Monte Carlo Simulations of Coupled Transient Seepage Flow and Compressive Stress in Levees

The purpose of this research is to compare the results from two different computer programs of flow analyses of two levees at Port Arthur, Texas where rising water of a flood from Hurricane Ike occurred on the levees. The first program (Program 1) is a two-dimensional (2-D) transient finite element program that couples the conservation of mass flow equation with accompanying hydraulic boundary conditions with the conservation of force equations with accompanying x and y displacement and force boundary conditions, thus yielding total head, x displacement, and y displacement as unknowns at each finite element node. The second program (Program 2) is a 2-D transient finite element program that considers only the conservation of mass flow equation with its accompanying hydraulic boundary conditions, yielding only total head as the unknown at each finite element node. Compressive stresses can be computed at the centroid of each finite element when using the coupled program. Programs 1 and 2 were parallelized for high performance computing to consider thousands of realisations of the material properties. Since a single realisation requires as much as one hour of computer time for certain levees, the large realisation computation is made possible by utilising HPC. This Monte Carlo type analysis was used to compute the probability of unsatisfactory performance for under seepage, through seepage, and uplift for the two levees. Respective hydrographs from the flood resulting from Hurricane Ike were applied to each levee. When comparing the computations from the two programs, the most significant result was the two programs yielded significantly different values in the computed results in the two clay levees considered in this research

Multicenter assessment of a hemoglobin A1c point-of-care device for diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.

ObjectiveA multisite investigation compared the analytical performance of a point-of-care (POC) HbA1c device with multiple commonly used HbA1c laboratory methods and an NGSP (National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program) reference method.Research design and methodsThe Afinion AS100 POC device analyzed HbA1c using 618 EDTA whole blood excess patient specimens with clinically indicated HbA1c testing. Results were compared to measurements across five clinical laboratories and the NGSP reference method. Precision was evaluated over 8-10 consecutive days for low-, mid-, and high-range HbA1c specimens at all five sites.ResultsOver a wide range of HbA1c values (4.0%-15% HbA1c), 97.1% of the POC results and 94.5% of routine laboratory results fell within the target value of ±6% of the NGSP reference method results. The POC HbA1c results at 6.5% exhibited a total relative bias of -0.6% (-0.04% HbA1c) compared to the reference method while the aggregate of laboratory methods displayed a relative bias of -0.9% (-0.06% HbA1c). The total imprecision of the POC results ranged from 0.74-2.13% CV across the analytic measurement range compared to 0.81-3.23% CV for the routine laboratory methods.ConclusionsThe accuracy and precision of the Afinion POC HbA1c method was comparable to the laboratory HbA1c methods supporting the FDA's recent approval of the Afinion HbA1c Dx device for use in the diagnosis of diabetes

Ethnic Differences Among Adolescents Beginning Treatment for Depression

Abstract: This study examines ethnic/racial differences at the start of treatment among participants in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS). African American and Latino youth were compared to Caucasian youth on symptom presentation and cognitive variables associated with depression. Contrary to hypothesis, there were no significant differences in symptom presentation as measured by the interviewbased items of the Children's Depression Rating Scale -Revised (CDRS-R). However, African American and Latino youth were both rated as demonstrating more severe symptoms on the observational items of the CDRS-R compared to Caucasian youth. In terms of cognitive variables associated with depression, African Americans reported fewer negative cognitive biases compared to Caucasians, but cognitive biases were significantly correlated with depression severity across ethnic groups

Positive and negative well-being and objectively measured sedentary behaviour in older adults: evidence from three cohorts

Background: Sedentary behaviour is related to poorer health independently of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether wellbeing or symptoms of anxiety or depression predict sedentary behaviour in older adults. Method: Participants were drawn from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) (n = 271), and the West of Scotland Twenty-07 1950s (n = 309) and 1930s (n = 118) cohorts. Sedentary outcomes, sedentary time, and number of sit-to-stand transitions, were measured with a three-dimensional accelerometer (activPAL activity monitor) worn for 7 days. In the Twenty-07 cohorts, symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed in 2008 and sedentary outcomes were assessed ~ 8 years later in 2015 and 2016. In the LBC1936 cohort, wellbeing and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed concurrently with sedentary behaviour in 2015 and 2016. We tested for an association between wellbeing, anxiety or depression and the sedentary outcomes using multivariate regression analysis. Results: We observed no association between wellbeing or symptoms of anxiety and the sedentary outcomes. Symptoms of depression were positively associated with sedentary time in the LBC1936 and Twenty-07 1950s cohort, and negatively associated with number of sit-to-stand transitions in the LBC1936. Meta-analytic estimates of the association between depressive symptoms and sedentary time or number of sit-to-stand transitions, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, long-standing illness, and education, were β = 0.11 (95% CI = 0.03, 0.18) and β = − 0.11 (95% CI = − 0.19, −0.03) respectively. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that depressive symptoms are positively associated with sedentary behavior. Future studies should investigate the causal direction of this association

Purine Biosynthesis Metabolically Constrains Intracellular Survival of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

