Effects of an Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blocker on Cardiovascular Calcification

Aims: Three types of cardiovascular calcification are commonly found in humans: arterial calcification, intimal calcification, and calcific aortic valve disease. Very little is known about the mechanisms driving cardiovascular calcification despite serious clinical implications and a clear association with morbidity and mortality. Indeed, it is even unclear whether the same factors are involved in arterial, intimal, and valvular calcification. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of an angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker (ARB) on the progression of cardiovascular calcification in male New Zealand White rabbits. Where appropriate, statins were examined in conjunction and in combination with ARBs. Methods and Results: In vivo and ex vivo techniques were used to assess overall disease burden and the extent of calcification including magnetic resonance imaging, micro-computed tomography, histology, and immunohistochemistry. ARB administration significantly inhibited progression of arterial calcification (2.80 ± 1.17 versus 0.01 ± 0.01 % calcified tissue in Cholesterol and ARB-treated, respectively; P \u3c 0.05), but not intimal or valvular calcification. ARB treatment significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesion area when delivered alone (95.50 ± 1.94 versus 61.61 ± 10.17 % lesion area in Cholesterol and ARB-treated, respectively; P \u3c 0.05), but not when combined with statin therapy (92.39 ± 3.25 % in ARB+Statin; P \u3c 0.05 when compared to ARB monotherapy). Finally, ARB-treated animals had significantly increased valvular calcium. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that ARBs robustly inhibit arterial calcification and is the first to suggest ARBs as a novel treatment option for those at risk for cardiovascular calcification. It also suggests that ARBs may not be beneficial for those at risk for intimal or valvular calcification. These disparate results suggest that the three types of cardiovascular calcification are distinct from one another and provides impetus to further examine the underlying molecular mechanisms at play in these debilitating disease processes

The Acoustics of Harmon Mutes

The acoustic properties of trumpets have been studied thoroughly, but little to no previous work has been done regarding the acoustics of trumpet mutes. Harmon mutes have a distinctively buzzy sound when they are used in performance and it is the opinion of a large number of trumpet players who use Harmon mutes that they should be dented before they are used in performance. The work presented here is an attempt to determine the acoustical properties of Harmon mutes and how they change when the mute is dented. If Harmon mutes are better understood, then a more informed decision as to whether or not they should be dented can be made

Coronatine Facilitates Pseudomonas syringae Infection of Arabidopsis Leaves at Night.

In many land plants, the stomatal pore opens during the day and closes during the night. Thus, periods of darkness could be effective in decreasing pathogen penetration into leaves through stomata, the primary sites for infection by many pathogens. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 produces coronatine (COR) and opens stomata, raising an intriguing question as to whether this is a virulence strategy to facilitate bacterial infection at night. In fact, we found that (a) biological concentration of COR is effective in opening dark-closed stomata of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves, (b) the COR defective mutant Pst DC3118 is less effective in infecting Arabidopsis in the dark than under light and this difference in infection is reduced with the wild type bacterium Pst DC3000, and (c) cma, a COR biosynthesis gene, is induced only when the bacterium is in contact with the leaf surface independent of the light conditions. These findings suggest that Pst DC3000 activates virulence factors at the pre-invasive phase of its life cycle to infect plants even when environmental conditions (such as darkness) favor stomatal immunity. This functional attribute of COR may provide epidemiological advantages for COR-producing bacteria on the leaf surface

On the Performance of the \u3ci\u3el\u3csub\u3eZ\u3c/sub\u3e\u3c/i\u3e Person-Fit Statistic

Person-fit measurement refers to statistical methods used to detect improbable item-score patterns. This study investigates the detection effectiveness of the z l statistic, which is one of the most popular and powerful person-fit statistics in the literature to date. The contributions of the present study are three-fold. First, the simulation results show that the detection power of the z l statistic is largely hinged on test characteristics, particularly the test difficulty. Therefore, the z l statistic should be used with caution in an operational testing environment. Second, this paper provides a clear explanation for the poor performance of the z l statistic under certain situations. The third objective is to present a summary of the patterns and conditions for which the z l statistic is not recommended for the detection of aberrancy. This can be used as a checklist for implementation purposes. Accessed 41,380 times on https://pareonline.net from December 05, 2007 to December 31, 2019. For downloads from January 1, 2020 forward, please click on the PlumX Metrics link to the right

High-throughput generation of product profiles for arabinoxylan-active enzymes from metagenomes

