Years Of Support Research Articles

Diez años de apoyo a la Investigación Científica Básica por el CONACYT

En este trabajo se revisan los resultados de diez años de apoyo a la investigación científica básica del CONACYT. Se identifican las áreas del conocimiento más fuertes en ciencia básica en México y se concluye que las instituciones en donde se realiza ciencia básica son principalmente las instituciones de educación superior públicas, seguidas de los centros de investigación también públicos, mientras que las instituciones de educación superior privadas y las empresas casi no realizan investigación en ciencia básica. Se destaca que la ciencia básica tuvo un crecimiento muy grande en las universidades estatales, alcanzando en los últimos años el nivel de las instituciones de educación superior del Distrito Federal. Finalmente, se ponen a consideración las implicaciones de estos hallazgos y de las políticas con las que se han otorgado estos apoyos.AbstractThis paper reviews the results of ten years of support for basic scientific research by the CONACYT. The paper identifies the strongest areas of knowledge in basic science in Mexico and concludes that the institutions where basic science is done are mainly public higher education institutions, followed by also public research centers, while private institutions of higher education and companies carry out almost no research in basic science. Findings show that research on basic science in state universities has grown impressively in recent years, reaching the level of the institutions of higher education of the Federal District. Finally, the implications of these findings as well as the public policies through which support has been granted are discussed.

P95 Why have TB notifications decreased by 50% in four years, in a rural district of Zimbabwe?

IntroductionAnnual TB notifications in Buhera District, Manicaland, peaked at 1,665 in 2008 and fell to 866 in 2012. The fall in TB notifications is disproportionate to national trends.1 We considered...

Fault Detection in Rotary Blood Pumps Using Motor Speed Response

Clinical acceptance of ventricular assist devices (VADs) as long-term heart failure therapy requires safe and effective circulatory support for a minimum of 5 years. Yet, VAD failure beyond 2 years of support is still a concern. Currently, device controllers cannot consistently predict VAD failure modes, and undetected VAD faults may lead to catastrophic device failure. To minimize this risk, a model-based algorithm for reliable VAD fault detection that only requires VAD revolutions per minute (rpm) was developed. The algorithm was tested using computer models of the human cardiovascular system simulating heart failure and axial flow (AF) or centrifugal flow (CF) VADs. Ventricular assist device rpm was monitored after a step down of motor current for normal and simulated fault conditions (>750 faults). The ability to detect fault conditions with 1%, 5%, and 10% rpm measurement noise was evaluated. All failure modes affected the VAD rpm responses to the motor current step down. Fault detection rates were >95% for AF and >89% for CF VADs, even with 10% rpm measurement noise. The VAD rpm responses were significantly altered by blood viscosity (3.5-6.2 cP), which should be accounted for in clinical application. The proposed VAD fault detection algorithm may deliver a convenient and nonintrusive way to minimize catastrophic device failures.

The resurgence of Bhindranwale's image in contemporary Punjab

This article will examine the resurgence since 2008 of the public imagery in Punjab of Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who symbolises a Sikh separatist movement against the Indian state which took shape in the 1980s. The rebellion, characterised in the mainstream urban-based Indian media as an extremist Khalistan movement, had its strongest years of support in the rural areas of Punjab from 1984 until the early 1990s. However, over 25 years later, the symbol of Bhindranwale, who was killed in the Indian army's Operation Blue Star, has re-emerged. The ‘bazaar economy’ has provided a new canvas for the imagery of Bhindranwale, whose images are today visible in commodified forms available for purchase in shops and market stalls in Punjab. This article analyses this resurgence as a public response to contemporary politics in Punjab and locates the circulation of Bhindranwale through souvenir-like goods within the region's ‘economic base of place’ (Urry. 1995. Consuming Places. London: Routledge) in which the consumer market has enabled a conduit through which identity and political culture can be both purchased and displayed. The article examines the backdrop of his emblematic re-emergence within the historical context as it relates to the collective memory of 1984 and the meanings of Bhindranwale's legacy and symbolism for the current times.

