10 research outputs found
Prophylactic distal revascularization with interval ligation and simultaneous arteriovenous fistula creation in high-risk patients
No full textDialysis access-related ischemic steal syndrome is a well-recognized dialysis access complication. When severe, manifestations include rest pain, hand dysfunction, and tissue loss. Dialysis access attempts on the affected extremity are usually abandoned after a diagnosis of steal syndrome, and patients are often left catheter-dependent. Prophylactic distal revascularization with interval ligation has been described in patients at high-risk for steal syndrome. We present our experience with prophylactic distal revascularization with interval ligation performed simultaneously with arteriovenous fistula creation to prevent the recurrence in five patients and review the current body of literature supporting its use
Comparison of Two New Mouse Models of Polygenic Type 2 Diabetes at the Jackson Laboratory, NONcNZO10Lt/J and TALLYHO/JngJ
No full textThis review compares two novel polygenic mouse models of type 2 diabetes (T2D), TALLYHO/JngJ and NONcNZO10/LtJ, and contrasts both with the well-known C57BLKS/J-Leprdb
(db/db) monogenic diabesity model. We posit that the new polygenic models are more representative of the “garden variety” obesity underlying human T2D in terms of their polygenetic rather than monogenic etiology. Moreover, the clinical phenotypes in these new models are less extreme, for example, more moderated development of obesity coupled with less extreme endocrine disturbances. The more progressive development of obesity produces a maturity-onset development of hyperglycemia in contrast to the juvenile-onset diabetes observed in the morbidly obese db/db model. Unlike the leptin receptor-deficient db/db models with central leptin resistance, the new models develop a progressive peripheral leptin resistance and are able to maintain reproductive function. Although the T2D pathophysiology in both TALLYHO/JngJ and NONcNZO10/LtJ is remarkably similar, their genetic etiologies are clearly different, underscoring the genetic heterogeneity underlying T2D in humans
The Economics of "When" Flexibility in the Design of Greenhouse Gas Abatement Policies
No full textThis paper focuses on the economic desirability of the fixed and relatively short-term greenhouse gas targets and timetables in the Kyoto Protocol. The Protocol provides flexibility in which greenhouse gases to control, where control can be implemented, and what domestic policy measures are used. However, the Protocol does not allow much flexibility in when emission reductions take place in pursuit of longer-term environmental goals. Nor does it allow more flexible shorter-term environmental targets through price-based policy instruments that balance environmental goals and compliance costs. The relative inflexibility of the Protocol with respect to these elements may derive, in part, from a misplaced analogy between the global warming issue and the highly successful effort to phase out CFCs under the Montreal Protocol. The lack of "when" flexibility may be a key barrier to achieving the broader goals of the Kyoto Protocol, particularly if "where" flexibility is constrained in implementing the Protocol.
Colloidal Arenethiolate-Capped PbS Quantum Dots: Optoelectronic Properties, Self-Assembly, and Application in Solution-Cast Photovoltaics
No full textSuitable postsynthesis surface modification of lead-chalcogenide quantum dots (QDs) is crucial to enable their integration in photovoltaic devices. Here we exploit arenethiolate anions to completely replace pristine oleate ligands on PbS QDs in the solution phase, thus preserving the colloidal stability of QDs and allowing their solution-based processability into photoconductive thin films. Complete QD surface modification relies on the stronger acidic character of arenethiols compared to that of alkanethiols and is demonstrated by FTIR and UV–vis–NIR absorption spectroscopy analyses, which provide quantitative evaluation of stoichiometry and thermodynamic stability of the resulting system. Arenethiolate ligands induce a noticeable reduction of the optical band gap of PbS QDs, which is described and explained by charge transfer interactions occurring at the organic/inorganic interface that relax exciton confinement, and a large increase of QD molar absorption coefficient, achieved through the conjugated moiety of the replacing ligands. In addition, surface modification in the solution phase promotes switching of the symmetry of PbS QD self-assembled superlattices from hexagonal to cubic close packing, which is accompanied by further reduction of the optical band gap, ascribed to inter-QD exciton delocalization and dielectric effects, together with a drastic improvement of the charge transport properties in PbS QD solids. As a result, smooth dense-packed thin films of arenethiolate-capped PbS QDs can be integrated in heterojunction solar cells via a single solution-processing step. Such single PbS QD layers exhibit abated cracking upon thermal or chemical postdeposition treatment, and the corresponding devices generate remarkable photocurrent densities and overall efficiencies, thus representing an effective strategy toward low-cost processing for QD-based photovoltaics
Horizons in nutritional science : The case for strategic international alliances to harness nutritional genomics for public and personal health.
