Naresuan University Journal
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Planck intermediate results. XXV. The Andromeda galaxy as seen by Planck
No full textThe Andromeda galaxy (M 31) is one of a few galaxies that has sufficient angular size on the sky to be resolved by the Planck satellite. Planck has detected M 31 in all of its frequency bands, and has mapped out the dust emission with the High Frequency Instrument, clearly resolving multiple spiralarms and sub-features. We examine the morphology of this long-wavelength dust emission as seen by Planck, including a study of its outermost spiral arms, and investigate the dust heating mechanism across M 31. We find that dust dominating the longer wavelength emission (≳0.3 mm) is heated by the diffuse stellar population (as traced by 3.6 μm emission), with the dust dominating the shorter wavelength emission heated by a mix of the old stellar population and star-forming regions (as traced by 24 μm emission). We also fit spectral energy distributions for individual 5' pixels and quantify the dust properties across the galaxy, taking into account these different heating mechanisms, finding that there is a linear decrease in temperature with galactocentric distance for dust heated by the old stellar population, as would be expected, with temperatures ranging from around 22 K in the nucleus to 14 K outside of the 10 kpc ring. Finally, we measure the integrated spectrum of the whole galaxy, which we find to be well-fitted with a global dust temperature of (18.2 ± 1.0) K with a spectral index of 1.62 ± 0.11 (assuming a single modified blackbody), and a significant amount of free-free emission at intermediate frequencies of 20-60 GHz, which corresponds to a star formation rate of around 0.12 M⊙ yr-1. We find a 2.3σ detection of the presence of spinning dust emission, with a 30 GHz amplitude of 0.7 ± 0.3 Jy, which is in line with expectations from our Galaxy
Validation of a Novel Radiographic Scoring System for Calcinosis Affecting the Hands of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis.
No full textObjective: There are currently no validated outcome measures to assess calcinosis severity in systemic sclerosis (SSc). We sought to develop and validate a novel radiographic scoring system for calcinosis affecting the hands of SSc patients for potential use in future clinical trials. Methods: Following a 1-hour teleconference training session, 12 investigators (8 rheumatologists, 1 dermatologist, 3 radiologists) scored 12 hand radiographs in random order using two scoring systems (termed "simple" and "complex"), and re-scored 2 randomly assigned radiographs after a minimum of 24 hours. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were assessed using a weighted kappa coefficient for the simple system, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the complex system (ICC <0.4 poor, 0.4-0.7 moderate, > 0.7 excellent). Results: Mean time to complete the complex scoring system was significantly longer than the simple scoring system (4.0 vs. 0.4 minutes,
Uniform Interpolation and Forgetting for ALC Ontologies with ABoxes
No full textUniform interpolation and the dual task of forgetting restrictthe ontology to a specified subset of concept and role names.This makes them useful tools for ontology analysis, ontologyevolution and information hiding. Most previous researchfocused on uniform interpolation of TBoxes. However,especially for applications in privacy and informationhiding, it is essential that uniform interpolation methods candeal with ABoxes as well. We present the first method thatcan compute uniform interpolants of any ALC ontology withABoxes. ABoxes bring their own challenges when computinguniform interpolants, possibly requiring disjunctive statementsor nominals in the resulting ABox. Our method cancompute representations of uniform interpolants in ALCO.An evaluation on realistic ontologies shows that these uniforminterpolants can be practically computed, and can ofteneven be presented in pure ALC
Loneliness is associated with poor prognosis in late-life depression: Longitudinal analysis of the Netherlands study of depression in older persons.
No full textBACKGROUND: Although depression and loneliness are common among older adults, the role of loneliness on the prognosis of late-life depression has not yet been determined. Therefore, we examined the association between loneliness and the course of depression.METHODS: We conducted a 2-year follow-up study of a cohort from the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons (NESDO). This included Dutch adults aged 60-90 years with a diagnosis of major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression according to the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. We performed regression analyses to determine associations between loneliness at baseline and both severity and remission of depression at follow-up. We controlled for potential confounders and performed multiple imputations to account for missing data.RESULTS: Of the 285 respondents, 48{\%} were still depressed after 2 years. Loneliness was independently associated with more severe depressive symptoms at follow-up (beta 0.61; 95{\%} CI 0.12-1.11). Very severe loneliness was negatively associated with remission after 2 years compared with no loneliness (OR 0.25; 95{\%} CI 0.08-0.80).LIMITATIONS: Despite using multiple imputation, the large proportion of missing values probably reduces the study's precision. Generalizability to the general population may be limited by the overrepresentation of ambulatory patients with possibly more persistent forms of depression.CONCLUSION: In this cohort, the prognosis of late-life depression was adversely affected by loneliness. Health care providers should seek to evaluate the degree of loneliness to obtain a more reliable assessment of the prognosis of late-life depression
Use of composite higher order spectra for faults diagnosis of rotating machines with different foundation flexibilities
No full textIt is commonly observed in practise that rotating machines installed at different plant locations often exhibit different dynamic behaviours, due to variations in the flexibilities of their supports, which often affects faults diagnosis. In the current study, a similar scenario has been experimentally simulated on a rotating rig with different foundation flexibilities. Also, different faults were experimentally simulated at different machine speeds so as to develop a reliable diagnosis technique that will be suitable for different machine foundations. Recently developed data fusion methods for constructing composite spectrum (CS) and composite bispectrum (CB) for a machine are again applied for faults diagnosis here. In addition, the present study introduces the composite trispectrum (CT) as a new feature for diagnosis. The paper hereby presents the computational concepts of all composite spectra, rig details, data analysis and diagnosis
Safety of conventional systemic therapies for psoriasis on reproductive potential and outcomes.
