Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Whole Spectrum (whole + spectrum)
Selected AbstractsCharacterization of Portland cements by X-ray spectrometry allied to chemometricsJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 11-12 2006Karen Goraieb Abstract This work reports the use of X-ray spectrometry (XRS) allied to chemometric techniques to easily distinguish types of Portland cements, as well as to quantify some of their constituent elements. The samples were irradiated as powders for 200,s using two distinct irradiation conditions, one more adequate for heavier elements (condition 1) and the other (condition 2) for lighter elements, using a conventional bench top energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) equipment. The spectra were processed via the software The Unscrambler, version 9.2. The PLS 1 LV1,×,LV2 scores graph shows a classification into five groups, in accordance with the calcium concentration, using condition 2. The classification of the cements by producer was feasible using the PLS1 LV1,×,LV3 scores graph, with condition 1. The elements Ca, Si, Al and Mg were successfully quantified using multivariate calibration of the whole spectra. However, for Fe, S and K, better results were obtained by correlating their corresponding K, peaks with concentrations in a univariate procedure, using irradiation condition 2. Chemometric tools allied to XRS are powerful techniques to classify Portland cements, regarding to their origins and their calcium concentration, which is related to the cement type. The PLS chemometric tool was very useful to easily quantify light elements, such as Al, Si and Mg, a challenge in most X-ray analytical methods, since their K, emission peaks are very close to each other. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Treatment of major depressive disorder in the Finnish general populationDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 11 2009Juha Hämäläinen M.D.M.A. Abstract Background: Few general population studies of the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) have included the whole spectrum of treatments. We estimated the rates of different treatments and the effect of individual and disorder characteristics plus provider type on treatment received. Methods: In the Health 2000 Study, a representative sample (n=6,005) from the adult Finnish population (,30 years) were interviewed (CIDI) in 2000,2001 for the presence of DSM-IV mental disorders during the past 12 months. Logistic regression models were used to examine factors influencing the type of treatment: either pharmacotherapies (antidepressants, anxiolytics, sedatives/hypnotics, antipsychotics) or psychological treatment. Results: Of the individuals with MDD (n=288), currently 24% used antidepressants, 11% anxiolytics, 16% sedatives/hypnotics, 5% antipsychotics, and 17% reported having received psychological treatment. Overall, 31% received antidepressants or psychological treatment or both; 18% received minimally adequate treatment. Of those 33% (n=94) using health care services for mental reasons, 76% received antidepressants or psychological treatment or both; 54% received minimal adequate treatment. In logistic regression models, the use of antidepressants was associated with female sex, being single, severe MDD, perceived disability, and comorbid dysthymic disorder; psychological treatment with being divorced, perceived disability, and comorbid anxiety disorder. Conclusions: Due to the low use of health services for mental reasons, only one-third of subjects with MDD use antidepressants, and less than one-fifth receives psychological treatment. The treatments provided are determined mostly by clinical factors such as severity and comorbidity, in part by sex and marital status, but not education or income. Depression and Anxiety 26:1049,1059, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Energy functions for FACTS devices with an energy-storage systemEUROPEAN TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL POWER, Issue 5 2007V. Azbe Abstract An energy-storage system (ESS) can provide additional capabilities for FACTS devices in dynamic power-flow control, and in this way improve electric-power system stability. In order to assess their influence on the system's dynamic behavior or to determinate the device's control strategy using direct methods, proper energy functions for these devices are needed. In this paper the energy functions for the whole spectrum of FACTS devices with an ESS have been developed. For each of the devices various energy functions were proposed according to the control strategy applied. The energy functions were constructed as additional terms that can be added to any existing structure-preserving energy function (SPEF). Tests within a single-machine infinite-bus system proved the correctness of the proposed energy functions. The application of new energy functions was demonstrated on the problem of transient-stability assessment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prevalence of BRCA1 genomic rearrangements in a large cohort of Italian breast and breast/ovarian cancer families without detectable BRCA1 and BRCA2 point mutationsGENES, CHROMOSOMES AND CANCER, Issue 9 2006Simona Agata The presence of genomic rearrangements of the BRCA1 gene in breast and/or ovarian cancer families has been intensively investigated in patients from various countries over the last years. A number of different rearrangements have been reported by several studies that clearly document the involvement of this mutation type in genetic predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer. Population-specific