6,563 research outputs found
Diagnostic accuracy of the Ottawa 3DY and Short Blessed Test to detect cognitive dysfunction in geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department
ObjectivesCognitive dysfunction (CD) is a common finding in geriatric patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). Our primary objective was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the Ottawa 3DY (O3DY) and Short Blessed Test (SBT) as screening tools for the detection of CD in the ED. Our secondary objective was to estimate the inter-rater reliability of these instruments.MethodsWe conducted a prospective cross-sectional comparative study at an inner-city academic medical centre (annual ED visit census 86 000). Patients aged 75 years or greater were evaluated for inclusion, 163 were screened, 150 were deemed eligible and 117 were enrolled. The research team completed the O3DY, SBT and Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) for each participant. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Sensitivity and specificity of the O3DY and SBT were calculated in STATA V.11.2 using the MMSE as our criterion standard.ResultsWe enrolled 117 patients from June to November 2016. The median ED length of stay at the time of completion of all tests was 1:40 (IQR 1:34–1:46). The sensitivity of the O3DY was 71.4% (95% CI 47.8 to 95.1), and specificity was 56.3% (46.7–65.9). Sensitivity of the SBT was 85.7% (67.4–99.9) and specificity was 58.3% (48.7–67.8). The receiver operating characteristic area under the curve was calculated for the O3DY (0.51; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.61) and SBT (0.52; 95% CI 0.43 to 0.61) relative to the MMSE. Inter-rater reliability for the O3DY (k=0.64) and SBT (k=0.63) were good.ConclusionIn a cohort of geriatric patients presenting to an inner-city academic ED, the O3DY and SBT tools demonstrate moderate sensitivity and specificity for the detection of CD. Inter-rater reliability for the O3DY and SBT were good. Future research on this topic should attempt to derive and validate ED-specific screening tools, which will hopefully result in more robust likelihood ratios for the screening of CD in ED geriatric patients.</jats:sec
Offset fields in perpendicularly magnetized tunnel junctions
We study the offset fields affecting the free layer of perpendicularly
magnetized tunnel junctions. In extended films, the free layer offset field
results from interlayer exchange coupling with the reference layer through the
MgO tunnel oxide. The free layer offset field is thus accompanied with a shift
of the free layer and reference layer ferromagnetic resonance frequencies. The
shifts depend on the mutual orientation of the two magnetizations. The offset
field decreases with the resistance area product of the tunnel oxide.
Patterning the tunnel junction into an STT-MRAM disk-shaped cell changes
substantially the offset field, as the reduction of the lateral dimension comes
with the generation of stray fields by the reference and the hard layer. The
experimental offset field compares best with the spatial average of the sum of
these stray fields, thereby providing guidelines for the offset field
engineering.Comment: Special issue of J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys (2019) on STT-MRA
Astrophysical parameters of ten poorly studied open star clusters
We present here the fundamental parameters of ten open star clusters,
nominated from Kronberger et al. (2006) who presented some new discovered
stellar groups on the basis of 2MASS photometry and DSS visual images. Star
counts and photometric parameters (radius, membership, distances, color excess,
age, luminosity function, mass function, total mass, and the dynamical
relaxation time) have been determined for these ten clusters for the first
time. In order to calibrate our procedures, the main parameters (distance, age,
and color excesses) have been re-estimated for another five clusters, which are
studied by Kronberger et al. (2006) as well.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables; accepted in "Research in Astronomy and
Astrophysics Journal
The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems: Description of the Spitzer Legacy Science Database
We present the science database produced by the Formation and Evolution of
Planetary Systems (FEPS) Spitzer Legacy program. Data reduction and validation
procedures for the IRAC, MIPS, and IRS instruments are described in detail. We
also derive stellar properties for the FEPS sample from available broad-band
photometry and spectral types, and present an algorithm to normalize Kurucz
synthetic spectra to optical and near-infrared photometry. The final FEPS data
products include IRAC and MIPS photometry for each star in the FEPS sample and
calibrated IRS spectra.Comment: 64 pages, 12 figures, 5 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ
Limits on initial mass segregation in young clusters
Mass segregation is observed in many star clusters, including several that
are less than a few Myr old. Timescale arguments are frequently used to argue
that these clusters must be displaying primordial segregation, because they are
too young to be dynamically relaxed. Looking at this argument from the other
side, the youth of these clusters and the limited time available to mix
spatially distinct populations of stars can provide constraints on the amount
of initial segregation that is consistent with current observations. We present
n-body experiments testing this idea, and discuss the implications of our
results for theories of star formation. For system ages less than a few
crossing times, we show that star formation scenarios predicting general
primordial mass segregation are inconsistent with observed segregation levels.Comment: 12 pages, to appear in MNRA
Self Selection Does Not Increase Other-Regarding Preferences among Adult Laboratory Subjects, but Student Subjects May Be More Self-Regarding than Adults
