Aging is associated with an earlier arrival of reflected waves without a distal shift in reflection sites

Background-Despite pronounced increases in central pulse wave velocity (PWV) with aging, reflected wave transit time (RWTT), traditionally defined as the timing of the inflection point (T-INF) in the central pressure waveform, does not appreciably decrease, leading to the controversial proposition of a "distal-shift" of reflection sites. T-INF, however, is exceptionally prone to measurement error and is also affected by ejection pattern and not only by wave reflection. We assessed whether RWTT, assessed by advanced pressure-flow analysis, demonstrates the expected decline with aging. Methods and Results-We studied a sample of unselected adults without cardiovascular disease (n=48; median age 48 years) and a clinical population of older adults with suspected/established cardiovascular disease (n=164; 61 years). We measured central pressure and flow with carotid tonometry and phase-contrast MRI, respectively. We assessed RWTT using wave-separation analysis (RWTTWSA) and partially distributed tube-load (TL) modeling (RWTTTL). Consistent with previous reports, T-INF did not appreciably decrease with age despite pronounced increases in PWV in both populations. However, aging was associated with pronounced decreases in RWTTWSA (general population -15.0 ms/decade, P<0.001; clinical population -9.07 ms/decade, P=0.003) and RWTTTL (general -15.8 ms/decade, P<0.001; clinical -11.8 ms/decade, P<0.001). There was no evidence of an increased effective reflecting distance by either method. TINF was shown to reliably represent RWTT only under highly unrealistic assumptions about input impedance. Conclusions-RWTT declines with age in parallel with increased PWV, with earlier effects of wave reflections and without a distal shift in reflecting sites. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the role of wave reflections with aging

Conceptual Design of a Combat Search and Rescue Surveillance Unmanned Aerial Aircraft

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are becoming more efficient and widely used. The military uses UAV’s because it greatly reduces civilian and combatant deaths and injuries. UAV’s also are used in search and rescue mission to find distress civilians. The team wanted to create an UAV for search and rescue missions and military applications. The aircraft needed to be compact, perform better than other UAV’s, and be low cost. The team did reach a successful aircraft that meet the design requirements. The aircraft was successfully sized around the electronics and allows utilization of additive manufacturing techniques. Project management techniques showed that with utilization of Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) chart, the team managed to specifically outline the scope of the project with very limited time

Avaliação de acessos de Centrosema pubescens em regiões secas do estado de Zulia, Venezuela

