Characterization of iodine particles with Volatilization-Humidification Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser (VH-TDMA), Raman and SEM techniques

Particles formed upon photo-oxidation of CH2I2 and particles of I2O5 and HIO3 have been studied using a Volatilisation and Humidification Tandem Differential Mobility Analyser (VH-TDMA) system. Volatilization and hygroscopic behaviour have been investigated as function of temperature (from 25 to 400 degrees Celsius), humidity (RH from 80 to 98%), initial aerosol sizes (from 27 to 100 nm mobility diameter) and in nitrogen or air as the sheath gasses. The volatility behaviour of particles formed upon photo-oxidation of CH2I2 is more similar to that of HIO3 particles in a filtered sheath air than in nitrogen, with the particle shrinkage occurring at 190 degrees Celsius and accompanied by hygroscopic growth. Despite its high solubility, HIO3 was found not to be hygroscopic at room temperature with no significant growth displayed until the thermodenuder temperature reached 200 degrees Celsius or above when the particles have transformed into I2O5. Diiodopentaoxide (I2O5) particles exhibit relatively low hygroscopic growth factors of 1.2-2 in the humidity range investigated. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) of particles formed upon photo-oxidation of CH2I2 shows that their primary elemental components were iodine and oxygen in a stoichiometric ratio of approximately 1:2 with 10% error. Both Raman spectra and SEM show poor crystallinity for all the aerosols produced

Acreage Allotments.

2 p

The Boson peak in supercooled water

We perform extensive molecular dynamics simulations of the TIP4P/2005 model of water to investigate the origin of the Boson peak reported in experiments on supercooled water in nanoconfined pores, and in hydration water around proteins. We find that the onset of the Boson peak in supercooled bulk water coincides with the crossover to a predominantly low-density-like liquid below the Widom line $T_W$. The frequency and onset temperature of the Boson peak in our simulations of bulk water agree well with the results from experiments on nanoconfined water. Our results suggest that the Boson peak in water is not an exclusive effect of confinement. We further find that, similar to other glass-forming liquids, the vibrational modes corresponding to the Boson peak are spatially extended and are related to transverse phonons found in the parent crystal, here ice Ih.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Controlling for fixed effects in studies of income underreporting

The expenditure method of Pissarides and Weber (1989) [Journal of Public Economics, 39 (1), 17- 32) shows how one backs out measure of income underreporting by the self-employed by using food consumption as trace of true income. In this paper we make a case for using panel data and fixed effects estimation in such analysis, instead of OLS estimation. The main argument is that fixed effects estimation addresses the problem of omitted variable bias in the identification. We demonstrate the use of panel data and fixed effects estimation by using large scale administrative register data on charitable donations, exploiting that the data can be turned into a panel dataset. The results suggest that the estimation technique matters – fixed effects estimates are smaller than OLS estimates

Local application of Metronidazole as an adjunct to surgical debridement of molar furcation sites.

