Sample records for abina peeter laane

  1. The Mediation Formula: A Guide to the Assessment of Causal Pathways in Nonlinear Models

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-10-27

    through (25), (26) and (27), rather than going through (23) ( van der Laan and Rubin, 2006). 29 values, though disparities in parameters may not...graphs. Epidemiology 22 378–381. Petersen, M., Sinisi, S. and van der Laan, M. (2006). Estimation of direct causal effects. Epidemiology 17 276–284...and J. Halpern, eds.). College Publications, UK, 415–444. van der Laan, M. J. and Rubin, D. (2006). Targeted maximum likelihood learning. The

  2. Enhancement of acidogenic fermentation for volatile fatty acid production from food waste: Effect of redox potential and inoculum.

    PubMed

    Yin, Jun; Yu, Xiaoqin; Zhang, Yeer; Shen, Dongsheng; Wang, Meizhen; Long, Yuyang; Chen, Ting

    2016-09-01

    The aim of this study was to explore the effects of redox potential (ORP) and inoculum on volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production from food waste by acidogenic fermentation. Four experimental conditions with two ORP levels were tested: limited aeration conditions with ORP level of -100 to -200mV inoculating anaerobic sludge (LA+AnS) or aerobic sludge (LA+AeS), and anaerobic conditions with ORP level of -200 to -300mV inoculating anaerobic sludge with 2-bromoethanosulfophate (AN+BES) and without BES (AN). The maximal VFA yield (0.79g COD/g VS) was attained in LA+AnS reactor due to enhanced hydrolysis of substrates, especially proteins (degradation efficiency 78.3%). A higher frequency of phylum Firmicutes under limited aeration conditions (42.2-48.2%) was observed than that under anaerobic conditions (21.1%). The microbial community was more diverse in LA+AnS reactors than LA+AeS. We conclude that appropriate ORP level (from -100 to -200mV) and inoculum play essential roles in VFA production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Male sexual orientation in independent samoa: evidence for fraternal birth order and maternal fecundity effects.

    PubMed

    VanderLaan, Doug P; Vasey, Paul L

    2011-06-01

    In Western cultures, male androphiles tend to have greater numbers of older brothers than male gynephiles (i.e., the fraternal birth order effect). In the non-Western nation of Independent Samoa, androphilic males (known locally as fa'afafine) have been shown to have greater numbers of older brothers, older sisters, and younger brothers (Vasey & VanderLaan, 2007). It is unclear, however, whether the observed older brother effect, in the context of the additional sibling category effects, represented a genuine fraternal birth order effect or was simply associated with elevated maternal fecundity. To differentiate between these two possibilities, this study employed a larger, independent replication sample of fa'afafine and gynephilic males from Independent Samoa. Fa'afafine had greater numbers of older brothers and sisters. The replication sample and the sample from Vasey and VanderLaan were then combined, facilitating a comparison that showed the older brother effect was significantly greater in magnitude than the older sister effect. These results suggest that fraternal birth order and maternal fecundity effects both exist in Samoa. The existence of these effects cross-culturally is discussed in the context of biological theories for the development of male androphilia.

  4. The Search for Peace in Mindanao: Resolving a Wicked Problem

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-03-22

    negotiating panel, still led by Mohagher Iqbal, but with new members such as Professor Abhoud Syed Linga and Datu Antonio Kinoc of B‘laan tribe...that the MILF received funds from charitable institutions operated by Mohammed Jamal Khalifa, Osama Bin Laden‘s brother-in-law.53 The MILF has...Crucible: A Reader (Quezon City: CenPeg Publications), 2008, p. 136. 19 7 Hermoso, p. 61. 8 Dato‘ Md Ismael bin Ahmad Khan, ―The International

  5. Marginal Structural Models with Counterfactual Effect Modifiers.

    PubMed

    Zheng, Wenjing; Luo, Zhehui; van der Laan, Mark J

    2018-06-08

    In health and social sciences, research questions often involve systematic assessment of the modification of treatment causal effect by patient characteristics. In longitudinal settings, time-varying or post-intervention effect modifiers are also of interest. In this work, we investigate the robust and efficient estimation of the Counterfactual-History-Adjusted Marginal Structural Model (van der Laan MJ, Petersen M. Statistical learning of origin-specific statically optimal individualized treatment rules. Int J Biostat. 2007;3), which models the conditional intervention-specific mean outcome given a counterfactual modifier history in an ideal experiment. We establish the semiparametric efficiency theory for these models, and present a substitution-based, semiparametric efficient and doubly robust estimator using the targeted maximum likelihood estimation methodology (TMLE, e.g. van der Laan MJ, Rubin DB. Targeted maximum likelihood learning. Int J Biostat. 2006;2, van der Laan MJ, Rose S. Targeted learning: causal inference for observational and experimental data, 1st ed. Springer Series in Statistics. Springer, 2011). To facilitate implementation in applications where the effect modifier is high dimensional, our third contribution is a projected influence function (and the corresponding projected TMLE estimator), which retains most of the robustness of its efficient peer and can be easily implemented in applications where the use of the efficient influence function becomes taxing. We compare the projected TMLE estimator with an Inverse Probability of Treatment Weighted estimator (e.g. Robins JM. Marginal structural models. In: Proceedings of the American Statistical Association. Section on Bayesian Statistical Science, 1-10. 1997a, Hernan MA, Brumback B, Robins JM. Marginal structural models to estimate the causal effect of zidovudine on the survival of HIV-positive men. 2000;11:561-570), and a non-targeted G-computation estimator (Robins JM. A new approach to

  6. Bobcat (Felis rufus) ecology and management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Howell, Judd A.

    1997-01-01

    The bobcat (Felis rufus) is a medium sized predator in the family Felidae found exclusively in North America. Extensive natural history information is available and is summarized in several bibliographies and reviews (Sweeny and Poelker 1977, McCord and Cardoza 1982, Boddicker 1983, Anderson 1987, Rolley 1987). The bobcat is a spotted cat with a short white-tipped tail, small dark ear tufts and is about twice the size of the house cat (Felis domesticus) because of the bobcat’s longer bone structure (McCord and Cardoza 1982, Jameson and Peeters 1988). The bobcat weights between 5- 15 kg with males larger than females. TL 700- 1000, T 95-150, E (from crown) 60-75 (Jameson and Peeters 1988).

  7. Properties of Cordonnier, Perrin and Van der Laan Numbers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shannon, A. G.; Anderson, P. G.; Horadam, A. F.

    2006-01-01

    This paper aims to explore some properties of certain third-order linear sequences which have some properties analogous to the better known second-order sequences of Fibonacci and Lucas. Historical background issues are outlined. These, together with the number and combinatorial theoretical results, provide plenty of pedagogical opportunities for…

  8. My Visit to La Silla

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muller, A.

