Vibrational modes of circular free plates under tension

The vibrational frequencies of a plate under tension are given by the eigenvalues $\omega$ of the equation $\Delta^2u-\tau\Delta u=\omega u$. This paper determines the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of this bi-Laplace problem on the ball under natural (free) boundary conditions. In particular, the fundamental modes --- the eigenfunctions of the lowest nonzero eigenvalue --- are identified and found to have simple angular dependence.Comment: 17 pages. To be submitted for publication shortly

Diagnostiek, behandeling en follow-up van het intermediair en hooggradig Non-Hodgkin Lymfoom. Kosten van protocollaire en niet-protocollaire behandelingen.

In dit onderzoek is een berekening gemaakt van de gemiddelde kosten van diagnostiek, behandeling en follow-up van patiënten met een non-Hodgkin lymfoom (NHL). Dit rapport is opgesteld in het kader van de opdracht van het ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport (VWS) aan het iMTA om in samenwerking met alle betrokken beroepsgroepen een landelijke klinische richtlijn voor het NHL te ontwikkelen, waarbij kosten-effectiviteitsoverwegingen in ogenschouw zijn genomen. In het voorliggende rapport wordt ten eerste een indicatie gegeven van de gemiddelde kosten in verschillende behandelingsgroepen (protocollair en niet-protocollair). Voorts biedt het rapport inzicht in specifieke kostenposten die ten behoeve van NHL-patiënten gemaakt worden, bijvoorbeeld de kosten van verschillende diagnostische opties

Forearm Rotation Range of Motion and Its Velocity in Eating With Chopsticks : a Comparison Among Positions of Dish

The purpose of this study was to determine range of motion of forearm rotation and its velocity in eating. Six young students (age:20.5±0.5 years [range:20-21], 2 men and 4 women) participated in this study. To measure three-dimensional motions, we used an electromagnetic tracking device system. The first sensor was attached to the dorsal/distal of forearm with sprint, and the second sensor was attached to the dorsal/medial ulna with elastic belt. The subjects ate pickles with chopsticks. At a wooden desk with 70cm height they sat on a height-adjustable chair, so their olecranon was as high as the desk top. Three positions of a dish were measured; A: at the distance of length of distal to elbow, B: at the distance of length of the upper extremity, and C: at a middle position between A and B. The results revealed that forearm rotation, range of motion and its velocity were significantly different among three conditions (one-way repeated-measure ANOVA)(p<0.05). Characteristically the motion velocity of B was lower than C, and A was lower than C (p<0.05). Findings suggest that 1) limited forearm range of motion would decrease a burden of forearm by setting a dish at B or C than A, 2) the rotation (maximal pronation and supination: 11 and 49 degrees, respectively) was similar, to a fork (maximal pronation and supination: 10 and 51 degrees, respectively), 3) C may be efficiently operated, and 4) the system may be instructed as a good equipment for eating

Current practice patterns of outpatient management of acute pulmonary embolism: A post-hoc analysis of the YEARS study

Background: Studies have shown the safety of home treatment of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) at low risk of adverse events. Management studi

Population-based incidence rates of 15 neuromuscular disorders:a nationwide capture-recapture study in the Netherlands

Most neuromuscular disorders are rare, but as a group they are not. Nevertheless, epidemiological data of specific neuromuscular disorders are scarce, especially on the incidence. We applied a capture-recapture approach to a nationwide hospital-based dataset and a patients association-based dataset to estimate the annual incidence rates for fifteen neuromuscular disorders in the Netherlands. The annual incidence rates per 100,000 population varied from 0.03/100,000 (95% CI 0.00 ‒ 0.06) for glycogenosis type 5 to 0.9/100,000 (95% confidence interval 0.7 ‒ 1.0) for myotonic dystrophy type 1. The summed annual incidence rate of these disorders was 4.1 per 100,000 per population. Nine of the provided incidence rates were previously unavailable, three rates were similar to the rates in the literature, and three rates were generally higher compared to previous findings but with overlapping confidence intervals. This study provides nationwide incidence rates for fifteen neuromuscular disorders predominantly diagnosed in adult life, nine which were previously unavailable. The capture-recapture approach provided estimates of the total number of individuals with neuromuscular disorders. To complete the gaps in the knowledge of disease frequencies, there is a need for estimates from an automated, obligatory data collection system of diagnosed and newly diagnosed patients with neuromuscular disorders.</p

