cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Summary Report of PQRI Workshop on Nanomaterial in Drug Products: Current Experience and Management of Potential Risks
Creators: name: Malinoski, Frank
name: Sayes, Christie M.
name: Morefield, Elaine
name: Uppoor, Rajendra
name: Brown, Paul
name: Bartlett, Jeremy A.
name: David, Raymond
name: Shahbazian, Hripsime
name: Nalubola, Ritu
name: Subbarao, Nanda
name: Prud’homme, Robert K.
name: Tamarkin, Lawrence
name: Whittaker-Caulk, Margaret
name: Sadrieh, Nakissa
name: Haubenreisser, Sabine
name: Jacobs, Abigail
name: Eickhoff, W. Mark
name: Cabral-Lilly, Donna
name: Tyner, Katherine
name: Brewster, Marcus
name: Zamboni, William
name: Cruz, Celia N.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2015

description: At the Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) Workshop held last January 14-15, 2014, participants from academia, industry, and governmental agencies involved in the development and regulation of nanomedicines discussed the current state of characterization, formulation development, manufacturing, and nonclinical safety evaluation of nanomaterial-containing drug products for human use. The workshop discussions identified areas where additional understanding of material attributes, absorption, biodistribution, cellular and tissue uptake, and disposition of nanosized particles would continue to inform their safe use in drug products. Analytical techniques and methods used for in vitro characterization and stability testing of formulations containing nanomaterials were discussed, along with their advantages and limitations. Areas where additional regulatory guidance and material characterization standards would help in the development and approval of nanomedicines were explored. Representatives from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Health Canada, and European Medicines Agency (EMA) presented information about the diversity of nanomaterials in approved and newly developed drug products. USFDA, Health Canada, and EMA regulators discussed the applicability of current regulatory policies in presentations and open discussion. Information contained in several of the recent EMA reflection papers was discussed in detail, along with their scope and intent to enhance scientific understanding about disposition, efficacy, and safety of nanomaterials introduced in vivo and regulatory requirements for testing and market authorization. Opportunities for interaction with regulatory agencies during the lifecycle of nanomedicines were also addressed at the meeting. This is a summary of the workshop presentations and discussions, including considerations for future regulatory guidance on drug products containing nanomaterials.
MindMap Navigation Tool for the RDA COVID-19 Recommendations
Creators: name: Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Working Group
Publisher: name: Research Data Alliance
Year: 2020

description: The RDA-COVID19 WG MindMap Navigation Tool was created by the RDA-COVID19 WG to support access to the RDA-COVID19 Recommendations and Guidelines. It is intended to help users to quickly view those parts of the extensive document that are applicable to their specific situation or use-case.
Forward and backward Lagrangian stochastic models of turbulent transport
Creators: name: Sabelfeld, Karl
name: Shalimova, Irina
Publisher: name: Weierstrass Institute
Year: 2000
Subjects: subject: Turbulent flows
subject: Lagrangian trajectories
subject: forward and backward algorithms
subject: well-mixed condition
subject: 65C05
subject: 76N20

description: The key question analysed in the paper is: under what condition are the Lagrangian stochastic models stochastically reversible? We show that this property is deeply related to Thomson's well-mixed condition. Direct and backward in time Monte Carlo algorithms are suggested. A consistency principle in the turbulent transport problems and in the financial mathematics is analysed to find out an analogy in constructing Lagrangian stochastic models in these two different fields.
Asteroid 2014 OL339: yet another Earth quasi-satellite
Creators: name: Marcos, C. de la Fuente
name: Marcos, R. de la Fuente
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Our planet has one permanently bound satellite -the Moon-, a likely large number of mini-moons or transient irregular natural satellites, and three temporary natural retrograde satellites or quasi-satellites. These quasi-moons -(164207) 2004 GU9, (277810) 2006 FV35 and 2013 LX28- are unbound companions to the Earth. The orbital evolution of quasi-satellites may transform them into temporarily bound satellites of our planet. Here, we study the dynamical evolution of the recently discovered Aten asteroid 2014 OL339 to show that it is currently following a quasi-satellite orbit with respect to the Earth. This episode started at least about 775 yr ago and it will end 165 yr from now. The orbit of this object is quite chaotic and together with 164207 are the most unstable of the known Earth quasi-satellites. This group of minor bodies is, dynamically speaking, very heterogeneous but three of them exhibit Kozai-like dynamics: the argument of perihelion of 164207 oscillates around -90 degrees, the one of 277810 librates around 180 degrees and that of 2013 LX28 remains around 0 degrees. Asteroid 2014 OL339 is not currently engaged in any Kozai-like dynamics.
description: 10 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Revised to reflect final version published in MNRAS. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1401.5013
Control variational methods for differential equations
Creators: name: Sprekels, Jürgen
name: Tiba, Dan
Publisher: name: Weierstrass Institute
Year: 2000
Subjects: subject: Differential systems
subject: variational methods
subject: optimal control
subject: 49K20
subject: 49K15
subject: 34B05
subject: 35J35

