Method of refining 2,2-isopropylidenebis-3,5- dibromophenylene-4-oxydiethanol

A method of refining 2,2-isopropylidenebis-3,5-dibromophenylene-4-oxydiethanol is described which is characterized by recrystallization of 2,2-isopropylidenebis-3,5-dibromophenylene-4-oxydiethanol using one or more aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, xylene, toluene, ethylbenzene or pseudocumene

Cartan subalgebras and the UCT problem, II

We show that outer approximately represenbtable actions of a finite cyclic group on UCT Kirchberg algebras satisfy a certain quasi-freeness type property if the corresponding crossed products satisfy the UCT and absorb a suitable UHF algebra tensorially. More concretely, we prove that for such an action there exists an inverse semigroup of homogeneous partial isometries that generates the ambient C*-algebra and whose idempotent semilattice generates a Cartan subalgebra. We prove a similar result for actions of finite cyclic groups with the Rokhlin property on UCT Kirchberg algebras absorbing a suitable UHF algebra. These results rely on a new construction of Cartan subalgebras in certain inductive limits of Cartan pairs. We also provide a characterisation of the UCT problem in terms of finite order automorphisms, Cartan subalgebras and inverse semigroups of partial isometries of the Cuntz algebra $\mathcal{O}_2$. This generalizes earlier work of the authors.Comment: minor revisions; final version, accepted for publication in Math. Ann.; 26 page

High incidence of silent myocardial ischemia in elderly patients with non insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

Celem badania była ocena częstości występowania niemego niedokrwienia mięśnia sercowego u bezobjawowych chorych na cukrzycę w podeszłym wieku (> 60 lat). Wstępnym etapem badania była maksymalna próba wysiłkowa na bieżni ruchomej. Spośród 140 chorych u 54 (38,6%) nie udało się osiągnąć diagnostycznego poziomu wysiłku podczas próby lub nie można jej było wykonać z innych przyczyn, u 39 z 86 chorych (45,3%) uzyskano pozytywny wynik próby wysiłkowej. W drugim etapie tej pracy u 93 chorych z dodatnią próbą wysiłkową, ale u których nie można było uzyskać maksymalnego wysiłku, wykonano scyntygrafię z użyciem talu w teście z dipirydamolem. U 39 z 93 chorych (41,9%), u których wystąpiły zaburzenia perfuzji, rozpoznano nieme niedokrwienie mięśnia sercowego. U 18 chorych z niemym niedokrwieniem mięśnia sercowego, którzy wyrazili zgodę, wykonano koronarografię. U 17 spośród 18 chorych (94,4%) stwierdzono znacznego stopnia zwężenia naczyń wieńcowych, co potwierdziło duże znaczenie predykcyjne tej metody. Podsumowując, stwierdzono, że częstość niemego niemego niedokrwienia mięśnia sercowego u chorych na cukrzycę typu 2 w podeszłym wieku jest bardzo wysoka (26,3%). Te wyniki sugerują, że wczesna intensywna diagnostyka zmian w naczyniach wieńcowych może się okazać niezbędna jako uzupełnienie rutynowego postępowania w tej grupie chorych.The present study was designed reveal the incidence of silent myocardial ischemia in asymptomatic elderly non-insulin-dependent diabetic (NIDDM) patients (aged over 60 years). As a first step screening, maximal treadmill exercise test was performed. Of 140 patients studied, 54 (38.6%) were unable or not expected to achieve diagnostic levels of exercise during treadmill testing. A positive exercise test was noted in 39 of 86 (45.3%) subjects. As a second step examination, dipyridamole thallium scintigraphy was performed for 93 subjects who exhibited a positive exercise test and could not perform a maximal exercise test. Abnormal perfusion pattern was found in 39 of 93 (41.9%), who were finally considered to have a silent myocardial ischemia. Coronary angiography was performed in 18 subjects with diagnosis of silent myocardial ischemia, who gave their consent. Significant coronary artery stenosis was in fact found in 17 of 18 (94.4%) subjects studied, confirming a very high positive predictive value of this diagnostic procedure. In conclusion, elderly NIDDM patients (aged over 60 years) had an extremely high prevalence (estimated 26.3%) of silent myocardial ischemia. This evidence suggests that early and intensive detection may be needed as a part of routine care for this grou

