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New Methods (new + methods)
Selected AbstractsDetermining the Local Time of Activation from the Unipolar Electrogram: New Methods, New ChallengesJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 10 2000BONNIE B. PUNSKE PH.D. [source] Digital Analysis of Experimental Human Bitemarks: Application of Two New MethodsJOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 6 2006Nazar Al-Talabani B.D.S., Ph.D. ABSTRACT: Bitemark determination in forensic odontology is commonly performed by comparing the morphology of the dentition of the suspect with life-sized photographs of injury on the victim's skin using transparent overlays or computers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the suitability of two new different methods for identification of bitemarks by digital analysis. A sample of 50 volunteers was asked to make experimental bitemarks on the arms of each other. Stone study casts were prepared from upper and lower dental arches of each volunteer. The bitemarks and the study casts were photographed; the photos were entered into the computer and Adobe Photoshop software program was applied to analyze the results. Two methods (2D polyline and Painting) of identification were used. In the 2D polyline method, fixed points were chosen on the tips of the canines and a straight line was drawn between the two fixed points in the arch (intercanine line). Straight lines passing between the incisal edges of the incisors were drawn vertically on the intercanine line; the lines and angles created were calculated. In the painting method, identification was based on canine-to-canine distance, tooth width and the thickness, and rotational value of each tooth. The results showed that both methods were applicable. However, the 2D polyline method was more convenient to use and gave prompt computer-read results, whereas the painting method depended on the visual reading of the operator. [source] ChemInform Abstract: New Methods for the High-Throughput Screening of Enantioselective Catalysts and Biocatalysts.CHEMINFORM, Issue 32 2002Manfred T. Reetz Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] ChemInform Abstract: New Methods for the Synthesis of P-Chirogenic Diphosphines: An Application to the Development of an Improved Asymmetric Variation of the Rh(I)-Catalyzed [4 + 2] Cycloaddition.CHEMINFORM, Issue 10 2002Holly Heath Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] ChemInform Abstract: New Methods of Hydroformylation of Olefins and Isomerization of Allyl Alcohols Using the CoBr2/Zn/CO/t-BuOH Reagent System.CHEMINFORM, Issue 5 2002Thotapally Rajesh Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a "Full Text" option. The original article is trackable via the "References" option. [source] New Methods and Synthetic Applications of Asymmetric Nitrogen TransferCHINESE JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY, Issue 9 2005Alan Armstrong Abstract Structure/reactivity relationships of N -alkoxycarbonyl- and N -carboxamidooxaziridines are explored, and conditions are discovered for the efficient amination of sulfides and primary amines. Reactions of these oxaziridines with alkenes are also examined, and lead to interesting new heteroatom transfer reaction products. Finally, the aminative rearrangement of 2-alkoxydihydropyrans leads to a useful stereocontrolled synthesis of pyrrolidines which can undergo synthetic manipulations to give [2.2.1]- and [3.2.1]-azabicycles. [source] Tumor microenvironment in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas: Predictive value and clinical relevance of hypoxic markers.HEAD & NECK: JOURNAL FOR THE SCIENCES & SPECIALTIES OF THE HEAD AND NECK, Issue 6 2007A review Abstract Background. Hypoxia and tumor cell proliferation are important factors determining the treatment response of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Successful approaches have been developed to counteract these resistance mechanisms although usually at the cost of increased short- and long-term side effects. To provide the best attainable quality of life for individual patients and the head and neck cancer patient population as a whole, it is of increasing importance that tools be developed that allow a better selection of patients for these intensified treatments. Methods. A literature review was performed with special focus on the predictive value and clinical relevance of endogenous hypoxia-related markers. Results. New methods for qualitative and quantitative assessment of functional microenvironmental parameters such as hypoxia, proliferation, and vasculature have identified several candidate markers for future use in predictive assays. Hypoxia-related markers include hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1,, carbonic anhydrase IX, glucose transporters, erythropoietin receptor, osteopontin, and others. Although several of these markers and combinations of markers are associated with treatment outcome, their clinical value as predictive factors remains to be established. Conclusions: A number of markers and marker profiles have emerged that may have potential as a predictive assay. Validation of these candidate assays requires testing in prospective trials comparing standard treatment against experimental treatments targeting the related microregional constituent. