Program Overview: The Texas LoanSTAR Program; 1989-October 1999, A 10-Year Experience

The Texas LoanSTAR (Loans to Save Taxes and Resources) program was conceived as a $98.6 million capital retrofit program for building energy efficiency. The funding source is petroleum violation escrow funds (PVE) from the Federal government. LoanSTAR is administered by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office of the Comptroller's Office, under the guidance of Dub Taylor, Director, and is the largest revolving loan fund administered by a state for conservation purposes. LoanSTAR was conceived in 1988 and began in 1989. This paper summarizes the program dollar savings and environmental impact from its inception through October 1999

Potential use of pyriproxyfen for control of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Iquitos, Peru

Los efectos del pyriproxyfen fueron evaluados contra una población local de Aedes aegypti (L.) en Iquitos, Perú. Los bioensayos mostraron que el pyriproxyfen previene la emergencia de adultos con concentraciones extremadamente bajas (LC50 = 0,012 ppb). No hubo emergencia de adultos de las muestras de agua obtenidas de los tanques de almacenamiento que habían sido tratados con el equivalente de 50-83 ppb (AI) de pyriproxyfen. Cinco meses después del tratamiento, a pesar de las constantes diluciones de estos tanques, las muestras de agua de estas fuentes continuaron siendo letales para las larvas y pupa

Trichoderma from Brazilian garlic and onion crop soils and description of two new species: Trichoderma azevedoi and Trichoderma peberdyi.

Fifty four Trichoderma strains were isolated from soil samples collected from garlic and onion crops in eight different sites in Brazil and were identified using phylogenetic analysis based on combined ITS region, tef1-α, cal, act and rpb2 sequences. The genetic variability of the recovered Trichoderma species was analysed by AFLP and their phenotypic variability determined using MALDI-TOF. The strain clusters from both typing techniques coincided with the taxonomic determinations made from phylogenetic analysis. The phylogenetic analysis showed the occurrence of Trichoderma asperellum, Trichoderma asperelloides, Trichoderma afroharzianum, Trichoderma hamatum, Trichoderma lentiforme, Trichoderma koningiopsis, Trichoderma longibrachiatum and Trichoderma erinaceum, in the soil samples. We also identified and describe two new Trichoderma species, both in the harzianum clade of section Pachybasium, which we have named Trichoderma azevedoi sp. nov. and Trichoderma peberdyi sp. nov. The examined strains of both T. azevedoi (three strains) and T. peberdyi (12 strains) display significant genotypic and phenotypic variability, but form monophyletic clades with strong bootstrap and posterior probability support and are morphologically distinct from their respective most closely related species

Program Overview: The Texas LoanSTAR Program; 1989-October 1999, A 10-Year Experience

The Texas LoanSTAR (Loans to Save Taxes and Resources) program was conceived as a $98.6 million capital retrofit program for building energy efficiency. The funding source is petroleum violation escrow funds (PVE) from the Federal government. LoanSTAR is administered by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office of the Comptroller's Office, under the guidance of Dub Taylor, Director, and is the largest revolving loan fund administered by a state for conservation purposes. LoanSTAR was conceived in 1988 and began in 1989. This paper summarizes the program dollar savings and environmental impact from its inception through October 1999

Dual‐Material Aerosol Jet Printing of Magneto‐Responsive Polymers with In‐Process Tailorable Composition for Small‐Scale Soft Robotics

The opportunity to create magneto-responsive soft materials (MSMs) with in-process tailorable and locally controllable magnetic properties is highly desirable across many technological and biomedical applications. In this paper, this capability is demonstrated for the first time using computer-controlled dual-material aerosol jet printing (DMAJP) technology. This approach allows controlled variation of composition between the aerosols of a magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) ink and a photocurable polymer during the printing process. The mixing ratio of the two aerosols determines the MNPs loading in the nanocomposite, which can be used to locally control the magnetic properties of the printed structures. The printing process is structured in a layer-by-layer fashion in combination with a sacrificial layer approach for building fully freestanding MSM structures that combine magnetoactive and non-magnetoactive elements in a single process multi-material printing method with no further assembly requirements. Using this method, the direct manufacturing of small-scale multi-material soft objects with complex shapes and programmable functions whose movements can be controlled by the application of an external magnetic field is demonstrated

Differences sustained between diffuse and limited forms of juvenile systemic sclerosis in expanded international cohort. www.juvenile-scleroderma.com

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the baseline clinical characteristics of juvenile systemic sclerosis (jSSc) patients in the international Juvenile SSc Inception Cohort (jSScC), compare these characteristics between the classically defined diffuse (dcjSSc) and limited cutaneous (lcjSSc) subtypes, and among those with overlap features. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using baseline visit data. Demographic, organ system evaluation, treatment, and patient and physician reported outcomes were extracted and summary statistics applied. Comparisons between dcjSSc and lcSSc subtypes and patients with and without overlap features were performed using Chi-square and Mann Whitney U-tests. RESULTS: At data extraction 150 jSSc patients were enrolled across 42 centers, 83% were Caucasian, 80% female, dcjSSc predominated (72%), and 17% of the cohort had overlap features. Significant differences were found between dcjSSc and lcjSSc regarding the modified Rodnan Skin Score, presence of Gottron's papules, digital tip ulceration, 6 Minute walk test, composite pulmonary and cardiac involvement. All more frequent in dcSSc except for cardiac involvement. DcjSSc patients had significantly worse scores for physician rated disease activity and damage. A significantly higher occurrence of Gottron's papules, musculoskeletal involvement and composite pulmonary involvement, and significantly lower frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon, were seen in those with overlap features. CONCLUSION: Results from a large international jSSc cohort demonstrate significant differences between dcjSSc and lcjSSc patients including more globally severe disease and increased frequency of ILD in dcjSSc patients, while those with lcSSc have more frequent cardiac involvement. Those with overlap features had an unexpected higher frequency of interstitial lung disease

Cardiac abnormalities in adults with the attenuated form of mucopolysaccharidosis type I

Background: Cardiac involvement in mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) has been studied primarily in its most severe forms. Cardiac involvement, particularly left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic function, in the attenuated form of MPS I is less well known. Methods: Cardiac function was prospectively investigated in 9 adult patients with the attenuated form of MPS I. All patients underwent 12-lead electrocardiography, 24 h Holter monitoring and two-dimensional echocardiography including tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Eighteen age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers served as a control group. Results: Aortic, mitral and tricuspid valve thickening was seen in, respectively, 5 (56%), 4 (44%) and 2 (22%) patients. Moderate mitral valve stenosis was seen in 1 patient and moderate aortic stenosis in 2 patients. All patients had mild-to-moderate aortic and mitral valve regurgitation and 6 patients (67%) had mild-to-moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation. Despite normal LV dimensions, ejection fraction and mass index, MPS patients had lower mean systolic mitral annular velocities (6.1±0.6 vs 9.1±1.4 cm/s, p<0.01) compared to normal control subjects. Similarly, mean early diastolic mitral annular velocities were lower in MPS patients (7.8±0.9 vs 13.3±3.3 cm/s, p<0.01). Conclusion: MPS I patients with the attenuated phenotype have not only valvular abnormalities but also LV diastolic and systolic abnormalities