicating they jointly defined a common construct and an equal-interval logit scale was achieved. The most difficult aspect for hospitals to earn inpatients' satisfaction were item 29 (staff told you about any medication side effects to watch when going home). No DIF in the 18-item questionnaire was found between types of hospitals, indicating the questionnaire measured the same construct across hospitals. Different types of hospitals obtained different levels of satisfaction. The KIDMAP on the Internet provided more interpretable and visualized message than traditional item-by-item box plots of disclosure.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>After removing misfit items, we find that the 18-item questionnaire measures the same construct across types of hospitals. The KIDMAP on the Internet provides an exemplary comparison in quality of healthcare. Rasch analysis allows intra- and inter-hospital performances to be compared easily and reliably with each other on the Internet.</p

THE EFFECT OF INSULIN AND CARBOHYDRATE SUPPLEMENTATION ON GLYCOGEN REPLENISHMENT AMONG DIFFERENT HINDLIMB MUSCLES IN RATS FOLLOWING PROLONGED SWIMMING

In the present study we investigated the interactive effects of insulin and carbohydrate on glycogen replenishment in different rat hindlimb muscles. Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to 5 groups, including 1) sedentary control with carbohydrate supplement (2 g glucose · kg body wt-1), 2) sedentary rats with 16 hours recovery, carbohydrate and insulin (0.5 U · kg body wt-1), 3) swimming without recovery, 4) swimming with 16 hours recovery and carbohydrate supplement, and 5) swimming with 16 hours recovery, carbohydrate and insulin. The swimming protocol consisted of two 3 h swimming sections, which were separated by a 45 min rest. The insulin and carbohydrate were administered to the rats immediately after exercise. At the end of the experiment, the soleus (S), plantaris (P), quadriceps (Q) and gastrocnemius (G) were surgically excised to evaluate glycogen utilization and replenishment. We observed that glycogen utilization was significantly lower in G and Q than S and P during swimming (p <0.05), and S showed the greatest capacity of glycogen resynthesis after post-exercise recovery (p <0.05). In the sedentary state, the glycogen synthesis did not differ among hindlimb muscles during insulin and carbohydrate treatments. Interestingly, with insulin and carbohydrate, the glycogen resynthesis in S and P were significantly greater than in Q and G following post-exercise recovery (p <0.05). We therefore concluded that the soleus and plantaris are the primary working muscles during swimming, and the greatest glycogen replenishment capacity of the soleus during post-exercise recovery is likely due to its highest insulin sensitivity

Biochanin A, a Phytoestrogenic Isoflavone with Selective Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase 4, Suppresses Ovalbumin-Induced Airway Hyperresponsiveness

The present study investigated the potential of biochanin A, a phytoestrogenic isoflavone of red clover (Triflolium pratense), for use in treating asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Biochanin A (100 μmol/kg, orally (p.o.)) significantly attenuated airway resistance (RL), enhanced pause (Penh), and increased lung dynamic compliance (Cdyn) values induced by methacholine (MCh) in sensitized and challenged mice. It also significantly suppressed an increase in the number of total inflammatory cells, neutrophils, and eosinophils, and levels of cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of the mice. However, it did not influence interferon (IFN)-γ levels. Biochanin A (100 μmol/kg, p.o.) also significantly suppressed the total and ovalbumin (OVA)-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in the serum and BALF, and enhanced the total IgG2a level in the serum of these mice. The PDE4H/PDE4L value of biochanin A was calculated as >35. Biochanin A did not influence xylazine/ketamine-induced anesthesia. Biochanin A (10~30 μM) significantly reduced cumulative OVA (10~100 μg/mL)-induced contractions in the isolated guinea pig trachealis, suggesting that it inhibits degranulation of mast cells. In conclusion, red clover containing biochanin A has the potential for treating allergic asthma and COPD

