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This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) technology in an in vitro model of osteoarthritis-related inflammation. The study used THP-1-derived macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and hyaluronic acid fragments to induce the expression of inflammatory cytokines and nitrosative stress. QMR treatment inhibited COX-2 and iNOS protein expression and activity and reduced NF-κB activity. Furthermore, QMR treatment led to a significant reduction in peroxynitrite levels, reactive nitrogen species that can form during inflammatory conditions, and restored tyrosine nitration values to those similar to sham-exposed control cells. We also investigated the effect of QMR treatment on inflammasome activation and macrophage polarization in THP-1-derived macrophages. Results showed that QMR treatment significantly decreased NLRP3 and activated caspase-1 protein expression levels and downregulated IL-18 and IL-1β protein expression and secretion. Finally, our findings indicate that QMR treatment induces a switch in macrophage polarization from the M1 phenotype to the M2 phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective energy expenditure is critical for maintaining body weight (BW). However, underlying mechanisms contributing to increased BW remain unknown. We characterized the role of brain angiogenesis inhibitor-3 (BAI3/ADGRB3), an adhesion G-protein coupled receptor (aGPCR), in regulating BW. A CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing approach was utilized to generate a whole-body deletion of the BAI3 gene (BAI3−/−). In both BAI3−/− male and female mice, a significant reduction in BW was observed compared to BAI3+/+ control mice. Quantitative magnetic imaging analysis showed that lean and fat masses were reduced in male and female mice with BAI3 deficiency. Total activity, food intake, energy expenditure (EE), and respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were assessed in mice housed at room temperature using a Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitoring System (CLAMS). While no differences were observed in the activity between the two genotypes in male or female mice, energy expenditure was increased in both sexes with BAI3 deficiency. However, at thermoneutrality (30 °C), no differences in energy expenditure were observed between the two genotypes for either sex, suggesting a role for BAI3 in adaptive thermogenesis. Notably, in male BAI3−/− mice, food intake was reduced, and RER was increased, but these attributes remained unchanged in the female mice upon BAI3 loss. Gene expression analysis showed increased mRNA abundance of thermogenic genes Ucp1, Pgc1α, Prdm16, and Elov3 in brown adipose tissue (BAT). These outcomes suggest that adaptive thermogenesis due to enhanced BAT activity contributes to increased energy expenditure and reduced BW with BAI3 deficiency. Additionally, sex-dependent differences were observed in food intake and RER. These studies identify BAI3 as a novel regulator of BW that can be potentially targeted to improve whole-body energy expenditure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the low-power, high-frequency electrical current treatment administered by the Rexon-Eye device, in a cohort of patients affected by mixed-type dry eye disease (DED) of medium to severe level. In this prospective, non-randomized, interventional clinical study, eighteen mixed type DED patients were treated. Treatment was a specific type of electrotherapy, Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR®), administered by means of the Rexon-Eye® device (Resono Ophthalmic, Sandrigo, Italy) with a protocol of one 20-min session per week, for 4 weeks. Patients were examined at baseline and one month after the last treatment, utilizing the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and clinical signs: non-invasive tear break-up time (NIBUT), Oxford staining, meibum quality, meibography, meibomian gland expressibility, tear meniscus height (TMH), Schirmer's test, ocular inflammation expressed by MMP-9 concentration. Subjective benefit in OSDI was reported (p = 0.013). Improvement was also observed in NIBUT (p < 0.001), Oxford staining (p = 0.002), expressible meibomian glands number (p = 0.001) and meibum quality (p < 0.001). A remarkable benefit was present in inflammation, as evidenced by the reduction of MMP-9 (p = 0.003). Changes, although not statistically significant, were also present in TMH (p = 0.076) and Schirmer's test (p = 0.675), whereas no change was observed in meibography score. No adverse event was reported. In this mixed-type DED patients' cohort, Rexon-Eye proved to be effective and safe in improving subjective and objective ocular parameters, as well as capable to normalize inflammatory markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAnterior cruciate ligament tears can lead to posttraumatic osteoarthritis. In addition to biomechanical factors, changes in biochemical profiles within the knee joint after injury and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) may play a role in accelerating joint degeneration. Hypothesis/Purpose: It was hypothesized that cartilage