Results of the Registry To EValuate the HeartWare Left Ventricular Assist System (The REVOLVE Registry)

Purpose The REVOLVE Registry is an investigator-initiated registry established to collect data on the commercial use of the HeartWare® HVAD System in the European Union and Australia. Methods and Materials REVOLVE is a multi-center, prospective, single arm registry. Each patient is followed to device explant, transplantation or death. Data from the first 242 commercial implants performed between February of 2009 and March 2012 from six centers in Europe (4) and Australia (2) is presented. Final data on the total dataset will be available at the time of presentation. Patients receiving the HeartWare System for both labeled and off-label indications were included. Summary statistics are used to describe patient demographics, adverse events, length of support and outcomes. Results When compared to the clinical trial supporting CE Mark of the HVAD Pump, changes in patient selection (older mean age, patients younger than 18 year old and more females), as well as an increase in idiopathic cardiomyopathies are evident in the REVOLVE patients. Implants were performed mostly via sternotomy (96%), and thoracotomy in 4%. Implant was for LVAD support in 91% of cases, biventricular support in 7%, and as right ventricular support in Conclusions Real world use of the HVAD Pump continues to support the excellent outcomes on the device. Complication EPPY (222 years of support) Any INTERMACS Bleeding 0.27 Right Heart Failure 0.16 Stroke 0.09 Driveline Infection 0.08 Sepsis 0.05 Renal Failure 0.03 Pump Thrombus - Overall 0.06 Medically Treated Pump Thrombus 0.02 Pump Thrombus Treated with Exchange 0.04 EPPY=events per patient year.

Comparison of Costs, Readmissions and Days out of Hospital at One Year between Heart Transplantation and Continuous Flow LVAD

Purpose With healthcare cost reform firmly on the horizon, it is critical to understand costs associated with new technologies like continuous flow LVAD (CFLVAD) vis-s-vis well established treatments for advanced heart failure like heart transplantation (HT). Scarce data exists describing costs of these two therapies after 1 year of support. Methods and Materials 20 consecutive pts who underwent implantation of a CFLVAD and 20 consecutive pts who underwent HT who were discharged following index surgery and survived at least 1 year represent the study populations. All medical costs incl organ acquisition and device costs, and all direct and indirect costs from day of operation through 365 days were calculated. Hospital charges were converted to costs using hospital specific cost-to-charge ratios. Results Total costs for 1 yr are shown in Figure 1 . Median index LOS was 14 and 23 days for HT and LVAD groups respectively(p Conclusions Costs for 1 yr of care are modestly higher for LVAD than for HT patients. Difference attributable to more hospital days and higher surgical costs unrelated to device cost. Reducing index LOS and readmissions for LVAD pts would render these 2 therapies cost equivalent.

Willingness-to-pay and policy-instrument choice for climate-change policy in the United States

This paper provides the first willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates in support of a national climate-change policy that are comparable with the costs of actual legislative efforts in the U.S. Congress. Based on a survey of 2034 American adults, we find that households are, on average, willing to pay between $79 and $89 per year in support of reducing domestic greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions 17% by 2020. Even very conservative estimates yield an average WTP at or above $60 per year. Taking advantage of randomized treatments within the survey valuation question, we find that mean WTP does not vary substantially among the policy instruments of a cap-and-trade program, a carbon tax, or a GHG regulation. But there are differences in the sociodemographic characteristics of those willing to pay across policy instruments. Greater education always increases WTP. Older individuals have a lower WTP for a carbon tax and a GHG regulation, while greater household income increases WTP for these same two policy instruments. Republicans, along with those indicating no political party affiliation, have a significantly lower WTP regardless of the policy instrument. But many of these differences are no longer evident after controlling for respondent opinions about whether global warming is actually happening.

