Postcard Written by Rudy A. Bigda to the Bryant College Service Club Dated June 23, 1943

[Transcription begins] R. A. Bigda 2098 QM Trk (Am) A.P.O. 402 Nashville, Tennessee June 23, 1943 [Postmark date] Bryant Service Club Bryant College Providence, Rhode Island It certainly is quite charming to receive gifts thru [sic] the generosity and good fellowship of students that I have never seen and it is with deep appreciation and gratitude that I acknowledge the receipt of your most welcome gift. As you probably recognize I am now a 2nd Lt. and have traveled quite extensively in the past two months with different organizations. In fact I have been in about 18 states and at least 12 or 15 different posts. It surprises me to think of the long way your gift had to come- but nevertheless it finally reached me - even out in the world on maneuvers – which makes the thoughtfulness on your part doubly surprising. There isn’t much I can say except to thank you as a group + as fellow students and to ask you to keep up your good work on the home front – we’ll take care of the field. Sincerely, R. A. Bigd

Presidential Television Campaigns: Se Hablan Espanol

Presidential candidates recognized the value of targeting Latinos in their election campaigns starting in the 1980s. Because Latinos were the largest minority group in the United States as of the 2008 elections, presidential hopefuls turned to using Spanish media and the Spanish language to connect to the Latino population in hopes of influencing Latino voting behaviors. In the 21st century, the Democratic and Republican parties increased spending exponentially toward Spanish language advertisements on Spanish media networks such as Telemundo and Univisión. A content analysis of seven presidential television commercials, chosen by their popularity and their high volume of online discussion provided insight into how presidential candidates used Spanish language and Latino issues to target the Latino vote. While the use of Spanish language the main tactic employed to target the Latino vote, this research shows it is of secondary importance to the issues presented in the commercials, such as education and the economy. Thus the combination of the use of Spanish and focusing on issues important to Latinos would be the most effective way to target the Latino vote

Emission of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins (PCDDs) and Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from Underfiring System of Coke Oven Battery

A coke oven battery is not considered as a significant source of PCDDs/PCDFs emissions; however, due to small amounts of chlorine in coal dioxins, dibenzofurans may be formed. The paper presents the attempts to determine the level of emission of PCDDs/PCDFs from the COB underfiring system and to confront the obtained results with the calculations based on the mass balance of chlorine in the coking process and reactions of both chlorophenols formation and PCDDs and PCDFs formation from mono- and polychlorophenols. There were PCDDs/PCDFs concentrations measured in flue gases from the underfiring system of two COBs at a Polish coking plant. The measurements included both an old and a new battery. The obtained concentrations of PCDDs/PCDFs were lower than reported in the literature (0.5-1.7 ng I-TEQ/tcoke), while the results for old COB were on average 3 times higher than for the new one. It was found that PCDD/F emission from COB underfiring system is insignificant and that PCDDs/PCDFs formation during coal coking should consider the mechanisms of their formation from mono- and polychlorophenols, as well as the influence of process parameters on the synthesis

Wpływ polimorfizmów genów ACE i angiotensynogenu na rozwój otyłości brzusznej oraz strukturę i funkcję mięśnia lewej komory — wyniki 10-letniej prospektywnej obserwacji młodych zdrowych mężczyzn

Background Genetic and environmental factors play a major role in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and angiotensinogen (AGT) gene increase the susceptibility to abdominal obesity and affect left ventricular function and structure in a 10-year follow-up of a young healthy male population Material and methods The study was carried out in a group of 68 normotensive subjects, aged 23 &#177; 3.5 years, mean &#177; SD. The subjects underwent the following procedures: anthropometric measurements, basic biochemical tests, office blood pressure measurements, ambulatory blood pressure measurements (ABPM), echocardiography. The I/D polymorphism within intron 16 of the ACE gene and AGT gene polymorphism (the allele M235T and T174M) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction. Results No relationship between waist circumference and ACE, AGT polymorphisms was observed. The structural changes of the heart differed significantly in T174M AGT TT genotype with increased septum/ /posterior wall ratio compared to TM and MM: (1.20 &#177; 0.12 v. 1.1 &#177; 0.11 cm; p < 0.05). The II genotype of ACE gene was associated with an elevated A wave peak velocity in transmitral flow (0.56 &#177; 0.17 v. 0.48 &#177; 0.08 m/s; p < 0.05). Blood pressure was not related to the ACE and AGT polymorphisms. Conclusions In a healthy population, the ACE and AGT polymorphisms might contribute to the structural and functional changes of the heart, but not to development of abdominal obesity or hypertension. Arterial Hypertension 2011, vol. 15, no 4, pages 242&#8211;250.Wstęp W patogenezie nadciśnienia tętniczego istotną rolę odgrywa interakcja czynników genetycznych i środowiskowych. Celem niniejszego badania była ocena wpływu polimorfizmów genu enzymu konwertującego angiotensynę I (ACE) i angiotensynogenu (AGT) na rozwój otyłości brzusznej oraz strukturę i funkcję mięśnia lewej komory na podstawie 10-letniej prospektywnej obserwacji grupy młodych zdrowych mężczyzn. Materiał i metody Obserwacją objęto 68 studentów medycyny w wieku 23 &#177; 3,5 roku z prawidłowym ciśnieniem tętniczym. U wszystkich mężczyzn wykonano pomiar wskaźników antropometrycznych, podstawowe badania biochemiczne, pomiar ciśnienia tętniczego gabinetowy, całodobową automatyczną rejestrację ciśnienia tętniczego (ABPM) oraz badanie echokardiograficzne. Badanie polimorfizmu insercyjno-delecyjnego (I/D) w 16. intronie genu ACE oraz genu angiotensynogenu (polimorfizm T174M i M235T) przeprowadzono metodą łańcuchowej reakcji polimerazy (PCR). Wyniki W 10-letniej obserwacji zmiana obwodu talii nie miała związku z polimorfizmami genów ACE i AGT. W obrębie polimorfizmu T174M AGT, stosunek końcowo-rozkurczowego wymiaru grubości przegrody międzykomorowej do ściany tylnej był wyższy u homozygot TT w porównaniu z genotypem TM i MM (1,2 &#177; 0,12 v. 1,1 &#177; 0,11 cm; p < 0,05). Maksymalna prędkość czynnej fazy napełniania lewej komory serca (fala A) była istotnie wyższa w genotypie II ACE w porównaniu z resztą populacji (0,56 &#177; 0,17 v. 0,48 &#177; 0,08 m/s; p < 0,05). Nie znaleziono związku pomiędzy wysokością ciśnienia tętniczego a polimorfizmem T174M genu AGT i I/D genu ACE. Wnioski Polimorfizmy I/D genu ACE i T174M genu AGT determinują zmiany morfologii i funkcji mięśnia sercowego w populacji młodych zdrowych mężczyzn, ale nie mają związku z rozwojem otyłości brzusznej i nadciśnienia tętniczego w tej grupie osób. Nadciśnienie Tętnicze 2011, tom 15, nr 4, strony 242&#8211;250

Hipoglikemia u pacjentów poddanych chirurgii metabolicznej — przegląd literatury

Bariatric surgery is currently the most effective method of obesity treatment, regardless of the method used. Compared to non-surgical methods, it ensures greater weight reduction and better control of comorbidities, especially type 2 diabetes. The complication of bariatric surgery, both with and without type 2 diabetes, is the presence of a significant decrease in blood glucose level — hypoglycaemia. In the early postoperative phase, it is mainly hypoglycaemia associated with the so-called ‘dumping syndrome’. Later (months or years after the surgery), it is mainly caused by endogenous hyperinsulinism (PBSH, post-bariatric surgery hypoglycaemia). The incidence of PBSH varies considerably, from 0.1–50% depending on the adopted criteria. The pathomechanism of this phenomenon is multifactorial and based, among others, on inadequate incretins secretion, in particular glucagon-like peptide 1, in response to a meal, modified hepatic glucose metabolism or reduction in ghrelin concentration. Due to incomplete understanding about the pathophysiology of this phenomenon, there are no treatment algorithms. Nevertheless, three therapeutic options can be distinguished: diet modification, pharmacotherapy, and surgical treatment.Chirurgia bariatryczna jest obecnie najbardziej skuteczną metodą leczenia otyłości, niezależnie od zastosowanej metody, ponieważ w porównaniu z metodami niechirurgicznymi zapewnia większą redukcję masy ciała oraz kontrolę nad chorobami współtowarzyszącymi, przede wszystkim cukrzycą typu 2. Istotnym powikłaniem zabiegów chirurgii metabolicznej, zarówno u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2, jak i u osób bez cukrzycy, jest występowanie hipoglikemii — we wczesnej fazie pooperacyjnej najczęściej związanej z tak zwanym zespołem poposiłkowym, później (kilka miesięcy lub lat po operacji) spowodowanej endogennym hiperinsulinizmem (PBSH, hipoglikemia występująca po zabiegach bariatrycznych). Częstość występowania PBSH znacznie się waha, wynosząc 0,1–50%, zależnie od przyjętych kryteriów. Patomechanizm tego zjawiska jest wieloczynnikowy i oparty między innymi na nieadekwatnym wydzielaniu inkretyn, w tym przede wszystkim glukagonopodobnego peptyd typu 1, w odpowiedzi na posiłek, zmodyfikowany metabolizm wątrobowy glukozy czy obniżenie stężenia greliny. W związku z brakiem dokładnej wiedzy na temat patofizjologii tego zjawiska brakuje jednoznacznych algorytmów leczenia. Niemniej można wyróżnić trzy opcje terapeutyczne: modyfikację diety, farmakoterapię i leczenie chirurgiczne