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2007 [source] New methods of synthesis of boron, germanium, and tin derivatives of pentavalent phosphorus thioacidsHETEROATOM CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2002Il'yas S. Nizamov The reactions of S-trimethylsilyl esters of S-propyl-4-methoxyphenyltrithiophosphonic, bis(dialkylamido)dithiophosphoric, and S-ethyl-diethylamidotrithiophosphoric acids with trialkyl borates, triorganylbromogermanes, trimethyl(isobutylthio)germane, and trialkylchlorostannanes were studied. On the basis of these studies, new methods of synthesizing S-boron, S-germyl, and S-stannyl derivatives of pentavalent phosphorus thioacids were developed. S-Diethylaminomethyl O-isopropyl-4-ethoxyphenyldithiophosphonate was obtained by the reaction of the diisopropylboron derivative of the corresponding dithiophosphonic acid with the aminal 6. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 13:27,35, 2002; DOI 10.1002/hc.1103 [source] Clinical Genetics & Human Genome Variation: The 2008 Human Genome Variation Society Scientific MeetingHUMAN MUTATION, Issue 5 2009William S. Oetting Abstract The annual scientific meeting of the Human Genome Variation Society (HGVS) was held on 11 November 2008, in Philadelphia, PA. The major theme of this meeting was "Clinical Genetics & Human Genome Variation." For complex diseases, it is becoming evident that the contribution of most associated genetic variants to the disease process is small and, most likely, multiple variants are required to explain the predisposition and variation that is observed. As genome-wide association studies (GWASs) identify variants that are associated with a disease, there is a need to determine if the associated variants are causative, or simply in genetic disequilibrium with the true functional variant. New methods are being devised to help classify these genetic variants as either functional or nonfunctional. As study populations increase in size, there is also a need for better-constructed databases that can bring together the different genetic variants being identified, including SNPs, copy number variants (CNVs), and methylation differences, environmental risk factors, and the clinical information needed to construct useful phenotypes. These topics and others were discussed in this year's meeting. Hum Mutat 30, 852,856, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Risk-based decision making to manage contaminated sedimentsINTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2006Todd S Bridges Abstract This paper summarizes discussion among the 7 authors who served on an expert panel at the Third Battelle International Conference on Remediation of Contaminated Sediments held in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, in January 2005. In this article, the authors review how sediment management decisions are currently made and address the question of how management decisions should be made in the future. It is arguably the case that sediment remediation presents greater challenges and more complexity than traditional land-based clean-ups. Although understanding of these challenges and complexities has grown over the last 25 y, there has been, until recently, relatively little innovation in the approaches used to manage the environmental risks posed by contaminated sediments. New methods that facilitate a more rigorous analysis of the multiple criteria considered in decision making have been developed. These methods, collectively known as multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA), coupled with the use of comparative-risk assessment and cost/benefit analysis, are proposed as an effective, efficient, and credible foundation for evaluating remedy alternatives at contaminated sediment sites. [source] Sacrifice Ratios with Long-Lived Effects,INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 2 2005Lawrence Huiyan Zhang This paper is a theoretical and empirical study of sacrifice ratios,that is, the cost of reducing inflation during periods when disinflation produces long-lived effects on output or unemployment. New methods are developed for measuring sacrifice ratios. Sacrifice ratios that take into account long-lived effects are larger than sacrifice ratios calculated using Ball's (1994) ,standard method'. The ,standard method' also has a larger downward bias for countries experiencing larger long-lived effects. The sacrifice ratio for the United States falls somewhere in the middle of those for G-7 countries when long-lived effects are taken into account, while it is at the top when calculated using the ,standard method'. Finally, there is a negative relationship between sacrifice ratios and initial inflation rates, and the cost of reducing inflation is generally lower when the speed of disinflation is faster. [source] Histogenesis of Abrikossoff tumour of the oral cavityINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DENTAL HYGIENE, Issue 1 2010F Haikal Abstract:, Background:, Abrikossoff or granular cell tumour (GCT) is a relatively rare neoplasia, benign in most of the cases. It may occur in any part of the human body, but it has an oral location in 70% of the cases. Its origin has been discussed for decades, and it is not yet definitively determined. Immunohistochemical techniques suggest its origin in the Schwann cells, while more recent studies with new markers indicate an origin related to neuroendocrine cells. Objective:, Contribute to the clarification of histogenesis of oral Abrikossoff tumour studying immunohistochemical marking of 11 oral Brazilian cases. Materials and methods:, Samples of tissues from the oral mucosa, tongue and lips placed in paraffin blocks, from eleven patients with a histopathological diagnosis of benign GCT were studied. Four different anti-serums (S-100, vimentin, PGP9.5 and ENE) were used for immunoperoxydase technique. Results:, A clear positivity for S-100 protein and vimentin was observed, with markers indicating origin from the Schwann cells. Less intense positivity was found in some cases, for ENE and PGP9.5, which