Regulation of clpQ+Y+ (hslV+U+) Gene Expression in Escherichia coli

The Escherichia coli ClpYQ (HslUV) complex is an ATP-dependent protease, and the clpQ+Y+ (hslV+U+) operon encodes two heat shock proteins, ClpQ and ClpY, respectively. The transcriptional (op) or translational (pr) clpQ+::lacZ fusion gene was constructed, with the clpQ+Y+ promoter fused to a lacZ reporter gene. The clpQ+::lacZ (op or pr) fusion gene was each crossed into lambda phage. The λclpQ+::lacZ+ (op), a transcriptional fusion gene, was used to form lysogens in the wild-type, rpoH or/and rpoS mutants. Upon shifting the temperature up from 30 °C to 42 °C, the wild-type λclpQ+::lacZ+ (op) demonstrates an increased β-galactosidase (βGal) activity. However, the βGal activity of clpQ+::lacZ+ (op) was decreased in the rpoH and rpoH rpoS mutants but not in the rpoS mutant. The levels of clpQ+::lacZ+ mRNA transcripts correlated well to their βGal activity. Similarly, the expression of the clpQ+::lacZ+ gene fusion was nearly identical to the clpQ+Y+ transcript under the in vivo condition. The clpQm1::lacZ+, containing a point mutation in the -10 promoter region for RpoH binding, showed decreased βGal activity, independent of activation by RpoH. We conclude that RpoH itself regulates clpQ+Y+ gene expression. In addition, the clpQ+Y+ message carries a conserved 71 bp at the 5’ untranslated region (5’UTR) that is predicted to form the stem-loop structure by analysis of its RNA secondary structure. The clpQm2Δ40::lacZ+, with a 40 bp deletion in the 5’UTR, showed a decreased βGal activity. In addition, from our results, it is suggested that this stem-loop structure is necessary for the stability of the clpQ+Y+ message

The Association Between Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease and Subsequent Rheumatoid Arthritis Occurrence: A Nested Case–Control Study From Taiwan

Objective Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common comorbidity among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While GORD has been attributed to the antirheumatic medications, no studies of human cohorts have investigated a link between GORD and RA. This study investigates whether GORD is associated with a subsequent RA diagnosis over a 5-year follow-up using a population-based dataset. Setting Taiwan Participants We used data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. The study group consisted of 13 645 patients with an ambulatory claim showing a GORD diagnosis. We used propensity score matching to select 13 645 comparison patients (one per study patient with GORD). Intervention We tracked each patient’s claims over a 5-year period to identify those who subsequently received a diagnosis of RA. Cox proportional hazard (PH) regression modelling was used for analysis. Results Over 5-year follow-up, RA incidence rate per 1000 person-years was 2.81 among patients with GORD and 0.84 among the comparison group. Cox PH modelling showed that GORD was independently associated with a 2.84-fold increased risk of RA (95% CI 2.09 to 3.85) over 5-year follow-up, after adjusting for the number of ambulatory care visits within the year following the index date (to mitigate surveillance bias). Conclusions We observed that GORD might associate with subsequent RA occurrence. Because current treatment guidelines for RA emphasise early diagnosis and prompt treatment, the observed association between GORD and RA may help acquaint clinicians to patients with GORD with higher RA risk and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. Objective Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common comorbidity among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While GORD has been attributed to the antirheumatic medications, no studies of human cohorts have investigated a link between GORD and RA. This study investigates whether GORD is associated with a subsequent RA diagnosis over a 5-year follow-up using a population-based dataset. Setting Taiwan Participants We used data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. The study group consisted of 13 645 patients with an ambulatory claim showing a GORD diagnosis. We used propensity score matching to select 13 645 comparison patients (one per study patient with GORD). Intervention We tracked each patient’s claims over a 5-year period to identify those who subsequently received a diagnosis of RA. Cox proportional hazard (PH) regression modelling was used for analysis. Results Over 5-year follow-up, RA incidence rate per 1000 person-years was 2.81 among patients with GORD and 0.84 among the comparison group. Cox PH modelling showed that GORD was independently associated with a 2.84-fold increased risk of RA (95% CI 2.09 to 3.85) over 5-year follow-up, after adjusting for the number of ambulatory care visits within the year following the index date (to mitigate surveillance bias). Conclusions We observed that GORD might associate with subsequent RA occurrence. Because current treatment guidelines for RA emphasise early diagnosis and prompt treatment, the observed association between GORD and RA may help acquaint clinicians to patients with GORD with higher RA risk and facilitate early diagnosis and treatmen