Magnetic field perturbation of neural recording and stimulating microelectrodes

To improve the overall temporal and spatial resolution of brain mapping techniques, in animal models, some attempts have been reported to join electrophysiological methods with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, little attention has been paid to the image artefacts produced by the microelectrodes that compromise the anatomical or functional information of those studies. This work presents a group of simulations and MR images that show the limitations of wire microelectrodes and the potential advantages of silicon technology, in terms of image quality, in MRI environments. Magnetic field perturbations are calculated using a Fourier-based method for platinum (Pt) and tungsten (W) microwires as well as two different silicon technologies. We conclude that image artefacts produced by microelectrodes are highly dependent not only on the magnetic susceptibility of the materials used but also on the size, shape and orientation of the electrodes with respect to the main magnetic field. In addition silicon microelectrodes present better MRI characteristics than metallic microelectrodes. However, metallization layers added to silicon materials can adversely affect the quality of MR images. Therefore only those silicon microelectrodes that minimize the amount of metallic material can be considered MR-compatible and therefore suitable for possible simultaneous fMRI and electrophysiological studies. High resolution gradient echo images acquired at 2 T (TR/TE = 100/15 ms, voxel size = 100 × 100 × 100 µm3) of platinum–iridium (Pt–Ir, 90%–10%) and tungsten microwires show a complete signal loss that covers a volume significantly larger than the actual volume occupied by the microelectrodes: roughly 400 times larger for Pt–Ir and 180 for W, at the tip of the microelectrodes. Similar MR images of a single-shank silicon microelectrode only produce a partial volume effect on the voxels occupied by the probe with less than 50% of signal loss.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58101/2/pmb7_8_003.pd

Dual Requirement for Yeast hnRNP Nab2p in mRNA poly(A) Tail Length Control and Nuclear Export

Recent studies of mRNA export factors have provided additional evidence for a mechanistic link between mRNA 3′‐end formation and nuclear export. Here, we identify Nab2p as a nuclear poly(A)‐binding protein required for both poly(A) tail length control and nuclear export of mRNA. Loss of NAB2 expression leads to hyperadenylation and nuclear accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA but, in contrast to mRNA export mutants, these defects can be uncoupled in a nab2 mutant strain. Previous studies have implicated the cytoplasmic poly(A) tail‐binding protein Pab1p in poly(A) tail length control during polyadenylation. Although cells are viable in the absence of NAB2 expression when PAB1 is overexpressed, Pab1p fails to resolve the nab2Δ hyperadenylation defect even when Pab1p is tagged with a nuclear localization sequence and targeted to the nucleus. These results indicate that Nab2p is essential for poly(A) tail length control in vivo, and we demonstrate that Nab2p activates polyadenylation, while inhibiting hyperadenylation, in the absence of Pab1p in vitro. We propose that Nab2p provides an important link between the termination of mRNA polyadenylation and nuclear export

Contact printed Co/insulator/Co molecular junctions

The authors report the contact printing of a Au/Co double layer (total thickness ∼20–40nm) onto a self-assembled monolayer surface to form molecular junctions under ambient conditions. The feature size ranges from 50×50μm2 to 2×2 mm2. Grazing incident x-ray diffraction of the multilayer junction shows all expected Au peaks, while elemental Co was confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy. Film thickness, roughness, and density were characterized by x-ray reflectivity. I-V measurements show a prominent hysteresis, likely associated with charge trapping at the metal-organic interface, not an intrinsic feature of alkanedithiol molecules

Pressure Tuning of the Charge Density Wave in the Halogen-Bridged Transition-Metal (MX) Solid Pt2Br6(NH3)4Pt_2Br_6(NH_3)_4

We report the pressure dependence up to 95 kbar of Raman active stretching modes in the quasi-one-dimensional MX chain solid $Pt_2Br_6(NH_3)_4$. The data indicate that a predicted pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition does not occur, but are consistent with the solid undergoing either a three-dimensional structural distortion, or a transition from a charge-density wave to another broken-symmetry ground state. We show that such a transition cacan be well-modeled within a Peierls-Hubbard Hamiltonian. 1993 PACS: 71.30.+h, 71.45.Lr, 75.30.Fv, 78.30.-j, 81.40.VwComment: 4 pages, ReVTeX 3.0, figures available from the authors on request (Gary Kanner, [email protected]), to be published in Phys Rev B Rapid Commun, REVISION: minor typos corrected, LA-UR-94-246