matrix composition after ACLR is associated with the degree of inflammatory response after initial injury. This study evaluated the association between the inflammatory response after injury-as indicated by cytokine, metalloproteinase, and cartilage degradation marker concentrations in synovial fluid-and articular cartilage degeneration, measured by T1ρ and T2 quantitative magnetic resonance imaging up to 3 years after ACLR.Study designCohort study; Level of evidence, 2.MethodsTwenty-six subjects from a longitudinal cohort study who underwent ACLR at a mean 8.5 weeks after injury (range, 4-19 weeks) had synovial fluid aspirated at the time of surgery. Immunoassays quantified biomarkers in synovial fluid. T1ρ and T2 values of articular cartilage were calculated with magnetic resonance scans acquired prior to surgery and at 6 months and 1, 2, and 3 years after surgery. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated among the various biomarkers. K-means clustering was used to group subjects with similar biomarker profiles. Generalized estimating equations were used to find the overall differences in T1ρ and T2 values throughout these first 3 years after surgery between the clusters while controlling for other factors.ResultsSignificant and strong correlations were observed between several cytokines (interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor α) and 2 matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1 and MMP-3) ( P < .05). Moderate correlations were found among combinations of C-terminal crosslinked telopeptide type II collagen, N-terminal telopeptide, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, and sulfated glycosaminoglycan ( P < .05). Two clusters were generated, 1 of which was characterized by lower concentrations of cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor α) and MMP-1 and MMP-3 and higher sulfated glycosaminoglycan. This cluster was associated with significantly higher T1ρ and T2 values in the medial tibial and patellar cartilage over the first 3 years after ACLR.ConclusionAt the time of ACLR surgery, profiles of synovial fluid inflammatory cytokines, degradative enzymes, and cartilage breakdown products show promise as predictors of abnormal cartilage tissue integrity (increased T1ρ and T2 values) throughout the first 3 years after surgery.Clinical relevanceThe results suggest an intricate relationship between inflammation and cartilage turnover, which can in turn be influenced by timing after injury and patient factors.

In the mid-continental grasslands of North America, climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Increasingly severe storms and prolonged periods of elevated temperatures can impose challenges that adversely affect an individual's condition and, ultimately, survival. However, despite mounting evidence that extreme weather events, such as heavy rain storms, can impose short-term physiological challenges, we know little regarding the putative costs of such weather events. To determine the consequences of extreme weather for small endotherms, we tested predictions of the relationships between both severe precipitation events and wet bulb temperatures (an index that combines temperature and humidity) prior to capture with body composition and hematocrit of grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) caught during the breeding season at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, USA, between 2014 and 2016. We measured each individual's fat mass, lean mass and total body water using quantitative magnetic resonance in addition to their hematocrit. Individuals exposed to storms in the 24 hours prior to capture had less fat reserves, more lean mass, more water and higher hematocrit than those exposed to moderate weather conditions. Furthermore, individuals stored more fat if they experienced high wet bulb temperatures in the week prior to capture. Overall, the analysis of these data indicate that extreme weather events take a physiological toll on small endotherms, and individuals may be forced to deplete fat stores and increase erythropoiesis to meet the physiological demands associated with surviving a storm. Elucidating the potential strategies used to cope with severe weather may enable us to understand the energetic consequences of increasingly severe weather in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the long‐distance migratory flights of birds, lean mass breakdown occurs in concert with fat catabolism and is expected to have repercussions on total stopover duration because birds require time to rebuild lean tissue before accumulating fat reserves. Despite this, little is known about the role of in‐flight lean mass breakdown on stopover duration because direct measurements are restricted by the destructive nature of traditional body composition analysis and the technological limitations of tracking small birds over large expanses.We used non‐lethal, non‐invasive Quantitative Magnetic Resonance technology and plasma metabolite profiling to measure the body composition and physiological state of free‐living birds captured at a migratory stopover site after flight across the Gulf of Mexico, and an automated radiotelemetry