Mandibular Advancement for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Dose Effect on Apnea, Long-Term Use and Tolerance

Background: Previous studies have documented an effect of mandibular advancement (MA) on pharyngeal airway size and collapsibility. Objectives: We aimed to describe the course of the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the snoring index (SI) during progressive MA and to evaluate the long-term efficacy, tolerance and usage of MA therapy after progressive MA titration in sleep apnea patients. Methods: Sixty-six patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome underwent sequential sleep recordings during progressive MA titration. Long-term effectiveness, compliance and side effects of oral appliance (OA) in the titrated position were evaluated by questionnaires. Results: OA therapy was started at 80% of the maximum MA. Seventy percent of the patients had only one increment in MA with a marked decrease in mean AHI from 36 to 10. In the remaining cases, further increments in MA were associated with a progressive reduction in AHI and an increase in the number of patients responding to treatment. OA in the titrated position resulted in a 70% decrease in AHI, with 54% of patients showing complete responses, 29% partial responses and 17% no response. Daytime sleepiness and quality of life improved, too. Seventeen months after the start of treatment, 82% of the patients declared that they were still using OA almost all nights. Reported side effects including subjective occlusal changes were frequent but mild. Conclusions: Improvement in AHI during OA is dependent on the amount of MA. Sequential sleep recordings facilitate MA titration. Long-term MA therapy in the titrated position is effective and well tolerated. Reported side effects are frequent but mild

APPLICATION DE LA THEORIE DE L'ABLATION A LA COMBUSTION DES PROPERGOLS SOLIDES COMPOSITES

On propose une théorie de la combustion des poudres à base de perchlorate d'ammonium en considérant une réaction de surface limitative de la vitesse d'ablation. L'état adsorbé des réactifs gazeux engendrés par la pyrolyse du propergol introduit l'influence de la pression. On rend compte ainsi des diverses lois observées en fonction de la pression, de la composition, etc...We present a theory of ammonium perchlorate propellant combustion, on the basis of a surface reaction as limiting process of the ablation rate. The adsorbed state of gaseous reagents, generated by pyrolysis, introduces the influence of pressure. Thus, we account for the role of pressure, composition, etc..

A posteriori hazard analysis and feedback information of an accidental event in the grains storage of an agrochemical product

The present study concerns a hazardous event which occurred in an industrial storage tank of a ground insecticide. A preliminary post-accident approach of the hazard evaluation is performed. The rapid report of the presence of an unstable functional group in the active product and of its potential thermal instability (CHETAH indices) has led to complete this examination by an experimental study of thermal analysis using isotherm exposition measurement (DTA) or with temperature programming by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and oxidability tests (BAM). The apparent kinetics of decomposition of the active matter of the ground insecticide has been represented by a global Arrhenius law. A model designed for the simulation of heterogeneous thermal runaways based on the numerical solution of the transient mass and energy balances has been further applied to define the critical conditions of the storage and simulate its behavior. The results obtained during this analysis with the experienced feedback allowed us on one side to explain the hazardous event and especially on the other side to modify the operating protocol of the conditions of formulation of the active matter on the inert mineral support. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Quantitative trait loci associated with soybean seed weight and composition under different phosphorus levels

PubMedID: 29131514Seed size and composition are important traits in food crops and can be affected by nutrient availability in the soil. Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable, essential macronutrient, and P deficiency limits soybean (Glycine max) yield and quality. To investigate the associations of seed traits in low- and high-P environments, soybean recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross of cultivars Fiskeby III and Mandarin (Ottawa) were grown under contrasting P availability environments. Traits including individual seed weight, seed number, and intact mature pod weight were significantly affected by soil P levels and showed transgressive segregation among the RILs. Surprisingly, P treatments did not affect seed composition or weight, suggesting that soybean maintains sufficient P in seeds even in low-P soil. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected for seed weight, intact pods, seed volume, and seed protein, with five significant QTLs identified in low-P environments and one significant QTL found in the optimal-P environment. Broad-sense heritability estimates were 0.78 (individual seed weight), 0.90 (seed protein), 0.34 (seed oil), and 0.98 (seed number). The QTLs identified under low P point to genetic regions that may be useful to improve soybean performance under limiting P conditions. © 2017 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of SciencesNational Science Foundation: IOS-1444456, IOS-1031416We would like to thank John Baier for NIRS technical assistance. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation grants IOS-1031416 and IOS-1444456 as well as sabbatical leave funding from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Common functions or only phylogenetically related? The large family of PLAC8 motif-containing/PCR genes

