Density study of (D (+) mannose + water), (D (+) mannose + water + sodium cyclamate), (D (+) maltose monohydrate + water) and (D (+) maltose monohydrate + water + sodium cyclamate) systems at T = 298.15 K

Effect of different concentrations of aqueous solutions of sodium cyclamate on sugars (mono and disaccharides) are observed by measuring the densities of (sugar + water) and (sugar + water + sodium cyclamate) systems. Densities of aqueous solutions of D (+) mannose (monosaccharide) and D (+) maltose monohydrate (disaccharide) in (0.05, 0.15, 0.3) mol.kg-1 of sodium cyclamate (Na-Cyclamate) at T = 298.15 K have been measured. From experimental values of densities , Vɸ0( partial molar volumes) ΔtrsVɸ0 (partial molar volumes of transfer) ASV (apparent specific volumes) interaction parameters (𝑉𝐴𝐵) and (𝑉𝐴𝐵𝐵 ) have been determined. The calculated values of various parameters have been used to interpret the results in terms of (D (+) mannose – water), (D (+) mannose –water– Na-cyclamate), (D (+) maltose monohydrate – water) and (D (+) maltose monohydrate – water – Na-cyclamate) interactions in sugar– water – Na-cyclamate and quality of taste sense of solutions.

Association Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Dementia: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background The association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and dementia remains uncertain. We aim to investigate whether IBD is associated with higher dementia risk. Methods Using multivariable Cox regression models, we analyzed the onset of all-cause dementia among 497,775 participants, including 5778 IBD patients in the UK Biobank as primary analysis. In secondary analysis, we further examined the difference in brain structure and cognitive function changes between IBD and non-IBD individuals. The diagnosis of IBD and dementia was confirmed with combination of primary care data, hospital inpatient data, death registry, and self-report data. Brain structure was measured by brain MRI as anatomic and tissue-specific volumes; cognitive function was tested in terms of reaction, visual episodic memory, verbal-numerical reasoning, and prospective memory. Results During a mean follow-up of 11.58 years, 100 and 6709 incident all-cause dementia with or without IBD were documented, respectively. In multivariable Cox regression model, hazard ratio for incident dementia among IBD patients was 1.14 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-1.39; P=.182) comparing with non-IBD participants; no statistically significant difference was observed in their brain MRI measures of anatomic and tissue-specific volumes, whereas IBD patients had a significantly increased reaction time (β=12.32; 95% CI, 1.97, 22.67; P = .020). Results of subgroup and sensitivity analyses were consistent with the main analysis. Conclusions Our study does not support a significant association between IBD and dementia. Further studies with better design and longer follow-up are needed to elucidate the association.

Mechanism and kinetic regularities of crystallization of nanocomposites based on bentonite and polymer mixtures of random polypropylene with butadiene nitrile rubber

The paper presents the results of a study of the dilatometric properties of thermoplastic elastomer nanocomposites based on mixtures of random polypropylene, nitrile butadiene rubber, a compatibilizer - copolymer of polypropylene with maleic anhydride. Nanosized bentonite particles were used as a filler. The concentration of bentonite nanoparticles was varied in the range of 1.0-20 wt %. The values of the free and occupied specific volumes of nanocomposites were determined depending on the temperature and concentration of bentonite. The mechanism and kinetic regularities of the crystallization process of nanocomposites are established.

Differences Between MR Brain Region Segmentation Methods: Impact on Single-Subject Analysis

For the segmentation of magnetic resonance brain images into anatomical regions, numerous fully automated methods have been proposed and compared to reference segmentations obtained manually. However, systematic differences might exist between the resulting segmentations, depending on the segmentation method and underlying brain atlas. This potentially results in sensitivity differences to disease and can further complicate the comparison of individual patients to normative data. In this study, we aim to answer two research questions: 1) to what extent are methods interchangeable, as long as the same method is being used for computing normative volume distributions and patient-specific volumes? and 2) can different methods be used for computing normative volume distributions and assessing patient-specific volumes? To answer these questions, we compared volumes of six brain regions calculated by five state-of-the-art segmentation methods: Erasmus MC (EMC), FreeSurfer (FS), geodesic information flows (GIF), multi-atlas label propagation with expectation–maximization (MALP-EM), and model-based brain segmentation (MBS). We applied the methods on 988 non-demented (ND) subjects and computed the correlation (PCC-v) and absolute agreement (ICC-v) on the volumes. For most regions, the PCC-v was good (>0.75), indicating that volume differences between methods in ND subjects are mainly due to systematic differences. The ICC-v was generally lower, especially for the smaller regions, indicating that it is essential that the same method is used to generate normative and patient data. To evaluate the impact on single-subject analysis, we also applied the methods to 42 patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the case where the normative distributions and the patient-specific volumes were calculated by the same method, the patient’s distance to the normative distribution was assessed with the z-score. We determined the diagnostic value of this z-score, which showed to be consistent across methods. The absolute agreement on the AD patients’ z-scores was high for regions of thalamus and putamen. This is encouraging as it indicates that the studied methods are interchangeable for these regions. For regions such as the hippocampus, amygdala, caudate nucleus and accumbens, and globus pallidus, not all method combinations showed a high ICC-z. Whether two methods are indeed interchangeable should be confirmed for the specific application and dataset of interest.

