Cold Weather and Cardiac Arrest in 4 Seasons: Helsinki, Finland, 1997‒2018

Objectives. To test the a priori hypothesis that out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is associated with cold weather during all seasons, not only during the winter. Methods. We applied a case‒crossover design to all cases of nontraumatic OHCA in Helsinki, Finland, over 22 years: 1997 to 2018. We statistically defined cold weather for each case and season, and applied conditional logistic regression with 2 complementary models a priori according to the season of death. Results. There was an association between cold weather and OHCA during all seasons, not only during the winter. Each additional cold day increased the odds of OHCA by 7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4%, 10%), with similar strength of association during the autumn (6%; 95% CI = 0%, 12%), winter (6%; 95% CI = 1%, 12%), spring (8%; 95% CI = 2%, 14%), and summer (7%; 95% CI = 0%, 15%). Conclusions. Cold weather, defined according to season, increased the odds of OHCA during all seasons in similar quantity. Public Health Implications. Early warning systems and cold weather plans focus implicitly on the winter season. This may lead to incomplete measures in reducing excess mortality related to cold weather. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(1):107–115. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306549 )

Counting Tensor Rank Decompositions

Tensor rank decomposition is a useful tool for geometric interpretation of the tensors in the canonical tensor model (CTM) of quantum gravity. In order to understand the stability of this interpretation, it is important to be able to estimate how many tensor rank decompositions can approximate a given tensor. More precisely, finding an approximate symmetric tensor rank decomposition of a symmetric tensor Q with an error allowance Δ is to find vectors ϕi satisfying ∥Q−∑i=1Rϕi⊗ϕi⋯⊗ϕi∥2≤Δ. The volume of all such possible ϕi is an interesting quantity which measures the amount of possible decompositions for a tensor Q within an allowance. While it would be difficult to evaluate this quantity for each Q, we find an explicit formula for a similar quantity by integrating over all Q of unit norm. The expression as a function of Δ is given by the product of a hypergeometric function and a power function. By combining new numerical analysis and previous results, we conjecture a formula for the critical rank, yielding an estimate for the spacetime degrees of freedom of the CTM. We also extend the formula to generic decompositions of non-symmetric tensors in order to make our results more broadly applicable. Interestingly, the derivation depends on the existence (convergence) of the partition function of a matrix model which previously appeared in the context of the CTM.

Lyophilization and homogenization of biological samples improves reproducibility and reduces standard deviation in molecular biology techniques

Lyophilization is a cost-effective method for biological specimen preservation but detailed tissue-specific reference protocols are still lacking. Moreover, data are limited on the long-term stability of proteins and nucleic acids in lyophilized samples.Here, we offer lyophilization protocols for various rat and mouse tissues (kidney, heart, liver, lung, aorta, and skin) coupled with technical hints for optimal sample preparation. We demonstrate that lyophilized samples stored at 4 °C for 20 months can yield protein and RNA of similar quantity and quality to −80 °C storage, while phosphorylated proteins are preserved as well. Freeze-dried and subsequently pulverized samples can provide more consistent, more reliable data especially when investigating focal injuries, such as fibrosis. We developed a protocol for the concentration of biological solutions and achieved 20-times concentration in human peritoneal dialysis effluent solution which enables the previously unattainable detection of proteins in these samples. We established a method for water removal as well as accurate water content measurement of fecal samples, which can be valuable for gut metabolome analysis.Taken together, lyophilization is a valuable tool for the preservation of biological samples with many advantages. We aim to draw attention to the wide range of possibilities offered by freeze drying in pre-clinical or basic research.

A comparison of the Mouse Song Analyzer and DeepSqueak ultrasonic vocalization analysis systems in C57BL/6J, FVB.129, and FVB mice

Vocal communication is an essential behavior in mammals and is relevant to human neurodevelopmental conditions. Mice produce communicative vocalizations, known as ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), that can be recorded with various programs. The Mouse Song Analyzer is an automated analysis system, while DeepSqueak is a semi-automated system. We used data from C57BL/6J, FVB.129, and FVB mice to compare whether the DeepSqueak and Mouse Song Analyzer systems measure a similar total number, duration, and fundamental frequency of USVs. We found that the two systems detected a similar quantity of USVs for FVB.129 mice (r= .90, p< .001), but displayed lower correlations for C57BL/6J (r= .76, p< .001) and FVB mice (r= .60, p< .001). We also found that DeepSqueak detected significantly more USVs for C57BL/6J mice than the Mouse Song Analyzer. The two systems detected a similar duration of USVs for C57BL/6J (r= .82, p< .001), but lower correlations for FVB.129 (r= .13, p< .001) and FVB mice (r= .51, p< .01) were found, with DeepSqueak detecting significantly more USVs per each strain. We found lower than acceptable correlations for fundamental frequency in C57BL/6J (r= .54, p< .01), FVB.129 (r= .76, p< .001), and FVB mice (r= .07, p= .76), with the Mouse Song Analyzer detecting a significantly higher fundamental frequency for FVB.129 mice. These findings demonstrate that the strain of mouse used significantly affects the number, duration, and fundamental frequency of USVs that are detected between programs. Overall, we found that DeepSqueak is more accurate than the Mouse Song Analyzer.

