We have performed three searches for high-frequency signals in the solar neutrino flux measured by the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, motivated by the possibility that solar g-mode oscillations could ...affect the production or propagation of solar {sup 8}B neutrinos. The first search looked for any significant peak in the frequency range 1-144 day{sup -1}, with a sensitivity to sinusoidal signals with amplitudes of 12% or greater. The second search focused on regions in which g-mode signals have been claimed by experiments aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory satellite, and was sensitive to signals with amplitudes of 10% or greater. The third search looked for extra power across the entire frequency band. No statistically significant signal was detected in any of the three searches.
Results are reported from a search for low-multiplicity neutrino bursts in the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory. Such bursts could indicate the detection of a nearby core-collapse supernova explosion. ...The data were taken from Phase I (1999 November-2001 May), when the detector was filled with heavy water, and Phase II (2001 July-2003 August), when NaCl was added to the target. The search was a blind analysis in which the potential backgrounds were estimated and analysis cuts were developed to eliminate such backgrounds with 90% confidence before the data were examined. The search maintained a greater than 50% detection probability for standard supernovae occurring at a distance of up to 60 kpc for Phase I and up to 70 kpc for Phase II. No low-multiplicity bursts were observed during the data-taking period.
Acute inflammatory stimuli elevate both the production of prostaglandins and the synthesis and activity of prostaglandin synthase/cyclooxygenase enzyme (COX) in murine peritoneal macrophages. ...Adrenalectomy also elevates prostaglandin production, COX synthesis and COX activity in these cells. We have utilized cDNA probes and antisera specific for the products of the prostaglandin synthase/cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and TIS10/prostaglandin synthase-2/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) genes to demonstrate that adrenalectomy causes elevation of mRNA and protein from the COX-2 gene, but not from the COX-1 gene, in peritoneal macrophages. Dexamethasone replacement suppressed the elevation of COX-2 mRNA message, COX-2 protein and the increased COX enzyme activity observed in adrenalectomized animals. In contrast, both COX-1 message and COX-1 protein levels were unaffected either by adrenalectomy or by dexamethasone administration. Thus, under normal physiological conditions, tonic glucocorticoid inhibition appears to play a major role in the in vivo regulation of the COX-2 gene. These data are consistent with COX-1 being the constitutive, housekeeping enzyme in macrophages in normal physiological conditions and with the enhanced prostaglandin synthesis seen after an inflammatory stimulus resulting from the rapid induction and activity of COX-2.
Evolutionary algorithms can be applied to a variety of constrained network communication problems with centric type models. This paper shows that with real-world complex network communication ...problems of this type, sophisticated statistical search is required. This situation occurs due to the fact that these optimization problems are at least NP-complete. In order to appreciate the formal modeling of realistic communication networks, historical network design problems are presented and evolved into more complex real-world models with associated deterministic and stochastic solution approaches discussed. This discussion leads into the design of an innovative multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) to solve a very complex network design problem variation called the multicommodity capacitated network design problem (MCNDP). This variation represents a hybrid real-world communication architecture as reflected in real-world network centric models with directional communications, multiple objectives including costs, delays, robustness, vulnerability, and operating reliability within network constraints. Nodes in such centric systems can have multiple and varying link capacities as well as rates and information (commodity) quantities to be sent and received. Each commodity can also have independent prioritized bandwidth and spectrum requirements. The nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is selected as the MOEA framework which is modified and parallelized to solve the generic MCNDP. Since the MCNDP is highly constrained but with an enormous number of possible network communication topologies, a novel initialization procedure and mutation method are integrated resulting in reduced search space. Empirical results and analysis indicate that effective topological Pareto solutions are generated for use in highly constrained, communication-based network design.
The authors previously reported five transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) findings as significant in detecting clinical cerebrovascular disease in a 4-year study in patients with sickle cell ...disease. This is a follow-up to evaluate the validity of the original findings over another 4-year period during which the study population doubled. A clinical follow-up of the original asymptomatic sickle cell patients with positive TCD, MRA, and MRI was also made.
Over an 8-year period TCD, MRI, and MRA were prospectively performed in 90 sickle cell patients who were clinically asymptomatic for stroke and in 27 sickle cell patients with clinical stroke.
Of the 4 out of original 46 control patients in 1992 who had positive MRA and TCD, 3 have subsequently had clinical stroke. None of the 9 original patients with positive TCD and positive MRI but negative MRA have developed stroke. All five original TCD indicators of disease were still significant (P < 0.05) for detecting clinical disease: maximum velocity in ophthalmic artery (OA) > 35 cm/s, mean velocity in middle cerebral artery (MCA) > 170 cm/s, resistive index (RI) in OA < 50, velocity in OA greater than in MCA, and velocity in posterior cerebral (PCA), vertebral, or basilar arteries greater than in MCA. An RI of < 60 in the DA was also now found to be significant corrected. Four additional factors were also significant: turbulence, PCA or ACA without MCA, RI < 30, and maximum velocity in MCA > 200 cm/s.
Positive MRA with a positive TCD in an asymptomatic patient in long-term follow-up suggests a trend for developing clinical stroke. A 4- to 8-year follow-up of nine patients with positive TCD, positive MRI, but not positive MRA did not show development of clinical stroke. Nine Doppler findings are significant in screening for clinically symptomatic vascular disease in sickle cell patients. It is recommended that children with sickle cell disease be screened for cerebrovascular disease with TCD. If one or two indicators of abnormality are present, MRA is recommended. If the MRA is positive, the patient may be considered for transfusion therapy or other treatment for prevention of stroke.
This presentation will give an overview of the findings from analyzing the first year of SNF QRP MDS data on three MDS-based SNF QRP measures 1) Functional Assessment/Care Plan QM 2) Falls with Major ...Injury QM, and 3) Pressure Ulcer QM. All Medicare Part A SNF residents in Medicare certified SNFs who were discharged during 10/1/2016 to 9/30/2017 will be included in the data analysis. MDS 3.0 data will be used to identify the analytic sample and calculate the quality measures. Data from Nursing Home Compare will be used to identify facility characteristics, e.g. profit status, size, 5-star rating, et. al. This presentation will provide the overall national distribution of each quality measure and cross-facility performance variation by facility characteristics, and examine validity and reliability of the data elements and quality measures, and evaluate resident- and facility-level disparities in these measures.
A search has been made for neutrinos from the hep reaction in the Sun and from the diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB) using data collected during the first operational phase of the Sudbury ...Neutrino Observatory, with an exposure of 0.65 ktons yr. For the hep neutrino search, two events are observed in the effective electron energy range of 14.3 MeV < T sub(eff) < 20 MeV, where 3.1 background events are expected. After accounting for neutrino oscillations, an upper limit of 2.3 x 10 super(4) cm super(-2) s super(-1) at the 90% confidence level is inferred on the integral total flux of hep neutrinos. For DSNB neutrinos, no events are observed in the effective electron energy range of 21 MeV < T sub(eff) < 35 MeV, and, consequently, an upper limit on the u sub(e) component of the DSNB flux in the neutrino energy range of 22.9 MeV < E sub(u)< 36.9 MeV of 70 cm super(-2) s super(-1) is inferred at the 90% confidence level. This is an improvement by a factor of 6.5 on the previous best upper limit on the hep neutrino flux and by 2 orders of magnitude on the previous upper limit on the u sub(e) component of the DSNB flux.
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