Development of a protective coating system for regeneratively cooled thrust chambers Final technical report, 1 Jul. 1967 - 31 Mar. 1969

Development of protective coating system for regeneratively cooled thrust chamber

Preparation of refractory cermet structures for lithium compatibility testing

High-purity nitride and carbide cermets were synthesized for compatability testing in liquid lithium. A process was developed for the preparation of high-purity hafnium nitride powder, which was subsequently blended with tungsten powder or tantalum nitride and tungsten powders and fabricated into 3 in diameter billets by uniaxial hot pressing. Specimens were then cut from the billets for compatability testing. Similar processing techniques were applied to produce hafnium carbide and zirconium carbide cermets for use in the testing program. All billets produced were characterized with respect to chemistry, structure, density, and strength properties

Iridium Coatings for the Protection of Graphite Re-Entry Structures

Because of its high strength-to-weight ratio and other desirable features, graphite is desirable for use as structural components that are to be exposed to a high-temperature environment. At elevated temperatures, however, graphite reacts with oxidizing atmospheres, and smooth surfaces having specific engineering properties are degraded into eroded surfaces of lower efficiency. It has been demonstrated that iridium can be used to protect graphite in air at temperatures to 3600 F for 1 hour or more. Battelle has been conducting a program for the Air Force Materials Laboratory to study the application of iridium and iridium-alloy coatings to graphite, based on a comb ined plasma-arc deposition and gas-pressure bonding process. A comprehensive prog ram involving the development, fabrication, and testing of these coatings is described

Serum antibodies to Vibrio vulnificus biotype 3 lipopolysaccharide and susceptibility to disease caused by the homologous V. vulnificus biotype

In 1996 an outbreak of severe soft tissue infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus unexpectedly erupted in fish consumers in Israel with relatively little morbidity in fish farmers. To test the hypothesis that recurrent exposure of fishermen to the virulent strain may have provided protection against severe or symptomatic disease, we investigated the association between the immune response to V. vulnificus biotype 3 lipopolysaccharide (BT3 LPS) and disease susceptibility in fish farmers and fish consumers. Serum samples were tested for IgA and IgG of anti-BT3 LPS in fishermen and fish consumers who suffered from V. vulnificus BT3 infections and their matched controls. Pre-existing levels of IgG (IgG0) of anti-BT3 LPS were significantly lower in diseased fishermen who developed disease associated with the homologous biotype, compared to controls. In multivariate analysis, levels of IgG0 anti-BT3 LPS remained the only variable significantly associated with disease occurrence in fishermen. Higher levels of pre-existing IgG anti-BT 3 LPS antibodies may be associated with protection against severe or symptomatic disease with the homologous biotype in fishermen but not in subjects from the general public

The effect of baseline physical activity on cardiovascular outcomes and new-onset diabetes in patients treated for hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy: the LIFE study

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74584/1/j.1365-2796.2007.01808.x.pd

Effect of partial portal vein ligation on hepatic regeneration

To evaluate the effect of portal hypertension and diminished portal venous blood flow to the liver on hepatic regeneration, male rats were subjected to partial portal vein ligation and subsequently to a two-thirds partial hepatectomy. The levels of ornithine decarboxylase activity at 6 h after partial hepatectomy were greater (p > 0.001) in the rats with prior partial portal vein ligation than in those without portal hypertension. The rats with prior partial portal vein ligation also had greater (p > 0.005) levels of thymidine kinase activity at 48 h after partial hepatectomy than did those without portal hypertension. Hepatic sex hormone receptor activity was not affected by prior partial portal vein ligation either before or after partial hepatectomy. The reductions in both estrogen and androgen receptor activity observed in the hepatic cytosol after partial hepatectomy were similar to those observed in control animals. These data indicate that animals with portal hypertension having a diminished hepatic portal blood flow have a normal capacity to regenerate hepatic mass following a hepatic resection © 1988 Informa UK Ltd All rights reserved: reproduction in whole or part not permitted

Exercise Capacity and All-Cause Mortality in African American and Caucasian Men With Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE - The purpose of this study was to assess the association between exercise capacity and mortality in African Americans and Caucasians with type 2 diabetes and to explore racial differences regarding this relationship. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - African American (n = 1,703; aged 60 ± 10 years) and Caucasian (n = 1,445; aged 62 ± 10 years) men with type 2 diabetes completed a maximal exercise test between 1986 and 2007 at the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Washington, DC, and Palo Alto, California. Three fitness categories were established (low-, moderate-, and high-fit) based on peak METs achieved. Subjects were followed for all-cause mortality for 7.3 ± 4.7 years. RESULTS - The adjusted mortality risk was 23% higher in African Americans than in Caucasians (hazard ratio 1.23 [95% CI 1.1-1.4]). A graded reduction in mortality risk was noted with increased exercise capacity for both races. There was a significant interaction between race and METs (P \u3c 0.001) and among race and fitness categories (P \u3c 0.001). The association was stronger for Caucasians. Each 1-MET increase in exercise capacity yielded a 19% lower risk for Caucasians and 14% for African Americans (P \u3c 0.001). Similarly, the risk was 43% lower (0.57 [0.44- 0.73]) for moderate-fit and 67% lower (0.33 [0.22-0.48]) for high-fit Caucasians. The comparable reductions in African Americans were 34% (0.66 [0.55-0.80]) and 46% (0.54 [0.39-0.73]), respectively. CONCLUSIONS - Exercise capacity is a strong predictor of all-cause mortality in African American and Caucasian men with type 2 diabetes. The exercise capacity-related reduction in mortality appears to be stronger and more graded for Caucasians than for African Americans. © 2009 by the American Diabetes Association

