A direct-execution parallel architecture for the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL)

A direct-execution parallel architecture for the Advanced Continuous Simulation Language (ACSL) is presented which overcomes the traditional disadvantages of simulations executed on a digital computer. The incorporation of parallel processing allows the mapping of simulations into a digital computer to be done in the same inherently parallel manner as they are currently mapped onto an analog computer. The direct-execution format maximizes the efficiency of the executed code since the need for a high level language compiler is eliminated. Resolution is greatly increased over that which is available with an analog computer without the sacrifice in execution speed normally expected with digitial computer simulations. Although this report covers all aspects of the new architecture, key emphasis is placed on the processing element configuration and the microprogramming of the ACLS constructs. The execution times for all ACLS constructs are computed using a model of a processing element based on the AMD 29000 CPU and the AMD 29027 FPU. The increase in execution speed provided by parallel processing is exemplified by comparing the derived execution times of two ACSL programs with the execution times for the same programs executed on a similar sequential architecture

Urine metabolomic analysis to detect metabolites associated with the development of contrast induced nephropathy.

ObjectiveContrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is a result of injury to the proximal tubules. The incidence of CIN is around 11% for imaging done in the acute care setting. We aim to analyze the metabolic patterns in the urine, before and after dosing with intravenous contrast for computed tomography (CT) imaging of the chest, to determine if metabolomic changes exist in patients who develop CIN.MethodsA convenience sample of high risk patients undergoing a chest CT with intravenous contrast were eligible for enrollment. Urine samples were collected prior to imaging and 4 to 6 hours post imaging. Samples underwent gas chromatography/mass spectrometry profiling. Peak metabolite values were measured and data was log transformed. Significance analysis of microarrays and partial least squares was used to determine the most significant metabolites prior to CT imaging and within subject. Analysis of variance was used to rank metabolites associated with temporal change and CIN. CIN was defined as an increase in serum creatinine level of ≥ 0.5 mg/dL or ≥ 25% above baseline within 48 hours after contrast administration.ResultsWe sampled paired urine samples from 63 subjects. The incidence of CIN was 6/63 (9.5%). Patients without CIN had elevated urinary citric acid and taurine concentrations in the pre-CT urine. Xylulose increased in the post CT sample in patients who developed CIN.ConclusionDifferences in metabolomics patterns in patients who do and do not develop CIN exist. Metabolites may be potential early identifiers of CIN and identify patients at high-risk for developing this condition prior to imaging

Mathematical analysis of a model for the growth of the bovine corpus luteum

The corpus luteum (CL) is an ovarian tissue that grows in the wound space created by follicular rupture. It produces the progesterone needed in the uterus to maintain pregnancy. Rapid growth of the CL and progesterone transport to the uterus require angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, a process which is regulated by proteins that include fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2).\ud \ud In this paper we develop a system of time-dependent ordinary differential equations to model CL growth. The dependent variables represent FGF2, endothelial cells (ECs), luteal cells, and stromal cells (like pericytes), by assuming that the CL volume is a continuum of the three cell types. We assume that if the CL volume exceeds that of the ovulated follicle, then growth is inhibited. This threshold volume partitions the system dynamics into two regimes, so that the model may be classified as a Filippov (piecewise smooth) system.\ud \ud We show that normal CL growth requires an appropriate balance between the growth rates of luteal and stromal cells. We investigate how angiogenesis influences CL growth by considering how the system dynamics depend on the dimensionless EC proliferation rate, p5. We find that weak (low p5) or strong (high p5) angiogenesis leads to ‘pathological’ CL growth, since the loss of CL constituents compromises progesterone production or delivery. However, for intermediate values of p5, normal CL growth is predicted. The implications of these results for cow fertility are also discussed. For example, inadequate angiogenesis has been linked to infertility in dairy cows

Economics, Behavioral Biology, and Law

This article compares the relevance to law of two unexpectedly similar fields: economics and behavioral biology. It first examines the assumptions, core concepts, methodological tenets, and emphases of the two fields. It then compares the interdisciplinary fields of law and economics, on one hand, with law and behavioral biology, on the other-highlighting not only important similarities but also important differences. The article subsequently explores ways that biological perspectives on human behavior may, among other things, improve economic models and the behavioral insights they generate. The article concludes that although there are important differences between the two fields, the overlaps between economics and biology warrant even greater congress between these two disciplines, and expanded exchange between the legal thinkers interested in each of them

Selection of chromosomal DNA libraries using a multiplex CRISPR system.

The directed evolution of biomolecules to improve or change their activity is central to many engineering and synthetic biology efforts. However, selecting improved variants from gene libraries in living cells requires plasmid expression systems that suffer from variable copy number effects, or the use of complex marker-dependent chromosomal integration strategies. We developed quantitative gene assembly and DNA library insertion into the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome by optimizing an efficient single-step and marker-free genome editing system using CRISPR-Cas9. With this Multiplex CRISPR (CRISPRm) system, we selected an improved cellobiose utilization pathway in diploid yeast in a single round of mutagenesis and selection, which increased cellobiose fermentation rates by over 10-fold. Mutations recovered in the best cellodextrin transporters reveal synergy between substrate binding and transporter dynamics, and demonstrate the power of CRISPRm to accelerate selection experiments and discoveries of the molecular determinants that enhance biomolecule function

Trace metal fluxes to the ocean: The importance of high‐standing oceanic islands

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94592/1/grl16149.pd

Mathematical analysis of a model for the growth of the bovine corpus luteum.

