Multiple CSLs for the body centered cubic lattice

Ordinary Coincidence Site Lattices (CSLs) are defined as the intersection of a lattice $\Gamma$ with a rotated copy $R\Gamma$ of itself. They are useful for classifying grain boundaries and have been studied extensively since the mid sixties. Recently the interests turned to so-called multiple CSLs, i.e. intersections of $n$ rotated copies of a given lattice $\Gamma$, in particular in connection with lattice quantizers. Here we consider multiple CSLs for the 3-dimensional body centered cubic lattice. We discuss the spectrum of coincidence indices and their multiplicity, in particular we show that the latter is a multiplicative function and give an explicit expression of it for some special cases.Comment: 4 pages, SSPCM (31 August - 7 September 2005, Myczkowce, Poland

Evaluation of Aerodynamic and Propulsive Terminal Phase Systems for an Unmanned Mars Soft Lander

The terminal phase of an unmanned Mars soft lander is defined as that portion of the descent trajectory bridging the gap between the high speed entry trajectory and the very low speed soft landing. This paper presents the results of a parametric analysis comparing the performance and capability of several candidate deceleration systems considered for use during the terminal phase. System comparison is made on the basis of total decelerator system weight requirements and system capability to cope with the mission uncertainties. The mission mode is entry from orbit. Two general types of terminal phase decelerator systems are analyzed; aerodynamic and allretro systems. The aerodynamic decelerators considered include both subsonic type parachutes and (supersonic) ballutes. Subsonic type parachutes are limited to a maximum deployment Mach No. of 1.6. Supersonic ballutes are assumed deployed at Mach Nos. from 3.0 to 5.0. Both groups use a propulsive retro vernier system for final deceleration and landing. The all-retro system analysis assumes a rocket propulsion system with two phases - initial braking followed by a vertical descent

Study of direct versus orbital entry for Mars missions. Volume 3 - Appendix A - Launch vehicle performance and flight mechanics

Titan 3 launch vehicle performance and flight mechanics analyses - direct versus orbital entry for Mars mission

Generalized Riemann sums

The primary aim of this chapter is, commemorating the 150th anniversary of Riemann's death, to explain how the idea of {\it Riemann sum} is linked to other branches of mathematics. The materials I treat are more or less classical and elementary, thus available to the "common mathematician in the streets." However one may still see here interesting inter-connection and cohesiveness in mathematics

Coincidence isometries of a shifted square lattice

We consider the coincidence problem for the square lattice that is translated by an arbitrary vector. General results are obtained about the set of coincidence isometries and the coincidence site lattices of a shifted square lattice by identifying the square lattice with the ring of Gaussian integers. To illustrate them, we calculate the set of coincidence isometries, as well as generating functions for the number of coincidence site lattices and coincidence isometries, for specific examples.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure; paper presented at Aperiodic 2009 (Liverpool

Effects of sample handling and analytical procedures on thyroid hormone concentrations in pregnant women's plasma

Background: Maternal thyroid function is a critical mediator of fetal brain development. Pregnancy-related physiologic changes and handling conditions of blood samples may influence thyroid hormone biomarkers. We investigated the reliability of thyroid hormone biomarkers in plasma of pregnant women under various handling conditions. Methods: We enrolled 17 pregnant women; collected serum and plasma were immediately frozen. Additional plasma aliquots were subjected to different handling conditions before the analysis of thyroid biomarkers: storage at room temperature for 24 or 48 hours before freezing and an extra freeze-Thaw cycle. We estimated free thyroid hormone indices in plasma based on T3 uptake. Results: High correlations between plasma and serum (>0.94) and intraclass correlation coefficients for plasma handling conditions (0.96 to 1.00) indicated excellent reliability for all thyroid hormone biomarkers. Conclusion: Delayed freezing and freeze-Thaw cycles did not affect reliability of biomarkers of thyroid function in plasma during pregnancy. See video abstract at, http://links.lww.com/EDE/B180

DNA methylation-based prediction of response to immune checkpoint inhibition in metastatic melanoma

Background Therapies based on targeting immune checkpoints have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic melanoma in recent years. Still, biomarkers predicting long-term therapy responses are lacking. Methods A novel approach of reference-free deconvolution of large-scale DNA methylation data enabled us to develop a machine learning classifier based on CpG sites, specific for latent methylation components (LMC), that allowed for patient allocation to prognostic clusters. DNA methylation data were processed using reference-free analyses (MeDeCom) and reference-based computational tumor deconvolution (MethylCIBERSORT, LUMP). Results We provide evidence that DNA methylation signatures of tumor tissue from cutaneous metastases are predictive for therapy response to immune checkpoint inhibition in patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma. Conclusions These results demonstrate that LMC-based segregation of large-scale DNA methylation data is a promising tool for classifier development and treatment response estimation in cancer patients under targeted immunotherapy