Relationship between margin distance and local recurrence among patients undergoing wedge resection for small (≤2 cm) non–small cell lung cancer

ObjectiveSuccessful pulmonary wedge resection for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer requires a pathologically confirmed negative margin. To date, however, no clear evidence is available regarding whether an optimal margin distance, defined as the distance from the primary tumor to the closest resection margin, exists. Toward addressing this gap, we investigated the relationship between the margin distance and local recurrence risk.MethodsWe reviewed all adult patients who had undergone wedge resection for small (≤2 cm) non–small cell lung cancer from January 2001 to August 2011, with follow-up through to December 31, 2011. The exclusion criteria included other active noncutaneous malignancies, bronchoalveolar carcinomas, lymph node or distant metastases at diagnosis, large cell cancer, adenosquamous cancer, multiple, multifocal, and/or metastatic disease, and previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Using Cox regression analysis, we examined the relationship between the margin distance and interval to local recurrence, adjusting for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, smoking, diabetes, tumor size, tumor location, surgeon, open versus video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and whether the lymph nodes were sampled.ResultsOf 557 consecutive adult patients, 479 met our inclusion criteria. The overall, unadjusted 1- and 2-year local recurrences rate was 5.7% and 11.0%, respectively. From the adjusted analyses, an increased margin distance was significantly associated with a lower risk of local recurrence (P = .033). Patients with a 10-mm margin distance had a 45% lower local recurrence risk than those with a 5-mm distance (hazard ratio, 0.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.35-0.86). Beyond 15 mm, no evidence of additional benefit was associated with an increased margin distance.ConclusionsIn wedge resection for small non–small cell lung cancer, increasing the margin distance ≤15 mm significantly decreased the local recurrence risk, with no evidence of additional benefit beyond 15 mm

On and Beyond the Mississippi: Essays honoring Thomas Tredway

Excerpt from Introduction: This collection of essays honors Thomas Tredway on his retirement as President of Augustana College in the summer of 2003. The contributors include Augustana graduates from different generations, colleagues at the college, and friends from both on and off campus. The essays focus on themes and subjects that have been important both in the history of Augustana College and in Tom’s own life. Table of Contents: Illustrations -- Introduction -- Contributors -- Roald Tweet / Five Reflections on Living with a Hyphen -- Maria Erling / Nordic and Protestant: Swedish-American Identity in America -- Nils Hasselmo / In the Attic of Denkmann: Reflections on English as a world language, and on the Scandinavian languages which, well, had their fling, too! -- Larry Scott / The Lighter Side of Loneliness: Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman -- Dag Blanck / American Influences in Sweden? Reflections on a Trans-Atlantic Relationship -- Kenneth R. Johnston / LINES, written a Few Years beyond Augustana College, on Revisiting the Banks of the Mississippi, during a Homecoming/Reunion, anytime. -- Dorothy J. Parkander / Songs of Apollo and Songs of Sion: Milton’s Puritan Poetic -- Richard Swanson / little crick (2001) -- Arthur Mampel / Campus President -- William Bondeson / The Ideals of a Liberal Education or What’s “Blooming” in Higher Education? -- Ronald Goetz / The Sinlessness of Christ?https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/ahsbooks/1015/thumbnail.jp

The Lantern Vol. 41, No. 1, Fall 1974

• The Fable • Landscape - Clear Weather in the Valley • Josephine Palooka • Don\u27t Bark Twice - It\u27s All Right • Masks • Suicide Note From a Lemming • The Death of Dame Sexton • Come September • Leaves • Spruce Grove • The Class of \u2775 • The Promise • Images • Sixth Station • Borealis • To Gemhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1105/thumbnail.jp

Surveillance transbronchial lung biopsies: Implication for survival after lung transplantation