CMS: A web-based system for visualization and analysis of genome-wide methylation data of human cancers

DNA methylation of promoter CpG islands is associated with gene suppression, and its unique genome-wide profiles have been linked to tumor progression. Coupled with high-throughput sequencing technologies, it can now efficiently determine genome-wide methylation profiles in cancer cells. Also, experimental and computational technologies make it possible to find the functional relationship between cancer-specific methylation patterns and their clinicopathological parameters.Cancer methylome system (CMS) is a web-based database application designed for the visualization, comparison and statistical analysis of human cancer-specific DNA methylation. Methylation intensities were obtained from MBDCap-sequencing, pre-processed and stored in the database. 191 patient samples (169 tumor and 22 normal specimen) and 41 breast cancer cell-lines are deposited in the database, comprising about 6.6 billion uniquely mapped sequence reads. This provides comprehensive and genome-wide epigenetic portraits of human breast cancer and endometrial cancer to date. Two views are proposed for users to better understand methylation structure at the genomic level or systemic methylation alteration at the gene level. In addition, a variety of annotation tracks are provided to cover genomic information. CMS includes important analytic functions for interpretation of methylation data, such as the detection of differentially methylated regions, statistical calculation of global methylation intensities, multiple gene sets of biologically significant categories, interactivity with UCSC via custom-track data. We also present examples of discoveries utilizing the framework.CMS provides visualization and analytic functions for cancer methylome datasets. A comprehensive collection of datasets, a variety of embedded analytic functions and extensive applications with biological and translational significance make this system powerful and unique in cancer methylation research. CMS is freely accessible at: http://cbbiweb.uthscsa.edu/KMethylomes/

Syntheses and Electronic Properties of Rhodium(III) Complexes Bearing a Redox-Active Ligand

A series of rhodium(III) complexes of the redox-active ligand, H(L = bis(4-methyl-2-(1H-pyrazol-1-yl)phenyl)amido), was prepared, and the electronic properties were studied. Thus, heating an ethanol solution of commercial RhCl3·3H2O with H(L) results in the precipitation of insoluble [H(L)]RhCl3, 1. The reaction of a methanol suspension of [H(L)]RhCl3 with NEt4OH causes ligand deprotonation and affords nearly quantitative yields of the soluble, deep-green, title compound (NEt4)[(L)RhCl3]·H2O, 2·H2O. Complex 2·H2O reacts readily with excess pyridine, triethylphosphine, or pyrazine (pyz) to eliminate NEt4Cl and give charge-neutral complexes trans-(L)RhCl2(py), trans-3, trans-(L)RhCl2(PEt3), trans- 4, or trans-(L)RhCl2(pyz), trans-5, where the incoming Lewis base is trans- to the amido nitrogen of the meridionally coordinating ligand. Heating solutions of complexes trans-3 or trans-4 above about 100 °C causes isomerization to the appropriate cis-3 or cis-4. Isomerization of trans-5 occurs at a much lower temperature due to pyrazine dissociation. Cis-3 and cis- 5 could be reconverted to their respective trans- isomers in solution at 35 °C by visible light irradiation. Complexes [(L)Rh(py)2Cl](PF6), 6, [(L)Rh(PPh3)(py)Cl](PF6), 7, [(L)Rh(PEt3)2Cl](PF6), 8, and [(L)RhCl(bipy)](OTf = triflate), 9, were prepared from 2·H2O by using thallium(I) salts as halide abstraction agents and excess Lewis base. It was not possible to prepare dicationic complexes with three unidentate pyridyl or triethylphosphine ligands; however, the reaction between 2, thallium(I) triflate, and the tridentate 4′-(4-methylphenyl)-2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (ttpy) afforded a high yield of [(L)Rh(ttpy)]- (OTf)2, 10. The solid state structures of nine new complexes were obtained. The electrochemistry of the various derivatives in CH2Cl2 showed a ligand-based oxidation wave whose potential depended mainly on the charge of the complex, and to a lesser extent on the nature and the geometry of the other supporting ligands. Thus, the oxidation wave for 2 with an anionic complex was found at +0.27 V versus Ag/AgCl in CH2Cl2, while those waves for the charge-neutral complexes 3−5 were found between +0.38 to +0.59 V, where the cis- isomers were about 100 mV more stable toward oxidation than the trans- isomers. The oxidation waves for 6−9 with monocationic complexes occurred in the range +0.74 to 0.81 V while that for 10 with a dicationic complex occurred at +0.91 V. Chemical oxidation of trans-3, cis-3, and 8 afforded crystals of the singly oxidized complexes, [trans- (L)RhCl2(py)](SbCl6), cis-[(L)RhCl2(py)](SbCl4)·2CH2Cl2, and [(L)Rh(PEt3)2Cl](SbCl6)2, respectively. Comparisons of structural and spectroscopic features combined with the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations between nonoxidized and oxidized forms of the complexes are indicative of the ligand-centered radicals in the oxidized derivatives