Prevalence and course of mood and anxiety disorders, and correlates of symptom severity in adolescents with type 1 diabetes:Results from diabetes LEAP

Objectives We aim to determine the prevalence and the course of anxiety and mood disorders in Dutch adolescents (12-18 years old) with type 1 diabetes, and to examine correlates of symptom severity, including parental emotional distress. Methods Participants were 171 adolescents and 149 parents. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV was used to assess current, past year and lifetime anxiety and mood disorders in adolescents. Symptom severity and diabetes distress were measured with validated questionnaires. Correlates of these symptoms were examined using hierarchical regression analyses and included demographics (adolescent sex and age), clinical factors (diabetes duration, treatment modality, most recent glycated hemoglobin A1c ; all extracted from medical charts), adolescent diabetes distress, and parent emotional distress. Results Twenty-four (14%) adolescents met the criteria for ≥1 disorder(s) in the previous 12 months. Anxiety disorders were more prevalent than mood disorders (13% vs. 4%). Lifetime prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders was 29% (n = 49). The presence of any of these disorders earlier in life (from 5 years old up to 12 months prior to assessment) was associated with disorders in the past 12 months (OR = 4.88, p = 0.001). Higher adolescent diabetes distress was related to higher symptoms of anxiety (b = 0.07, p = 0.001) and depression (b = 0.13, p = 0.001), while demographics, clinical characteristics, and parental emotional distress were not related. Conclusions Anxiety and mood disorders are common among adolescents and related to earlier disorders. Higher diabetes distress was related to higher symptom severity. Clinicians are advised to address past psychological problems and remain vigilant of these problems

Tunneling Time Distribution by means of Nelson's Quantum Mechanics and Wave-Particle Duality

We calculate a tunneling time distribution by means of Nelson's quantum mechanics and investigate its statistical properties. The relationship between the average and deviation of tunneling time suggests the exsistence of ``wave-particle duality'' in the tunneling phenomena.Comment: 14 pages including 11 figures, the text has been revise

The Exact Correspondence between Phase Times and Dwell Times in a Symmetrical Quantum Tunneling Configuration

The general and explicit relation between the phase time and the dwell time for quantum tunneling or scattering is investigated. Considering a symmetrical collision of two identical wave packets with an one-dimensional barrier, here we demonstrate that these two distinct transit time definitions give connected results where, however, the phase time (group delay) accurately describes the exact position of the scattered particles. The analytical difficulties that arise when the stationary phase method is employed for obtaining phase (traversal) times are all overcome. Multiple wave packet decomposition allows us to recover the exact position of the reflected and transmitted waves in terms of the phase time, which, in addition to the exact relation between the phase time and the dwell time, leads to right interpretation for both of them.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figure

Small Corrections to the Tunneling Phase Time Formulation

After reexamining the above barrier diffusion problem where we notice that the wave packet collision implies the existence of {\em multiple} reflected and transmitted wave packets, we analyze the way of obtaining phase times for tunneling/reflecting particles in a particular colliding configuration where the idea of multiple peak decomposition is recovered. To partially overcome the analytical incongruities which frequently rise up when the stationary phase method is adopted for computing the (tunneling) phase time expressions, we present a theoretical exercise involving a symmetrical collision between two identical wave packets and a unidimensional squared potential barrier where the scattered wave packets can be recomposed by summing the amplitudes of simultaneously reflected and transmitted wave components so that the conditions for applying the stationary phase principle are totally recovered. Lessons concerning the use of the stationary phase method are drawn.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figure

The clustering of ultra-high energy cosmic rays and their sources

The sky distribution of cosmic rays with energies above the 'GZK cutoff' holds important clues to their origin. The AGASA data, although consistent with isotropy, shows evidence for small-angle clustering, and it has been argued that such clusters are aligned with BL Lacertae objects, implicating these as sources. It has also been suggested that clusters can arise if the cosmic rays come from the decays of very massive relic particles in the Galactic halo, due to the expected clumping of cold dark matter. We examine these claims and show that both are in fact not justified.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, version in press at Phys. Rev.