    1988-09-01

    The Director General of ESO, Harry van der Laan, invited me to La Silla as consultant during the realuminization and the optical trimming of the ESO Schmidt telescope. I was very happy with this invitation because it gave me an opportunity not only to spend some time at the Schmidt, but also to meet with many friends in Chile. At La Silla I had the good luck to meet Richard West who suggested to me to write a short contribution for the Messenger about my stay in Chile which I have done with pleasure.

  9. "Build Me a Male Role Model!" A Critical Exploration of the Perceived Qualities/Characteristics of Men in the Early Years (0-8) in England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brownhill, Simon

    2014-01-01

    Young boys' "underachievement" and their disaffection with learning continue to dominate education agendas [Francis, B. 2006. "Stop That Sex Drive." "Times Educational Supplement" 30; Peeters, J. 2007. "Including Men in Early Childhood Education: Insights from the European Experience." "NZ Research in…

  10. Book Reviews.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Journal of Early Childhood, 1994

    1994-01-01

    Reviews "La Educacion Preescolar: Desafio y Aventura" (Lavanchy Bobsien); "Working towards Better Childcare" (Peeters and Vandenbroeck, editors); "Children's Savings: A Study in the Development of Economic Behavior" (Sonuga-Barke and Webley); "Curvas de Crecimiento Estaturo-ponderal en Escolares" (Saez Crespo and others); and "Helping Bereaved…

  11. Doubly Robust and Efficient Estimation of Marginal Structural Models for the Hazard Function

    PubMed Central

    Zheng, Wenjing; Petersen, Maya; van der Laan, Mark

    2016-01-01

    In social and health sciences, many research questions involve understanding the causal effect of a longitudinal treatment on mortality (or time-to-event outcomes in general). Often, treatment status may change in response to past covariates that are risk factors for mortality, and in turn, treatment status may also affect such subsequent covariates. In these situations, Marginal Structural Models (MSMs), introduced by Robins (1997), are well-established and widely used tools to account for time-varying confounding. In particular, a MSM can be used to specify the intervention-specific counterfactual hazard function, i.e. the hazard for the outcome of a subject in an ideal experiment where he/she was assigned to follow a given intervention on their treatment variables. The parameters of this hazard MSM are traditionally estimated using the Inverse Probability Weighted estimation (IPTW, van der Laan and Petersen (2007), Robins et al. (2000b), Robins (1999), Robins et al. (2008)). This estimator is easy to implement and admits Wald-type confidence intervals. However, its consistency hinges on the correct specification of the treatment allocation probabilities, and the estimates are generally sensitive to large treatment weights (especially in the presence of strong confounding), which are difficult to stabilize for dynamic treatment regimes. In this paper, we present a pooled targeted maximum likelihood estimator (TMLE, van der Laan and Rubin (2006)) for MSM for the hazard function under longitudinal dynamic treatment regimes. The proposed estimator is semiparametric efficient and doubly robust, hence offers bias reduction and efficiency gain over the incumbent IPTW estimator. Moreover, the substitution principle rooted in the TMLE potentially mitigates the sensitivity to large treatment weights in IPTW. We compare the performance of the proposed estimator with the IPTW and a non-targeted substitution estimator in a simulation study. PMID:27227723

  12. Consumers and Workers Opinions of A Proposed Cash Food System: NAS Alameda

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-08-01

    J - A August 1975 UNITED STATES ARMY NATO DEVELOPMENT CENTER NATICK, MASSACHUSETTS 01760 Reproduced by NATIONAL...r0im[,m’mw^m^mw&wk!^mmmm’ ■ »-!MM!PW»»* J ^WM*^-»^«^w ■ •. «»q» x.,* ,»^, 8T’<’i’H|gMBai> J ’~"^ ;%»* -« y-’ i: l^laan-tf^wri »tCUWTY...T»?i«n Data Erl.rad) *"--"’—>-n--^a»<fc~mu. ,~ j **- , . ——^ „ .^MMtmmMMM in« in’ ■■- ■ jpplpw(pwflppr*^"’ ’""’»’"» •••-’

  13. Relating Agulhas Leakage to the Agulhas Current Retroflection Location

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-11-03

    branch return flow of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Gordon, 1986; Weijer et al., 1999; Peeters et al., 2004; Biastoch et al., 2008a...demonstrated that the mesoscale dynamics reflected in the decadal variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (Biastoch et al...Lutjeharms, J. R. E.: Agulhas leakage dynamics affects decadal variability in Atlantic overturn - ing circulation , Nature, 456, 489–492, 2008a. Biastoch, A

  14. A model study of laboratory photooxidation experiments of mono- and sesquiterpenes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capouet, M.; Vereecken, L.; Peeters, J.; Müller, J.

    2006-12-01

    The importance of monoterpenes in the atmosphere stems from their large emissions from plants, their high reactivity, and their role as precursors for Secondary Organic Aerosol (SOA) production. In order to quantify the impact of α-pinene oxidation (as representative of the monoterpenes) using a CTM, a detailed understanding of its oxidation mechanism is necessary. Past studies have investigated successfully the gas- phase OH-oxidation mechanism of α-pinene [Peeters et al., 2001; Vereecken and Peeters 2004; Capouet et al., 2004]. However, the SOA formation measured in laboratory experiments remains difficult to model, partly due to a poor understanding of the ozonolysis mechanism believed to be the dominant path to formation of condensable compounds. Very recently, Peeters and co-workers have developed a detailed mechanism for the α-pinene ozonolysis based on objective theoretical grounds. Both OH- and O3- oxidation mechanisms have been implemented in a box model and coupled to a module describing the gas/particle partitioning of the semi-volatile products on the basis of a vapour pressure prediction method [Capouet and Müller, 2006]. The photooxidation of primary products has been parameterized in order to evaluate the role of condensable compounds formed by secondary reactions. Simulations of a wide set of α-pinene photooxidation experiments reported in the literature have been performed. Results indicate that the calculated SOA contain a significant fraction of second generation products. Note in particular that our box model simulations as well as theoretical arguments contradict the gas-phase formation routes for pinic acid proposed in the literature and suggest a secondary origin for this compound. Contribution of the sesquiterpenes to biogenic non methane hydrocarbon emissions has been estimated from 9% to 28% in some regions in the U.S. Their high reactivity towards ozone and their complex chemistry make these compounds hardly accessible to theoretical

  15. Radio emission from supernova remnants in a cloudy interstellar medium

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Blandford, R. D.; Cowie, L. L.

