The Concepts of Reliability and Homogeneity

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67956/2/10.1177_001316445001000103.pd

Perivascular Delivery of Blebbistatin Reduces Neointimal Hyperplasia after Carotid Injury in the Mouse

Proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells (SMC) require myosin II activity; thus, we examined whether blebbistatin, a cell-permeable selective inhibitor of myosin II ATP activity, would impair neointimal hyperplasia after vascular injury. Delivery of blebbistatin via a perivascular polymer cuff reduced neointimal formation by 73% and luminal obstruction by 75% after carotid denudation injury in C57BL/6 mice. Blebbistatin treatment was also associated with a reduction in cell density within the neointima; total number of cells (76 ± 7 to 27 ± 3 cells/high-powered field) and actin-positive cells (64 ± 4 to 24 ± 2 cells/high-powered field) in the neointima were reduced in blebbistatin-treated mice compared with vehicle-treated mice. In a model of vascular injury with an intact endothelium, implantation of a blebbistatin-secreting cuff after carotid ligation in FVB/N mice was associated with a 61% decrease in neointimal area and a significant decrease in luminal obstruction (88 ± 4% in vehicle-treated mice versus 36 ± 4% in blebbistatin-treated mice; p < 0.0001). In cultured rat aortic SMC, blebbistatin disrupted cellular morphology and actin cytoskeleton structure, and these effects were rapid and completely reversible. Blebbistatin had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on DNA replication and cell proliferative responses to platelet-derived growth factor-BB, angiotensin II, and α-thrombin, migratory responses to serum, and migratory responses after blunt injury. In summary, perivascular delivery of blebbistatin reduced neointimal hyperplasia after carotid injury in the mouse

Activation of Protease-Activated Receptors 3 and 4 Accelerates Tissue Factor-Induced Thrombin Generation on the Surface of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

To determine factors regulating human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) supported tissue factor-induced thrombin generation

Acute ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Patients Hospitalized for Noncardiac Conditions

BackgroundMajor advances have been made in the treatment of ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in outpatients. In contrast, little is known about outcomes in STEMI that occur in patients hospitalized for a noncardiac condition.Methods and ResultsThis was a retrospective, single‐center study of inpatient STEMIs from January 1, 2007, to July 31, 2011. Forty‐eight cases were confirmed to be inpatient STEMIs of a total of 139 410 adult discharges. These patients were older and more often female and had higher rates of chronic kidney disease and prior cerebrovascular events compared with 227 patients with outpatient STEMIs treated during the same period. Onset of inpatient STEMI was heralded most frequently by a change in clinical status (60%) and less commonly by patient complaints (33%) or changes on telemetry. Coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention were performed in 71% and 56% of patients, respectively. The median time to obtain ECG (41 [10, 600] versus 5 [2, 10] minutes; P<0.001), ECG to angiography time (91 [26, 209] versus 35 [25, 46] minutes; P<0.001) and ECG to first device activation (FDA) (129 [65, 25] versus 60 [47, 76] minutes; P<0.001) were longer for inpatient versus outpatient STEMI. Survival to discharge was lower for inpatient STEMI (60% versus 96%; P<0.001), and this difference persisted after adjusting for potential confounders.ConclusionsPatients who develop a STEMI while hospitalized for a noncardiac condition are older and more often female, have more comorbidities, have longer ECG‐to‐FDA times, and are less likely to survive than patients with an outpatient STEMI

A Semantic Framework for Enabling Radio Spectrum Policy Management and Evaluation

Because radio spectrum is a finite resource, its usage and sharing is regulated by government agencies. These agencies define policies to manage spectrum allocation and assignment across multiple organizations, systems, and devices. With more portions of the radio spectrum being licensed for commercial use, the importance of providing an increased level of automation when evaluating such policies becomes crucial for the efficiency and efficacy of spectrum management. We introduce our Dynamic Spectrum Access Policy Framework for supporting the United States government's mission to enable both federal and non-federal entities to compatibly utilize available spectrum. The DSA Policy Framework acts as a machine-readable policy repository providing policy management features and spectrum access request evaluation. The framework utilizes a novel policy representation using OWL and PROV-O along with a domain-specific reasoning implementation that mixes GeoSPARQL, OWL reasoning, and knowledge graph traversal to evaluate incoming spectrum access requests and explain how applicable policies were used. The framework is currently being used to support live, over-the-air field exercises involving a diverse set of federal and commercial radios, as a component of a prototype spectrum management system

Efficient Passive ICS Device Discovery and Identification by MAC Address Correlation

