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A novel bacterium, strain BrT, was isolated from gamma-irradiated soils of the Britannia drift, Lake Wellman Region, Antarctica. This isolate was rod-shaped, endospore forming, Gram-stain-variable, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative and strictly aerobic. Cells possessed a monotrichous flagellum. Optimal growth was observed at 18 °C, pH 7.0 in PYGV or R2A broth. The major cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C15 : 0 (63.4 %). Primary identified lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol. Total phospholipid was 60 % (w/w) of the total lipid extract. MK-7 was the dominant isoprenoid quinone. The genomic DNA G+C content was 55.6 mol%. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain BrT clusters within the genus Paenibacillus with similarity values ranging from 93.9 to 95.1 %. Phylogenetic analyses by maximum-likelihood, maximum-parsimony and neighbour-joining methods revealed that strain BrT clusters with Paenibacillus daejeonensis (AF290916), Paenibacillus tarimensis (EF125184) and Paenibacillus pinihumi (GQ423057), albeit with weak bootstrap support. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic characteristics, we propose that strain BrT represents a novel species, Paenibacillus darwinianus sp. nov. The type strain is BrT ( = DSM 27245T = ICMP 19912T).

A strictly aerobic, thermophilic, moderately acidophilic, non-spore-forming bacterium, strain P373T, was isolated from geothermally heated soil at Waikite, New Zealand. Cells were filamentous rods, 0.2–0.4 µm in diameter and grew in chains up to 80 µm in length. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain P373T was shown to belong to the family Chitinophagaceae (class Sphingobacteriia ) of the phylum Bacteroidetes , with the most closely related cultivated strain, Chitinophaga pinensis UQM 2034T, having 87.6 % sequence similarity. Cells stained Gram-negative, and were catalase- and oxidase-positive. The major fatty acids were i-15 : 0 (10.8 %), i-17 : 0 (24.5 %) and i-17 : 0 3-OH (35.2 %). Primary lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified aminolipids and three other unidentified polar lipids. The presence of sulfonolipids (N-acyl-capnines) was observed in the total lipid extract by mass spectrometry. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 47.3 mol% and the primary respiratory quinone was MK-7. Strain P373T grew at 35–63 °C with an optimum temperature of 60 °C, and at pH 5.5–8.7 with an optimum growth pH of 7.3–7.4. NaCl tolerance was up to 5 % (w/v) with an optimum of 0.1–0.25 % (w/v). Cell colonies were non-translucent and pigmented vivid yellow–orange. Cells displayed an oxidative chemoheterotrophic metabolism. The distinct phylogenetic position and the phenotypic characteristics separate strain P373T from all other members of the phylum Bacteroidetes and indicate that it represents a novel species in a new genus, for which the name Thermoflavifilum aggregans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the type species is P373T ( = ICMP 20041T = DSM 27268T).

We develop a plasmonic trapping and conveyor system based on resonant C-shaped engravings driven by polarization rotation and wavelength switching.

We develop a near-field based optical trapping and conveyor belt system based on a novel plasmonic structure: C-shaped engraving. Using polarization rotation and wavelength switching, we demonstrate controlled transport of nanoparticles along different paths.

The Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARRESS-HF) trial was a prospective, randomized study comparing ultrafiltration versus pharmacological therapy in the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) complicated by cardiorenal syndrome Bart et al. (N Eng J Med 367:2296–2304, 1). The study found that ultrafiltration was inferior to pharmacological therapy, resulting in a significant increase in serum creatinine and serious adverse events while producing no significant difference in weight loss. The CARRESS trial calls into question the viability of ultrafiltration as a preferable treatment strategy in ADHF patients with cardiorenal syndrome.

The utilisation of various prebiotic oligosaccharides by probiotic strains of Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Lactobacillus acidophilus was investigated in order to determine the synbiotic potential of various prebiotic/probiotic combinations. Analysis by HPLC and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography of the cell-free medium taken during growth of the three probiotic bacteria showed differences in the consumption of the various oligosaccharides. Analysis of galactooligosaccharides showed that both L. rhamnosus and B. lactis consumed mostly mono- and di-saccharide, while L. acidophilus consumed oligosaccharides up to trisaccharide. Both B. lactis and L. acidophilus utilised fructooligosaccharides and inulin, but showed different patterns of oligosaccharide consumption. Only L. rhamnosus grew on β-glucan oligosaccharides and preferentially consumed the trisaccharide. The results indicate the synbiotic potential of the various probiotic/prebiotic combinations, particularly L. acidophilus/galactooligosaccharides, L. acidophilus/fructooligosaccharides or inulin and L. rhamnosus/β-glucan oligosaccharides.

