Marker selection for the transmission/disequilibrium test, in recently admixed populations

Various analytical, iterative and rebinning algorithms have been proposed for 3D reconstruction in positron emission tomography. This paper examines execution times of five analytical and rebinning algorithms. Meaningful comparisons are obtained by using similar software modules in all implementations. Reconstruction times are shown to differ by vast amounts: the Favor algorithm of Defrise et al is more than twice as fast as the widely used reprojection algorithm of Kinahan and Rogers; the Fourier rebinning algorithm (Fore) recently developed by Defrise is more than 15 times faster than the reprojection algorithm.     

Role of orlistat in the treatment of obese patients with type 2 diabetes. A 1-year randomized double-blind study

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes is associated with improved glycemic control and reduced cardiovascular disease risk factors, but weight loss is notably difficult to achieve and sustain with caloric restriction and exercise. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of treatment with orlistat, a pancreatic lipase inhibitor, on weight loss, glycemic control, and serum lipid levels in obese patients with type 2 diabetes on sulfonylurea medications. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a multicenter 57-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study, 120 mg orlistat or placebo was administered orally three times a day with a mildly hypocaloric diet to 391 obese men and women with type 2 diabetes who were aged > 18 years, had a BMI of 28-40 kg/m2, and were clinically stable on oral sulfonylureas. Changes in body weight, glycemic control, lipid levels, and drug tolerability were measured. RESULTS: After 1 year of treatment, the orlistat group lost 6.2 +/- 0.45% (mean +/- SEM) of initial body weight vs. 4.3 +/- 0.49% in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Twice as many patients receiving orlistat (49 vs. 23%) lost > or = 5% of initial body weight (P < 0.001). Orlistat treatment plus diet compared with placebo plus diet was associated with significant improvement in glycemic control, as reflected in decreases in HbA1c (P < 0.001) and fasting plasma glucose (P < 0.001) and in dosage reductions of oral sulfonylurea medication (P < 0.01). Orlistat therapy also resulted in significantly greater improvements than placebo in several lipid parameters, namely, greater reductions in total cholesterol, (P < 0.001), LDL cholesterol (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P < 0.05), apolipoprotein B (P < 0.001), and the LDL-to-HDL cholesterol ratio (P < 0.001). Mild to moderate and transient gastrointestinal events were reported with orlistat therapy, although their association with study withdrawal was low. Fat-soluble vitamin levels generally remained within the reference range, and vitamin supplementation was required in only a few patients. CONCLUSIONS: Orlistat is an effective treatment modality in obese patients with type 2 diabetes with respect to clinically meaningful weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, improved glycemic control, and improved lipid profile.     

Bridging temporal gaps between CS and US in autoshaping: Insertion of other stimuli before, during, and after CS.

In 4 experiments, female White Carneaux pigeons were exposed to key-light illuminations separated from food delivery by 12–60 sec. Approach to the key light did not develop on conventional trace-conditioning arrangements but occurred consistently whenever some auditory or visual stimulus filled the CS–UCS gap (serial conditioning) or was always present except during the gap. The CS approach was strong only when the stimulus present during the intertrial interval remained on until the termination of CS; if the stimulus ended at CS onset, conditioning did not occur. Although discriminability of CS–UCS gaps from intertrial periods seemed necessary for conditioning to occur in the absence of close CS–UCS contiguity, the outcome of the final experiment indicates that such discriminability was not sufficient for conditioning. Results are discussed in terms of possible 2nd-order conditioning effects and the changes in the associative strength of the "local context" existing when the CS appears, which may lead to superconditioning of CS. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of gas phase mass transfer to thermal conductivity of refractories

The problem of change in thermal resistance of pores and microcracks in refractories with occurrence of heterogeneous reactions and formation of gas with diffusion product transfer in the temperature gradient field is analyzed.Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 452–455, March, 1978.     

Another stabilized generator model for three phase sinewaves

A new three dimensional oscillator for generating three phases of sinewaves is derived. The model is similar to the previous ones (Ref. 1 and 2) in enabling an undistorted stabilized generation of sinewaves. It possesses certain advantages in comparison to the previous models. The oscillator appears as a viable model for representing synchronous generators in a simplified manner in the simulation of power systems.     

Effect of cetylpyridinium chloride on pathogenic fungi and Nocardia asteroides in sputum

The effect of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) on pathogenic fungi and Nocardia asteroides was studied. Sputa seeded with each of 11 organisms (Aspergillus flavus; Aspergillus fumigatus, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Candida albicans, Coccidioides immitis, Cryptococcus neoformans, Geotrichum candidum, Histoplasma capsulatum; Nocardia asteroides, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, and Sporothrix schenckii) were treated with CPC and kept for 2, 5 and 9 days. The CPC reagent used (0.5% CPC and 0.5% sodium chloride) is one the Mycobacteriolgoy Branch at the Center for Disease Control added to sputa before shipping them to laboratories for recovery of mycobacteria. None of the organisms tested survived this treatment, and none was recovered on mycological or mycobacteriological media. Seeded sputa containing these organisms were also tested with a second CPC reagent (0.02% CPC and 0.5% sodium chloride) and held for 2, 5 and 9 days. A few colonies of A. flavus, A. fumigatus, and N. asteroides were recovered from these samples. Neither the morphology of the fungi nor their stainability by the fluorescent antibody method was affected by treatment with the reagent containing 0.5% CPC. However, the background material in smears from the 0.5% CPC-treated samples retained the conjugate, and this made weakly fluorescing organisms more difficult to detect. The 0.5% CPC treatment did not alter the morphology of N. asteroides or its ability to be stained with Kinyoun acid-fast stain.     

Numerical solution and utilization of Green's functions

A numerical method for obtaining the Green's functions for Laplace's, Poisson's, and the transient heat diffusion equations is presented. The Green's functions thus obtained are then employed to rapidly obtain numerical solutions of the above equations by matrix multiplication, with subsequent considerable savings in machine time.