    1982-01-01

    The van der Laan (1962) theory of SNR radio emission is modified in light of the inhomogeneity of the interstellar medium, and in order to allow for particle acceleration in shock fronts. It is proposed that most of the radio emission in 10-20 pc radius SNRs originates in cold interstellar clouds that have been crushed by the high pressure hot gas within the expanding remnant. Under these circumstances, simple reacceleration of ambient interstellar cosmic ray electrons can account for the surface brightness-diameter distribution of observed remnants, with the additional, relativistic particle energy compensating for the decreased filling factor of the radio-emitting regions. Warm interstellar gas, at about 8000 K, may also be compressed within very large SNRs (of radius of 30-100 pc) and account for both the giant radio loops, when these SNRs are seen individually, and the anomalously bright galactic nonthermal radio background, which may be the superposition of a number of such features.

  16. Assessing the causal effect of policies: an example using stochastic interventions.

    PubMed

    Díaz, Iván; van der Laan, Mark J

    2013-11-19

    Assessing the causal effect of an exposure often involves the definition of counterfactual outcomes in a hypothetical world in which the stochastic nature of the exposure is modified. Although stochastic interventions are a powerful tool to measure the causal effect of a realistic intervention that intends to alter the population distribution of an exposure, their importance to answer questions about plausible policy interventions has been obscured by the generalized use of deterministic interventions. In this article, we follow the approach described in Díaz and van der Laan (2012) to define and estimate the effect of an intervention that is expected to cause a truncation in the population distribution of the exposure. The observed data parameter that identifies the causal parameter of interest is established, as well as its efficient influence function under the non-parametric model. Inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW), augmented IPTW and targeted minimum loss-based estimators (TMLE) are proposed, their consistency and efficiency properties are determined. An extension to longitudinal data structures is presented and its use is demonstrated with a real data example.

  17. Comment on ``Turbulent equipartition theory of toroidal momentum pinch'' [Phys. Plasmas 15, 055902 (2008)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peeters, A. G.; Angioni, C.; Strintzi, D.

    2009-03-01

    The comment addresses questions raised on the derivation of the momentum pinch velocity due to the Coriolis drift effect [A. G. Peeters et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 265003 (2007)]. These concern the definition of the gradient, and the scaling with the density gradient length. It will be shown that the turbulent equipartition mechanism is included within the derivation using the Coriolis drift, with the density gradient scaling being the consequence of drift terms not considered in [T. S. Hahm et al., Phys. Plasmas 15, 055902 (2008)]. Finally the accuracy of the analytic models is assessed through a comparison with the full gyrokinetic solution.

  18. The Prevalence of Only-Child Status Among Children and Adolescents Referred to a Gender Identity Service Versus a Clinical Comparison Group.

    PubMed

    Hughes, S Kathleen; VanderLaan, Doug P; Blanchard, Ray; Wood, Hayley; Wasserman, Lori; Zucker, Kenneth J

    2017-08-18

    Several studies indicate that homosexual males have a high proportion of older brothers compared to heterosexual males. Natal males with gender dysphoria who are likely to be homosexual also display this sibship pattern. Until recently, there was little evidence linking homosexuality and/or gender dysphoria in females to unique sibship characteristics. Two studies have indicated that natal female youth clinically referred for gender dysphoria are more likely to be only children (Schagen, Delemarre-van de Waal, Blanchard, & Cohen-Kettenis, 2012; VanderLaan, Blanchard, Wood, & Zucker, 2014). However, these studies did not include control groups of youth clinically referred for other reasons. Thus, it is unclear whether the increased likelihood of only-child status is specific to gender-referred natal females. This study compared only-child status among youth referred to a mental health service for gender dysphoria (778 males, 245 females) versus other reasons (783 males, 281 females). Prehomosexual gender-referred males were less likely to be only children than clinical controls. Contrary to previous findings, gender-referred females were not more likely to be only children, indicating that increased likelihood of only-child status is not specific to gender-referred females, but is characteristic of clinic-referred females more generally.

  19. Estimation of dynamic treatment strategies for maintenance therapy of children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: an application of history-adjusted marginal structural models.

    PubMed

    Rosthøj, S; Keiding, N; Schmiegelow, K

    2012-02-28

    Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is treated with long-term intensive chemotherapy. During the latter part of the treatment, the maintenance therapy, the patients receive oral doses of two cytostatics. The doses are tailored to blood counts measured on a weekly basis, and the treatment is therefore highly dynamic. In 1992-1996, the Nordic Society of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology (NOPHO) conducted a randomised study (NOPHO-ALL-92) to investigate the effect of a new and more sophisticated dynamic treatment strategy. Unexpectedly, the new strategy worsened the outcome for the girls, whereas there were no treatment differences for the boys. There are as yet no general guidelines for optimising the treatment. On basis of the data from this study, our goal is to formulate an alternative dosing strategy. We use recently developed methods proposed by van der Laan et al. to obtain statistical models that may be used in the guidance of how the physicians should assign the doses to the patients to obtain the target of the treatment. We present a possible strategy and discuss the reliability of this strategy. The implementation is complicated, and we touch upon the limitations of the methods in relation to the formulation of alternative dosing strategies for the maintenance therapy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Optimisation of high-quality total ribonucleic acid isolation from cartilaginous tissues for real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.

    PubMed

    Peeters, M; Huang, C L; Vonk, L A; Lu, Z F; Bank, R A; Helder, M N; Doulabi, B Zandieh

    2016-11-01

    Studies which consider the molecular mechanisms of degeneration and regeneration of cartilaginous tissues are seriously hampered by problematic ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolations due to low cell density and the dense, proteoglycan-rich extracellular matrix of cartilage. Proteoglycans tend to co-purify with RNA, they can absorb the full spectrum of UV light and they are potent inhibitors of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Therefore, the objective of the present study is to compare and optimise different homogenisation methods and RNA isolation kits for an array of cartilaginous tissues. Tissue samples such as the nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), articular cartilage (AC) and meniscus, were collected from goats and homogenised by either the MagNA Lyser or Freezer Mill. RNA of duplicate samples was subsequently isolated by either TRIzol (benchmark), or the RNeasy Lipid Tissue, RNeasy Fibrous Tissue, or Aurum Total RNA Fatty and Fibrous Tissue kits. RNA yield, purity, and integrity were determined and gene expression levels of type II collagen and aggrecan were measured by real-time PCR. No differences between the two homogenisation methods were found. RNA isolation using the RNeasy Fibrous and Lipid kits resulted in the purest RNA (A260/A280 ratio), whereas TRIzol isolations resulted in RNA that is not as pure, and show a larger difference in gene expression of duplicate samples compared with both RNeasy kits. The Aurum kit showed low reproducibility. For the extraction of high-quality RNA from cartilaginous structures, we suggest homogenisation of the samples by the MagNA Lyser. For AC, NP and AF we recommend the RNeasy Fibrous kit, whereas for the meniscus the RNeasy Lipid kit is advised.Cite this article: M. Peeters, C. L. Huang, L. A. Vonk, Z. F. Lu, R. A. Bank, M. N. Helder, B. Zandieh Doulabi. Optimisation of high-quality total ribonucleic acid isolation from cartilaginous tissues for real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Bone Joint Res 2016