AbstractObjectives: We wished to determine whether early rejection after lung transplantation as assessed by surveillance transbronchial biopsy predicts for survival. Methods: Between 1990 and 1997, 96 consecutive patients had lung transplantation: 89 had a minimum 1-month follow-up. For 71 consecutive patients we have 1-year follow-up and for 69 patients we have the results of the first 3 biopsies. Cytomegalovirus status, bronchiolitis obliterans prevalence, and use of total lymphoid irradiation are noted. Biopsies were done at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months. Standard immunosuppression consisted of induction antilymphocyte globulin and high-dose methylprednisolone induction for 1 week and standard maintenance triple therapy. Acute rejection treatment was with pulse methylprednisolone. Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome was treated with total lymphoid irradiation and a change to tacrolimus and mycophenolate. Blinded grading using International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation classification was done retrospectively. Results: Survival at 1 month and 1, 2, and 3 years for the 96-patient cohort with 1-year follow-up was 93%, 74%, 62%, and 56%. Survival was not significantly different for subsets with rejection on any combination of the first 3 biopsies (1/3, 2/3, 3/3) or absence of rejection on the first 3 biopsies. Ninety-one positive biopsy results were graded. Eighteen of 71 patients had one or more moderate or severe rejection episodes without survival difference relative to the others. There was no statistically significant association between acute rejection on the first 3 surveillance biopsy results and bronchiolitis obliterans. Conclusions: Intensive induction and maintenance immunotherapy with surveillance transbronchial biopsies and aggressive treatment of acute rejection is associated with a survival similar to that of patients without early acute rejection. This regimen appears to uncouple the association between early acute rejection and bronchiolitis obliterans. Further study may elucidate this mechanism. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2000;119:27-38

Histone H3 Methylation by Set2 Directs Deacetylation of Coding Regions by Rpd3S to Suppress Spurious Intragenic Transcription

SummaryYeast Rpd3 histone deacetylase plays an important role at actively transcribed genes. We characterized two distinct Rpd3 complexes, Rpd3L and Rpd3S, by MudPIT analysis. Both complexes shared a three subunit core and Rpd3L contains unique subunits consistent with being a promoter targeted corepressor. Rco1 and Eaf3 were subunits specific to Rpd3S. Mutants of RCO1 and EAF3 exhibited increased acetylation in the FLO8 and STE11 open reading frames (ORFs) and the appearance of aberrant transcripts initiating within the body of these ORFs. Mutants in the RNA polymerase II-associated SET2 histone methyltransferase also displayed these defects. Set2 functioned upstream of Rpd3S and the Eaf3 methyl-histone binding chromodomain was important for recruitment of Rpd3S and for deacetylation within the STE11 ORF. These data indicate that Pol II-associated Set2 methylates H3 providing a transcriptional memory which signals for deacetylation of ORFs by Rpd3S. This erases transcription elongation-associated acetylation to suppress intragenic transcription initiation

Metabolic effects of adenosine on regional myocardial ischemia by phosphorus 31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

The metabolic effects of adenosine on regionally ischemic myocardium were investigated in an open-chest rabbit model by means of phosphorus 31 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Sixteen anesthetized New Zealand white rabbits were subjected to thoracotomy; a reversible snare occluder was placed around a large branch of the left circumflex coronary artery, and an NMR surface coil was positioned adjacent to the myocardium perfused by this vessel. The animals were placed in a 2.0 T CSI spectrometer (GE Medical Systems, Fremont, Calif.), and baseline spectra were acquired. Eight animals were treated with intravenous adenosine (25 mg/kg), and eight rabbits served as control subjects. All animals were subjected to a 10-minute period of ischemia followed by a period of reperfusion. NMR spectra were acquired during both intervals. During the occlusion period, expected increases in inorganic phosphate levels and decreases in phosphocreatine levels were observed in both groups; however, inorganic phosphate increased less in adenosine-treated animals (adenosine: 33 +/- 2.8% total spectral area during occlusion vs control: 41+/-3.1%) and phosphocreatine diminished less with adenosine (adenosine: 26+/-3% vs control: 13+/-1.2%; p<0.002). No significant differences were seen in [beta]-adenosine triphosphate levels. In both groups the metabolite levels during reperfusion recovered to near baseline values, although phosphocreatine remained slightly higher in the treated group during early reperfusion. An apparent cardioprotective effect of adenosine on relative phosphocreatine and inorganic phosphate levels can be observed in intact rabbits by means of phosphorus 31 NMR spectroscopy.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/29773/1/0000112.pd