Phase ambiguity of the threshold amplitude in pp -> pp\pi^0

Measurements of spin observables in pp -> {\vec p}{\vec p}\pi^0 are suggested to remove the phase ambiguity of the threshold amplitude. The suggested measurements complement the IUCF data on {\vec p}{\vec p} -> pp\pi^0 to completely determine all the twelve partial wave amplitudes, taken into consideration by Mayer et.al. [15] and Deepak, Haidenbauer and Hanhart [20].Comment: 4 pages, 1 table

Changes in Home Versus Clinic Blood Pressure With Antihypertensive Treatments: A Meta-Analysis

Home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring is recommended for assessing the effects of antihypertensive treatment, but it is not clear how the treatment-induced changes in HBP compare with the changes in clinic blood pressure (CBP). We searched PubMed using the terms “home or self-measured blood pressure,” and selected articles in which the changes in CBP and HBP (using the upper arm oscillometric method) induced by antihypertensive drugs were presented. We performed a systematic review of 30 articles published before March 2008 that included a total of 6794 subjects. As there was significant heterogeneity in most of the outcomes, a random effects model was used for the meta-analyses. The mean changes (±SE) in CBP and HBP (systolic/diastolic) were −15.2±0.03/−10.3±0.03 mm Hg and −12.2±0.04/−8.0±0.04 mm Hg respectively, although there were wide varieties of differences in the reduction between HBP and CBP. The reductions in CBP were correlated with those of HBP (systolic BP; r=0.66, B=0.48, diastolic BP; r=0.71, B=0.52, P<0.001). In 7 studies that also included 24-hour BP monitoring, the reduction of HBP was greater than that of 24-hour BP in systolic (HBP; −12.6±0.06 mm Hg, 24-hour BP; −11.9±0.04 mm Hg, P<0.001). In 5 studies that included daytime and nighttime systolic BP separately, HBP decreased 15% more than daytime ambulatory BP and 30% more than nighttime ambulatory BP. In conclusion, HBP falls ≈20% less than CBP with antihypertensive treatments. Daytime systolic BP falls 15% less and nighttime systolic BP falls 30% less than home systolic BP

Preventing misdiagnosis of ambulatory hypertension: algorithm using office and home blood pressures

Objectives—An algorithm for making a differential diagnosis between sustained and white coat hypertension (SH and WCH) has been proposed–patients with office hypertension undergo home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) and those with normal HBP levels undergo ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). We tested whether incorporating an upper office blood pressure (OBP) cutoff in the algorithm, higher than the traditional 140/90 mmHg, reduces the need for HBPM and ABPM. Methods—229 normotensive and untreated mildly hypertensive participants (mean age 52.5 ± 14.6, 54% female) underwent OBP measurements, HBPM, and 24-hour ABPM. Using the algorithm, sensitivity (SN), specificity (SP), and positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) for SH and WCH were assessed. We then modified the algorithm utilizing a systolic and diastolic OBP cutoff at a SP of 95% for ambulatory hypertension –those with office hypertension but OBP levels below the upper cutoff undergo HBPM and subsequent ABPM if appropriate. Results—Using the original algorithm, SN and PPV for SH were 100% and 93.8%. Despite a SP of 44.4%, NPV was 100%. These values correspond to SP, NPV, SN, and PPV for WCH respectively. Using the modified algorithm, the diagnostic accuracy for SH and WCH did not change. However, far fewer participants needed HBPM (29 vs. 84) and ABPM (8 vs. 15). Conclusions—In this sample, the original and modified algorithms are excellent at diagnosing SH and WCH. However, the latter requires far fewer subjects to undergo HBPM and ABPM. These findings have important implications for the cost-effective diagnosis of SH and WCH

What is the optimal interval between successive home blood pressure readings using an automated oscillometric device?

Objectives: To clarify whether a shorter interval between three successive home blood pressure (HBP) readings (10 s vs. 1 min) taken twice a day gives a better prediction of the average 24-h BP and better patient compliance. Design: We enrolled 56 patients from a hypertension clinic (mean age: 60 ± 14 years; 54% female patients). The study consisted of three clinic visits, with two 4-week periods of self-monitoring of HBP between them, and a 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring at the second visit. Using a crossover design, with order randomized, the oscillometric HBP device (HEM-5001) could be programmed to take three consecutive readings at either 10-s or 1-min intervals, each of which was done for 4 weeks. Patients were asked to measure three HBP readings in the morning and evening. All the readings were stored in the memory of the monitors. Results: The analyses were performed using the second–third HBP readings. The average systolic BP/diastolic BP for the 10-s and 1-min intervals at home were 136.1 ± 15.8/77.5 ± 9.5 and 133.2 ± 15.5/76.9 ± 9.3 mmHg (P = 0.001/0.19 for the differences in systolic BP and diastolic BP), respectively. The 1-min BP readings were significantly closer to the average of awake ambulatory BP (131 ± 14/79 ± 10 mmHg) than the 10-s interval readings. There was no significant difference in patients' compliance in taking adequate numbers of readings at the different time intervals. Conclusion: The 1-min interval between HBP readings gave a closer agreement with the daytime average BP than the 10-s interval

Real-time vibration monitoring in Android smart phone using Location Based Service

Abstract: In the present study we propose the implementation of Location Based Service for real-time vibration monitoring of a moving vehicle. The purpose of this study is to prevent damage to delicate payload being carried by trucks or trailers which occurs due to vibrations during transportation. We have first designed a vibration detector circuit by connecting a vibration detector to an Arduino-Uno printed circuit board. This board was then interfaced to an Android smart phone with the help of a Bluetooth module. The sensor reading displayed on the Android smart-phone was sent over mobile GPRS to a web-GIS server. The data stored in the GIS database was then dynamically plotted as a line-graph on a web page and also overlaid on Google Earth&apos;s satellite image in the form of a KML (Keyhole Markup Language) file

