Proteomic analysis of heart failure hospitalization among patients with chronic kidney disease: The Heart and Soul Study.

BACKGROUND:Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate differences in proteins associated with HF hospitalizations among patients with and without CKD in the Heart and Soul Study. METHODS AND RESULTS:We measured 1068 unique plasma proteins from baseline samples of 974 participants in The Heart and Soul Study who were followed for HF hospitalization over a median of 7 years. We sequentially applied forest regression and Cox survival analyses to select prognostic proteins. Among participants with CKD, four proteins were associated with HF at Bonferroni-level significance (p<2.5x10(-4)): Angiopoietin-2 (HR[95%CI] 1.45[1.33, 1.59]), Spondin-1 (HR[95%CI] 1.13 [1.06, 1.20]), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase type 5 (HR[95%CI] 0.65[0.53, 0.78]) and neurogenis locus notch homolog protein 1 (NOTCH1) (HR[95%CI] 0.67[0.55, 0.80]). These associations persisted at p<0.01 after adjustment for age, estimated glomerular filtration and history of HF. CKD was a significant interaction term in the associations of NOTCH1 and Spondin-1 with HF. Pathway analysis showed a trend for higher representation of the Cardiac Hypertrophy and Complement/Coagulation pathways among proteins prognostic of HF in the CKD sub-group. CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that markers of heart failure differ between patients with and without CKD. Further research is needed to validate novel markers in cohorts of patients with CKD and adjudicated HF events

Magnetic states of linear defects in graphene monolayers: effects of strain and interaction

The combined effects of defect-defect interaction and of uniaxial or biaxial strains of up to 10\% on the development of magnetic states on the defect-core-localized quasi-one-dimensional electronic states generated by the so-called 558 linear extended defect in graphene monolayers are investigated by means of {\it ab initio} calculations. Results are analyzed on the basis of the heuristics of the Stoner criterion. We find that conditions for the emergence of magnetic states on the 558 defect can be tuned by uniaxial tensile parallel strains (along the defect direction) at both limits of isolated and interacting 558 defects. Parallel strains are shown to lead to two cooperative effects that favor the emergence of itinerant magnetism: enhancement of the DOS of the resonant defect states in the region of the Fermi level and tuning of the Fermi level to the maximum of the related DOS peak. A perpendicular strain is likewise shown to enhance the DOS of the defect states, but it also effects a detunig of the Fermi level that shifts away from the maximum of the DOS of the defect states, which inhibts the emergence of magnetic states. As a result, under biaxial strains the stabilization of a magnetic state depends on the relative magnitudes of the two components of strain.Comment: 9 pages 8 figure

Chat Application with A Codified Information Traveling Option

Cryptology is the science that involves the study of the various techniques to keep information secure. It is the science that deals with the theoretical problems related to the safety in the interchange, between a transmitter and a receptor, of codified information traveling in a communication channel [1]. The project consist of building a software to cipher text messages using a variant on the Playfair cipher method, which is an algorithm used in cryptology. The variant consist on extend the allowed characters from Playfair to include every character on the ASCII code. In this case, a 16x16 matrix will be used, to be able to also include the extended characters. The project was developed in Matlab, a programming and design platform that is able to do matrix manipulation and calculation easily. For the possible implementation, wersquore going to use a virtual application developed in Matlab using the TCP/IP protocol to send and receive encrypted messages

The relationship of readiness factors to Jan. first grade reading achievement

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Signature of the Simplicial Supermetric

We investigate the signature of the Lund-Regge metric on spaces of simplicial three-geometries which are important in some formulations of quantum gravity. Tetrahedra can be joined together to make a three-dimensional piecewise linear manifold. A metric on this manifold is specified by assigning a flat metric to the interior of the tetrahedra and values to their squared edge-lengths. The subset of the space of squared edge-lengths obeying triangle and analogous inequalities is simplicial configuration space. We derive the Lund-Regge metric on simplicial configuration space and show how it provides the shortest distance between simplicial three-geometries among all choices of gauge inside the simplices for defining this metric (Regge gauge freedom). We show analytically that there is always at least one physical timelike direction in simplicial configuration space and provide a lower bound on the number of spacelike directions. We show that in the neighborhood of points in this space corresponding to flat metrics there are spacelike directions corresponding to gauge freedom in assigning the edge-lengths. We evaluate the signature numerically for the simplicial configuration spaces based on some simple triangulations of the three-sphere (S^3) and three-torus (T^3). For the surface of a four-simplex triangulation of S^3 we find one timelike direction and all the rest spacelike over all of the simplicial configuration space. For the triangulation of T^3 around flat space we find degeneracies in the simplicial supermetric as well as a few gauge modes corresponding to a positive eigenvalue. Moreover, we have determined that some of the negative eigenvalues are physical, i.e. the corresponding eigenvectors are not generators of diffeomorphisms. We compare our results with the known properties of continuum superspace.Comment: 24 pages, RevTeX, 4 eps Figures. Submitted to Classical Quantum Gravit