No full textNutrigenomics is the study of how constituents of the diet interact with genes, and their products, to alter phenotype and, conversely, how genes and their products metabolise these constituents into nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive compounds. Results from molecular and genetic epidemiological studies indicate that dietary unbalance can alter gene–nutrient interactions in ways that increase the risk of developing chronic disease. The interplay of human genetic variation and environmental factors will make identifying causative genes and nutrients a formidable, but not intractable, challenge. We provide specific recommendations for how to best meet this challenge and discuss the need for new methodologies and the use of comprehensive analyses of nutrient–genotype interactions involving large and diverse populations. The objective of the present paper is to stimulate discourse and collaboration among nutrigenomic researchers and stakeholders, a process that will lead to an increase in global health and wellness by reducing health disparities in developed and developing countries
The triumph of God in Christ : divine warfare in the argument of Ephesians
No full textIn this thesis I argue that the letter of Ephesians contains a coherent
argument and that this argument is animated by the ideology of divine warfare.
This ideological tool was utilized throughout the ancient world to assert and
defend the cosmic supremacy of national deities, and appears throughout the Old
Testament in texts that declare the exalted status of Yahweh over all other gods
and over the forces of chaos that threaten creation. This ideology is applied to
Ephesians with the result that what many regard as the central portion of the
letter-Ephesians 2--contains a complete cycle of this mythological pattern.
Here, within a context of praise and worship (1:1-19), the cosmic Lordship of
Christ is asserted (1:20-23) and the triumphs of God in Christ over the powers that
rule the present evil age are elaborated (2:1-22). God in Christ has triumphed over
the powers that hold humanity captive to death by raising believers to life and
seating them in the heavenlies with Christ. Further, Christ triumphs over the
powers and their divisive effects within humanity by creating a new unified
humanity that shares in the life of God in Christ by the Spirit. I then attempt to
demonstrate that reading Ephesians through this lens provides satisfying solutions
to a number of problems in subsequent sections of the letter. The
'autobiographical' remarks in Eph 3:2-13 are not intended as an apostolic defence,
but rather are an explanation of how Paul's imprisonment, which would appear to
be a devastating argument against the cosmic Lordship of Christ, actually serves
to epitomize and reinforce that exalted status. I also argue that the difficult
quotation of Psalm 68 in Eph 4:8 finds a satisfying solution through the
application of divine warfare ideology. Finally, I argue that this reading
demonstrates that the two halves of Ephesians are integrally related-that the
exhortatory portion is a call to the New Humanity to engage in divine warfare
against the evil powers, embodying the triumph of God in Christ in their corporate
life
The substance of Psalm 24: an attempt to read scripture after Brevard S. Childs
No full textThis thesis seeks to contribute to the theory and practice of theological interpretation
by explicating the inner coherence of B. S. Childs' "canonical approach" and by exemplifying
that approach in an interpretation of Psalm 24.
Part 1 concerns the theory. In this section I argue that Childs' approach rests upon a
particular understanding of the nature of the Biblical text. In short, it has a twofold function,
that of witnessing to the reality of God and that of shaping the community of faith in light
of that reality. The God to whom it witnesses is himself involved in this witnessing activity
in that he both evokes and infuses the tradition with his Spirit so that he may be known.
The hermeneutical implication is that interpretation must attempt to grasp the reality
"behind" the text while respecting the particular form in which that reality has been
rendered. The result is a multi-level approach to interpretation involving a continuous
dialectic between the witness (verbum) and its content (res). The affirmation of the nature
of Scripture as an ongoing vehicle of revelation also implies the significance of the history
of faithful Christian interpretation.
