Within the project MUSICA (MUlti-platform remote Sensing of Isotopologues for investigating the Cycle of Atmospheric water), long-term tropospheric water vapour isotopologue data records are provided ...for ten globally distributed ground-based mid-infrared remote sensing stations of the NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change). We present a new method allowing for an extensive and straightforward characterisation of the complex nature of such isotopologue remote sensing datasets. We demonstrate that the MUSICA humidity profiles are representative for most of the troposphere with a vertical resolution ranging from about 2 km (in the lower troposphere) to 8 km (in the upper troposphere) and with an estimated precision of better than 10%. We find that the sensitivity with respect to the isotopologue composition is limited to the lower and middle troposphere, whereby we estimate a precision of about 30‰ for the ratio between the two isotopologues HD16O and H216O. The measurement noise, the applied atmospheric temperature profiles, the uncertainty in the spectral baseline, and the cross-dependence on humidity are the leading error sources. We introduce an a posteriori correction method of the cross-dependence on humidity, and we recommend applying it to isotopologue ratio remote sensing datasets in general. In addition, we present mid-infrared CO2 retrievals and use them for demonstrating the MUSICA network-wide data consistency. In order to indicate the potential of long-term isotopologue remote sensing data if provided with a well-documented quality, we present a climatology and compare it to simulations of an isotope incorporated AGCM (Atmospheric General Circulation Model). We identify differences in the multi-year mean and seasonal cycles that significantly exceed the estimated errors, thereby indicating deficits in the modeled atmospheric water cycle.
We present lower/middle tropospheric column-averaged CH4 mole fraction time series measured by nine globally distributed ground-based FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) remote sensing experiments of ...the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC). We show that these data are well representative of the tropospheric regional-scale CH4 signal, largely independent of the local surface small-scale signals, and only weakly dependent on upper tropospheric/lower stratospheric (UTLS) CH4 variations. In order to achieve the weak dependency on the UTLS, we use an a posteriori correction method. We estimate a typical precision for daily mean values of about 0.5% and a systematic error of about 2.5%. The theoretical assessments are complemented by an extensive empirical study. For this purpose, we use surface in situ CH4 measurements made within the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) network and compare them to the remote sensing data. We briefly discuss different filter methods for removing the local small-scale signals from the surface in situ data sets in order to obtain the in situ regional-scale signals. We find good agreement between the filtered in situ and the remote sensing data. The agreement is consistent for a variety of timescales that are interesting for CH4 source/sink research: day-to-day, monthly, and inter-annual. The comparison study confirms our theoretical estimations and proves that the NDACC FTIR measurements can provide valuable data for investigating the cycle of CH4.
There is clear evidence that reperfusion therapy improves survival in selected patients with an acute myocardial infarction. However, several studies have suggested that many patients with an acute ...myocardial infarction do not receive this therapy. Whether this underutilization occurs in patients appropriate for such therapy remains unclear.
We examined the use of reperfusion therapy in patients with an acute myocardial infarction hospitalized at 1470 hospitals participating in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction 2. We identified 84 663 patients who were eligible for reperfusion therapy as defined by diagnostic changes on the initial 12-lead ECG, presentation to the hospital within 6 hours from symptom onset, and no contraindications to thrombolytic therapy. Twenty-four percent of these eligible patients did not receive any form of reperfusion therapy (7.5% of all patients). When multivariate analyses were used, left bundle-branch block (odds ratio OR=0.22; 95% CI=0.20 to 0.24), lack of chest pain at presentation (OR=0.22; 95% CI=0.21 to 0.24), age >75 years (OR=0.40, 95% CI=0.36 to 0.43), female sex (OR=0.88, 95% CI=0.83 to 0.92), and various preexisting cardiovascular conditions were independent predictors that the patient would not receive reperfusion therapy.
Reperfusion therapy may be underutilized in the United States. Increased use of reperfusion therapy could potentially reduce the unnecessarily high mortality rates observed in women, the elderly, and other patient groups with the highest risk of death from an acute myocardial infarction.
We report a detection of the baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) feature in the three-dimensional correlation function of the transmitted flux fraction in the Lyα forest of high-redshift quasars. The ...study uses 48 640 quasars in the redshift range 2.1 ≤ z ≤ 3.5 from the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS) of the third generation of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-III). At a mean redshift z = 2.3, we measure the monopole and quadrupole components of the correlation function for separations in the range 20 h-1 Mpc < r < 200 h-1 Mpc. A peak in the correlation function is seen at a separation equal to (1.01 ± 0.03) times the distance expected for the BAO peak within a concordance ΛCDM cosmology. This first detection of the BAO peak at high redshift, when the universe was strongly matter dominated, results in constraints on the angular diameter distance DA and the expansion rate H at z = 2.3 that, combined with priors on H0 and the baryon density, require the existence of dark energy. Combined with constraints derived from cosmic microwave background observations, this result implies H(z = 2.3) = (224 ± 8) km s-1 Mpc-1, indicating that the time derivative of the cosmological scale parameter ȧ = H(z = 2.3)/(1 + z) is significantly greater than that measured with BAO at z ~ 0.5. This demonstrates that the expansion was decelerating in the range 0.7 < z < 2.3, as expected from the matter domination during this epoch. Combined with measurements of H0, one sees the pattern of deceleration followed by acceleration characteristic of a dark-energy dominated universe.
Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) and its complications. The relative effect of glucose-lowering strategies of “insulin provision” versus “insulin ...sensitization” among patients with CAD remains unclear.
To evaluate the associations of diabetes and hypoglycemic strategies with clinical outcomes after acute coronary syndromes, we analyzed data from 15,800 patients enrolled in the SYMPHONY and 2nd SYMPHONY trials.
