508 research outputs found
Gastrointestinal side effects and adequacy of enteral intake in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients
BACKGROUND:
Patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) can experience gastrointestinal (GI) side effects as a complication of the treatment. Limited research exists describing how the duration and severity of GI side effects influence the consumption of adequate calorie intake in this population. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in GI side effects between patients who consumed adequate calories compared with those who did not.
METHODS:
The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Gastrointestinal (MDASI-GI) tool was used to record daily GI side effects of 72 HSCT patients. Daily calorie intake was determined via calorie counts. Data were collected from day of transplant until engraftment.
RESULTS:
Median percentage of caloric needs consumed for all patients was 49.2% (interquartile range, 35.1-66.6). Calorie intake decreased from baseline to transplant day 8 as severity of GI symptoms increased. An inverse relationship between percentage of caloric needs met and MDASI-GI component score, MDASI-GI symptom score, and lack of appetite score was observed. The only significant difference in MDASI-GI symptom scores between those who consumed adequate calories and those who consumed inadequate calories was for diarrhea; subjects who consumed >60% of caloric needs had significantly lower median diarrhea scores.
CONCLUSION:
Most patients consumed <60% of their caloric needs from time of transplant to time of engraftment. More research is needed to provide insight into strategies to increase intake and to describe the implications of prolonged inadequate intake in HSCT patients
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Design of a high activity and selectivity alcohol catalyst
As specified in our original DOE grant proposal, the objective of this research is to design a new alumina-supported bimetallic catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of carbon monoxide to produce methanol and higher alcohols. A key feature of our research program is our intention to rationally design this catalyst based upon fundamental information about the structure, composition and reactivity of preliminary catalysts synthesized throughout the course of this work. During our first year, we have put in place many of the tools needed to synthesize and characterize our catalyst samples. Experimentation has focused on both the synthesis of catalysts designed for high oxygenate activity and the suppression of the secondary dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether on both native gamma-alumina and a bimetallic catalyst supported on gamma-alumina. 2 refs., 1 tab
Closeout of Advanced Boron and Metal Loaded High Porosity Carbons.
The Penn State effort explored the development of new high-surface-area materials for hydrogen storage, materials that could offer enhancement in the hydrogen binding energy through a direct chemical modification of the framework in high specific-surface-area platforms. The team chemically substituted boron into the hexagonal sp2 carbon framework, dispersed metal atoms bound to the boro-carbon structure, and generated the theory of novel nanoscale geometries that can enhance storage through chemical frustration, sheet curvature, electron deficiency, large local fields and mixed hybridization states. New boro-carbon materials were synthesized by high temperature plasma, pyrolysis of boron-carbon precursor molecules, and post-synthesis modification of carbons. Hydrogen uptake has been assessed, and several promising leads have been identified, with the requirement to simultaneously optimize total surface area while maintaining the enhanced hydrogen binding energies already demonstrated
New Hubble Space Telescope Discoveries of Type Ia Supernovae at z > 1: Narrowing Constraints on the Early Behavior of Dark Energy
We have discovered 21 new Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with the Hubble Space
Telescope (HST) and have used them to trace the history of cosmic expansion
over the last 10 billion years. These objects, which include 13
spectroscopically confirmed SNe Ia at z > 1, were discovered during 14 epochs
of reimaging of the GOODS fields North and South over two years with the
Advanced Camera for Surveys on HST. Together with a recalibration of our
previous HST-discovered SNe Ia, the full sample of 23 SNe Ia at z > 1 provides
the highest-redshift sample known. Combined with previous SN Ia datasets, we
measured H(z) at discrete, uncorrelated epochs, reducing the uncertainty of
H(z>1) from 50% to under 20%, strengthening the evidence for a cosmic jerk--the
transition from deceleration in the past to acceleration in the present. The
unique leverage of the HST high-redshift SNe Ia provides the first meaningful
constraint on the dark energy equation-of-state parameter at z >1.
The result remains consistent with a cosmological constant (w(z)=-1), and
rules out rapidly evolving dark energy (dw/dz >>1). The defining property of
dark energy, its negative pressure, appears to be present at z>1, in the epoch
preceding acceleration, with ~98% confidence in our primary fit. Moreover, the
z>1 sample-averaged spectral energy distribution is consistent with that of the
typical SN Ia over the last 10 Gyr, indicating that any spectral evolution of
the properties of SNe Ia with redshift is still below our detection threshold.Comment: typos, references corrected, minor additions to exposition 82 pages,
17 figures, 6 tables. Data also available at:
http://braeburn.pha.jhu.edu/~ariess/R06. Accepted, Astrophysical Journal vol.
