1H-MRS of femoral red and yellow bone marrow fat composition and water content in healthy young men and women at 3 T

Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine - There is a discrepancy between studies suggesting that higher bone marrow fat saturation is associated with impaired health, and...     

ISSN exercise & sport nutrition review: research & recommendations

Sports nutrition is a constantly evolving field with hundreds of research papers published annually. For this reason, keeping up to date with the literature is often difficult. This paper is a five year update of the sports nutrition review article published as the lead paper to launch the JISSN in 2004 and presents a well-referenced overview of the current state of the science related to how to optimize training and athletic performance through nutrition. More specifically, this paper provides an overview of: 1.) The definitional category of ergogenic aids and dietary supplements; 2.) How dietary supplements are legally regulated; 3.) How to evaluate the scientific merit of nutritional supplements; 4.) General nutritional strategies to optimize performance and enhance recovery; and, 5.) An overview of our current understanding of the ergogenic value of nutrition and dietary supplementation in regards to weight gain, weight loss, and performance enhancement. Our hope is that ISSN members and individuals interested in sports nutrition find this review useful in their daily practice and consultation with their clients.     

Event oriented analysis of series structural systems

The event oriented analysis of technical objects is in general accomplished by representing them as complete or incomplete systems and subsystems of events. It is argued in the article how the compound engineering systems of events can be partitioned by inclusion-exclusion expansion into individual and common cause modes. The event analysis is based on the random variable model and employs the results of operational modes and effect analysis, of the reliability analysis and of the uncertainty analysis. The system redundancy and robustness are considered as uncertainties, due to the fact that really a number of events are possible, expressed by the entropy concept in probability theory, conditioned by operational and failure modes, respectively. Relative and average uncertainty measures are introduced to facilitate uncertainty interpretations in engineering problems. It is investigated how the sensitivity analysis of reliability measures can be applied to the assessments of system uncertainties. Numerical examples presented in the article illustrate the application of event oriented system analysis to series structural systems with common cause failures. Additionally, system performance presentation and optimization with constraints, as well as potential improvements in system analysis, design and maintenance are investigated.     

Focusing characteristics of a planar solid-immersion mirror

The focusing characteristics of a planar waveguide solid-immersion mirror with parabolic design have been investigated. The solid-immersion mirror is integrated into an optical waveguide, and light focusing is achieved with a parabolic mirror parallel to the waveguide plane and waveguide mode confinement normal to the waveguide plane. Optical-quality tantala silica planar waveguides can be obtained by evaporation. The parabolic sidewall reflects over 50% of the incident waveguide mode and generates a diffraction-limited focus. The measured spot size for the solid-immersion mirror described here is less than one third of the wavelength. Polarization analysis shows that the electric field near the focal region has components parallel and normal to the polarization state of the incident beam. The planar solid-immersion mirror is essentially free of chromatic aberration, and the alignment of the illumination beam is within a fraction of degrees.     

Negative incremental resistance induced by calcium in asymmetric nanopores

Single polymer nanopores with permanent surface charges act as rectifiers of ionic current. The pores are tapered cones with narrow openings of several nanometers and wide openings of approximately 1 mum. The pores are cation-selective, and in symmetric solutions of potassium chloride they rectify the flow of potassium ions from the small opening toward the wide opening. Millimolar concentrations of calcium reverse the rectification, and a negative incremental resistance is observed. These observations can be interpreted by a model containing flashing ratchets.     

A comparative study of the tensile properties of compression molded and 3D printed PLA specimens in dry and water saturated conditions

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - This research work presents a comparative study of the tensile properties of polylactic acid (PLA) specimens per ASTM D638-14 fabricated by...     

Numerical Study of Particle Motion in Jet Milling

Jet mills are common devices used in industry for fine milling of dry particulate materials. The size reduction is caused by repeated events of impacts between particles. Although many parameters affect the performance of a jet mill, only a few of them were investigated. Particles' motions in a jet mill have great influence on the comminution process and energy consumption. Therefore, as a first step for a full simulation of the jet-mill process, it was decided to investigate the particle motion inside the jet mill by neglecting particle-particle interaction and particle breakage. In this way, the numerical simulations provide a better understanding of the classification process. In the present study, three-dimensional numerical simulations of particle motion in an industrial full-scale jet mill were conducted. The predictions of the numerical simulations were compared with experimental data and used to analyze the flow field characteristics.     

