Axonal degeneration and inflammation in acute optic neuritis

Aims: To investigate whether plasma biomarkers for axonal injury and inflammation are related to loss and recovery of visual function in acute optic neuritis (ON).Methods: Eighteen patients with ON and 14 controls were investigated in a longitudinal, prospective study. Plasma phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain ( NfH(SMI35); a surrogate marker of axonal injury), nitric oxide metabolites (NOx), and citrulline ( surrogate markers of inflammation) were measured.Results: Patients with ON had higher median plasma NfH(SMI35) values than controls (0.17 versus 0.005 ng/ml; p< 0.05) and higher NOx values (49 versus 35.5 mu M; p< 0.001). Plasma NfH(SMI35) values correlated inversely with visual acuity at presentation ( R = -0.67; p = 0.01). NfH(SMI35) was higher in patients with poor recovery of visual acuity than in those with good recovery (0.25 ng/ml versus 0.09 ng/ml; p< 0.05). Three of four patients with high NfH(SMI35) and high NOx values experienced a poor recovery as opposed to only one of five with high NOx but normal NfH(SMI35) values.Conclusions: NfH(SMI35), a surrogate marker for axonal damage, is a prognostic indicator and should be considered in the design of neuroprotective treatment strategies

The dual-frequency scatterometer reexamined

The utility of dual frequency scatterometers in measuring ocean wave directional spectra can be increased by adding third frequency to the system. The background which effectively limits signal detectability in dual frequency operation can be made a part of the signal through the addition of this third frequency. Signal detectability is limited only by system thermal noise and space based operation becomes more feasible

System characterization of a magnetically suspended flywheel

The purpose of flywheel energy storage is to provide a means to save energy during times when the satellite is in sunlight, and then return the energy during the time when the satellite is in darkness. Typically, an energy storage device operates cyclically, where for satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) the typical period is 60 minutes of sunlight followed by 30 minutes of darkness. If a lifetime of 17 years is required the energy storage system must be capable of sustaining approximately 100,000 cycles. The recent developments at the University of Maryland and how these progressions apply to a 500 Watt-hour magnetically suspended flywheel stack energy storage system are covered. The work includes hardware testing results from a stack flywheel energy storage system, improvements in the area of non-contacting displacement transducers, and performance enhancements of magnetic bearings. The experimental results show that a stack flywheel energy storage system is a feasible technology

Unemployment and illegal drug use: Concordant evidence from a prospective study and national trends

Data from a previous study of 1036 young people in the Lothian region that indicated an association between unemployment and illegal drug use were examined in more depth to investigate the inter-relation between duration of unemployment and the use of illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. After factors such as social class background and educational qualifications had been taken into account a weak but significant association was found between duration of unemployment and illegal drug use. No such association was found for alcohol or tobacco. Similar results were obtained from an analysis of national statistics related to unemployment and illegal drug use. Both sets of data thus indicate that illegal drug use is moderately associated with unemployment. © 1986, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved

Screening For Domestic Violence By Nurse Practitioners In The Primary Care Setting

Domestic violence produces major health care problems for women. The prevalence and serious nature of this problem mandates recognition and intervention. Research has demonstrated that health care providers either overlook or fail to recognize or address potential domestic violence issues and situations during health care encounters. This descriptive study was designed to examine the screening practices of nurse practitioners for domestic violence certified and practicing in Louisiana. The theoretical framework for the research was based on the Health Promotion Model (Pender, 1987), which focuses on the integration of health-promoting behavior into lifestyles. The research question for this study was as follows: Do nurse practitioners screen for domestic violence against women in the primary care setting? The setting for this study was the state of Louisiana. A sample of 158 family, adult, acute care, women\u27s health, and gérontologie nurse practitioners, and certified nurse midwives, registered with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing were surveyed using the Revised Education/Experience Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were generated to describe demographic characteristics of the nurse practitioners in addition to beliefs, perceptions, and screening practices for domestic violence. Responses to the questionnaire were analyzed using frequency distributions and percentages. Data analysis revealed that the majority of nurse practitioners do not routinely ask questions focused on domestic violence issues in the primary care setting. A major implication for nursing which emerged was that the need for inclusion o f extensive domestic violence content in the formal educational programs for nurses at all levels. Further research was recommended to determine why nurse practitioners do not screen for domestic violence in the primary care setting

SU(2)xSU(2) nonlocal quark model with confinement

The nonlocal version of the SU(2)xSU(2) symmetric four-quark interaction of the NJL type is considered. Each of the quark lines contains the form factors. These form factors remove the ultraviolet divergences in quark loops. The additional condition on quark mass function m(p) ensures the absence of the poles in the quark propagator(quark confinement). The constituent quark mass m(0) is expressed thought the cut-off parameter Lambda, m(0)=Lambda=340 MeV in the chiral limit. These parameters are fixed by the experimental value of the weak pion decay and allow us to describe the mass of the light scalar meson, strong decay rho -> pi pi and D/S ratio in the decay a_1 -> rho pi in satisfactory agreement with experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure