Heart Rate Monitoring During Different Lung Volume Phases Using Seismocardiography

Seismocardiography (SCG) is a non-invasive method that can be used for cardiac activity monitoring. This paper presents a new electrocardiogram (ECG) independent approach for estimating heart rate (HR) during low and high lung volume (LLV and HLV, respectively) phases using SCG signals. In this study, SCG, ECG, and respiratory flow rate (RFR) signals were measured simultaneously in 7 healthy subjects. The lung volume information was calculated from the RFR and was used to group the SCG events into low and high lung-volume groups. LLV and HLV SCG events were then used to estimate the subjects HR as well as the HR during LLV and HLV in 3 different postural positions, namely supine, 45 degree heads-up, and sitting. The performance of the proposed algorithm was tested against the standard ECG measurements. Results showed that the HR estimations from the SCG and ECG signals were in a good agreement (bias of 0.08 bpm). All subjects were found to have a higher HR during HLV (HR$_\text{HLV}$) compared to LLV (HR$_\text{LLV}$) at all postural positions. The HR$_\text{HLV}$/HR$_\text{LLV}$ ratio was 1.11$\pm$0.07, 1.08$\pm$0.05, 1.09$\pm$0.04, and 1.09$\pm$0.04 (mean$\pm$SD) for supine, 45 degree-first trial, 45 degree-second trial, and sitting positions, respectively. This heart rate variability may be due, at least in part, to the well-known respiratory sinus arrhythmia. HR monitoring from SCG signals might be used in different clinical applications including wearable cardiac monitoring systems

Heritage Matters- January 2007

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Conferences upcoming, p. 10 Grant applications, p. 11 Internships, p. 3 National Register listings, p. 5 Tribal Preservation Officer list, p. 9 CONTENTS NPS ACTIVITIES, pages 2-4 Inupiaq Heritage in Northwestern Alaska, p. 2 Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program, p. 3 Historic Trees, the National Park Service, and History, p. 3 STATE INITIATIVES, pages 5-8 National Register Nominations, p. 5 • Ridge Trail Historic District, Walsh and Pembina Counties, North Dakota • Emery Hall, Wilberforce University, Green County, Ohio • Ponca Agency, Boyd County, Nebraska • Ohio Theatre, Toledo, Ohio • Hydaburg Totem Park, Hydaburg, Alaska • Sunrise Mine Historic District, eastern Wyoming • Pilsen Historic District, Chicago, Illinois TRIBAL INITIATIVES, pages 8-9 NAGPRA Develops New Outreach Initiatives, p. 8 Current THPO Listings, p. 9 CONFERENCES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND EVENTS, pages 10-11 Conferences, p. 10 Vernacular Architectural Forum Annual Meeting in Savannah, p. 10 Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, p. 10 US/ICOMOS International Symposium on Heritage Tourism in San Francisco, p. 10 Arkansas Historical Association Conference in Little Rock, p. 10 American Association of Museums Annual Meeting in Chicago, p. 11 National Trust for Historic Preservation National Preservation Conference in St. Paul, p. 11 Announcements, p. 11 Preserve America Grant Applications, p. 11 Save America’s Treasures Grant Applications, p. 11 Events, p. 11 Preservation-related Commemorations, p. 1

Heritage Matters- January 2007

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Conferences upcoming, p. 10 Grant applications, p. 11 Internships, p. 3 National Register listings, p. 5 Tribal Preservation Officer list, p. 9 CONTENTS NPS ACTIVITIES, pages 2-4 Inupiaq Heritage in Northwestern Alaska, p. 2 Cultural Resources Diversity Internship Program, p. 3 Historic Trees, the National Park Service, and History, p. 3 STATE INITIATIVES, pages 5-8 National Register Nominations, p. 5 • Ridge Trail Historic District, Walsh and Pembina Counties, North Dakota • Emery Hall, Wilberforce University, Green County, Ohio • Ponca Agency, Boyd County, Nebraska • Ohio Theatre, Toledo, Ohio • Hydaburg Totem Park, Hydaburg, Alaska • Sunrise Mine Historic District, eastern Wyoming • Pilsen Historic District, Chicago, Illinois TRIBAL INITIATIVES, pages 8-9 NAGPRA Develops New Outreach Initiatives, p. 8 Current THPO Listings, p. 9 CONFERENCES, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND EVENTS, pages 10-11 Conferences, p. 10 Vernacular Architectural Forum Annual Meeting in Savannah, p. 10 Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, p. 10 US/ICOMOS International Symposium on Heritage Tourism in San Francisco, p. 10 Arkansas Historical Association Conference in Little Rock, p. 10 American Association of Museums Annual Meeting in Chicago, p. 11 National Trust for Historic Preservation National Preservation Conference in St. Paul, p. 11 Announcements, p. 11 Preserve America Grant Applications, p. 11 Save America’s Treasures Grant Applications, p. 11 Events, p. 11 Preservation-related Commemorations, p. 1