Planning operations across a number of domains can be considered as resource allocation problems with timing constraints. An unexplored instance of such a problem domain is the aircraft carrier flight deck, where, in current operations, replanning is done without the aid of any computerized decision support. Rather, veteran operators employ a set of experience-based heuristics to quickly generate new operating schedules. These expert user heuristics are neither codified nor evaluated by the United States Navy; they have grown solely from the convergent experiences of supervisory staff. As unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are introduced in the aircraft carrier domain, these heuristics may require alterations due to differing capabilities. The inclusion of UAVs also allows for new opportunities for on-line planning and control, providing an alternative to the current heuristic-based replanning methodology. To investigate these issues formally, we have developed a decision support system for flight deck operations that utilizes a conventional integer linear program-based planning algorithm. In this system, a human operator sets both the goals and constraints for the algorithm, which then returns a proposed schedule for operator approval. As a part of validating this system, the performance of this collaborative human-automation planner was compared with that of the expert user heuristics over a set of test scenarios. The resulting analysis shows that human heuristics often outperform the plans produced by an optimization algorithm, but are also often more conservative., United States. Office of Naval Research (Autonomy Program Contract N000140910625)

The study objectives were to quantify the change in 7-day follow-up visits and 30-day readmissions as part of a hospital quality improvement initiative and to characterize events at 7-day follow-up visits. Some data suggest that outpatient assessments of patients with heart failure within 7 days of hospital discharge may prevent readmissions, although little is known about patient needs at 7-day follow-up visits.We performed a single-center, retrospective chart review of all heart failure discharges at the University of Connecticut Health Center (398 patients) the year before (2008) and the year after (2011) a quality improvement initiative that included mandatory 7-day follow-up visits. We quantified the change in 30-day readmission rate after the initiative, frequency of 7-day follow-up visits, and events at follow-up visits.The average age of patients with heart failure was 79.9 years in 2011, with 45.9% having systolic heart failure. Thirty-day all-cause readmissions decreased from 27.5% to 19.1% after our quality improvement initiative (P = .024). Frequency of 7-day follow-up visits increased from 19.6% to 46.9% (P.01). Eighty-one percent of 7-day visits occurred in the University of Connecticut Heart Failure Center with a cardiologist or heart failure nurse practitioner. Fifty-one percent of patients had blood work drawn, and 26% had a medication dose changed. Only 13% of patients had no discrepancy between the discharge and follow-up medication lists.Our hospital's 30-day readmission rate for patients with heart failure decreased in parallel with an increase in 7-day follow-up visits. Patients with heart failure were complex and often had diagnostic testing and medication changes at follow-up visits.

A low task load, long duration experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of cyclical attention switching strategies on operator performance in supervisory domains. The impetus for such a study stems from the lack of prior work to improve human-system performance in low task load supervisory domains through the use of design interventions. In this study, a design intervention in the form of auditory alerts is introduced and the effects of the alerts are examined. The test bed consists of a video game-like simulation environment, which allows a single operator the ability to supervise multiple unmanned vehicles. Each participant in the study completed two different four hour sessions, with and without the alerts. The results suggest that the alerts can be useful for operators who are distracted for a considerable amount of time, but that the alerts may not be appropriate for operators who are able to sustain directed attention for prolonged periods., United States. Office of Naval Research

