Effects of Elevated CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e on Creeping Bentgrass (\u3cem\u3eAgrostis stolonifera\u3c/em\u3e L.) during the Ante Meridiem Photoperiod for Summer Heat Stress Tolerance

The demand for optimum putting conditions requires golf course superintendents to manage cool season creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) in the transition zone and upper south. Summer heat stress combined with low mowing heights and constant traffic are challenges that superintendents must face in order to successfully manage creeping bentgrass from early May to late September. A field experiment was conducted on a Crenshaw putting green under golf course conditions during the 2006 summer and twice during the 2007 summer in Knoxville, TN. 2006 enriched air treatments of ~692 ppm CO2 and ~891 ppm CO2 were compared to a control of ambient air (~363 ppm CO2). 2007 enriched air treatments of ~716 ppm CO2 and ~1076 ppm CO2 were compared to a control of ambient air (~451 ppm CO2). Indirect heat stress was characterized by measuring the accumulation of total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC) which is the sum of soluble carbohydrates and insoluble starch. The effects of CO2 enriched air on TNC during the ante meridiem (between 12 midnight and 12 noon) photoperiod were determined using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS). The effects of CO2 enriched air on turfgrass quality during the ante meridiem photoperiod were determined using normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI) chlorophyll measurements. Disease and visual quality differences amongst treatments or locations were measured on an incidental basis. No significance occurred within the 2006 and 2007 TNC or NDVI analysis for differences amongst treatments. 2006 average TNC for shoots were 24.8, 20.1, and 28.5 mg g-1 of tissue for the 363, 692, and 891 ppm CO2 levels, respectively. 2006 average NDVI for shoots were 7.2, 7.3, and 7.3 for the 363, 692, and 891 ppm CO2 levels, respectively. 2007average TNC for shoots were 25.6, 18.9, and 23.1 mg g-1 of tissue for the 451, 716, and 1076 ppm CO2 levels, respectively. 2007 average NDVI for shoots were 7.9, 8.0, and 8.0 for the 451, 716, and 1076 ppm CO2 levels, respectively. All results were analyzed at 0.05 probability level within SAS 9.1. No incidence of disease or visual quality differences among treatments or locations occurred

Active TB screening among homeless people attending soup kitchens in Verona (Italy)

BACKGROUND: The hard-to-reach populations, including the homeless, are particularly vulnerable to the development of active tuberculosis. According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis rates among the homeless in industrialized Countries are up to 20 times higher if compared with the general population, representing a relevant public health problem. The aim of our study was to describe the results of an active tuberculosis screening applied in order to find out suspected active TB cases among the homeless in Verona.METHODS: As part of a partnership between the non-profit association Medici per la Pace and one of the Local Health Units of Veneto Region (ULSS 9 Scaligera) in 2018, a tuberculosis screening, based on thoracic radiographs, was offered to the homeless guests of two Verona's soup kitchens.RESULT: The studied population included 139 people, and three cases of suspected active tuberculosis, all in males, were observed. Among these, two received a diagnostic confirmation of active tuberculosis (a prevalence of 1.44% - CI: 0,17 - 5,1). Moreover, radiographic patterns of tuberculosis aftermaths were found in six additional subjects.CONCLUSION: Interventions specifically dedicated to hard-to-reach populations, can be useful in identifying tuberculosis active cases and controlling the disease in low tuberculosis burden countries. In particular, the active research of subjects, the screening carried out with mobile X-ray, and also the constant caring of the patients with active disease, could be the right method to keep under control this relevant public health problem

Assessing simulated arm lymphoedema by a prototype of bioimpedance spectroscopy device. Possible implication of its use in the follow up of patients who underwent extensive breast cancer surgery

The aim of this research was to enable women after breast cancer surgery, in which arms lymphoedema often occurs, to self-monitor this disease using in-home an easy-to-use-device which assesses the arm’s resistance ratio, considered an indirect, non-invasive index of increased extracellular water volume in those limbs. An homemade equipment based on the bioimpedance spectroscopy technique, was tested on 20 healthy volunteers which, by means of two ECG disposable electrodes, connected to the device both their dominant and auxiliary upper arms and changes in electrical resistance were assessed while an alternate current of low intensity and sweeping frequency from 15 to 75 kHz had be injected. In the same volunteers, an arm lymphoedema with about 100 ml excess of extracellular water was simulated by subtracting 0.8% from measured resistance values in each arm. The arms’ resistance ratio against the increasing frequency gave rise to a parabolic branch visible on a mobile phone screen and, when the arm lymphoedema was simulated, the corresponding curve appeared positioned below that of the one without oedema. The patient’s self-awareness, due to the device’s self-management, could allow these subjects to actively approach the disease while sharing their results remotely with clinical specialists by an internet connection