Pancreatic β-cells respond to fuel pressure with an early metabolic switch

Pancreatic β-cells become irreversibly damaged by long-term exposure to excessive glucose concentrations and lose their ability to carry out glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) upon damage. The β-cells are not able to control glucose uptake and they are therefore left vulnerable for endogenous toxicity from metabolites produced in excess amounts upon increased glucose availability. In order to handle excess fuel, the β-cells possess specific metabolic pathways, but little is known about these pathways. We present a study of β-cell metabolism under increased fuel pressure using a stable isotope resolved NMR approach to investigate early metabolic events leading up to β-cell dysfunction. The approach is based on a recently described combination of 13C metabolomics combined with signal enhanced NMR via dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (dDNP). Glucose-responsive INS-1 β-cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of [U-13C] glucose under conditions where GSIS was not affected (2–8 h). We find that pyruvate and DHAP were the metabolites that responded most strongly to increasing fuel pressure. The two major divergence pathways for fuel excess, the glycerolipid/fatty acid metabolism and the polyol pathway, were found not only to operate at unchanged rate but also with similar quantity.

Citrus bergamia, Risso: the peel, the juice and the seed oil of the bergamot fruit of Reggio Calabria (South Italy).

Bergamot is a characteristic citrus fruit of the province of Reggio Calabria (South Italy) and until today it was mainly known for the production of its peel essential oil. Since some year, due to the positive feedback from consumers, there has been a growing interest in the bergamot juice which in the past was not used as a beverage because it was considered very sour. The recent studies on the functional aspects of citrus fruits and therefore also on bergamot have made this fruit known to a new youth. They exist three cultivars: Castagnaro, Fantastico and Femminello. In this study the biometrics of the fruits and the physico-chemical characteristics of the juice have been taken into consideration, such as: Brix degrees, pH, pulp content in the squeezed juice, turbidity, acidity, vitamin C, Formol number, single and total flavonoids. Total flavonoids in the bergamot juice ranged between 362 and 520 mg/L whereas in the Cloudy juice they ranged between 4660 and 8468 mg/L. The composition in fatty acids and in sterols of the seed oil of this fruit was also analysed to evaluate its potential. Oleic acid (30.15-34.36%) and linoleic acid (27.01-29.84%) were found in similar quantity, while the most present sterol was β-sitosterol (76.9-79.2%).

Spatiotemporal investigation of material property changes in building stone following initial emplacement

&lt;p&gt;Visual inspection of deterioration phenomena across the fa&amp;#231;ades of a historical monument demonstrates the spatial variability of weathering processes. Multiple previous weathering simulation and exposure trials have been developed to investigate the connection between weathering processes and spatial variability of response. However, in landscape systems theory, stability is a function of both spatial and temporal components. Temporal sensitivity is a function of both the magnitude and frequency of formative events and the spatial sensitivity of the material.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One area of urban stone decay literature that requires further attention is the initial response of quarry &amp;#8216;fresh&amp;#8217; material to emplacement within a building. Previous small-scale investigations have demonstrated that alteration commences within a few months to a year of emplacement. These early changes to the material will have a lasting influence upon the development of future weathering processes and their spatial distribution. The necessity to investigate both the spatial and temporal components of this transition, well suits the capabilities of spatiotemporal kriging tools.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The influence of aspect upon the initial alterations of the material&amp;#8217;s properties are of significance to interpreting the weathering response to transition. Therefore, five sandstone blocks were placed within an exposure frame, located in South Belfast, for a duration of one year. One block was exposed to each of the four cardinal points whilst the fifth was positioned to represent a horizontal surface on a structure, such as a window sill or balustrade. Permeability measurements were recorded in a regular grid across the exposed surface of the block once a month, creating a data set that is both spatially and temporally dense. No previous studies have collected a similar quantity of points, across both space and time, to investigate weathering processes. The application of only spatial techniques proved to be inappropriate to fully interpret the complexity of the changing material properties. Use of spatiotemporal kriging allowed the modelling of the sample blocks to illustrate the changing material properties over time. The outcome of this work is the development of a better-informed understanding of the initial alteration of building stones placed within the urban environment. Additionally, the observed variance of the temporal component has improved our understanding of the nature of early episodic change within the stone decay system.&lt;/p&gt;