Initial clinical evaluation of stationary digital chest tomosynthesis in adult patients with cystic fibrosis

Objective: The imaging evaluation of cystic fibrosis currently relies on chest radiography or computed tomography. Recently, digital chest tomosynthesis has been proposed as an alternative. We have developed a stationary digital chest tomosynthesis (s-DCT) system based on a carbon nanotube (CNT) linear x-ray source array. This system enables tomographic imaging without movement of the x-ray tube and allows for physiological gating. The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of clinical CF imaging with the s-DCT system. Materials and methods: CF patients undergoing clinically indicated chest radiography were recruited for the study and imaged on the s-DCT system. Three board-certified radiologists reviewed both the CXR and s-DCT images for image quality relevant to CF. CF disease severity was assessed by Brasfield score on CXR and chest tomosynthesis score on s-DCT. Disease severity measures were also evaluated against subject pulmonary function tests. Results: Fourteen patients underwent s-DCT imaging within 72 h of their chest radiograph imaging. Readers scored the visualization of proximal bronchi, small airways and vascular pattern higher on s-DCT than CXR. Correlation between the averaged Brasfield score and averaged tomosynthesis disease severity score for CF was -0.73, p = 0.0033. The CF disease severity score system for tomosynthesis had high correlation with FEV1 (r = -0.685) and FEF 25–75% (r = -0.719) as well as good correlation with FVC (r = -0.582). Conclusion: We demonstrate the potential of CNT x-ray-based s-DCT for use in the evaluation of cystic fibrosis disease status in the first clinical study of s-DCT. Key Points: • Carbon nanotube-based linear array x-ray tomosynthesis systems have the potential to provide diagnostically relevant information for patients with cystic fibrosis without the need for a moving gantry. • Despite the short angular span in this prototype system, lung features such as the proximal bronchi, small airways and pulmonary vasculature have improved visualization on s-DCT compared with CXR. Further improvements are anticipated with longer linear x-ray array tubes. • Evaluation of disease severity in CF patients is possible with s-DCT, yielding improved visualization of important lung features and high correlation with pulmonary function tests at a relatively low dose

Qualitative behavior of solutions for thermodynamically consistent Stefan problems with surface tension

The qualitative behavior of a thermodynamically consistent two-phase Stefan problem with surface tension and with or without kinetic undercooling is studied. It is shown that these problems generate local semiflows in well-defined state manifolds. If a solution does not exhibit singularities in a sense made precise below, it is proved that it exists globally in time and its orbit is relatively compact. In addition, stability and instability of equilibria is studied. In particular, it is shown that multiple spheres of the same radius are unstable, reminiscent of the onset of Ostwald ripening.Comment: 56 pages. Expanded introduction, added references. This revised version is published in Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. (207) (2013), 611-66

Targeted delivery of antisense oligonucleotides by molecular conjugates

Antisense oligonucleotides efficiently inhibit gene expression in vitro; however, the successful therapeutic application of this technology in vivo will require the development of improved delivery systems. In this report we describe a technique that efficiently delivers antisense oligonucleotides into cells using molecular conjugates. This technique, which was initially developed for the delivery of eukaryotic genes, is based on the construction of DNA-protein complexes that are recognized by the liver-specific asialoglycoprotein receptor. Binding of poly( l -lysine)-asialoorosomucoid (AsOR) protein conjugates with phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotides to chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) led to the formation of 50- to 150-nm toroids. Exposure of the antisense molecular complexes (3 µM oligonucleotide) to NIH 3T3 cells genetically modified to express both the AsOR receptor and CAT, inhibited CAT expression by 54%, which was completely blocked by excess AsOR. Equivalent inhibition of CAT activity with purified oligonucleotide alone was observed at a 30 µM concentration. Furthermore, examination of the cells using indirect immunofluorescence for the presence of CAT protein showed 28% of cells exposed to the molecular conjugates lacked any detectable CAT enzyme. Cells exposed to oligonucleotide alone showed a highly variable staining pattern, and only a few of the cells were completely void of CAT protein. Together these data demonstrate that molecular conjugates provide a highly specific and efficient system for the delivery of antisense oligonucleotides.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45543/1/11188_2005_Article_BF01232652.pd