array covering ~5000 km2 to track stopover duration and regional movements. We tested whether stopover duration is prolonged in individuals arriving with lower lean mass and investigated how lean mass affects regional movements.Stopover duration decreased by 22% for each additional gram of lean mass in Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis), but this relationship was not apparent in Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus), Grey‐cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus) or Yellow‐billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), even though these species also arrived with depleted lean mass. Stopover duration increased for Swainson's Thrush with higher plasma uric acid, a marker of protein catabolism. Northern Waterthrush with higher plasma triglycerides had longer stopover duration.Our findings suggest that migratory birds may compensate for substantial lean mass losses by increasing refuelling rate or moving to a different stopover site, and highlights species‐level differences in lean mass breakdown and the associated impacts on physiological function. Our results highlight the strategies used by different species to recover from a trans‐Gulf of Mexico flight and resume migration, which improves our understanding of the annual cycle of migratory birds. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is to evaluate a novel Quantum Molecular Resonance energy device as a laparoscopic bipolar vessel sealer. The majority of conventional bipolar energy-based vessel sealing devices utilize energy at frequencies between 300 kHz and 500 kHz. The use of such frequencies has disadvantages including unintended damage to surrounding tissues and excessive surgical smoke production. Here, we developed a bipolar energy source using Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) energy of 4–64 MHz and combined this into a laparoscopic vessel sealer. We investigate the microscopic tissue effect and surgeon's experiences of the laparoscopic bipolar vessel sealer using a novel QMR energy source through animal experiments. QMR energy sources showed higher sealing success rates (100% vs. 66.7%) and a higher burst pressure (963 mmHg vs. 802 mmHg) of the sealed vessels compared to LigaSure™. Histological analysis showed less vessel wall injury in the QMR energy source (55.0% vs. 73.9%). In the laparoscopic setting experiments, compared to LigaSure™, QMR energy sources showed statistically significantly less smoke formation (p = 0.014), less tissue carbonization (p = 0.013), and less stickiness (p = 0.044) during sealing tissues. A novel QMR energy source for a laparoscopic bipolar vessel sealer could produce a better sealing performance and less surrounding tissue damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) technology in an in vitro model of osteoarthritis-related inflammation. The study used THP-1-derived macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and hyaluronic acid fragments to induce the expression of inflammatory cytokines and nitrosative stress. QMR treatment inhibited COX-2 and iNOS protein expression and activity and reduced NF-κB activity. Furthermore, QMR treatment led to a significant reduction in peroxynitrite levels, reactive nitrogen species that can form during inflammatory conditions, and restored tyrosine nitration values to those similar to sham-exposed control cells. We also investigated the effect of QMR treatment on inflammasome activation and macrophage polarization in THP-1-derived macrophages. Results showed that QMR treatment significantly decreased NLRP3 and activated caspase-1 protein expression levels and downregulated IL-18 and IL-1β protein expression and secretion. Finally, our findings indicate that QMR treatment induces a switch in macrophage polarization from the M1 phenotype to the M2 phenotype.

This study is to evaluate a novel Quantum Molecular Resonance energy device as a laparoscopic bipolar vessel sealer. The majority of conventional bipolar energy-based vessel sealing devices utilize energy at frequencies between 300 kHz and 500 kHz. The use of such frequencies has disadvantages including unintended damage to surrounding tissues and excessive surgical smoke production. Here, we developed a bipolar energy source using Quantum Molecular Resonance (QMR) energy of 4–64 MHz and combined this into a laparoscopic vessel sealer. We investigate the microscopic tissue effect and surgeon’s experiences of the laparoscopic bipolar vessel sealer using a novel QMR energy source through animal experiments. QMR energy sources showed higher sealing success rates (100% vs. 66.7%) and a higher burst pressure (963 mmHg vs. 802 mmHg) of the sealed vessels compared to LigaSure™. Histological analysis showed less vessel wall injury in the QMR energy source (55.0% vs. 73.9%). In the laparoscopic setting experiments, compared to LigaSure™, QMR energy sources showed statistically significantly less smoke formation (p = 0.014), less tissue carbonization (p = 0.013), and less stickiness (p = 0.044) during sealing tissues. A novel QMR energy source for a laparoscopic bipolar vessel sealer could produce a better sealing performance and less surrounding tissue damage.