PLAC8 motif-containing proteins form a large family and members can be found in fungi, algae, higher plants and animals. They include the PCR proteins of plants. The name giving PLAC8 domain was originally found in a protein residing in the spongiotrophoblast layer of the placenta of mammals. A further motif found in a large number of these proteins including several PCR proteins is the CCXXXXCPC or CLXXXXCPC motif. Despite their wide distribution our knowledge about the function of these proteins is very limited. For most of them two membrane-spanning α-helices are predicted, indicating that they are membrane associated or membrane intrinsic proteins. In plants PLAC8 motif-containing proteins have been described to be implicated in two very different functions. On one hand, it has been shown that they are involved in the determination of fruit size and cell number. On the other hand, two members of this family, AtPCR1 and AtPCR2 play an important role in transport of heavy metals such as cadmium or zinc. Transport experiments and approaches to model the 3_D structure of these proteins indicate that they could act as transporters for these divalent cations by forming homomultimers. In this minireview we discuss the present knowledge about this protein family and try to give an outlook on how to integrate the different proposed functions into a common picture about the role of PLAC8 motif-containing proteins

A View to the Future: Ultraviolet Studies of the Solar System

We discuss the status of ultraviolet knowledge of Solar System objects. We begin with a short historical survey, followed by a review of knowledge gathered so far and of existing observational assets. The survey indicates that UV observations, along with data collected in other spectral bands, are necessary and in some cases essential to understand the nature of our neighbors in the Solar System. By extension, similar observations are needed to explore the nature of extrasolar planets, to support or reject astro-biology arguments, and to compose and test scenarios for the formation and evolution of planetary systems. We propose a set of observations, describing first the necessary instrumental capabilitites to collect these and outlining what would be the expected scientific return. We identify two immediate programmatic requirements: the establishment of a mineralogic database in the ultraviolet for the characterization of planetary, ring, satellite, and minor planet surfaces, and the development and deployment of small orbital solar radiation monitors. The first would extend the methods of characterizing surfaces of atmosphere-less bodies by adding the UV segment. The latter are needed to establish a baseline against which contemporaneous UV observations of Solar System objects must be compared. We identify two types of UV missions, one appropriate for a two-meter-class telescope using almost off-the-shelf technology that could be launched in the next few years, and another for a much larger (5--20 meter class) instrument that would provide the logical follow-up after a decade of utilizing the smaller facility

The MEK Kinase Ssk2p Promotes Actin Cytoskeleton Recovery After Osmotic Stress

Saccharomyces cerevisiae adapts to osmotic stress through the activation of a conserved high-osmolarity growth (HOG) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. Transmission through the HOG pathway is very well understood, yet other aspects of the cellular response to osmotic stress remain poorly understood, most notably regulation of actin organization. The actin cytoskeleton rapidly disassembles in response to osmotic insult and is induced to reassemble only after osmotic balance with the environment is reestablished. Here, we show that one of three MEK kinases of the HOG pathway, Ssk2p, is specialized to facilitate actin cytoskeleton reassembly after osmotic stress. Within minutes of cells' experiencing osmotic stress or catastrophic disassembly of the actin cytoskeleton through latrunculin A treatment, Ssk2p concentrates in the neck of budding yeast cells and concurrently forms a 1:1 complex with actin. These observations suggest that Ssk2p has a novel, previously undescribed function in sensing damage to the actin cytoskeleton. We also describe a second function for Ssk2p in facilitating reassembly of a polarized actin cytoskeleton at the end of the cell cycle, a prerequisite for efficient cell cycle completion. Loss of Ssk2p, its kinase activity, or its ability to localize and interact with actin led to delays in actin recovery and a resulting delay in cell cycle completion. These unique capabilities of Ssk2p are activated by a novel mechanism that does not involve known components of the HOG pathway