Speckle tracking as a method to measure hemidiaphragm excursion

Introduction: Diaphragm excursion measured via ultrasound may be an important imaging outcome measure of respiratory function. We developed a new method for measuring diaphragm movement and compared it to the more traditional M‐mode method. Methods: Ultrasound images of the right and left hemidiaphragms were collected to compare speckle tracking and M‐mode measurements of diaphragm excursion. Speckle tracking was performed using EchoInsight (Epsilon Imaging, Ann Arbor, Michigan). Results: Six healthy subjects without a history of pulmonary diseases were included in this proof‐of‐concept study. Speckle tracking of the diaphragm is technically possible. Unlike M‐mode, speckle tracking carries the advantage of reliable visualization and measurement of the left hemidiaphragm. Conclusions: Speckle tracking accounted for diaphragm movement simultaneously in the cephalocaudad and mediolateral directions, unlike M‐mode, which is 1‐dimensional. Diaphragm speckle tracking may represent a novel, more robust method for measuring diaphragm excursion, especially for the left hemidiaphragm. Muscle Nerve 55: 125–127, 2017Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135149/1/mus25380.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135149/2/mus25380_am.pd

Brief Report: Excitatory and Inhibitory Brain Metabolites as Targets of Motor Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Therapy and Predictors of Its Efficacy in Fibromyalgia

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110535/1/art38945.pd

Multimodal MRI as a diagnostic biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Objective Reliable biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS ) are needed, given the clinical heterogeneity of the disease. Here, we provide proof‐of‐concept for using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ) as a diagnostic biomarker for ALS . Specifically, we evaluated the added diagnostic utility of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( MRS ) to diffusion tensor imaging ( DTI ). Methods Twenty‐nine patients with ALS and 30 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls underwent brain MRI which used proton MRS including spectral editing techniques to measure γ‐aminobutyric acid ( GABA ) and DTI to measure fractional anisotropy of the corticospinal tract. Data were analyzed using logistic regression, t ‐tests, and generalized linear models with leave‐one‐out analysis to generate and compare the resulting receiver operating characteristic ( ROC ) curves. Results The diagnostic accuracy is significantly improved when the MRS data were combined with the DTI data as compared to the DTI data only (area under the ROC curves ( AUC ) = 0.93 vs. AUC  = 0.81; P  = 0.05). The combined MRS and DTI data resulted in sensitivity of 0.93, specificity of 0.85, positive likelihood ratio of 6.20, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.08 whereas the DTI data only resulted in sensitivity of 0.86, specificity of 0.70, positive likelihood ratio of 2.87, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.20. Interpretation Combining multiple advanced neuroimaging modalities significantly improves disease discrimination between ALS patients and healthy controls. These results provide an important step toward advancing a multimodal MRI approach along the diagnostic test development pathway for ALS.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/106065/1/acn330.pd

Predictors of orbital convergence in primates: A test of the snake detection hypothesis of primate evolution

Traditional explanations for the evolution of high orbital convergence and stereoscopic vision in primates have focused on how stereopsis might have aided early primates in foraging or locomoting in an arboreal environment. It has recently been suggested that predation risk by constricting snakes was the selective force that favored the evolution of orbital convergence in early primates, and that later exposure to venomous snakes favored further degrees of convergence in anthropoid primates. Our study tests this snake detection hypothesis (SDH) by examining whether orbital convergence among extant primates is indeed associated with the shared evolutionary history with snakes or the risk that snakes pose for a given species. We predicted that orbital convergence would be higher in species that: 1) have a longer history of sympatry with venomous snakes, 2) are likely to encounter snakes more frequently, 3) are less able to detect or deter snakes due to group size effects, and 4) are more likely to be preyed upon by snakes. Results based on phylogenetically independent contrasts do not support the SDH. Orbital convergence shows no relationship to the shared history with venomous snakes, likelihood of encountering snakes, or group size. Moreover, those species less likely to be targeted as prey by snakes show significantly higher values of orbital convergence. Although an improved ability to detect camouflaged snakes, along with other cryptic stimuli, is likely a consequence of increased orbital convergence, this was unlikely to have been the primary selective force favoring the evolution of stereoscopic vision in primates

