Kim Jensen Interview 2017

Kim Jensen, interviewed by Alex Bell, Damon Solomos, Gabriel Yanez, and Jack Nordby, Western Oregon University Oral Histories, Hamersly Library, Western Oregon University, November 1, 2017

The sorted nodes in leveled DAG division algorithm and critical path on processor

Scheduling Algorithms, mostly List based static algorithms are considered for HDCS. Based on the algorithms, SNLDD, HEFT, CPOP, and implementation of SNLDD with Superior Performance Optimization Procedure are studied. In this paper, the outcome performance of the developed SNLDD algorithm is correlated with current existing algorithms mainly for HeDCSs. The comparative study between the proposed SNLDD algorithm with modified optimization procedure SPOP and HEFT with CPOP are evaluated based on the schedule length, speedup, efficiency of running programs and quality parameters with respect to memory in parallel computer systems has achieved a high speed up and fast execution time by SNLDD

Advancing the Development of the Magneto-Active Slosh Control (MaSC) System for Spacecraft and Launch Vehicles

The Magneto-Active Propellant Management Device (MAPMD) system is designed to address safety hazards in liquid-propellant spaceflight caused by sloshing. This innovative system of Magneto-Active Slosh Control surpasses traditional passive slosh baffles by reducing mass, improving surface wave suppression, and minimizing volumetric intrusion (Santhanam 2012). In prior fight experiments conducted in collaboration between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Carthage College, remnant slosh suppression was observed, however the effective slosh damping did not meet our expectations due to inadequate control forces. We are redesigning the magnetic membrane with multiple layers of ultrahigh-permeability metallic glass film and are developing an optimized configuration of current-carrying coils to increase magnetic force and field performance. These advancements are expected to elevate the MAPMD system\u27s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 3 to 4 in order to pave the way for microgravity flight testing. The MAPMD system promises to enhance the safety and performance of liquid-propellant spaceflight by actively managing slosh dynamics

A dose-ranging study of indacaterol in obstructive airways disease, with a tiotropium comparison

SummaryThis dose-ranging study assessed the bronchodilator efficacy and tolerability of indacaterol, a novel once-daily inhaled β2-agonist, in subjects clinically diagnosed with COPD. Comparative data with tiotropium were collected.In the double-blind, core period of the study, 635 subjects with COPD (prebronchodilator FEV1⩾40% of predicted and ⩾1.0L; FEV1/FVC <70%) were randomized to receive indacaterol 50, 100, 200 or 400μg or placebo via multi-dose dry powder inhaler, or indacaterol 400μg via single-dose dry powder inhaler, once daily for 7 days. After completing double-blind treatment and washout, a subset of subjects from each treatment group entered an open-label extension and received tiotropium 18μg once daily for 8 days. The primary efficacy variable was the trough bronchodilator effect: standardized area under the FEV1 curve between 22 and 24h post-dose (FEV1 AUC22–24h) on Day 1.Clinically relevant improvements versus placebo in FEV1 AUC22–24h were seen for 400 and 200μg doses on Day 1 and all doses on Day 7. All indacaterol doses significantly (P<0.05) increased FEV1 from 5min to 24h post-dose; the 400 and 200μg doses were most effective. All doses were well tolerated. Indacaterol trough FEV1 levels compared favorably with the improvement seen by Day 8 in subjects treated with tiotropium in the open-label extension.The results confirm that indacaterol has a 24-h duration of bronchodilator effect and a fast onset of action in COPD and suggest that indacaterol could be an effective once-daily inhaled β2-agonist bronchodilator. Indacaterol demonstrated a good overall safety and tolerability profile

A Silent Enzootic of an Orthopoxvirus in Ghana, West Africa: Evidence for Multi-Species Involvement in the Absence of Widespread Human Disease

Human monkeypox has never been reported in Ghana, but rodents captured in forested areas of southern Ghana were the source of the monkeypox virus introduced into the United States in 2003. Subsequent to the outbreak in the United States, 204 animals were collected from two commercial trapping sites in Ghana. Animal tissues were examined for the presence of orthopoxvirus (OPXV) DNA using a real-time polymerase chain reaction, and sera were assayed for antibodies against OPXV. Animals from five genera (Cricetomys, Graphiurus, Funiscirus, and Heliosciurus) had antibodies against OPXV, and three genera (Cricetomys, Graphiurus, and Xerus) had evidence of OPXV DNA in tissues. Additionally, 172 persons living near the trapping sites were interviewed regarding risk factors for OPXV exposure, and their sera were analyzed. Fifty-three percent had IgG against OPXV; none had IgM. Our findings suggest that several species of forest-dwelling rodents from Ghana are susceptible to naturally occurring OPXV infection, and that persons living near forests may have low-level or indirect exposure to OPXV-infected animals, possibly resulting in sub-clinical infections

Iron is a ligand of SecA-like metal-binding domains in vivo

Funding: JEL thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship and the Wellcome Trust for the Q-band EPR spectrometer (099149/Z/12/Z).The ATPase SecA is an essential component of the bacterial Sec machinery, which transports proteins across the cytoplasmic membrane. Most SecA proteins contain a long C-terminal tail (CTT). In Escherichia coli, the CTT contains a structurally flexible linker domain and a small metal-binding domain (MBD). The MBD coordinates zinc via a conserved cysteine-containing motif and binds to SecB and ribosomes. In this study, we screened a high-density transposon library for mutants that affect the susceptibility of E. coli to sodium azide, which inhibits SecA-mediated translocation. Results from sequencing this library suggested that mutations removing the CTT make E. coli less susceptible to sodium azide at subinhibitory concentrations. Copurification experiments suggested that the MBD binds to iron and that azide disrupts iron binding. Azide also disrupted binding of SecA to membranes. Two other E. coli proteins that contain SecA-like MBDs, YecA and YchJ, also copurified with iron, and NMR spectroscopy experiments indicated that YecA binds iron via its MBD. Competition experiments and equilibrium binding measurements indicated that the SecA MBD binds preferentially to iron and that a conserved serine is required for this specificity. Finally, structural modelling suggested a plausible model for the octahedral coordination of iron. Taken together, our results suggest that SecA-like MBDs likely bind to iron in vivo.PostprintPeer reviewe