description: We review recent results established in the literature via the optimal control approach to differential equations, and we show that a systematic study of general variational inequalities associated to fourth-order operators can be performed by similar methods.
Looking for Trouble: Preventive Genomic Sequencing in the General Population and the Role of Patient Choice
Creators: name: Conley, John M.
name: Walker, Rebecca L.
name: Davis, Arlene M.
name: Van Riper, Marcia
name: Lázaro-Muñoz, Gabriel
name: Juengst, Eric T.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2015

description: Advances in genomics have led to calls for developing population-based preventive genomic sequencing (PGS) programs with the goal of identifying genetic health risks in adults without known risk factors. One critical issue for minimizing the harms and maximizing the benefits of PGS is determining the kind and degree of control individuals should have over the generation, use, and handling of their genomic information. In this article we examine whether PGS programs should offer individuals the opportunity to selectively opt-out of the sequencing or analysis of specific genomic conditions (the menu approach) or whether PGS should be implemented using an all-or-nothing panel approach. We conclude that any responsible scale up of PGS will require a menu approach that may seem impractical to some, but which draws its justification from a rich mix of normative, legal, and practical considerations.
Hospitalizations Due to Unstable Angina Pectoris in Diastolic and Systolic Heart Failure
Creators: name: Love, Thomas E.
name: Fleg, Jerome L.
name: Young, James B.
name: Zile, Michael R.
name: Ahmed, Ali
name: Rich, Michael W.
name: Dell’Italia, Louis J.
name: Aronow, Wilbert S.
name: Kitzman, Dalane W.
name: Adams, Kirkwood F.
name: Gheorghiade, Mihai
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2007

description: Patients with diastolic heart failure (HF) i.e. clinical HF with normal or near normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) may experience unstable angina pectoris (UAP) due to epicardial atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) and/or to subendocardial ischemia, even in the absence of CAD. However, the risk of UAP among ambulatory diastolic HF patients has not been well studied. We examined incident hospitalizations due to UAP among 916 diastolic HF (LVEF >45%) patients without significant valvular heart disease and 6800 systolic HF (LVEF ≤45%) patients in the Digitalis Investigation Group trial. During a 38-month median follow-up, 12% (797/6,800) of systolic HF patients (incidence rate, 435/10,000 person-years) and 15% (138/916) of diastolic HF patients (incidence rate, 536/10,000 person-years) were hospitalized for UAP (adjusted hazard ratio for diastolic HF, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.47; p=0.032). There was a graded increase in incident hospital admissions for UAP with increasing LVEF. Hospitalizations for UAP occurred in 11% (520/4,808; incidence rate, 407/10,000 person-years), 14% (355/2556; incidence rate, 496/10,000 person-years) and 17% (60/352; incidence rate, 613/10,000 person-years) of HF patients, respectively, with LVEF <35%, 35–55%, and >55%. Compared with HF patients with LVEF <35%, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for UAP hospitalization in those with LVEF 35–55% and >55% were respectively 1.17 (1.02–1.34; p=0.028) and 1.57 (1.20–2.07; p=0.026). In conclusion, in ambulatory chronic HF patients, higher LVEF was associated with increased risk of hospitalizations due to UAP. As in patients with systolic HF, those with diastolic HF should be routinely evaluated for myocardial ischemia and managed accordingly.
Stable implied calibration of a multi-factor LIBOR model via a semi-parametric correlation structure.
Creators: name: Schoenmakers, John G. M.
name: Coffey, Brian
Publisher: name: Weierstrass Institute
Year: 2000
Subjects: subject: Interest rate modelling
subject: LIBOR models
subject: calibration
subject: 60H05
subject: 60H10
subject: 90A09

description: We will study the thorny issues around simultaneous calibration of LIBOR models to cap(let) and swaption prices in the markets. We will show in general that low factor market models calibrated to these prices tend to imply unrealistic instantaneous correlations between different forward LIBOR rates. Many-factor models, however, have in general a large parameter dimension and therefore tend to be unstable. In this paper we handle this problem by using a semi-parametric full rank correlation structure in a Brace-Gatarek-Musiela/Jamshidian framework, [1, 5] subject to certain natural constraints which enforce realistic behaviour of forward correlations. A LIBOR market model equipped with this correlation structure has essentially the same parameter dimension as a general two-factor model and we show that calibration of such a model to market swaption and cap(let) volatilities is very stable. Moreover, the implied instantaneous forward LIBOR correlation matrix is consistent with estimations from historical data. Further, application of principal component analysis to the thus obtained multi-factor model yields stably calibrated low-factor models.
A model of a general elastic curved rod
Creators: name: Ignat, Anca
name: Sprekels, Jürgen
name: Tiba, Dan
Publisher: name: Weierstrass Institute
Year: 2000
Subjects: subject: Deformation of elastic rods
subject: low geometrical regularity
subject: variable cross sections
subject: 65N30
subject: 34B60
subject: 74B99