Metagenomics is an exciting alternative to seek carbohydrate-active enzymes from a range of sources. Typically, metagenomics reveals dozens of putative catalysts that require functional characterization for further application in industrial processes. High-throughput screening methods compatible with adequate natural substrates are crucial for an accurate functional elucidation of substrate preferences. Based on DNA sequencer-aided fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (DSA-FACE) analysis of enzymatic-reaction products, we generated product profiles to consequently infer substrate cleavage positions, resulting in the generation of enzymatic-degradation maps. Product profiles were produced in high throughput for arabinoxylan (AX)-active enzymes belonging to the glycoside hydrolase families GH43 (subfamilies 2 [MG432], 7 [MG437], and 28 [MG4328]) and GH8 (MG8) starting from 12 (arabino)xylo-oligosaccharides. These enzymes were discovered through functional metagenomic studies of feces from the North American beaver (Castor canadensis). This work shows how enzyme loading alters the product profiles of all enzymes studied and gives insight into AX degradation patterns, revealing sequential substrate preferences of AX-active enzymes. IMPORTANCE: Arabinoxylan is mainly found in the hemicellulosic fractions of rice straw, corn cobs, and rice husk. Converting arabinoxylan into (arabino)xylooligosaccharides as added-value products that can be applied in food, feed, and cosmetics presents a sustainable and economic alternative for the biorefinery industries. Efficient and profitable AX degradation requires a set of enzymes with particular characteristics. Therefore, enzyme discovery and the study of substrate preferences are of utmost importance. Beavers, as consumers of woody biomass, are a promising source of a repertoire of enzymes able to deconstruct hemicelluloses into soluble oligosaccharides. High-throughput analysis of the oligosaccharide profiles produced by these enzymes will assist in the selection of the most appropriate enzymes for the biorefinery

Full Bloom: Diegetic UI for musical phrases in virtual reality

We propose a novel system for communicating musical note pitch and sequence information to users within a virtual reality environment. Our approach utilizes ‘Blooms,’ objects that resemble flowers with various petal arrangements. These formations, when constructed in view of users, act as diegetic, user-parsable encodings of their inputs. Blooms exist within the virtual space as simulated physics objects that collectively serve the role of a user interface

Baseline Needs Assessment for a Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program 1-Year Pilot

The objectives of the present study were to measure and describe the baseline participant needs of a hospital-based violence intervention 1-year pilot program, assess differences in expected hospital revenue based on changes in health insurance coverage resulting from program implementation and discuss the program’s limitations. Methods: Between September 2020 and September 2021 Encompass Omaha enrolled 36 participants. A content analysis of 1199 progress notes detailing points of contact with participants was performed to determine goal status. Goals were categorized and goal status was defined as met, in process, dropped, or participant refusal. Results: The most frequently identified needs were help obtaining short-term disability assistance or completing FMLA paperwork (86.11%), immediate financial aid (86.11%), legal aid (83.33%), access to food (83.3%), and navigating medical issues other than the primary reason for hospitalization (83.33%). Conclusions: Meeting the participants’ short-term needs is critical for maintaining their engagement in the long-term. Further, differences in expected hospital revenue for pilot participants compared with a control group were examined, and this analysis found a reduction in medical and facility costs for program participants. The pilot stage highlighted how complex the needs and treatment of victims of violence are. As the program grows and its staff become more knowledgeable about social work, treatment, and resource access processes, the program will continue to improve

Skunk River Review 2010-11, vol 23

Welcome to the 2010-2011 edition of The Skunk River Review! As the new editor of this publication, I was excited to see the number of submissions and the overwhelming enthusiasm of the students. This year\u27s publication includes work from Composition I, Composition II, Literature, and College Resources courses. Whereas The Skunk River Review is academic work that begins in the classroom, it also reflects student\u27s interests. The essays are not edited for MLA format or general errors because the publication is used as a teaching tool in many classrooms.https://openspace.dmacc.edu/skunkriver/1002/thumbnail.jp

Perceptions of violence in justice-involved youth

Background Youth are tragically affected by violence. Justice-involved youth are at elevated risk for the effects of violence, as incarceration serves as a risk factor. The objective of this study is to explore the risks and needs of justice-involved youth and identify channels for future hospital-based programming. Methods Four weekly focus groups were conducted by a credible messenger at the Douglas County Youth Center with former participants of Dusk 2 Dawn, a youth violence prevention program delivered at the Douglas County Youth Center. Eight participants were prompted with preset interview questions. All focus groups were recorded and transcribed by a professional transcription service. A thematic analysis was performed by 2 independent coders to identify themes using Dedoose software. Results The 3 most frequently occurring themes involved topics on protection, identified 40 times; family, identified 36 times; and the challenge of overcoming violence, identified 31 times. These themes often overlapped with one another, demonstrating the complexity of youth violence. Conclusion Providing a safe and judgement-free space for the youth to discuss issues of violence was beneficial for 3 reasons: (1) inclusion of youth perspectives allows violence prevention programs to be tailored to specific needs, (2) participants were able to deeply reflect on violence in their own lives and consider steps toward positive change, and (3) open communication encourages trust building and collaborative prevention efforts between the hospital and community