A global digital image correlation enhanced full-field bulge test method

The miniature bulge test is a known method for characterizing the full stress-strain response of freestanding thin films. However, some discrepancies between quantitative results in the literature may be attributed to erroneous assumptions on the bulge shape. In this research, a specialized global Digital Image Correlation technique is developed that circumvents the need for bulge shape assumptions by correlating directly high-resolution profilometry maps of bulged membranes to yield full-field continuous displacement maps, from which local strain maps can be computed. Additionally, local curvature maps are also derived

Overlap Statistics of Shallow Boundary Layer Clouds: Comparing Ground-Based Observations with Large-Eddy Simulations

High-resolution ground-based measurements are used to assess the realism of fine-scale numerical simulations of shallow cumulus cloud fields. The overlap statistics of cumuli as produced by large-eddy simulations (LES) are confronted with Cloudnet data sets at the Jülich Observatory for Cloud Evolution. The Cloudnet pixel is small enough to detect cumuliform cloud overlap. Cloud fraction masks are derived for five different cases, using gridded time-height data sets at various temporal and vertical resolutions. The overlap ratio (R), i.e., the ratio between cloud fraction by volume and by area, is studied as a function of the vertical resolution. Good agreement is found between R derived from observations and simulations. An inverse linear function is found to best describe the observed overlap behavior, confirming previous LES results. Simulated and observed decorrelation lengths are smaller (∼300 m) than previously reported (\u3e1 km). A similar diurnal variation in the overlap efficiency is found in observations and simulations

Conversion of daily pegvisomant to weekly pegvisomant combined with long-acting somatostatin analogs, in controlled acromegaly patients

The efficacy of combined treatment in active acromegaly with both long-acting somatostatin analogs (SRIF) and pegvisomant (PEG-V) has been well established. The aim was to describe the PEG-V dose reductions after the conversion from daily PEG-V to combination treatment. To clarify the individual beneficial and adverse effects, in two acromegaly patients, who only normalized their insulin like growth factor (IGF-I) levels with high-dose pegvisomant therapy. We present two cases of a 31 and 44 years old male with gigantism and acromegaly that were controlled subsequently by surgery, radiotherapy, SRIF analogs and daily PEG-V treatment. They were converted to combined treatment of monthly SSA and (twice) weekly PEG-V. High dose SSA treatment was added while the PEG-V dose was decreased during carful monitoring of the IGF-I. After switching from PEG-V monotherapy to SRIF analogs plus pegvisomant combination therapy IGF-I remained normal. However, the necessary PEG-V dose, to normalize IGF-I differed significantly between these two patients. One patient needed twice weekly 100 mg, the second needed 60 mg once weekly on top of their monthly lanreotide Autosolution injections of 120 mg. The weekly dose reduction was 80 and 150 mg. After the introducing of lanreotide, fasting glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin concentrations increased. Diabetic medication had to be introduced or increased. No changes in liver tests or in pituitary adenoma size were observed. In these two patients, PEG-V in combination with long-acting SRIF analogs was as effective as PEG-V monotherapy in normalizing IGF-I levels, although significant dose-reductions in PEG-V could be achieved. However, there seems to be a wide variation in the reduction of PEG-V dose, which can be obtained after conversion to combined treatment

The Measurement of Language Lateralization with Functional Transcranial Doppler and Functional MRI: A Critical Evaluation

Cerebral language lateralization can be assessed in several ways. In healthy subjects, functional MRI (fMRI) during performance of a language task has evolved to be the most frequently applied method. Functional transcranial Doppler (fTCD) may provide a valid alternative, but has been used rarely. Both techniques have their own strengths and weaknesses and as a result may be applied in different fields of research. Until now, only one relatively small study (n = 13) investigated the correlation between lateralization indices (LIs) measured by fTCD and fMRI and showed a remarkably high correlation. To further evaluate the correlation between LIs measured with fTCD and fMRI, we compared LIs of 22 healthy subjects (12 left- and 10 right-handed) using the same word generation paradigm for the fTCD as for the fMRI experiment. LIs measured with fTCD were highly but imperfectly correlated with LIs measured with fMRI (Spearman's rho = 0.75, p < 0.001). The imperfectness of the correlation can partially be explained by methodological restrictions of fMRI as well as fTCD. Our results suggest that fTCD can be a valid alternative for fMRI to measure lateralization, particularly when costs or mobility are important factors in the study design

Забезпечення розвитку інноваційності промислових підприємств при активізації інтелектуального капіталу суспільства

Проаналізовано стан і умови інноваційної діяльності підприємств в Україні. Досліджено проблеми неефективності державної політики в економічній сфері щодо розвитку інноваційності промислових підприємств. Розроблено пропозиції з удосконалення структури і напрямів діяльності державної політики щодо розвитку інноваційності промислових підприємств при активізації інтелектуального капіталу суспільства.Проанализированы состояние и условия инновационной деятельности предприятий в Украине. Исследованы проблемы неэффективности государственной политики в экономической сфере относительно развития инновационности промышленных предприятий. Разработаны предложения по усовершенствованию структуры и направлений деятельности государственной политики относительно развития инновационности промышленных предприятий при активизации интеллектуального капитала.The state and terms of innovative activity of enterprises in Ukraine are analyzed. Problems of inefficiency of public policy are investigated in an economic sphere in relation to innovativeness development of industrial enterprises. Suggestions for the improvement of structure and directions public policy activity in relation to innovativeness development of the industrial enterprises during activation of the society intellectual capital are worked out

Modeling the evolution space of breakage fusion bridge cycles with a stochastic folding process