Se evaluaron veinticinco accesiones de Centrosema pubescens, dos de Centrosema acutifolium y una de Centrosema brasilianum, en cuanto a adaptación, producción de materia seca (DMP), contenido de proteína cruda (CP), digestibilidad de materia orgánica in vitro (IVOMD), características de crecimiento y pureza. producción de semillas, en dos regiones del estado Zulia, Venezuela: “El Laberinto” (franco arenoso Alfisol; precipitación anual de 971 mm; bosque tropical seco), y “La Cañada” (franco arenoso Aridisol; precipitación anual de 600 mm; tropical muy seco bosque). Las accesiones se plantaron en un diseño de bloques completamente al azar, con tres repeticiones. Las evaluaciones se realizaron cada 12 semanas tanto durante la estación lluviosa (RS) como en la estación seca (DS). En “El Laberinto” se destacaron las accesiones de C. pubescens 15 160, 5 169, 5 627, 15 133, 438, 5 167, 5 189, 15 872 y 15 144, con un DMP de 12,96 a 9,84 t / ha. CP fue 18,76% en DS y 21,41% en RS. Inversamente, el IVMOD fue mayor durante el DS (56%) que en el RS (46,6%). En “La Cañada”, C. pubescens 15 150 presentó el mayor DMP con 13,5 t / ha, seguido por C. acutifolium 5 568, C. pubescens 15 144 y 15 160 con 10,4, 10,32 y 10,24 t / ha, respectivamente. La CP fue del 16,74% en DS y del 18,73% en RS. Nuevamente, el IVMOD fue mayor en DS (54,5%) que en RS (53,74%). C. pubescens 15 160, 5 167, 5 169 y 5 189 son las accesiones más prometedoras para “El Laberinto” y C. pubescens 15 150, 15 160, 15 144, 5 627 y C. acutifolium 5 568 para “La Cañada ”.Twenty five accessions of Centrosema pubescens, two of Centrosema acutifolium, and one of Centrosema brasilianum, were evaluated for adaptation, dry matter production (DMP), crude protein (CP) content, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), growth characteristics and pure seed production, in two regions of Zulia State, Venezuela: “El Laberinto” (sandy loam Alfisol ; annual rainfall of 971mm; dry tropical forest), and “La Cañada”(sandy loam Aridisol; annual rainfall of 600 mm; very dry tropical forest). The accessions were planted in a completly randomized block design, with three replications. Evaluations were made every 12 weeks during both rainy (RS) and dry season (DS). At “El Laberinto” the C. pubescens accessions 15 160, 5 169, 5 627, 15 133, 438, 5 167, 5 189, 15 872, and 15 144 were outstanding, with DMP ranging from 12.96 to 9.84 t/ha. CP was 18.76% in DS, and 21.41% in RS. Inversely, IVMOD was higher during the DS (56%) than in the RS (46.6%). At “La Cañada”, C. pubescens 15 150 had the highest DMP with 13.5 t/ha, followed by C. acutifolium 5 568, C. pubescens 15 144 and 15 160 with 10.4, 10.32, and 10.24 t/ha, respectively. CP was 16.74% in DS, and 18.73% in RS. Again, IVMOD was higher in DS (54.5%) than in RS (53.74%). C. pubescens 15 160, 5 167, 5 169 y 5 189 are the most promising accessions for “El Laberinto” and C. pubescens 15 150, 15 160, 15 144, 5 627, and C. acutifolium 5 568 for “La Cañada”.Vinte e cinco acessos de Centrosema pubescens, dois de Centrosema acutifolium e um de Centrosema brasilianum foram avaliados quanto à adaptação, produção de matéria seca (DMP), teor de proteína bruta (PB), digestibilidade in vitro da matéria orgânica (DIVMO), características de crescimento e pureza produção de sementes, em duas regiões do estado de Zulia, Venezuela: “El Laberinto” (Alfisol franco-arenoso; precipitação anual de 971 mm; floresta tropical seca) e “La Cañada” (Aridisol franco-arenoso; precipitação anual de 600 mm; tropical muito seco floresta). Os acessos foram plantados em delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições. As avaliações foram feitas a cada 12 semanas durante a estação chuvosa (RS) e seca (DS). Em “El Laberinto” os acessos de C. pubescens 15 160, 5 169, 5 627, 15 133, 438, 5 167, 5 189, 15 872 e 15 144 foram excelentes, com DMP variando de 12,96 a 9,84 t / ha. CP foi de 18,76% no DS e 21,41% no RS. Inversamente, o IVMOD foi maior no SD (56%) do que no RS (46,6%). Em “La Cañada”, C. pubescens 15 150 teve o maior DMP com 13,5 t / ha, seguido por C. acutifolium 5 568, C. pubescens 15 144 e 15 160 com 10,4, 10,32 e 10,24 t / ha, respectivamente. CP foi de 16,74% no DS e 18,73% no RS. Novamente, o IVMOD foi maior no DS (54,5%) do que no RS (53,74%). C. pubescens 15 160, 5 167, 5 169 e 5 189 são os acessos mais promissores para “El Laberinto” e C. pubescens 15 150, 15 160, 15 144, 5 627 e C. acutifolium 5 568 para “La Cañada ”

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory

The Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO) is aiming at the detection of the high energy (around 100 GeV) component of Gamma Ray Bursts, using the single particle technique in arrays of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) in high mountain sites (Chacaltaya, Bolivia, 5300 m a.s.l., Pico Espejo, Venezuela, 4750 m a.s.l., Sierra Negra, Mexico, 4650 m a.s.l). WCD at high altitude offer a unique possibility of detecting low gamma fluxes in the 10 GeV - 1 TeV range. The status of the Observatory and data collected from 2007 to date will be presented.Comment: 4 pages, proceeding of 31st ICRC 200

Associations between sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk and exposure to residential indoor air pollutants in healthy adults in Perth, Western Australia: A study protocol

© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Background: A growing body of epidemiological and clinical evidence has implicated air pollution as an emerging risk factor for cardiometabolic disease. Whilst individuals spend up to two-thirds of daily time in their domestic residential environment, very few studies have been designed to objectively measure the sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk with exposure to domestic indoor air pollutants. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate associations between the components of domestic indoor air quality and selected sub-clinical cardiometabolic risk factors in a cohort of healthy adults living in Perth,Western Australia. Methods: One hundred and eleven non-smoking adults (65% female) living in non-smoking households who were aged between 35-69 years were recruited for the project. Study subjects were invited to participate in all sections of the study, which included: Domestic indoor air monitoring along with the concurrent 24 h ambulatory monitoring of peripheral and central blood pressure and measures of central hemodynamic indices, standardized questionnaires on aspects relating to current health status and the domestic environment, a 24 h time-activity diary during the monitoring period, and clinic-based health assessment involving collection of blood and urine biomarkers for lipid and glucose profiles, as well as measures of renal function and an analysis of central pulse wave and pulse wave velocity. Results: This study provides a standardized approach to the study of sub-clinical cardiometabolic health effects that are related to the exposure to indoor air pollution. Conclusion: The findings of this study may provide direction for future research that will further contribute to our understanding of the relationship that exists between indoor air pollution and sub-clinical markers of cardiometabolic risk