Discrete- and Continuous-Time Probabilistic Models and Algorithms for Inferring Neuronal UP and DOWN States

UP and DOWN states, the periodic fluctuations between increased and decreased spiking activity of a neuronal population, are a fundamental feature of cortical circuits. Understanding UP-DOWN state dynamics is important for understanding how these circuits represent and transmit information in the brain. To date, limited work has been done on characterizing the stochastic properties of UP-DOWN state dynamics. We present a set of Markov and semi-Markov discrete- and continuous-time probability models for estimating UP and DOWN states from multiunit neural spiking activity. We model multiunit neural spiking activity as a stochastic point process, modulated by the hidden (UP and DOWN) states and the ensemble spiking history. We estimate jointly the hidden states and the model parameters by maximum likelihood using an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm and a Monte Carlo EM algorithm that uses reversible-jump Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling in the E-step. We apply our models and algorithms in the analysis of both simulated multiunit spiking activity and actual multi- unit spiking activity recorded from primary somatosensory cortex in a behaving rat during slow-wave sleep. Our approach provides a statistical characterization of UP-DOWN state dynamics that can serve as a basis for verifying and refining mechanistic descriptions of this process.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-DA015644)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Director Pioneer Award DP1- OD003646)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH/NHLBI grant R01-HL084502)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH institutional NRSA grant T32 HL07901

Antagonistic Potentials of Marine Sponge Associated Fungi Aspergillus clavatus MFD15

Abstract: The development of resistance to multiple drugs is a major problem in the treatment of these infectious diseases. Multidrug Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Candida sp, the major infectious agents have been recently reported in quite a large number of studies. With more intensive studies for natural therapies, marine-derived products have been a promising source for the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. A total of 45 marine fungi were isolated from the two sponges F. cavernosa and D. nigra were screened for antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The novel basal media formulated in the present study resulted in increased frequency of fungal isolates when compared to all other media used in the present study. The cell free supernatant of fungi exhibiting the broad spectrum of activity was subjected to chemical analysis using different chromatographic systems including TLC, Column and GC-MS. Of the 15 fungal strains, 20% (3 strains) showed potential antagonistic activity against a panel of clinical pathogens used in the present study. Based on the antimicrobial activity of the isolates, Aspergillus clavatus MFD15 was recorded as potent producer displaying 100% activity against the tested pathogenic organisms. The TLC of the crude ethyl acetate extract produced 3 spots with Rf values of 0.20, 0.79 and 0.95, respectively. The active TLC fraction was purified in column chromatography which yielded 50 fractions. The active column fractions were combined and analyzed with FT-IR, UV-Vis and GC-MS. The chemical analysis of the active compound envisaged the active compound to be a triazole, 1H-1,2,4 Triazole 3-carboxaldehyde 5-methyl. The triazolic compound was bacteriostic for S. aureus and bactericidal for E. coli. The triazole treated fabric showed 50% reduction in the growth of E. coli, S. aureus, and S. epidermidis. Thus the purified compound can find a place in the database for the development of fabrics with antimicrobial properties. This is the first report that envisaged the production of triazole antimicrobial compound from sponge associated marine fungi from the Indian coast

Micro-algal lethality potentials of marine organisms collected from the Indian littoral

Microalgal lethality bioassay was developed to detect the toxic profile of organic extract of marine organisms and their possible significance in the context of antifouling activities. Organic extracts of seaweeds, Ulva fasciata and Hypnea musciformis, sponges, Dendrilla nigra, Axinella donnai and Clathria gorgonoides and a holothurian Holothuria scabra were used for the detection of microalgal lethality potential. The microalgae such as Isochrysis galbana, Chlorella salina and Nanochloropsis sp. were used for the assay. The findings revealed that H. scabra contained toxic secondary metabolites, which might have the reason for its potent antifouling activity. Invariably all extracts inhibited the growth of microalgae at various concentrations except H. musciformis and A. donnani, which induce the growth of microalgae to certain extent. Based on the present findings, it could be inferred that the ‘microalgal lethality bioassay’ could be used as a primary screening assay system for the detection of biotoxic and antifouling agents from marine organisms

Bioactivity of the red algae Asparagopsis taxiformis collected from the Southwestern coast of India

Among the diverse variety of red algae, Asparagopsis taxiformis constitutes one of the abundant biomass in the Kollam coast (Southwest coast of India). Therefore, in the present study, A. taxiformis was collected, extracted and fractionated using column chromatography. The individual fractions were evaluated in vitro for their antifouling, anticyanobacterial, piscicidal and crustaceans toxicity assays. The fraction eluted with 2:8, petroleum ether and ethyl acetate exhibited strong and broad spectrum of bioactivity. In antifouling assay against Limnea truncatula, the active algal fraction produced 80% of foot repellency at 150 mg/L whereas in anticyanobacterial assay, the active fraction inhibited 100% growth of Trichodesmium sp. at 320 mg/L. The algal fraction showed higher piscicidal effect at the level of 60 mg/L. The crustacean toxicity of the active fraction was also evaluated to find compounds without toxicity in non target organisms, Penaeus monodon and Macrobrachium rosenbergii. It was found that column fraction showed less toxicity against the non target organisms. The chemical constituents of the active fraction were identified by means of chromatographic systems such as TLC, reverse phase HPLC and GC-MS. The overall activity profile envisages that the active column fraction of A. taxiformis might contain synergistic bioactive metabolites that could be utilized for the control of fouling organisms, algal bloom and herbivorous/predaceous fishes in aquaculture ponds