suggests a neuroendocrine origin. Conclusions:, The results obtained suggest an origin from Schwann cells, but also arise the possibility of neuroendocrine origin. New methods and more specific immunohistochemical markers are needed to elucidate the origin of the Abrikossoff tumour. [source] MPEG-4 facial animation in video analysis and synthesisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2003Peter Eisert Abstract MPEG-4 supports the definition, encoding, transmission, and animation of 3-D head and body models. These features can be used for a variety of different applications ranging from low bit-rate video coding to character and avatar animation. In this article, an entire system for the analysis of facial expressions from image sequences and their synthesis is presented. New methods for the estimation of MPEG-4 facial animation parameters as well as scene illumination are proposed. Experiments for different applications demonstrate the potential of using facial animation techniques in video analysis and synthesis. A model-based codec is presented that is able to encode head-and-shoulder video sequences at bit-rates of about 1 kbit/s. Besides the low bit-rate, many enhancements and scene modifications can be easily applied, like scene lighting changes or cloning of expressions for character animation. But also for the encoding of arbitrary sequences, 3-D knowledge can help to increase the coding efficiency. With our model-aided codec, bit-rate reductions of up to 45% at the same quality can be achieved in comparison to standard hybrid video codecs. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol 13, 245,256, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ima.10072 [source] Reliable memory feedback design for a class of non-linear time-delay systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROBUST AND NONLINEAR CONTROL, Issue 1 2004Dong Yue Abstract This paper is concerned with the robust controller design of uncertain time-delay systems with unknown nonlinearity and actuators failures. New methods for designing stabilizing controllers and reliable controllers are proposed. The stability criteria of the closed-loop system, which are dependent on the magnitudes of the delay and its derivative, are derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities. Numerical and simulation results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results, as well as the reduction of conservativeness when compared with existing ones. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Changing Trends in Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome in the Population Aged 50 and OlderJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 9 2007Sindy M. Paul MD OBJECTIVES: To alert persons in the public and private healthcare professions to the increasing trends in higher proportions of persons aged 50 and older who are newly diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and who are living with HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). DESIGN: Data from the period 1992 through 2004 from the HIV/AIDS Reporting System (HARS) were analyzed. SETTING: New Jersey is the eleventh-most-populous state, with the highest density of persons per square mile. It also has the fifth-highest number of AIDS cases. PARTICIPANTS: All persons residing in New Jersey and reported to HARS with HIV infection or who are considered to have AIDS. MEASUREMENTS: Trends in persons aged 50 and older were compared with those in the population younger than 50 during 1992 through 2004 for the numbers of persons living with HIV/AIDS and the number of persons newly diagnosed with HIV infection. RESULTS: The proportion of all persons aged 50 and older living with HIV/AIDS in 2004 was significantly greater than the comparable proportion of persons in 1992. Proportionally, more persons were newly diagnosed with HIV who were aged 50 and older according to sex and for each of the three major race or ethnicity groups (white non-Hispanic, black non-Hispanic, and Hispanic) than were persons younger than 50. Each of these increases was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: HIV/AIDS social marketing campaigns should include images and issues related to older persons in educational and prevention efforts. New methods that reach older populations should be considered. Physicians and other healthcare providers should be made aware of their role in prevention and education about HIV. Testing of older populations with risk factors should be encouraged. [source] The role of research for integrated management of invasive species, invaded landscapes and communitiesJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Yvonne M. Buckley Summary 1Invaded landscapes and ecosystems are composed of multiple interacting networks and feed-back loops, sometimes leading to unexpected effects of management actions. In order to plan management for invaded systems we need to explicitly consider management goals before putting actions in place. Actions taken must be justified in terms of their amelioration of impacts of invaders, contribution to the management goals and the costs incurred. 2This Special Profile brings together papers on the management of invasive plants, transgenes, animals and diseases, leading to conclusions with clear policy and management relevance and contributing to some of the hottest current topics in invasion ecology: unexpected impacts of invaders, restoration of invasion resistance, distribution mapping, spatial epidemiology, escape of transgenes, community interactions and complex effects of management. 