We report a novel nanomanufacturing technique that incorporates patterned arrays built entirely from Fe3O4 nanoparticles into a flexible and transparent polymer film. First, the nanoparticles are patterned using the enormous magnetic field gradients at the surface of commercial disk drive media, and then the resulting architecture is transferred to the surface of a polymer film by spin-coating and peeling. Since the particles are immobilized by the field gradients during the spin-coating process, the patterned array is preserved after peeling. To demonstrate the potential of this technology, we fabricate a 5 mm diameter all-nanoparticle diffraction grating capable of producing a white-light optical spectrum. We also demonstrate several extensions to this technology, where, by adding an external magnetic field during assembly, we create both periodic variations in topography, as well as a nanocomposite with two vertically and horizontally separated nanoparticle layers. As this technique leverages the nanometer resolution inherent in current magnetic recording technology, strong potential exists for low-cost nanomanufacturing of optical and electronic devices from a variety of nanomaterials with similar to 10 nm resolution.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in substantial oligodendrocyte death and demyelination. Remyelination is deemed critical because denuded axons not only lack the myelin necessary to achieve normal conduction velocity, but are also at increased risk of degeneration. A more rapid remyelination thus hypothesized to spare more axons from axonal degeneration, ultimately sparing neurological circuitry from the secondary damage that continues in the days and weeks following SCI. In this thesis I undertake two strategies to improve remyelination after SCI. In Chapter 2, I investigated whether transplantation of murine Platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-responsive neural precursor cells (PRPs) could differentiate into remyelinating oligodendrocytes and improve functional recovery after SCI. Transplanted PRPs integrated into host tissue, differentiated into extensively branched mature oligodendrocytes that ensheathed multiple axons, and produced mature myelin. Thus, PRP-derived oligodendrocytes were capable of generating mature myelin sheaths on denuded CNS axons. To our surprise, although transplanted PRPs efficiently produced oligodendrocytes in the injured spinal cord, there was no significant increase in the total number of myelinated axons in PRP-transplanted versus media control animals. Likewise there was no improvement in behavioural recovery following transplantation in two separate experiments. Blocking known inhibitors of oligodendrocyte differentiation or maturation could improve remyelination. Myelin debris is present following SCI and inhibits oligodendrocyte development in vitro, and I hypothesized that myelin debris inhibits remyelination after SCI. In Chapter 3, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) were grown in culture in the presence of myelin. Using this approach, I found that on myelin there was a robust inhibition of oligodendroglia maturation, without a corresponding increase in cell death or proliferation. To understand how myelin inhibits maturation, I measured the expression of a number of genes encoding well-characterized transcription factors that negatively regulate oligodendrocyte development. Associated with stalled maturation, I found myelin increases Inhibitor of Differentiation (ID) 2 and 4, which upon overexpression in OPCs is known to stall maturation. Thus, enhanced levels of ID2 and ID4 in oligodendroglia that are in contact with myelin provides a mechanistic understanding as to how myelin inhibits oligodendroglial maturation.

To determine whether urban watersheds can act as fractal filters, spectral analysis was applied to 13 years of weekly stream chemistry data for chloride, nitrate and sulfate from eight watersheds in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The analysis was also applied to high-frequency (15- and 30-minute) sensor data for nitrate and specific conductance over periods ranging from several weeks to four years. Spectral analysis of weekly stream chemistry data produced power slopes of 0.60 to 1.2, the same range found for forested watersheds in previous studies. Spectral slopes decreased with increasing watershed percent impervious surface cover, suggesting that the power spectrum is whitened with increasing degree of urbanization. Spectral analysis of high-frequency water quality data spanning a period of four years showed that a break in power slopes occurred near a frequency of 1/week, with a slope of approximately 2 for data at frequencies higher than 1/week regardless of degree of urbanization. The analysis suggests that differing processes dominate the spectra in two discernible frequency domains, with seasonal, annual, and interannual processes dominating the low frequency domain and diurnal and intraweekly processes dominating the high-frequency domain. Such trends cannot be detected solely from analysis of either long-term weekly data or short-term high-frequency data.

