Maximal ‘CD80-uria’ with minimal change

Differentiation between minimal-change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis remains challenging, particularly at early stages in children and adults. Garin et al. identify urinary CD80 excretion levels as a potential marker to differentiate the former entity from the latter. Thus, CD80 expression on podocytes, which was initially described in mouse models of foot process effacement and human lupus nephritis, is now brought toward clinical application for use as a diagnostic biomarker

Simulation of an 1857-like Mw 7.9 San Andreas Fault Earthquake and the Response of Tall Steel Moment Frame Buildings in Southern California – A Prototype Study

In 1857, an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 occurred on the San Andreas fault, starting at Parkfield and rupturing in a southeasterly direction for more than 360 km. Such a unilateral rupture produces significant directivity toward the San Fernando and Los Angeles basins. The strong shaking in the basins due to this earthquake would have had significant long-period content (2-8 s), and the objective of this study is to quantify the impact of such an earthquake on two 18-story steel moment frame building models, hypothetically located at 636 sites on a 3.5 km grid in southern California. End-to-end simulations include modeling the source and rupture of a fault at one end, numerically propagating the seismic waves through the earth structure, simulating the damage to engineered structures and estimating the economic impact at the other end using high-performance computing. In this prototype study, we use an inferred finite source model of the magnitude 7.9, 2002 Denali fault earthquake in Alaska, and map it onto the San Andreas fault with the rupture originating at Parkfield and propagating southward over a distance of 290 km. Using the spectral element seismic wave propagation code, SPECFEM3D, we simulate an 1857-like earthquake on the San Andreas fault and compute ground motions at the 636 analysis sites. Using the nonlinear structural analysis program, FRAME3D, we subsequently analyze 3-D structural models of an existing tall steel building designed using the 1982 Uniform Building Code (UBC), as well as one designed according to the 1997 UBC, subjected to the computed ground motion at each of these sites. We summarize the performance of these structural models on contour maps of peak interstory drift. We then perform an economic loss analysis for the two buildings at each site, using the Matlab Damage and Loss Analysis (MDLA) toolbox developed to implement the PEER loss-estimation methodology. The toolbox includes damage prediction and repair cost estimation for structural and non-structural components and allows for the computation of the mean and variance of building repair costs conditional on engineering demand parameters (i.e. inter-story drift ratios and peak floor accelerations). Here, we modify it to treat steel-frame high-rises, including aspects such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, traction elevators, and the possibility of irreparable structural damage. We then generate contour plots of conditional mean losses for the San Fernando and the Los Angeles basins for the pre-Northridge and modern code-designed buildings, allowing for comparison of the economic effects of the updated code for the scenario event. In principle, by simulating multiple seismic events, consistent with the probabilistic seismic hazard for a building site, the same basic approach could be used to quantify the uncertain losses from future earthquakes

Palladium nanocatalysts encapsulated on porous silica @ magnetic carbon-coated cobalt nanoparticles for sustainable hydrogenations of nitroarenes, alkenes and alkynes

Palladium nanoparticles were impregnated on porous silica shell carbon-coated cobalt nanoparticles, resulting in a magnetically retrievable material that was evaluated in the catalytic hydrogenation of nitroarenes, alkenes and alkynes. The prepared material was characterized by HR-XRD, HR-TEM, elemental mapping EDX, ICP-OES and XPS analyses, revealing highly dispersed palladium nanoparticles within the porous platform that could account for the high activity observed. Mild reaction conditions, easy retrievability of the catalyst with the aid of an external magnet, recycling in four runs with a total leaching of 19 ppm (1.2 % of the initially employed Pd amount), and high stability makes this material attractive for sustainable and environmentally benign applications

Chaotic Orbits in Thermal-Equilibrium Beams: Existence and Dynamical Implications

Phase mixing of chaotic orbits exponentially distributes these orbits through their accessible phase space. This phenomenon, commonly called ``chaotic mixing'', stands in marked contrast to phase mixing of regular orbits which proceeds as a power law in time. It is operationally irreversible; hence, its associated e-folding time scale sets a condition on any process envisioned for emittance compensation. A key question is whether beams can support chaotic orbits, and if so, under what conditions? We numerically investigate the parameter space of three-dimensional thermal-equilibrium beams with space charge, confined by linear external focusing forces, to determine whether the associated potentials support chaotic orbits. We find that a large subset of the parameter space does support chaos and, in turn, chaotic mixing. Details and implications are enumerated.Comment: 39 pages, including 14 figure

Generation of angular-momentum-dominated electron beams from a photoinjector

Various projects under study require an angular-momentum-dominated electron beam generated by a photoinjector. Some of the proposals directly use the angular-momentum-dominated beams (e.g. electron cooling of heavy ions), while others require the beam to be transformed into a flat beam (e.g. possible electron injectors for light sources and linear colliders). In this paper, we report our experimental study of an angular-momentum-dominated beam produced in a photoinjector, addressing the dependencies of angular momentum on initial conditions. We also briefly discuss the removal of angular momentum. The results of the experiment, carried out at the Fermilab/NICADD Photoinjector Laboratory, are found to be in good agreement with theoretical and numerical models.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beam

Losartan Treatment Attenuates Tumor-induced Myocardial Dysfunction

Fatigue and muscle wasting are common symptoms experienced by cancer patients. Data from animal models demonstrate that angiotensin is involved in tumor-induced muscle wasting, and that tumor growth can independently affect myocardial function, which could contribute to fatigue in cancer patients. In clinical studies, inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) can prevent the development of chemotherapy-induced cardiovascular dysfunction, suggesting a mechanistic role for the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS). In the present study, we investigated whether an angiotensin (AT) 1-receptor antagonist could prevent the development of tumor-associated myocardial dysfunction. Methods and results: Colon26 adenocarcinoma (c26) cells were implanted into female CD2F1 mice at 8 weeks of age. Simultaneously, mice were administered Losartan (10 mg/kg) daily via their drinking water. In vivo echocardiography, blood pressure, in vitro cardiomyocyte function, cell proliferation assays, and measures of systemic inflammation and myocardial protein degradation were performed 19 days following tumor cell injection. Losartan treatment prevented tumor-induced loss of muscle mass and in vitro c26 cell proliferation, decreased tumor weight, and attenuated myocardial expression of interleukin-6. Furthermore, Losartan treatment mitigated tumor-associated alterations in calcium signaling in cardiomyocytes, which was associated with improved myocyte contraction velocity, systolic function, and blood pressures in the hearts of tumor-bearing mice. Conclusions: These data suggest that Losartan may mitigate tumor-induced myocardial dysfunction and inflammation