384 research outputs found
Risk factors for recurrent C lostridium difficile infection in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients
Background Recurrent C lostridium difficile infection ( CDI ) represents a significant burden on the healthcare system and is associated with poor outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplant ( HSCT ) patients. Data are limited evaluating recurrence rates and risk factors for recurrence in HSCT patients. Methods HSCT patients who developed CDI between January 2010 and December 2012 were divided into 2 groups: non‐recurrent CDI (nr CDI ) and recurrent CDI ( rCDI ). Risk factors for rCDI were compared between groups. Rate of recurrence in HSCT patients was compared to that in other hospitalized patients. Results CDI was diagnosed in 95 of 711 HSCT patients (22 rCDI and 73 nr CDI ). Recurrence rates were similar in HSCT patients compared with other hospitalized patients (23.2% vs. 22.9%, P > 0.99). Patients in the rCDI group developed the index case of CDI significantly earlier than the nr CDI group (3.5 days vs. 7.0 days after transplant, P = 0.05). On univariate analysis, patients with rCDI were more likely to have prior history of CDI and neutropenia at the time of the index CDI case. Neutropenia at the time of the index CDI case was the only independent predictor of rCDI (78.8 vs. 34.8%, P = 0.006) on multivariate analysis. Conclusions The rate of rCDI was similar between HSCT and other hospitalized patients, and the majority of patients developed the index case of CDI within a week of transplantation. Neutropenia at the index CDI case may be associated with increased rates of rCDI .Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109272/1/tid12267.pd
In vivo potassium MRI of the human heart
PURPOSE: Potassium ions (K(+)) play a critical role in cardiac electrophysiology, and changes in their concentration reflect pathophysiological processes related to cardiovascular diseases. Here, we investigated the feasibility of in vivo (39)K MRI of the human heart. To achieve this, we developed, evaluated, and applied a (39)K/(1)H RF coil, which is tailored for (39)K MRI of human heart at 7.0T. METHODS: The performance of the (39)K/(1)H RF coil was evaluated by electromagnetic field and specific absorption ratio simulations using 2 (male/female) human voxel models. The RF coil was evaluated at the bench and applied in an in vivo proof-of-principle study involving 7 healthy volunteers. The experiments were performed using a 7.0T whole-body MR system in conjunction with a 3D density-adapted projection reconstruction imaging technique. RESULTS: For in vivo (39)K MRI of the human heart, a nominal spatial resolution of 14.5 × 14.5 × 14.5 mm(3) within a total scan time of 30 min was achieved. The average SNR within the heart was 9.6 ± 2.4. CONCLUSION: This work validates the design of a (39)K/(1)H RF coil for cardiac MR at 7.0T and demonstrates for the first time in vivo the feasibility of (39)K MRI of the human heart
Cell shape analysis of random tessellations based on Minkowski tensors
To which degree are shape indices of individual cells of a tessellation
characteristic for the stochastic process that generates them? Within the
context of stochastic geometry and the physics of disordered materials, this
corresponds to the question of relationships between different stochastic
models. In the context of image analysis of synthetic and biological materials,
this question is central to the problem of inferring information about
formation processes from spatial measurements of resulting random structures.
We address this question by a theory-based simulation study of shape indices
derived from Minkowski tensors for a variety of tessellation models. We focus
on the relationship between two indices: an isoperimetric ratio of the
empirical averages of cell volume and area and the cell elongation quantified
by eigenvalue ratios of interfacial Minkowski tensors. Simulation data for
these quantities, as well as for distributions thereof and for correlations of
cell shape and volume, are presented for Voronoi mosaics of the Poisson point
process, determinantal and permanental point processes, and Gibbs hard-core and
random sequential absorption processes as well as for Laguerre tessellations of
polydisperse spheres and STIT- and Poisson hyperplane tessellations. These data
are complemented by mechanically stable crystalline sphere and disordered
ellipsoid packings and area-minimising foam models. We find that shape indices
of individual cells are not sufficient to unambiguously identify the generating
process even amongst this limited set of processes. However, we identify
significant differences of the shape indices between many of these tessellation
models. Given a realization of a tessellation, these shape indices can narrow
the choice of possible generating processes, providing a powerful tool which
can be further strengthened by density-resolved volume-shape correlations.Comment: Chapter of the forthcoming book "Tensor Valuations and their
Applications in Stochastic Geometry and Imaging" in Lecture Notes in
Mathematics edited by Markus Kiderlen and Eva B. Vedel Jense
A new measurement of the Collins and Sivers asymmetries on a transversely polarised deuteron target
New high precision measurements of the Collins and Sivers asymmetries of
charged hadrons produced in deep-inelastic scattering of muons on a
transversely polarised 6LiD target are presented. The data were taken in 2003
and 2004 with the COMPASS spectrometer using the muon beam of the CERN SPS at
160 GeV/c. Both the Collins and Sivers asymmetries turn out to be compatible
with zero, within the present statistical errors, which are more than a factor
of 2 smaller than those of the published COMPASS results from the 2002 data.