Effect of home telemonitoring on glycemic and blood pressure control in primary care clinic patients with diabetes

Objective: Patient self-management support may be augmented by using home-based technologies that generate data points that providers can potentially use to make more timely changes in the patients' care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of short-term targeted use of remote data transmission on treatment outcomes in patients with diabetes who had either out-of-range hemoglobin A1c (A1c) and/or blood pressure (BP) measurements. Materials and Methods: A single-center randomized controlled clinical trial design compared in-home monitoring (n=55) and usual care (n=53) in patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension being treated in primary care clinics. Primary outcomes were A1c and systolic BP after a 12-week intervention. Results: There were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups on either A1c or systolic BP following the intervention. Conclusions: The addition of technology alone is unlikely to lead to improvements in outcomes. Practices need to be selective in their use of telemonitoring with patients, limiting it to patients who have motivation or a significant change in care, such as starting insulin. Attention to the need for effective and responsive clinic processes to optimize the use of the additional data is also important when implementing these types of technology

Radiological environmental assessment of the recycle of LMFBR advanced fuels

The environmental impact resulting from the release of radioactive material during reprocessing and refabrication of spent LMFBR advanced fuels was compared with that from similar treatment of reference oxide fuel. Candidate advanced fuels include carbide ((U,Pu)C) in addition to nitride ((U,Pu)N) with selected concentrations of /sup 15/N. Several techniques for preparing enriched /sup 15/N were reviewed and estimates were made of the cost of preparing nitrogen enriched to greater than 99 percent by each method. Core neutronics, fuel management, and designs appropriate for each fuel were used with the ORIGEN code to calculate the compositions of spent core and blanket fuel. The mass of fuel recycled annually was that providing 50 GW(e)-years of energy at the burnup attained by each fuel. Confinement factors for each isotope were identified for reprocessing and refabrication operations and were used to calculate source terms describing isotopic release rates. These source terms were used in the AIRDOS-II code to estimate the 50-year dose to the maximally exposed individual and to both the local and world populations. Total body dose commitments to the maximally exposed individual for oxide and carbide fuels are about 2.8 millirem, while nitride fuel would result in a range of 59 to 3.4 millirem as the /sup 14/N content in fresh fuel is varied from 99.64 percent to zero

Summary of the radiological assessment of the fuel cycle for a thorium-uranium carbide-fueled fast breeder reactor

A large fraction of the potential fuel for nuclear power reactors employing fissionable materials exists as ores of thorium. In addition, certain characteristics of a fuel system based on breeding of the fissionable isotope {sup 233}U from thorium offer the possibility of a greater resistance to the diversion of fissionable material for the fabrication of nuclear weapons. This report consolidates into a single source the principal content of two previous reports which assess the radiological environmental impact of mining and milling of thorium ore and of the reprocessing and refabrication of spent FBR thorium-uranium carbide fuel

