BACKGROUND NT-proBNP measurements aid in the evaluation of patients with suspected heart failure (HF) and may facilitate risk stratification in patients with HF and acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Point-of-care (POC) assays may provide more timely results and potentially improve patient outcomes. METHODS We evaluated the analytical performance of the Response Biomedical Corporation whole blood...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare gaze behaviour during stair and ramp walking between patients with chronic peripheral vestibular hypofunction and healthy human subjects. METHODS Twenty four (24) patients with chronic peripheral vestibular hypofunction (14 unilateral and 10 bilateral) and 24 healthy subjects performed stair and ramp up and down walks at self-selected speed. The ...

We study a learning principle based on the intuition of forming ramps. The agent tries to follow an increasing sequence of values until the agent meets a peak of reward. The resulting Value-Ramp algorithm is natural, easy to configure, and has a robust implementation with natural numbers.

BACKGROUND To assess whether the Multidisciplinary Risk Assessment and Management Program for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus (RAMP-DM) led to improvements in biomedical outcomes, observed cardiovascular events and predicted cardiovascular risks after 12-month intervention in the primary care setting. METHODS A random sample of 1,248 people with diabetes enrolled to RAMP-DM for at least 12 mo...

Key parts of the ITER scenario are determined by the capability of the proposed poloidal field coil set. They include the plasma initiation at low voltage, the current rise phase, the performance during the flat top phase, and a ramp down of the plasma. The ITER discharge evolution has been verified in dedicated experiments. New data are obtained from C-Mod, AUG, DIII-D, JT-60U and JET. Results...

Currently the methodology of eliminating the negative effects of the issues in ramp-up stage mostly involves the increase in investment and updating the design data. In the paper the authors consider an approach that can be applied on every level of ramp-up production: from suppliers to shopfloor operators. The architecture of the system is described and the first implementation results are given.

Iyer, Vijay, Tycho M. Hoogland, and Peter Saggau. Fast functional imaging of single neurons using random-access multiphoton (RAMP) microscopy. J Neurophysiol 95: 535–545, 2006. First published October 12, 2005; doi:10.1152/jn.00865.2005. The successful study of dendritic signaling and computation requires the ability to simultaneously monitor neuronal activity at multiple cellular sites. While ...

Sub-micron sized alumina fibres were fabricated by electrospinning and calcination of a polymer template fibre. In the calcination step, different controlled temperature heating cycles were conducted to obtain fibres of different crystalline structures. Their biodurabilities were tested at pH 7.4 with lung airway epithelial lining fluid or serum ultrafiltrate (SUF) and at pH 4.5 with macrophage...

An alternative to qPCR was developed for nucleic acid assays, involving signal rather than target amplification. The new technology, Restriction Cascade Exponential Amplification (RCEA), relies on specific cleavage of probe-target hybrids by restriction endonucleases (REase). Two mutant REases for amplification (Ramp), S17C BamHI and K249C EcoRI, were conjugated to oligonucleotides, and immobil...

In motor control, prediction of future events is vital for overcoming sensory-motor processing delays and facilitating rapid and accurate responses in a dynamic environment. In human ocular pursuit this is so pervasive that prediction of future target motion cannot easily be eliminated by randomizing stimulus parameters. We investigated the prediction of temporally randomized events during purs...