Water Cherenkov Detectors response to a Gamma Ray Burst in the Large Aperture GRB Observatory

In order to characterise the behaviour of Water Cherenkov Detectors (WCD) under a sudden increase of 1 GeV - 1 TeV background photons from a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB), simulations were conducted and compared to data acquired by the WCD of the Large Aperture GRB Observatory (LAGO). The LAGO operates arrays of WCD at high altitude to detect GRBs using the single particle technique. The LAGO sensitivity to GRBs is derived from the reported simulations of the gamma initiated particle showers in the atmosphere and the WCD response to secondaries.Comment: 5 pages, proceeding of the 31st ICRC 200

Human fertilization: epididymal hCRISP1 mediates sperm zona pellucida binding through its interaction with ZP3

Human epididymal CRISP1 (hCRISP1) associates with sperm during maturation and participates in gamete fusion through egg complementary sites. Its homology with both rodent epididymal CRISP1 and CRISP4 reported to participate in the previous stage of sperm binding to the zona pellucida (ZP), led us to further investigate the functional role of hCRISP1 by studying its involvement in human sperm-ZP interaction. Human hemizona (HZ) were inseminated with human capacitated sperm in the presence of either anti-hCRISP1 polyclonal antibody to inhibit sperm hCRISP1, or bacterially-expressed hCRISP1 (rec-hCRISP1) to block putative hCRISP1 binding sites in the ZP. Results revealed that both anti-hCRISP1 and rec-hCRISP1 produced a significant inhibition in the number of sperm bound per HZ compared with the corresponding controls. The finding that neither anti-hCRISP1 nor rec-hCRISP1 affected capacitation-associated events (i.e. sperm motility, protein tyrosine phosphorylation or acrosome reaction) supports a specific inhibition at the sperm?egg interaction level. Moreover, immunofluorescence experiments using human ZP-intact eggs revealed the presence of complementary sites for hCRISP1 in the ZP. To identify the ligand of hCRISP1 in the ZP, human recombinant proteins ZP2, ZP3 and ZP4 expressed in insect cells were co-incubated with hCRISP1 and protein?protein interaction was analyzed by ELISA. Results revealed that rec-hCRISP1 mainly interacted with ZP3 in a dose-dependent and saturable manner, supporting the specificity of this interaction. Altogether, these results indicate that hCRISP1 is a multifunctional protein involved notonly in sperm?egg fusion but also in the previous stage of sperm?ZP binding through its specific interaction with human ZP3.Fil: Maldera, Julieta Antonella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina. Heidelberg University. Center for Molecular Biology; AlemaniaFil: Weigel Muñoz, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Chirinos, M.. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Busso, Dolores. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Chile. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Raffo, F. G. E.. Centro Médico Fertilab; ArgentinaFil: Battistone, Maria Agustina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Blaquier, J. A.. Centro Médico Fertilab; ArgentinaFil: Larrea, F.. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiran; MéxicoFil: Cuasnicu, Patricia Sara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentin

EL BENCHMARKING Y LA AUDITORÍA DE GESTIÓN EN LAS SECRETARÍAS GENERALES DE LAS UNIVERSIDADES

La investigación que soporta el presente artículo tuvo como propósito analizar el fundamento metodológico del benchmarking como herramienta de auditoría de gestión aplicable en las Secretarias Generales de las Universidades. La investigación se enmarca dentro del enfoque cualitativo, de carácter descriptivo. De las unidades de estudio se seleccionaron siete (07) informantes clave, adscritos a las Secretarias Generales y Unidades de Auditoría Interna de la: UCLA, UNEXPO, UPEL y UFT. Para la recolección de la información se utilizó la entrevista semiestructurada y a profundidad. La técnica de análisis de la información, partiendo de la categorización (ordenamiento) y análisis de los datos, así como la comparación con los resultados de investigaciones existentes sobre la temática objeto de estudio, permitió captar aspectos importantes, detalles, accionar y matices expresados por los entrevistados en relación con los procesos de planificación, estructura de control, alcances operativos y estrategia de gestión del benchmarking como herramienta de auditoría de gestión. Entre los hallazgos importantes encontrados, extraídos de los relatos originarios se reseña lo siguiente: El benchmarking se manifiesta en términos conceptuales y se entiende su importancia como práctica que promueve la evaluación comparativa. Otro aspecto relevante es que la gestión universitaria debe hacer énfasis en el desarrollo de auditorías de gestión con una clara estructura de control a fin de verificar la utilización de cada uno de los recursos asignados, este proceso viene a configurar una detección de los niveles de eficiencia y eficacia, en concordancia y aseguramiento de las disposiciones legales y normativa interna de cada una de las instituciones sujetas a investigación