A Preliminary Discussion of the Kinematics of BHB and RR Lyrae Stars near the North Galactic Pole

The radial velocity dispersion of 67 RR Lyrae variable and blue horizontal branch (BHB) stars that are more than 4 kpc above the galactic plane at the North Galactic Pole is 110 km/sec and shows no trend with Z (the height above the galactic plane). Nine stars with Z < 4 kpc show a smaller velocity dispersion (40 +/-9 km/sec) as is to be expected if they mostly belong to a population with a flatter distribution. Both RR Lyrae stars and BHB stars show evidence of stream motion; the most significant is in fields RR2 and RR3 where 24 stars in the range 4.0 < Z < 11.0 kpc have a mean radial velocity of -59 +/- 16 km/sec. Three halo stars in field RR 2 appear to be part of a moving group with a common radial velocity of -90 km/sec. The streaming phenomenon therefore occurs over a range of spatial scales. The BHB and RR Lyrae stars in our sample both have a similar range of metallicity (-1.2 < [Fe/H] < -2.2). Proper motions of BHB stars in fields SA 57 (NGP) and the Anticenter field (RR 7) (both of which lie close to the meridional plane of the Galaxy) show that the stars that have Z 4 kpc have a Galactic V motion that is < -200 km/sec and which is characteristic of the halo. Thus the stars that have a flatter distribution are really halo stars and not members of the metal-weak thick-disk.Comment: Accepted for publication in the March 1996 AJ. 15 pages, AASTeX V4.0 latex format (including figures), 2 eps figures, 2 separate AASTeX V4.0 latex table

A Successful Portable Computer Lab Training Program

Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Pennsylvania Farm Credit System joined forces to fund a portable computer laboratory. A simplified lab management procedure allowed Extension agents to offer 33 computer operation workshops for 300 participants at minimal participant cost. Participants indicated their future use of computers would focus on farm financial, crop, and livestock management. Although considerable competence was gained, more than 50% viewed themselves with poor to moderate computer skills at the end of the workshops. The lab has enabled agents to contact a preciously under-served population as 54% of the participants had not attended any Extension workshops in the previous year

Convergent synthesis of a steroidal antiestrogen-mitomycin C hybrid using “click” chemistry

A convergent synthesis of a novel estrogen receptor-targeted drug hybrid was developed based on structures of the potent anti-proliferative mitomycin C and the steroidal anti-estrogen RU 39411. The steroidal antiestrogen was prepared with an azido-triethylene glycoloxy linker while the mitomycin C derivative (porfirimycin) incorporated a complementary 7-N-terminal alkyne. The two components were ligated using the Huisgen [3 + 2] cycloaddition (“click”) reaction. Preliminary biological assays demonstrated that the final hybrid compound retained both potent anti-estrogenic and anti-proliferative activities.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant PHS 5R01 CA 086061-09

Multiple sediment incorporation events in a continental magmatic arc: Insight from the metasedimentary rocks of the northern North Cascades, Washington (USA)

The rheology and composition of arc crust and the overall evolution of continental magmatic arcs can be affected by sediment incorporation events. The exhumed Cretaceous–Eocene North Cascades arc exposes abundant meta­ sedimentary rocks that were incorporated into the arc during multiple events. This study uses field relationships, detrital zircon geochronology, bulk rock geo­ chemistry, geothermometry, and quartz­in­garnet geobarometry to distinguish approximate contacts and emplacement depths for different metasedimentary units to better understand their protolith incorporation history and impact on the arc. The Skagit Gneiss Complex is one of the main deep crustal units of the North Cascades arc. It includes metasedimentary rocks with distinct detrital zircon signatures: Proterozoic–Cretaceous (Group 1) or Triassic–Cretaceous (Group 2) zircon populations. Both metasedimentary groups achieved near­ peak metamorphic conditions of 640–800 °C and 5.5–7.9 kbar; several Group 2 samples reveal the higher pressures. A third group of metasedimentary rocks, which was previously interpreted as metamorphosed equivalents of backarc sediments (Group 3), exhibited unimodal Triassic or bimodal Late Jurassic– Early Cretaceous detrital zircon signatures and achieved near­peak conditions of 570–700 °C and 8.7–10.5 kbar. The combined field and analytical data indi­ cate that protoliths of Group 1 and Group 2 metasedimentary rocks were successively deposited in a forearc basin and underthrusted into the arc as a relatively coherent body. Group 3 backarc sediments were incorporated into the arc along a transpressional step­over zone. The incorporation of both forearc and backarc sediments was likely facilitated by arc magmatism that weakened arc crust in combination with regional transpression

Association between adiponectin and heart failure risk in the Physicians' Health Study