The “North German Tumor Bank of Colorectal Cancer”: status report after the first 2 years of support by the German Cancer Aid Foundation

Research projects and clinical trials strongly rely on high-quality biospecimens which are provided by biobanks. Since differences in sample processing and storage can strongly affect the outcome of such studies, standardization between biobanks is necessary to guarantee reliable results of large, multicenter studies. The German Cancer Aid Foundation (Deutsche Krebshilfe e.V.) has therefore initiated the priority program "tumor tissue banks" in 2010 by funding four biobank networks focusing on central nervous system tumors, melanomas, breast carcinomas, and colorectal carcinomas. The latter one, the North German Tumor Bank of Colorectal Cancer (ColoNet) is managed by surgeons, pathologists, gastroenterologists, oncologists, scientists, and medical computer scientists. The ColoNet consortium has developed and harmonized standard operating procedures concerning all biobanking aspects. Crucial steps for quality assurance have been implemented and resulted in certification according to DIN EN ISO 9001. A further achievement is the construction of a web-based database for exploring available samples. In addition, common scientific projects have been initiated. Thus, ColoNet's repository will be used for research projects in order to improve early diagnosis, therapy, follow-up, and prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. Apart from the routine sample storage at -170°C, the tumor banks' unique characteristic is the participation of outpatient clinics and private practices to further expand the sample and clinical data collection. The first 2years of funding by the German Cancer Aid Foundation have already led to a closer scientific connection between the participating institutions and to a substantial collection of biospecimens obtained under highly standardized conditions.

Left Ventricular Assist Device Exchange Due to Driveline Fracture after 1 Year of Support: Incidence, Operative Technique and Clinical Outcomes. Single-Center Experience.

Left Ventricular Assist Device Exchange Due to Driveline Fracture after 1 Year of Support: Incidence, Operative Technique and Clinical Outcomes. Single-Center Experience.

Operational SAR Sea-Ice Image Classification

Thousands of spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sea-ice images are systematically processed every year in support of operational activities such as ship navigation and environmental monitoring. An automated approach that generates pixel-level sea-ice image classification is required since manual pixel-level classification is not feasible. Currently, using a standardized approach, trained ice analysts manually segment full SAR scenes into smaller polygons to record ice types and concentrations. Using these data, pixel-level classification can be achieved by initial unsupervised segmentation of each polygon, followed by automatic sea-ice labeling of the full scene. A fully automated Markov random field model that is used to assign labels to all segmented regions in the full scene has been designed and implemented. This approach is the first known successful end-to-end process for operational SAR sea-ice image classification. In addition, a novel performance evaluation framework has been developed to validate the segmentation and labeling of SAR sea-ice images. A trained sea-ice expert has conducted an arms length evaluation using this framework to generate a set of full-scene reference images used for testing. Testing demonstrates operational success of the labeling approach.

Ed Koch and the Rebuilding of New York City (review)