Efst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinnTilgangur: Markmið þessarar slembnu, klínísku rannsóknar var að athuga hvort það að koma geli sem inniheldur sýklalyfið metronidazole fyrir undir flipa við tannhaldsskurðmeðferð á annarrar gráðu millirótabólgu, bæti árangur af meðferðinni. Efniviður og aðferðir: Tuttugu sjúklingar með eitt par sambærilegra jaxla, einn í hvorri hlið með sambærilega millirótabólgu af gráðu II tóku þátt í rannsókninni. Eftir formeðferð, við upphaf skurðmeðferðar (baseline), voru gerðar klínískar upphafsmælingar. Mæld var tannsýkla (PlI), yfirborðsbólga (GI), pokadýpt (PPD), tannfesta (PAL), lárétt tannfesta (HAL) og svo blæðing við pokamælingu (BoP) og blæðing við lárétta pokamælingu (HBoP). Gerð var flipaaðgerð með aðferð Widmans (modified Widman flap) og metronidazole geli (Elyzol® Dental Gel, 25% metronidazole) komið fyrir undir flipanum, hjá annarri tönn hvers þátttakenda (tilraunahópur, test, T). Við hina tönnina var ekkert gel notað (viðmiðunarhópur, control, C). Að fjórum vikum liðnum voru tannsýkla (PlI) og yfirborðsbólga (GI) mældar. Að sex mánuðum liðnum voru gerðar klínískar lokamælingar. Rannsóknin var gerð með tvíblindu fyrirkomulagi og slembivalið í hópana T og C. Niðurstöður: Lokaniðurstöður byggjast á 15 tannpörum, P < 0,05. Enginn tölfræðilegur munur reyndist á PlI og GI milli hópanna, hvorki í upphafi né við lokamælingar. Tölfræðilega marktækur munur reyndist á milli T og C hvað varðar PPD (T 3,8 mm C 4,2 mm) við upphafsmælingar og á hópunum við lokamælingar PAL (T 4,3 mm og C 5,2 mm). Munur allra annarra mælinga reyndist tölfræðilega ómarktækur. Ályktun: Niðurstöður þessarar rannsóknar benda til þess að klínísk jákvæð áhrif þess að nota metronidazole gel samfara skurðaðgerð á tannhaldi jaxla með millirótabólgu af gráðu II séu harla lítil. Þannig hefur það sýnt sig að þó einróta tennur svari tannhaldsmeðferð mjög vel 3, 44 þá er árangur af slíkri meðferð hjá fjölróta tönnum marktækt síðri.23,25,32,49 Þessi lakari árangur við jaxlana virðist ekki tengjast verra aðgengi til hreinsunar, eins og vænta mætti vegna stöðu þeirra, aftarlega í tannboganum, því sléttir rótafletir jaxla, staðir sem ekki tengjast millirótabilum, svara meðferð á svipaðan hátt og einróta tennur gera.25 Það er því ljóst að þeir staðir sem skera sig úr eru millirótabilin. Þau geta verið flókin að lögun48 sem aftur leiðir af sér að erfitt getur verið að hreinsa þau, hvort sem beitt er skurðaðgerð eða ekki18,27 en það aftur, skilar sér í lakari græðslu. Sýnt hefur verið fram á að sýklalyfjagjöf, hvort sem er kerfisbundin7,17,19,21 eða staðbundin14,4,11,26 getur bætt græðslu eftir tannhaldsmeðferð, tannhreinsun án skurðaðgerðar. Sá möguleiki að sýklalyf geti bætt árangur af tannhaldsmeðferð með skurðaðgerð hefur lítt verið rannsakaður. Áhugaverðustu staðirnir, hvað þetta varðar, eru þeir sem lakar gróa eftir skurðmeðferð til dæmis millirótabil jaxla. Leiða má að því líkur að sýklalyf sem kemst í snertingu við eftirhreytur sýklaskánar sem finna má í millirótabili eftir tannhreinsun, minnki sýkinguna á rótaryfirborðinu. Í gegnum tíðina hafa fjölmargar rannsóknir verið gerðar á áhrifum metronidazole gels þegar það er notað staðbundið, samfara tannhaldsmeðferð án skurðaðgerðar. Niðurstöður spanna allt frá því að sýna lítil sem engin áhrif af lyfjagjöfinni 40, 46 til þess að sýna veruleg áhrif af hinni staðbundnu lyfjagjöf.12 Minna er vitað um hugsanleg, jákvæð áhrif af staðbundinni notkun metronidazole eftir skurðmeðferð á tannhaldi. Annar þáttur sem hafa skyldi í huga er sá að flókin lögun millirótabilsins gæti stuðlað að því að sýklaskán gæti vaxið að nýju (recolonization) á meðan á græðslu stendur. Sé þetta raunin gæti sýklalyfjagjöf stuðlað að þéttara tannholdi og betri lokun á tannhaldspokanum á fyrstu stigum græðslunnar eftir tannhreinsun. Rannsókn Hirooka (1993) styður þessa hugmynd en þar var metronidazole geli (Elyzol® Dental gel) komið fyrir tvisvar, með einnar viku millibili, eftir tannhaldsmeðferð í millirótabili án skurðaðgerðar. Þar reyndust tilraunastaðir gróa betur hvað varðar lárétt festumörk með þéttara tannholdi í millirótabili en viðmiðunarstaðir sem ekkert sýklalyf fengu. Tilgangur þessarar rannsóknar var að meta hvort staðbundin notkun metronidazole gels bæti árangur af tannhaldsmeðferð með skurðaðgerð í millirótabili jaxla, mælt með klínískum aðferðumObjective: The aim of this randomized, controlled, clinical trial (RCT) was to evaluate if a locally applied metronidazole containing gel may have beneficial effect on the healing results obtained following surgical debridement of molar furcation sites, as assessed by clinical means. Materials and methods: Twenty patients referred for treatment of periodontitis were included in the study. To be included they had to have one pair of contralateral molars with furcation involvement, class II. All the participants were initially given cause related therapy. At baseline; Plaque index (PlI), Gingivitis index (GI), pocket probing depth (PPD), probing attachment level (PAL), horizontal attachment level (HAL) , bleeding on probing (BoP) and finally bleeding on horizontal probing (HBoP) at the furcation were measured. Periodontal flap surgery (modified Widman flap) was performed at all the sites and metronidazole gel (Elyzol®Dental Gel, 25 % metronidazole) was applied under the flap before closure at one of the teeth for each subject. Which tooth received the antibiotic, test tooth (T) and which not, control tooth (C) was selected at random by tossing a coin. At four weeks the PlI and GI measurements were repeated. At six months all the clinical measurements made at baseline were repeated. The design of the study is double blind. Results: Final results were based on results from 15 patients, 30 teeth. Statistical analysis in this study uses p < 0.05. PlI and GI showed no statistically significant differences between T and C throughout the study. A statistically significant difference was shown between T and C for PPD (T 3.8 mm, C 4.2 mm) at baseline and between the groups for PAL at six months (T 4.3 mm, C 5.2 mm). No other results showed statistically significant difference between T and C. Conclusion: The findings of the present study demonstrate that the favorable effect of using metronidazole gel as adjunct to surgical treatment of molar class II furcation defects is limited, measured with clinical methods