The major fatty acids of a novel species of Thermogemmatispora sp. (strain T81) from the phylum Chloroflexi were identified as i18:0 (42.8 % of total fatty acids), i19:0 (9.7 %), and i17:0 (5.9 %). Also observed was a number of unidentified fatty acids, including a major acid (16.3 %) with ECL of 19.04 (BP1), and 18.76 (TG-WAXMS A). GCMS revealed that this compound is a saturated 20-carbon atom fatty acid. (1)H- and (13)C-NMR, with (1)H-(1)H-COSY and (1)H-(13)C-HSQC experiments suggested the structure of dimethyl octadecanoic acid with iso-branching, and an extra middle-chain methyl group. A pyrrolidide derivative demonstrated the characteristic gaps in GCMS indicating methyl branching at C12 and C17, which was eventually confirmed by a (1)H-(13)C-HSQC-TOCSY experiment. This 12,17-dimethyloctadecanoic acid has not been previously detected or described in these organisms. However, a recent description of a phylogenetically related species of Thermogemmatispora (Yabe et al., Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 61:903-910, 2010), noted an unidentified 20:0 fatty acid with matching GC behavior and GCMS data to that of strain T81. These data suggest that Thermogemmatispora share an ability to synthesize the same fatty acid. A number of other dimethyl-branched fatty acids, namely 8,14-diMe 15:0; 12,15-diMe 16:0; 10,15-diMe 16:0; 12,16-diMe 17:0; 10,16-diMe 17:0; 12,17-diMe 18:0; 12,18-diMe 19:0; 14,19-diMe 20:0, were also identified in strain T81.

In the near future, unmanned aerial vehicles will become part of the naval aircraft carrier operating environment. This will add significant complexity to an already highly constrained and dangerous environment. The move towards a shared manned-unmanned environment with an increasing operational tempo in a reduced manning environment will mean more automation is needed in the planning and scheduling of aircraft, ground vehicles, and crew in these complex environments. However, while automated planning algorithms are fast and able to handle large quantities of information in a short period of time, they are often brittle, unable to cope with changing conditions in highly dynamic environments. Recent research has shown that by allowing high-level interaction between human operators and automated planners, significant increases in overall mission performance can achieved. To this end, a user interface has been developed that allows a human decision maker managing aircraft carrier deck operations the ability to interact directly with a centralized planning algorithm for scheduling aircraft in flight and on the deck (both manned and unmanned), as well as ground vehicles and personnel. This Deck operations Course of Action Planner (DCAP) system leverages the experience and high-level, goal-directed behavior of the human decision maker in conjunction with a powerful automated planning algorithm to develop feasible, robust schedules. This article highlights the design features of DCAP and presents preliminary results from an evaluation designed to quantify the value added by layering in planning and scheduling algorithms into this complex decision process., United States. Office of Naval Research (Science of Autonomy program, Contract #N000140910625)

Introduction Many studies have demonstrated gaps in adherence to American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines among patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Quality improvement initiatives can improve compliance with guideline-recommended therapy yet a major challenge to such programs is identifying heart failure patients across the many wards and services of the complex hospital environment. Methods and results Using our hospital's electronic order-entry system, we generated a daily list of all hospitalized patients receiving a loop diuretic. Over a 3-month period, each patient on this list was screened through chart review for a diagnosis of ADHF. For those patients with ADHF, a clinical reminder about ACC/AHA recommended therapies was placed in the chart. Patient outcomes were followed using the Get With The Guidelines heart failure database.During the study period, 98.6% of patients with ADHF were identified by the diuretics list. The diuretics list had a sensitivity of 98.6% and specificity of 92.2%. The diuretic list captured more ADHF patients than alternative methods such as chest x-ray and brain natriuretic peptide level. Use of the daily diuretic list and targeted reminders to clinicians was associated with an improvement in recommended therapies including smoking-cessation education and heart failure teaching. Conclusions A daily list of inpatients receiving diuretics allowed real-time identification of most hospitalized heart failure patients at our institution. Targeted reminders to clinicians regarding ACC/AHA-recommended therapies for heart failure were associated with improvements in guideline adherence.

Introduction Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is important for characterization and management of patients and selection of therapy. The Teichholz formula, Vol = 7D3/ (2.4+D), is widely used, as it calculates LV volume using only LV diameter (D), but its accuracy depends on the accuracy of geometric assumptions about LV shape. Volumetric cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is accurate and reproducible for determination of LV volumes and EF, and does not require geometric assumptions.

In an earlier paper describing this research, the experimental setup and testing for a NACA 0015 three-dimensional wing employing Synthetic Jet Actuators (SJAs) in the leading edge was discussed. The previous paper discussed the effectiveness of the SJAs as leading edge control effectors, useful in reattaching the flow at stall and providing control authority with zero net mass flux. This paper will continue the discussion of these actuators as control effectors, focusing on two actuator sets placed in the upper and lower trailing edges of the airfoil and various trailing edge shapes to maximize effectiveness. Additional testing was also performed to determine the dynamic response of the system as the synthetic jet arrays are activated, in order to determine if the response rates show the system to be suitable for use as a primary flight control apparatus.