description: We indicate a new approach to the deformation of three-dimensional curved rods with variable cross section. The model consists of a system of nine ordinary differential equations for which we prove existence and uniqueness via the coercivity of the associated bilinear form. From the geometrical point of view, we are using the Darboux frame or a new local frame requiring just a once continuously differentiable parametrization of the curve. Our model also describes the deformation occurring in the cross sections of the rod.
A Luminous, Fast Rising UV-Transient Discovered by ROTSE: a Tidal Disruption Event?
Creators: name: Vinko, J.
name: Yuan, F.
name: Quimby, R. M.
name: Wheeler, J. C.
name: Ramirez-Ruiz, E.
name: Guillochon, J.
name: Chatzopoulos, E.
name: Marion, G. H.
name: Akerlof, C.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena (astro-ph.HE)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We present follow-up observations of an optical transient (OT) discovered by ROTSE on Jan. 21, 2009. Photometric monitoring was carried out with ROTSE-IIIb in the optical and Swift in the UV up to +70 days after discovery. The light curve showed a fast rise time of ~10 days followed by a steep decline over the next 60 days, which was much faster than that implied by 56Ni - 56Co radioactive decay. The SDSS DR10 database contains a faint, red object at the position of the OT, which appears slightly extended. This and other lines of evidence suggest that the OT is of extragalactic origin, and this faint object is likely the host galaxy. A sequence of optical spectra obtained with the 9.2-m Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) between +8 and +45 days after discovery revealed a hot, blue continuum with no visible spectral features. A few weak features that appeared after +30 days probably originated from the underlying host. Fitting synthetic templates to the observed spectrum of the host galaxy revealed a redshift of z = 0.19. At this redshift the peak magnitude of the OT is close to -22.5, similar to the brightest super-luminous supernovae; however, the lack of identifiable spectral features makes the massive stellar death hypothesis less likely. A more plausible explanation appears to be the tidal disruption of a sun-like star by the central super-massive black hole. We argue that this transient likely belongs to a class of super-Eddington tidal disruption events.
description: 13 pages, accepted for publication in ApJ; some references added
Association of C-Reactive Protein and Microalbuminuria (from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1999 to 2004)
Creators: name: Klemmer, Philip J.
name: Bomback, Andrew S.
name: Vupputuri, Suma
name: Gerber, Linda M.
name: Mazumdar, Madhu
name: Ballantyne, Christie M.
name: Shoham, David A.
name: Paparello, James J.
name: Kshirsagar, Abhijit V.
name: Bang, Heejung
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2008

description: Chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease share many risk factors. Injury to the vascular endothelium, measured by elevated levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), may play a role in kidney and cardiovascular disease. We therefore examined the association of CRP with microalbuminuria, a marker of early kidney injury. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of a nationally representative, population-based survey. Weighted multiple logistic regression was used to study the association between CRP and microalbuminuria, adjusting for well-known risk factors. CRP was analyzed by a continuous variable and two categorized variables using quartiles and clinically recommended cutpoints. CRP concentration was positively associated with microalbuminuria. In the multivariate model, a one unit (in milligrams per liter) increase in CRP concentration was associated with a 2% increased odds of microalbuminuria (odds ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01 to 1.02, p = 0.0003). When CRP concentrations were stratified by clinically recommended cutpoints, compared with persons with CRP concentrations <1 mg/dl, persons with CRP concentrations between 1 and 3 mg/L and >3 mg/L were 1.15 times (95% CI 0.94 to 1.42) and 1.33 times (95% CI 1.08 to 1.65) more likely to have microalbuminuria, respectively. In subgroup analyses, the strength of association was comparable or stronger. In conclusion, elevated CRP levels were associated with microalbuminuria in a large, nationally representative data set. Vascular inflammation, as measured by CRP, may be a common contributor to early heart and kidney disease.
Risk Prediction of Coronary Heart Disease Based on Retinal Vascular Caliber (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities [ARIC] Study)
Creators: name: Sharrett, A. Richey
name: Klein, Ronald
name: McGeechan, Kevin
name: Liew, Gerald
name: Wong, Tien Y.
name: Macaskill, Petra
name: Klein, Barbara E.K.
name: Irwig, Les
name: Wang, Jie J.
name: Chambless, Lloyd E.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2008