Optimal Control of Collective Electrotaxis in Epithelial Monolayers

Epithelial monolayers are some of the best-studied models for collective cell migration due to their abundance in multicellular systems and their tractability. Experimentally, the collective migration of epithelial monolayers can be robustly steered e.g. using electric fields, via a process termed electrotaxis. Theoretically, however, the question of how to design an electric field to achieve a desired spatiotemporal movement pattern is underexplored. In this work, we construct and calibrate an ordinary differential equation model to predict the average velocity of the centre of mass of a cellular monolayer in response to stimulation with an electric field. We use this model, in conjunction with optimal control theory, to derive physically realistic optimal electric field designs to achieve a variety of aims, including maximising the total distance travelled by the monolayer, maximising the monolayer velocity, and keeping the monolayer velocity constant during stimulation. Together, this work is the first to present a unified framework for optimal control of collective monolayer electrotaxis and provides a blueprint to optimally steer collective migration using other external cues

Limitations of variable number of tandem repeat typing identified through whole genome sequencing of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis on a national and herd level

Background: Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the causative bacterium of Johne’s disease in dairy cattle, is widespread in the Canadian dairy industry and has significant economic and animal welfare implications. An understanding of the population dynamics of MAP can be used to identify introduction events, improve control efforts and target transmission pathways, although this requires an adequate understanding of MAP diversity and distribution between herds and across the country. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) offers a detailed assessment of the SNP-level diversity and genetic relationship of isolates, whereas several molecular typing techniques used to investigate the molecular epidemiology of MAP, such as variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) typing, target relatively unstable repetitive elements in the genome that may be too unpredictable to draw accurate conclusions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity of bovine MAP isolates in Canadian dairy herds using WGS and then determine if VNTR typing can distinguish truly related and unrelated isolates.<p></p> Results: Phylogenetic analysis based on 3,039 SNPs identified through WGS of 124 MAP isolates identified eight genetically distinct subtypes in dairy herds from seven Canadian provinces, with the dominant type including over 80% of MAP isolates. VNTR typing of 527 MAP isolates identified 12 types, including “bison type” isolates, from seven different herds. At a national level, MAP isolates differed from each other by 1–2 to 239–240 SNPs, regardless of whether they belonged to the same or different VNTR types. A herd-level analysis of MAP isolates demonstrated that VNTR typing may both over-estimate and under-estimate the relatedness of MAP isolates found within a single herd.<p></p> Conclusions: The presence of multiple MAP subtypes in Canada suggests multiple introductions into the country including what has now become one dominant type, an important finding for Johne’s disease control. VNTR typing often failed to identify closely and distantly related isolates, limiting the applicability of using this typing scheme to study the molecular epidemiology of MAP at a national and herd-level.<p></p&gt

Pair Creation of Black Holes by Domain Walls

In this paper we study the production of pairs of neutral and charged black holes by domain walls, finding classical solutions and calculating their classical actions. We find that neutral black holes whose creation is mediated by Euclidean instantons must be produced mutually at rest with respect to one another, but for charged black holes a new type of instanton is possible in which after formation the two black holes accelerate away from one another. These new types of instantons are not possible in Einstein-Maxwell theory with a cosmological constant. We also find that the creation of non-orientable black hole solutions can be mediated by Euclidean instantons and that in addition if one is prepared to consider entirely Lorentzian no-boundary type contributions to the path integral then mutually accelerating pairs may be created even in the neutral case. Finally we consider the production of Kaluza-Klein monopoles both by a standard cosmological term and in the presence of a domain wall. We find that compactification is accompanied by the production of pairs of Kaluza-Klein monopoles.Comment: 22 pages (REVTeX with AMS Symbols) with 5 postscript figures attached in a single uuencoded, g-zipped, tar file at end of tex fil

Improving Postharvest Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata) Quality Using Alum and Newspaper Wrap

Three handling experiments with 4 treatments each (i.e., control, newspaper wrap, alum, alum with newspaper wrap) were conducted to verify the benefits of alum spray and newspaper wrapping in reducing soft rot incidence in cabbage (cv. Rareball). The cabbages were packed in polyethylene bags and transported from the trading post in La Trinidad, Benguet (in Northern Luzon) to Los Baños, Laguna (in Southern Luzon). In experiment A, the lowest soft rot infection upon arrival and opening of the bags was noted in heads sprayed with a single application of 15% alum and then wrapped with newspaper. The same trend was shown in experiments B and C. Alum sprayed singly resulted in slightly greater disease than when alum spray was followed by newspaper wrapping. Disease incidence, however, was lesser relative to the control heads and those which were wrapped with newspaper without alum spray. Disease reduction was more evident in the applied part (i.e., the butt end) compared to the head portion of the cabbage. Both alum spray and newspaper wrapping reduced disease incidence, the latter providing a drier condition for the cabbage during transport. Mechanical damage was least in the cabbages either wrapped in newspaper or treated with alum initially prior to wrapping. Sorting a day after removing the cabbages from the polyethylene bags can further reduce disease incidence. Alum and newspaper are readily available local materials. In decreasing the incidence of soft rot infection in cabbages, the commodity maintains the consistency of its quality and, thus, its acceptability in the market