A multi-parametric wearable system to monitor neck movements and respiratory frequency of computer workers

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common form of occupational ill-health. Neck pain is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders experienced by computer workers. Wrong postural habits and non-compliance of the workstation to ergonomics guidelines are the leading causes of neck pain. These factors may also alter respiratory functions. Health and safety interventions can reduce neck pain and, more generally, the symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders and reduce the consequent economic burden. In this work, a multi-parametric wearable system based on two fiber Bragg grating sensors is proposed for monitoring neck movements and breathing activity of computer workers. The sensing elements were positioned on the neck, in the frontal and sagittal planes, to monitor: (i) flexion-extension and axial rotation repetitions, and (ii) respiratory frequency. In this pilot study, five volunteers were enrolled and performed five repetitions of both flexion-extension and axial rotation, and ten breaths of both quite breathing and tachypnea. Results showed the good performances of the proposed system in monitoring the aforementioned parameters when compared to optical reference systems. The wearable system is able to well-match the trend in time of the neck movements (both flexion-extension and axial rotation) and to estimate mean and breath-by-breath respiratory frequency values with percentage errors ≤6.09% and ≤1.90%, during quiet breathing and tachypnea, respectively

Static compliance and driving pressure are associated with ICU mortality in intubated COVID-19 ARDS

Background Pathophysiological features of coronavirus disease 2019-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (COVID-19 ARDS) were indicated to be somewhat different from those described in nonCOVID-19 ARDS, because of relatively preserved compliance of the respiratory system despite marked hypoxemia. We aim ascertaining whether respiratory system static compliance (Crs), driving pressure (DP), and tidal volume normalized for ideal body weight (VT/kg IBW) at the 1st day of controlled mechanical ventilation are associated with intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in COVID-19 ARDS. Methods Observational multicenter cohort study. All consecutive COVID-19 adult patients admitted to 25 ICUs belonging to the COVID-19 VENETO ICU network (February 28th-April 28th, 2020), who received controlled mechanical ventilation, were screened. Only patients fulfilling ARDS criteria and with complete records of Crs, DP and VT/kg IBW within the 1st day of controlled mechanical ventilation were included. Crs, DP and VT/kg IBW were collected in sedated, paralyzed and supine patients. Results A total of 704 COVID-19 patients were screened and 241 enrolled. Seventy-one patients (29%) died in ICU. The logistic regression analysis showed that: (1) Crs was not linearly associated with ICU mortality (p value for nonlinearity = 0.01), with a greater risk of death for values < 48 ml/cmH(2)O; (2) the association between DP and ICU mortality was linear (p value for nonlinearity = 0.68), and increasing DP from 10 to 14 cmH(2)O caused significant higher odds of in-ICU death (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.06-1.99); (3) VT/kg IBW was not associated with a significant increase of the risk of death (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.55-1.52). Multivariable analysis confirmed these findings. Conclusions Crs < 48 ml/cmH(2)O was associated with ICU mortality, while DP was linearly associated with mortality. DP should be kept as low as possible, even in the case of relatively preserved Crs, irrespective of VT/kg IBW, to reduce the risk of death

Pathogenesis of peroxisomal deficiency disorders (Zellweger syndrome) may be mediated by misregulation of the GABAergic system via the diazepam binding inhibitor

BACKGROUND: Zellweger syndrome (ZS) is a fatal inherited disease caused by peroxisome biogenesis deficiency. Patients are characterized by multiple disturbances of lipid metabolism, profound hypotonia and neonatal seizures, and distinct craniofacial malformations. Median live expectancy of ZS patients is less than one year. While the molecular basis of peroxisome biogenesis and metabolism is known in considerable detail, it is unclear how peroxisome deficiency leads to the most severe neurological symptoms. Recent analysis of ZS mouse models has all but invalidated previous hypotheses. HYPOTHESIS: We suggest that a regulatory rather than a metabolic defect is responsible for the drastic impairment of brain function in ZS patients. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: Using microarray analysis we identify diazepam binding inhibitor/acyl-CoA binding protein (DBI) as a candidate protein that might be involved in the pathogenic mechanism of ZS. DBI has a dual role as a neuropeptide antagonist of GABA(A) receptor signaling in the brain and as a regulator of lipid metabolism. Repression of DBI in ZS patients could result in an overactivation of GABAergic signaling, thus eventually leading to the characteristic hypotonia and seizures. The most important argument for a misregulation of GABA(A) in ZS is, however, provided by the striking similarity between ZS and "benzodiazepine embryofetopathy", a malformation syndrome observed after the abuse of GABA(A) agonists during pregnancy. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: We present a tentative mechanistic model of the effect of DBI misregulation on neuronal function that could explain some of the aspects of the pathology of Zellweger syndrome