description: Recent studies show that retinal vascular signs such as quantitative retinal vascular caliber are associated with an increased risk of incident coronary heart disease (CHD), but whether these retinal vascular signs add to the prediction of CHD over and above traditional CHD risk factors has not been addressed. We investigated whether these signs add to the prediction of CHD over and above the Framingham risk score amongst people (n=9,155) without diabetes selected from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Incident CHD was ascertained using standardized methods and retinal vascular caliber and other retinal signs were measured from retinal photographs. After a mean of 8.8 years of follow up, there were 700 incident CHD events. Women with wider retinal venular caliber (hazard ratio 1.27 per 1 standard deviation increase [95% confidence interval, 1.08, 1.50]) and narrower retinal arteriolar caliber (1.31 per 1 standard deviation decrease [1.10, 1.56]) had a higher risk of incident CHD after adjusting for the Framingham risk score variables. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve increased from 0.695 to 0.706 (1.7% increase) with the addition of retinal vascular caliber to the Framingham risk model. The risk prediction models with and without the retinal vascular caliber both fitted the data and were well calibrated for women. In men, retinal vascular caliber was not associated with CHD risk after adjustment. Other retinal vascular signs were not associated with 10-year incident CHD in men or women. In conclusion, although retinal vascular caliber independently predicts CHD risk in women, the incremental predictive ability over that of the Framingham model is modest, and unlikely to translate meaningfully into clinical practice.
An alternative derivation of the Minimal massive 3D gravity
Creators: name: Baykal, Ahmet
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology (gr-qc)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: By using the algebra of exterior forms and the first order formalism with constraints, an alternative derivation of the field equations for the Minimal massive 3D gravity model is presented.
description: 12 pages in IOP article format, improved presentation with minor corrections, an appendix added
Associations of Dietary Long-Chain n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Fish With Biomarkers of Inflammation and Endothelial Activation (from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis [MESA])
Creators: name: Steffen, Lyn
name: Jiang, Rui
name: Mayer-Davis, Elizabeth
name: Liu, Kiang
name: Jenny, Nancy Swords
name: Daviglus, Martha L.
name: Herrington, David
name: He, Ka
name: Siscovick, David
name: Tsai, Michael
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2009