Compared with nondiabetic patients, patients with diabetes (n = 3101; 19.6%) were older, more often female, more often had prior CAD, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, and less often were current smokers. The diabetic cohort had higher 90-day unadjusted risk of the composite of death/myocardial infarction (MI)/severe recurrent ischemia (SRI), death/MI, and death alone, as well as a near doubling of 1-year mortality rates. At 1 year, diabetes was associated with significantly higher adjusted risks of death/MI/SRI (OR, 1.3 95% confidence interval, 1.1, 1.5) and death/MI (OR, 1.2 1.0, 1.4). Hypoglycemic therapy including only insulin and/or sulfonylurea (insulin-providing; n = 1473) was associated with higher 90-day death/MI/SRI compared with therapy that included only biguanide and/or thiazolidinedione therapy (insulin-sensitizing; n = 100) (12.0% vs 5.0%); (adjusted OR, 2.1 1.2, 3.7).
Diabetic patients with acute coronary syndromes had worse clinical outcomes. Although the findings regarding the influence of glycemic-control strategies should be interpreted with caution because of the exploratory nature of the analyses and the relatively small sample size of the insulin-sensitizing group, the improved risk-adjusted outcomes associated with insulin-sensitizing therapy underscore the need to further evaluate treatment strategies for patients with diabetes and CAD.
In the last 8 yr, cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growers in North Carolina have experienced variations in the year-to-year lint yield averages that range from a 56% increase to a 49% decrease. This ...variability results in wild fluctuations in income and a desire for more stable yields. Genetic structure may contribute to stability. This study was conducted to determine the impact of heterozygosity and heterogeneity on lint yield stability. Lint yield was observed in 18 environments over 3 yr among four population types that included homozygous lines grown in pure stands, homozygous lines grown in blended stands, hybrids grown in pure stands, and hybrids grown in blended stands. Comparisons were made using trait means, standard deviations, and the coefficients of variation (CVs) calculated over environments. There was no significant difference between lines grown in pure stands and blended lines with respect to yield or stability. Hybrids had a lower CV (were more stable) than homozygous lines. This stability was attributed to the hybrids and blends of hybrids out-yielding the homozygous lines and blends of homozygous lines in the low-yielding environments, but having similar yields in the high-yielding environments. These results do not support growing blends to increase stability or yield; however, growing hybrid cultivars could result in increased yields while reducing variability compared with current production practices.
Summary
ATFIM1 is a widely expressed gene in Arabidopsis thaliana that encodes a putative actin filament‐crosslinking protein, AtFim1, belonging to the fimbrin/plastin class of actin‐binding ...proteins. In this report we have used bacterially expressed AtFim1 and actin isolated from Zea mays pollen to demonstrate that AtFim1 functions as an actin filament‐crosslinking protein. AtFim1 binds pollen actin filaments (F‐actin) in a calcium‐independent manner, with an average dissociation constant (Kd) of 0.55 ± 0.21 µM and with a stoichiometry at saturation of 1 : 4 (mol AtFim1 : mol actin monomer). AtFim1 also crosslinks pollen F‐actin by a calcium‐independent mechanism, in contrast to crosslinking of plant actin by human T‐plastin, a known calcium‐sensitive actin‐crosslinking protein. When micro‐injected at high concentration into living Tradescantia virginiana stamen hair cells, AtFim1 caused cessation of both cytoplasmic streaming and transvacuolar strand dynamics within 2–4 min. Using the ‘nuclear displacement assay’ as a measure of the integrity of the actin cytoskeleton in living stamen hair cells, we demonstrated that AtFim1 protects actin filaments in these cells from Z. mays profilin (ZmPRO5)‐induced depolymerization, in a dose‐dependent manner. The apparent ability of AtFim1 to protect actin filaments in vivo from profilin‐mediated depolymerization was confirmed by in vitro sedimentation assays. Our results indicate that AtFim1 is a calcium‐independent, actin filament‐crosslinking protein that interacts with the actin cytoskeleton in living plant cells.
Aims To assess the incidence and timing of atrial fibrillation (AF), describe antithrombotic therapy use, and evaluate the association of AF with 90 day mortality and other secondary clinical ...outcomes. Methods and results We studied 5745 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in APEX-AMI. Approximately 11% had AF during hospitalization. Atrial fibrillation prevalence at baseline and at discharge was 4.8% confidence interval (CI) 4.3–5.4% and 2.5% (CI 2.1–2.9%), respectively. The proportion of 5466 patients without AF at baseline who developed new onset AF was 6.3% (CI 5.6–6.9%). This corresponded to 9.3 cases of new onset AF/1000 patient days at risk. New onset AF was independently associated with 90 day mortality adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.81; 95% CI 1.06–3.09; P = 0.029 after accounting for baseline covariates and in-hospital procedures and complications. New onset AF was associated with shock (adjusted HR 3.81; 95% CI 1.88–7.70; P = 0.0002), congestive heart failure (adjusted HR 2.66; 95% CI 1.74–4.06; P < 0.0001), and stroke (adjusted HR 2.98; 95% CI 1.47–6.04; P = 0.0024) in models accounting for baseline covariates. Of AF patients, 55% did not receive oral anticoagulation therapy at discharge. Among patients with coronary stents, 5.1% were discharged on triple therapy. Patients at highest risk of stroke (CHADS2 score ≥2) were least likely to receive oral anticoagulation at discharge (39%). Warfarin use in patients with AF at discharge (43.4%) was associated with lower rates of 90 day mortality and stroke. Conclusion Atrial fibrillation prevalence at baseline and at discharge was 4.8 and 2.5%, respectively. The proportion of patients who developed new onset AF was 6.3%. New onset AF was independently associated with 90 day mortality and was a marker of adverse outcomes in patients undergoing primary PCI.
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