3As papers in this Special Profile demonstrate, management for amelioration of the impacts of invasive species will include a wide range of manipulations, not just of the invader itself but of both abiotic and biotic components of the system. In fact, several papers in this Special Profile show that indirect management of the community may be more effective than removal of the invader alone. 4As little information is generally available at the beginning of a management programme, an adaptive approach should be taken and the management objectives/goals revised throughout the management process. New methods are emerging for adaptive management; an example is presented in this Special Profile where a Bayesian model used for assessing eradication goals can be updated throughout the management process leading to refinement of management. 5Synthesis and applications. Applied research should be directed at providing decision support for managers throughout the management process and can be used to provide predictive tools for risk assessment of new invaders. The science of invasion ecology has much to contribute to the new challenge of natural or enhanced movement of organisms in relation to climate change. Methods and information from invasion ecology can be used to assess management goals, management actions and the risks of potential translocations before they are put in place. [source] Anthropogenic impacts on lake and stream ecosystems, and approaches to restorationJOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007MARTIN SØNDERGAARD Summary 1Freshwater ecosystems have long been affected by numerous types of human interventions that have a negative impact on their water quality and ecological state. Fortunately, in most western countries the input of sewage to freshwater systems has been reduced, but hydromorphological alterations, eutrophication-related turbidity and loss of biodiversity remain major problems in many parts of the world. Such impacts prevent the achievement of a high or good ecological state, as defined by the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) or other standards. 2This paper synthesizes and links the findings presented in the seven papers of this special profile, focusing on the effects of anthropogenic stressors on freshwater ecosystems and on how to maintain and restore ecological quality. The papers cover a broad range of research areas and methods, but are all centred on the relationship between dispersal barriers, the connectivity of waterways and the restoration of rivers and lakes. 3The construction of dams and reservoirs disturbs the natural functioning of many streams and rivers and shore-line development around lakes may reduce habitat complexity. New methods demonstrate how reservoirs may have a severe impact on the distribution and connectivity of fish populations, and new techniques illustrate the potential of using graph theory and connectivity models to illustrate the ecological implications. Hydromorphologically degraded rivers and streams can be restored by addition of wood debris, but ,passive' restoration via natural wood recruitment may be preferable. The most cost-effective way to restore streams may also include information campaigns to farmers on best management practices. Removal of zooplanktivorous fish often has marked positive effects on trophic structure in lakes, but there is a tendency to return to turbid conditions after 8,10 years or less unless fish removal is repeated. 4Synthesis and applications. Development of new methods, as well as derivation of more general conclusions from reviewing the effects of previous restoration efforts, are crucial to achieve progress in applied freshwater research. The papers contained in this Special Profile contribute on both counts, as well as illustrating the importance of well-designed research projects and monitoring programmes to record the effects of the interventions. Such efforts are vital if we are to improve our knowledge of freshwater systems and to elaborate the best and most cost-effective recommendations. They may also help in achieving a good ecological state or potential in water bodies by 2015, as demanded by the European WFD. [source] Perspective: Reconsidering the Effects of Antiresorptive Therapies in Reducing Osteoporotic FractureJOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 12 2001C. H. Chesnut III Abstract Concepts of what constitutes osteoporosis have evolved from the single criterion of low bone mass to a more inclusive consideration of bone strength, based on both quantity and quality. The evidence driving this shift is drawn from many sources. For example, recent studies of bone geometry have shown what engineers have always known: material properties and structural strength are inseparable. Genetic factors also argue against a one-dimensional (1D) view of osteoporosis. Large-scale family studies present a strong case for genetic influences on bone mass and predisposition to fracture. The contribution of aging to fracture risk has long been known, but we are only now beginning to understand what happens to bone remodeling and microstructure in an aging skeleton. The recognition that osteoporosis is far more complex than previously thought suggests that factors in addition to bone mineral density (BMD) may be useful for evaluating bone fragility and therapeutic effectiveness. Although assessment of BMD is noninvasive and widely available, the degree of increase in BMD alone fails to account for the broader effectiveness of antiresorptive agents in reducing the risk of fractures related to osteoporosis. Indeed, the very multiplicity of factors that determine fracture risk implies that response to therapy may be equally complex. Studies of response to antiresorptive agents and the cellular processes they induce are at