Part 2 seeks to exemplify this approach by showing how such a multi-level
interpretation of Psalm 24 is both possible and fruitful for our understanding of the reality
to which it witnesses. I achieve this by moving through several stages. After reviewing
contemporary methodology, I first provide a poetic analysis of the Psalm and conclude that
it witnesses to the economy of God in a bid to call Israel to realize its true identity. I then
provide a hypothesis of how the final form of the psalm is a result of a tradition historical
process with its roots in the pre-exilic temple liturgy. This historical perspective not only
clarifies the poetic shape of the psalm, it provides a bridge to discussing the question of the
nature of the reality experienced within Israel's cult. I conclude that there is a parallel
between the structure of this reality and the shape of Ps 24. I then both confirm and
attempt to deepen our understanding of this reality by following canonical pointers
internal to the psalm to three other bodies of text: Samuel, the Psalter, and Isaiah. Key to
this broader context is the agency of the David found in Ps 24's superscription. I conclude
my analysis by suggesting how a better grasp of the divine economy in the light of Christ
may help us better understand the inner unity of Ps 24 itself
Floristic composition, structure and ecosystem services in agroforestry systems with Theobroma cacao L. in the department of Huila
No full text47 plots (1000 m2 each) with agroforestry systems (AFS) were characterized based on the floristic composition and aspects of the vegetation structure. Statistical analyses (analysis of main components, conglomerates and univariate variance) were used to form AFS typologies based on these aspects, richness, density of individuals and incident ra-diation. After defining the types of PBS, the yield of cocoa in each of them was evaluated, as well as its relationship with floristic composition, aspects of structure, richness, density of individuals that make up the AFS, incident radiation, and it was compared with cocoa production systems with free TEL exposure (14 plots of 1000 m2 each). Carbon storage in aboveground biomass was compared between production systems (PBS and TEL). In order to know how the flow of sap and water potential of cocoa trees is influenced by the floristic composition, aspects of structure, incident radiation and microclimatic conditions of PBS types, measurements were made of sap flow (Vs), water potential, relative air humidity (RHa), average day temperature (Ta), photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), vapour pressure deficit (VPD), soil temperature, volumetric water content in the produc-tion systems (PAS and TEL) at two times (wet season - maximum precipitation and mini-mum dry season precipitation). Vegetation was classified into seven groups based on characteristic species - dominant or differential: PBS dominated by Guarea guidonia and Pseudosamanea guachapele, Erythrina poeppigiana and Matisia cordata, Musa paradi-siaca, Gliricidia sepium and Cordia alliadora, Gmelina arborea, Psidium guajava and PBS dominated by Manguifera indica. Two types of PBS were discriminated: multiple complex with high diversified shade (CMAD) and simple complex with low specialized shade (EDB), statistically different due to the richness of tree species, the Shannon and Sim-pson Index, total density of individuals, density of musaceae, crown area, crown area of musaceae, basal area, average hours of shade per year, leaf area index (transmitted radiation) and variance in the morning, midday and afternoon. Correlation analysis allowed to explain the direct and indirect effects between the variables radiation, structure (they affect 78% of the total variability of cocoa yield in an agroforestry system). It was found that the radiation component (shadow hours and Foliar Area Index variables) was the most important factor that influenced yield variability. The cocoa bean yield presented a higher value in TEL (71 Kg/plot and 719 Kg/ha), although there were no significant dif-ferences with the PBS type EDB (63 kg/plot and 703 Kg/ha).
The AFS type CMAD registered the lowest value (36 kg/plot and 338 kg/ha). The highest values of total carbon stored in aboveground biomass were recorded in Ficus dendrocida, Sapium cuatrecasii, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Erythrina poeppigiana, Ficus pallida, Guazuma ulmifolia, Cedrela montana, Ficus hartwegii, Erythrina fusca and Jacaranda caucana (between 5.9 and 1.2 Mg of carbon in 0.1 ha). In the carbon stored in the stem, the species with the highest content were Sapium cuatrecasii (45.29%) and Enterolobium cyclocarpum (44.74%) and species such as Casearia corymbosa (40.72%), Pseudosa-manea guachapele (44.33%), Anacardium excelsum (33.48%) and Maclura tinctoria (32%) are typical of Dry Forest ecosystems. The AFS CMAD stored the highest amount of carbon in aboveground biomass (4.43 Mg C/0.1 ha), followed by the AFS EDB (1.7 Mg C/0.1 ha) and the lowest value in the TEL free-exposure system (0.3 Mg C/0.1 ha). Du-ring the monitoring period the values of cocoa sap flow in the productive systems varied between 0.25 L h-1 and 0.18 L h-1 with the lowest value recorded in the AFS - CMAD and the