description: Cardioprotective effects of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and fish consumption have been observed. However, data on the specific associations of these dietary factors with inflammation and endothelial activation are sparse. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 5,677 men and women from the MESA cohort including African Americans, Caucasians, Chinese and Hispanics, aged 45-84 years, and free of clinical cardiovascular disease. Dietary information was collected by self-administered food frequency questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to examine relations between intake of LC n-3 PUFAs, non-fried fish and fried fish and biomarkers of inflammation and endothelial activation. LC n-3 PUFA intakes were inversely associated with plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6, P=0.01) and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3, P=0.03) independent of age, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and dietary variables. Non-fried fish consumption was found inversely related to C-reactive protein (CRP, P=0.045) and IL-6 (P<0.01); and fried fish was observed being inversely related to soluble intercellular adhesion molecules-1 (sICAM-1) (P<0.01) but not associated with other biomarkers after adjustment for potential confounders. In conclusion, this study suggests that dietary intakes of LC n-3 PUFAs and fish are inversely associated with concentrations of some biomarkers reflecting lower levels of inflammation and endothelial activation. These results may partially explain the cardioprotective effects of fish consumption.
Earth--Mars Transfers with Ballistic Capture
Creators: name: Topputo, Francesco
name: Belbruno, Edward
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
subject: Dynamical Systems (math.DS)
subject: Optimization and Control (math.OC)
subject: Symplectic Geometry (math.SG)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We construct a new type of transfer from the Earth to Mars, which ends in ballistic capture. This results in a substantial savings in capture $Δv$ from that of a classical Hohmann transfer under certain conditions. This is accomplished by first becoming captured at Mars, very distant from the planet, and then from there, following a ballistic capture transfer to a desired altitude within a ballistic capture set. This is achieved by manipulating the stable sets, or sets of initial conditions whose orbits satisfy a simple definition of stability. This transfer type may be of interest for Mars missions because of lower capture $Δv$, moderate flight time, and flexibility of launch period from the Earth.
Analytical Estimate of Phase Mixing Time of Longitudinal Akhiezer - Polovin Wave
Creators: name: Mukherjee, Arghya
name: Sengupta, Sudip
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Phase mixing and eventual breaking of longitudinal Akhiezer - Polovin wave subjected to a small amplitude longitudinal perturbation is studied analytically. It is well known that longitudinal Akhiezer - Polovin wave breaks via the process of phase mixing at an amplitude well below its breaking amplitude, when subjected to arbitrarily small longitudinal perturbation[Phys. Rev. Lett.108, 125005 (2012)]. Here we analytically show that the phase mixing time (breaking time) has a linear dependence with phase velocity of the wave, inverse square dependence with the maximum fluid velocity and it is inversely proportional to the amplitude of perturbation. This analytical dependence of phase mixing time on the above three parameters is further verified using numerical simulations based on Dawson Sheet Model.
Vital Exhaustion as a Risk Factor for Adverse Cardiac Events (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities [ARIC] Study)
Creators: name: Williams, Janice E.
name: Rosamond, Wayne D.
name: Couper, David J.
name: Welch, Verna L.
name: Mosley, Thomas H.
name: Kop, Willem J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: Vital exhaustion, defined as excessive fatigue, feelings of demoralization, and increased irritability, has been identified as a risk factor for incident and recurrent cardiac events, but there are no prospective studies of this association in United States samples. We examined the predictive value of vital exhaustion for incident myocardial infarction or fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) among middle-aged men and women in four US communities. Participants were 12,895 black or white men and women enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study cohort and followed for the occurrence of cardiac morbidity and mortality from 1990 through 2002 (maximum follow-up = 13.0 years). Vital exhaustion was assessed using the 21-item Maastricht Questionnaire, and partitioned into approximate quartiles for statistical analyses. High vital exhaustion (the fourth quartile) predicted adverse cardiac events in age-, gender-, and race-center-adjusted analyses (1.69 [95% C.I: 1.40 to 2.05]) and in analyses further adjusted for educational level, body mass index, plasma low density lipoprotein-and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking status, and pack-years of cigarette smoking (1.46 [95% C.I: 1.20 to 1.79]). The risk for adverse cardiac events increased monotonically from the first through the fourth quartile of vital exhaustion. The probabilities of adverse cardiac events over time were significantly higher in people with high vital exhaustion compared to those with low exhaustion (p = 0.002). In conclusion, vital exhaustion predicts the long-term risk for adverse cardiac events in men and women, independent of the established biomedical risk factors.
A Clinical Risk Score for Atrial Fibrillation in a Biracial Prospective Cohort (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities [ARIC] Study)
Creators: name: Chambless, Lloyd E.
name: Chamberlain, Alanna M.
name: Crow, Richard
name: Agarwal, Sunil K.
name: Soliman, Elsayed Z.
name: Folsom, Aaron R.
name: Ambrose, Marietta
name: Alonso, Alvaro
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: A risk score for AF has been developed by the Framingham Heart Study; however the applicability of this risk score, derived from whites, to predict new-onset AF in non-whites is uncertain. Therefore, we developed a 10-year risk score for new-onset AF using risk factors commonly measured in clinical practice using 14,546 individuals from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, a prospective community-based cohort of blacks and whites in the United States. During 10 years of follow-up, 515 incident AF events occurred. The following variables were included in the AF risk score: age, race, height, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, hypertension medication usage, precordial murmur, left ventricular hypertrophy, left atrial enlargement, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and heart failure. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC) of a Cox regression model including the previous variables was 0.78, suggesting moderately good discrimination. The point-based score developed from coefficients in the Cox model had an AUC of 0.76. This clinical risk score for AF in the ARIC cohort compared favorably with the Framingham Heart Study’s AF (AUC=0.68), CHD (AUC=0.63), and hard CHD (AUC=0.59) risk scores and the ARIC CHD risk score (AUC=0.58). In conclusion, we have developed a risk score for AF and have shown that the different pathophysiologies of AF and CHD limit the usefulness of a CHD risk score at identifying individuals at higher risk of AF.
Association of Serum Uric Acid With Incident Atrial Fibrillation (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities [ARIC] Study)
Creators: name: Chamberlain, Alanna M.
name: Ambrose, Marietta
name: Alonso, Alvaro
name: Folsom, Aaron R.
name: Agarwal, Sunil
name: Prineas, Ronald
name: Tamariz, Leonardo
name: Soliman, Elsayed Z.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2011