Diagnostic accuracy of left ventricular longitudinal function by speckle tracking echocardiography to predict significant coronary artery stenosis. A systematic review

Background Patients evaluated for acute and chronic chest pain comprise a large, heterogeneous group that often provides diagnostic challenges. Although speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has proved to have diagnostic value in acute coronary syndrome it is not commonly incorporated in everyday practice. The purpose of the present systematic review was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of left ventricular (LV) longitudinal function by STE to predict significant coronary artery stenosis (CAD+) or not (CAD-) verified by coronary angiography in patients with chest pain suspected to be of cardiac ischemic origin. Methods 4 electronic databases; Embase, Medline, Cochrane and PubMed ahead-of print were searched for per 19.05.14. Only full-sized articles including > 40 patients were selected. Results A total of 166 citations were identified, 16 full-size articles were assessed of which 6 were found eligible for this review. Of 781 patients included 397 (60 %) had CAD+. The overall weighted mean global longitudinal strain (GLS) was −17.2 % (SD = 2.6) among CAD+ vs. -19.2 % (SD = 2.8) in CAD- patients. Mean area under curve in 4 studies for predicting CAD+ ranged from 0.68 to 0.80. The study cut-off levels for prediction of CAD+ in the ROC analysis varied between −17.4 % and −19.7 % with sensitivity from 51 % to 81 % and specificity between 58 % and 81 %. In 1 study GLS obtained during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) had the best accuracy. Regional strain measurements were not uniform, but may have potential in detecting CAD. Conclusions GLS measurements at rest only have modest diagnostic accuracy in predicting CAD+ among patients presenting with acute or chronic chest pain. The results from regional strain, layer specific strain and DSE need to be verified in larger studies

