ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF USING BRUSH CONTROL TO ENHANCE OFF-SITE WATER YIELD

A feasibility study of brush for off-site water yield was undertaken in 1998 on the North Concho River near San Angelo, Texas. Subsequently, studies were conducted on eight additional Texas watersheds. Economic analysis was based on estimated control costs of the different options compared to the estimated rancher benefits of brush control. Control costs included initial and follow-up treatments required to reduce brush canopy to between 3 and 8%, and maintain it at the reduced level for 10 years. The state cost-share was estimated by subtracting the present value of rancher benefits from the present value of the total cost of the control program. The total cost of additional water was determined by dividing the total state cost-share if all eligible acreage were enrolled by the total added water estimated to result from the brush control program. This procedure resulted in present values of total control costs per acre ranging from $33.75 to$159.45. Rancher benefits, based on the present value of the improved net returns to typical cattle, sheep, goat, and wildlife enterprises, ranged from $8.95 to$52.12 per acre. Present values of the state cost-share per acre ranged from $21.70 to$138.85. The cost of added water estimated for the eight watersheds ranged from $16.41 to$204.05 per acre-foot averaged over each watershed.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Correlations of coronary plaque wall thickness with wall pressure and wall pressure gradient: A representative case study

BACKGROUND: There are two major hemodynamic stresses imposed at the blood arterial wall interface by flowing blood: the wall shear stress (WSS) acting tangentially to the wall, and the wall pressure (WP) acting normally to the wall. The role of flow wall shear stress in atherosclerosis progression has been under intensive investigation, while the impact of blood pressure on plaque progression has been under-studied. METHOD: The correlations of wall thickness (WT) with wall pressure (WP, blood pressure on the lumen wall) and spatial wall pressure gradient (WPG) in a human atherosclerotic right coronary artery were studied. The pulsatile blood flow was simulated using a three dimensional mathematical model. The blood was treated as an incompressible viscous non-Newtonian fluid. The geometry of the artery was re-constructed using an in vivo intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) 44-slice dataset obtained from a patient with consent obtained. The WT, the WP and the WPG were averaged on each slice, respectively, and Pearson correlation analysis was performed on slice averaged base. Each slice was then divided into 8 segments and averaged vessel WT, WP and WPG were collected from all 352 segments for correlation analysis. Each slice was also divided into 2 segments (inner semi-wall of bend and outer semi-wall of bend) and the correlation analysis was performed on the 88 segments. RESULTS: Under mean pressure, the Pearson coefficient for correlation between WT and WP was r = − 0.52 (p < 0.0001) by 2-segment analysis and r = − 0.81 (p < 0.0001) by slice averaged analysis, respectively. The Pearson coefficient for correlation between WT and WPG was r = 0.30 (p = 0.004) by 2-segment analysis and r = 0.45 (p = 0.002) by slice averaged analysis, respectively. The r-values corresponding to systole and diastole pressure conditions were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this representative case report indicated that plaque wall thickness correlated negatively with wall pressure (r = −0.81 by slice) and positively with wall pressure gradient (r = 0.45). The slice averaged WT has a strong linear relationship with the slice averaged WP. Large-scale patient studies are needed to further confirm our findings

Influence of model boundary conditions on blood flow patterns in a patient specific stenotic right coronary artery

BACKGROUND: In literature, the effect of the inflow boundary condition was investigated by examining the impact of the waveform and the shape of the spatial profile of the inlet velocity on the cardiac hemodynamics. However, not much work has been reported on comparing the effect of the different combinations of the inlet/outlet boundary conditions on the quantification of the pressure field and flow distribution patterns in stenotic right coronary arteries. METHOD: Non-Newtonian models were used to simulate blood flow in a patient-specific stenotic right coronary artery and investigate the influence of different boundary conditions on the phasic variation and the spatial distribution patterns of blood flow. The 3D geometry of a diseased artery segment was reconstructed from a series of IVUS slices. Five different combinations of the inlet and the outlet boundary conditions were tested and compared. RESULTS: The temporal distribution patterns and the magnitudes of the velocity, the wall shear stress (WSS), the pressure, the pressure drop (PD), and the spatial gradient of wall pressure (WPG) were different when boundary conditions were imposed using different pressure/velocity combinations at inlet/outlet. The maximum velocity magnitude in a cardiac cycle at the center of the inlet from models with imposed inlet pressure conditions was about 29% lower than that from models using fully developed inlet velocity data. Due to the fact that models with imposed pressure conditions led to blunt velocity profile, the maximum wall shear stress at inlet in a cardiac cycle from models with imposed inlet pressure conditions was about 29% higher than that from models with imposed inlet velocity boundary conditions. When the inlet boundary was imposed by a velocity waveform, the models with different outlet boundary conditions resulted in different temporal distribution patterns and magnitudes of the phasic variation of pressure. On the other hand, the type of different boundary conditions imposed at the inlet and the outlet did not have significant effect on the spatial distribution patterns of the PD, the WPG and the WSS on the lumen surface, regarding the locations of the maximum and the minimum of each quantity. CONCLUSIONS: The observations from this study indicated that the ways how pressure and velocity boundary conditions are imposed in computational models have considerable impact on flow velocity and shear stress predictions. Accuracy of in vivo measurements of blood pressure and velocity is of great importance for reliable model predictions