Many Labs 5:Testing pre-data collection peer review as an intervention to increase replicability

Replication studies in psychological science sometimes fail to reproduce prior findings. If these studies use methods that are unfaithful to the original study or ineffective in eliciting the phenomenon of interest, then a failure to replicate may be a failure of the protocol rather than a challenge to the original finding. Formal pre-data-collection peer review by experts may address shortcomings and increase replicability rates. We selected 10 replication studies from the Reproducibility Project: Psychology (RP:P; Open Science Collaboration, 2015) for which the original authors had expressed concerns about the replication designs before data collection; only one of these studies had yielded a statistically significant effect (p < .05). Commenters suggested that lack of adherence to expert review and low-powered tests were the reasons that most of these RP:P studies failed to replicate the original effects. We revised the replication protocols and received formal peer review prior to conducting new replication studies. We administered the RP:P and revised protocols in multiple laboratories (median number of laboratories per original study = 6.5, range = 3?9; median total sample = 1,279.5, range = 276?3,512) for high-powered tests of each original finding with both protocols. Overall, following the preregistered analysis plan, we found that the revised protocols produced effect sizes similar to those of the RP:P protocols (?r = .002 or .014, depending on analytic approach). The median effect size for the revised protocols (r = .05) was similar to that of the RP:P protocols (r = .04) and the original RP:P replications (r = .11), and smaller than that of the original studies (r = .37). Analysis of the cumulative evidence across the original studies and the corresponding three replication attempts provided very precise estimates of the 10 tested effects and indicated that their effect sizes (median r = .07, range = .00?.15) were 78% smaller, on average, than the original effect sizes (median r = .37, range = .19?.50)

Disposition of quinapril and quinaprilat in the isolated perfused rat kidney

An isolated perfused rat kidney model was used to probe the renal disposition of quinapril and quinaprilat after separate administration of each drug species. Control studies were performed with drug-free perfusate ( n=8 ) and perfusate containing quinapril ( n=9 ) quinaprilat ( n=7 ) at initial drug concentrations of 1000 ng/ml (including corresponding tracer levels of tritiated drug). Physiologic parameters were within the normal range of values for this technique and were stable for the duration of each experiment. Quinapril and quinaprilat concentrations were determined in perfusate, urine, and perfusate ultrafiltrate using a specific and sensitive reversed-phase HPLC procedure with radiochemical detection, coupled to liquid scintillation spectrometry. Perfusate protein binding was determined using an ultrafiltration method at 37°C. The total renal learance of quinapril ( CLr ) was calculated as Dose/AUC (0-∞), and is represented by the sum of its urinary and metabolic clearances. The urinary clearances ( CLe ) of quinapril and quinaprilat were calculated as urinary excretion rate divided by midpoint perfusate concentration for each respective species. Of the total renal clearance for quinapril ( CLr =4.49 ml/min), less than 0.1% was cleared as unchanged drug ( CLe =0.004 ml/min); over 99% of the drug was cleared as quinaprilat formed in the kidney. The clearance ratio of quinapril [ CR=CLr/(fu·GFR )] was 41.0, a value representing extensive tubular secretion into the renal cells. Following quinaprilat administration, the clearance ratio of metabolite [ CR=CLe/(fu β GFR) ] was 3.85, indicating a net secretion process for renal elimination.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/45050/1/10928_2006_Article_BF02354286.pd

ALICE: Physics Performance Report, Volume I

ALICE is a general-purpose heavy-ion experiment designed to study the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC. It currently includes more than 900 physicists and senior engineers, from both nuclear and high-energy physics, from about 80 institutions in 28 countries. The experiment was approved in February 1997. The detailed design of the different detector systems has been laid down in a number of Technical Design Reports issued between mid-1998 and the end of 2001 and construction has started for most detectors. Since the last comprehensive information on detector and physics performance was published in the ALICE Technical Proposal in 1996, the detector as well as simulation, reconstruction and analysis software have undergone significant development. The Physics Performance Report (PPR) will give an updated and comprehensive summary of the current status and performance of the various ALICE subsystems, including updates to the Technical Design Reports, where appropriate, as well as a description of systems which have not been published in a Technical Design Report. The PPR will be published in two volumes. The current Volume I contains: 1. a short theoretical overview and an extensive reference list concerning the physics topics of interest to ALICE, 2. relevant experimental conditions at the LHC, 3. a short summary and update of the subsystem designs, and 4. a description of the offline framework and Monte Carlo generators. Volume II, which will be published separately, will contain detailed simulations of combined detector performance, event reconstruction, and analysis of a representative sample of relevant physics observables from global event characteristics to hard processes