Urine Complement Proteins and the Risk of Kidney Disease Progression and Mortality in Type 2 Diabetes.

ObjectiveWe examined the association of urine complement proteins with progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or death in people with type 2 diabetes and proteinuric diabetic kidney disease (DKD).Research design and methodsUsing targeted mass spectrometry, we quantified urinary abundance of 12 complement proteins in a predominantly Mexican American cohort with type 2 diabetes and proteinuric DKD (n = 141). The association of urine complement proteins with progression to ESRD or death was evaluated using time-to-event analyses.ResultsAt baseline, median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 54 mL/min/1.73 m2 and urine protein-to-creatinine ratio 2.6 g/g. Sixty-seven participants developed ESRD or died, of whom 39 progressed to ESRD over a median of 3.1 years and 40 died over a median 3.6 years. Higher urine CD59, an inhibitor of terminal complement complex formation, was associated with a lower risk of ESRD (hazard ratio [HR] [95% CI per doubling] 0.50 [0.29-0.87]) and death (HR [95% CI] 0.56 [0.34-0.93]), after adjustment for demographic and clinical covariates, including baseline eGFR and proteinuria. Higher urine complement components 4 and 8 were associated with lower risk of death (HR [95% CI] 0.57 [0.41-0.79] and 0.66 [0.44-0.97], respectively); higher urine factor H-related protein 2, a positive regulator of the alternative complement pathway, was associated with greater risk of death (HR [95% CI] 1.61 [1.05-2.48]) in fully adjusted models.ConclusionsIn a largely Mexican American cohort with type 2 diabetes and proteinuric DKD, urine abundance of several complement and complement regulatory proteins was strongly associated with progression to ESRD and death

Downward shortwave surface irradiance from 17 sites for the FIRE/SRB Wisconsin experiment

A field experiment was conducted in Wisconsin during Oct. to Nov. 1986 for purposes of both intensive cirrus cloud measurments and SRB algorithm validation activities. The cirrus cloud measurements were part of the FIRE. Tables are presented which show data from 17 sites in the First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project) Regional Experiment/Surface Radiation Budget (FIRE/SRB) Wisconsin experiment region. A discussion of intercomparison results and calibration inconsistencies is also included

Intercomparison of standard resolution and high resolution TOVS soundings with radiosonde, lidar, and surface temperature/humidity data

One objective of the FIRE Cirrus IFO is to characterize relationships between cloud properties inferred from satellite observations at various scales to those obtained directly or inferred from very high resolution measurements. Satellite derived NOAA-9 high and standard resolution Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) soundings are compared with directly measured lidar, surface temperature, humidity, and vertical radiosonde profiles associated with the Ft. McCoy site. The results of this intercomparison should be useful in planning future cloud experiments

Ski Development in National Forests

79 pages

Collective excitation of Rydberg-atom ensembles beyond the N\sqrt{N} enhancement

In an ensemble of laser-driven atoms involving strongly interacting Rydberg states, the excitation probability is usually strongly suppressed. In contrast, here we identify a regime in which the steady-state Rydberg excited fraction is enhanced by the interaction. This effect is associated with the build-up of many-body coherences, induced by coherent multi-photon excitations between collective states. The excitation enhancement should be observable under currently-existing experimental conditions, and may serve as a direct probe for the presence of coherent multi-photon dynamics involving collective quantum states.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

High Performance Mars Liquid Cooling and Ventilation Garment Project

EVA space suit mobility in micro-gravity is enough of a challenge and in the gravity of Mars, improvements in mobility will enable the suited crew member to efficiently complete EVA objectives. The idea proposed is to improve thermal efficiencies of the liquid cooling and ventilation garment (LCVG) in the torso area in order to free up the arms and legs by removing the liquid tubes currently used in the ISS EVA suit in the limbs. By using shaped water tubes that greatly increase the contact area with the skin in the torso region of the body, the heat transfer efficiency can be increased to provide the entire liquid cooling requirement and increase mobility by freeing up the arms and legs. Additional potential benefits of this approach include reduced LCVG mass, enhanced evaporation cooling, increased comfort during Mars EVA tasks, and easing of the overly dry condition in the helmet associated with the Advanced Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) ventilation loop currently under development

Pinus contorta invasions increase wildfire fuel loads and may create a positive feedback with fire

Invasive plant species that have the potential to alter fire regimes have significant impacts on native ecosystems. Concern that pine invasions in the Southern Hemisphere will increase fire activity and severity and subsequently promote further pine invasion prompted us to examine the potential for feedbacks between Pinus contorta invasions and fire in Patagonia and New Zealand. We determined how fuel loads and fire effects were altered by P. contorta invasion. We also examined post-fire plant communities across invasion gradients at a subset of sites to assess how invasion alters the post-fire vegetation trajectory. We found that fuel loads and soil heating during simulated fire increase with increasing P. contorta invasion age or density at all sites. However, P. contorta density did not always increase post-fire. In the largest fire, P. contorta density only increased significantly post-fire where the pre-fire P. contorta density was above an invasion threshold. Below this threshold, P. contorta did not dominate after fire and plant communities responded to fire in a similar manner as uninvaded communities. The positive feedback observed at high densities is caused by the accumulation of fuel that in turn results in greater soil heating during fires and high P. contorta density post-fire. Therefore, a positive feedback may form between P. contorta invasions and fire, but only above an invasion density threshold. These results suggest that management of pine invasions before they reach the invasion density threshold is important for reducing fire risk and preventing a transition to an alternate ecosystem state dominated by pines and novel understory plant communities.Fil: Taylor, Kimberley. State University of Montana; Estados UnidosFil: Maxwell, Bruce. State University of Montana; Estados UnidosFil: McWethy, David. State University of Montana; Estados UnidosFil: Pauchard, Aníbal. Universidad de Concepción; Chile. Universidad de Chile; ChileFil: Nuñez, Martin Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente. Universidad Nacional del Comahue. Centro Regional Universidad Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Whitlock, Cathy. State University of Montana; Estados Unido

Teaching International Students in their Home Country: Challenges and Approaches

The American College of Management and Technology was established in Dubrovnik, Croatia in 1995 as a two-year program in hotel and travel leading to the AAS degree. The Croatian government wanted to develop their long coastline and historical cities to attract Western tourists, and sought an American University to educate the Croatians. A BS program was first offered in 1997. The cultural and physical challenges of teaching students in their home country are described, with emphasis on the challenges of teaching students for whom a culture of ‘helping” each other is the normal pattern. The challenge is to create and encourage situations where helping is a positive (as on projects) and not a negative (as on exams). Classes are large (four sections of 40 – 50 students each), classrooms are small, and facilities are limited or shared with another school. In addition, since many RIT faculty teach their classes partially or completely on line, methods of encouraging communication and learning are described

Challenges to remote emergency decision-making for disasters or Homeland Security

New technology allows information gathering and collaboration across information networks that would be of benefit to emergency response. In a Homeland Security Exercise we compared the utility of fixed and mobile video and high quality still images on remote expert decision-making. Sixteen experts situated in three countries viewed and seven evaluated events of the exercise assisted by audio commentary of local knowledge experts. They evaluated the usefulness of black and white (B/W) compared to color images, fixed fast video versus slow video and still images. Technical difficulties interrupted image transmission to one remote site for half the Exercise. However, the images were found useful, color more so than B/W, mobile more so than fixed. The combination of still images and video was best. Playback of recorded images was especially useful for remote evaluation and decision-making. Improved reliability for these imaging technologies could improve shared awareness and large-scale coordination for Homeland Security events