Migratory birds need energy-rich fuel which is primarily gained through fattening. However, it is also hypothesised that birds store excess lean mass as an additional energy reserve during migration. Until now, changes in the fat of live birds could only be determined indirectly through the change in body mass and fat score. Recently, the full-body scanner EchoMRI™ using quantitative magnetic resonance has become available making quick and precise measurements of whole-body compositions of live birds (i.e., fat, lean and water mass) possible without sedating the birds. In this study, the EchoMRI™ was applied on Northern Wheatears Oenanthe oenanthe hatched and reared in captivity during their first autumn migration stage. Results demonstrated that pre-migratory increase in body mass is primarily due to the fattening of the birds, while additional lean mass was not stored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) has been increasingly used to measure human body composition, but its use and validation in children is limited. Objective: We compared body composition measurement by QMR and air displacement plethysmography (ADP) in preschool children from Singapore's multi‐ethnic Asian population (n = 152; mean ± SD age: 5.0 ± 0.1 years). Methods: Agreements between QMR‐based and ADP‐based fat mass and fat mass index (FMI) were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), reduced major axis regression and Bland–Altman plot analyses. Analyses were stratified for the child's sex. Results: Substantial agreement was observed between QMR‐based and ADP‐based fat mass (ICC: 0.85) and FMI (ICC: 0.82). Reduced major axis regression analysis suggested that QMR measurements were generally lower than ADP measurements. Bland–Altman analysis similarly revealed that QMR‐based fat mass were (mean difference [95% limits of agreement]) −0.5 (−2.1 to +1.1) kg lower than ADP‐based fat mass and QMR‐based FMI were −0.4 (−1.8 to +0.9) kg/m2 lower than ADP‐based FMI. Stratification by offspring sex revealed better agreement of QMR and ADP measurements in girls than in boys. Conclusions: QMR‐based fat mass and FMI showed substantial agreement with, but was generally lower than, ADP‐based measures in young Asian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous obesity studies have coupled murine models with non-invasive methods to quantify body composition in longitudinal experiments, including X-ray computed tomography (CT) or quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (QMR). Both microCT and QMR have been separately validated with invasive techniques of adipose tissue quantification, like post-mortem fat extraction and measurement. Here we report a head-to-head study of both protocols using oil phantoms and mouse populations to determine the parameters that best align CT data with that from QMR. First, an in vitro analysis of oil/water mixtures was used to calibrate and assess the overall accuracy of microCT vs. QMR data. Next, experiments were conducted with two cohorts of living mice (either homogenous or heterogeneous by sex, age and genetic backgrounds) to assess the microCT imaging technique for adipose tissue segmentation and quantification relative to QMR. Adipose mass values were obtained from microCT data with three different resolutions, after which the data were analyzed with different filter and segmentation settings. Strong linearity was noted between the adipose mass values obtained with microCT and QMR, with optimal parameters and scan conditions reported herein. Lean tissue (muscle, internal organs) was also segmented and quantified using the microCT method relative to the analogous QMR values. Overall, the rigorous calibration and validation of the microCT method for murine body composition, relative to QMR, ensures its validity for segmentation, quantification and visualization of both adipose and lean tissues.