highest value in the TEL plot. The water potential farthest from zero (-1.49 Mpa) was observed in the TEL plot and the one closest to zero (-0.47 Mpa) was recorded in CMAD. The behavior observed in the flow of sap and water potential in cocoa plants depends on the meteorological conditions RHa (%), Ta (ºC), PAR (μmol m-2 s-1) and VPD (kPa) and varies according to the time of year, the time of day and the cocoa production system (PBS or free exposure).Se caracterizaron con base en la composición florística y aspectos de la estructura de la vegetación 47 parcelas (1000 m2 cada una) con sistemas agroforestales (SAF), luego mediante análisis estadísticos (análisis de componentes principales, de conglomerados y varianza univariado) se conformaron tipologías de SAF basadas en esos aspecto, la ri-queza, densidad de individuos y radiación incidente. Luego de definir los tipos de SAF se evaluó el rendimiento del cacao en cada uno de ellos y su relación con composición flo-rística, aspectos de la estructura, la riqueza, densidad de individuos que conforman el SAF, radiación incidente y se comparó con sistemas de producción de cacao a libre ex-posición TEL (14 parcelas de 1000 m2 cada una). El almacenamiento de carbono en biomasa aérea se comparó entre los sistemas de producción (SAF y TEL). Para conocer como se ve influenciado el flujo de savia y potencial hídrico de los árboles de cacao por la composición florística, aspectos de la estructura, radiación incidente y las condiciones microclimáticas de los tipos de SAF, se realizaron mediciones del flujo de savia (Vs), potencial hídrico, humedad relativa del aire (RHa), temperatura media del día (Ta), la radiación fotosintéticamente activa (PAR), déficit presión de vapor (VPD), temperatura del suelo, contenido volumétrico del agua en los sistemas de producción (SAF y TEL) en dos momentos (época húmeda - máxima precipitación y época seca mínima precipita-ción). La vegetación se clasificó en siete grupos con base en las especies característi-cas- dominantes o diferenciales: SAF dominados por Guarea guidonia y Pseudosamanea guachapele, Erythrina poeppigiana y Matisia cordata, Musa paradisiaca, Gliricidia sepium y Cordia alliadora, Gmelina arborea, Psidium guajava y SAF dominados por Manguifera indica. Se discriminaron dos tipologías de SAF: complejo múltiple con alta sombra diver-sificada (CMAD) y complejo simple con baja sombra especializada (EDB) diferentes estadisticamente por la riqueza de especies arbóreas, los Índice de Shannon y Simpson, densidad total de individuos, densidad de musáceas, área de copa, área de copa de mu-sáceas, área basal, promedio horas sombra año, índice de área foliar (radiación transmi-tida) y la varianza del mismo en la mañana, medio día y tarde. El análisis de correlacio-nes permitió explicar los efectos directos e indirectos entre las variables radiación, es-tructura (inciden en un 78% en la variabilidad total del rendimiento del cacao en un sis-tema agroforestal). Se encontró que el componente de radiación (variables horas sombra e Índice de Área Foliar) fue el factor más importante que influyo sobre la variabilidad del rendimiento. El rendimiento del grano de cacao presentó un mayor valor en TEL (71 Kg/parcela y 719 Kg/ha), aunque no se presentaron diferencias significativas con el SAF tipo EDB (63 kg/parcela y 703 Kg/ha). El SAF tipo CMAD registró el menor valor (36 kg/parcela y 338 Kg/ha). Los mayores valores de carbono total almacenado en biomasa aérea se registraron en Ficus dendrocida, Sapium cuatrecasii, Enterolobium cyclocar-pum, Erythrina poeppigiana, Ficus pallida, Guazuma ulmifolia, Cedrela montana, Ficus hartwegii, Erythrina fusca y Jacaranda caucana (entre 5,9 y 1,2 Mg de carbono en 0.1 ha). En el carbono almacenado en tallo las especies con mayor contenido fueron Sapium cuatrecasii (45,29%) y Enterolobium cyclocarpum (44,74%) y especies como Casearia corymbosa (40,72%), Pseudosamanea guachapele (44,33%), Anacardium excelsum (33,48%) y Maclura tinctoria (32%) son propias de ecosistemas de Bosque Seco. El SAF CMAD almacenó la mayor cantidad de carbono en biomasa aérea (4,43 Mg C/0.1 ha), seguido del SAF EDB (1.7 Mg C/0.1 ha) y el menor valor en el sistema a libre exposición TEL (0,3 Mg C/0.1 ha). Durante el periodo de monitoreo los valores de flujo de savia de cacao en los sistemas productivos variaron entre 0.25 L h-1 y 0.18 L h-1 con el menor valor registrado en el SAF – CMAD y el mayor valor en la parcela TEL. El potencial hídri-co más alejado de cero (-1.49 Mpa) se observó en la parcela TEL y el más cercano a cero (-0,47 Mpa) se registró en CMAD. El comportamiento observado en el flujo de savia y el potencial hídrico en plantas de cacao depende de las condiciones meteorológicas RHa (%), Ta (ºC), PAR (μmol m-2 s-1) y VPD (kPa) y varía según la época del año, la hora del día y el sistema de producción de cacao (SAF o de libre exposición).Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje - Sistema de Investigación, Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico SENNOVAAnálisis de la estructura vegetativa y productiva de cacao (Theobroma cacao L) bajo arreglos agroforestales en la zona de influencia del Centro de Formación Agroindustrial La AngosturaLínea de Investigación: Biodiversidad y ConservaciónDoctorad