Limited data are available on the association between adiponectin and incident heart failure. In the current ancillary study to the Physicians' Health Study, we used a prospective nested-case control design to examine whether plasma adiponectin concentration was related to the risk of heart failure. We selected 787 incident heart failure cases and 787 matched controls for the current analysis. Each control was selected using a risk set sampling technique at the time of the occurrence of the index case and matched on year of birth, age at blood collection, and race. Adiponectin was measured using ELISA. Heart failure occurrence was self-reported in annual follow-up questionnaire. Validation of self-reported heart failure in this cohort has been published. The mean age was 58.7 years. In a conditional logistic regression adjusting for age, race, time of blood collection, year of birth, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, smoking, alcohol intake, and exercise, estimates of the relative risk (95% confidence interval) were 1.0 (ref), 0.74 (0.53–1.04), 0.67 (0.48–0.94), 0.70 (0.50–0.99), and 0.92 (0.65–1.30) from the lowest to the highest quintile of adiponectin, respectively, p for quadratic trend 0.004. Additional adjustment for potential mediating factors including diabetes, C-reactive protein, and body mass index led to the attenuation of the estimate of effect [1.0 (ref), 0.81 (0.57–1.15), 0.75 (0.53–1.06), 0.83 (0.58–1.18), and 1.26 (0.87–1.81) across consecutive quintiles of adiponectin]. Our data are consistent with a J-shaped association between total adiponectin and the risk of heart failure among US male physicians

Improvement of Bioenergetics Model Predictions for Fish Undergoing Compensatory Growth

A previous evaluation of a bioenergetics model applied to juvenile hybrid sunfish (F1 hybrid of female green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus × male bluegill L. macrochirus) undergoing compensatory growth (CG) indicated that the model substantially overestimated growth and underestimated cumulative consumption. This result suggested that fish bioenergetics models might not adequately account for physiological shifts that occur during CG. However, we demonstrate that application of a recently developed procedure for correcting consumption- and growth-rate-dependent systematic errors common among bioenergetics models negates much of the predictive error that had been attributed to the physiological complexities of CG. Correction equations for estimating the model-relative growth rate error (predicted less observed; g · g−1 · d−1) from the observed mean daily consumption rate (g · g−1 · d−1) and the consumption rate error (predicted less observed; g · g−1 · d−1) from the observed relative growth rate (g · g−1 · d−1) were derived by applying linear regression analysis to data from individual hybrid sunfish not undergoing CG. These independently generated correction equations significantly improved model predictions of growth and cumulative consumption for three groups of fish undergoing CG at one temperature near their growth optimum. The findings indicate that the high consumption and growth rates characteristic of fish undergoing CG merely amplify the consumption- and growth-rate-dependent errors inherent in bioenergetics models and that model predictions for fish undergoing CG can be significantly improved through application of the correction procedure

Estabilidad térmica de aislamientos del virus de la estomatitis vesicular serotipos New Jersey e Indiana (Estudios preliminares).

20 cepas del virus de la estomatitis Vesicular, 14 del serotipo New Jersey y 6 del serotipo Indiana fueron expuestos a temperaturas de 40, 45 y 50°C y se les determinó el porcentaje de inactivación de infectividad y de fijación del complemento; en Ia mayoría de los casos a cada una de estas temperaturas aparecen constantes los porcentajes de inactivación. La infectividad y la capacidad fijadora del complemento fueron inactivadas a diferentes porcentajes sugiriendo que están involucrados diferentes componentes del virus. En general cepas de alta o baja termoestabilidad a una temperatura determinada muestran el mismo comportamiento a otras temperaturas. Algunas cepas que fueron termostables en su infectividad lo fueron también en su actividad fijadora del complemento. El promedio de los tiempos medios de vida de los aislamientos Indiana (tres replicas en cada aislamiento) a 40°C (154 minutos) fue más corto que aquel para aislamiento del serotipo New Jersey (223 mm). Sin embargo, a 45°C el periodo de vida media de los aislamientos de ambos serotipos fue similar (44-50 minutos). A 50°C los aislamientos serotipo Indiana tuvieron una vida media de 8.8 minutos y los aislamientos serotipo New Jersey de 18,2 minutos. Entre los aislamientos New Jersey fueron más resistentes a la temperatura aquellos de alta virulencia para ratón, que aquellos de baja virulencia. Entre los aislamientos del serotipo Indiana no se halló ninguna diferencia. Las mayores diferencias observadas entre capas de serotipo New Jersey se obtuvieron a 500,C. Los estudios de termoestabilidad si se usan junto con otras características puede ayudar a distinguir cepas de campo de La Estomatitis Vesicular.Fourteen strains of N.J. and 6 strains of In exposed to temperature of 40 C, 45 C and 50 C and the rate inactivation of infectivity and complement fixing activity measured over time. In most instances at all these temperature rates of inactivation appeared to be constant; however, infectivity and complement fixing activity were inactivated at different rates suggesting that different components of the virus were involved. Generally strains of high thermostability or low thermostability at a given temperature showed the same behavior at other temperatures. However, some strains that were thermostable for infectivity were thermostable for complement fixing activity. The mean of the half life time of Ind isolates (three replicates of each isolate) at 40 C (154 minutes) was shorter than the mean of the half life time for N.J. isolates (223 minutes). However, at 45 C the half life period of Ind and N.J. were similar (44 to 50 minutes). At 50 C Ind isolates had a half life time of 8.8 minutes and N.J. isolates 18.2. Among N.J. isolates strains of high virulence for mice were more thermoresistant than those of low virulence. No difference was found among Ind isolates. The greatest difference observed between strains of N.J. virus was obtained at 50 C. Thermostability, if used with other characteristics, can help to distinguish field strains of VSV.Ganado de doble propósito-Ganaderia doble proposit

Respuesta de ratones a la infección por el virus de la estomatitis vesicular serotipos New Jersey e Indiana.