This paper presents a time integration method for realtime simulation of extremely deformable objects subject to geometrically nonlinear hyperelasticity. In the presented method, the equation of motion of the system is discretized by the backward Euler method, and linearly approximated through the first-order Taylor expansion. The approximate linear equation is solved with the quasi-minimal residual method (QMR), which is an iterative linear equation solver for non-symmetric or indefinite matrices. The solution is then corrected considering the nonlinear term that is omitted at the Taylor expansion. The method does not demand the constitutive law to guarantee the positive definiteness of the stiffness matrix. Experimental results show that the presented method realizes stable behavior of the simulated model under such deformation that the tetrahedral elements are almost flattened. It is also shown that QMR outperforms the biconjugate gradient stabilized method (BiCGStab) in this application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the convergence behavior of Krylov methods for nonsymmetric linear systems which can be classified as quasi-orthogonal (Q-OR) or quasi-minimum residual (Q-MR) methods. It explores, more precisely, whether the influence of eigenvalues is the same when using non-orthonormal bases as it is for the FOM and GMRES methods. It presents parametrizations of the classes of matrices with a given spectrum and right-hand sides generating prescribed Q-OR/Q-MR (quasi) residual norms and discusses non-admissible residual norm sequences. It also gives closed-form expressions of the Q-OR/Q-MR (quasi) residual norms as functions of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the matrix of the linear system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous obesity studies have coupled murine models with non-invasive methods to quantify body composition in longitudinal experiments, including X-ray computed tomography (CT) or quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (QMR). Both microCT and QMR have been separately validated with invasive techniques of adipose tissue quantification, like post-mortem fat extraction and measurement. Here we report a head-to-head study of both protocols using oil phantoms and mouse populations to determine the parameters that best align CT data with that from QMR. First, an in vitro analysis of oil/water mixtures was used to calibrate and assess the overall accuracy of microCT vs. QMR data. Next, experiments were conducted with two cohorts of living mice (either homogenous or heterogeneous by sex, age and genetic backgrounds) to assess the microCT imaging technique for adipose tissue segmentation and quantification relative to QMR. Adipose mass values were obtained from microCT data with three different resolutions, after which the data were analyzed with different filter and segmentation settings. Strong linearity was noted between the adipose mass values obtained with microCT and QMR, with optimal parameters and scan conditions reported herein. Lean tissue (muscle, internal organs) was also segmented and quantified using the microCT method relative to the analogous QMR values. Overall, the rigorous calibration and validation of the microCT method for murine body composition, relative to QMR, ensures its validity for segmentation, quantification and visualization of both adipose and lean tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Body composition of birds is often used to assess in part the 'condition' of individuals in the context of their life history and ecology. We describe contemporary non-destructive (non-lethal) techniques that are available for estimating the body composition of free-living birds. We critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these techniques in the context of bird studies. Although most contemporary techniques are based on theory and first principles, assessing their accuracy and precision requires empirical calibrations. We summarize the results of recent validation studies on songbirds and discuss their implications. Deuterium dilution was the best single technique among those compared for measuring lean and fat dynamics in small songbird species that averaged 9-29 g, although we advocate technique(s) that independently estimate each body component. Interspecific models that estimated lean mass using total body electrical conductivity and structural measure(s), and estimated fat mass using deuterium dilution were as accurate (within 0.3-1.1 g of actual lean mass and 0.2-0.9 g of actual fat mass, respectively, depending on bird species) as intraspecific models for songbirds that averaged 13-29 g in body mass. Thus, separate models for each bird species may not be necessary, and the development and testing of interspecific models for estimating body composition is warranted. Several factors, including body size and physiological state, required accuracy and precision, and the scope of predictions must be carefully considered when any of these non-destructive techniques are used to measure the body composition of birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The IDR() method proposed by Sonneveld and van Gijzen is an effective method for solving nonsymmetric linear systems, but usually with irregular