Health-promoting behaviors and social support of women of reproductive age, and strategies for advancing their health: Protocol for a mixed methods study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Determining the health-promoting behaviors of women during the important period of reproduction provides valuable information for designing appropriate intervention programs for advancing women's health. There is no study on the health-promoting behaviors of women of reproductive age in Iran. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore these health-promoting behaviors for the purpose of developing comprehensive and culturally sensitive health advancement strategies for Iranian women.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This study has a sequential explanatory mixed methods design. The follow-up explanation model is used to elaborate the quantitative results by collecting qualitative data from participants who could best assist in elucidating the results. The study is conducted in two sequential phases. The first phase is a population-based cross-sectional survey in which 1350 Iranian women of reproductive age are selected by proportional random multistage cluster sampling of the 22 main municipal sectors of Tehran, Iran. Questionnaires are completed through a face-to-face interview. The second phase is a qualitative study in which participants are selected using purposive sampling in the form of extreme case sampling on the basis of health-promoting behavior scores. The qualitative phase is based on data collected from focus group discussions or individual in-depth interviews. A conventional qualitative content analysis approach is used, and the data are managed with a computer-assisted program. Women's health-promoting strategies are developed using the qualitative and quantitative results, a review of the related literature, and the nominal group technique among experts.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The findings of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study, obtained using a culturally sensitive approach, provide insights into the health behavioral factors that need to be considered if preventive strategies and intervention programs are to be designed to promote women's health in the community.</p

Nerve Growth Factor Stimulates Interaction of Cayman Ataxia Protein BNIP-H/Caytaxin with Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerase Pin1 in Differentiating Neurons

Mutations in ATCAY that encodes the brain-specific protein BNIP-H (or Caytaxin) lead to Cayman cerebellar ataxia. BNIP-H binds to glutaminase, a neurotransmitter-producing enzyme, and affects its activity and intracellular localization. Here we describe the identification and characterization of the binding between BNIP-H and Pin1, a peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase. BNIP-H interacted with Pin1 after nerve growth factor-stimulation and they co-localized in the neurites and cytosol of differentiating pheochromocytoma PC12 cells and the embryonic carcinoma P19 cells. Deletional mutagenesis revealed two cryptic binding sites within the C-terminus of BNIP-H such that single point mutants affecting the WW domain of Pin1 completely abolished their binding. Although these two sites do not contain any of the canonical Pin1-binding motifs they showed differential binding profiles to Pin1 WW domain mutants S16E, S16A and W34A, and the catalytically inert C113A of its isomerase domain. Furthermore, their direct interaction would occur only upon disrupting the ability of BNIP-H to form an intramolecular interaction by two similar regions. Furthermore, expression of Pin1 disrupted the BNIP-H/glutaminase complex formation in PC12 cells under nerve growth factor-stimulation. These results indicate that nerve growth factor may stimulate the interaction of BNIP-H with Pin1 by releasing its intramolecular inhibition. Such a mechanism could provide a post-translational regulation on the cellular activity of BNIP-H during neuronal differentiation. (213 words

AKAP95 regulates splicing through scaffolding RNAs and RNA processing factors

YesAlternative splicing of pre-mRNAs significantly contributes to the complexity of gene expression in higher organisms, but the regulation of the splice site selection remains incompletely understood. We have previously demonstrated that a chromatin-associated protein, AKAP95 (AKAP8), has a remarkable activity in enhancing chromatin transcription. In this study, we have shown that AKAP95 physically interacts with many factors involved in transcription and RNA processing, and functionally regulates pre-mRNA splicing. AKAP95 directly promotes splicing in vitro and the inclusion of a specific exon of an endogenous gene FAM126A. The N-terminal YG-rich domain of AKAP95 is important for its binding to RNA processing factors including selective groups of hnRNP proteins, and its zinc finger domains are critical for pre-mRNA binding. Genome-wide binding assays revealed that AKAP95 bound preferentially to proximal intronic regions on a large number of pre-mRNAs in human transcriptome, and AKAP95 depletion predominantly resulted in reduced inclusion of many exons. AKAP95 also selectively coordinates with hnRNP H/F and U proteins in regulating alternative splicing events. We have further shown that AKAP95 directly interacts with itself. Taken together, our results establish AKAP95 as a novel and mostly positive regulator of premRNA splicing and a possible integrator of transcription and splicing regulation, and support a model that AKAP95 facilitates the splice site communication by looping out introns through both RNA-binding and protein-protein interaction.This work was supported by a UAB start-up fund to H.J