  1. Normal Modes of Magnetized Finite Two-Dimensional Yukawa Crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marleau, Gabriel-Dominique; Kaehlert, Hanno; Bonitz, Michael

    2009-11-01

    The normal modes of a finite two-dimensional dusty plasma in an isotropic parabolic confinement, including the simultaneous effects of friction and an external magnetic field, are studied. The ground states are found from molecular dynamics simulations with simulated annealing, and the influence of screening, friction, and magnetic field on the mode frequencies is investigated in detail. The two-particle problem is solved analytically and the limiting cases of weak and strong magnetic fields are discussed.[4pt] [1] C. Henning, H. K"ahlert, P. Ludwig, A. Melzer, and M.Bonitz. J. Phys. A 42, 214023 (2009)[2] B. Farokhi, M. Shahmansouri, and P. K. Shukla. Phys.Plasmas 16, 063703 (2009)[3] L. Cândido, J.-P. Rino, N. Studart, and F. M. Peeters. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 10, 11627--11644 (1998)

  2. Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) ecology and management

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Howell, Judd A.

    1997-01-01

    The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is a petite member of the family Canidae in the order Carnivora with a long muzzle and pointed ears (Samuel and Nelson 1982). The coat of the gray fox is silver gray across the back with significant amounts of rufus along the sides. This characteristic is often confused by people who see the flash of red and assume that the fox is a red fox (Vulpes vulpes). The gray fox has a black tipped tail with a dorsal black stripe that differentiates this species from the kit fox (Vulpes macrotis). The red fox has a white tipped tail. The gray fox weighs between 3-5 kg, occasionally to 7 kg. TL 800-1125, T 275-443, HF 100-150. (Jameson and Peeters 1988).

  3. Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy and Kinetics of HO_2+HCHO: Detection of the ν_1 and {A}- {X} Bands of HOCH_2OOCAVITY Ringdown Spectroscopy and Kinetics of HO_2+HCHO: Detection of the ν_1 and {A}- {X} Bands of HOCH_2OO

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sprague, Matthew K.; Okumura, Mitchio; Sander, Stanley P.

    2011-06-01

    The reactions of HO_2 with carbonyl compounds are believed to be a sink for carbonyl compounds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. These reactions proceed through a hydrogen bound intermediate before isomerizing. The reaction of HO_2 + formaldehyde (HCHO) serves as a prototype for this class of reactions, forming the isomerization product hydroxymethylperoxy (HOCH_2OO, HMP). Previous studies measured the spectrum and kinetics of HMP using either FTIR detection of the end products or direct detection of HMP by the unstructured tilde{B}-tilde{X} transition. Despite these studies, considerable uncertainty exists in the rate constant of HMP formation (±80%, 2σ). In this talk, we report the first detection of the ν_1 (OH stretch) and tilde{A}-tilde{X} electronic spectra of the HMP radical. The OH stretch spectrum is broad and featureless, while the tilde{A}(0)-tilde{X}(0) origin and combination band with the OOCO torsion tilde{A}(NOOCO=1)-tilde{X}(0) are rotationally resolved. Quantum chemistry calculations have been performed on both the tilde{A} and tilde{X} states as a function of the OOCO and HOCO dihedral angles to estimate the tilde{A}-tilde{X} transition frequency and to assess the coupling between the two torsional modes. We also present kinetics data showing the rates of production and destruction of HMP. I. Hermans, J. F. Muller, T. L. Nguyen, P. A. Jacobs, and J. Peeters. J. Phys. Chem. A 2005, 109, 4303. F. Su, J. G. Calvert, and J. H. Shaw J. Phys. Chem. 1979, 83, 3185. B. Veyret, R. Lesclaux, M. T. Rayez, J. C. Rayez, R. A. Cox, and G. K. Moortgat J. Phys. Chem. 1989, 93, 2368. J. P. Burrows, G. K. Moortgat, G. S. Tyndall, R. A. Cox, M. E. Jenkin, G. D. Hayman, and B. Veyret J. Phys. Chem. 1989, 93, 2375 S. P. Sander, B. J. Finlayson-Pitts, D. M. Golden, R. E. Huie, C. E. Kolb, M. J. Kurylo, M. J. Molina, et al. Chemical Kinetics and Photochemical Data for Use in Atmospheric Studies, Evaluation Number 16, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2009 I

  4. Book review: Peeters, H. 2007. Field guide to owls of California and the West

    Treesearch

    Eric D. Forsman

    2010-01-01

    Field Guide to Owls of California and the West. Written primarily for nonprofessionals,this little field guide is a treasure trove of published and unpublished information on the natural history and distribution of owls in the western United States. It covers just about everything you could want to know about owls, from why they take dust baths, to facultative...

  5. Effects of RNA integrity on transcript quantification by total RNA sequencing of clinically collected human placental samples.

    PubMed

    Reiman, Mario; Laan, Maris; Rull, Kristiina; Sõber, Siim

    2017-08-01

    RNA degradation is a ubiquitous process that occurs in living and dead cells, as well as during handling and storage of extracted RNA. Reduced RNA quality caused by degradation is an established source of uncertainty for all RNA-based gene expression quantification techniques. RNA sequencing is an increasingly preferred method for transcriptome analyses, and dependence of its results on input RNA integrity is of significant practical importance. This study aimed to characterize the effects of varying input RNA integrity [estimated as RNA integrity number (RIN)] on transcript level estimates and delineate the characteristic differences between transcripts that differ in degradation rate. The study used ribodepleted total RNA sequencing data from a real-life clinically collected set ( n = 32) of human solid tissue (placenta) samples. RIN-dependent alterations in gene expression profiles were quantified by using DESeq2 software. Our results indicate that small differences in RNA integrity affect gene expression quantification by introducing a moderate and pervasive bias in expression level estimates that significantly affected 8.1% of studied genes. The rapidly degrading transcript pool was enriched in pseudogenes, short noncoding RNAs, and transcripts with extended 3' untranslated regions. Typical slowly degrading transcripts (median length, 2389 nt) represented protein coding genes with 4-10 exons and high guanine-cytosine content.-Reiman, M., Laan, M., Rull, K., Sõber, S. Effects of RNA integrity on transcript quantification by total RNA sequencing of clinically collected human placental samples. © FASEB.

