Using large-scale molecular-dynamic (MD) simulations, we have shown previously that the classical Lucas–Washburn equation commonly employed to describe capillary imbibition and drainage should be ...modified to include dynamic contact-angle effects. In addition, we have demonstrated how these effects can be accounted for using the molecular-kinetic theory of dynamic wetting. In a further publication, we presented theoretical arguments and experimental evidence that the velocity of wetting depends on the intrinsic wettability of the solid surface in such a way that there exists an optimum contact angle at which the velocity of wetting is a maximum. Here, we combine these ideas to show how the maximum speeds of capillary imbibition and drainage are affected both by the pore wettability and the pressures used to drive capillary displacement. In particular, we introduce the concept of dynamic wetting transitions (DWTs) and discuss how these limit displacement efficiency and can be manipulated by controlling pore wettability. The results of this work may be beneficial in optimising the performance of capillary processes such as those involved in oil recovery.
Selective attention experimental designs have shown that neural responses to stimuli in primary somatosensory cortex are stronger when the sensory stimuli are task relevant. Other studies have used ...animals under no task demands for data collection. The relationship between neural responses in the brain during behavior, and while an animal has no task demands, remains underexplored. We trained two animals to perform somatosensory detection for several weeks, followed by somatosensory discrimination for several weeks. Data in response to physically identical stimuli were collected from cortical implants while the animal was under no task demands before each behavioral session and also during that behavioral session. The Fourier spectra of the field potentials during detection or discrimination compared with the no task condition demonstrated suppression of the somatosensory μ-rhythm that is associated with readiness and anticipation of cognitive use of somatosensory and motor inputs. Responses to the task target were stronger during detection and discrimination than in the no task condition. The amplitude normalized time course of the target evoked response was similar in both cases. Evoked responses to the task distractor were not significantly stronger during behavior than in recordings under no task demands. The normalized time course of the distractor responses showed a suppression that peaks 30-35 ms after the onset of the response. The selectivity of this within trial suppression is the same as the selectivity of enduring suppression evident in studies of sensory cortical plasticity, which suggests the same neural process may be responsible for both.
In Kenya, the median incubation time to AIDS in seroconverting sex workers is 4 years; this incubation time is specific to female sex workers. We studied the influence of acute sexually transmitted ...infections (STIs) on several immunologic parameters in 32 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)—positive and 10 HIV-1—negative women sex workers who were followed for 1–5 months. Plasma cytokines, soluble cytokine receptors, CD4 and CD8 T cell counts, and HIV-1 plasma viremia were quantitated before, during, and after episodes of STI. Increases in interleukin (IL)—4, IL-6, IL-10, soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF)—α, and viremia and a decline in CD4+ T cell counts occurred during gonococcal cervicitis and returned to baseline after treatment. Increases in viremia correlated with increased IL-4 and decreased IL-6 concentrations. Similar changes were seen among women with acute pelvic inflammatory disease. Acute bacterial STI resulted in increased HIV-1 viremia. This may be mediated through increased inflammatory cytokines or through modulation of immune responses that control HIV-1 viremia.
Both four-dimensional (space-time) models and Casimir-like processes predict that the representations of stimulus-response pairing remain in altered or virtual states that can be potentially ...retrieved. Over a six month period we demonstrated "excess correlations" between mild acidification in quantities (50 ml) of spring water in a local space and the temporally contiguous incremental alkalinisation in nonlocal quantities of water when both loci were exposed to the same experimental paradigm that produced "entanglement" in photon reactions. The procedure required simultaneous exposures of both loci to specific patterns of rotating magnetic fields displaying specific rates of change in angular velocity. If the ~0.1 unit increases in pH within the non-local water samples due to injections of acetic acid in the local samples had been established on one day, comparable shifts occurred in the non-local water samples the following day when there were no injections of acetic acid if the space was exposed to the original magnetic field configurations. These results suggest that, like photon patterns, the "memory" or representation of pH (H+) shifts remain in space long after the stimulus has been removed and can be retrieved within that space if the specific electromagnetic field is repeated. NeuroQuantology | December 2013 | Volume 11 | Issue 4 | Page 511-518
Photomultiplier tube measurements during simultaneous productions of nonlocal+ local photon emissions showed conspicuous doubling of the durations of the photon spikes from hydrogen ...peroxide-hypochlorite reactions if both loci were exposed to the same configurations of changing angular velocities of circular magnetic fields. Different experimentally manipulated temporal patterns of the photon emissions were evident as "spontaneous" spikes within 3 to 5 days after the actual injections when the same magnetic field configuration was present but no injections occurred. These results suggest that temporal patterns of entangled photon emissions were "stored" within space-time and could be retrieved long after the events had been generated
Endosperm texture has a tremendous impact on the end-use quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), a close relative of wheat, also vary measurably in grain ...hardness. However, in contrast to wheat, little is known about the genetic control of barley grain hardness. Puroindolines are endosperm-specific proteins found in wheat and its relatives. In wheat, puroindoline sequence variation controls the majority of wheat grain texture variation. Hordoindolines, the puroindoline homologs of barley, have been identified and mapped. Recently, substantial allelic variation was found for hordoindolines among commercial barley cultivars. Our objective was to determine the influence of hordoindoline allelic variation upon grain hardness and dry matter digestibility in the 'Steptoe' x 'Morex' mapping population. This population is segregating for hordoindoline allele type, which was measured by a HinA/HinB/Gsp composite marker. One-hundred and fifty lines of the 'Steptoe' x 'Morex' population were grown in a replicated field trial. Grain hardness was estimated by near-infrared reflectance (NIR) and measured using the single kernel characterization system (SKCS). Variation attributable to the HinA/HinB/Gsp locus averaged 5.7 SKCS hardness units (SKCS U). QTL analysis revealed the presence of several areas of the genome associated with grain hardness. The largest QTL mapped to the HinA/HinB/Gsp region on the short arm of chromosome 7 (5H). This QTL explains 22% of the SKCS hardness difference observed in this study. The results indicate that the Hardness locus is present in barley and implicates the hordoindolines in endosperm texture control.