Evaluation of mavacamten in symptomatic patients with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Patients with nonobstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM) often experience a high burden of symptoms; however, there are no proven pharmacological therapies. By altering the contractile mechanics of the cardiomyocyte, myosin inhibitors have the potential to modify pathophysiology and improve symptoms associated with HCM. OBJECTIVES: MAVERICK-HCM (Mavacamten in Adults With Symptomatic Non-Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) explored the safety and efficacy of mavacamten, a first-in-class reversible inhibitor of cardiac-specific myosin, in nHCM. METHODS: The MAVERICK-HCM trial was a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging phase II study in adults with symptomatic nHCM (New York Heart Association functional class II/III), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥55%, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) ≥300 pg/ml. Participants were randomized 1:1:1 to mavacamten at a pharmacokinetic-adjusted dose (targeting plasma levels of 200 or 500 ng/ml), or placebo for 16 weeks, followed by an 8-week washout. Initial dose was 5 mg daily with 1 dose titration at week 6. RESULTS: Fifty-nine participants were randomized (19, 21, 19 patients to 200 ng/ml, 500 ng/ml, placebo, respectively). Their mean age was 54 years, and 58% were women. Serious adverse events occurred in 10% of participants on mavacamten and in 21% participants on placebo. Five participants on mavacamten had reversible reduction in LVEF ≤45%. NT-proBNP geometric mean decreased by 53% in the pooled mavacamten group versus 1% in the placebo group, with geometric mean differences of -435 and -6 pg/ml, respectively (p = 0.0005). Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) geometric mean decreased by 34% in the pooled mavacamten group versus a 4% increase in the placebo group, with geometric mean differences of -0.008 and 0.001 ng/ml, respectively (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Mavacamten, a novel myosin inhibitor, was well tolerated in most subjects with symptomatic nHCM. Furthermore, treatment was associated with a significant reduction in NT-proBNP and cTnI, suggesting improvement in myocardial wall stress. These results set the stage for future studies of mavacamten in this patient population using clinical parameters, including LVEF, to guide dosing. (A Phase 2 Study of Mavacamten in Adults With Symptomatic Non-Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy [MAVERICK-HCM]; NCT03442764)

DSN Data Visualization Suite

The DSN Data Visualization Suite is a set of computer programs and reusable Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that assist in the visualization and analysis of Deep Space Network (DSN) spacecraft-tracking data, which can include predicted and actual values of downlink frequencies, uplink frequencies, and antenna-pointing angles in various formats that can include tables of values and polynomial coefficients. The data can also include lists of antenna-pointing events, lists of antenna- limit events, and schedules of tracking activities. To date, analysis and correlation of these intricately related data before and after tracking have been difficult and time-consuming. The DSN Data Visualization Suite enables operators to quickly diagnose tracking-data problems before, during, and after tracking. The Suite provides interpolation on demand and plotting of DSN tracking data, correlation of all data on a given temporal point, and display of data with color coding configurable by users. The suite thereby enables rapid analysis of the data prior to transmission of the data to DSN control centers. At the control centers, the same suite enables operators to validate the data before committing the data to DSN subsystems. This software is also Web-enabled to afford its capabilities to international space agencies

Propuesta de Plan HACCP en línea de producción de queso fresco y mantecoso para la Planta Piloto Agroindustrial de la UNTRM-A

En esta tesis se presentan conceptos básicos del sistema de aseguramiento de la calidad HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critica] Control Points), y un trabajo de investigación detallado en la PPA (Planta Piloto Agroindustrial) de la UNTRM-A (Universidad Nacional Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza - Amazonas), sobre la producción de queso fresco y mantecoso para garantizar su inocuidad. Se determinaron los puntos críticos de control a través de la aplicación de los pasos y principios del plan HACCP, desarrollado con su respectiva metodología para el aseguramiento de la calidad de los productos. Encontrados en el Reglamento sobre Vigilancia y Control de Alimentos y Bebidas (D.S. N° 007-98-S.A.), y la Norma Sanitaria para la Aplicación del Sistema HACCP en la Fabricación de Alimentos y Bebidas (R.M. No 449-2006/MINSA). El desarrollo del presente trabajo permitió la identificación, en forma sistemática, de los peligros microbiológicos, químicos, físicos y de calidad en general, a lo largo de toda la cadena productiva; permitiendo establecer controles preventivos, bajo criterios de asegurar la inocuidad, y limites críticos para cada PCC procedente del monitoreo, acciones correctivas, registros y procedimientos de verificación. Una vez aplicados los procedimientos, se espera mejorar la inocuidad de los alimentos ayudando a evitar que peligros microbiológicos o de cualquier otro tipo ponga en riesgo la salud del consumidor, lo que configura un propósito muy específico que tiene que ver con la salud de la población. También se presenta adicionalmente el manual de Buenas Prácticas de Manufactura (BPM), y el programa de higiene y Saneamiento (H&S) siendo estos pilares fundamentales para la aplicación del plan HACCP.Tesi

Recurrent takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy leading to cardiogenic shock requiring VA-ECMO

Providing hemodynamic support for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiogenic shock can be challenging because inotropic medications worsen intraventricular obstruction, and the effect of appropriate mechanical support remains undefined. We report a patient with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in shock because of takotsubo cardiomyopathy requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and septal reduction for full recovery.