description: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias seen in clinical practice. Current evidence suggests that serum uric acid (SUA) could be a marker of oxidative damage a factor reported as part of the mechanisms of AF. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if SUA predicted AF in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (ARIC). This analysis included 15,382 AF-free black and white men and women, aged 45-64, from the ARIC study, a population-based prospective cohort in the US. SUA was determined using the uricase-peroxidase method at baseline. The primary outcome was the incidence of AF defined as the occurrence of AF detected from hospital discharge codes, scheduled study electrocardiograms (ECG) and /or death certificates during follow-up period (1987-2004). We identified 1085 cases of incident AF. In Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, sex, race, center, education, body-mass index, serum glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, alcohol use, prevalent coronary heart disease and heart failure, serum creatinine, use of diuretics, and p wave duration on the ECG (as a measure of left atrial size) at baseline, the hazard ratio (HR) of AF associated with a 1-standard deviation increment in SUA was 1.16; 95% CI 1.06 -1.26. The association of SUA with AF risk differed by race and gender (p for interaction
Downstream Testing and Subsequent Procedures After Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography Following Coronary Stenting in Patients ≥65 Years of Age
Creators: name: Lytle, Barbara
name: Douglas, Pamela S.
name: Federspiel, Jerome J.
name: Cowper, Patricia A.
name: Mark, Daniel B.
name: Shah, Bimal
name: Mudrick, Daniel
name: Green, Cynthia
name: Masoudi, Frederick A.
name: Kaltenbach, Lisa A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Limited data are available on the use of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in patients who have received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). To evaluate patterns of cardiac testing including CCTA after PCI, we created a retrospective observational data set linking the National Cardiovascular Data Registry® CathPCI Registry® baseline data with longitudinal inpatient and outpatient Medicare claims data for patients who received coronary stenting between November 1, 2005 and December 31, 2007. Among 192,009 PCI patients (median age 74 years), the first test after coronary stenting was CCTA for 553 (0.3%), stress testing for 89,900 (46.8%), and coronary angiography for 22,308 (11.6%); 79,248 (41.3%) had no further testing. Patients referred to CCTA first had generally similar or lower baseline risk than those referred for stress testing or catheterization first. Compared to patients with stress testing first after PCI, patients who underwent CCTA first had higher unadjusted rates of subsequent noninvasive testing (10% vs. 3%), catheterization (26% vs. 15%), and revascularization (13% vs. 8%) within 90 days of initial post-PCI testing (p
Hemodynamic Characteristics and Predictors of Pulmonary Hypertension in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease
Creators: name: Jones, Susan K.
name: Caughey, Melissa C.
name: Ataga, Kenneth I.
name: Hinderliter, Alan L.
name: Shah, Sanjeev P.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common comorbidity of sickle cell disease (SCD) with an associated increased mortality risk, but its etiology is not well-understood. To evaluate the hemodynamic characteristics, clinical predictors, and cardiovascular manifestations of elevated pulmonary arterial pressure in this population, we performed noninvasive hemodynamic assessments of 135 patients with SCD using Doppler echocardiography. A diagnosis of PH was based on gender-, age-, and body mass index (BMI)-specific normal reference ranges for tricuspid regurgitation jet velocities (TRV). A high TRV was noted in 34 (25%) of patients. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was elevated in only 2 of the 34 patients (6%) with suspected PH, but was significantly higher than in those with a normal TRV. In univariate regression, TRV correlated with age, BMI, left atrial pressure, and right ventricular stroke volume, and was negatively associated with hemoglobin and glomerular filtration rate. Left atrial pressure, right ventricular stroke volume, and hemoglobin remained independent predictors of TRV in a multivariate model. A higher TRV was also associated with larger right ventricular and right atrial chamber sizes and higher N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels. Our results suggest that the mild elevation in TRV often observed in patients with SCD is rarely associated with a high PVR, and that multiple factors – including the compensatory high output state associated with anemia, pulmonary venous hypertension, and a pulmonary vasculopathy – may contribute to an elevated pulmonary arterial pressure in these patients.
Relation Between Digital Peripheral Arterial Tonometry and Brachial Artery Ultrasound Measures of Vascular Function in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease and in Healthy Volunteers
Creators: name: Caughey, Melissa
name: Ellis, Kyle
name: Lee, Craig R.
name: Stouffer, George A.
name: Hinderliter, Alan L.
name: Bass, Almasa
name: Tran, Bryant
name: Steele, Savanna
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Digital peripheral arterial tonometry (PAT) is an emerging, non-invasive method to assess vascular function. The physiology underlying this phenotype, however, remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between digital PAT and established brachial artery ultrasound measures of vascular function under basal conditions and following reactive hyperemia. Using a cross-sectional study design, digital PAT and brachial artery ultrasound with pulsed wave Doppler were simultaneously completed at baseline and following reactive hyperemia in both individuals with established coronary artery disease (n=99) and healthy volunteers at low cardiovascular disease risk (n=40). Under basal conditions, the digital pulse volume amplitude demonstrated a significant positive correlation with the brachial artery velocity-time integral, that was independent of arterial diameter, in both the healthy volunteer (rs=0.64, P<0.001) and coronary artery disease (rs=0.63, P<0.001) cohorts. Similar positive relationships were observed with baseline brachial artery blood flow velocity and blood flow. In contrast, no relationship between the reactive hyperemia-evoked digital PAT ratio and either brachial artery flow-mediated dilation or shear stress was observed in either cohort (P=NS). In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that digital PAT measures of vascular function more closely reflect basal blood flow in the brachial artery than reactive hyperemia-induced changes in arterial diameter or flow velocity, and the presence of vascular disease does not modify the physiology underlying the digital PAT phenotype.
Relation of Ventricular Premature Complexes to Heart Failure (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities [ARIC] Study)
Creators: name: Massing, Mark
name: Heiss, Gerardo
name: Shahar, Eyal
name: Simpson, Ross J.
name: Alonso, Alvaro
name: Agarwal, Sunil K.
name: Rautaharju, Pentti
name: Saba, Samir
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: Analogous to rapid ventricular pacing, frequent ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) may predispose over time to cardiomyopathy and subsequent heart failure (HF). We examined the association of frequent VPCs with HF incidence in a population-based cohort, free of HF and coronary heart disease (CHD) at baseline. At study baseline (1987-89), at least one VPC on a 2-minute rhythm ECG strip was seen in 5.5% (739/13486) of the middle aged (45-64 years old at baseline), white and African-American, men and women of the ARIC cohort. Incident HF was defined as the first appearance of ICD code ‘428.x’ in hospital discharge record or death certificate through 2005. Over an average follow up of 15.6 years, incident HF was seen in 10% subjects (19.4% in those with VPCs vs. 9.4% in those without). The age, race, and gender adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of HF for VPCs was 1.89 (95% CI = 1.59, 2.24). After multivariable adjustment for potential confounders, HR (95% CI) of HF for those with any VPC vs. no VPCs was 1.63 (1.36, 1.96). After additional adjustment for incident CHD as a time-varying covariate, the HR (95% CI) was 1.71 (1.42, 2.08). Presence of higher frequency of VPCs or complex VPCs had similar rates of HF as compared to single VPC and all were higher than no VPC group. In conclusion, in this large population based cohort, presence of VPCs is associated with incident HF independent of incident CHD.
Stress Imaging Use and Repeat Revascularization Among Medicare Patients With High-Risk Coronary Artery Disease
Creators: name: Stearns, Sally C.
name: Federspiel, Jerome J.
name: Crespin, Daniel J.
name: Carey, Timothy S.
name: Rossi, Joseph S.
name: Sheridan, Brett C.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2012

