Low cholesterol along with inflammation predicts morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients

Low and not high cholesterol seems to predict high mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. The confirmation of this reverse epidemiology as well as its possible interconnection with the increased inflammatory activity observed in this population is being explored in the present study. A group of 136 HD patients was prospectively studied for 2 years, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as all-cause mortality and morbidity were recorded. Baseline lipid profile, inflammatory status, and patients' characteristics were studied as potential survival and hospitalization predictors. During the 24-month follow-up, 21 deaths (52.4% due to CVD) and 38 hospitalizations (55.3% due to CVD) were recorded. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, decreased interleukin-10 (IL-10) and decreased total serum cholesterol (TChol) were the only independent predictors of CVD mortality while C-reactive protein and decreased TChol predicted all-cause mortality. Interleukin-10 at baseline was 11.29 ± 21.49 vs. 5.51 ± 4.57 pg/mL (P<0.018) and TChol 167.37 ± 47.84 vs.122.04 ± 26.48 mg/dL (P<0.000) in survivors vs. nonsurvivors from CVD, while C-reactive protein at baseline was 9.37 ± 11.54 vs. 23.15 ± 18.76 mg/L (P<0.000) and TChol 169.26 ± 46.42 vs. 133.26 ± 46.33 mg/dL (P<0.003) in survivors vs. nonsurvivors from any cause of death. Using the same method of statistical analysis, IL-6 and decreased soluble gp130 (sgp130)—an antagonist of IL-6 action—were found to be the only independent prognostic factors for hospitalization due to CVD while decreased soluble gp130 remained the sole predictor of hospitalization due to any cause. In conclusion, reverse epidemiology regarding cholesterol is confirmed in the present study. Furthermore, inflammatory activity also predicts, independently of or in conjunction with low-cholesterol, CVD and all-cause morbidity and mortality in HD patients.     

Transformation: From Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered Engineering Education

We compare and contrast teacher-centered and student-centered paradigms of engineering education. We identify the following seven roles for teachers wishing to adopt a student-centered paradigm: 1) model thinking/processing skills, 2) identify students' cognitive development, 3) develop questions that facilitate exploration/growth, 4) introduce visual tools to aid establishing connections, 5) provide group learning settings, 6) use analogies and metaphors, and 7) provide a “no-risk” student feedback channel for information. Several case studies for different subjects and from different institutions are presented. Our results indicate a student-centered model is most effective when coupled with academic depth and experience in the subject matter.     

Coaxial Lines Containing Ceramic High-Tc Superconducting-Center Conductors

A superconducting line should be essentially lossless and dispersionless and have a purely resistive impedance up to at least 10 GHz. In fact we expect that a long (>1 km) line could carry nanosecond rise time pulses with zero distortion and low loss (<1 dB/km). We have measured the losses in some short sections of coaxial line containing ceramic high-T_c superconducting-center conductors over the frequency range from 5 to 50 MHz. There is only a slight improvement over a completely copper coaxial line.     

Psychologists in practice with older adults: Current patterns, sources of training, and need for continuing education.

Rapid population growth among older adults means an increased need for psychologists prepared to provide mental health services to this population. A representative survey of 1,227 practitioner members of the American Psychological Association yielded information about current patterns of practice with older adults, sources of training in geropsychology, perceived need for continuing education (CE) in geropsychology, and preferred CE formats. Most respondents provided some services to older adults, but typically very little. The services provided are inadequate to meet projected demand. Most respondents lacked formal training in geropsychology and perceived themselves as needing additional training. CE workshops at the regional level and distance education were the most popular formats. These data serve as a call to the field to expand training opportunities at all levels of training, with an emphasis on the need for empirically based, broadly accessible CE offerings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polymer degradation initiated via infectious behavior

Understanding polymer degradation phenomena is of critical importance for material reliability. A novel dual stage chemiluminescence detection system has been developed and applied to probe for material interaction effects during polymer degradation. Evidence is presented for the first time that in an oxidizing environment a degrading polymer A (in this case polypropylene, PP) is capable of infecting a different polymer B (in this case polybutadiene, HTPB) over a relatively large distance. In the presence of the degrading material A, the thermal degradation of polymer B is observed over a significantly shorter time period. Infectious intermediate volatiles from material A are able to initiate and shorten the degradation processes in material B. This observation documents infectious behavior that will have significant consequences for materials interactions, understanding material degradation processes and long-term aging effects in combined material exposures.     

Empirical expression of permeability in terms of porosity, specific surface area, and residual water saturation of carbonate rocks

Using the multi-variable linear regression analysis, the authors developed empirical expressions for permeability in terms of porosity, specific surface area, and irreducible fluid saturation for four carbonate reservoir rock areas in the USSR. The coefficient of correlation varied from 0.981 to 0.997.