A Human Minor Histocompatibility Antigen Specific for B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Human minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play an important role in the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reactivity against leukemia after human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). As most mHags are not leukemia specific but are also expressed by normal tissues, antileukemia reactivity is often associated with life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here, we describe a novel mHag, HB-1, that elicits donor-derived CTL reactivity in a B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patient treated by HLA-matched BMT. We identified the gene encoding the antigenic peptide recognized by HB-1–specific CTLs. Interestingly, expression of the HB-1 gene was only observed in B-ALL cells and Epstein-Barr virus–transformed B cells. The HB-1 gene–encoded peptide EEKRGSLHVW is recognized by the CTL in association with HLA-B44. Further analysis reveals that a polymorphism in the HB-1 gene generates a single amino acid exchange from His to Tyr at position 8 within this peptide. This amino acid substitution is critical for recognition by HB-1–specific CTLs. The restricted expression of the polymorphic HB-1 Ag by B-ALL cells and the ability to generate HB-1–specific CTLs in vitro using peptide-loaded dendritic cells offer novel opportunities to specifically target the immune system against B-ALL without the risk of evoking GVHD

Allan Sandage and the Cosmic Expansion

This is an account of Allan Sandage's work on (1) The character of the expansion field. For many years he has been the strongest defender of an expanding Universe. He later explained the CMB dipole by a local velocity of 220 +/- 50 km/s toward the Virgo cluster and by a bulk motion of the Local supercluster (extending out to ~3500 km/s) of 450-500 km/s toward an apex at l=275, b=12. Allowing for these streaming velocities he found linear expansion to hold down to local scales (~300 km/s). (2) The calibration of the Hubble constant. Probing different methods he finally adopted - from Cepheid-calibrated SNe Ia and from independent RR Lyr-calibrated TRGBs - H_0 = 62.3 +/- 1.3 +/- 5.0 km/s/Mpc.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, Submitted to Astrophysics and Space Science, Special Issue on the Fundamental Cosmic Distance Scale in the Gaia Er

Heavy menstrual bleeding on direct factor Xa inhibitors: Rationale and design of the MEDEA study

Background: In premenopausal women, treatment with direct oral factor Xa inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) compared with vitamin K antagonists (VKA). Treatment with the direct oral thrombin inhibitor dabigatran appears to be associated with a reduced risk of HMB compared with VKA. These findings come from small observational studies or post hoc analyses of trials in which HMB was not a primary outcome. Use of tranexamic acid during the menstrual period may be effective in patients with HMB, but prospective data regarding efficacy and safety in patients on anticoagulant treatment are lacking. Rationale and Design: A direct comparison of a factor Xa inhibitor and a thrombin inhibitor with HMB as primary outcome, as well as an evaluation of the effects of adding tranexamic acid in women with anticoagulant-associated HMB is highly relevant for clinical practice. The MEDEA study is a randomized, open-label, pragmatic clinical trial to evaluate management strategies in premenopausal women with HMB associated with factor Xa inhibitor therapy. Outcomes: Women using factor Xa inhibitors with proven HMB, as assessed by a pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) score of >150, will be randomized to one of three study arms: (i) switch to dabigatran; (ii) continue factor Xa inhibitor with addition of tranexamic acid during the menstrual period; or (iii) continue factor Xa inhibitor without intervention. The primary outcome is the difference in PBAC score before and after randomization. Here, we present the rationale and highlight several unique features in the design of the study

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Commissioning and performance of the CMS pixel tracker with cosmic ray muons

This is the Pre-print version of the Article. The official published verion of the Paper can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 IOPThe pixel detector of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment consists of three barrel layers and two disks for each endcap. The detector was installed in summer 2008, commissioned with charge injections, and operated in the 3.8 T magnetic field during cosmic ray data taking. This paper reports on the first running experience and presents results on the pixel tracker performance, which are found to be in line with the design specifications of this detector. The transverse impact parameter resolution measured in a sample of high momentum muons is 18 microns.This work is supported by FMSR (Austria); FNRS and FWO (Belgium); CNPq, CAPES, FAPERJ, and FAPESP (Brazil); MES (Bulgaria); CERN; CAS, MoST, and NSFC (China); COLCIENCIAS (Colombia); MSES (Croatia); RPF (Cyprus); Academy of Sciences and NICPB (Estonia); Academy of Finland, ME, and HIP (Finland); CEA and CNRS/IN2P3 (France); BMBF, DFG, and HGF (Germany); GSRT (Greece); OTKA and NKTH (Hungary); DAE and DST (India); IPM (Iran); SFI (Ireland); INFN (Italy); NRF (Korea); LAS (Lithuania); CINVESTAV, CONACYT, SEP, and UASLP-FAI (Mexico); PAEC (Pakistan); SCSR (Poland); FCT (Portugal); JINR (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan); MST and MAE (Russia); MSTDS (Serbia); MICINN and CPAN (Spain); Swiss Funding Agencies (Switzerland); NSC (Taipei); TUBITAK and TAEK (Turkey); STFC (United Kingdom); DOE and NSF (USA)