The final results from the 2002, 2003 and 2004 runs are compared with naive
expectations and with existing model calculations.Comment: 40 pages, 28 figure
The Deuteron Spin-dependent Structure Function g1d and its First Moment
We present a measurement of the deuteron spin-dependent structure function
g1d based on the data collected by the COMPASS experiment at CERN during the
years 2002-2004. The data provide an accurate evaluation for Gamma_1^d, the
first moment of g1d(x), and for the matrix element of the singlet axial
current, a0. The results of QCD fits in the next to leading order (NLO) on all
g1 deep inelastic scattering data are also presented. They provide two
solutions with the gluon spin distribution function Delta G positive or
negative, which describe the data equally well. In both cases, at Q^2 = 3
(GeV/c)^2 the first moment of Delta G is found to be of the order of 0.2 - 0.3
in absolute value.Comment: fits redone using MRST2004 instead of MRSV1998 for G(x), correlation
matrix adde
The COMPASS Experiment at CERN
The COMPASS experiment makes use of the CERN SPS high-intensitymuon and
hadron beams for the investigation of the nucleon spin structure and the
spectroscopy of hadrons. One or more outgoing particles are detected in
coincidence with the incoming muon or hadron. A large polarized target inside a
superconducting solenoid is used for the measurements with the muon beam.
Outgoing particles are detected by a two-stage, large angle and large momentum
range spectrometer. The setup is built using several types of tracking
detectors, according to the expected incident rate, required space resolution
and the solid angle to be covered. Particle identification is achieved using a
RICH counter and both hadron and electromagnetic calorimeters. The setup has
been successfully operated from 2002 onwards using a muon beam. Data with a
hadron beam were also collected in 2004. This article describes the main
features and performances of the spectrometer in 2004; a short summary of the
2006 upgrade is also given.Comment: 84 papes, 74 figure
Transverse spin effects in hadron-pair production from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering
First measurements of azimuthal asymmetries in hadron-pair production in
deep-inelastic scattering of muons on transversely polarised ^6LiD (deuteron)
and NH_3 (proton) targets are presented. The data were taken in the years
2002-2004 and 2007 with the COMPASS spectrometer using a muon beam of 160 GeV/c
at the CERN SPS. The asymmetries provide access to the transversity
distribution functions, without involving the Collins effect as in single
hadron production. The sizeable asymmetries measured on the NH_ target indicate
non-vanishing u-quark transversity and two-hadron interference fragmentation
functions. The small asymmetries measured on the ^6LiD target can be
interpreted as indication for a cancellation of u- and d-quark transversities.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, updated to the published versio
The Spin-dependent Structure Function of the Proton g_1^p and a Test of the Bjorken Sum Rule
The inclusive double-spin asymmetry, A_1^p, has been measured at COMPASS in
deepinelastic polarised muon scattering off a large polarised NH3 target. The
data, collected in the year 2007, cover the range Q2 > 1 (GeV/c)^2, 0.004 < x <
0.7 and improve the statistical precision of g_1^p(x) by a factor of two in the
region x < 0.02. The new proton asymmetries are combined with those previously
published for the deuteron to extract the non-singlet spin-dependent structure
function g_1^NS(x,Q2). The isovector quark density, Delta_q_3(x,Q2), is
evaluated from a NLO QCD fit of g_1^NS. The first moment of Delta_q3 is in good
agreement with the value predicted by the Bjorken sum rule and corresponds to a
ratio of the axial and vector coupling constants g_A/g_V =
1.28+-0.07(stat)+-0.10(syst).Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Leading order determination of the gluon polarisation from DIS events with high-p_T hadron pairs
We present a determination of the gluon polarisation Delta g/g in the
nucleon, based on the longitudinal double-spin asymmetry of DIS events with a
pair of large transverse-momentum hadrons in the final state. The data were
obtained by the COMPASS experiment at CERN using a 160 GeV/c polarised muon
beam scattering off a polarised ^6LiD target. The gluon polarisation is
evaluated by a Neural Network approach for three intervals of the gluon
momentum fraction x_g covering the range 0.04 < x_g < 0.27. The values obtained
at leading order in QCD do not show any significant dependence on x_g. Their
average is Delta g/g = 0.125 +/- 0.060 (stat.) +/- 0.063 (syst.) at x_g=0.09
and a scale of mu^2 = 3 (GeV/c)^2.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures and 3 table
Measurement of the Collins and Sivers asymmetries on transversely polarised protons
The Collins and Sivers asymmetries for charged hadrons produced in deeply
inelastic scattering on transversely polarised protons have been extracted from
the data collected in 2007 with the CERN SPS muon beam tuned at 160 GeV/c. At
large values of the Bjorken x variable non-zero Collins asymmetries are
observed both for positive and negative hadrons while the Sivers asymmetry for
positive hadrons is slightly positive over almost all the measured x range.
These results nicely support the present theoretical interpretation of these
asymmetries, in terms of leading-twist quark distribution and fragmentation
functions.Comment: 9 Pages, 5 figure
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