Quantitative scintigraphy with deconvolutional analysis for the dynamic measurement of hepatic function

A mathematical technique known as deconvolutional analysis was used to provide a critical and previously missing element in the computations required to quantitate hepatic function scintigraphically. This computer-assisted technique allowed for the determination of the time required, in minutes, of a labeled bilirubin analog (99mTc-disofenin) to enter the liver via blood and exit via bile. This interval was referred to as the mean transit time (MTT). The critical process provided for by deconvolution is the mathematical simulation of a bolus injection of tracer directly into the afferent blood supply of the liver. The raw data required for this simulation are obtained from the intravenous injection of labeled disofenin, a member of the HIDA family of radiopharmaceuticals. In this study, we perform experiments which document that the simulation process itself is accurate. We then calculate the MTT under a variety of experimental conditions involving progressive hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury and correlate these results with the results of simultaneously performed BSP determinations and hepatic histology. The experimental group with the most pronounced histologic findings (necrosis, vacuolization, disorganization of hepatic cords) also have the most prolonged MTT and BSP half-life. However, both quantitative imaging and BSP testing are able to identify milder degrees of hepatic ischemic injury not reflected in the histologic evaluation. Quantitative imaging with deconvolutional analysis is a technique easily adaptable to the standard nuclear medicine minicomputer. It provides rapid results and appears to be a sensitive monitor of hepatic functional disturbances resulting from ischemia and reperfusion.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26699/1/0000247.pd

Limited polymorphism in Plasmodium falciparum ookinete surface antigen, von Willebrand factor A domain-related protein from clinical isolates

BACKGROUND: As malaria becomes increasingly drug resistant and more costly to treat, there is increasing urgency to develop effective vaccines. In comparison to other stages of the malaria lifecycle, sexual stage antigens are under less immune selection pressure and hence are likely to have limited antigenic diversity. METHODS: Clinical isolates from a wide range of geographical regions were collected. Direct sequencing of PCR products was then used to determine the extent of polymorphisms for the novel Plasmodium falciparum sexual stage antigen von Willebrand Factor A domain-related Protein (PfWARP). These isolates were also used to confirm the extent of diversity of sexual stage antigen Pfs28. RESULTS: PfWARP was shown to have non-synonymous substitutions at 3 positions and Pfs28 was confirmed to have a single non-synonymous substitution as previously described. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the limited antigenic diversity of two prospective P. falciparum sexual stage antigens, PfWARP and Pfs28. This provides further encouragement for the proceeding with vaccine trials based on these antigens

Efficacy and safety of indacaterol 150 μg once-daily in COPD: a double-blind, randomised, 12-week study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Indacaterol is a novel, once-daily (o.d.) inhaled, long-acting <it>β</it>₂-agonist in development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This 12-week, double-blind study compared the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of indacaterol to that of placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Efficacy variables included 24-h trough FEV₁(mean of 23 h 10 min and 23 h 45 min post-dose) at Week 12 (primary endpoint) and after Day 1, and the percentage of COPD days with poor control (i.e., worsening symptoms). Safety was assessed by adverse events (AEs), mean serum potassium and blood glucose, QTc (Fridericia), and vital signs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Patients were randomised (n = 416, mean age 63 years) to receive either indacaterol 150 <it>μ</it>g o.d. (n = 211) or placebo (n = 205) via a single-dose dry-powder inhaler; 87.5% completed the study. Trough FEV₁(LSM ± SEM) at Week 12 was 1.48 ± 0.018 L for indacaterol and 1.35 ± 0.019 L for placebo, a clinically relevant difference of 130 ± 24 mL (p < 0.001). Trough FEV₁after one dose was significantly higher with indacaterol than placebo (p < 0.001). Indacaterol demonstrated significantly higher peak FEV₁than placebo, both on Day 1 and at Week 12, with indacaterol-placebo differences (LSM ± SEM) of 190 ± 28 (p < 0.001) and 160 ± 28 mL (p < 0.001), respectively. Standardised AUC measurements for FEV₁(between 5 min and 4 h, 5 min and 1 h, and 1 and 4 h post-dose) at Week 12 were all significantly greater with indacaterol than placebo (p < 0.001), with LSM (± SEM) differences of 170 ± 24, 180 ± 24, and 170 ± 24 mL, respectively. Indacaterol significantly reduced the percentage of days of poor control versus placebo by 22.5% (p < 0.001) and was also associated with significantly reduced use of rescue medication (p < 0.001). The overall rates of AEs were comparable between the groups (indacaterol 49.3%, placebo 46.8%), with the most common AEs being COPD worsening (indacaterol 8.5%, placebo 12.2%) and cough (indacaterol 6.2%, placebo 7.3%). One patient died in the placebo group. Serum potassium and blood glucose levels did not differ significantly between the two groups, and no patient had QTc >500 ms.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Indacaterol 150 <it>μ</it>g o.d. provided clinically significant and sustained bronchodilation, reduced rescue medication use, and had a safety and tolerability profile similar to placebo.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NCT00624286</p