Angular dependence of albedo from stratiform clouds as measured by Tiros IV scanning radiometers

Anisotropy in albedo of low stratiform clouds measured by Tiros IV scanning radiometer

Assessing the sustainability of liquid biofuels from evolving technologies : a Finnish approach

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Multi-Organ Expression Profiling Uncovers a Gene Module in Coronary Artery Disease Involving Transendothelial Migration of Leukocytes and LIM Domain Binding 2: The Stockholm Atherosclerosis Gene Expression (STAGE) Study

Environmental exposures filtered through the genetic make-up of each individual alter the transcriptional repertoire in organs central to metabolic homeostasis, thereby affecting arterial lipid accumulation, inflammation, and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The primary aim of the Stockholm Atherosclerosis Gene Expression (STAGE) study was to determine whether there are functionally associated genes (rather than individual genes) important for CAD development. To this end, two-way clustering was used on 278 transcriptional profiles of liver, skeletal muscle, and visceral fat (n = 66/tissue) and atherosclerotic and unaffected arterial wall (n = 40/tissue) isolated from CAD patients during coronary artery bypass surgery. The first step, across all mRNA signals (n = 15,042/12,621 RefSeqs/genes) in each tissue, resulted in a total of 60 tissue clusters (n = 3958 genes). In the second step (performed within tissue clusters), one atherosclerotic lesion (n = 49/48) and one visceral fat (n = 59) cluster segregated the patients into two groups that differed in the extent of coronary stenosis (P = 0.008 and P = 0.00015). The associations of these clusters with coronary atherosclerosis were validated by analyzing carotid atherosclerosis expression profiles. Remarkably, in one cluster (n = 55/54) relating to carotid stenosis (P = 0.04), 27 genes in the two clusters relating to coronary stenosis were confirmed (n = 16/17, P<10$^{−27and−30}$). Genes in the transendothelial migration of leukocytes (TEML) pathway were overrepresented in all three clusters, referred to as the atherosclerosis module (A-module). In a second validation step, using three independent cohorts, the A-module was found to be genetically enriched with CAD risk by 1.8-fold (P<0.004). The transcription co-factor LIM domain binding 2 (LDB2) was identified as a potential high-hierarchy regulator of the A-module, a notion supported by subnetwork analysis, by cellular and lesion expression of LDB2, and by the expression of 13 TEML genes in Ldb2–deficient arterial wall. Thus, the A-module appears to be important for atherosclerosis development and, together with LDB2, merits further attention in CAD research

Comportement physico-chimique d'un contact métal/polymère soumis à un frottement sous petits débattements en milieu chloruré. Influence des traitements de surface par implantation et nitruration ioniques.

Pas de résumé en anglaisLe comportement en fretting-corrosion de deux couples tribologiques TA6V/PMMA et 316 L/PMMA est étudié pour comprendre les mécanismes des dégradations observées sur les tiges des prothèses articulaires scellées dans l'os. En ce qui concerne l'alliage de titane, les mécanismes de dégradation sont étudiés à l'aide de deux contacts, cylindre (PMMA) sur plan (TA6V) et plan sur plan, dans deux environnements, l'air ambiant et une solution physiologique artificielle. La pression dans le contact cylindre sur plan joue un rôle déterminant. Pour les fortes pressions (supérieures à 6 MPa), les débris de PMMA viennent former un troisième corps protecteur des surfaces métalliques. Pour de plus faibles pressions, un endommagement conjoint des matériaux est observé. La corrosion gouverne alors les mécanismes de la dégradation du titane. Dans le contact plan sur plan, des débris d'oxydes de titane noirs piégés accélèrent les phénomènes d'usure. Dans le cas de l'acier inoxydable, les mécanismes de dégradation de la surface sont assimiles a des phénomènes de corrosion par crevasses actives par le fretting. La réalisation de traitements de surface du TA6V par implantation et nitruration ioniques montre qu'une résistance optimale au fretting est obtenue lorsque la couche de surface est composée de nitrures de titane. Les doses d'ions, nécessaires pour obtenir une couche de tin par implantation, sont très élevées. La formation de tin s'accompagne de sursaturations locales en azote avec apparition de microvides (bulles d'azote). Pour la nitruration, la température de traitement est un facteur déterminant de l'épaisseur et de l'homogénéité des couches de nitrure

Spillover effects and other determinants of medical device uptake in the presence of a medical guideline: an analysis of drug-eluting stents in Germany and Italy

We investigated the role of spillover effects among hospitals in the diffusion of drug-eluting stents (DES) in Germany and Italy during a period in which the relevant medical guideline clearly recommended their use over bare-metal stents. We used administrative data of hospitalized patients treated with ST-elevation myocardial infarction from 2012 to 2016 to estimate spatial panel models allowing for global spillover effects. We used an inverse-distance weights matrix to capture the geographical proximity between neighboring hospitals and assigned a lower weight to more distant neighbors. For both countries, we found significant positive spatial autocorrelation in most years based on the global Moran's I test, and a significant, positive spatial lag parameter across model specifications, indicating positive spillover effects among neighboring hospitals. We found that private for-profit hospital ownership and hospital competition in Germany and the number of inpatient cases with circulatory system diseases in Italy were other significant determinants of DES adoption. Our results underline the importance of spillover effects among peers for the diffusion of medical devices even in the presence of a positive guideline recommendation. Policymakers might therefore consider promoting various forms of exchange and collaboration among medical staff and hospitals to ensure the appropriate use of medical technologies

A rapid survey of herpetofaunal diversity in Nijhum Dwip National Park, Bangladesh

The ecological effects of habitat use by herpetofaunal species vary widely and recognizing relative habitat value will help to improve conservation theory and practice in a particular landscape. To understand how different habitat uses influence diversity in riparian landscapes, we studied reptile and amphibian assemblages across major habitats (agricultural land, forest, human habitation, and waterbodies) in Nijhum Dwip National Park, Bangladesh. A total of 35 herpetofaunal species were found; among them, 17 were directly observed and 18 were reported from a questionnaire survey. Among the observed species, the Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus was the most commonly seen (relative abundance 0.32). We found that forest habitat contained a greater diversity of herpetofauna than other habitats followed by agricultural land, human habitation, and waterbodies. We also found 8 habitat specialist species and 9 generalist species in this study. Our results show that different habitats support different species assemblages in Nijhum Dwip National Park, signifying the importance of diversified habitats for the herpetofaunal population. Understanding this importance is crucial for identifying matrix environments that can complement the forest habitats of sensitive as well as specialist herpetofaunal species