656 for March 10, 200
Polynitroxyl Albumin and Albumin Therapy After Pediatric Asphyxial Cardia Arrest: Effects on Cerebral Blood Flow and Neurologic Outcome
Postresuscitation cerebral blood flow (CBF) disturbances and generation of reactive oxygen species likely contribute to impaired neurologic outcome after pediatric cardiac arrest (CA). Hence, we determined the effects of the antioxidant colloid polynitroxyl albumin (PNA) versus albumin or normal saline (NS) on CBF and neurologic outcome after asphyxial CA in immature rats. We induced asphyxia for 9 minutes in male and female postnatal day 16 to 18 rats randomized to receive PNA, albumin, or NS at resuscitation from CA or sham surgery. Regional CBF was measured serially from 5 to 150 minutes after resuscitation by arterial spin-labeled magnetic resonance imaging. We assessed motor function (beam balance and inclined plane), spatial memory retention (water maze), and hippocampal neuronal survival. Polynitroxyl albumin reduced early hyperemia seen 5 minutes after CA. In contrast, albumin markedly increased and prolonged hyperemia. In the delayed period after resuscitation (90 to 150 minutes), CBF was comparable among groups. Both PNA- and albumin-treated rats performed better in the water maze versus NS after CA. This benefit was observed only in males. Hippocampal neuron survival was similar between injury groups. Treatment of immature rats with PNA or albumin resulted in divergent acute changes in CBF, but both improved spatial memory retention in males after asphyxial CA
The XMM Cluster Survey: X-ray analysis methodology
The XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) is a serendipitous search for galaxy clusters
using all publicly available data in the XMM-Newton Science Archive. Its main
aims are to measure cosmological parameters and trace the evolution of X-ray
scaling relations. In this paper we describe the data processing methodology
applied to the 5,776 XMM observations used to construct the current XCS source
catalogue. A total of 3,675 > 4-sigma cluster candidates with > 50
background-subtracted X-ray counts are extracted from a total non-overlapping
area suitable for cluster searching of 410 deg^2. Of these, 993 candidates are
detected with > 300 background-subtracted X-ray photon counts, and we
demonstrate that robust temperature measurements can be obtained down to this
count limit. We describe in detail the automated pipelines used to perform the
spectral and surface brightness fitting for these candidates, as well as to
estimate redshifts from the X-ray data alone. A total of 587 (122) X-ray
temperatures to a typical accuracy of < 40 (< 10) per cent have been measured
to date. We also present the methodology adopted for determining the selection
function of the survey, and show that the extended source detection algorithm
is robust to a range of cluster morphologies by inserting mock clusters derived
from hydrodynamical simulations into real XMM images. These tests show that the
simple isothermal beta-profiles is sufficient to capture the essential details
of the cluster population detected in the archival XMM observations. The
redshift follow-up of the XCS cluster sample is presented in a companion paper,
together with a first data release of 503 optically-confirmed clusters.Comment: MNRAS accepted, 45 pages, 38 figures. Our companion paper describing
our optical analysis methodology and presenting a first set of confirmed
clusters has now been submitted to MNRA
SPT-CL J0205-5829: A z = 1.32 Evolved Massive Galaxy Cluster in the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Survey
The galaxy cluster SPT-CL J0205-5829 currently has the highest
spectroscopically-confirmed redshift, z=1.322, in the South Pole Telescope
Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SPT-SZ) survey. XMM-Newton observations measure a
core-excluded temperature of Tx=8.7keV producing a mass estimate that is
consistent with the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich derived mass. The combined SZ and X-ray
mass estimate of M500=(4.9+/-0.8)e14 h_{70}^{-1} Msun makes it the most massive
known SZ-selected galaxy cluster at z>1.2 and the second most massive at z>1.
Using optical and infrared observations, we find that the brightest galaxies in
SPT-CL J0205-5829 are already well evolved by the time the universe was <5 Gyr
old, with stellar population ages >3 Gyr, and low rates of star formation
(<0.5Msun/yr). We find that, despite the high redshift and mass, the existence
of SPT-CL J0205-5829 is not surprising given a flat LambdaCDM cosmology with
Gaussian initial perturbations. The a priori chance of finding a cluster of
similar rarity (or rarer) in a survey the size of the 2500 deg^2 SPT-SZ survey
is 69%.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Ap
Azimuthal anisotropy and correlations in the hard scattering regime at RHIC
Azimuthal anisotropy () and two-particle angular correlations of high
charged hadrons have been measured in Au+Au collisions at
=130 GeV for transverse momenta up to 6 GeV/c, where hard
processes are expected to contribute significantly. The two-particle angular
correlations exhibit elliptic flow and a structure suggestive of fragmentation
of high partons. The monotonic rise of for GeV/c is
consistent with collective hydrodynamical flow calculations. At \pT>3 GeV/c a
saturation of is observed which persists up to GeV/c.Comment: As publishe
Elliptic flow from two- and four-particle correlations in Au + Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}} = 130 GeV
Elliptic flow holds much promise for studying the early-time thermalization
attained in ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions. Flow measurements also
provide a means of distinguishing between hydrodynamic models and calculations
which approach the low density (dilute gas) limit. Among the effects that can
complicate the interpretation of elliptic flow measurements are azimuthal
correlations that are unrelated to the reaction plane (non-flow correlations).
Using data for Au + Au collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}} = 130 GeV from the STAR TPC,
it is found that four-particle correlation analyses can reliably separate flow
and non-flow correlation signals. The latter account for on average about 15%
of the observed second-harmonic azimuthal correlation, with the largest
relative contribution for the most peripheral and the most central collisions.
The results are also corrected for the effect of flow variations within
centrality bins. This effect is negligible for all but the most central bin,
where the correction to the elliptic flow is about a factor of two. A simple
new method for two-particle flow analysis based on scalar products is
described. An analysis based on the distribution of the magnitude of the flow
vector is also described.Comment: minor text change
Disappearance of back-to-back high hadron correlations in central Au+Au collisions at = 200 GeV
Azimuthal correlations for large transverse momentum charged hadrons have
been measured over a wide pseudo-rapidity range and full azimuth in Au+Au and
p+p collisions at = 200 GeV. The small-angle correlations
observed in p+p collisions and at all centralities of Au+Au collisions are
characteristic of hard-scattering processes already observed in elementary
collisions. A strong back-to-back correlation exists for p+p and peripheral Au
+ Au. In contrast, the back-to-back correlations are reduced considerably in
the most central Au+Au collisions, indicating substantial interaction as the
hard-scattered partons or their fragmentation products traverse the medium.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
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