A significant obstacle to the implementation of autonomously-controlled aircraft into the national airspace system is the tendency of autonomous systems to operate in non-deterministic manners. While autonomous aircraft may have the capability to safely maneuver in shared airspace, they often do not operate under the same flight guidelines as a trained human pilot, leading to potential misinterpretation of actions and flight paths. The Autonomous Formation Flying System (AFFS) provides both autonomous control for formation flight as well as a deterministic solution for changes in trajectory. The AFFS gives rotorcraft the capability to autonomously avoid multiple static or moving obstacles, including pop-up threats, while flying in formation. It functions in dynamic three-dimensional situations with both small and large heterogeneous formations, facilitating safe and efficient entries into and exits from a formation while also allowing seamless, real-time changes in the formation structure and following the standard “rules of the road” adhered to by trained human pilots. The testing of this innovative system included a series of manned and unmanned multi-ship simulations as well as flight-test experiments in which Georgia Tech’s GTMax rotorcraft UAV was flown in formation with a manned high-fidelity UH-60 simulation. Both the simulations and flight-tests effectively demonstrated the autonomous formation flying and collision avoidance capabilities of the AFFS.

Background— Although drug-eluting stents have been shown to be cost-effective compared with bare-metal stents for select clinical trial patients, whether these findings apply to the general population is unknown. Methods and Results— We used data from the Medicare 5% Standard Analytic Files to compare the practice and outcomes of coronary revascularization (by either percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting) in the United States between 2001 (pre–drug-eluting stent era, n=14 362) and 2004 (post–drug-eluting stent era, n=16 374). Between 2001 and 2004, the rate of revascularization increased from 837 to 931 per 100 000, whereas the proportion of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention as an initial revascularization procedure increased from 67.5% to 75.2% ( P P =0.193). Significant decreases were seen, however, in the incidence of repeat revascularization (17.1% versus 16.0%, P =0.012) and myocardial infarction (10.6% versus 8.5%, P P P Conclusions— Among the Medicare population undergoing coronary revascularization, the introduction of drug-eluting stents was associated with increased use of initial percutaneous coronary intervention and reduced bypass surgery along with improved clinical outcomes over ≈2 years of follow-up. Although total cardiovascular-related costs per revascularized patient decreased over this time period, total cost to the Medicare system still increased owing to greater overall use of revascularization procedures.

The effectiveness of solid state Synthetic Jet Actuators (SJA), as hingeless aerodynamic control effectors, was experimentally investigated on a three-dimensional wing in the Georgia Tech Research Institute Model Test Facility (MTF) low speed wind tunnel. Synthetic jet actuators were integrated into a half span wing model based on a modified NACA 0015 airfoil section. The model’s physical scale and test Reynolds Number were typical of small scale UAVs, providing a practical assessment of hingeless control approaches on t his class of flight vehicle. Longitudinal force and moment variations were measured in response to pulse repetition modulation inputs to a leading-edge SJA control effector . This hingeless control effector produced significant changes in lift and pitching moment in post stall operation, as well as eliminating stall hysteresis . The leading-edge SJA produced aerodynamic response similar to a slotted leading edge flap.

Background : Recent studies have shown that the introduction of drug-eluting stents (DES) has led to increasing use of PCI and declining use of CABG as the primary mode of coronary revascularization. Diabetic patients may be uniquely affected by these changes in revascularization patterns since studies have suggested a benefit of CABG over PCI in these patients. Methods : We used the Medicare 5% Standard Analytic Files to examine the selection of revascularization procedures, clinical outcomes, and costs in the year following PCI or CABG among unselected diabetic patients, aged ≤ 65 treated in 2001 (pre-DES) and 2004 (post-DES). Costs were assessed from the Medicare program perspective in 2006 dollars. Results : From 2001 to 2004, the revascularization rate among diabetic Medicare beneficiaries remained stable, while the proportion treated with initial PCI increased (65.2% to 73.7%, p ). After excluding repeat procedures during the index quarter, the incidence of any repeat revascularization decreased by 1.8% as well (p Conclusion : Among diabetic Medicare beneficiaries, the introduction of DES was associated with a substantial shift in the proportion of patients treated with PCI vs. CABG as an initial revascularization strategy. These changes were associated with improved clinical outcomes and lower total CV-related costs per revascularization patient at ~1 yr. Outcomes and costs at 13.5 months after initial revascularization