convergence behavior. In this paper, we reformulate the relations of residuals and their auxiliary vectors generated by the IDR() method in matrix form. Then, using this new formulation and motivated by other QMR-type methods, we propose a variant of the IDR() method, called QMRIDR(), for overcoming the disadvantage of its irregular convergence behavior. Both fast and smooth convergence behaviors of the QMRIDR() method can be shown. Numerical experiments are reported to show the efficiency of our proposed method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective:This study was undertaken to validate the first quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (QMR) instrument designed and built to assess body composition in children from birth to adulthood (up to 50 kg).Design:A total of 50 pigs weighing between 3.0 and 49.1 kg were studied. Each piglet's body composition was assessed by quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (QMR, EchoMRI-AH small), whole-body chemical carcass analysis for lipid and water content, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, Hologic QDR 4500, using infant or adult whole-body scan acquisition programs where appropriate). Twenty-five piglets (3.1–47.2 kg) were randomly selected to calibrate the QMR instrument. The remaining 25 piglets (3.0–49.1 kg) were used to validate the instrument.Results:The precision of QMR to estimate fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM) and total body water (TBW) for five consecutive scans was excellent (1.3, 0.9 and 0.9%, respectively). QMR measures of FM were highly and significantly correlated with chemical carcass analyses and DXA measures (r2=0.99 and r2=0.98, respectively). QMR and DXA FFM results were highly correlated (R2=0.99, P<0.01). TBW measures were strongly correlated between QMR and carcass analyses (R2=0.99, P<0.01). QMR overestimated FM by 2% and DXA measures (using the infant and adult scan programs) overestimated FM by 15% on average.Conclusion:QMR provides precise and accurate measures of FM, FFM and TBW in piglets weighing up to 50 kg. As the piglet is considered to be an excellent model of human development, these data suggest that QMR should provide the opportunity to acquire valuable body composition data in longitudinal studies in children, which is not possible or practical with other commercially available instrumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to appraise a new EchoMRI™ device for body composition analysis (BCA) of infants and to compare it with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), using chemical analysis as a reference method. The calibration part of the study included cross-validation comparisons between EchoMRI™ measurements of awake, anesthetized and dead piglets of the calibration set. It also included comparison of two different approaches to refining the calibration of EchoMRI™, by low- or by high-dimensional linear regressions. Only the low-dimensional approach was applied to DXA. The validation part yielded EchoMRI™ accuracy of 27 g and 70 g for fat and total water, respectively, on piglets scanned while anesthetized, as compared with 24 g and 57 g, respectively, for DXA. EchoMRI™ precision was found to be 4 g and 7 g for fat and total water, respectively, for anesthetized piglets, as compared to 16 g and 14 g, respectively, for DXA. The differences between fat measurements of awake, anesthetized and dead piglets can be statistically significant, but are comparable in magnitude to random errors. To summarize: Characterization of random errors by CV, especially that of fat, is not suitable for BCA, whereas absolute errors or errors relative to total body weight can be applicable. Low- and high-dimensional regressions offer nearly the same accuracy improvements. Improved DXA and EchoMRI™ offer nearly the same accuracy, within 1% of weight in fat, while EchoMRI™ has better precision, within 0.2 % of weight in fat for anesthetized and dead piglets as compared to DXA's 0.5-0.6% [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new quadruple‐mode resonator (QMR) is proposed to design a self‐packaged dual‐band bandpass filter (DBBPF) by using the substrate integrated suspended line (SISL) technology. The low insertion losses of the fabricated DBBPF are 0.52/1.76 dB and the fractional bandwidth are 65.4%/9.2% for two operation passbands at 2.65/8.71 GHz, respectively. The measured results are in good agreement with electromagnetic simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To validate the use of quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) to measure fat and lean mass in conscious rats. Methods: Fifty Osborne-Mendel rats (249-770 g) were scanned using the Echo Medical 2 MHz body composition analyzer. Each rat was scanned under six settings (three acquisition times, with and without determination of total water). Precision was determined by the calculated coefficient of variation (CV) of three consecutive scans. Accuracy was determined by comparing the first scan to chemical carcass analysis and analyzed by paired t-tests and least-squares regression analyses. Twenty-five rats were used in the validation study, and 25 in the cross-validation study. Results: The precision for fat, lean and water at all settings was <1%. QMR significantly