  6. Past changes of landscape due to increased dynamics of erosion processes in the Bezděz-Doksy region (Czech Republic)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vysloužilová, Barbora; Dreslerová, Dagmar; Kozáková, Radka; Poništiak, Štefan; Chuman, Tomáš; Šefrna, Luděk

    2016-04-01

    This study broadens the archaeological research of the the Bezděz - Doksy region in Northern Bohemia, Czech Republic (Dreslerová et al., 2013). Extensive field works between 2008 and 2012 showed that the region has been settled since the La Tène period. Survey of the alluvial plain of the Robečský stream revealed a record of two intensive erosion episodes in the catchment. We suppose that the first episode may be connected to land use changes and the beginnings of agriculture at the site in the La Tène period. The second episode may be connected to the foundation of the medieval village of Okna, which came into existence in the vicinity of the La Tène settlement. The accelerated erosion of former albeluvisols (on loess) led to significant changes of landscape in the region. The aim of this contribution is to bring a reconstruction of soils, vegetation and relief at the site of Okna before the human occupancy and to detect landscape changes over the time. It focuses on the hypothesis that the accelerated soil erosion has been occurring at the site since the first anthropogenic influence like it is demonstrated by other studies in Europe (e.g. Leopold and Völkel, 2007; Boardman, 2013). An abrupt change of land use from forest to arable land is proved by palynological records. Simultaneously there are buried soil horizons and alluvial sediments which can be studied as geoarchives. The difficulties in reconstruction of relief and quantification of the historical erosion effects are faced by applying GIS and model approaches (Peeters et al., 2003). References Boardman, J., 2013. Soil Erosion in Britain: Updating the Record. Agriculture 3, 418-442. doi:10.3390/agriculture3030418 Dreslerová, D., Waldhauser, J., Abraham, V., Kočár, P., Křivánek, R., Meduna, P., Sádlo, J., 2013. The Bezděz - Doksy region (Northern Bohemia) in prehistory and the La Tène settlement at Okna (in Czech). Archeologické rozhledy LXV, 535-573. Leopold, M., Völkel, J., 2007

  7. Infrared spectra of interstellar deuteronated PAHs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buragohain, Mridusmita; Pathak, Amit; Sarre, Peter

    2015-08-01

    Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules have emerged as a potential constituent of the ISM that emit strong features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.2 and 12.7 μm with weaker and blended features in the 3-20μm region. These features are proposed to arise from the vibrational relaxation of PAH molecules on absorption of background UV photons (Tielens 2008). These IR features have been observed towards almost all types of astronomical objects; say H II regions, photodissociation regions, reflection nebulae, planetary nebulae, young star forming regions, external galaxies, etc. A recent observation has proposed that interstellar PAHs are major reservoir for interstellar deuterium (D) (Peeters et al. 2004). According to the `deuterium depletion model' as suggested by Draine (2006), some of the Ds formed in the big bang are depleted in PAHs, which can account for the present value of D/H in the ISM. Hence, study of deuterated PAHs (PADs) is essential in order to measure D/H in the ISM.In this work, we consider another probable category of the large PAH family, i.e. Deuteronated PAHs (DPAH+). Onaka et al. have proposed a D/H ratio which is an order of magnitude smaller than the proposed value of D/H by Draine suggesting that if Ds are depleted in PAHs, they might be accommodated in large PAHs (Onaka et al. 2014). This work reports a `Density Functional Theory' calculation of large deuteronated PAHs (coronene, ovalene, circumcoronene and circumcircumcoronene) to determine the expected region of emission features and to find a D/H ratio that is comparable to the observational results. We present a detailed analysis of the IR spectra of these molecules and discuss the possible astrophysical implications.ReferencesDraine B. T. 2006, in ASP Conf. Ser. 348, Proc. Astrophysics in the Far Ultraviolet: Five Years of Discovery with FUSE, ed. G. Sonneborn, H. Moos, B-G Andersson (San Francisco, CA:ASP) 58Onaka T., Mori T. I., Sakon I., Ohsawa R., Kaneda H., Okada Y., Tanaka M

  8. Investigation of the β-pinene photooxidation by OH in the atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaminski, Martin; Fuchs, Hendrik; Acir, Ismail-Hakki; Bohn, Birger; Brauers, Theo; Dorn, Hans-Peter; Häseler, Rolf; Hofzumahaus, Andreas; Li, Xin; Lutz, Anna; Nehr, Sascha; Rohrer, Franz; Tillmann, Ralf; Vereecken, Luc; Wegener, Robert; Wahner, Andreas

    2017-06-01

    Besides isoprene, monoterpenes are the non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with the highest global emission rates. Due to their high reactivity towards OH, monoterpenes can dominate the radical chemistry of the atmosphere in forested areas. In the present study the photochemical degradation mechanism of β-pinene was investigated in the Jülich atmosphere simulation chamber SAPHIR (Simulation of Atmospheric PHotochemistry In a large Reaction Chamber). One focus of this study is on the OH budget in the degradation process. Therefore, the SAPHIR chamber was equipped with instrumentation to measure radicals (OH, HO2, RO2), the total OH reactivity, important OH precursors (O3, HONO, HCHO), the parent VOC β-pinene, its main oxidation products, acetone and nopinone and photolysis frequencies. All experiments were carried out under low-NO conditions ( ≤ 300 ppt) and at atmospheric β-pinene concentrations ( ≤ 5 ppb) with and without addition of ozone. For the investigation of the OH budget, the OH production and destruction rates were calculated from measured quantities. Within the limits of accuracy of the instruments, the OH budget was balanced in all β-pinene oxidation experiments. However, even though the OH budget was closed, simulation results from the Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) 3.2 showed that the OH production and destruction rates were underestimated by the model. The measured OH and HO2 concentrations were underestimated by up to a factor of 2, whereas the total OH reactivity was slightly overestimated because the model predicted a nopinone mixing ratio which was 3 times higher than measured. A new, theory-derived, first-generation product distribution by Vereecken and Peeters (2012) was able to reproduce the measured nopinone time series and the total OH reactivity. Nevertheless, the measured OH and HO2 concentrations remained underestimated by the numerical simulations. These observations together with the fact that the measured OH budget

  9. A comparative assessment of endogenous water institutional change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pande, Saket; Ersten, Maurits

    2013-04-01

    This paper builds the theory of endogenous institutional change, first proposed by Greif and Laitin (2004), for water scarce regions in context of water institutions. The current emphasis on environmental change, including hydrological change, largely ignores the adaptation of human societies to change. Humans have mostly been considered as boundary conditions or parameters of the dynamics of hydrological change and are not considered as conduits of feedbacks. Nonetheless, the dynamical representation of hydrological change with feedbacks between various components of a system is assuring since it is reminiscent of processual ecological anthropology(Orlove, 1980), except that individual decision making is absent. This paper proposes to consider selected dryland basins of the world, to conceptualize proxies of water relevant socio-economic organisation, such as spatial scales of upstream-downstream cooperation in water use, synthesized over time and then proposes a comparative assessment to test regularities predicted by an extension of river game theory (Ambec and Ehlers, 2008; van der Brink et al, 2012) to endogenous institutional change. References: Orlove, B. S. (1980). Ecological Anthropology. Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol. 9 (1980), pp. 235-273. Greif. A. and D. D. Laitin (2004). A Theory of Endogenous Institutional Change. American Political Science Review, Vol. 98, No. 4 November 2004. Ambec, S. and L. Ehlers (2008). Sharing a river amongst satiable agents. Games and Economic Behavior, 64, 35-50. Van der Brink, G. van der Laan and N. Moes (2012). Fair agreements for sharing international rivers with multiple springs and externalities. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 63, 388-403.