Se estudió Ia virulencia de 14 cepas de New Jersey y 6 de Indiana del virus de Ia estomatitis V vesicular en ratón. Ratones albinos suizos (3-21 y 40 días de edad) inoculados con Los aislamientos fueron sometidos a observación, determinándose: título, periodo de incubación, tango en los periodos de mortalidad y tiempos mínimos de muerte en Ia dosis mínima letal. Los animales jóvenes (21 días) desarrollaron encefalitis, mielitis o ambos. Terminando en muerte después de Ia inoculación intracerebral con aislamientos de cualquier serotipo. Una relación directa de títulos se encontró dentro de los aislamientos Indiana y New Jersey en ratones lactantes y adultos inoculados vía intracerebral. Entre los aislamientos Indiana se observó una relación directa con los periodos de incubación. Los otros marcadores (1MM y RPM) no se relacionaron con el título en ratones. Lo anterior hizo posible agrupar los aislamientos de ambos serotipos de acuerdo a virulencia para ratones, basados en título. Ninguno de los marcadores seleccionados como medida de virulencia en ratón (titulo, PIN, TMM y RPM) se relacionó con virulencia para bovinos. medido por Ia prevalencia de la enfermedad en el hato o con virulencia para cultivo de células, medida por título en placa. La predilección del virus de La Estomatitis Vesicular por el sistema nervioso en ratones y por el tejido epitelial en bovinos, puede explicar Ia falta de relación de virulencia en cada especie.The virulence of fourteen New Jersey and six Indiana isolates were studied in mice. Swiss albino mice (three, twenty-one and forty days old) inoculated with the isolates were observed for titer, incubation period, range in the mortality period and mean death time at the minimum lethal dose. Weanling mice developed encephalitis, myelitis or both, ending in death after an intracerebral inoculation of either serotype. A direct relationship was found between the titers of N.J. and md. isolates in adult and suckling mice intracerebrally inoculated. Among Indiana isolates a relationship was also found to incubation period. The other markers MDI and RMP did not relate to titer in mice: It was possible to group isolates of both serotypes according to virulence for mice based on titer. None of the markers selected as a measurement of virulence in mice (titer, INP, MDT and RMP) were related to virulence for cattle, as measured by prevalence of the disease in herd or to virulence for cell culture, measured in plaque titer. The predilection of VSV for the nervous system of mice and the epithelium tissue of cattle may explain the lack of relationship of virulence in each species.Ganado de doble propósito-Ganaderia doble proposit

Percutaneous mechanical circulatory support and survival in patients resuscitated from Out of Hospital cardiac arrest: A study from the CARES surveillance group

INTRODUCTION: Maintenance of cardiac function is required for successful outcome after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Cardiac function can be augmented using a mechanical circulatory support (MCS) device, most commonly an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) or Impella®. OBJECTIVE: Our objective is to assess whether the use of a MCS is associated with improved survival in patients resuscitated from OHCA in Michigan. METHODS: We matched cardiac arrest cases during 2014-2017 from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) in Michigan and the Michigan Inpatient Database (MIDB) using probabilistic linkage. Multilevel logistic regression tested the association between MCS and the primary outcome of survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS: A total of 3790 CARES cases were matched with the MIDB and 1131 (29.8%) survived to hospital discharge. A small number were treated with MCS, an IABP (n = 183) or Impella® (n = 50). IABP use was associated with an improved outcome (unadjusted OR = 2.16, 95%CI [1.59, 2.93]), while use of Impella® approached significance (OR = 1.72, 95% CI [0.96, 3.06]). Use of MCS was associated with improved outcome (unadjusted OR = 2.07, 95% CI [1.55, 2.77]). In a multivariable model, MCS use was no longer independently associated with improved outcome (OR(adj) = 0.95, 95% CI [0.69, 1.31]). In the subset of subjects with cardiogenic shock (N = 725), MCS was associated with improved survival in univariate (unadjusted OR = 1.84, 95% CI [1.24, 2.73]) but not multi-variable modeling (OR(adj) = 1.14, 95% CI [0.74, 1.77]). CONCLUSION: Use of MCS was infrequent in patients resuscitated from OHCA and was not independently associated with improvement in post arrest survival after adjusting for covariates