30 research outputs found
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The BrAIST study and the implications for scoliosis screening: our duty for raising awareness and advocacy
The BrAIST study and the implications for scoliosis screening: our duty for raising awareness and advocacy
SeaWiFS technical report series. Volume 26: Results of the SeaWiFS Data Analysis Round-Robin, July 1994 (DARR-1994)
The accurate determination of upper ocean apparent optical properties (AOP's) is essential for the vicarious calibration of the sea-viewing wide field-of-view sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument and the validation of the derived data products. To evaluate the role that data analysis methods have upon values of derived AOP's, the first Data Analysis Round-Robin (DARR-94) workshop was sponsored by the SeaWiFS Project during 21-23 July, 1994. The focus of this intercomparison study was the estimation of the downwelling irradiance spectrum just beneath the sea surface, E(sub d)(0(sup -), lambda); the upwelling nadir radiance just beneath the sea surface, L(sub u)(0(sup -), lambda); and the vertical profile of the diffuse attenuation coefficient spectrum, K(sub d)(z, lambda). In the results reported here, different methodologies from four research groups were applied to an identical set of 10 spectroradiometry casts in order to evaluate the degree to which data analysis methods influence AOP estimation, and whether any general improvements can be made. The overall results of DARR-94 are presented in Chapter 1 and the individual methods of the four groups are presented in Chapters 2-5. The DARR-94 results do not show a clear winner among data analysis methods evaluated. It is apparent, however, that some degree of outlier rejection is required in order to accurately estimate L(sub u)(0(sup -), lambda) or E(sub d)(0(sup -), lambda). Furthermore, the calculation, evaluation and exploitation of confidence intervals for the AOP determinations needs to be explored. That is, the SeaWiFS calibration and validation problem should be recast in statistical terms where the in situ AOP values are statistical estimates with known confidence intervals
Creating Markets for Captured Carbon: Retrofit of Abbott Power Plant and Future Utilization of Captured CO2
The successful implementation of CCUS requires the confluence of technology, regulatory, and financial factors. One of the factors
that impact this confluence is the ability to utilize and monetize captured CO2. The generally accepted utilization approach has been CO2-based Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), yet this is not always feasible and/or a preferable approach. There is a need to be able to explore a multitude of utilization approaches in order to identify a portfolio of potential utilization mechanisms. This portfolio must be adapted based on the economy of the region. In response to this need, the University of Illinois has formed a
Carbon Dioxide Utilization and Reduction (COOULR) Center. The open nature of the university, coupled with a university policy to reduce CO2 emissions, provides a model for the issues communities will face when attempting to reduce emissions while still maintaining reliable and affordable power. This Center is one of the key steps in the formation of a market for captured CO2. The goal of the Center is to not only evaluate technologies, but also demonstrate at a large pilot scale how communities may be able to adjust to the need to reduce GHG emissions.U.S. Department of Energy Award Number DE-FE0026588Ope
Role of Porphyromonas gingivalis gingipains in multi-species biofilm formation
BackgroundPeriodontal diseases are polymicrobial diseases that cause the inflammatory destruction of the tooth-supporting (periodontal) tissues. Their initiation is attributed to the formation of subgingival biofilms that stimulate a cascade of chronic inflammatory reactions by the affected tissue. The Gram-negative anaerobes Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola are commonly found as part of the microbiota of subgingival biofilms, and they are associated with the occurrence and severity of the disease. P. gingivalis expresses several virulence factors that may support its survival, regulate its communication with other species in the biofilm, or modulate the inflammatory response of the colonized host tissue. The most prominent of these virulence factors are the gingipains, which are a set of cysteine proteinases (either Arg-specific or Lys-specific). The role of gingipains in the biofilm-forming capacity of P. gingivalis is barely investigated. Hence, this in vitro study employed a biofilm model consisting of 10 ¿subgingival¿ bacterial species, incorporating either a wild-type P. gingivalis strain or its derivative Lys-gingipain and Arg-gingipan isogenic mutants, in order to evaluate quantitative and qualitative changes in biofilm composition.ResultsFollowing 64 h of biofilm growth, the levels of all 10 species were quantified by fluorescence in situ hybridization or immunofluorescence. The wild-type and the two gingipain-deficient P. gingivalis strains exhibited similar growth in their corresponding biofilms. Among the remaining nine species, only the numbers of T. forsythia were significantly reduced, and only when the Lys-gingipain mutant was present in the biofilm. When evaluating the structure of the biofilm by confocal laser scanning microscopy, the most prominent observation was a shift in the spatial arrangement of T. denticola, in the presence of P. gingivalis Arg-gingipain mutant.ConclusionsThe gingipains of P. gingivalis may qualitatively and quantitatively affect composition of polymicrobial biofilms. The present experimental model reveals interdependency between the gingipains of P. gingivalis and T. forsythia or T. denticola
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Pulmonary Artery Catheter Use and Mortality in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
BACKGROUND: The appropriate use of pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) in critically ill cardiac patients remains debated. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to characterize the current use of PACs in cardiac intensive care units (CICUs) with attention to patient-level and institutional factors influencing their application and explore the association with in-hospital mortality. METHODS: The Critical Care Cardiology Trials Network is a multicenter network of CICUs in North America. Between 2017 and 2021, participating centers contributed annual 2-month snapshots of consecutive CICU admissions. Admission diagnoses, clinical and demographic data, use of PACs, and in-hospital mortality were captured. RESULTS: Among 13,618 admissions at 34 sites, 3,827 were diagnosed with shock, with 2,583 of cardiogenic etiology. The use of mechanical circulatory support and heart failure were the patient-level factors most strongly associated with a greater likelihood of the use of a PAC (OR: 5.99 [95% CI: 5.15-6.98]; P < 0.001 and OR: 3.33 [95% CI: 2.91-3.81]; P < 0.001, respectively). The proportion of shock admissions with a PAC varied significantly by study center ranging from 8% to 73%. In analyses adjusted for factors associated with their placement, PAC use was associated with lower mortality in all shock patients admitted to a CICU (OR: 0.79 [95% CI: 0.66-0.96]; P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: There is wide variation in the use of PACs that is not fully explained by patient level-factors and appears driven in part by institutional tendency. PAC use was associated with higher survival in cardiac patients with shock presenting to CICUs. Randomized trials are needed to guide the appropriate use of PACs in cardiac critical care
Dendroclimatic analysis of red pine affected by Diplodia shoot blight in different latitudinal regions in Michigan
Drought and intraspecific competition in red pine stands in Michigan have been implicated as predisposing factors for increased shoot blight risk caused by Diplodia pinea. The overall objective of the study is to examine the interactive effects of drought, other climatic factors, and biotic factors (intraspecific competition) on productivity and growth of red pine forests (Pinus resinosa) affected by Diplodia (Diplodia pinea) shoot blight. This study incorporates a dendroclimatic approach that allows the retrospective examination of past annual diameter growth in relation to historical climate, and to assess the potential impacts of future climate change. A total of 20 red pine stands were sampled in two latitudinal regions (the Upper Peninsula (UP) and the Lower Peninsula (LP) region) of Michigan across two levels of initial stand density (low vs. high) and two levels of forest health condition (healthy vs. D. pinea affected). The full dendroclimatic relationships revealed in this study indicated that other climatic factors, in addition to summer drought stress, impacted red pine radial growth. Overall, red pine radial growth was generally more affected by precipitation and moisture index than solely temperature variables. The radial growth response to climate depended on latitudinal region since summer moisture stress was more influential in the LP; cold spring and early summer temperatures negatively impacted growth more in the UP; and the degree of winter harshness was more of a factor in the UP region. Crown damage caused by winter damage may have predisposed red pine stands to D. pinea affection by providing an easier entry point for fungal infection. Negative relations with precipitation in D. pinea affected stands may be due to increased dispersal of spores in D. pinea affected stands with significant rain and any increased storm and wind activity. Projections of radial growth under future scenarios of climate change indicated that climate warming has the potential to increase growth mainly in red pine stands in the UP region where growth has historically been limited by cool temperatures early in the growing season. Under the moisture index model, growth of red pine under the drier (A2) climate change scenario, only the D. pinea impacted high density stands in the LP region are projected to show a significant decrease in growth by the middle (2041-2070) and final (2071-2100) projection periods. Model based projections of forest growth in Michigan generally do not account for forest health issues such as invasive pathogens. The current study therefore provides a new understanding of the role of forest pathogens under future climate change.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
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The extracellular matrix differentially directs myoblast motility and differentiation in distinct forms of muscular dystrophy: Dystrophic matrices alter myoblast motility.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) pathologic remodeling underlies many disorders, including muscular dystrophy. Tissue decellularization removes cellular components while leaving behind ECM components. We generated on-slide decellularized tissue slices from genetically distinct dystrophic mouse models. The ECM of dystrophin- and sarcoglycan-deficient muscles had marked thrombospondin 4 deposition, while dysferlin-deficient muscle had excess decorin. Annexins A2 and A6 were present on all dystrophic decellularized ECMs, but annexin matrix deposition was excessive in dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy. Muscle-directed viral expression of annexin A6 resulted in annexin A6 in the ECM. C2C12 myoblasts seeded onto decellularized matrices displayed differential myoblast mobility and fusion. Dystrophin-deficient decellularized matrices inhibited myoblast mobility, while dysferlin-deficient decellularized matrices enhanced myoblast movement and differentiation. Myoblasts treated with recombinant annexin A6 increased mobility and fusion like that seen on dysferlin-deficient decellularized matrix and demonstrated upregulation of ECM and muscle cell differentiation genes. These findings demonstrate specific fibrotic signatures elicit effects on myoblast activity
Radiation and Plasma Effects Working Team: Overview and Progress Report
To track space weather models’ progress and performance over time, the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC), together with NASA’s Living with a Star program, has initiated an extensive model validation and assessment efforts involving a community of space environment experts, model and application developers, data providers, forecasters and end-users of space weather products and services (https://ccmc.gsfc.nasa.gov/assessment/). The Radiation and Plasma Effects Working Team deals with five different subtopics: Surface Charging from 10s eV to 40 keV electrons, Internal Charging due to energetic electrons from hundreds keV to several MeVs. Single Event Effects from solar energetic particles (SEPs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) (several MeV to TeVs), Total Dose due to accumulation of doses from electrons and protons in a broad energy range, and Radiation Effects from SEPs and GCRs at aviation altitudes