Intensification of Polyphenol Extraction from Olive Leaves Using Ired-Irrad®, an Environmentally-Friendly Innovative Technology

Optimization of infrared-assisted extraction was conducted using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in order to intensify polyphenol recovery from olive leaves. The extraction efficiency using Ired-Irrad®, a newly-patented infrared apparatus (IR), was compared to water bath (WB) conventional extraction. Under optimal conditions, as suggested by the model and confirmed experimentally, the total phenolic content yield was enhanced by more than 30% using IR as contrasted to WB, which even required 27% more ethanol consumption. High Performance Liquid Chromatography analyses quantified the two major phenolic compounds of the leaves: Oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol, which were both intensified by 18% and 21%, respectively. IR extracts increased the antiradical activity by 25% and the antioxidant capacity by 51% compared to WB extracts. On the other hand, extracts of olive leaves obtained by both techniques exhibited equal effects regarding the inhibition of 20 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) varying between 3.125 and 12.5 mg/mL. Similarly, both extracts inhibited Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) secretion by Aspergillus flavus, with no growth inhibition of the fungus. Finally, optimization using RSM allowed us to suggest other IR operating conditions aiming at significantly reducing the consumption of energy and solvent, while maintaining similar quantity and quality of phenolic compounds as what is optimally obtained using WB.

25 Evolution of the commercial sow

Swine production has dramatically changed in the past 30 to 40 years. The small producer that raised pigs with minimal investment when the economics were desirable (“part-timers”) has been replaced by full-time swine producers with massive capital investments. As this revolution in production practices has occurred, the optimal animal has evolved. Today’s market hog is leaner and weighs 20% more, yet goes to market at a similar age and consumes a similar quantity of feed. While these changes are impressive, they are dwarfed by the changes in the modern commercial sow, which births 30% more piglets and has 10% more litters/year. Today’s commercial sow is a culmination of research efforts in reproductive physiology, nutrition, facility design and animal management synergistically combined with modern genetic selection theory. She is a first-generation cross between a Landrace and a Yorkshire/Large White parent from lines that have been selected for superior reproductive performance and lean tissue growth. Selection has emphasized prolificacy, milk production and return to estrus in a lean, fast growing animal. While her current performance figures are impressive, there is still room to improve. She will continue to evolve to fit future production needs and environments to supply the world with nutritious pork products.USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

THERMODYNAMICS OF LIQUID NITROGEN SOLUTIONS IN CHROMIUM

A simple theory of thermodynamic properties of liquid nitrogen solutions in Fe – Cr alloys is proposed based on lattice model of the considered solutions. The model assumes a FCC lattice. In the sites of this lattice are the atoms of Fe and Cr. Nitrogen atoms are located in octahedral interstices. The nitrogen atom interacts only with the metal atoms located in the lattice sites neighboring to it. It is assumed that the energy of this interaction depends neither on the composition nor on the temperature. It is supposed that the solution in the Fe – Cr system is perfect. Within the framework of the proposed theory, a relation is obtained that expresses the value of the Sieverts law constant for solubility of N in liquid Cr through the similar constant for the solubility of N in liquid Fe and the Wagner N – Cr interaction coefficient in liquid Fe. A relation is also obtained to express the partial enthalpy of nitrogen dissolution in liquid Cr through the similar quantity for N in liquid Fe and Wagner N – Cr interaction coefficient in liquid Fe. A formula is deduced that establishes a connection between the Wagner N – Fe interaction coefficient in liquid Cr and N-Cr interaction coefficient in liquid Fe. Using the formulas obtained, value of the Sieverts law constant for the solubility of nitrogen in liquid Cr, the enthalpy of dissolution of N in liquid Cr and value of the Wagner N – Fe interaction coefficient in liquid Cr extrapolated to a temperature of 1873 K are calculated. The calculation results are compared with results of the experimental study of nitrogen solubility in liquid Cr carried out by different researchers using different methods. The theory results are in the best agreement with experimental data obtained by the sampling method. Values of the Wagner N – N interaction coefficient in liquid Cr and liquid Fe are discussed.