best preliminary at this time. Although new technologies have been applied to studying bone microarchitecture, their invasive nature limits wide use. New methods are needed to provide insight into the causes and effects of bone fragility. The definition of osteoporosis, meanwhile, must still be considered a work in progress. [source] Model population analysis for variable selectionJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 7-8 2010Hong-Dong Li Abstract To build a credible model for given chemical or biological or clinical data, it may be helpful to first get somewhat better insight into the data itself before modeling and then to present the statistically stable results derived from a large number of sub-models established only on one dataset with the aid of Monte Carlo Sampling (MCS). In the present work, a concept model population analysis (MPA) is developed. Briefly, MPA could be considered as a general framework for developing new methods by statistically analyzing some interesting parameters (regression coefficients, prediction errors, etc.) of a number of sub-models. New methods are expected to be developed by making full use of the interesting parameter in a novel manner. In this work, the elements of MPA are first considered and described. Then, the applications for variable selection and model assessment are emphasized with the help of MPA. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] New methods for the detection of insecticide resistant Myzus persicae in the U.K. suction trap networkAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2008James A. Anstead Abstract 1,Myzus persicae is a highly polyphagous pest of U.K. agriculture. It presents particular control difficulties because it has developed resistance to several insecticide classes. 2,For almost 20 years, M. persicae collected in the U.K. suction trap network have been analysed for insecticide resistance and the data disseminated to growers via a resistance bulletin. These data are generated by the biochemical analysis of individuals for two major resistance phenotypes: (i) elevated carboxylesterase and (ii) modified acetylcholinesterase (MACE). 3,The development of new polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based technologies using fluorescently labelled probes has allowed other resistance mechanisms, such as knockdown resistance to pyrethroids (kdr/super-kdr), to be detected and has greatly increased the speed and accuracy of resistance monitoring. Unfortunately, these newer PCR-based assays are incompatible with the older biochemical assays. 4,The present study describes the development and testing of new compatible methods for detecting elevated carboxylesterases and MACE for use on M. persicae caught in the field or suction traps. 5,These new tests have significant advantages over present methodologies by allowing individual aphids to be tested for three resistance mechanisms quickly and accurately on a single platform. [source] Development of a Quantitative LC-MS/MS Method for the Analysis of Common Propellant Powder Stabilizers in Gunshot Residue,JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES, Issue 4 2007Désiré Laza Ph.D. Abstract:, In traditional scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analysis of gunshot residue (GSR), one has to cope more and more frequently with limitations of this technique due to the use of lead-free ammunition or ammunition lacking heavy metals. New methods for the analysis of the organic components of common propellant powder stabilizers were developed based on liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A multiple reactions monitoring scanning method was created for the screening of akardite II, ethylcentralite, diphenylamine, methylcentralite, N-nitrosodiphenylamine, 2-nitrodiphenylamine, and 4-nitrodiphenylamine, present in standards mixtures. Five out of seven of these target compounds can be selectively identified and distinguished from the two others with a high accuracy. Samples from the hands of a shooter were collected by swabbing and underwent solid phase extraction prior to analysis. Detection limits ranging from 5 to 115 ,g injected were achieved. Results from several firing trials show that the LC-MS/MS method is suitable for the detection of stabilizers in samples collected following the firing of 9 mm Para ammunitions. [source] One-pot synthesis of the indole derivative 4-chloro-3-sulphamoyl- N -(2,3-dihydro-2-methyl-1H -indol-1-yl)benzamide (indapamide)JOURNAL OF HETEROCYCLIC CHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2004Barbara Ziobro New methods for the synthesis the indole derivative, Indapamide (1), using mixed anhydrides of the general formula R1COOCOOR2 (2) or DCC (N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide) (3), are described. [source] Cognitive economy and satisficing in information seeking: A longitudinal study of undergraduate information behaviorJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2009Claire Warwick This article reports on a longitudinal study of information seeking by undergraduate information management students. It describes how they found and used information, and explores their motivation and decision making. We employed a use-in-context approach where students were observed conducting, and were interviewed about, information-seeking tasks carried out during their academic work. We found that participants were reluctant to engage with a complex range of information sources, preferring to use the Internet. The main driver for progress in information seeking was the immediate demands of their work (e.g., assignments). Students used their growing expertise to justify a conservative information