No full textThe effects of conventional systemic therapies for psoriasis on pregnancy outcomes, lactation, male fertility and mutagenicity are common concerns in the clinical setting. There is relatively little evidence to guide clinician and patient. In this study, we review the safety profile of the commonly used conventional systemic therapies used for psoriasis in individuals of reproductive potential. Safety data are derived from large-scale registries, adverse-event reporting databases, clinical trials and case reports. We assess the effect of each therapy on adverse pregnancy outcomes, including congenital malformations, and lactation with maternal administration. We also assess the effect of the therapies on male fertility and potential mutagenicity with paternal administration. We provide applicable guidance to inform clinician and patient before and after conception
A GIS tool for automatic calculation of glacier equilibrium-line altitudes
No full textA toolbox for the automated calculation of glacier equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) using the Accumulation Area Ratio, Area-Altitude Balance Ratio, Area-Altitude and Kurowski methods is presented. These are the most commonly-used methods of ELA calculation in palaeo-glacier reconstructions. The toolbox has been coded in Python and runs in ArcGIS requiring only the reconstructed surface of the palaeo-glacier (a DEM) as input. Through fast and automatic calculation this toolbox simplifies the process of ELA determination and can successfully work both for a single glacier and for large datasets of multiple glaciers
A systematic review of the cost of data collection for performance monitoring in hospitals
No full textBackground Key performance indicators (KPIs) are used to identify where organisational performance is meeting desired standards and where performance requires improvement. Valid and reliable KPIs depend on the availability of high-quality data, specifically the relevant minimum data set ((MDS) the core data identified as the minimum required to measure performance for a KPI) elements. However, the feasibility of collecting the relevant MDS elements is always a limitation of performance monitoring using KPIs. Preferably, data should be integrated into service delivery, and, where additional data are required that are not currently collected as part of routine service delivery, there should be an economic evaluation to determine the cost of data collection. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the evidence base concerning the costs of data collection in hospitals for performance monitoring using KPI, and to identify hospital data collection systems that have proven to be cost minimising. Methods We searched MEDLINE (1946 to May week 4 2014), Embase (1974 to May week 2 2014), and CINAHL (1937 to date). The database searches were supplemented by searching for grey literature through the OpenGrey database. Data was extracted, tabulated, and summarised as part of a narrative synthesis. Results The searches yielded a total of 1,135 publications. After assessing each identified study against specific inclusion exclusion criteria only eight studies were deemed as relevant for this review. The studies attempt to evaluate different types of data collection interventions including the installation of information communication technology (ICT), improvements to current ICT systems, and how different analysis techniques may be used to monitor performance. The evaluation methods used to measure the costs and benefits of data collection interventions are inconsistent across the identified literature. Overall, the results weakly indicate that collection of hospital data and improvements in data recording can be cost-saving. Conclusions Given the limitations of this systematic review, it is difficult to conclude whether improvements in data collection systems can save money, increase quality of care, and assist performance monitoring of hospitals. With that said, the results are positive and suggest that data collection improvements may lead to cost savings and aid quality of care
Growth of nanocrystalline thin films of metal sulfides [CdS, ZnS, CuS and PbS] at the water–oil interface
No full textSimple one pot reactions between thiobiuret complexes [M(SON(CNiPr2)2)2], (M = Cd, Zn, Pb or Cu) in toluene and aqueous Na2S lead to well-defined assemblies of nanocrystals. High quality thin films of CdS, ZnS, CuS and PbS nanoparticulates adhered to the interface are produced and are transferable to glass and other substrates. The effect of reaction parameters on the nature and properties of the deposits are examined. The films are characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transport property measurements, X-ray photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy. The ability to obtain thin films of several nanocrystalline semiconductors from a single precursor set significantly expands the scope of a reaction scheme that is still in its infancy