Drug-eluting stents have been a major advance in percutaneous coronary revascularization. Widespread use of these stents has been spurred by substantial reductions in restenosis rates when compared with bare metal stents. The use of drugeluting stents during ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction has been a common practice and is associated with lower revascularization rates in various studies. Unfortunately, significant concerns regarding the occurrence of late stent thrombosis with this technology persist. A clinical dilemma exists as to whether the benefits of reduced repeat revascularization with DES outweigh the harm caused by a possible increased occurrence of the infrequent but devastating complication of late stent thrombosis. This review with discuss the theoretical risks and benefits of DES for STEMI, the available data regarding their use, and the areas where future studies are needed.

The understanding of electron transfer (ET) phenomenon across semi-conductor interfaces is crucial for applications in photovoltaic systems and electrochemical heterogeneous catalysis . In order to probe ET mechanisms, we exploit atomic layer deposition (ALD) to conformally coat ultrathin films of TiO2 onto a lower conduction band (CB) SnO2 electrode. Between TiO2 film thicknesses of 1 to 10 Å, quantum tunneling through the insulating TiO2 layer is the kinetically preferred ET pathway. At films thicker than 10 Å, there is little change to the ET rate as a function of TiO2 thickness. To our surprise, annealing a 55 Å layer of TiO2 on SnO2, a 10x reduction in ET rate was observed compared to the as deposited TiO2. At potentials near the CB edge of SnO2, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of nominally flat amorphous TiO2 indicated the presence of nearly double the density of states (DOS) with respect to their crystalline counterpart; the relationship between ET and DOS was studied in depth. These findings show the first observation of change in ET mechanism across semi-conductor interfaces, and demonstrates the ineffectiveness of thick layers films grown by ALD at completely shutting off electron transfer without annealing post film growth.

The growth and/or deposition of uniformly dispersed nanoclusters is a significant challenge for the field of electrocatalysis science. Here we employ ALD technique to obtain ultrafine nickel oxide nanoclusters uniformly dispersed on flat electrodes. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a versatile technique to the precise growth of a variety of materials. Specifically, the key point in ALD process is that precursor molecules evaporated at an appropriate temperature react only with chemically reactive surface sites (e.g. hydroxyl groups on surfaces), and these reactions are self-limiting, i.e. controllable at the atomic level. Thus, we utilize a self-limiting nature of ALD for nanocluster formation. Meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP) monolayer is adsorbed parallel to the electrode surface, and subsequently metallated with Mn (or Fe)-OH (denoted by MnTCPP or FeTCPP) as reactive sites for nickel oxide growth. The nickel oxide nanoclusters, then, are grown on the -OH functional groups of MnTCPPs (or FeTCPPs) via ALD. The growth of nickel oxide nanoclusters is demonstrated in detail by transmission electron microscopy images and grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering analysis, as well as by in-situ monitoring mass gain during deposition. Additionally, to evaluate the electrocatalytic water oxidation activity of nanoclusters, TCPP molecules are removed from nanocluster films through post-ozone-treatments at a relatively low temperature. Based on electrochemical analysis, 1-2 nm sized-nanocluster films show a significantly higher water oxidation activity (i.e. higher water oxidation currents for unit number of nickel atoms deposited on films) compared with that of a very thin film. Consequently, this shows that the uniformly dispersed nanoclusters should be very useful for many applications including electrocatalysis, catalysis, and supercapacitors.