studies are now needed to evaluate the prevalence of genomic rearrangements before deciding whether to include ad hoc screening procedures into standard diagnostic mutation detection approaches. Indeed, the vast majority of the studies have been performed on small, highly selected, sample sets because of the limitations imposed by the laborious technical approaches. Moreover, prevalence figures are likely to differ across different countries according to the ethnic origin of each specific population. Here we analyze a large cohort of 653 Italian probands, negative for BRCA1 and BRCA2 point mutations, gathered from four National Institutions. We report the identification of BRCA1 genomic rearrangements in 12 independent families. Noteworthy, half of the probands carry mutations that recur in more than one Italian family. Considering the whole spectrum of Italian BRCA1 gene rearrangements identified thus far in consecutive patients, we estimate that alterations of this type account for 19% (95% CI: 0.11 < 0.19 < 0.28) of the BRCA1 mutation positive families. We conclude that the search for major genomic rearrangements is essential for an accurate and comprehensive BRCA1 mutation detection strategy in Italy. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Upper and lower bounds for natural frequencies: A property of the smoothed finite element methodsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2010Zhi-Qian Zhang Abstract Node-based smoothed finite element method (NS-FEM) using triangular type of elements has been found capable to produce upper bound solutions (to the exact solutions) for force driving static solid mechanics problems due to its monotonic ,soft' behavior. This paper aims to formulate an NS-FEM for lower bounds of the natural frequencies for free vibration problems. To make the NS-FEM temporally stable, an ,-FEM is devised by combining the compatible and smoothed strain fields in a partition of unity fashion controlled by ,,[0, 1], so that both the properties of stiff FEM and the monotonically soft NS-FEM models can be properly combined for a desired purpose. For temporally stabilizing NS-FEM, , is chosen small so that it acts like a ,regularization parameter' making the NS-FEM stable, but still with sufficient softness ensuring lower bounds for natural frequency solution. Our numerical studies demonstrate that (1) using a proper ,, the spurious non-zero energy modes can be removed and the NS-FEM becomes temporally stable; (2) the stabilized NS-FEM becomes a general approach for solids to obtain lower bounds to the exact natural frequencies over the whole spectrum; (3) ,-FEM can even be tuned for obtaining nearly exact natural frequencies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Genetic and epigenetic aspects of bladder cancerJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2005Wun-Jae Kim Abstract Transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder has a diverse collection of biologic and functional characteristics. This is reflected in differing clinical courses. The diagnosis of bladder cancer is based on the information provided by cystoscopy, the gold standard in combination with urinary cytology findings. Many tumor markers have been evaluated for detecting and monitoring the disease in serum, bladder washes, and urinary specimens. However, none of these biomarkers reported to date has shown sufficient sensitivity and specificity for the detection of the whole spectrum of bladder cancer diseases in routine clinical practice. The limited value of established prognostic markers requires the analysis of new molecular parameters of interest in predicting the prognosis of bladder cancer patients; in particular, the high-risk patient groups at risk of progression and recurrence. Over the past decade, there has been major progress elucidating of the molecular genetic and epigenetic changes leading to the development of transitional cell carcinoma. This review focuses on the recent advances of genetic and epigenetic aspects in bladder cancer, and emphasizes how molecular biology would be likely to affect the future therapies. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Stacked partial least squares regression analysis for spectral calibration and predictionJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 10 2009Wangdong Ni Abstract Two novel algorithms which employ the idea of stacked generalization or stacked regression, stacked partial least squares (SPLS) and stacked moving-window partial least squares (SMWPLS) are reported in the present paper. The new algorithms establish parallel, conventional PLS models based on all intervals of a set of spectra to take advantage of the information from the whole spectrum by incorporating parallel models in a way to emphasize intervals highly related to the target property. It is theoretically and experimentally illustrated that the predictive ability of these two stacked methods combining all subsets or intervals of the whole spectrum is never poorer than that of a PLS model based only on the best interval. These two stacking algorithms generate more parsimonious regression models with better predictive power than conventional PLS, and perform best when the spectral information is neither isolated to a single, small region, nor spread uniformly over the response. A simulation data set is employed in this work not only to demonstrate this improvement, but also to demonstrate that stacked regressions have the potential capability of predicting property information from an outlier spectrum in the prediction set. Moisture, oil, protein and starch in Cargill corn samples have been successfully predicted by these new algorithms, as well as hydroxyl number for different instruments of terpolymer samples including and excluding an outlier spectrum. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Prediction of model pools for a long-term experiment using near-infrared spectroscopyJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Kerstin Michel Abstract Fourty-one soil samples from the "Eternal Rye" long-term experiment in Halle, Germany, were used to test the usefulness of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to differentiate between C derived from C3 and C4 plants by using the isotopic signature (,13C) and to predict the pools considered in the Rothamsted Carbon (RothC) model, i.e., decomposable plant material, resistant plant material, microbial biomass, humified organic matter, and inert organic matter. All samples were scanned in the visible-light and near-infrared region (400,2500 nm). Cross-validation equations were developed using the whole spectrum (first to third derivative) and a modified partial least-square regression method. ,13C values and all pools of the RothC model were successfully predicted by NIRS as reflected by RSC values (ratio between standard deviation of the laboratory results and standard error of cross-validation) ranging from 3.2 to 3.4. Correlations analysis indicated that organic C can be excluded as basis for the successful predictions by NIRS in most cases, i.e., 11 out of 16. [source] Near-infrared spectroscopy can predict the composition of organic matter in soil and litterJOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006Thomas Terhoeven-Urselmans Abstract The usefulness and limitations of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for the assessment of several soil characteristics are still not sufficiently explored. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of visible and near-infrared reflectance (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy to predict the composition of organic matter in soils and litter. Reflectance spectra of the VIS-NIR region (400,2500 nm) were recorded for 56 soil and litter samples from agricultural and forest sites. Spectra were used to predict general and biological characteristics of the samples as well as the C composition which was measured by 13C-CPMAS-NMR spectroscopy. A modified partial least-square method and cross-validation were used to develop equations for the different constituents over the whole spectrum (1st to 3rd derivation). Near-infrared spectroscopy predicted well the C : N ratios, the percentages of O-alkyl C and alkyl C, the ratio of alkyl C to O-alkyl C, and the sum of phenolic oxidation products: the ratios of standard deviation of the laboratory results to standard error of cross-validation (RSC) were greater than 2, the regression coefficients (a) of a linear regression (measured against predicted values) ranged from 0.9 to 1.1, and the correlation coefficients (r) were greater than 0.9. Satisfactorily (0.8 , a , 1.2, r , 0.8, and 1.4 , RSC , 2.0) assessed were the contents of C, N, and production of DOC, the percentages of carbonyl C and aromatic C and the ratio of alkyl C to aromatic C. However, the N-mineralization rate and the microbial biomass were predicted unsatisfactorily (RSC < 1.4). The good and satisfactory predictions reported above indicate a marked usefulness of NIRS in the assessment of biological and chemical characteristics of soils and litter. [source] Biosurgery in wound healing , the renaissance of maggot therapyJOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Uwe Wollina Abstract Chronic wounds are a challenge for modern health care. A basic principle of treatment is the removal of sloughy, necrotic, devitalized tissue to prevent wound infection and delayed healing. Biosurgery (syn. maggot or larval therapy) is a promising adjunct to the whole spectrum of topical treatment methods, in particular for debridement. The term ,biosurgery' describes the use of living maggots on wounds to remove devitalized tissue, decrease the risk of infection and improve wound healing. The present paper gives a brief review of history, entomology, biochemistry and medical indications of biosurgery and the practical handling of maggots. We also provide some clinical data from the literature and our own experience in a wound care unit. Biosurgery is an effective and safe treatment option for debridement and disinfection. [source] Colonization of Legionella Species in Hotel Water Systems in TurkeyJOURNAL OF TRAVEL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2007Haluk Erdogan MD Background The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Legionella species in hotel water distribution systems in Alanya, Turkey, which is an important tourism center. Methods Water and swab samples were obtained from 52 Turkish hotels from August 2003 to September 2005. Water samples were collected in 100 mL sterile containers and were concentrated by membrane filters with a pore size of 0.45 ,m. Heat treatment was used to eliminate other microorganisms from the samples, which were then spread on buffered charcoal yeast extract , agar plates and glycine, vancomycin, polymyxin, cycloheximide agar plates. Cysteine-dependent colonies were identified by latex agglutination. Results In all, 491 water and swab samples were analyzed. The results of all samples were negative for Legionella in 16 (30.8%) hotels. Legionella species (92.5% of which were Legionella pneumophila) were detected in 93 (18.9%) of the samples. The most frequently isolated species were L pneumophila serogroups 6 (63.5%) and 1 (21.5%). ConclusionsLegionella