Peripartum cardiomyopathy with a history of doxorubicin therapy: case report & review of literature

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy and doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy are well described conditions but there is little description in the literature of both occurring together. Case: A 29 year old G1P0 with a remote history of childhood chondroblastic osteosarcoma treated with high-dose doxorubicin therapy who developed minimally symptomatic cardiomyopathy during her pregnancy with ejection fraction reaching as low as 20-30%. She delivered via primary low-transverse cesarean section at 37 weeks complicated by uterine atony with an unremarkable recovery. Cardiomyopathy was treated with metoprolol and enalapril and she achieved ejection fraction of 44% at one year follow-up with complete return to baseline activity. Discussion: We present a woman with a history of doxorubicin therapy who developed peripartum cardiomyopathy and recovered symptomatically after one year. Although treatment of peripartum cardiomyopathy regardless of etiology is well-defined, there are few reports and no standard guidelines for special considerations in pregnant women with a history of doxorubicin therapy, a topic that may warrant further investigation

Peripartum cardiomyopathy with a history of doxorubicin therapy: case report & review of literature

Background: Peripartum cardiomyopathy and doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy are well described conditions but there is little description in the literature of both occurring together. Case: A 29 year old G1P0 with a remote history of childhood chondroblastic osteosarcoma treated with high-dose doxorubicin therapy who developed minimally symptomatic cardiomyopathy during her pregnancy with ejection fraction reaching as low as 20-30%. She delivered via primary low-transverse cesarean section at 37 weeks complicated by uterine atony with an unremarkable recovery. Cardiomyopathy was treated with metoprolol and enalapril and she achieved ejection fraction of 44% at one year follow-up with complete return to baseline activity. Discussion: We present a woman with a history of doxorubicin therapy who developed peripartum cardiomyopathy and recovered symptomatically after one year. Although treatment of peripartum cardiomyopathy regardless of etiology is well-defined, there are few reports and no standard guidelines for special considerations in pregnant women with a history of doxorubicin therapy, a topic that may warrant further investigation

Spring‐applied Corn Herbicides Impact Fall‐planted Cover Crops in South Dakotaa

Early spring herbicide applications can have residuals that impede fall‐planted cover crop growth. A greenhouse study examined radish (Raphanus sativus L.) or rye (Secale cereale L.) growth in silty clay loam (southeastern South Dakota) and silt loam (north‐central South Dakota) where corn herbicides had been applied about 120 d prior to collection. S‐metolachlor, acetochlor, flumetsulam, metribuzin, bicyclopyrone + mesotrione + S‐metolachlor + atrazine, and primisulfuron‐methyl + prosulfuron (northern site only) were applied at the suggested timing and highest recommended rate and planted to corn (Zea mays L.). Two 11‐cm diam. soil cores to a 10‐cm depth were collected per plot after silage harvest, with nontreated soils also collected. Soil was mixed within each core and two subsamples were placed into conetainers and planted with four seeds of the crop species. Plant height, and fresh shoot and root weights were quantified after 6 wk and compared to growth in nontreated soil. Radish was unaffected by any herbicide in either soil. Rye growth was influenced by soil and herbicide. In the silt loam, rye shoot biomass was reduced 15–25% by flumetsulam, acetochlor, and primisulfuron + prosulfuron; and acetochlor reduced root biomass by 44%. In the silty clay loam, acetochor reduced shoot biomass by 59%; and all treatments reduced root biomass by 35% or more. These data suggest that spring herbicide applications and cover crop species should be carefully matched to help in cover crop success

Using Hierarchical Data Mining to Characterize Performance of Wireless System Configurations

This paper presents a statistical framework for assessing wireless systems performance using hierarchical data mining techniques. We consider WCDMA (wideband code division multiple access) systems with two-branch STTD (space time transmit diversity) and 1/2 rate convolutional coding (forward error correction codes). Monte Carlo simulation estimates the bit error probability (BEP) of the system across a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). A performance database of simulation runs is collected over a targeted space of system configurations. This database is then mined to obtain regions of the configuration space that exhibit acceptable average performance. The shape of the mined regions illustrates the joint influence of configuration parameters on system performance. The role of data mining in this application is to provide explainable and statistically valid design conclusions. The research issue is to define statistically meaningful aggregation of data in a manner that permits efficient and effective data mining algorithms. We achieve a good compromise between these goals and help establish the applicability of data mining for characterizing wireless systems performance

