A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight third quarterly report, jan. - mar. 1965

Electrochemical study of prospective electrode- electrolyte systems for high-energy primary battery with minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weigh

A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight Fifth quarterly report, 1 Jul. - 30 Sep. 1965

High energy density primary battery development - electrochemical half-cell screening of anode- electrolyte combinations, cell discharge, and potential studie

A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight Seventh quarterly report, Jan. 1 - Mar. 31, 1966

Cathodic materials for high energy density storage batter

A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight Eighth quarterly report, 1 Apr. - 30 Jun. 1966

Electrochemical characteristics of lithium in various electrolytes and magnesium in aluminum chloride-acetonitrile studied by voltammetric sweep metho

Identification and cardiotropic actions of sulfakinin peptides in the American lobster Homarus americanus

In arthropods, a group of peptides possessing a -Y(SO3H)GHM/ LRFamide carboxy-terminal motif have been collectively termed the sulfakinins. Sulfakinin isoforms have been identified from numerous insect species. In contrast, members of this peptide family have thus far been isolated from just two crustaceans, the penaeid shrimp Penaeus monodon and Litopenaeus vannamei. Here, we report the identification of a cDNA encoding prepro-sulfakinin from the American lobster Homarus americanus. Two sulfakinin-like sequences were identified within the open-reading frame of the cDNA. Based on modifications predicted by peptide modeling programs, and on homology to the known isoforms of sulfakinin, particularly those from shrimp, the mature H. americanus sulfakinins were hypothesized to be pEFDEY(SO3H)GHMRFamide (Hoa-SK I) and GGGEY(SO3H)DDY(SO3H)GHLRFamide (Hoa-SK II). Hoa-SK I is identical to one of the previously identified shrimp sulfakinins, while Hoa-SK II is a novel isoform. Exogenous application of either synthetic Hoa-SK I or Hoa-SK II to the isolated lobster heart increased both the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous heart contractions. In preparations in which spontaneous contractions were irregular, both peptides increased the regularity of the heartbeat. Our study provides the first molecular characterization of a sulfakinin-encoding cDNA from a crustacean, as well as the first demonstration of bioactivity for native sulfakinins in this group of arthropods

Increased TLR4 Expression and Downstream Cytokine Production in Immunosuppressed Adults Compared to Non-Immunosuppressed Adults

An increasing number of patients have medical conditions with altered host immunity or that require immunosuppressive medications. While immunosuppression is associated with increased risk of infection, the precise effect of immunosuppression on innate immunity is not well understood. We studied monocyte Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression and cytokine production in 137 patients with autoimmune diseases who were maintained on immunosuppressive medications and 419 non-immunosuppressed individuals.Human peripheral blood monocytes were assessed for surface expression of TLRs 1, 2, and 4. After incubation with TLR agonists, in vitro production of the cytokines IL-8, TNFalpha, and MIF were measured by ELISA as a measure of TLR signaling efficiency and downstream effector responsiveness. Immunosuppressed patients had significantly higher TLR4 surface expression when compared to non-immunosuppressed adults (TLR4 %-positive 70.12+/-2.28 vs. 61.72+/-2.05, p = 0.0008). IL-8 and TNF-alpha baseline levels did not differ, but were significantly higher in the autoimmune disease group following TLR stimulation. By contrast, baseline MIF levels were elevated in monocytes from immunosuppressed individuals. By multivariable analyses, IL-8 and TNFalpha, but not MIF levels, were associated with the diagnosis of an underlying autoimmune disease. However, only MIF levels were significantly associated with the use of immunosuppressive medications.Our results reveal that an enhanced innate immune response is a feature of patients with autoimmune diseases treated with immunosuppressive agents. The increased risk for infection evident in this patient group may reflect a dysregulation rather than a simple suppression of innate immunity

Periapical lesions in hominids: Abscesses on the maxilla of a 2 million-year-old early Homo specimen

Periapical lesions can develop after exposure of a tooth's pulp chamber and are commonly associated with heavy crown wear, trauma, or caries. In this study, maxilla and mandible fragments from the South African fossil hominin collections were studied, including specimens assigned to Homo naledi, Paranthropus robustus, Australopithecus africanus, and early Homo. Gorilla gorilla gorilla, Pan troglodytes, and Homo sapiens were also studied for comparative purposes. Only one fossil hominin specimen displayed voids consistent with periapical lesions. The specimen, SK 847, is described as early Homo and has been dated to 2.3–1.65 Ma. There is one definite periapical lesion and likely more with post‐mortem damage, all on the anterior aspect of the maxilla and associated with the incisors. The lesions originate from the apices of the incisor roots and are therefore unlikely to represent a systemic disease such as multiple myeloma. The one well‐preserved lesion was likely an abscess rather than a cyst or granuloma, with a rounded thickened rim around the lesion. These lesions in an early Homo specimen highlight that this individual used their anterior dentition extensively, to the point that the pulp chambers were exposed on multiple teeth. This is one of the earliest hominin examples of periapical lesions and shows that this individual was able to cope with potentially several concurrent abscesses, clearly surviving for an extended period. Periapical lesions are relatively common in the great ape (P. troglodytes: 1.99%; G. gorilla gorilla: 1.86%) and human samples (2.50%) but absent in large samples of P. robustus and A. africanus (n = 0/373 teeth). Therefore, this finding adds additional information to the history of dental pathology in our genus and also suggests that other hominin genera may have been less susceptible to dental abscesses, potentially relating to dietary or behavioural differences