Reviewed by: Ed Koch and the Rebuilding of New York City Jason Schulman (bio) Ed Koch and the Rebuilding of New York City. By Jonathan Soffer. New York: Columbia University Press, 2010. xi + 494 pp. Jonathan Soffer has produced a remarkable labor of love, both for the city of New York and for the “Jewish mayor” who led it during the late 1970s and 1980s. Drawing on numerous interviews as well as Koch’s personal papers, Soffer presents a sweeping biography of the man who garnered both fame and infamy as a congressman, mayor, and television personality. Although Koch—the media-loving public servant who polarized the city over the answer to his trademarked question “how’m I doin’?”—is the center of attention, he is also Soffer’s vehicle to tell a larger story about politics in late twentieth-century America. In constructing this larger narrative, Soffer joins a growing coterie of scholars interested in American Jews and the postwar New York urban experience. When Ed Koch became mayor in 1977, New York faced a severe financial crisis, its overwhelming debt unmanageable because the city’s credit had been destroyed. Unlike his predecessor Abraham Beame, who had watched the economy’s downward spiral but had ceded his power to the Emergency Financial Control Board, Koch centralized power in the office of the mayor and instituted austerity measures and promoted gentrification in an attempt to restore the city’s budget. Almost miraculously, the budget was balanced by 1981, what Soffer calls “quite simply the greatest turnaround accomplished by any New York mayor in the twentieth century” (399). Not everyone agreed with Koch’s handling of the fiscal crisis. Many argued that Koch had “balanced the budget on the backs of poor” while doling out “corporate welfare” (234). Supporters and critics of Koch have long argued over the mayor’s tenure, as well as his legacy. Perhaps no issue quite captures the extent of Koch’s ability to divide his constituents as race. Koch often found himself at loggerheads with members of the African American community, from the Forest Hills housing controversy (which occurred before Koch was even mayor), to his decision to close Harlem’s Sydenham Hospital, to his frequent tension with Charles Rangel and Jesse Jackson. Koch’s constant attempts to court the working-class ethnic vote in New York’s outer boroughs by racially coded appeals to “law and order” also helped alienate many black voters. Similarly, gay New Yorkers were often split over Koch, some sticking by him for his years of support for equal rights and others blaming him for his inaction during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. [End Page 95] Despite his prodigious research, Soffer is, like the citizens of New York, unable to come to a complete view of Koch and his true political beliefs. After all, this was a man who was elected mayor of New York on the Democrat and Republican tickets simultaneously. Soffer does his best to explain how Koch’s politics were determined by larger contexts. Even as he fought busing and affirmative action and reduced welfare, Koch made sure to attack President Reagan enough to avoid being called a “neocon,” and he never favored social conservative issues like curtailing abortion or gay marriage. In some ways, Koch remained consistent. His support for Israel was unwavering, and he never relinquished his view that politics was his “personal battlefield” (106). Soffer’s book contributes to and complicates the vast literature on American Jews and liberalism. Soffer nicely contextualizes Koch’s migration from (far) left to (moderate) right within a larger pattern of ethnic political change during the 1970s. “Ethnic Ed,” as Koch was known, appealed to, and found comfort politicking among, working-class ethnics, especially Jews and Catholics. The complex demands of ethnic affiliation, party allegiance, and economic necessity all played a part in determining how Jews’ politics underwent change in the late twentieth century. If there is one major criticism of the book, it is that Koch’s Jewishness is not explored in greater detail. Soffer seems content to label him a “fairly secular Jew,” but we are left asking for more specificity about how the background of the...

Hemodynamic, Echocardiographic, and Exercise‐Related Effects of the HeartWare Left Ventricular Assist Device in Advanced Heart Failure

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the HeartWare left ventricular assist device (HVAD) (HeartWare International, Inc, Framingham, MA) on hemodynamics, ventricular function, and exercise capacity. Between July 2009 and March 2011, 46 patients with advanced heart failure had implantation of the HVAD. Of these patients, 30 had subsequent assessments for transplantation and these patients formed the study cohort. Thirty patients had assessments at a mean of 201±86 days and 13 went on to have a second assessment at 351±86 days. There were marked improvements in hemodynamics and exercise capacity at both assessments, with significant decreases in right and left heart filling pressures; increases in cardiac index, New York Heart Association class, and peak exercise oxygen consumption; and reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance (all P<.05). Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions were unchanged at the first assessment, although there was a significant reduction in end-diastolic diameter at the second assessment (P<.01). There were no significant changes in a visual grade of right ventricular function. After up to 1 year of support, the HVAD system results in significant benefits in overall heart failure status, with improved hemodynamics and exercise capacity. This occurs in the absence of marked changes in left ventricular size or right ventricular function.

74 Gastrointestinal Bleeding Is Not Associated with Pump Speed and Aortic Valve Opening in Patients Supported with the HeartMate II LVAD

