Relationship between baseline physical activity assessed by pedometer count and new-onset diabetes in the NAVIGATOR trial

Objective: Physical activity is related to clinical outcomes, even after adjusting for body mass, but is rarely assessed in randomized clinical trials. Research design and methods: We conducted an observational analysis of data from the Nateglinide and Valsartan in Impaired Glucose Tolerance Outcomes Research trial, in which a total of 9306 people from 40 countries with impaired glucose tolerance and either cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors were randomized to receive nateglinide or placebo, in a 2-by-2 factorial design with valsartan or placebo. All were asked to also participate in a detailed lifestyle modification programme and followed-up for a median of 6.4 years with progression to diabetes as a co-primary end point. Seven-day ambulatory activity was assessed at baseline using research-grade pedometers. We assessed whether the baseline amount of physical activity was related to subsequent development of diabetes in individuals with impaired glucose tolerance. Results: Pedometer data were obtained on 7118 participants and 35.0% developed diabetes. In an unadjusted analysis each 2000-step increment in the average number of daily steps, up to 10 000, was associated with a 5.5% lower risk of progression to diabetes (HR 0.95, 95%CI 0.92 to 0.97), with >6% relative risk reduction after adjustment. Conclusions: Physical activity should be measured objectively in pharmacologic trials as it is a significant but underappreciated contributor to diabetes outcomes. It should be a regular part of clinical practice as well. © 2018 Author(s) (or their employer(s).Peer reviewe

Nonequilibrium Evolution of Correlation Functions: A Canonical Approach

We study nonequilibrium evolution in a self-interacting quantum field theory invariant under space translation only by using a canonical approach based on the recently developed Liouville-von Neumann formalism. The method is first used to obtain the correlation functions both in and beyond the Hartree approximation, for the quantum mechanical analog of the $\phi^{4}$ model. The technique involves representing the Hamiltonian in a Fock basis of annihilation and creation operators. By separating it into a solvable Gaussian part involving quadratic terms and a perturbation of quartic terms, it is possible to find the improved vacuum state to any desired order. The correlation functions for the field theory are then investigated in the Hartree approximation and those beyond the Hartree approximation are obtained by finding the improved vacuum state corrected up to ${\cal O}(\lambda^2)$. These correlation functions take into account next-to-leading and next-to-next-to-leading order effects in the coupling constant. We also use the Heisenberg formalism to obtain the time evolution equations for the equal-time, connected correlation functions beyond the leading order. These equations are derived by including the connected 4-point functions in the hierarchy. The resulting coupled set of equations form a part of infinite hierarchy of coupled equations relating the various connected n-point functions. The connection with other approaches based on the path integral formalism is established and the physical implications of the set of equations are discussed with particular emphasis on thermalization.Comment: Revtex, 32 pages; substantial new material dealing with non-equilibrium evolution beyond Hartree approx. based on the LvN formalism, has been adde

Choice of tracers for the evaluation of spray deposits

Tracer substances, used to evaluate spraying effectiveness, ordinarily modify the surface tension of aqueous solutions. This study aimed to establish a method of using tracers to evaluate distribution and amount of spray deposits, adjusted to the surface tension of the spraying solution. The following products were tested: 0.15% Brilliant Blue, 0.15% Saturn Yellow in 0.015% Vixilperse lignosulfonate, and 0.005% sodium fluorescein, and mixtures of Brilliant Blue plus Saturn Yellow and Brilliant Blue plus sodium fluorescein at the same concentrations. Solutions were deposited on citrus leaves and stability was determined by measuring fluorescence and optical density of solutions without drying, dried in the dark and exposed to sunlight for 2, 4 and 8 h. These values were compared to those obtained directly in water. The static surface tension of the tracer solution was determined by weighing droplets formed during a period of 20 to 40 seconds. The Brilliant Blue and Saturn Yellow mixture at 0.15% was stable under all conditions tested. It was not absorbed by the leaves and maintained the same surface tension as that of water, thus permitting concentration adjustment to the same levels used for agrochemical products, and allowing the development of a qualitative method based on visual evaluation of the distribution of the pigment under ultraviolet light and of a quantitative method based on the determination of the amount of the dye deposited in the same solution. Spray deposition could be evaluated at different surface tensions of the spraying solution, simulating the effect of agrochemical formulations

Test beam performance measurements for the Phase I upgrade of the CMS pixel detector

A new pixel detector for the CMS experiment was built in order to cope with the instantaneous luminosities anticipated for the Phase I Upgrade of the LHC. The new CMS pixel detector provides four-hit tracking with a reduced material budget as well as new cooling and powering schemes. A new front-end readout chip mitigates buffering and bandwidth limitations, and allows operation at low comparator thresholds. In this paper, comprehensive test beam studies are presented, which have been conducted to verify the design and to quantify the performance of the new detector assemblies in terms of tracking efficiency and spatial resolution. Under optimal conditions, the tracking efficiency is (99.95 ± 0.05) %, while the intrinsic spatial resolutions are (4.80 ± 0.25) μm and (7.99 ± 0.21) μm along the 100 μm and 150 μm pixel pitch, respectively. The findings are compared to a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the pixel detector and good agreement is found.Peer reviewe

P-Type Silicon Strip Sensors for the new CMS Tracker at HL-L-HC

Abstract: The upgrade of the LHC to the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) is expected to increase the LHC design luminosity by an order of magnitude. This will require silicon tracking detectors with a significantly higher radiation hardness. The CMS Tracker Collaboration has conducted an irradiation and measurement campaign to identify suitable silicon sensor materials and strip designs for the future outer tracker at the CMS experiment. Based on these results, the collaboration has chosen to use n-in-p type silicon sensors and focus further investigations on the optimization of that sensor type

Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU

The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype

Choosing the right medium for municipal eParticipation based on stakeholder expectations

This paper examines the expectations and communication needs of relevant stakeholder groups for municipal eParticipation in a small Norwegian municipality. We identified relevant stakeholder groups with the municipality, and asked them about their communication preferences through a combined Delphi study and survey approach. The findings show that information about local issues, information about issues relevant for the individual stakeholder, and dialogue on business’ needs and employment are the three most important communication needs. E-mail and the municipal web site are the two preferred modes of communication, with social media ranking third. For dialogue and participation, a face to face meeting is the preferred mode of communication. Our findings show that effective municipal communication requires a number of different media, depending on what is being communicated. We conclude by outlining a framework for media choice in eParticipation