Corrosion-protective coatings from electrically conducting polymers

In a joint effort between NASA Kennedy and LANL, electrically conductive polymer coatings were developed as corrosion protective coatings for metal surfaces. At NASA Kennedy, the launch environment consist of marine, severe solar, and intermittent high acid and/or elevated temperature conditions. Electrically conductive polymer coatings were developed which impart corrosion resistance to mild steel when exposed to saline and acidic environments. Such coatings also seem to promote corrosion resistance in areas of mild steel where scratches exist in the protective coating. Such coatings appear promising for many commercial applications

Inferior vena cava branch variations in C57BL/6 mice have an impact on thrombus size in an IVC ligation (stasis) model

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110835/1/jth12866.pd

Assessing quality of life in Alzheimer's disease: Implications for clinical trials

Introduction Characterization of the quality of life (QOL) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) scale within the context of a clinical trial may inform its applicability in future trials. Methods Using data from 1322 patients enrolled in two phase-III studies (EXPEDITION 1 [NCT00905372] and 2 [NCT00904683]) of intravenous solanezumab in outpatients with mild AD dementia, correlations between patient- and caregiver-assessed QOL and between QOL and clinical outcome measures were examined. Longitudinal effects of solanezumab over 80 weeks were explored, controlling for patient and caregiver baseline characteristics. Results Caregivers rated patients' QOL worse than did patients themselves. Patients' QOL was correlated, albeit modestly, with clinical/health measures. Patients' QOL changed minimally over 80 weeks, although a treatment effect of solanezumab on QOL was detected. Discussion Further investigations are needed to determine the optimal measures with which to quantify and qualify QOL of patients with mild AD

Is Science Meeting the Needs of Land Management? A Case Study of the USFS and the Fisher

Laws including the National Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act and Endangered Species Act require both knowledge of potential effects on wildlife species and specify what effects may or may not occur to species.  In the context of land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, before a timber harvest, prescribed fire, or wildlife habitat improvement project occurs, these laws require a wildlife biologist to disclose the effects of the project on wildlife species and propose options to reduce potential negative effects.  Decision-makers are then required to consider these effects and prevent jeopardizing listed species or impacting viability of “sensitive” species.  These legal requirements result in biologists producing a report called a Biological Evaluation and Assessment specifying how a project would affect sensitive and federally listed species.  Wildlife research is used to answer the following questions about each species of interest including, status, trend, habitat, applicable survey data, and mechanisms of effects on species.  The key piece of information needed is the effect on the individual and population as a whole.  However, the less research is available, the more logic and reasoned speculation are used to estimate these potential effects.  Discerning the effect on the individual and population as a whole is usually based on little science because the science rarely reaches this point.  Thus, the most critical pieces of the analysis – what are the effects? And how important are they?  are based upon a logic string, and of course subject to judicial review.  The fisher (Pekania pennanti) was used as an example by comparing recent research with conclusions reached in land management documentation. As land managers we recommend that research 1) work closely with management to insure research is as applicable as possible, and 2) that research focus on how changes in a home range may affect the individual and population and to what degree

Histopathological Markers of Liver Cirrhosis Correlating with Fat Pads in Cadavers

The liver is an organ with many functions in the body, including storage of essential nutrients, detoxification of blood, and digestion and metabolism. The major functional unit of the liver is the liver lobule, which contains the micro-anatomy of the liver, including hepatocytes, sinusoids, portal triads, and the central vein. The liver is a resilient organ that has the capability to regenerate up to two-thirds of its tissue. In cirrhosis, a condition in which collagen is produced and results in fibrotic tissue and causes normally functioning tissue to become scar tissue, the liver is no longer capable of its regenerative functions. By taking a biopsy from the patient’s liver, there are several cellular histopathological indicators of cirrhosis that can confirm the stage of cirrhosis the patient is in. Some of the indicators include the increased presence of Kuppfer cells and hepatic stellate cells, the decreased presence of liver sinusoidal epithelial cells, and the formation of tissue nodules and fibrotic bands. Histological microscope slides were created and imaged to determine if the histopathological indicators for cirrhosis were present and then correlated with the size of fat pads in the cadavers the samples were obtained from. It was determined there is a slight positive correlation between estimated percentage of cirrhosis and size of pubic fat pads.https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/research_posters2023/1030/thumbnail.jp

How to deal with missing longitudinal data in cost of illness analysis in Alzheimer’s disease—suggestions from the GERAS observational study

BACKGROUND: Missing data are a common problem in prospective studies with a long follow-up, and the volume, pattern and reasons for missing data may be relevant when estimating the cost of illness. We aimed to evaluate the effects of different methods for dealing with missing longitudinal cost data and for costing caregiver time on total societal costs in Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: GERAS is an 18-month observational study of costs associated with AD. Total societal costs included patient health and social care costs, and caregiver health and informal care costs. Missing data were classified as missing completely at random (MCAR), missing at random (MAR) or missing not at random (MNAR). Simulation datasets were generated from baseline data with 10-40 % missing total cost data for each missing data mechanism. Datasets were also simulated to reflect the missing cost data pattern at 18 months using MAR and MNAR assumptions. Naïve and multiple imputation (MI) methods were applied to each dataset and results compared with complete GERAS 18-month cost data. Opportunity and replacement cost approaches were used for caregiver time, which was costed with and without supervision included and with time for working caregivers only being costed. RESULTS: Total costs were available for 99.4 % of 1497 patients at baseline. For MCAR datasets, naïve methods performed as well as MI methods. For MAR, MI methods performed better than naïve methods. All imputation approaches were poor for MNAR data. For all approaches, percentage bias increased with missing data volume. For datasets reflecting 18-month patterns, a combination of imputation methods provided more accurate cost estimates (e.g. bias: -1 % vs -6 % for single MI method), although different approaches to costing caregiver time had a greater impact on estimated costs (29-43 % increase over base case estimate). CONCLUSIONS: Methods used to impute missing cost data in AD will impact on accuracy of cost estimates although varying approaches to costing informal caregiver time has the greatest impact on total costs. Tailoring imputation methods to the reason for missing data will further our understanding of the best analytical approach for studies involving cost outcomes

Deglaciation of Penobscot Bay, Maine, USA

The Pond Ridge and Pineo Ridge moraines in downeast Maine likely formed at ~16.1 and ~15.7 ka respectively, during cold episodes recorded by δ18O dips in the GRIP ice core. The elapsed time between these ages is broadly consistent with retreat rates recorded by intervening De Geer moraines, which are readily visible on LiDAR imagery and are believed to be approximately annual. North-northwestward from the southwesterly extension of the Pond Ridge moraine there are three pairs of prominent moraines that are relatively continuous across the study area and could be reliably extrapolated across intervening water bodies. Retreat rates recorded by De Geer moraines suggest that these pairs formed at 15.7-15.8 ka, 15.5-15.6 ka, and ~15.5 ka. Although retreat appears to have occurred slightly faster across Penobscot Bay, a significant calving bay does not seem to have developed there. Instead, the ice margin remained relatively straight, retreating to the north-northwest. De Geer moraines become more widely spaced northward and vanish after ~15.5 ka when the ice margin was north of the head of Penobscot Bay and of Pineo Ridge. This likely reflects higher retreat rates during the initial phases of the Bølling warm period. Just south of Pineo Ridge there were two ice lobes; one retreated to the north and one to the northwest. The latter retreated more rapidly, while the former experienced numerous minor readvances and stillstands until finally pausing at the location of Pineo Ridge. A stillstand of this lobe then resulted in deposition of the Pineo Ridge moraine complex