description: The optimal use of stress testing after coronary revascularization remains unclear, and over-utilization of stress testing may increase rates of repeat revascularization. We analyzed the relationship at both the patient and regional level between the use of stress testing and repeat revascularization for a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries receiving revascularization within 30 days of an admission for symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD).The sample consisted of 219,748 Medicare beneficiaries older than 65 years who received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or cardiac bypass surgery (CABG) following hospital admission for symptomatic CAD in 2003–2004. Medicare claims data through 2008 identified the use of stress testing and repeat revascularization. Associations between the cumulative incidence of stress testing and repeat revascularization were analyzed using linear regressions. Within six years of initial revascularization, the cumulative incidence of events was 0.61 for stress testing and 0.23 for repeat revascularization. Most (53.1%) repeat revascularizations were preceded by a stress test. Only 10.3% of repeat revascularization procedures were preceded by myocardial infarction. Four-year cumulative incidence of repeat revascularization and stress testing varied between the Hospital Referral Regions represented by the sample, and the positive correlation between the rates by HRR accounted for only a small portion of the total HRR variation in revascularization rates. Stress testing is commonly performed among Medicare patients after initial revascularization, and the majority of repeat procedures are performed for stable CAD. Variation in stress testing patterns only explains a modest fraction of regional variation in repeat revascularization rates.
Effect of Statin Use on Acute Kidney Injury Risk Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
Creators: name: Simpson, Ross J.
name: Jonsson Funk, Michele
name: Layton, J. Bradley
name: Kshirsagar, Abhijit V.
name: Brookhart, M. Alan
name: Stürmer, Til
name: Pate, Virginia
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a serious complication of cardiovascular surgery. While some non-experimental studies suggest statin use may reduce post-surgical AKI, methodological differences in study designs leave uncertainty regarding the reality or magnitude of the effect. We estimated the effect of pre-operative statin initiation on post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) AKI using an epidemiologic approach more closely simulating a randomized controlled trial in a large CABG patient population. We utilized healthcare claims from large, employer-based and Medicare insurance databases for the years 2000 – 2010. To minimize healthy user bias, we identified patients undergoing non-emergency CABG who either newly initiated a statin within 20 days prior to surgery or were unexposed for 200+ days prior to CABG. AKI was identified within 15 days following CABG. We calculated multivariable adjusted risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with Poisson regression. Analyses were repeated using propensity score methods adjusted for clinical and healthcare utilization variables. We identified 17,077 CABG patients. Post-CABG AKI developed in 3.4% of statin initiators and 6.2% of non-initiators. After adjustment, we observed a protective effect of statin initiation on AKI (RR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.63, 0.96). This effect differed by age: ≥65 years, RR=0.91 (95% CI: 0.68, 1.20); <65 years, RR=0.62 (95% CI: 0.45, 0.86), although AKI was more common in the older age group (7.7 vs. 4.0%). In conclusion, statin initiation immediately prior to CABG may modestly reduce the risk of post-operative AKI, particularly in younger CABG patients.
Causal Effect Estimation Methods
Creators: name: Wijayatunga, Priyantha
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Methodology (stat.ME)
subject: FOS: Computer and information sciences