The prefrontal cortex, a cortical area essential for working memory and higher cognitive functions, is modulated by a number of neurotransmitter systems, including acetylcholine; however, the impact ...of cholinergic transmission on prefrontal activity is not well understood. We relied on systemic administration of a muscarinic receptor antagonist, scopolamine, to investigate the role of acetylcholine on primate prefrontal neuronal activity during execution of working memory tasks and recorded neuronal activity with chronic electrode arrays and single electrodes. Our results indicated a dose-dependent decrease in behavioral performance after scopolamine administration in all the working memory tasks we tested. The effect could not be accounted for by deficits in visual processing, eye movement responses, or attention, because the animals performed a visually guided saccade task virtually error free, and errors to distracting stimuli were not increased. Performance degradation under scopolamine was accompanied by decreased firing rate of the same cortical sites during the delay period of the task and decreased selectivity for the spatial location of the stimuli. These results demonstrate that muscarinic blockade impairs performance in working memory tasks and prefrontal activity mediating working memory.
Growth hormone (GH) has been known to enhance immune responses, whether directly or through the insulin like growth factor-1, induced by GH. Recently a nonpeptidyl small m.w. compound, a GH ...secretagogue (GHS), was found to induce the production of GH by the pituitary gland. In this study, we examined the effect of GHS in immunological functions of 5- to 6-wk-old and 16- to 24-month-old mice. In young mice, we observed a significant increase in PBLs, but T and B cell-proliferative responses were not consistently enhanced. The old mice, treated with GHS for 3 wk, did not show increases in peripheral lymphocytes, but they exhibited a statistically significant increase in thymic cellularity and differentiation. When inoculated with a transplantable lymphoma cell line, EL4, the treated old mice showed statistically significant resistance to the initiation of tumors and the subsequent metastases. Generation of CTL to EL4 cells was also enhanced in the treated mice, suggesting that GHS has a considerable immune enhancing effect, particularly in the old mice. We have also found that GHS promoted better thymic engraftment in bone marrow transplant of SCID mice. We found more cycling cells in the spleens of treated mice, suggesting that GHS may exert its immune enhancing effect by promoting cell division in lymphoid cells. These observations ascribe to GHS a novel therapy possible for aging, AIDS, and transplant individuals, whose immune functions are compromised.
Prior literature has reported on the concerning emergence of opioid overprescribing, yet there remains a lack of knowledge in understanding the cost of waste of this over-prescription and ...underconsumption of opioids. As such, further investigating the cost of waste of opioids following orthopedic surgery is of interest to patients, providers, and payors. In one of the largest private orthopedic practices in the United States, opioid prescribing and consumption patterns were tracked prior to, and after the implementation of, formal prescription guidelines.
To (1) establish the cost of waste of unused opioids before the implementation of formal prescription guidelines and (2) examine how the cost of unused opioids may be reduced after implementation of formal internal prescription guidelines.
Two separate phases (Phase I and Phase II) were implemented at different time intervals throughout a two-year period. Implementation of prescription guidelines occurred between Phases I and II, and data from Phase I (pre-implementation) was compared to that from Phase II (postimplementation). Data collection included type, dosage, quantity of opioids prescribed and consumed after elective outpatient procedures in ambulatory surgery centers, in addition to patient interviews/surveys within two weeks after surgery to measure consumption. From these data, the cost of waste was calculated by taking the total cost of prescribed opioids (sum of each prescription × Average Wholesale Price (AWP) minus 60%) per 1,000 patients, and subtracting the total cost of consumed opioids per 1,000 patients, calculated in a similar manner. Further analysis was performed to describe differences in the cost of waste of individual opioids between each of the phases.
In Phase I, prior to implementation of formal internal prescription guidelines, there was a sizable cost of waste of unused opioids (per 1,000 patients, AWP minus 60%) of $11,299.51. The cost of waste in Phase II, after implementation of formal internal prescription guidelines, was $6,117.12, which was a significant decrease of 45.9% ($5,182.39) from Phase I (
< 0.001). Furthermore, both the average number of morphine equivalent units prescribed and consumed per patient decreased from Phase I to Phase II (294.6 vs 187.8,
< 0.001; and 144.9 vs 96.0,
< 0.001, respectively). Finally, in describing individual medications, there was a significant decrease in cost of waste (per 1,000 patients, AWP minus 60%) between Phases I and II for- Hydrocodone with APAP 5/525 mg (
< 0.001), Oxycodone CR 10 mg (
< 0.001), Morphine CR 15 mg (
=0.001), and Tramadol 50 mg (
= 0.014).
The results of this study suggest that there is a significant cost of waste associated with differences in prescribed versus consumed opioids following elective orthopedic surgery. This cost of waste was significantly reduced following the introduction and implementation of formal prescription guidelines.
This study was funded internally by Revo Health and Twin Cities Orthopedics. Giveans reports consulting fees from Medtrak, Inc., and Superior Medical Experts. The other authors have nothing to disclose.
PDF