We use a sequential prisoner's dilemma game to measure the other-regarding behavior in samples from three related populations in the upper Midwest of the United States: 100 college students, 94 non-student adults from the community surrounding the college and 1,069 adult trainee truckers in a residential training program. Both of the first two groups were recruited according to procedures commonly used in experimental economics (i.e., via e-mail and bulletin-board advertisements) and therefore subjects self-selected into the experiment. Because the structure of their training program reduced the opportunity cost of participating dramatically, 91% of the solicited trainees participated in the third group, so there was little scope for self-selection in this sample. We find no differences in the elicited other-regarding preferences between the self-selected adults and the adult trainees, suggesting that selection into this type of experiment is unlikely to bias inferences with respect to non-student adult subjects. We also test (and reject) the more specific hypothesis that approval-seeking subjects are the ones most likely to select into experiments. At the same time, we find a large difference between the self-selected students and the self-selected adults from the surrounding community: the students appear considerably less pro-social. Regression results controlling for demographic factors confirm these basic findings.methodology, selection bias, laboratory experiment, field experiment, other-regarding behavior, social preferences, truckload, trucker
Using the ISS as a Testbed to Prepare for the Next Generation of Space-Based Telescopes
The ISS provides a unique opportunity to develop the technologies and operational capabilities necessary to assemble future large space telescopes that may be used to investigate planetary systems around neighboring stars. Assembling telescopes in space is a paradigm-shifting approach to space astronomy. Using the ISS as a testbed will reduce the technical risks of implementing this major scientific facility, such as laser metrology and wavefront sensing and control (WFSC). The Optical Testbed and Integration on ISS eXperiment (OpTIIX) will demonstrate the robotic assembly of major components, including the primary and secondary mirrors, to mechanical tolerances using existing ISS infrastructure, and the alignment of the optical elements to a diffraction-limited optical system in space. Assembling the optical system and removing and replacing components via existing ISS capabilities, such as the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) or the ISS flight crew, allows for future experimentation and repair, if necessary. First flight on ISS for OpTIIX, a small 1.5 meter optical telescope, is planned for 2015. In addition to demonstration of key risk-retiring technologies, the OpTIIX program includes a public outreach program to show the broad value of ISS utilization
Arginine and antioxidant supplement on performance in elderly male cyclists: a randomized controlled trial
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human exercise capacity declines with advancing age. These changes often result in loss of physical fitness and more rapid senescence. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in improvement of exercise capacity through vascular smooth muscle relaxation in both coronary and skeletal muscle arteries, as well as via independent mechanisms. Antioxidants may prevent nitric oxide inactivation by oxygen free radicals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an L-arginine and antioxidant supplement on exercise performance in elderly male cyclists.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a two-arm prospectively randomized double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial. Sixteen male cyclists were randomized to receive either a proprietary supplement (Niteworks<sup>®</sup>, Herbalife International Inc., Century City, CA) or a placebo powder. Exercise parameters were assessed by maximal incremental exercise testing performed on a stationary cycle ergometer using breath-by-breath analysis at baseline, week one and week three.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no difference between baseline exercise parameters. In the supplemented group, anaerobic threshold increased by 16.7% (2.38 ± 0.18 L/min, p < 0.01) at week 1, and the effect was sustained by week 3 with a 14.2% (2.33 ± 0.44 L/min, p < 0.01). In the control group, there was no change in anaerobic threshold at weeks 1 and 3 compared to baseline (1.88 ± 0.20 L/min at week 1, and 1.86 ± 0.21 L/min at week 3). The anaerobic threshold for the supplement groups was significantly higher than that of placebo group at week 1 and week 3. There were no significant changes noted in VO<sub>2 </sub>max between control and intervention groups at either week 1 or week 3 by comparison to baseline.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An arginine and antioxidant-containing supplement increased the anaerobic threshold at both week one and week three in elderly cyclists. No effect on VO<sub>2 </sub>max was observed. This study indicated a potential role of L-arginine and antioxidant supplementation in improving exercise performance in elderly.</p
Angular Momentum in Giant Molecular Clouds. I. The Milky Way
We present a detailed analysis comparing the velocity fields in molecular
clouds and the atomic gas that surrounds them in order to address the origin of
the gradients. To that end, we present first-moment intensity-weighted velocity
maps of the molecular clouds and surrounding atomic gas. The maps are made from
high-resolution 13CO observations and 21-cm observations from the
Leiden/Argentine/Bonn Galactic HI Survey. We find that (i) the atomic gas
associated with each molecular cloud has a substantial velocity
gradient---ranging within 0.02 to 0.07 km/s/pc---whether or not the molecular
cloud itself has a substantial linear gradient (ii) If the gradients in the
molecular and atomic gas were due to rotation, this would imply that the
molecular clouds have less specific angular momentum than the surrounding HI by
a factor of 1-6. (iii) Most importantly, the velocity gradient position angles
in the molecular and atomic gas are generally widely separated---by as much as
130 degrees in the case of the Rosette Molecular Cloud. This result argues
against the hypothesis that molecular clouds formed by simple top-down collapse
from atomic gas.Comment: Accepted for Publication in Ap
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