description: Relationship between two popular modeling frameworks of causal inference from observational data, namely, causal graphical model and potential outcome causal model is discussed. How some popular causal effect estimators found in applications of the potential outcome causal model, such as inverse probability of treatment weighted estimator and doubly robust estimator can be obtained by using the causal graphical model is shown. We confine to the simple case of binary outcome and treatment variables with discrete confounders and it is shown how to generalize results to cases of continuous variables.
Electrocardiographic Predictors of Incident Heart Failure in Men and Women Free From Manifest Cardiovascular Disease (from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities [ARIC] Study)
Creators: name: Kucharska-Newton, Anna M.
name: Rautaharju, Pentti M.
name: Zhang, Zhu-Ming
name: Haisty, Wesley K.
name: Rosamond, Wayne D.
name: Soliman, Elsayed Z.
name: Prineas, Ronald J.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: The risk of incident hospitalized heart failure (HF) was evaluated for 23 electrocardiographic (ECG) variables in men and women free from cardiovascular disease. The hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were determined from Cox regression analysis for 13,428 participants 45 to 65 years old in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. New-onset HF during a 14-year follow-up period occurred in 695 men (11.9%) and 721 women (9.5%). Several ECG variables were significant predictors of incident HF when evaluated as single ECG variables. Predominant among them were spatial angles, reflecting deviations of the direction of the repolarization sequence from the normal reference direction. After controlling for collinearity among the ECG variables, the spatial angle between T peak and normal T reference vectors, Θ(Tp|Tref), was a significant independent predictor in men (HF risk increased 31%) and women (HF risk increased 46%). Other independent predictors in men included epicardial repolarization time (62% increased risk) and T wave peak to T wave end (TpTe) interval, reflecting global dispersion of repolarization (27% increased risk). The independent predictors in women, in addition to Θ(Tp|Tref), were Θ(R|STT) the spatial angle between the mean QRS and STT vectors (54% increased risk) and QRS nondipolar voltage (46% increased risk). In conclusion, wide Θ(Tp|Tref), wide Θ(R|STT), and increased QRS nondipolar voltage in women and wide Θ(Tp|Tref), increased epicardial repolarization time, prolonged TpTe interval and T wave complexity in men were independent predictors of incident HF, and the presence of these abnormal findings could warrant additional diagnostic evaluation for possible preventive action for HF.
PSSOH Agenda
Creators: name: Miljković, Nadica
name: Pejović, Predrag
name: Cvetanović, Miloš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: free software
open hardware
electrical engineering
computer science
women in STEM
gender equality
open science

description: Final agenda for the first PSSOH conference (http://pssoh.etf.bg.ac.rs/).
description: Please, check the latest version for the most up-to-date information.
Major and Minor Electrocardiographic Abnormalities and Their Association With Underlying Cardiovascular Disease and Risk Factors in Hispanics/Latinos (from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos)
Creators: name: Garside, Daniel B.
name: Gouskova, Natalia
name: Daviglus, Martha L.
name: Ostfeld, Robert
name: Camacho, Alvaro
name: Raij, Leopoldo
name: Soliman, Elsayed Z.
name: Prineas, Ronald
name: Lloyd-Jones, Donald
name: Denes, Pablo
name: Zhang, Zhu-Ming
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2013

description: The association of ECG abnormalities with cardiovascular disease and risk factors has been extensively studied in Whites and African Americans. Comparable data have not been reported in Hispanics/Latinos. The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) is a multicenter community based prospective cohort study of men and women of diverse backgrounds ages 18 to 74 years who self-identified as Hispanic/Latinos. Participants (N=16,415), enrolled between March 2008 and June 2011. We describe the prevalence of minor and major ECG abnormalities and examine their cross-sectional associations with cardiovascular disease and risk factors. The Minnesota code criteria were used to define minor and major abnormalities of the ECG. Prior cardiovascular disease and risk factors were based on data obtained at baseline examination. Significant differences in prevalent ECG findings were found between men and women. Major ECG abnormalities were present in 9.2 %( 95% confidence interval [CI], 8.3–10.1) of men and 6.6% (95% CI, 5.8–7.3) of women (P<.0001). The odds of having major ECG abnormalities significantly increased with age, presence of 3 or more cardiovascular risk factors and prevalent cardiovascular disease, in both men and women. Significant differences in major ECG abnormalities were found among the varying groups; Puerto Ricans and Dominicans had more major abnormalities compared to Mexican men and women. In conclusion, a large cohort of Hispanic/Latino men and women, prevalence of major abnormalities were low yet strong associations of major ECG abnormalities with cardiovascular disease and risk factors were observed in both men and women.
"inclusive_sys.html" of "Measurements of differential jet cross sections in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the CMS detector"
Creators: name: CMS Collaboration
Publisher: name: HEPData
Year: 2015

description: Link to the detailed systematics for the Inclusive Jet data
description: CERN-LHC. Measurements of the differential cross sections for inclusive jet and dijet production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. Using a data sample of integrated luminosity of 5 fb-1, inclusive jet PT cross sections up to a PT of 2 TeV in five intervals of |rapidity| from 0 to 2.5 are presented as well as the invariant mass distributions of dijets up to a mass of 5 TeV in the 5 intervals of |rapidity|. Jets are reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with distance parameter R=0.7. The cross sections are fully corrected for detector effects. Note: The systematic errors on the inclusive cross sections were incorrectly displayed here, and were corrected on 10/3/2015.