strategy, retaining established strategies as far as possible and completing tasks with minimum information-seeking effort. The time cost of using library material limited the uptake of such resources. New methods for discovering and selecting information were adopted only when immediately relevant to the task at hand, and tasks were generally chosen or interpreted in ways that minimized the need to develop new strategies. Students were driven by the demands of the task to use different types of information resources, but remained reluctant to move beyond keyword searches, even when they proved ineffective. They also lacked confidence in evaluating the relative usefulness of resources. Whereas existing literature on satisficing has focused on stopping conditions, this work has highlighted a richer repertoire of satisficing behaviors. [source] Dimension reduction for the conditional kth moment in regressionJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES B (STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY), Issue 2 2002Xiangrong Yin The idea of dimension reduction without loss of information can be quite helpful for guiding the construction of summary plots in regression without requiring a prespecified model. Central subspaces are designed to capture all the information for the regression and to provide a population structure for dimension reduction. Here, we introduce the central kth-moment subspace to capture information from the mean, variance and so on up to the kth conditional moment of the regression. New methods are studied for estimating these subspaces. Connections with sliced inverse regression are established, and examples illustrating the theory are presented. [source] Application of 31P NMR spectroscopy and chemical derivatization for metabolite profiling of lipophilic compounds in human serumMAGNETIC RESONANCE IN CHEMISTRY, Issue S1 2009M. Aruni DeSilva Abstract New methods for obtaining metabolic fingerprints of biological samples with improved resolution and sensitivity are highly sought for early disease detection, studies of human health and pathophysiology, and for better understanding systems biology. Considering the complexity of biological samples, interest in biochemical class selection through the use of chemoselective probes for improved resolution and quantitation is increasing. Considering the role of lipids in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases, in this study fingerprinting of lipid metabolites was achieved by 31P labeling using the derivatizing agent 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyldioxaphospholane. Lipids containing hydroxyl, aldehyde and carboxyl groups were selectively tagged with 31P and then detected with good resolution using 31P NMR by exploiting the 100% natural abundance and wide chemical shift range of 31P. After standardizing the reaction conditions using representative compounds, the derivatization approach was used to profile lipids in human serum. The results show that the 31P derivatization approach is simple, reproducible and highly quantitative, and has the potential to profile a number of important lipids in complex biological samples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Rapid, sensitive and simple detection method for koi herpesvirus using loop-mediated isothermal amplificationMICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 7 2009Manabu Yoshino ABSTRACT New methods were developed for the detection of koi herpesvirus (KHV, CyHV-3) by LAMP, which were compared with the PCR for specificity and sensitivity. We designed two primer sets targeting a specific sequence within the 9/5 PCR amplicon (9/5 LAMP) and the upper region of the SphI-5 PCR amplicon (SphI-5 LAMP), including a sequence highly conserved among the strains. The amplification was monitored in real-time based on the increase in turbidity, with magnesium pyrophosphate as the by-product. The reactions were carried out under isothermal conditions at 65°C for 60 min. The detection limit of both LAMP was six copies, equal to the modified SphI-5 PCR. No cross-reactivity with other fish pathogenic viruses and bacteria was observed. SphI-5 LAMP was found to have a quicker response in terms of the reaction velocity than 9/5 LAMP. Therefore, we consider SphI-5 LAMP to be superior for routine use. Additionally, LAMP was found applicable to crude extract from gills and other organs. LAMP methods are superior in terms of sensitivity, specificity, rapidity and simplicity, and are potentially a valuable diagnostic tool for KHV infections. [source] Lung function tests in neonates and infants with chronic lung disease: Lung and chest-wall mechanicsPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Monika Gappa MD This is the fifth paper in a review series that summarizes available data and critically discusses the potential role of lung function testing in infants and young children with acute neonatal respiratory disorders and chronic lung disease of infancy (CLDI). This review focuses on respiratory mechanics, including chest-wall and tissue mechanics, obtained in the intensive care setting and in infants during unassisted breathing. Following orientation of the reader to the subject area, we focused comments on areas of enquiry proposed in the introductory paper to this series. The quality of the published literature is reviewed critically with respect to relevant methods, equipment and study design, limitations and strengths of different techniques, and availability and appropriateness of reference data. Recommendations to guide future investigations in this field are provided. Numerous different methods have been used to assess respiratory mechanics with the aims of describing