Since their introduction, drug-eluting stents have rapidly altered modern medicine's approach to coronary artery disease. Before the development of drug-eluting stents, standard bare-metal stents were plagued by in-stent restenosis, requiring repeat revascularization in as many as 15-20% of patients during the first 6-12 months following implantation [1]. The currently approved drug-eluting stents have dramatically reduced this complication by using a polymer-impregnated coating that elutes either paclitaxel or sirolimus to inhibit smooth muscle proliferation. The pivotal TAXUS-IV [2] and SIRIUS [3] trials compared drug-eluting stents with standard bare-metal stents and found rates of target vessel revascularization ranging from 3 to 4.1% in stable coronary artery disease patients - far lower than that had been seen previously with conventional standard bare-metal stents. After their approval in April 2003, drug-eluting stents use in clinical practice expanded rapidly. Within 9 months of their introduction, drug-eluting stents comprised 35% of all stent implantations in the United States [4]. In the last year at our own institution, drug-eluting stents comprised over 85% of all stents implanted. Despite their extensive use, data regarding the efficacy and safety of drug-eluting stents in certain clinical scenarios are limited. To date, the only published data supporting drug-eluting stents in ST[corrected]-elevation acute myocardial infarction come from the retrospective Rapamycin-Eluting Stent Evaluated at Rotterdam Cardiology Hospital registry [5] and the randomized, controlled single high-dose bolus tirofiban and sirolimus-eluting stent vs. abciximab and bare-metal stent in myocardial infarction study [6]. In this chapter, we discuss the theoretical risks and benefits of drug-eluting stents for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction, the available data regarding their use, and the areas in which future studies are needed.

We sought to assess whether statins may decrease cardiac complications in patients undergoing noncardiac vascular surgery.Cardiovascular complications account for considerable morbidity in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery. Statins decrease cardiac morbidity and mortality in patients with coronary disease, and the beneficial treatment effect is seen early, before any measurable increase in coronary artery diameter.A retrospective study recorded patient characteristics, past medical history, and admission medications on all patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy, aortic surgery, or lower extremity revascularization over a two-year period (January 1999 to December 2000) at a tertiary referral center. Recorded perioperative complication outcomes included death, myocardial infarction, ischemia, congestive heart failure, and ventricular tachyarrhythmias occurring during the index hospitalization. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions identified predictors of perioperative cardiac complications and medications that might confer a protective effect.Complications occurred in 157 of 1,163 eligible hospitalizations and were significantly fewer in patients receiving statins (9.9%) than in those not receiving statins (16.5%, p = 0.001). The difference was mostly accounted by myocardial ischemia and congestive heart failure. After adjusting for other significant predictors of perioperative complications (age, gender, type of surgery, emergent surgery, left ventricular dysfunction, and diabetes mellitus), statins still conferred a highly significant protective effect (odds ratio 0.52, p = 0.001). The protective effect was similar across diverse patient subgroups and persisted after accounting for the likelihood of patients to have hypercholesterolemia by considering their propensity to use statins.Use of statins was highly protective against perioperative cardiac complications in patients undergoing vascular surgery in this retrospective study.

This study investigated the relationship between adolescents' academic performance and participation in physical activity. 232 boys and girls from Years 8–11 (ages 13–16 years) were randomly selected, and their academic performance was assessed on previous examination scores in English, Mathematics, and Science. Participants were also asked to list all the sports-based physical activities in which they normally participated during a typical week and to indicate how many times per week they took part in each activity and the duration of each. Overall, no significant correlations were found, although weak negative correlations were recorded between the amount of time (in minutes) in sport and exercise and English scores for children ages 13, 14, and 16 years. A similar association was also noted for Science scores of children 16 years old.

This article explores the extent to which UNESCOs man and the biosphere (MAB) programme is being used by national tourist organisations (NTOs) to promote tourism and examines the impact of tourism on the central purpose of the MAB programme: developing sites of excellence where new and optimal practices to manage nature and human activities are tested and demonstrated. The article specifically examines how extensively the UNESCO biosphere designation is being used by NTO websites to encourage tourism and whether the biosphere reserves that are being promoted as tourist destinations and attractions are in countries that score favourably on the environmental performance index (EPI), a rating of countries on performance indicators covering environmental public health and ecosystem vitality. The study finds that, on average, countries that promote biosphere reserves as tourist destinations tend to have better environmental records than countries that do not. Further research, especially case studies, is needed to confirm these findings. This study also identifies major trends and issues concerning the use and management of UNESCO biosphere zones as tourist attractions.