Clinical decision-making: physicians' preferences and experiences

BACKGROUND: Shared decision-making has been advocated; however there are relatively few studies on physician preferences for, and experiences of, different styles of clinical decision-making as most research has focused on patient preferences and experiences. The objectives of this study were to determine 1) physician preferences for different styles of clinical decision-making; 2) styles of clinical decision-making physicians perceive themselves as practicing; and 3) the congruence between preferred and perceived style. In addition we sought to determine physician perceptions of the availability of time in visits, and their role in encouraging patients to look for health information. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. physicians. RESULTS: 1,050 (53% response rate) physicians responded to the survey. Of these, 780 (75%) preferred to share decision-making with their patients, 142 (14%) preferred paternalism, and 118 (11%) preferred consumerism. 87% of physicians perceived themselves as practicing their preferred style. Physicians who preferred their patients to play an active role in decision-making were more likely to report encouraging patients to look for information, and to report having enough time in visits. CONCLUSION: Physicians tend to perceive themselves as practicing their preferred role in clinical decision-making. The direction of the association cannot be inferred from these data; however, we suggest that interventions aimed at promoting shared decision-making need to target physicians as well as patients

Assessment of Medical Students’ Shared Decision-Making in Standardized Patient Encounters

BackgroundShared decision-making, in which physicians and patients openly explore beliefs, exchange information, and reach explicit closure, may represent optimal physician-patient communication. There are currently no universally accepted methods to assess medical students' competence in shared decision-making.ObjectiveTo characterize medical students' shared decision-making with standardized patients (SPs) and determine if students' use of shared decision-making correlates with SP ratings of their communication.DesignRetrospective study of medical students' performance with four SPs.ParticipantsSixty fourth-year medical students.MeasurementsObjective blinded coding of shared decision-making quantified as decision moments (exploration/articulation of perspective, information sharing, explicit closure for a particular decision); SP scoring of communication skills using a validated checklist.ResultsOf 779 decision moments generated in 240 encounters, 312 (40%) met criteria for shared decision-making. All students engaged in shared decision-making in at least two of the four cases, although in two cases 5% and 12% of students engaged in no shared decision-making. The most commonly discussed decision moment topics were medications (n = 98, 31%), follow-up visits (71, 23%), and diagnostic testing (44, 14%). Correlations between the number of decision moments in a case and students' communication scores were low (rho = 0.07 to 0.37).ConclusionsAlthough all students engaged in some shared decision-making, particularly regarding medical interventions, there was no correlation between shared decision-making and overall communication competence rated by the SPs. These findings suggest that SP ratings of students' communication skill cannot be used to infer students' use of shared decision-making. Tools to determine students' skill in shared decision-making are needed

Effects of elevated seawater pCO2 on gene expression patterns in the gills of the green crab, Carcinus maenas

Background: The green crab Carcinus maenas is known for its high acclimation potential to varying environmental abiotic conditions. A high ability for ion and acid-base regulation is mainly based on an efficient regulation apparatus located in gill epithelia. However, at present it is neither known which ion transport proteins play a key role in the acid-base compensation response nor how gill epithelia respond to elevated seawater pCO2 as predicted for the future. In order to promote our understanding of the responses of green crab acid-base regulatory epithelia to high pCO2, Baltic Sea green crabs were exposed to a pCO2 of 400 Pa. Gills were screened for differentially expressed gene transcripts using a 4,462-feature microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Crabs responded mainly through fine scale adjustment of gene expression to elevated pCO2. However, 2% of all investigated transcripts were significantly regulated 1.3 to 2.2-fold upon one-week exposure to CO2 stress. Most of the genes known to code for proteins involved in osmo- and acid-base regulation, as well as cellular stress response, were were not impacted by elevated pCO2. However, after one week of exposure, significant changes were detected in a calcium-activated chloride channel, a hyperpolarization activated nucleotide-gated potassium channel, a tetraspanin, and an integrin. Furthermore, a putative syntaxin-binding protein, a protein of the transmembrane 9 superfamily, and a Cl-/HCO3 - exchanger of the SLC 4 family were differentially regulated. These genes were also affected in a previously published hypoosmotic acclimation response study. Conclusions: The moderate, but specific response of C. maenas gill gene expression indicates that (1) seawater acidification does not act as a strong stressor on the cellular level in gill epithelia; (2) the response to hypercapnia is to some degree comparable to a hypoosmotic acclimation response; (3) the specialization of each of the posterior gill arches might go beyond what has been demonstrated up to date; and (4) a re-configuration of gill epithelia might occur in response to hypercapnia