Volumetric Properties of aqueous solutions of Arabinose, Xylose and Galactose in presence / absence of Sodium Cyclamate

Sugars can affect our blood glucose (sugar), weight and blood fats. Synthetic sugars (artificial sweetener) provide little or no calories or carbohydrate or do not increase blood sugar. In food and pharmaceutical industries, blends of sweeteners are commonly used to design the food products and pharmaceutical doses, the information regarding type and extent of sweetener-sweetener and sweetener -water interactions and taste quality of the solution required. The aqueous solutions of arabinose, xylose and galactose with and without cyclamate are studied. Densities of solutions of arabinose, xylose and galactose in presence of 0.05, 0.15 and 0.3 m sodium cyclamate have been measured at 298.15K. Partial molar volumes, apparent specific volumes, partial molar volumes of transfer and doublet and triplet interaction parameters have been calculated. The information obtained from these parameters has been used to understand type and extent of sweetener-sweetener and sweetener -water interactions and taste quality of the solution.

Beam-Specific Spot Guidance and Optimization for PBS Proton Treatment of Bilateral Head and Neck Cancers

Purpose A multi-field optimization (MFO) technique that uses beam-specific spot placement volumes (SPVs) and spot avoidance volumes (SAVs) is introduced for bilateral head and neck (H&N) cancers. These beam-specific volumes are used to guide the optimizer to consistently achieve optimal organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing with target coverage and plan robustness. Materials and Methods Implementation of this technique using a 4-beam, 5-beam, and variant 5-beam arrangement is discussed. The generation of beam-specific SPVs and SAVs derived from target and OARs are shown. The SPVs for select fields are further partitioned into optimization volumes for uniform dose distributions that resemble those of single-field optimization (SFO). A conventional MFO plan that does not use beam-specific spot placement guidance (MFOcon) and an MFO plan that uses only beam-specific SPV (MFOspv) are compared with current technique (MFOspv/sav), using both simulated scenarios and forward-calculated plans on weekly verification computed tomography (VFCT) scans. Results Dose distribution characteristics of the 4-beam, 5-beam, and variant 5-beam technique are demonstrated with discussion on OAR sparing. When comparing the MFOcon, MFOspv, and MFOspv/sav, the MFOspv/sav is shown to have superior OAR sparing in 9 of the 14 OARs examined. It also shows clinical plan robustness when evaluated by using both simulated uncertainty scenarios and forward-calculated weekly VFCTs throughout the 7-week treatment course. Conclusion The MFOspv/sav technique is a systematic approach using SPVs and SAVs to guide the optimizer to consistently reach desired OAR dose values and plan robustness.

Well-posedness analysis of multicomponent incompressible flow models

In this paper, we extend our study of mass transport in multicomponent isothermal fluids to the incompressible case. For a mixture, incompressibility is defined as the independence of average volume on pressure, and a weighted sum of the partial mass densities stays constant. In this type of models, the velocity field in the Navier–Stokes equations is not solenoidal and, due to different specific volumes of the species, the pressure remains connected to the densities by algebraic formula. By means of a change of variables in the transport problem, we equivalently reformulate the PDE system as to eliminate positivity and incompressibility constraints affecting the density, and prove two type of results: the local-in-time well-posedness in classes of strong solutions, and the global-in-time existence of solutions for initial data sufficiently close to a smooth equilibrium solution.

Brain atrophy and clinical characteristics predicting SDMT performance in multiple sclerosis: A 10-year follow-up study

Objectives To identify Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), clinical and demographic biomarkers predictive of worsening information processing speed (IPS) as measured by Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Methods Demographic, clinical data and 1.5 T MRI scans were collected in 76 patients at time of inclusion, and after 5 and 10 years. Global and tissue-specific volumes were calculated at each time point. For the primary outcome of analysis, SDMT was used. Results Worsening SDMT at 5-year follow-up was predicted by baseline age, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), SDMT, whole brain volume (WBV) and T2 lesion volume (LV), explaining 30.2% of the variance of SDMT. At 10-year follow-up, age, EDSS, grey matter volume (GMV) and T1 LV explained 39.4% of the variance of SDMT change. Conclusion This longitudinal study shows that baseline MRI-markers, demographic and clinical data can help predict worsening IPS. Identification of patients at risk of IPS decline is of importance as follow-up, treatment and rehabilitation can be optimized.

Physical Activity Patterns in Children and Adolescents With Heart Disease

Purpose: To quantify the differences in daily physical activity (PA) patterns, intensity-specific volumes, and PA bouts in youth with and without heart disease (HD). Methods: Seven-day PA was measured on children/adolescents with HD (n = 34; median age 12.4 y; 61.8% male; 70.6% single ventricle, 17.7% heart failure, and 11.8% pulmonary hypertension) and controls without HD (n = 22; median age 12.3 y; 59.1% male). Mean counts per minute were classified as sedentary, light, and moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), and bouts of MVPA were calculated. PA was calculated separately for each hour of wear time from 8:00 to 22:00. Multilevel linear mixed modeling compared the outcomes, stratifying by group, time of day, and day part (presented as median percentage of valid wear time [interquartile range]). Results: Compared with the controls, the HD group had more light PA (33.9% [15%] vs 29.6% [9.5%]), less MVPA (1.7% [2.5%] vs 3.2% [3.3%]), and more sporadic bouts (97.4% [5.7%] vs 89.9% [9.2%]), but fewer short (2.0% [3.9%] vs 7.1% [5.7%]) and medium-to-long bouts (0.0% [1.9%] vs 1.6% [4.6%]) of MVPA. The HD group was less active in the late afternoon, between 15:00 and 17:00 (P < .03). There were no differences between groups in sedentary time. Conclusion: Children/adolescents with HD exhibit differences in intensity-specific volumes, PA bouts, and daily PA patterns compared with controls.