The ability to de novo synthesize purines has been associated with the intracellular survival of multiple bacterial pathogens. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the predominant cause of urinary tract infections, undergoes a transient intracellular lifestyle during which bacteria clonally expand into multicellular bacterial communities within the cytoplasm of bladder epithelial cells. Here, we characterized the contribution of the conserved de novo purine biosynthesis-associated locus cvpA-purF to UPEC pathogenesis. Deletion of cvpA-purF, or of purF alone, abolished de novo purine biosynthesis but did not impact bacterial adherence properties in vitro or in the bladder lumen. However, upon internalization by bladder epithelial cells, UPEC deficient in de novo purine biosynthesis was unable to expand into intracytoplasmic bacterial communities over time, unless it was extrachromosomally complemented. These findings indicate that UPEC is deprived of purine nucleotides within the intracellular niche and relies on de novo purine synthesis to meet this metabolic requirement

Defoliation and Soil Compaction Jointly Drive Large-Herbivore Grazing Effects on Plants and Soil Arthropods on Clay Soil

In addition to the well-studied impacts of defecation and defoliation, large herbivores also affect plant and arthropod communities through trampling, and the associated soil compaction. Soil compaction can be expected to be particularly important on wet, fine-textured soils. Therefore, we established a full factorial experiment of defoliation (monthly mowing) and soil compaction (using a rammer, annually) on a clay-rich salt marsh at the Dutch coast, aiming to disentangle the importance of these two factors. Additionally, we compared the effects on soil physical properties, plants, and arthropods to those at a nearby cattle-grazed marsh under dry and under waterlogged conditions. Soil physical conditions of the compacted plots were similar to the conditions at cattle-grazed plots, showing decreased soil aeration and increased waterlogging. Soil salinity was doubled by defoliation and quadrupled by combined defoliation and compaction. Cover of the dominant tall grass Elytrigia atherica was decreased by 80% in the defoliated plots, but cover of halophytes only increased under combined defoliation and compaction. Effects on soil micro-arthropods were most severe under waterlogging, showing a fourfold decrease in abundance and a smaller mean body size under compaction. Although the combined treatment of defoliation and trampling indeed proved most similar to the grazed marsh, large discrepancies remained for both plant and soil fauna communities, presumably because of colonization time lags. We conclude that soil compaction and defoliation differently affect plant and arthropod communities in grazed ecosystems, and that the magnitude of their effects depends on herbivore density, productivity, and soil physical properties

Differential effects of dietary protein sources on postprandial low-grade inflammation after a single high fat meal in obese non-diabetic subjects

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity is a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. Chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with the pathophysiology of both type-2 diabetes and atherosclerosis. Prevention or reduction of chronic low-grade inflammation may be advantageous in relation to obesity related co-morbidity. In this study we investigated the acute effect of dietary protein sources on postprandial low-grade inflammatory markers after a high-fat meal in obese non-diabetic subjects.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a randomized, acute clinical intervention study in a crossover design. We supplemented a fat rich mixed meal with one of four dietary proteins - cod protein, whey isolate, gluten or casein. 11 obese non-diabetic subjects (age: 40-68, BMI: 30.3-42.0 kg/m2) participated and blood samples were drawn in the 4 h postprandial period. Adiponectin was estimated by ELISA methods and cytokines were analyzed by multiplex assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MCP-1 and CCL5/RANTES displayed significant postprandial dynamics. CCL5/RANTES initially increased after all meals, but overall CCL5/RANTES incremental area under the curve (iAUC) was significantly lower after the whey meal compared with the cod and casein meals (<it>P </it>= 0.0053). MCP-1 was initially suppressed after all protein meals. However, the iAUC was significantly higher after whey meal compared to the cod and gluten meals (<it>P </it>= 0.04).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have demonstrated acute differential effects on postprandial low grade inflammation of four dietary proteins in obese non-diabetic subjects. CCL5/RANTES initially increased after all meals but the smallest overall postprandial increase was observed after the whey meal. MCP-1 was initially suppressed after all 4 protein meals and the whey meal caused the smallest overall postprandial suppression.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>ClinicalTrials.gov ID: <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00863564">NCT00863564</a></p

Soil Microbial Community Changes in Wooded Mountain Pastures due to Simulated Effects of Cattle Grazing

The effect of cattle activity on pastures can be subdivided into three categories of disturbances: herbage removal, dunging and trampling. The objective of this study was to assess separately or in combination the effect of these factors on the potential activities of soil microbial communities and to compare these effects with those of soil properties and plant composition or biomass. Controlled treatments simulating the three factors were applied in a fenced area including a light gradient (sunny and shady situation): (i) repeated mowing; (ii) trampling; (iii) fertilizing with a liquid mixture of dung and urine. In the third year of the experiment, community level physiological profiles (CLPP) (Biolog Ecoplates¿) were measured for each plots. Furthermore soil chemical properties (pH, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and total phosphorus), plant species composition and plant biomass were also assessed. Despite differences in plant communities and soil properties, the metabolic potential of the microbial community in the sunny and in the shady situations were similar. Effects of treatments on microbial communities were more pronounced in the sunny than in the shady situation. In both cases, repeated mowing was the first factor retained for explaining functional variations. In contrast, fertilizing was not a significant factor. The vegetation explained a high proportion of variation of the microbial community descriptors in the sunny situation, while no significant variation appeared under shady condition. The three components of cattle activities influenced differently the soil microbial communities and this depended on the light conditions within the wooded pasture. Cattle activities may also change spatially at a fine scale and short-term and induce changes in the microbial community structure. Thus, the shifting mosaic that has been described for the vegetation of pastures may also apply for below-ground microbial communities