  10. Variable selection for confounder control, flexible modeling and Collaborative Targeted Minimum Loss-based Estimation in causal inference

    PubMed Central

    Schnitzer, Mireille E.; Lok, Judith J.; Gruber, Susan

    2015-01-01

    This paper investigates the appropriateness of the integration of flexible propensity score modeling (nonparametric or machine learning approaches) in semiparametric models for the estimation of a causal quantity, such as the mean outcome under treatment. We begin with an overview of some of the issues involved in knowledge-based and statistical variable selection in causal inference and the potential pitfalls of automated selection based on the fit of the propensity score. Using a simple example, we directly show the consequences of adjusting for pure causes of the exposure when using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Such variables are likely to be selected when using a naive approach to model selection for the propensity score. We describe how the method of Collaborative Targeted minimum loss-based estimation (C-TMLE; van der Laan and Gruber, 2010) capitalizes on the collaborative double robustness property of semiparametric efficient estimators to select covariates for the propensity score based on the error in the conditional outcome model. Finally, we compare several approaches to automated variable selection in low-and high-dimensional settings through a simulation study. From this simulation study, we conclude that using IPTW with flexible prediction for the propensity score can result in inferior estimation, while Targeted minimum loss-based estimation and C-TMLE may benefit from flexible prediction and remain robust to the presence of variables that are highly correlated with treatment. However, in our study, standard influence function-based methods for the variance underestimated the standard errors, resulting in poor coverage under certain data-generating scenarios. PMID:26226129

  11. Variable Selection for Confounder Control, Flexible Modeling and Collaborative Targeted Minimum Loss-Based Estimation in Causal Inference.

    PubMed

    Schnitzer, Mireille E; Lok, Judith J; Gruber, Susan

    2016-05-01

    This paper investigates the appropriateness of the integration of flexible propensity score modeling (nonparametric or machine learning approaches) in semiparametric models for the estimation of a causal quantity, such as the mean outcome under treatment. We begin with an overview of some of the issues involved in knowledge-based and statistical variable selection in causal inference and the potential pitfalls of automated selection based on the fit of the propensity score. Using a simple example, we directly show the consequences of adjusting for pure causes of the exposure when using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Such variables are likely to be selected when using a naive approach to model selection for the propensity score. We describe how the method of Collaborative Targeted minimum loss-based estimation (C-TMLE; van der Laan and Gruber, 2010 [27]) capitalizes on the collaborative double robustness property of semiparametric efficient estimators to select covariates for the propensity score based on the error in the conditional outcome model. Finally, we compare several approaches to automated variable selection in low- and high-dimensional settings through a simulation study. From this simulation study, we conclude that using IPTW with flexible prediction for the propensity score can result in inferior estimation, while Targeted minimum loss-based estimation and C-TMLE may benefit from flexible prediction and remain robust to the presence of variables that are highly correlated with treatment. However, in our study, standard influence function-based methods for the variance underestimated the standard errors, resulting in poor coverage under certain data-generating scenarios.

  12. A Comparison of the Reproductive Output Among the Relatives of Samoan Androphilic Fa'afafine and Gynephilic Men.

    PubMed

    Semenyna, Scott W; Petterson, Lanna J; VanderLaan, Doug P; Vasey, Paul L

    2017-01-01

    The sexually antagonistic gene hypothesis (SAGH) for male androphilia posits that genes associated with androphilia (i.e., sexual attraction to adult males) will result in lowered reproduction when present in males, but increased reproduction when present in females. Findings derived from some Western European samples furnish support for the SAGH; however, results from studies conducted in other regions of the world have been more equivocal. Our previous research in Samoa indicated that the mothers as well as the maternal and paternal grandmothers of androphilic males (known locally as fa'afafine) exhibit elevated reproductive output when compared to the relatives of gynephilic men (i.e., males that are sexually attracted to adult females). The present replication study tested the SAGH in Samoa using a sample that was 122 % larger than the one previously studied by our group (VanderLaan, Forrester, Petterson, & Vasey, 2012). In line with the predictions of the SAGH, we hypothesized that the grandmothers, aunts, and mothers of fa'afafine would show elevated reproductive output compared to those of Samoan gynephilic men. Data were collected from 191 fa'afafine and 191 gynephilic men on the reproductive output of their paternal and maternal biological relatives (i.e., mothers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles). The mothers and maternal grandmothers of fa'afafine showed elevated reproductive output compared to those of gynephilic men. The paternal grandmother effect was not replicated. Although these results are consistent with the SAGH, a lack of difference in the reproductive output of aunts renders support for the SAGH in Samoa equivocal.

  13. Electronic structure, charge transfer, and intrinsic luminescence of gadolinium oxide nanoparticles: Experiment and theory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zatsepin, D. A.; Boukhvalov, D. W.; Zatsepin, A. F.; Kuznetsova, Yu. A.; Mashkovtsev, M. A.; Rychkov, V. N.; Shur, V. Ya.; Esin, A. A.; Kurmaev, E. Z.

    2018-04-01

    The cubic (c) and monoclinic (m) polymorphs of Gd2O3 were studied using the combined analysis of several materials science techniques - X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) based calculations for the samples under study were performed as well. The cubic phase of gadolinium oxide (c-Gd2O3) synthesized using a precipitation method exhibits spheroidal-like nanoclusters with well-defined edges assembled from primary nanoparticles with an average size of 50 nm, whereas the monoclinic phase of gadolinium oxide (m-Gd2O3) deposited using explosive pyrolysis has a denser structure compared with natural gadolinia. This phase also has a structure composed of three-dimensional complex agglomerates without clear-edged boundaries that are ∼21 nm in size plus a cubic phase admixture of only 2 at.% composed of primary edge-boundary nanoparticles ∼15 nm in size. These atomic features appear in the electronic structure as different defects ([Gd…Osbnd OH] and [Gd…Osbnd O]) and have dissimilar contributions to the charge-transfer processes among the appropriate electronic states with ambiguous contributions in the Gd 5р - O 2s core-like levels in the valence band structures. The origin of [Gd…Osbnd OH] defects found by XPS was well-supported by PL analysis. The electronic and atomic structures of the synthesized gadolinias calculated using DFT were compared and discussed on the basis of the well-known joint OKT-van der Laan model, and good agreement was established.