pulmonary status in preterm infants and assessing the effect of therapeutic interventions such as surfactant treatment, antenatal or postnatal steroids, or bronchodilator treatment. Interpretation of many of these studies is limited because lung volume was not measured simultaneously. In addition, populations are not comparable, and the number of infants studied has generally been small. Nevertheless, results appear to support the pathophysiological concept that immaturity of the lung leads to impaired lung function, which may improve with growth and development, irrespective of the diagnosis of chronic lung disease. To fully understand the impact of immaturity on the developing lung, it is unlikely that a single parameter such as respiratory compliance or resistance will accurately describe underlying changes. Assessment of respiratory mechanics will have to be supplemented by assessment of lung volume and airway function. New methods such as the low-frequency forced oscillation technique, which differentiate the tissue and airway components of respiratory mechanics, are likely to require further development before they can be of clinical significance. Pediatr Pulmonol. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Advances in optical imaging of the newborn infant brainPSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 4 2003Jeremy C. Hebden Abstract New methods of imaging the oxygenation, hemodynamics, and metabolism of the newborn infant brain are being developed, based on illumination of the head with near-infrared light. Techniques known as optical topography and optical tomography have the potential to provide valuable information about the function of the normal brain, and about a variety of cerebral pathology such as hypoxic-ischemia. Optical methods provide a unique means of monitoring brain oxygenation safely in an intensive care environment without interference with the normal handling of the infant. Studies on infants have focused on the assessment of steady-state regional cerebral perfusion and tissue oxygenation, as well as monitoring hemodynamic changes in response to sensory stimulation. Recent technological and methodological advances in this research field are reviewed, and the likely impact of optical imaging methods on the care of newborn infants is assessed. [source] Accounting for unresolved clouds in a 1-D solar radiative-transfer modelTHE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 608 2005J. Li Abstract New methods for the treatment of solar radiative transfer through overlapping and inhomogeneous clouds are presented. First, a new approach to cloud overlap is shown. For the adjacent cloud blocks, the traditional maximum overlap can be relaxed to a mixture of maximum and random overlap treatments for layers that are adjacent but not fully correlated. Second, a new radiative-transfer algorithm has been developed to deal with these various cloud overlap circumstances that is simple enough for implementation in a general-circulation model (GCM). When compared to appropriate benchmark calculations, we find that this new method can produce accurate results in heating rates and fluxes with relative errors generally less than 8%. Third, a new and very simple approach to treating radiative transfer through a cloud with horizontal subgrid-scale inhomogeneities is developed. This approach uses an optical-depth scaling technique to represent the subgrid-scale inhomogeneity. Finally, by combining all of the above elements, we provide a new algorithm for the combined treatment of cloud overlap and inhomogeneity and we show that it yields very reasonable accuracies for heating rates and fluxes. Through benchmark comparisons, we show that this new algorithm provides significant improvement over existing schemes in GCMs. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society [source] Identification and analysis of 2-chloro-6-methylphenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol and indole: causes of taints and off-flavours in winesAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF GRAPE AND WINE RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010D.L. CAPONE Abstract Background and Aims:, The aim of this study was to determine the cause of taints and off-flavours in a number of commercial wines and to develop methods for quantitative analysis of the compounds responsible. Methods and Results:, Three compounds, 2-chloro-6-methylphenol (i.e. 6-chloro- ortho -cresol), 2,6-dichlorophenol and indole, were identified by gas chromatography (GC)/mass spectrometry (MS)/olfactometry as causes of taints or off-flavours in the wines. New methods for quantitative analysis of these three compounds, as well as some other chloro- and bromophenols were developed. The methods employed GC/MS and stable isotope dilution analysis, and confirmed the presence of 2-chloro-6-methylphenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol and indole in some wines at concentrations well above their odour and taste detection thresholds. Conclusions:, 2-Chloro-6-methylphenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol and indole were confirmed as causes of taints and off-flavours in commercial wines. Significance of the Study:, The development of new analytical methods will make it possible to determine whether chlorophenol (and perhaps also bromophenol) taint in wine is more widespread than previously recognised. Similarly, the simple, rapid and accurate method for quantifying indole in wine will allow large numbers of wine and ferment samples to be studied to determine those factors that can result in unacceptably high concentrations in commercial wines. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||