Using a UAV to assess air pollution and identify dominant emission sources

Central Europe is the region with the highest concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 micrometers (PM10) in outdoor air. Weather conditions combined with a high industrialization of regions laying along the Czech Republic and Poland border influence the formation of long smog episodes with PM10 concentrations in the atmosphere at the value of several hundred micrograms in a cubic meter. However, it has been observed that the main source of particulates pollution in the area of the Polish-Czech border between the most populated areas of Ostrava and Katowice is the residential heating fired with solid fuels, participating at the level of not less than 21% in overall air contamination with dusts. It particularly concerns PM10, which is one of the major harmful air pollutants produced by the combustion of solid fuels such as biomass and coal. The measures leading to decrease the dust emission from coal burned individual heat sources include methods to eliminate old -type boilers not permitted by the law, as well as illegal incineration of fuels of bad quality or including admixture of wastes. It requires a new approach for effective identification of such sources, as well as for recognition of pollutants leaving household emitters and evaluation of their share in overall effect on human health. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with miniaturized sensors detecting gaseous and dust particles at the outlet of an individual emitter can compensate the lack of information unable to be obtain using traditional measurements. The use of UAVs to identify specific sources of air pollution is still at an early stage of development and there are not too many scientific publications on this topic so far. Despite it, this technology seems to be usable to cre-ate undemanding, low-cost and effective method of air pollution sources assessment. In the current article, some aspects of using UAVs for identification of especially troublesome emission sources located on residential areas are presented, including finding the dominant emission source, determining the optimal distance between a UAV and the emission source or the influence of the UAV altitude, movement and sampling time on measurement result.Web of Science231214413

Pyrite-induced hydroxyl radical formation and its effect on nucleic acids

BACKGROUND: Pyrite, the most abundant metal sulphide on Earth, is known to spontaneously form hydrogen peroxide when exposed to water. In this study the hypothesis that pyrite-induced hydrogen peroxide is transformed to hydroxyl radicals is tested. RESULTS: Using a combination of electron spin resonance (ESR) spin-trapping techniques and scavenging reactions involving nucleic acids, the formation of hydroxyl radicals in pyrite/aqueous suspensions is demonstrated. The addition of EDTA to pyrite slurries inhibits the hydrogen peroxide-to-hydroxyl radical conversion, but does not inhibit the formation of hydrogen peroxide. Given the stability of EDTA chelation with both ferrous and ferric iron, this suggests that the addition of the EDTA prevents the transformation by chelation of dissolved iron species. CONCLUSION: While the exact mechanism or mechanisms of the hydrogen peroxide-to-hydroxyl radical conversion cannot be resolved on the basis of the experiments reported in this study, it is clear that the pyrite surface promotes the reaction. The formation of hydroxyl radicals is significant because they react nearly instantaneously with most organic molecules. This suggests that the presence of pyrite in natural, engineered, or physiological aqueous systems may induce the transformation of a wide range of organic molecules. This finding has implications for the role pyrite may play in aquatic environments and raises the question whether inhalation of pyrite dust contributes to the development of lung diseases