Twelve-Week Outcomes From an Investigation of High-Dose Nicotine Patch Therapy for Heavy Smokers With a Past History of Alcohol Dependence.

This study reports findings from an investigation of the efficacy of high-dose nicotine patch (NP) therapy for heavy smokers with a past history of alcohol dependence. One hundred thirty participants were randomly assigned to 42 mg or 21 mg of transdermal nicotine for 4 weeks, followed by an 8-week dose titration. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 4 and 12 weeks. Differences between dose conditions were nonsignificant, although unexpectedly, outcomes favored participants in the 21-mg NP condition. Nicotine abstinence at follow-up was related to longer length of alcohol abstinence at time of enrollment. Future research should investigate ways to improve smoking quit rates in this population, including more frequent counseling sessions and/or other pharmacotherapies. These investigations should focus primarily on smokers in early alcohol recovery. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narrow complex tachycardia with VA block: diagnostic and therapeutic implications

To review our experience with cases of narrow complex tachycardia with VA block, highlighting the difficulties in the differential diagnosis, and the therapeutic implications. Prior reports of patients with narrow complex tachycardia with VA block consist of isolated case reports. The differential diagnosis of this disorder includes: automatic junctional tachycardia, AV nodal reentry with final upper common pathway block, concealed nodofascicular (ventricular) pathway, and intra-Hissian reentry. Between June 1994 and January 1996, six patients with narrow complex tachycardia with episodes of ventriculoatrial block were referred for evaluation. All six patients underwent attempted radiofrequency ablation of the putative arrhythmic site. Three of six patients had evidence suggestive of a nodofascicular tract. Intermittent antegrade conduction over a left-sided nodofascicular tract was present in two patients and the diagnosis of a concealed nodofascicular was made in the third patient after ruling out other tachycardia mechanisms. Two patients had automatic junctional tachycardia, and one patient had atrioventricular nodal reentry with proximal common pathway block. Attempted ablation in the posterior and mid-septum was unsuccessful in patients with nodofascicular tachycardia. In contrast, those with atrioventricular nodal reentry and automatic junctional tachycardia readily responded to ablation. The presence of a nodofascicular tachycardia should be suspected if: (1) intermittent antegrade preexcitation is recorded, (2) the tachycardia can be initiated with a single atrial premature producing two ventricular complexes, and (3) a single ventricular extrastimulus initiates SVT without a retrograde His deflection. The presence of a nodofascicular pathway is common in patients with narrow complex tachycardia and VA block. Unlike AV nodal reentry and automatic junctional tachycardia, the response to ablation is poor.     

Evaluation of RU28318 and RU40555 as selective mineralocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid receptor antagonists, respectively: receptor measures and functional studies

BACKGROUND: Australia has a high rate of cardiovascular disease mortality and also a significant proportion of migrants. Little is known about the morbidity experience or cardiovascular risk factors among the larger migrant groups, and this is especially true of the Arabic-speaking population. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to identify the health profile of Arabic-speaking people in Sydney, Australia, to explore the relationship between level of acculturation and health indicators and to identify the morbidity profile of patients presenting to Arabic-speaking general practitioners (GPs). DESIGN: Adult Arabic-speaking patients aged 18-70 years attending 20 Arabic-speaking GPs in Canterbury, Sydney, during the 2-week study period were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire in Arabic or English while waiting to see the GP. Data on cardiovascular risk factors, level of acculturation and reasons for seeing the GP were collected. RESULTS: Data were collected from 851 patients (62% response rate). Almost three-quarters (73%) of males and 36% of females were considered overweight or obese (body mass index > 25). Of concern, 37% of males and 28% of females were smokers. Females were significantly less likely to have been tested for diabetes (p < .05) or raised blood pressure (p < 0.05) compared with females in NSW. Respondents consumed less bread per day and more fruits than in NSW overall. Respiratory complaints (flu and colds) were the most frequently reported reasons for patient encounters. Except for the youngest age group, males gave more reasons for encounters than females. CONCLUSIONS: Consecutive sampling of ethnic patients attending a GP who speaks their language holds promise as a method of needs assessment with migrant populations. Further, our results suggest that smoking and weight reduction programs are priorities in the Arabic-speaking community. These risk factors are ideal for intervention by GPs speaking the same language.