Maternal Thyroid Function during Pregnancy or Neonatal Thyroid Function and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review

Background: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder in children, yet its etiology is poorly understood. Early thyroid hormone disruption may contribute to the development of ADHD. Disrupted maternal thyroid hormone function has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Among newborns, early-treated congenital hypothyroidism has been consistently associated with later cognitive deficits. Methods: We systematically reviewed literature on the association between maternal or neonatal thyroid hormones and ADHD diagnosis or symptoms. We searched Embase, Pubmed, Cinahl, PsycInfo, ERIC, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles published or available ahead of print as of April 2018. Results: We identified 28 eligible articles: 16 studies of maternal thyroid hormones, seven studies of early-treated congenital hypothyroidism, and five studies of neonatal thyroid hormones. The studies provide moderate evidence for an association between maternal thyroid hormone levels and offspring ADHD, some evidence for an association between early-treated congenital hypothyroidism and ADHD, and little evidence for an association between neonatal thyroid hormone levels and later ADHD. Conclusions: The reviewed articles suggest an association between maternal thyroid function and ADHD, and possibly between early-treated congenital hypothyroidism and ADHD. Study limitations, however, weaken the conclusions in our systematic review, underlining the need for more research. Importantly, there was much variation in the measurement of thyroid hormone function and of ADHD symptoms. Recommendations for future research include using population-based designs, attending to measurement issues for thyroid hormones and ADHD, considering biologically relevant covariates (e.g., iodine intake), and assessing nonlinear dose-responses

Gestational thyroid hormone concentrations and risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study

Background: Maternal thyroid function plays an important role in foetal brain development; however, little consensus exists regarding the relationship between normal variability in thyroid hormones and common neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objective: We sought to examine the association between mid-pregnancy maternal thyroid function and risk of clinically diagnosed ADHD in offspring. Methods: We conducted a nested case–control study in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Among children born 2003 or later, we randomly sampled singleton ADHD cases obtained through linkage with the Norwegian Patient Registry (n = 298) and 554 controls. Concentrations of maternal triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), T3-Uptake, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPO-Ab) were measured in maternal plasma, collected at approximately 17 weeks' gestation. Indices of free T4 (FT4i) and free T3 (FT3i) were calculated. We used multivariable adjusted logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and accounted for missing covariate data using multiple imputation. We used restricted cubic splines to assess non-linear trends and provide flexible representations. We examined effect measure modification by dietary iodine and selenium intake. In sensitivity analyses, we excluded women with clinically significant thyroid disorders (n = 73). Results: High maternal T3 was associated with increased risk of ADHD (5th vs 1st quintile odds ratio 2.27, 95% confidence interval 1.21, 4.26). For FT4i, both the lowest and highest quintiles were associated with an approximate 1.6-fold increase in risk of ADHD, with similar trends found for T4. The FT4i association was modified by dietary iodine intake such that the highest risk strata were confined to the low intake group. Conclusions: Both high and low concentrations of maternal thyroid hormones, although within population reference ranges, increase the risk of ADHD in offspring. Increased susceptibility may be found among women with low dietary intake of iodine and selenium

Prenatal phthalates, maternal thyroid function, and risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in the Norwegian mother and child cohort

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern that phthalate exposures may have an impact on child neurodevelopment. Prenatal exposure to phthalates has been linked with externalizing behaviors and executive functioning defects suggestive of an attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) phenotype. OBJECTIVES: We undertook an investigation into whether prenatal exposure to phthalates was associated with clinically confirmed ADHD in a population-based nested case - control study of the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort (MoBa) between the years 2003 and 2008. METHODS: Phthalate metabolites were measured in maternal urine collected at midpregnancy. Cases of ADHD (n = 297) were obtained through linkage between MoBa and the Norwegian National Patient Registry. A random sample of controls (n = 553) from the MoBa population was obtained. RESULTS: In multivariable adjusted coexposure models, the sum of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (Σ DEHP) was associated with a monotonically increasing risk of ADHD. Children of mothers in the highest quintile of Σ DEHP had almost three times the odds of an ADHD diagnosis as those in the lowest [OR = 2: 99 (95% CI: 1.47, 5.49)]. When Σ DEHP was modeled as a log-linear (natural log) term, for each log-unit increase in exposure, the odds of ADHD increased by 47% [OR = 1: 47 (95% CI: 1.09, 1.94)]. We detected no significant modification by sex or mediation by prenatal maternal thyroid function or by preterm delivery. CONCLUSIONS: In this population-based case - control study of clinical ADHD, maternal urinary concentrations of DEHP were monotonically associated with increased risk of ADHD. Additional research is needed to evaluate potential mechanisms linking phthalates to ADHD