LVAD support is not known. Methods and Materials: Between July 2003 and September 2011, 389 pt (308 male) underwent continuous flow LVAD implant at University of Michigan Hospital and Mayo Clinic. Median age was 60 years (range, 18-79). Outcomes were analyzed for the association of GI bleeds and subsequent TE events defined as stroke, TIA, hemolysis, or pump thrombosis. Median survival was 10 months (max. 7.2 years, total 439 patient years). Overall survival and freedom from an event was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Association of GI bleed and subsequent TE events, and survival impact was analyzed as a time-dependent covariate. Results: One hundred ninety-nine GI bleeds occurred in 116/389 pt (30%) for an event rate of 0.45 GI bleeds/pt years of support. One hundred thirty-eight TE events occurred in 97/389 pt (25%) for an event rate of 0.31 TE events/pt years of support. Median time from LVAD implant to 1 GI bleed was 5 months (range, 1 to 116 months) and to 1 TE event was 6 months (range, 1 to 29 months). For patients who had TE event after GI bleed, median interval was 5 months (range, 0.5 to 25 months). TE events were 7.4 times more likely in pt who had a prior GI bleed [4.9-11.1] (p 0.001), however, neither the presence of GI bleeding [0.7-1.2], a TE event [0.8-2.0], nor the combination of GI bleed and TE event [.5-1.3] portended a lower overall survival (p 0.2, p 0.4, and p 0.4, respectively). Conclusions: Pt who had GI bleeding were at significantly higher risk for having a subsequent TE event. Although the exact association is unknown, it suggests that alteration in anticoagulation and antiplatelet management to treat GI bleeds may contribute to this risk.

236 Left Ventricular Assist Device Exchange Due to Driveline Failure after 1 Year of Support: Incidence, Operative Technique and Clinical Outcomes. Single-Center Experience

236 Left Ventricular Assist Device Exchange Due to Driveline Failure after 1 Year of Support: Incidence, Operative Technique and Clinical Outcomes. Single-Center Experience

Left ventricular assist device exchange due to driveline failure after more than 1 year of support: incidence, operative technique and clinical outcomes. Single-center experience

Left ventricular assist device exchange due to driveline failure after more than 1 year of support: incidence, operative technique and clinical outcomes. Single-center experience

Introduction: Transition to Where? Developing Post-Soviet Space

With the demise of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, international donors rushed to proffer advice. Their development teleology was one of “transition” from a centralized command economy to a liberal, democratic, market-driven economy. Popular ideologies of the period—neoliberalism, governance, and civil society— converged as policymakers designed development programs in line with the principles of what came to be known as the Washington Consensus. The dissolution of the USSR provided ideal laboratory conditions to test these ideologically driven policies. Today, two decades on, this model for transitioning to liberal democracy has crashed on the shoals of crony capitalism, authoritarianism, runaway corruption, population decline, and social dislocation. This introduction to the following cluster of articles offers a number of the guiding tenets of development aid in the former Soviet Union over the past two decades and attempts to show the connections between the categories of aid (for example, civil society, market reform) and the larger policy issues and ideologies that nurtured them. The articles in this cluster examine the political and scholarly tensions suggested when relations of power and difference are inextricably linked to international aid efforts. International aid fl owing to this region has been especially sensitive and marked in that it is directed at a former superpower—itself a long-term donor of aid and technical assistance to the Third World. The aid efforts Thanks to Mark D. Steinberg, whose enthusiasm for this thematic cluster has not wavered, despite what often felt like a gruelling and lengthy review process. The incomparable staff at the Kennan Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C., offered years of support for the project from which these articles stemmed. Two international workshops, generously funded by the Department of State’s Title VIII Program, took place under the auspices of the Kennan Institute. I would like to mention particularly Renata Kosc-Harmatiy, Will Pomeranz, Blair Ruble, and Maggie Paxson, who helped insure the success of these workshops. I would also like to acknowledge the numerous interlocutors, from the Department of State, USAID, and nongovernmental organizations, who generously shared their ideas and perspectives with the workshop participants, providing useful feedback. Though the papers of some of the workshop participants are not included here, their contributions to the synergy that emerged from our discussions has surely percolated through the cluster. The critical insights of Michael Borowitz, Alexander Danilenko, Bhavna Dave, and Scott Newton have incalculably enhanced my understanding of the multifaceted world of Central Asia and postsocialist development. I thank them for many years of enlightening conversations.