  14. Extreme jet ejections from the black hole X-ray binary V404 Cygni

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tetarenko, A. J.; Sivakoff, G. R.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Rosolowsky, E. W.; Petitpas, G.; Gurwell, M.; Wouterloot, J.; Fender, R.; Heinz, S.; Maitra, D.; Markoff, S. B.; Migliari, S.; Rupen, M. P.; Rushton, A. P.; Russell, D. M.; Russell, T. D.; Sarazin, C. L.

    2017-08-01

    We present simultaneous radio through sub-mm observations of the black hole X-ray binary (BHXB) V404 Cygni during the most active phase of its June 2015 outburst. Our 4 h long set of overlapping observations with the Very Large Array, the Sub-millimeter Array and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (SCUBA-2) covers eight different frequency bands (including the first detection of a BHXB jet at 666 GHz/450 μm), providing an unprecedented multifrequency view of the extraordinary flaring activity seen during this period of the outburst. In particular, we detect multiple rapidly evolving flares, which reach Jy-level fluxes across all of our frequency bands. With this rich data set, we performed detailed MCMC modelling of the repeated flaring events. Our custom model adapts the van der Laan synchrotron bubble model to include twin bi-polar ejections, propagating away from the black hole at bulk relativistic velocities, along a jet axis that is inclined to the line of sight. The emission predicted by our model accounts for projection effects, relativistic beaming and the geometric time delay between the approaching and receding ejecta in each ejection event. We find that a total of eight bi-polar, discrete jet ejection events can reproduce the emission that we observe in all of our frequency bands remarkably well. With our best-fitting model, we provide detailed probes of jet speed, structure, energetics and geometry. Our analysis demonstrates the paramount importance of the mm/sub-mm bands, which offer a unique, more detailed view of the jet than can be provided by radio frequencies alone.

  15. Regression Analysis of a Disease Onset Distribution Using Diagnosis Data

    PubMed Central

    Young, Jessica G.; Jewell, Nicholas P.; Samuels, Steven J.

    2008-01-01

    Summary We consider methods for estimating the effect of a covariate on a disease onset distribution when the observed data structure consists of right-censored data on diagnosis times and current status data on onset times amongst individuals who have not yet been diagnosed. Dunson and Baird (2001, Biometrics 57, 306–403) approached this problem using maximum likelihood, under the assumption that the ratio of the diagnosis and onset distributions is monotonic nondecreasing. As an alternative, we propose a two-step estimator, an extension of the approach of van der Laan, Jewell, and Petersen (1997, Biometrika 84, 539–554) in the single sample setting, which is computationally much simpler and requires no assumptions on this ratio. A simulation study is performed comparing estimates obtained from these two approaches, as well as that from a standard current status analysis that ignores diagnosis data. Results indicate that the Dunson and Baird estimator outperforms the two-step estimator when the monotonicity assumption holds, but the reverse is true when the assumption fails. The simple current status estimator loses only a small amount of precision in comparison to the two-step procedure but requires monitoring time information for all individuals. In the data that motivated this work, a study of uterine fibroids and chemical exposure to dioxin, the monotonicity assumption is seen to fail. Here, the two-step and current status estimators both show no significant association between the level of dioxin exposure and the hazard for onset of uterine fibroids; the two-step estimator of the relative hazard associated with increasing levels of exposure has the least estimated variance amongst the three estimators considered. PMID:17680832

  16. The whipworm (Trichuris suis) secretes prostaglandin E2 to suppress proinflammatory properties in human dendritic cells.

    PubMed

    Laan, Lisa C; Williams, Andrew R; Stavenhagen, Kathrin; Giera, Martin; Kooij, Gijs; Vlasakov, Iliyan; Kalay, Hakan; Kringel, Helene; Nejsum, Peter; Thamsborg, Stig M; Wuhrer, Manfred; Dijkstra, Christine D; Cummings, Richard D; van Die, Irma

    2017-02-01

    Clinical trials have shown that administration of the nematode Trichuris suis can be beneficial in treating various immune disorders. To provide insight into the mechanisms by which this worm suppresses inflammatory responses, an active component was purified from T. suis soluble products (TsSPs) that suppress---- TNF and IL-12 secretion from LPS-activated human dendritic cells (DCs). Analysis by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry identified this compound as prostaglandin (PG)E2. The purified compound showed similar properties compared with TsSPs and commercial PGE2 in modulating LPS-induced expression of many cytokines and chemokines and in modulating Rab7B and P2RX7 expression in human DCs. Furthermore, the TsSP-induced reduction of TNF secretion from DCs is reversed by receptor antagonists for EP2 and EP4, indicating PGE2 action. T. suis secretes extremely high amounts of PGE2 (45-90 ng/mg protein) within their excretory/secretory products but few related lipid mediators as established by metabololipidomic analysis. Culture of T. suis with several cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors that inhibit mammalian prostaglandin synthesis affected the worm's motility but did not inhibit PGE2 secretion, suggesting that the worms can synthesize PGE2 via a COX-independent pathway. We conclude that T. suis secretes PGE2 to suppress proinflammatory responses in human DCs, thereby modulating the host's immune response.-Laan, L. C., Williams, A. R., Stavenhagen, K., Giera, M., Kooij, G., Vlasakov, I., Kalay, H., Kringel, H., Nejsum, P., Thamsborg, S. M., Wuhrer, M., Dijkstra, C. D., Cummings, R. D., van Die, I. The whipworm (Trichuris suis) secretes prostaglandin E2 to suppress proinflammatory properties in human dendritic cells. © FASEB.

  17. IFN regulatory factor 1 restricts hepatitis E virus replication by activating STAT1 to induce antiviral IFN-stimulated genes.