Improving mental health outcomes: achieving equity through quality improvement

Objective. To investigate equity of patient outcomes in a psychological therapy service, following increased access achieved by a quality improvement (QI) initiative. Design. Retrospective service evaluation of health outcomes; data analysed by ANOVA, chi-squared and Statistical Process Control. Setting. A psychological therapy service in Westminster, London, UK. Participants. People living in the Borough of Westminster, London, attending the service (from either healthcare professional or self-referral) between February 2009 and May 2012. Intervention(s). Social marketing interventions were used to increase referrals, including the promotion of the service through local media and through existing social networks. Main Outcome Measure(s). (i) Severity of depression on entry using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ9). (ii) Changes to severity of depression following treatment (ΔPHQ9). (iii) Changes in attainment of a meaningful improvement in condition assessed by a key performance indicator. Results. Patients from areas of high deprivation entered the service with more severe depression (M = 15.47, SD = 6.75), com-pared with patients from areas of low (M = 13.20, SD = 6.75) and medium (M = 14.44, SD = 6.64) deprivation. Patients in low

Control of Drosophila imaginal disc development by rotund and roughened eye: differentially expressed transcripts of the same gene encoding functionally distinct zinc finger proteins

The Drosophila rotund gene is required in the wings, antenna, haltere, proboscis and legs. A member of the Rac family of GTPases, denoted the rotund racGAP gene, was previously identified in the rotund region. However, previous studies indicated that rotund racGAP was not responsible for the rotund phenotypes and that the rotund gene had yet to be identified. We have isolated the rotund gene and show that it is a member of the Kruppel family of zinc finger genes. The adjacent roughened eye locus specifically affects the eye and is genetically separable from rotund. However, roughened eye and rotund are tightly linked, and we have therefore also isolated the roughened eye transcript. Intriguingly, we show that roughened eye is part of the rotund gene but is represented by a different transcript. The rotund and roughened eye transcripts result from the utilization of two different promoters that direct expression in non-overlapping domains in the larval imaginal discs. The predicted Rotund and Roughened Eye proteins share the same C-terminal region, including the zinc finger domain, but differ in their N-terminal regions. Each cDNA can rescue only the corresponding mutation and show negative effects when expressed in each others domain of expression. These results indicate that in addition to the differential expression of rotund and roughened eye, their proteins have distinct activities. rotund and roughened eye act downstream of early patterning genes such as dachshund and appear to be involved in Notch signaling by regulating Delta, scabrous and Serrate

An Automated Process for 2D and 3D Finite Element Overclosure and Gap Adjustment using Radial Basis Function Networks

In biomechanics, geometries representing complicated organic structures are consistently segmented from sparse volumetric data or morphed from template geometries resulting in initial overclosure between adjacent geometries. In FEA, these overclosures result in numerical instability and inaccuracy as part of contact analysis. Several techniques exist to fix overclosures, but most suffer from several drawbacks. This work introduces a novel automated algorithm in an iterative process to remove overclosure and create a desired minimum gap for 2D and 3D finite element models. The RBF Network algorithm was introduced by its four major steps to remove the initial overclosure. Additionally, the algorithm was validated using two test cases against conventional nodal adjustment. The first case compared the ability of each algorithm to remove differing levels of overclosure between two deformable muscles and the effects on mesh quality. The second case used a non-deformable femur and deformable distal femoral cartilage geometry with initial overclosure to test both algorithms and observe the effects on the resulting contact FEA. The RBF Network in the first case study was successfully able to remove all overclosures. In the second case, the nodal adjustment method failed to create a usable FEA model, while the RBF Network had no such issue. This work proposed an algorithm to remove initial overclosures prior to FEA that has improved performance over conventional nodal adjustment, especially in complicated situations and those involving 3D elements. The work can be included in existing FEA modeling workflows to improve FEA results in situations involving sparse volumetric segmentation and mesh morphing. This algorithm has been implemented in MATLAB, and the source code is publicly available to download at the following GitHub repository: https://github.com/thor-andreassen/femorsComment: 26 Pages, 5 Figures, 2 Table