Mechanical heart support at the Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin: Recent developments (2011)

Since the inception of the mechanical circulatory support (MCS) program at the Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB) in 1987, more than 1600 patients have received support with 18 different designs of technical blood pump systems, in accordance with the respective state of the art. At the beginning, pulsatile pneumatic extracorporeal ventricular assist devices (VAD) and implantable pneumatic total artificial hearts (TAH) were available, followed by pulsatile electromechanical implantable devices. At this time the assist program was based on three objectives: bridging to recovery, bridging to heart transplantation (HTx) and for permanent support. Very soon (in 1995) patients of advanced age – over 65 years – were included in the program. In 1998 rotary blood pumps with continuous flow entered the program, from 2006 edging out step by step the pulsatile systems. Today the implantable pulsatile systems have disappeared from the DHZB program, with the exception of the extracorporeal uni- or biventricular pneumatic EXCOR systems (Berlin Heart GmbH), which are the only systems available for newborns and children. The only approved total artificial heart is the CardioWest device, implanted in rare cases after explantation of the natural heart. Miniaturized rotary blood pumps, axial flow turbines or centrifugal radial flow pumps are leading today's market. The size and configuration of one of these pumps, the hydrodynamically and magnetically levitated HeartWare HVAD, allowed its application as a biventricular implantable assist device. The worldwide first clinical implantation of this system was performed at the DHZB in 2009. With the increasing number of patients needing immediate circulatory support and the stagnating or even decreasing number of donor hearts available for HTx, the extreme discrepancy means that other therapies are gaining increasing importance. The objectives of the MCS program therefore had to focus on permanent VADs, thus creating a growing population of long-term outpatients with implanted systems, living with their families a near-normal life. Within a quarter century VAD implantation has grown from an experimental procedure into an established and generally accepted therapy. Facing the rapidly increasing population of patients with end-stage heart failure and the stagnating number of heart transplants, the use of VAD technology may represent the most advanced progress in cardiac care in the coming years. Further minaturization of the devices will allow the treatment of patients with a wide age spectrum, from newborn children to the elderly, even with biventricular support. The ultimate goal will be the development of a durable total artificial heart, based on the rotary blood pump technology, with transcutaneous energy transfer through the intact skin, guaranteeing the patients optimal quality of life for many years of support.

Proteomic Profiling and Its Applications to Muscle Aging and Sarcopenia

Proteomic Profiling and Its Applications to Muscle Aging and Sarcopenia

Genetic engineering of T cells for the immunotherapy of haematological malignancies

Accumulating experimental and clinical evidence has been obtained over recent years in support of the notion that the immune system has the potential to cure cancer. The most convincing example is the graft versus leukaemia effect observed after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In the autologous setting, however, the isolation and expansion of naturally occurring tumour-specific T cells is a challenging task. Cancer antigens are often self-antigens and cancer-specific T cells are thus subject to selective mechanisms of central and peripheral tolerance. The significant advances in gene-transfer technologies developed over the last decade have offered new tools to overcome these limitations. Natural T cells can be genetically modified to generate high numbers of 'supernatural' tumour-reactive T cells from virtually every cancer patient. Supernatural T cells may express clonal receptors providing new specificities, factors increasing T-cell performance or safety factors enabling their elimination in case of toxicity. Technological improvements applied to novel concepts of T-cell biology and oncogenesis will allow to simultaneously equip T cells with different transgenes and expand a real 'army' of lymphocytes trained to selectively eradicate cancer cells.

Carlquist revisited: history, success, and applicability of a natural history model

In 1966, island biogeographer Sherwin Carlquist published a list of 24 principles governing long-distance dispersal and evolution on islands. The 24 principles describe many aspects of island biology, from long-distance dispersal and establishment to community change and assemblage. Although this was an active period for island biogeography, other models and research garnered much more attention than did Carlquist’s. In this review, over 40 years of support for or against Carlquist’s principles is presented. Recent work has supported most of the 24 principles, and improved methodologies have generally substantiated his initial claims. However, Carlquist’s original work and ideas remain relatively under-represented in the biogeographic literature. Use of philosophical model domains provides one explanation as to why Carlquist’s work has received little attention. Carlquist’s principles are largely natural history tests, and don’t translate well into the theoretical, design of preserves, or the experimental domains—whereas other competing models do well in such domains.