Generalized Toda Theory from Six Dimensions and the Conifold

Recently, a physical derivation of the Alday-Gaiotto-Tachikawa correspondence has been put forward. A crucial role is played by the complex Chern-Simons theory arising in the 3d-3d correspondence, whose boundary modes lead to Toda theory on a Riemann surface. We explore several features of this derivation and subsequently argue that it can be extended to a generalization of the AGT correspondence. The latter involves codimension two defects in six dimensions that wrap the Riemann surface. We use a purely geometrical description of these defects and find that the generalized AGT setup can be modeled in a pole region using generalized conifolds. Furthermore, we argue that the ordinary conifold clarifies several features of the derivation of the original AGT correspondence.Comment: 27+2 pages, 3 figure

Localization of N=4 Superconformal Field Theory on S^1 x S^3 and Index

We provide the geometrical meaning of the ${\cal N}=4$ superconformal index. With this interpretation, the ${\cal N}=4$ superconformal index can be realized as the partition function on a Scherk-Schwarz deformed background. We apply the localization method in TQFT to compute the deformed partition function since the deformed action can be written as a $\delta_\epsilon$-exact form. The critical points of the deformed action turn out to be the space of flat connections which are, in fact, zero modes of the gauge field. The one-loop evaluation over the space of flat connections reduces to the matrix integral by which the ${\cal N}=4$ superconformal index is expressed.Comment: 42+1 pages, 2 figures, JHEP style: v1.2.3 minor corrections, v4 major revision, conclusions essentially unchanged, v5 published versio

Atrazine-Induced Aromatase Expression Is SF-1 Dependent: Implications for Endocrine Disruption in Wildlife and Reproductive Cancers in Humans

BACKGROUND: Atrazine is a potent endocrine disruptor that increases aromatase expression in some human cancer cell lines. The mechanism involves the inhibition of phosphodiesterase and subsequent elevation of cAMP. METHODS: We compared steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) expression in atrazine responsive and non-responsive cell lines and transfected SF-1 into nonresponsive cell lines to assess SF-1’s role in atrazine-induced aromatase. We used a luciferase reporter driven by the SF-1–dependent aromatase promoter (ArPII) to examine activation of this promoter by atrazine and the related simazine. We mutated the SF-1 binding site to confirm the role of SF-1. We also examined effects of 55 other chemicals. Finally, we examined the ability of atrazine and simazine to bind to SF-1 and enhance SF-1 binding to ArPII. RESULTS: Atrazine-responsive adrenal carcinoma cells (H295R) expressed 54 times more SF-1 than nonresponsive ovarian granulosa KGN cells. Exogenous SF-1 conveyed atrazine-responsiveness to otherwise nonresponsive KGN and NIH/3T3 cells. Atrazine induced binding of SF-1 to chromatin and mutation of the SF-1 binding site in ArPII eliminated SF-1 binding and atrazine-responsiveness in H295R cells. Out of 55 chemicals examined, only atrazine, simazine, and benzopyrene induced luciferase via ArPII. Atrazine bound directly to SF-1, showing that atrazine is a ligand for this “orphan” receptor. CONCLUSION: The current findings are consistent with atrazine’s endocrine-disrupting effects in fish, amphibians, and reptiles; the induction of mammary and prostate cancer in laboratory rodents; and correlations between atrazine and similar reproductive cancers in humans. This study highlights the importance of atrazine as a risk factor in endocrine disruption in wildlife and reproductive cancers in laboratory rodents and humans