Space Station Engineering Design Issues

Space Station Freedom topics addressed include: general design issues; issues related to utilization and operations; issues related to systems requirements and design; and management issues relevant to design

Inline AI: Open-source Deep Learning Inference for Cardiac MR

Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR) is established as a non-invasive imaging technique for evaluation of heart function, anatomy, and myocardial tissue characterization. Quantitative biomarkers are central for diagnosis and management of heart disease. Deep learning (DL) is playing an ever more important role in extracting these quantitative measures from CMR images. While many researchers have reported promising results in training and evaluating models, model deployment into the imaging workflow is less explored. A new imaging AI framework, the InlineAI, was developed and open-sourced. The main innovation is to enable the model inference inline as a part of imaging computation, instead of as an offline post-processing step and to allow users to plug in their models. We demonstrate the system capability on three applications: long-axis CMR cine landmark detection, short-axis CMR cine analysis of function and anatomy, and quantitative perfusion mapping. The InlineAI allowed models to be deployed into imaging workflow in a streaming manner directly on the scanner. The model was loaded and inference on incoming images were performed while the data acquisition was ongoing, and results were sent back to scanner. Several biomarkers were extracted from model outputs in the demonstrated applications and reported as curves and tabular values. All processes are full automated. the model inference was completed within 6-45s after the end of imaging data acquisition

A Radial Velocity Survey of the Cygnus OB2 Association

We conducted a radial velocity survey of the Cygnus OB2 Association over a 6 year (1999 - 2005) time interval to search for massive close binaries. During this time we obtained 1139 spectra on 146 OB stars to measure mean systemic radial velocities and radial velocity variations. We spectroscopically identify 73 new OB stars for the first time, the majority of which are likely to be Association members. Spectroscopic evidence is also presented for a B3Iae classification and temperature class variation (B3 - B8) on the order of 1 year for Cygnus OB2 No. 12. Calculations of the intial mass function with the current spectroscopic sample yield Gamma = -2.2 +/- 0.1. Of the 120 stars with the most reliable data, 36 are probable and 9 are possible single-lined spectroscopic binaries. We also identify 3 new and 8 candidate double-lined spectroscopic binaries. These data imply a lower limit on the massive binary fraction of 30% - 42%. The calculated velocity dispersion for Cygnus OB2 is 2.44 +/- km/s, which is typical of open clusters. No runaway OB stars were found.Comment: 56 pages, 23 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Differences in osmotolerance in freshwater and brackish water populations of Theodoxus fluviatilis (Gastropoda: Neritidae) are associated with differential protein expression

The euryhaline gastropod Theodoxus fluviatilis is found in northern Germany in freshwater or in brackish water habitats in the Baltic Sea. Previous studies have revealed that individuals from both habitats are not distinguishable by morphological characters or by sequence comparison of DNA encoding 16S RNA or cytochrome C. As reported in this study, animals collected in the two habitats differ substantially in their physiological ability to adapt to different salinities. Comparison of accumulation rates of ninhydrin-positive substances (NPS) in foot muscle upon transfer of animals to higher medium salinities revealed that brackish water animals were perfectly able to mobilize NPS, while freshwater animals had only limited ability to do so. In an attempt to explore whether this difference in physiology may be caused by genetic differentiation, we compared protein expression patterns of soluble foot muscle proteins using 2D gel electrophoresis and silver staining. Of the 40 consistently detected protein spots, 27 showed similar levels in protein expression in animals collected from freshwater or brackish water habitats, respectively. In 12 spots, however, protein concentration was higher in brackish water than in freshwater animals. In four of these spots, expression levels followed increases or decreases in medium salinities. In a different set of 4 of these 12 spots, protein levels were always higher in brackish water as compared to freshwater animals, regardless of their physiological situation (14 days in artificial pond water or in medium with a salinity of 16‰). The remaining 4 of the 12 spots had complex expression patterns. Protein levels of the remaining single spot were generally higher in freshwater animals than in brackish water animals. These expression patterns may indicate that freshwater and brackish water animals of T. fluviatilis belong to different locally adapted populations with subtle genetic differentiation

The use of a ward's history in training psychiatric child care workers

The importance of the contribution of historical-cultural factors to an inpatient treatment setting's contemporaneous psycho-social climate has been given little attention in published discussions of ward staff problems and training. This report illustrates some ways in which such historical-cultural forces, embodied in social myths and entrenched traditions, operate. Examples are provided from a ward of disturbed adolescents, where young child care workers struggled as a group with the daily stresses of providing therapeutic milieu support to children ambivalently seeking and resisting external controls for their feelings and impulses. The process of incorporating the analysis of historical-cultural factors in an inservice training program is described.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44275/1/10566_2005_Article_BF01642066.pd

HLA genotyping in the international Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium

Background Although human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ and DR loci appear to confer the strongest genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, more detailed information is required for other loci within the HLA region to understand causality and stratify additional risk factors. The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) study design included high-resolution genotyping of HLA-A, B, C, DRB1, DQ, and DP loci in all affected sibling pair and trio families, and cases and controls, recruited from four networks worldwide, for analysis with clinical phenotypes and immunological markers

