Stomatal conductance reduction tradeoffs in maize leaves: A theoretical study.

As the leading global grain crop, maize significantly impacts agricultural water usage. Presently, photosynthesis ( ) in leaves of modern maize crops is saturated with , implying that reducing stomatal conductance ( ) would not affect but reduce transpiration ( ), thereby increasing water use efficiency (WUE). While reduction benefits upper canopy leaves under optimal conditions, the tradeoffs in low light and nitrogen-deficient leaves under nonoptimal microenvironments remain unexplored.

Improved Domenico solution for three-dimensional contaminant transport.

The Domenico solution is a widely used analytical solution in screening tools such as BioScreen, FATE5, BioChlor, ART3D, ArcNLET, Quick-Domenico, etc., to simulate the three-dimensional transport of reactive contaminants in groundwater. While being approximate, this solution presents a convenient closed-form expression for computing plume contaminant concentrations without the need for numerical integration.

Decomposition analysis on soybean productivity increase under elevated CO2 using 3-D canopy model reveals synergestic effects of CO2 and light in photosynthesis.

Background And Aims: Understanding how climate change influences crop productivity helps in identifying new options to increase crop productivity. Soybean is the most important dicotyledonous seed crop in terms of planting area. Although the impacts of elevated atmospheric [CO2] on soybean physiology, growth and biomass accumulation have been studied extensively, the contribution of different factors to changes in season-long whole crop photosynthetic CO2 uptake [gross primary productivity (GPP)] under elevated [CO2] have not been fully quantified.

Vitamin D deficiency and degree of coronary artery luminal stenosis in women undergoing coronary angiography: a prospective observational study.

Background And Aims: Low serum 25-OH D levels are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Recent studies have linked 25-OH D deficiency with the presence of CAD. Women, especially post-menopausal, tend to suffer from accelerated atherosclerosis, along with vitamin D deficiency.

Use of computational modeling combined with advanced visualization to develop strategies for the design of crop ideotypes to address food security.

Sustainable crop production is a contributing factor to current and future food security. Innovative technologies are needed to design strategies that will achieve higher crop yields on less land and with fewer resources. Computational modeling coupled with advanced scientific visualization enables researchers to explore and interact with complex agriculture, nutrition, and climate data to predict how crops will respond to untested environments.

Crops : Generating Virtual Crops Using an Integrative and Multi-scale Modeling Platform.

Multi-scale models can facilitate whole plant simulations by linking gene networks, protein synthesis, metabolic pathways, physiology, and growth. Whole plant models can be further integrated with ecosystem, weather, and climate models to predict how various interactions respond to environmental perturbations. These models have the potential to fill in missing mechanistic details and generate new hypotheses to prioritize directed engineering efforts.

Decreasing, not increasing, leaf area will raise crop yields under global atmospheric change.

Without new innovations, present rates of increase in yields of food crops globally are inadequate to meet the projected rising food demand for 2050 and beyond. A prevailing response of crops to rising [CO ] is an increase in leaf area. This is especially marked in soybean, the world's fourth largest food crop in terms of seed production, and the most important vegetable protein source.

If the Worst Happens: Five Strategies for Developing and Leveraging Information Technology-Enabled Disaster Response in Healthcare.

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and floods, have a profound impact on healthcare by limiting healthcare providers' ability to effectively provide patient care in the affected areas and respond to myriad healthcare needs of the affected population. The situation can potentially be exacerbated if healthcare providers do not have effective mechanisms in place for disaster response. The response to Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that made landfall in August 2005 and affected several states in the southwestern U.

Effect of intracoronary nicardipine on cardiac enzymes after elective percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: Elevation in cardiac enzymes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is common and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Hypothesis: Administration of intracoronary nicardipine--a calcium channel blocker will reduce cardiac enzyme levels in patients undergoing elective PCI.

Methods: In a single center, prospective, double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 193 patients undergoing elective PCI (with or without stenting) for chronic stable angina and/or an abnormal stress test were randomized to receive 200 mcg of intracoronary nicardipine (n = 93) or saline solution (n = 100) prior to intervention.

Delayed manifestation of a mid-esophageal tear with profuse hemorrhage after transesophageal echocardiogram.

Esophageal injury or perforation is a rare but life threatening complication of transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE). Most of the patients manifest symptoms within 24 hours of the procedure and upper esophagus is the most common site of injury. We report a patient who underwent TEE for the evaluation of severe valvular insufficiency and 4 days after the procedure developed an esophageal tear in its mid portion associated with profuse upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Cardiovascular surgical outcomes in patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome--a case-series.

Background: Patients with the antiphospholipid syndrome (APLS) have severe involvement of the cardiovascular apparatus and often need surgical interventions to correct these manifestations. Few studies that have looked at the outcomes of cardiothoracic surgeries in APLS patients have reported high rates of perioperative mortality and thromboembolic events.

Objective: Our goal was to examine the outcomes of adult APLS patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) and/or valvular surgery.

Transient left ventricular apical ballooning after cocaine use: is catecholamine cardiotoxicity the pathologic link?

We describe a patient who developed acute chest pain after using cocaine and had ST-segment elevation in the anterior leads on electrocardiography with mild elevation of cardiac enzymes. Cardiac catheterization showed normal coronary arteries with no coronary vasospasm. Left ventricular angiography revealed typical ballooning of the left ventricular apex during systole with an estimated left ventricular ejection fraction of 25%.

The no-reflow phenomenon: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and therapeutic approach.

Over the past 20 years, advances in the management of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction have focused on the rapid achievement of patency in the infarct-related artery. The limitation of this therapeutic strategy has been exposed with the development of diagnostic techniques to assess coronary microcirculation, including myocardial contrast echo, magnetic resonance imaging, myocardial perfusion grading, and the coronary flow wire. These methods have expanded our ability to understand and recognize the no-reflow phenomenon, which describes the absence of tissue perfusion despite epicardial coronary artery patency and flow.

Reducing radiocontrast use in the cardiac catheterization laboratory--a behavioral modification approach.

Objectives: This study assessed the impact of behavioral modification techniques on reducing the volume of contrast dye used during cardiac catheterization and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Excessive administration of radiocontrast agents in the catheterization laboratory is associated with numerous adverse effects including radiocontrast nephropathy. This may be precipitated by using large volumes of contrast dye, particularly in diabetic patients and those with pre-existing renal dysfunction.

Successful intervention for high-output cardiac failure caused by massive renal arteriovenous fistula-a case report.

Renal arteriovenous fistula is a rare clinical entity that may produce high-output cardiac failure. This report describes the case of an 81-year-old woman in whom recurrent episodes of congestive heart failure developed over a relatively short time. A massive renal arteriovenous fistula was visualized by CT scan and arteriography.