overestimated fat (∼5%; P<0.0001), and underestimated both lean (∼12.5%; P<0.0001) and total water (∼5.5%; P<0.0001). All QMR measures were significantly correlated with carcass measures (r2>0.99; P<0.0001). Using prediction equations from the validation study with the cross-validation rats, there were no significant differences between QMR fat and carcass fat at any setting (P>0.400). For four of the six QMR settings, there were no significant differences between QMR and carcass lean (P>0.05). For total water, all QMR settings were significantly different than carcass (P<0.05), but only by ∼1%. Conclusions: QMR showed excellent precision for the determination of fat, lean and water. Despite overestimating fat and underestimating lean and water, all were highly related to carcass values. When tested in the cross-validation group, QMR fat could be accurately predicted at all settings; however, lean mass (two settings) and water were still slightly different (less than 1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many problems in science and engineering involve significant physical entities and processes that span a substantial range of dimensions. In the case of characterization of bacteria on growth media using light scattering the length scales of interest can be classified as micro-scale (single bacterium), macro-scale (bacterial colonies of more than 1012 bacterium that have passed through the exponential growth phase and reached mm size), and the intermediate or meso-scale of several tens of hundreds of bacteria. Light scattering approaches, to be effective in determining physical properties such as morphology and material composition, must comprehend this spectrum of length scales. The discrete dipole approximation (DDA), a powerful modeling tool for rigorous 3-D vector scattering, has shown its capability to predict the light scattering from micro-scale objects. To be able to accommodate meso-scale objects, we need to extend the computational limits of the DDA method such that it could compute object sizes of 10λ–30λ characteristic dimension (i.e. volumes of 103–104 cubic wavelengths). To accomplish this, an analysis of the DDA method was performed for meso-scale cases of interest especially in biological applications. Based on this study, we propose new Sommerfeld integration paths and a revised iterative algorithm that combine to provide substantial improvements in the size of the computational domain that can be modeled for a given convergence criterion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We introduce the framework of “abstract perturbed Krylov methods”. This is a new and unifying point of view on Krylov subspace methods based solely on the matrix equation and the assumption that the matrix C k is unreduced Hessenberg. We give polynomial expressions relating the Ritz vectors, quasi-orthogonal residual iterates and quasi-minimal residual iterates to the starting vector q 1 and the perturbation term F k . The properties of these polynomials and similarities between them are analyzed in some detail. The results suggest the interpretation of abstract perturbed Krylov methods as additive overlay of several abstract exact Krylov methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper we study the spectral properties and the computational performance of a block triangular preconditioner for the solution of the general symmetric saddle-point problem. We provide estimates for the region containing both the nonreal and the real eigenvalues. Moreover, we show that an indefinite inner product can be employed to devise an efficient short-term recurrence Krylov subspace solver to be used with the analyzed preconditioner. Numerical experiments on a variety of application problems are also reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cross correlation (CC) functions C[sub if](E) play an important role in chemical physics. They appear in the description of reactive scattering, photo-dissociation, photo-electron spectroscopy and electron transfer to mention a few. In this paper, we discuss two methods based on the Lanczos algorithm to compute the CC function for several initial and final states at the same time, without diagonalization. The property of the coupled two-term recursions variant of the Lanczos algorithm that yields a decomposition [formula] of the tridiagonal Lanczos matrix is crucial. The first method, the quasi minimal-recursive residue generation method (QM-RRGM) is based on solving a set of linear equations whereas the second method is based on a band-Lanczos method. The computational cost is of the same order of magnitude for both methods and is given by the number of matrix-vector multiplications in the underlying Lanczos method. Only a small set of scalars needs to be updated each recursion. The methods are compared for a model problem, the continuum resonance Raman cross section for a collinear model of CH[sub 2]IBr. Both methods shows similar convergence properties. By adding a pre-conditioner, the rate of convergence can be increased dramatically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: to evaluate the applicability, precision, and accuracy of the new EchoMRI quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR) method for in-vitro bovine bone analysis and in-vivo