From mode choice to modal diversion: A new behavioural paradigm and an application to the study of the demand for innovative transport services

We analyse past research efforts that focus on modal diversion in the transport sector, as opposed to the classical mode choice concept, showing the added value of this alternative framework that emerges from the existing scientific literature. The modal diversion paradigm is then used to assess the relative importance of the technical performances of transport services on one hand and of the subjective factors of its potential users on the other, when forecasting the use of a new means among a group of white-collars working in a French research institute. We quantitatively show that multimodal habits and cognitive attitudes have an importance that is in general not negligible for this group, compared to that of the transport services performances, even if only these latter are routinely considered by engineers and planners. Beyond this, we find that the role of self-related factors further increased when the group was less familiar with the technological background and the subsequent operation of the new system, such as in the case of demand responsive transport service

Michigan Neural Distinctiveness (MiND) study protocol: investigating the scope, causes, and consequences of age-related neural dedifferentiation

Abstract Background Aging is often associated with behavioral impairments, but some people age more gracefully than others. Why? One factor that may play a role is individual differences in the distinctiveness of neural representations. Previous research has found that neural activation patterns in visual cortex in response to different visual stimuli are often more similar (i.e., less distinctive) in older vs. young participants, a phenomenon referred to as age-related neural dedifferentiation. Furthermore, older people whose neural representations are less distinctive tend to perform worse on a wide range of behavioral tasks. The Michigan Neural Distinctiveness (MiND) project aims to investigate the scope of neural dedifferentiation (e.g., does it also occur in auditory, motor, and somatosensory cortex?), one potential cause (age-related reductions in the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)), and the behavioral consequences of neural dedifferentiation. This protocol paper describes the study rationale and methods being used in complete detail, but not the results (data collection is currently underway). Methods The MiND project consists of two studies: the main study and a drug study. In the main study, we are recruiting 60 young and 100 older adults to perform behavioral tasks that measure sensory and cognitive function. They also participate in functional MRI (fMRI), MR spectroscopy, and diffusion weighted imaging sessions, providing data on neural distinctiveness and GABA concentrations. In the drug study, we are recruiting 25 young and 25 older adults to compare neural distinctiveness, measured with fMRI, after participants take a placebo or a benzodiazepine (lorazepam) that should increase GABA activity. Discussion By collecting multimodal imaging measures along with extensive behavioral measures from the same subjects, we are linking individual differences in neurochemistry, neural representation, and behavioral performance, rather than focusing solely on group differences between young and old participants. Our findings have the potential to inform new interventions for age-related declines. Trial registration This study was retrospectively registered with the ISRCTN registry on March 4, 2019. The registration number is ISRCTN17266136 .https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/148569/1/12883_2019_Article_1294.pd

Calibration and Characterization of the IceCube Photomultiplier Tube

Over 5,000 PMTs are being deployed at the South Pole to compose the IceCube neutrino observatory. Many are placed deep in the ice to detect Cherenkov light emitted by the products of high-energy neutrino interactions, and others are frozen into tanks on the surface to detect particles from atmospheric cosmic ray showers. IceCube is using the 10-inch diameter R7081-02 made by Hamamatsu Photonics. This paper describes the laboratory characterization and calibration of these PMTs before deployment. PMTs were illuminated with pulses ranging from single photons to saturation level. Parameterizations are given for the single photoelectron charge spectrum and the saturation behavior. Time resolution, late pulses and afterpulses are characterized. Because the PMTs are relatively large, the cathode sensitivity uniformity was measured. The absolute photon detection efficiency was calibrated using Rayleigh-scattered photons from a nitrogen laser. Measured characteristics are discussed in the context of their relevance to IceCube event reconstruction and simulation efforts.Comment: 40 pages, 12 figure

European integration and corporate financing

This paper explores the importance of supply of capital for corporate financing. To identify this relation, we examine the impact of two exogenous events, entry to the EU and the adoption of Euro, which caused shifts in equity and credit markets during European integration. Following membership to EU, which eased access to equity capital, firms increase equity financing. Firms increase debt financing after the adoption of Euro, which improved access to international debt capital. We control for globalization, ongoing developments in equity and credit channels, firm characteristics, and the moderating effects of the country of origin

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.