Owing to a growing number of attacks, the assessment of Industrial Control Systems (ICSs) has gained in importance. An integral part of an assessment is the creation of a detailed inventory of all connected devices, enabling vulnerability evaluations. For this purpose, scans of networks are crucial. Active scanning, which generates irregular traffic, is a method to get an overview of connected and active devices. Since such additional traffic may lead to an unexpected behavior of devices, active scanning methods should be avoided in critical infrastructure networks. In such cases, passive network monitoring offers an alternative, which is often used in conjunction with complex deep-packet inspection techniques. There are very few publications on lightweight passive scanning methodologies for industrial networks. In this paper, we propose a lightweight passive network monitoring technique using an efficient Media Access Control (MAC) address-based identification of industrial devices. Based on an incomplete set of known MAC address to device associations, the presented method can guess correct device and vendor information. Proving the feasibility of the method, an implementation is also introduced and evaluated regarding its efficiency. The feasibility of predicting a specific device/vendor combination is demonstrated by having similar devices in the database. In our ICS testbed, we reached a host discovery rate of 100% at an identification rate of more than 66%, outperforming the results of existing tools.Comment: http://dx.doi.org/10.14236/ewic/ICS2018.

Автоматизированная беспроводная система измерений параметров окружающей среды

Объектом исследования является автоматизированная беспроводная система измерений параметров окружающей среды. Цель работы – является разработка автоматизированной беспроводной системы измерений параметров окружающей среды. В процессе исследования проводились: исследование областей применения системы измерений параметров окружающей среды, формирование требований к системе измерений, выбор измеряемых величин, разработка структуры и программного обеспечения системы. В результате исследования создана автоматизированная беспроводная система измерений параметров окружающей среды, которая измеряет температуру и относительную влажность окружающего воздуха, атмосферное давление и освещенность.The object of research is the automated wireless system of measurement of environmental parameters. The aim of this work is the development of an automated wireless system of measurement of environmental parameters. In the process studies were conducted: study of applications of the measurement system of environmental parameters, formation of requirements to the system of measurements, choice of measured value, design and development of software systems. The study established the automated wireless system of measurement of environmental parameters, which measures the temperature and relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and illuminance

Follicular fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and early corpus luteum function during assisted reproductive technology cycles

BACKGROUND: The relation between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and early luteal function has rarely been proven in humans. The purpose of this study was to define the relation between follicular fluid concentrations of VEGF (FF VEGF) and early luteal function at the preimplantation stage during assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. METHODS: 71 women were divided into two groups, based on reproductive outcome: women who became pregnant after embryo transfer (ET) (n = 18, Group A) and non-pregnant women (n = 53, Group B). Serum progesterone (Se P) and inhibin A on ET day, and FF VEGF levels were measured in all women. Data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Statistical analysis was performed using Excel Office 98 for Student's t-test, linear regression test and chi-square test. A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The groups were comparable for age, ovarian reserve, number and quality of the oocytes retrieved and of the embryos obtained and transferred. FF VEGF levels were increased (4235 ± 1433 vs 3432 ± 1231 pg/ml), while Se P and inhibin A levels were significantly reduced (83.1 ± 34.1 vs 112.0 ± 58.8 ng/ml and 397.4 ± 223 vs 533.5 ± 283 pg/ml, respectively) in the non-pregnant group and were negatively correlated with FF VEGF (r = -0.482, p < 0.05; r = -0.468, p < 0.05) only in pregnant women. CONCLUSION: Much has to be learned about the regulation and role of VEGF during the early luteal phase. We advance the hypothesis that the existence of a negative correlation between FF VEGF/Se P and FF VEGF/inhibin A in pregnant women might indicate the existence of a normal VEGF-mediated paracrine response when Se P and inhibin A levels are decreased. Excess production of FF VEGF and the absence of a correlation between FF VEGF/Se P and FF VEGF/inhibin A in non-pregnant women may be a paracrine reaction to immature luteal vasculature, resulting in luteal dysfunction

Restored glial glutamate transporter EAAT2 function as a potential therapeutic approach for Alzheimer’s disease

Glutamatergic systems play a critical role in cognitive functions and are known to be defective in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients. Previous literature has indicated that glial glutamate transporter EAAT2 plays an essential role in cognitive functions and that loss of EAAT2 protein is a common phenomenon observed in AD patients and animal models. In the current study, we investigated whether restored EAAT2 protein and function could benefit cognitive functions and pathology in APPSw,Ind mice, an animal model of AD. A transgenic mouse approach via crossing EAAT2 transgenic mice with APPSw,Ind. mice and a pharmacological approach using a novel EAAT2 translational activator, LDN/OSU-0212320, were conducted. Findings from both approaches demonstrated that restored EAAT2 protein function significantly improved cognitive functions, restored synaptic integrity, and reduced amyloid plaques. Importantly, the observed benefits were sustained one month after compound treatment cessation, suggesting that EAAT2 is a potential disease modifier with therapeutic potential for AD