Irreversibility and Polymer Adsorption

Physisorption or chemisorption from dilute polymer solutions often entails irreversible polymer-surface bonding. We present a theory of the non-equilibrium layers which result. While the density profile and loop distribution are the same as for equilibrium layers, the final layer comprises a tightly bound inner part plus an outer part whose chains make only fN surface contacts where N is chain length. The contact fractions f follow a broad distribution, P(f) ~ f^{-4/5}, in rather close agreement with strong physisorption experiments [H. M. Schneider et al, Langmuir v.12, p.994 (1996)].Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Pattern and Potential Causes of White-faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi, Establishment in the Northern Prairie and Parkland Region of North America

The Northern Prairie and Parkland Waterbird Conservation Plan calls for renewed attention to determining the current status of waterbird populations, their distributions, and conservation needs. It highlights the need for baseline information on the White-faced Ibis (Plegadis chihi). In response, we examined the historical and current distribution of the ibis in North Dakota and summarized first sightings and nest records for the provinces and other states composing the northern prairie and parkland region. The establishment of breeding colonies of White-faced Ibis here may be due to climate and precipitation patterns, invasion and spread of Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia), changes in agricultural practices, habitat loss and range expansion in the southern and western portions of the species’ range, and increases in ibis populations in the Intermountain West. We placed special emphasis on North Dakota, a state for which there is scant published information concerning the current status of this species. In recent decades, the ibis has become a regular breeding-season resident in North Dakota and in other areas of the northern prairie and parkland region. From 1882 to 2002, there were 145 reports of one or more Whitefaced Ibis in North Dakota, including 93 reports during the breeding season (15 May to 31 August), 49 during the nonbreeding season (1 September to 14 May), and three for which the season of occurrence was not reported. Prior to the 1960s, there were only three records of the species in North Dakota. Observations of White-faced Ibises in North Dakota increased dramatically between the 1960s and the early 21st century, and the species has been observed nearly annually since 1971. The first White-faced Ibis nesting activity in the state was recorded in 1978, and to date, there have been 21 known records of nesting activity in the state. The species nested in large (>300 ha) semipermanent or permanent wetlands within mixed-species colonies ranging in areal extent from small (0.1 ha) to fairly large (27 ha), and colonies were located in patches of emergent vegetation dominated by cattails (Typha) and bulrushes (Scirpus). We classify the White-faced Ibis as a fairly common migrant and a locally uncommon breeder east of the Missouri River and a casual migrant west of the Missouri River

BSML: A Binding Schema Markup Language for Data Interchange in Problem Solving Environments (PSEs)

We describe a binding schema markup language (BSML) for describing data interchange between scientific codes. Such a facility is an important constituent of scientific problem solving environments (PSEs). BSML is designed to integrate with a PSE or application composition system that views model specification and execution as a problem of managing semistructured data. The data interchange problem is addressed by three techniques for processing semistructured data: validation, binding, and conversion. We present BSML and describe its application to a PSE for wireless communications system design

Structural power performance requirements for future aircraft integration

This paper investigates the use of structural power composites in Airbus A220-100 aircraft cabins by integrating floor panels with face sheets made of structural power composites to power the in-flight entertainment system. This application requires a minimum specific energy of 305 Wh/kg and a minimum specific power of 0.610 kW/kg. The static and dynamic loads for which the floor panels must be certified require an in-plane Young’s modulus of 50 GPa, a compressive strength of 225 MPa and a tensile strength of 119 MPa. Structural power composite floor panels are predicted to yield mass savings of 324 kg, annual cost savings of £85,000 per aircraft and annual reductions in CO2 and NOx emissions of 343 tonnes and 1.4 tonnes respectively. However, addressing challenges such as fire-resistance, long term cycling performance and public perception of structural power composites are necessary to enable widespread use of such materials on-board airliners