Breakage-Fusion-Bridge cycles in cancer arise when a broken segment of DNA is duplicated and an end from each copy joined together. This structure then 'unfolds' into a new piece of palindromic DNA. This is one mechanism responsible for the localised amplicons observed in cancer genome data. The process has parallels with paper folding sequences that arise when a piece of paper is folded several times and then unfolded. Here we adapt such methods to study the breakage-fusion-bridge structures in detail. We firstly consider discrete representations of this space with 2-d trees to demonstrate that there are 2^(n(n-1)/2) qualitatively distinct evolutions involving n breakage-fusion-bridge cycles. Secondly we consider the stochastic nature of the fold positions, to determine evolution likelihoods, and also describe how amplicons become localised. Finally we highlight these methods by inferring the evolution of breakage-fusion-bridge cycles with data from primary tissue cancer samples

Human Fronto-Tectal and Fronto-Striatal-Tectal Pathways Activate Differently During Anti-Saccades

Almost all cortical areas in the vertebrate brain take part in recurrent connections through the subcortical basal ganglia (BG) nuclei, through parallel inhibitory and excitatory loops. It has been suggested that these circuits can modulate our reactions to external events such that appropriate reactions are chosen from many available options, thereby imposing volitional control over behavior. The saccade system is an excellent model system to study cortico-BG interactions. In this study two possible pathways were investigated that might regulate automaticity of eye movements in the human brain; the cortico-tectal pathway, running directly between the frontal eye fields (FEF) and superior colliculus (SC) and the cortico-striatal pathway from the FEF to the SC involving the caudate nucleus (CN) in the BG. In an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm participants made pro- and anti-saccades. A diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scan was made for reconstruction of white matter tracts between the FEF, CN and SC. DTI fiber tracts were used to divide both the left and right FEF into two sub-areas, projecting to either ipsilateral SC or CN. For each of these FEF zones an event-related fMRI timecourse was extracted. In general activity in the FEF was larger for anti-saccades. This increase in activity was lateralized with respect to anti-saccade direction in FEF zones connected to the SC but not for zones only connected to the CN. These findings suggest that activity along the contralateral FEF–SC projection is responsible for directly generating anti-saccades, whereas the pathway through the BG might merely have a gating function withholding or allowing a pro-saccade

Celio (\u2705), Orkand (\u2707) Named Up and Coming Leaders

BackgroundAlthough auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH) are a core symptom of schizophrenia, they also occur in non-psychotic individuals, in the absence of other psychotic, affective, cognitive and negative symptoms. AVH have been hypothesized to result from deviant integration of inferior frontal, parahippocampal and superior temporal brain areas. However, a direct link between dysfunctional connectivity and AVH has not yet been established. To determine whether hallucinations are indeed related to aberrant connectivity, AVH should be studied in isolation, for example in non-psychotic individuals with AVH.MethodResting-state connectivity was investigated in 25 non-psychotic subjects with AVH and 25 matched control subjects using seed regression analysis with the (1) left and (2) right inferior frontal, (3) left and (4) right superior temporal and (5) left parahippocampal areas as the seed regions. To correct for cardiorespiratory (CR) pulsatility rhythms in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, heartbeat and respiration were monitored during scanning and the fMRI data were corrected for these rhythms using the image-based method for retrospective correction of physiological motion effects RETROICOR.ResultsIn comparison with the control group, non-psychotic individuals with AVH showed increased connectivity between the left and the right superior temporal regions and also between the left parahippocampal region and the left inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, this group did not show a negative correlation between the left superior temporal region and the right inferior frontal region, as was observed in the healthy control group.ConclusionsAberrant connectivity of frontal, parahippocampal and superior temporal brain areas can be specifically related to the predisposition to hallucinate in the auditory domain.</jats:sec

In active acromegaly, IGF1 bioactivity is related to soluble Klotho levels and quality of life

The value of measuring IGF1 bioactivity in active acromegaly is unknown. Soluble Klotho (S-Klotho) level is elevated in active acromegaly and it has been suggested that S-Klotho can inhibit activation of the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R). A cross-sectional study was carried out in 15 patients with active acromegaly based on clinical presentation, unsuppressed GH during an oral glucose tolerance test, and elevated total IGF1 levels (>+2 s.d.). Total IGF1 was measured by immunoassay, IGF1 bioactivity by the IGF1R kinase receptor activation assay and S-Klotho by an ELISA. Quality of Life (QoL) was assessed by Acromegaly QoL (AcroQoL) Questionnaire and Short-Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). Out of 15 patients, nine had IGF1 bioactivity values within the reference range. S-Klotho was higher in active acromegaly compared with controls. Age-adjusted S-Klotho was significantly related to IGF1 bioactivity (r=0.75, P=0.002) and to total IGF1 (r=0.62, P=0.02). IGF1 bioactivity and total IGF1 were inversely related to the physical component summary of the SF-36 (r=−0.78, P=0.002 vs r=−0.60, P=0.03). Moreover, IGF1 bioactivity, but not total IGF1, was significantly inversely related to the physical dimension of the AcroQoL Questionnaire (r=−0.60, P=0.02 vs r=−0.37, P=0.19). In contrast to total IGF1, IGF1 bioactivity was within the reference range in a considerable number of subjects with active acromegaly. Elevated S-Klotho levels may have reduced IGF1 bioactivity. Moreover, IGF1 bioactivity was more strongly related to physical measures of QoL than total IGF1, suggesting that IGF1 bioactivity may better reflect physical limitations perceived in active acromegaly