The Effects of Physical Activity on Stress-induced Cardiac Fibrosis

Purpose: This study examined whether routine physical activity limits stress-induced tissue remodeling processes that lead to cardiac fibrosis. The study also explored whether the cardiac urocortin 2/corticotropin releasing factor receptor 2β pathway was activated during physical activity and involved in reducing fibrotic processes. Methods: C67BL/6J male mice were divided into four groups (n=8/group): sedentary/control, voluntary running/control, sedentary/stress and voluntary running/stress. Voluntary running groups were given 24-hour access to a running wheel in the home cage for 9 weeks. During the 9th week, stress groups were exposed to a 5-day resident-intruder stress paradigm that models human post-traumatic stress outcomes. Ventricular cardiac tissue was collected for analysis. Results: Mice ran an average of 4.75 ± 1 km each night. Interestingly, running behavior essentially ceased following stress. Running distance dropped to 0.31 km following the 1st stress day. Some habituation to stress occurred, as running distance increased to 1.12 km by the 5th day of stress but remained significantly lower than pre-stress running distances and distances recorded in non-stressed mice. Quantitative RT-PCR showed small changes in ventricular urocortin 2 and CRF-R2β expression in the running groups. TGF-β, a signaling molecule known to induce fibrosis, had comparable expression levels across groups over controls. Conclusion: Further work is planned to fully characterize urocortin 2/ CRF-R2β and fibrotic processes. Our running data lead us in a new direction, as we have stumbled upon a paradigm that will be useful to study underlying mechanisms by which stress exposure impairs physical activity behavior

Calculated tissue current-to-dose conversion factors for nucleons below 400 mev

Monte Carlo computer program for calculation of energy deposition from high incident nucleons as function of tissue slab dept

Cessation of Nightly Voluntary Wheel Running Activity Following Exposure to a Mouse Model of Posttraumatic Stress

Regular physical activity (PA) is well known to positively impact physical and mental health outcomes. In our work to examine cardiovascular benefits of PA in a mouse model of posttraumatic stress, we stumbled upon the reciprocal relationship between PA and stress exposure, wherein stress significantly reduced healthy levels of routine PA. The aim of the present studies was to define the parameters of our paradigm. C67BL/6J male mice were divided into four groups (n=8/group): sedentary/control, voluntary running/control, sedentary/stress, and voluntary running/stress. Voluntary running groups were given unlimited access to a running wheel for 9 weeks. Stress groups were then exposed to a 5-day resident-intruder social stress that models human posttraumatic stress. Running behavior essentially ceased following stress. Habituation to stress occurred, as running distance increased by the 5th day of stress but remained significantly low. A separate study examined a single exposure to resident-intruder social stress. Plasma corticosterone significantly increased while nightly running dropped significantly but returned to normal by the 3rd night post-stress. These studies show the sensitivity of habitual running behavior to stress exposure and suggest the utility of this mouse model in exploring the means by which stress negatively impacts routine PA

Development of a KSC test and flight engineering oriented computer language, Phase 1

Ten, primarily test oriented, computer languages reviewed during the phase 1 study effort are described. Fifty characteristics of ATOLL, ATLAS, and CLASP are compared. Unique characteristics of the other languages, including deficiencies, problems, safeguards, and checking provisions are identified. Programming aids related to these languages are reported, and the conclusions resulting from this phase of the study are discussed. A glossary and bibliography are included. For the reports on phase 2 of the study, see N71-35027 and N71-35029

Flow visualization experiments in a porous nozzle

An experimental approach is described for the study of nozzle flows with large wall-transpiration rates. Emphasizing a qualitative understanding of the flow, the technique uses the hydraulic analogy, whereby a compressible gas flow is simulated by a water flow having a free surface. For simplicity, the simulated gas flow is taken to be two-dimensional. A nozzle with porous walls in the throat region has been developed for use on a water table. A technique for visualizing the transpired fluid has also been devised. These are discussed, and preliminary results are presented which illustrate the success of the experimental approach

My vision for becoming a secondary level educational administrator : a reflective essay

The purpose of this paper is to discuss my beliefs about being a secondary administrator. The focus of this paper is to gain a personal understanding of what a secondary administrator is and does, based on various readings, discussions, practicum experiences as well as journaling activities

A Quality Improvement Project to Enact Evidence-Based Guidelines to Improve Documentation of Hemoglobin A1c for Inpatient Diabetes Populations

The purpose of this paper is to describe a quality improvement project aimed to improve the documentation of hemoglobin A1c in the discharge instructions for patients with a diagnosis of diabetes prior to a transition from the acute care setting. Clinical practice guidelines from the American Diabetes Association and patient education recommendations from The Joint Commission are the impetus for this process improvement. The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model was utilized to identify, design, and implement the process change in collaboration with an interprofessional team. The documentation rate of hemoglobin A1c was measured on two medical-surgical inpatient hospital units both pre- and post-intervention implementation. Results of the PDSA cycle improved the documentation rate of A1c in the discharge instructions from 10% at baseline to 40% post-implementation of the process change for a comparative three-month timeframe. Future PDSA cycles warrant the examination of outcome indicators such as readmission rates, cost of care, and improved glycemic control in response to improving a patient’s knowledge of hemoglobin A1c prior to hospital discharge in support of the organization’s population health strategic initiatives

Numerical study of large-eddy breakup and its effect on the drag characteristics of boundary layers

The break-up of a field of eddies by a flat-plate obstacle embedded in a boundary layer is studied using numerical solutions to the two-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. The flow is taken to be incompressible and unsteady. The flow field is initiated from rest. A train of eddies of predetermined size and strength are swept into the computational domain upstream of the plate. The undisturbed velocity profile is given by the Blasius solution. The disturbance vorticity generated at the plate and wall, plus that introduced with the eddies, mix with the background vorticity and is transported throughout the entire flow. All quantities are scaled by the plate length, the unidsturbed free-stream velocity, and the fluid kinematic viscosity. The Reynolds number is 1000, the Blasius boundary layer thickness is 2.0, and the plate is positioned a distance of 1.0 above the wall. The computational domain is four units high and sixteen units long

The design of a research water table

A complete design for a research water table is presented. Following a brief discussion of the analogy between water and compressible-gas flows (hydraulic analogy), the components of the water table and their function are described. The major design considerations are discussed, and the final design is presented