Abstract only Introduction: Dispatch processes for prehospital management of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary greatly by region, and so do the barriers and facilitators of rapid ...time-to-first-treatment within those systems. In order to optimize local OHCA response, we sought to identify improvement targets by tracking time intervals during OHCA 911 calls and evaluating associated barriers and facilitators to timely OHCA prehospital care delivery. Methods: We developed a data abstraction tool to collect quantitative and qualitative data regarding key events in a random sample of 23 of emergency medical services (EMS)-confirmed, second-party, non-traumatic, non-overdose, non-facility adult OHCAs occurring prior to first responder arrival from November 2017 to November 2019 in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Trained abstractors double reviewed calls. We calculated descriptive statistics of key event times to summarize a timeline of care and evaluated qualitative data using thematic analysis to assess event intervals. Results: Based on quantitative and qualitative analyses, we created a timeline with summary data of dispatcher OHCA response based on an aggregate of 23 calls to 911 dispatch (see Figure 1). Data abstractors identified two intervals-of-interest as containing barriers to optimizing time-to-first treatment: 1) time between the first report of abnormal breathing and call taker statement of CPR need (Interval 1), and 2) time from patient positioning to the first compression instruction (Interval 2). Qualitative data suggested that these interval delays were a result of extensive efforts on the part of the call taker to reconfirm breathing status in particular. Additional barriers, such as the callers misunderstanding instruction, and on-scene physical limitations, were also identified. Conclusions: We identified two primary time intervals to target for improvement as well as barriers present in our local 911 system. These data may serve as a foundation to develop targeted interventions to optimize local systems of care for 911 dispatch workflows. Figure 1
We have previously identified the 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-7,10-ethano-1,2,4-triazolo3,4-aphthalazine (1) as a potent partial agonist for the α3 receptor subtype with 5-fold selectivity in binding ...affinity over α1. This paper describes a detailed investigation of the substituents on this core structure at both the 3- and 6-positions. Despite evaluating a wide range of groups, the maximum selectivity that could be achieved in terms of affinity for the α3 subtype over the α1 subtype was 12-fold (for 57). Although most analogues showed no selectivity in terms of efficacy, some did show partial agonism at α1 and antagonism at α3 (e.g., 25 and 75). However, two analogues tested (93 and 96), both with triazole substituents in the 6-position, showed significantly higher efficacy for the α3 subtype over the α1 subtype. This was the first indication that selectivity in efficacy in the required direction could be achieved in this series.
The paucity of information on the recently described Australian humpback dolphin Sousa sahulensis has hindered assessment of its conservation status. Here, we applied capture-recapture models to ...photo-identification data collected during boat-based surveys between 2013 and 2015 to estimate the abundance, site fidelity and residence patterns of Australian humpback dolphins around the North West Cape (NWC), Western Australia. Using Pollockís closed robust design, abundance estimates varied from 65 to 102 individuals, and POPAN open modelling yielded a super-population size of 129 individuals in the 130 km2 study area. At approximately 1 humpback dolphin per km2, this density is the highest recorded for this species. Temporary emigration was Markovian, suggesting seasonal movement in and out of the study area. Hierarchical clustering showed that 63% of individuals identified exhibited high levels of site fidelity. Analysis of lagged identification rates indicated dolphins use the study area regularly, following a movement model characterised by emigration and re-immigration. These density, site fidelity and residence patterns indicate that the NWC is an important habitat toward the southwestern limit of this speciesí range. Much of the NWC study area lies within a Marine Protected Area, offering a regulatory framework on which to base the management of human activities with the potential to impact this threatened species. Our methods provide a methodological framework to be used in future environmental impact assessments, and our findings represent a baseline from which to develop long-term studies to gain a more complete understanding of Australian humpback dolphin population dynamics.
Our aim is to develop new database technologies for the approximate matching of unstructured string data using indexes. We explore the potential of the suffix tree data structure in this context. We ...present a new method of building suffix trees, allowing us to build trees in excess of RAM size, which has hitherto not been possible. We show that this method performs in practice as well as the O(n) method of Ukkonen 70. Using this method we build indexes for 200 Mb of protein and 300 Mbp of DNA, whose disk-image exceeds the available RAM. We show experimentally that suffix trees can be effectively used in approximate string matching with biological data. For a range of query lengths and error bounds the suffix tree reduces the size of the unoptimised O(mn) dynamic programming calculation required in the evaluation of string similarity, and the gain from indexing increases with index size. In the indexes we built this reduction is significant, and less than 0.3 of the expected matrix is evaluated. We detail the requirements for further database and algorithmic research to support efficient use of large suffix indexes in biological applications.
The development of fast-growing hardwood trees as a source of lignocellulosic biomass for biofuel and biomaterial production requires a thorough understanding of the plant cell wall structure and ...function that underlie the inherent recalcitrance properties of woody biomass. Downregulation of
in
was recently reported to result in improved biomass saccharification, plant growth, and biomass yield. To further understand
function in biomass recalcitrance and plant growth, here we report the effects of
overexpression in
.
Increasing
transcript expression by 7-49% in
-overexpression (OE) lines resulted in a nearly complete opposite biomass saccharification and plant growth phenotype to that observed previously in
-knockdown (KD) lines. This included significantly reduced glucose, xylose, and total sugar release (12-13%), plant height (6-54%), stem diameter (8-40%), and overall total aerial biomass yield (48-61%) in 3-month-old, greenhouse-grown
-OE lines compared to controls. Total lignin content was unaffected by the gene overexpression. Importantly, selected
-OE lines retained the recalcitrance and growth phenotypes upon growth for 9 months in the greenhouse and 2.8 years in the field.
-OE plants had significantly smaller leaves with lower relative water content, and significantly reduced stem wood xylem cell numbers and size. At the cell wall level, xylose and galacturonic acid contents increased markedly in total cell walls as well as in soluble and insoluble cell wall extracts, consistent with increased amounts of xylan and homogalacturonan in the
-OE lines. This led to increased cell wall recalcitrance, as manifested by the 9-15% reduced amounts of recovered extractable wall materials and 8-15% greater amounts of final insoluble pellet in the
-OE lines compared to controls.
The combined phenotype and chemotype data from
-OE and
-KD transgenics clearly establish
as a recalcitrance- and growth-associated gene in poplar. Overall, the data support the hypothesis that GAUT12.1 synthesizes either an HG-containing primer for xylan synthesis or an HG glycan required for proper xylan deposition, anchoring, and/or architecture in the wall, and the possibility of HG and xylan glycans being connected to each other by a base-sensitive covalent linkage.
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