The corpus luteum (CL) is an ovarian tissue that grows in the wound space created by follicular rupture. It produces the progesterone needed in the uterus to maintain pregnancy. Rapid growth of the CL and progesterone transport to the uterus require angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, a process which is regulated by proteins that include fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). In this paper we develop a system of time-dependent ordinary differential equations to model CL growth. The dependent variables represent FGF2, endothelial cells (ECs), luteal cells, and stromal cells (like pericytes), by assuming that the CL volume is a continuum of the three cell types. We assume that if the CL volume exceeds that of the ovulated follicle, then growth is inhibited. This threshold volume partitions the system dynamics into two regimes, so that the model may be classified as a Filippov (piecewise smooth) system. We show that normal CL growth requires an appropriate balance between the growth rates of luteal and stromal cells. We investigate how angiogenesis influences CL growth by considering how the system dynamics depend on the dimensionless EC proliferation rate, ρ₅. We find that weak (low ρ₅) or strong (high ρ₅) angiogenesis leads to 'pathological' CL growth, since the loss of CL constituents compromises progesterone production or delivery. However, for intermediate values of ρ₅, normal CL growth is predicted. The implications of these results for cow fertility are also discussed. For example, inadequate angiogenesis has been linked to infertility in dairy cows

Shared decision making in patients with low risk chest pain: prospective randomized pragmatic trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of shared decision making with usual care in choice of admission for observation and further cardiac testing or for referral for outpatient evaluation in patients with possible acute coronary syndrome. DESIGN: Multicenter pragmatic parallel randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Six emergency departments in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: 898 adults (aged \u3e17 years) with a primary complaint of chest pain who were being considered for admission to an observation unit for cardiac testing (451 were allocated to the decision aid and 447 to usual care), and 361 emergency clinicians (emergency physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) caring for patients with chest pain. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) by an electronic, web based system to shared decision making facilitated by a decision aid or to usual care. The primary outcome, selected by patient and caregiver advisers, was patient knowledge of their risk for acute coronary syndrome and options for care; secondary outcomes were involvement in the decision to be admitted, proportion of patients admitted for cardiac testing, and the 30 day rate of major adverse cardiac events. RESULTS: Compared with the usual care arm, patients in the decision aid arm had greater knowledge of their risk for acute coronary syndrome and options for care (questions correct: decision aid, 4.2 v usual care, 3.6; mean difference 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.46 to 0.86), were more involved in the decision (observing patient involvement scores: decision aid, 18.3 v usual care, 7.9; 10.3, 9.1 to 11.5), and less frequently decided with their clinician to be admitted for cardiac testing (decision aid, 37% v usual care, 52%; absolute difference 15%; P CONCLUSIONS: Use of a decision aid in patients at low risk for acute coronary syndrome increased patient knowledge about their risk, increased engagement, and safely decreased the rate of admission to an observation unit for cardiac testing.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01969240

Epidural Hematoma Following Cervical Spine Surgery.

STUDY DESIGN: A multicentered retrospective case series. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and circumstances surrounding the development of a symptomatic postoperative epidural hematoma in the cervical spine. METHODS: Patients who underwent cervical spine surgery between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, at 23 institutions were reviewed, and all patients who developed an epidural hematoma were identified. RESULTS: A total of 16 582 cervical spine surgeries were identified, and 15 patients developed a postoperative epidural hematoma, for a total incidence of 0.090%. Substantial variation between institutions was noted, with 11 sites reporting no epidural hematomas, and 1 site reporting an incidence of 0.76%. All patients initially presented with a neurologic deficit. Nine patients had complete resolution of the neurologic deficit after hematoma evacuation; however 2 of the 3 patients (66%) who had a delay in the diagnosis of the epidural hematoma had residual neurologic deficits compared to only 4 of the 12 patients (33%) who had no delay in the diagnosis or treatment (P = .53). Additionally, the patients who experienced a postoperative epidural hematoma did not experience any significant improvement in health-related quality-of-life metrics as a result of the index procedure at final follow-up evaluation. CONCLUSION: This is the largest series to date to analyze the incidence of an epidural hematoma following cervical spine surgery, and this study suggest that an epidural hematoma occurs in approximately 1 out of 1000 cervical spine surgeries. Prompt diagnosis and treatment may improve the chance of making a complete neurologic recovery, but patients who develop this complication do not show improvements in the health-related quality-of-life measurements

Comparing thigh muscle cross-sectional area and squat strength among national class Olympic weightlifters, power lifters, and bodybuilders

Few studies have compared anthropometric characteristics among national class athletes from different resistance training disciplines, such as Olympic Weightlifting (OL), Power Lifting (PL), and Bodybuilding (BB). Objective: The purpose of the current study was to determine if significant differences exist in the relationship between thigh muscle cross-sectional area and back squat strength among national class athletes from the sports of OL, PL, and BB. Methods: Fifteen national class athletes were assessed for back squat strength, mid-thigh circumference, and mid-thigh skinfold from which total thigh cross-sectional was estimated. A series of One-Way ANOVAs and Pearson Product Moment Correlations were used to compare groups and assess the relationship between variables. Results: The OL (200.18 + 25.16kg) and PL (205.45 + 17.28kg) groups were significantly stronger than the BB (160 + 16.80 kg; p \u3c 0.05) group. However, mid-thigh skinfold thickness (p = 0.36), mid-thigh circumference (p = 0.87), and estimated thigh cross-sectional area (p = 0.34) were not significantly different between groups. Thigh muscle cross-sectional area was weakly correlated to back squat strength in the OL (r = .42) and PL (r = .12) groups, but moderately correlated in the BB (r = .70) group. Conclusion: Thigh cross-sectional area was of relatively minor importance in determining back squat strength for the OL and PL groups, despite these groups being significantly stronger than the BB group. Specific training protocols will elicit different outcomes with regard to muscular hypertrophy that may or may not contribute to a functional increase in back squat strength