Characterization of the rapid-onset type of behavioral sensitization to amphetamine in mice: Role of drug-environment conditioning

A rapid-onset type of behavioral sensitization (ROBS) has been demonstrated in rats treated with a single 'priming' injection of amphetamine (AMP). in that species, however, this phenomenon was restricted to AMP-induced stereotyped behavior (SB), not occurring for the locomotor-stimulant effect (LSE) of AMP and not reflecting environment-specific sensitization. in the present study, the ROBS was characterized in the mouse. Mice received a single 'priming' intraperitoneal injection of 5.0 mg/kg AMP which was paired or not with environment. At different intervals (3, 4 or 5 h) subgroups were tested for AMP (1.5 or 5.0 mg/kg)-induced SB or AMP (1.5 mg/kg)-induced open-field LSE. Results showed that: (1) in the absence of drug-environment association, a priming injection of AMP increased the SB induced by a 1.5 mg/kg AMP challenge injection given 3 h (but not 4 or 5 h) later; (2) when the dose of AMP challenge injection was increased to 5.0 mg/kg, an enhancement of SB was verified at all the intervals tested (3, 4, and 5 h); (3) when animals were tested in an open field, the priming injection of AMP produced an increase in the LSE of a 1.5 mg/kg AMP challenge injection, given 4 h later; (4) drug-environment association increased both SB and locomotion after a saline challenge injection and potentiated the rapid-onset sensitization of both behaviors in AMP-challenged mice. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the ROBS phenomenon also occurs in mice, is extended to AMP-induced LSE, and is markedly potentiated by (but does not depend on) environmental conditioning.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Farmacol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Farmacol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Fructose Modulates Cardiomyocyte Excitation-Contraction Coupling and Ca2+ Handling In Vitro

BACKGROUND: High dietary fructose has structural and metabolic cardiac impact, but the potential for fructose to exert direct myocardial action is uncertain. Cardiomyocyte functional responsiveness to fructose, and capacity to transport fructose has not been previously demonstrated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to seek evidence of fructose-induced modulation of cardiomyocyte excitation-contraction coupling in an acute, in vitro setting. METHODS AND RESULTS: The functional effects of fructose on isolated adult rat cardiomyocyte contractility and Ca²⁺ handling were evaluated under physiological conditions (37°C, 2 mM Ca²⁺, HEPES buffer, 4 Hz stimulation) using video edge detection and microfluorimetry (Fura2) methods. Compared with control glucose (11 mM) superfusate, 2-deoxyglucose (2 DG, 11 mM) substitution prolonged both the contraction and relaxation phases of the twitch (by 16 and 36% respectively, p<0.05) and this effect was completely abrogated with fructose supplementation (11 mM). Similarly, fructose prevented the Ca²⁺ transient delay induced by exposure to 2 DG (time to peak Ca²⁺ transient: 2 DG: 29.0±2.1 ms vs. glucose: 23.6±1.1 ms vs. fructose +2 DG: 23.7±1.0 ms; p<0.05). The presence of the fructose transporter, GLUT5 (Slc2a5) was demonstrated in ventricular cardiomyocytes using real time RT-PCR and this was confirmed by conventional RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: This is the first demonstration of an acute influence of fructose on cardiomyocyte excitation-contraction coupling. The findings indicate cardiomyocyte capacity to transport and functionally utilize exogenously supplied fructose. This study provides the impetus for future research directed towards characterizing myocardial fructose metabolism and understanding how long term high fructose intake may contribute to modulating cardiac function

Mutations in SLC20A2 are a major cause of familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification

Familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC) or Fahr's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by calcium deposits in the basal ganglia and other brain regions, which is associated with neuropsychiatric and motor symptoms. Familial IBGC is genetically heterogeneous and typically transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion. We performed a mutational analysis of SLC20A2, the first gene found to cause IBGC, to assess its genetic contribution to familial IBGC. We recruited 218 subjects from 29 IBGC-affected families of varied ancestry and collected medical history, neurological exam, and head CT scans to characterize each patient's disease status. We screened our patient cohort for mutations in SLC20A2. Twelve novel (nonsense, deletions, missense, and splice site) potentially pathogenic variants, one synonymous variant, and one previously reported mutation were identified in 13 families. Variants predicted to be deleterious cosegregated with disease in five families. Three families showed nonsegregation with clinical disease of such variants, but retrospective review of clinical and neuroimaging data strongly suggested previous misclassification. Overall, mutations in SLC20A2 account for as many as 41 % of our familial IBGC cases. Our screen in a large series expands the catalog of SLC20A2 mutations identified to date and demonstrates that mutations in SLC20A2 are a major cause of familial IBGC. Non-perfect segregation patterns of predicted deleterious variants highlight the challenges of phenotypic assessment in this condition with highly variable clinical presentation