whole-body-composition analysis of conscious live mice. Research methods and procedures: bovine tibia bone samples were measured by QMR and dual-energy X-ray adsorptiometry (DEXA). Repeated measures of whole-body composition were made using live and dead mice with different levels of fat by QMR and DEXA and by classic chemical analysis of the mouse carcass. Results: bone-mineral density (BMD) and bone-mineral content (BMC) measured in bovine tibia by QMR and DEXA were highly correlated. Precision of fat and lean measurement in mice was found to be better for QMR than for DEXA. The coefficient of variation (CV) for fat was 0.34–0.71% for QMR compared with 3.06–12.60% for DEXA. Discussion: QMR offers more specific parameters of bone structure than does DEXA. QMR and DEXA did not differ in the total amount of fat detected in live mice but QMR had improved precision. QMR was superior to DEXA in measuring fat in very small mice. Conclusions: in bone tissue there is a strong correlation between hydrogen NMR signal and bone-mineral density as measured by X-ray. QMR provides a very precise, accurate, fast, and easy to use method for determining fat and lean mass of mice without the need for anesthesia. Its ability to detect differences and monitor changes in body composition in mice with great precision should be of great value in characterizing phenotypes and studying drugs affecting obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We capitalize upon the known relationship between pairs of orthogonal and minimal residual methods (or, biorthogonal and quasi-minimal residual methods) in order to estimate how much smaller the residuals or quasi-residuals of the minimizing methods can be compared to those of the corresponding Galerkin or Petrov–Galerkin method. Examples of such pairs are the conjugate gradient (CG) and the conjugate residual (CR) methods, the full orthogonalization method (FOM) and the generalized minimal residual (GMRES) method, the CGNE and BiCG versions of applying CG to the normal equations, as well as the biconjugate gradient (BiCG) and the quasi-minimal residual (QMR) methods. Also the pairs consisting of the (bi)conjugate gradient squared (CGS) and the transpose-free QMR (TFQMR) methods can be added to this list if the residuals at half-steps are included, and further examples can be created easily. The analysis is more generally applicable to the minimal residual (MR) and quasi-minimal residual (QMR) smoothing processes, which are known to provide the transition from the results of the first method of such a pair to those of the second one. By an interpretation of these smoothing processes in coordinate space we deepen the understanding of some of the underlying relationships and introduce a unifying framework for minimal residual and quasi-minimal residual smoothing. This framework includes the general notion of QMR-type methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Generalized Minimal Residual (GMRES) method and the Quasi-Minimal Residual (QMR) method are two Krylov methods for solving linear systems. The main difference between these methods is the generation of the basis vectors for the Krylov subspace. The GMRES method uses the Arnoldi process while QMR uses the Lanczos algorithm for constructing a basis of the Krylov subspace. In this paper we give a new method similar to QMR but based on the Hessenberg process instead of the Lanczos process. We call the new method the CMRH method. The CMRH method is less expensive and requires slightly less storage than GMRES. Numerical experiments suggest that it has behaviour similar to GMRES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether the addition of Quick Medical Reference (QMR) to usual educational tools improves an intern's performance in managing clinical cases that test diagnostic and investigative skills.Design: Randomized, controlled, single-blinded crossover study.Setting: Tertiary care teaching hospital.Subjects: Comprehensive medical interns who are proficient in the use of QMR.Intervention: A total of 16 interns trained in the use of QMR were randomized to work up a total of six diagnostically challenging cases, three using medical textbooks plus access to QMR and three using textbooks and no access to QMR.Measurements: The interns provided their solutions to the cases, which consisted of the differential diagnosis and investigations. They were scored by comparing their answers with the consensus answers provided by subspecialty consultants. For each intern, the difference in mean total scores with and without QMR was calculated.Results: The mean difference in total scores was 7.2% benefit (p < 0.05, 95% CI = 0.05 to 14.4) using QMR. The beneficial difference was driven mainly by improvement in diagnostic scores, with the mean difference being 11.6% (p = 0.01, 95% CI = 2.4 to 20.8). Regression analysis showed that the more difficult the case, the greater the benefit of QMR.Conclusions: Quick Medical Reference may be a useful adjunct to interns in formulating diagnostic strategies for difficult clinical cases. However, since optimal conditions were chosen for QMR benefit in this study design, the small benefit in test scores must be weighed against the time required to teach QMR to interns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]