pneumophila serogroup 6 was the most common isolate detected in Turkish hotel water systems in our study. The result of Legionella urinary antigen tests, which are the diagnostic tests most often used to identify legionnaires' disease, may be negative in people infected with L pneumophila serogroup 6. We suggest that clinicians should apply the whole spectrum of laboratory methods for the detection of legionnaires' disease in patients with pneumonia of unknown origin and history of travel to Alanya, Turkey. [source] Spectral phase-corrected GRAPPA reconstruction of three-dimensional echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (3D-EPSI)MAGNETIC RESONANCE IN MEDICINE, Issue 5 2007Xiaoping Zhu Abstract MR spectroscopic (MRS) images from a large volume of brain can be obtained using a 3D echo-planar spectroscopic imaging (3D-EPSI) sequence. However, routine applications of 3D-EPSI are still limited by a long scan time. In this communication, a new approach termed "spectral phase-corrected generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions" (SPC-GRAPPA) is introduced for the reconstruction of 3D-EPSI data to accelerate data acquisition while preserving the accuracy of quantitation of brain metabolites. In SPC-GRAPPA, voxel-by-voxel spectral phase alignment between metabolite 3D-EPSI from individual coil elements is performed in the frequency domain, utilizing the whole spectrum from interleaved water reference 3D-EPSI for robust estimation of the zero-order phase correction. The performance of SPC-GRAPPA was compared with that of fully encoded 3D-EPSI and conventional GRAPPA. Analysis of whole-brain 3D-EPSI data reconstructed by SPC-GRAPPA demonstrates that SPC-GRAPPA with an acceleration factor of 1.5 yields results very similar to those obtained by fully encoded 3D-EPSI, and is more accurate than conventional GRAPPA. Magn Reson Med 57:815,820, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Phonons and Raman spectra of lithiated titanate Li0.5TiO2PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11 2004R. Baddour-Hadjean Abstract Raman spectra of the electrochemically lithiated TiO2 anatase evidence that Li intercalation induces complex spectral features in the high wavenumber range. These modes can be assigned to the stretching vibrations of Li-O valence bonds. Two theoretical approaches are used to describe the vibrations of Li atoms within the TiO2 lattice. First, the quantum-mechanical calculations of molecular clusters imitating the Li...TiO2 system, which showed formation of covalent Li-O bonds and allowed an estimation of their force constants. Second, the lattice dynamics simulation which enabled to predict the whole spectrum of Li-phonons and their interaction with TiO2 lattice vibrations. Complex structure of the observed Raman spectra is explained by multiplicity of the Li positions. This results in multiple Raman bands originated from the Li atom vibrations covering a wide frequency range from 450 up to 950 cm,1. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Analysis of the composition of immunoconjugates using size-exclusion chromatography coupled to mass spectrometryRAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 13 2005Alexandru C. Lazar Recombinant monoclonal antibody drug products play an increasingly important role in the treatment of various diseases. Antibodies are large, multi-chain proteins and antibody preparations often contain several molecular variants, which renders them heterogeneous. The heterogeneity is further increased in immunoconjugates prepared by covalently linking several drug molecules per antibody molecule. As part of the product characterization, the molecular weights of the antibodies or their drug conjugates need to be measured. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is well suited for the analysis of recombinant antibodies and immunoconjugates. Sample preparation is an important element of ESI-MS analysis, in particular samples need to be freed of interfering charged species, such as salts and buffer components. In this paper, Amicon centrifugal filters, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and size-exclusion HPLC were evaluated for sample desalting. Size-exclusion HPLC, using aqueous acetonitrile as the mobile phase, directly coupled to ESI-MS provided the best performance and was optimized for the study of immunoconjugates. The results showed that antibodies carrying covalently linked maytansinoid molecules generated charge envelope profiles that differ from those of the non-conjugated antibody. For the determination of the distribution of the various conjugate species in an immunoconjugate sample prepared by randomly linking in the average 3.6 drug molecules per antibody molecule, the experimental conditions needed to be carefully selected to allow acquisition of the whole spectrum containing the charge envelopes of all species. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measurement of Outcome: A Proposed SchemeTHE MILBANK QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2005BARBARA STARFIELD The need to demonstrate that health care has an influence on health status is increasingly pressing. Such demonstrations require tools of measurement which are unfortunately not available. Development of instruments has been hampered by a lack of consensus on appropriate frames of reference, and there appears to be little agreement on what should be measured and what relative importance should be ascribed to different dimensions of health status. An approach that does not require the assignment of numerical values or weights to various aspects of health status and is applicable to all age groups within the population and to the whole spectrum of health problems rather than to specific medical diagnoses would seem desirable. A scheme that is based upon the development of a "profile" rather than a single "index" for describing health status is proposed in this paper. The model is a conceptual framework whose usefulness will depend upon efforts of a large number of researchers from many disciplines to develop instruments which can be incorporated in it. Although the problems in development of the scheme are complex, I hope that it will focus attention on the relevant dimensions and facilitate improved coordination of efforts to produce ways to demonstrate what health care contributes to health. [source] Inflammatory arthritis in caspase 1 gene,deficient mice: Contribution of proteinase 3 to caspase 1,independent production of bioactive interleukin-1,ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 12 2009Leo A. B. Joosten Objective Caspase 1, a known cysteine protease, is a critical component of the inflammasome. Both caspase 1 and neutrophil serine proteases such as proteinase 3 (PR3) can process pro,interleukin-1, (proIL-1,), a crucial cytokine linked to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. This study was undertaken to establish the relative importance of caspase 1 and serine proteases in mouse models of acute and chronic inflammatory arthritis. Methods Acute and chronic arthritis were induced in caspase 1,/, mice, and the lack of caspase 1 was investigated for its effects on joint swelling, cartilage metabolism, and histopathologic features. In addition, caspase 1 activity was inhibited in mice lacking active cysteine proteases, and the effects of dual blockade of caspase 1 and serine proteases on arthritis severity and histopathologic features were evaluated. Results Surprisingly, caspase 1,/, mice, in a model of acute (neutrophil-dominated) arthritis, developed joint swelling to an extent similar to that in wild-type control mice. Joint fluid concentrations of bioactive IL-1, were comparable in caspase 1,/, mice and controls. In contrast, induction of chronic arthritis (characterized by minimal numbers of neutrophils) in caspase 1,/, mice led to reduced joint inflammation and less cartilage damage, implying a caspase 1,dependent role in this process. In mice lacking neutrophil serine PR3, inhibition of caspase 1 activity resulted in decreased bioactive IL-1, concentrations in the synovial tissue and less suppression of chondrocyte anabolic function. In addition, dual blockade of both PR3 and caspase 1 led to protection against cartilage and bone destruction. Conclusion Caspase 1 deficiency does not affect neutrophil-dominated joint inflammation, whereas in chronic arthritis, the lack of caspase 1 results in reduced joint inflammation and cartilage destruction. These findings suggest that inhibitors of caspase 1 are not able to interfere with the whole spectrum of IL-1, production, and therefore such inhibitors may be of therapeutic value only in inflammatory conditions in which limited numbers of neutrophils are present. [source] Theoretical discourse on sustainable space design: towards creating and sustaining effective sidewalksBUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2005Iderlina Mateo-Babiano Abstract Users are a potential source of behavioral change when led to experience alternative design strategies that aim to encourage a more sustainable lifestyle. Thus, ,sustainability-oriented' street design takes on an active role in creating spaces that cater to users by considering the whole spectrum of pedestrian needs, considering the users' historical and cultural diversity in the development of a more responsive street regulation and standards and incorporating the two interacting spatial components: movement, satisfying the basic need for mobility; and non-movement, complementing movement to achieve a more effective and sustainable space. The paper will touch on the dichotomy of space perception between the East and the West, based on the premise that city morphology has been influenced largely by its ecology, resulting in two city formations: the organic city form and the planned city system. It will wrap up with initial recommendations on achieving a more context-sensitive design. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Anti-inflammatory treatment of asthma: differentiation and trial-and-errorACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 8 2009Ole D Wolthers Abstract The relative lack of evidence for anti-inflammatory treatment of some phenotypes of asthma in children has been highlighted in recent guidelines and consensus reports specifically aiming at the paediatric population. Consequently, we are left with a need for defining treatment strategies in the clinical setting. The decision to initiate antiinflammatory treatment should be based on assessments of the individual child's age, the type of asthma, severity, heredity and atopic condition, adherence factors and sensitivity to systemic adverse effects of treatment options. Inhaled corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory agents that are effective in the whole spectrum of asthma in school age children. In toddlers with viral wheeze and in children with mild asthma oral leukotriene receptor antagonists or inhaled corticosteroids may be given on a trial-and-error basis. Conclusion:, To treat all children with asthma equally effectively from infancy through adolescence does not mean that they should be treated identically and in some types of asthma a trial-and-error approach may be warranted. [source] | ||||||||||||||||