    PubMed

    Xu, Lei; Zhou, Xinying; Wang, Wenshi; Wang, Yijin; Yin, Yuebang; Laan, Luc J W van der; Sprengers, Dave; Metselaar, Herold J; Peppelenbosch, Maikel P; Pan, Qiuwei

    2016-10-01

    IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) is one of the most important IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) in cellular antiviral immunity. Although hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a leading cause of acute hepatitis worldwide, how ISGs counteract HEV infection is largely unknown. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of IRF1 on HEV replication. Multiple cell lines were used in 2 models that harbor HEV. In different HEV cell culture systems, IRF1 effectively inhibited HEV replication. IRF1 did not trigger IFN production, and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data analysis revealed that IRF1 bound to the promoter region of signal transducers and activators of transcription 1 (STAT1). Functional assay confirmed that IRF1 could drive the transcription of STAT1, resulting in elevation of total and phosphorylated STAT1 proteins and further activating the transcription of a panel of downstream antiviral ISGs. By pharmacological inhibitors and RNAi-mediated gene-silencing approaches, we revealed that antiviral function of IRF1 is dependent on the JAK-STAT cascade. Furthermore, induction of ISGs and the anti-HEV effect of IRF1 overlapped that of IFNα, but was potentiated by ribavirin. We demonstrated that IRF1 effectively inhibits HEV replication through the activation of the JAK-STAT pathway, and the subsequent transcription of antiviral ISGs, but independent of IFN production.-Xu, L., Zhou, X., Wang, W., Wang, Y., Yin, Y., van der Laan, L. J. W., Sprengers, D., Metselaar, H. J., Peppelenbosch, M. P., Pan, Q. IFN regulatory factor 1 restricts hepatitis E virus replication by activating STAT1 to induce antiviral IFN-stimulated genes. © FASEB.

  18. Emotional reactivity to daily events in major and minor depression.

    PubMed

    Bylsma, Lauren M; Taylor-Clift, April; Rottenberg, Jonathan

    2011-02-01

    Although emotional dysfunction is an important aspect of major depressive disorder (MDD), it has rarely been studied in daily life. Peeters, Nicolson, Berkhof, Delespaul, and deVries (2003) observed a surprising mood-brightening effect when individuals with MDD reported greater reactivity to positive events. To better understand this phenomenon, we conducted a multimethod assessment of emotional reactivity to daily life events, obtaining detailed reports of appraisals and event characteristics using the experience-sampling method and the Day Reconstruction Method (Kahneman, Krueger, Schkade, Schwarz, & Stone, 2004) in 35 individuals currently experiencing a major depressive episode, 26 in a minor depressive (mD) episode, and 38 never-depressed healthy controls. Relative to healthy controls, both mood-disordered groups reported greater daily negative affect and lower positive affect and reported events as less pleasant, more unpleasant, and more stressful. Importantly, MDD and mD individuals reported greater reductions in negative affect following positive events, an effect that converged across assessment methods and was not explained by differences in prevailing affect, event appraisals, or medications. Implications of this curious mood-brightening effect are discussed. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

  19. Variations in the 6.2 μm emission profile in starburst-dominated galaxies: a signature of polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles (PANHs)?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canelo, Carla M.; Friaça, Amâncio C. S.; Sales, Dinalva A.; Pastoriza, Miriani G.; Ruschel-Dutra, Daniel

    2018-04-01

    Analyses of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) feature profiles, especially the 6.2 μm feature, could indicate the presence of nitrogen incorporated in their aromatic rings. In this work, 155 predominantly starburst-dominated galaxies (including H II regions and Seyferts, for example), extracted from the Spitzer/Infrared Spectrograph ATLAS project, have their 6.2 μm profiles fitted allowing their separation into the Peeters' A, B, and C classes. 67 per cent of these galaxies were classified as class A, 31 per cent were as class B, and 2 per cent as class C. Currently, class A sources, corresponding to a central wavelength near 6.22 μm, seem only to be explained by polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycles (PANHs), whereas class B may represent a mix between PAHs and PANHs emissions or different PANH structures or ionization states. Therefore, these spectra suggest a significant presence of PANHs in the interstellar medium (ISM) of these galaxies that could be related to their starburst-dominated emission. These results also suggest that PANHs constitute another reservoir of nitrogen in the Universe, in addition to the nitrogen in the gas phase and ices of the ISM.

  20. Statistical Learning of Origin-Specific Statically Optimal Individualized Treatment Rules

    PubMed Central

    van der Laan, Mark J.; Petersen, Maya L.

    2008-01-01

    Consider a longitudinal observational or controlled study in which one collects chronological data over time on a random sample of subjects. The time-dependent process one observes on each subject contains time-dependent covariates, time-dependent treatment actions, and an outcome process or single final outcome of interest. A statically optimal individualized treatment rule (as introduced in van der Laan et. al. (2005), Petersen et. al. (2007)) is a treatment rule which at any point in time conditions on a user-supplied subset of the past, computes the future static treatment regimen that maximizes a (conditional) mean future outcome of interest, and applies the first treatment action of the latter regimen. In particular, Petersen et. al. (2007) clarified that, in order to be statically optimal, an individualized treatment rule should not depend on the observed treatment mechanism. Petersen et. al. (2007) further developed estimators of statically optimal individualized treatment rules based on a past capturing all confounding of past treatment history on outcome. In practice, however, one typically wishes to find individualized treatment rules responding to a user-supplied subset of the complete observed history, which may not be sufficient to capture all confounding. The current article provides an important advance on Petersen et. al. (2007) by developing locally efficient double robust estimators of statically optimal individualized treatment rules responding to such a user-supplied subset of the past. However, failure to capture all confounding comes at a price; the static optimality of the resulting rules becomes origin-specific. We explain origin-specific static optimality, and discuss the practical importance of the proposed methodology. We further present the results of a data analysis in which we estimate a statically optimal rule for switching antiretroviral therapy among patients infected with resistant HIV virus. PMID:19122792

  1. The influence of the self-consistent mode structure on the Coriolis pinch effect

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Peeters, A. G.; Camenen, Y.; Casson, F. J.

    This paper discusses the effect of the mode structure on the Coriolis pinch effect [A. G. Peeters, C. Angioni, and D. Strintzi, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 265003 (2007)]. It is shown that the Coriolis drift effect can be compensated for by a finite parallel wave vector, resulting in a reduced momentum pinch velocity. Gyrokinetic simulations in full toroidal geometry reveal that parallel dynamics effectively removes the Coriolis pinch for the case of adiabatic electrons, while the compensation due to the parallel dynamics is incomplete for the case of kinetic electrons, resulting in a finite pinch velocity. The finite flux inmore » the case of kinetic electrons is interpreted to be related to the electron trapping, which prevents a strong asymmetry in the electrostatic potential with respect to the low field side position. The physics picture developed here leads to the discovery and explanation of two unexpected effects: First the pinch velocity scales with the trapped particle fraction (root of the inverse aspect ratio), and second there is no strong collisionality dependence. The latter is related to the role of the trapped electrons, which retain some symmetry in the eigenmode, but play no role in the perturbed parallel velocity.« less

  2. PREFACE: 21st Latin American Symposium on Solid State Physics (SLAFES XXI)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aguiar, J. Albino

    2014-04-01

    Colombia e-mail: dalandinezt@unal.edu.co Professor Laura T Corredor Bohórquez Departamento de Física Universidade Federal de Pernambuco 50670-901 Recife PE Brazil e-mail: ltcorredorb@df.ufpe.br Professor Arkady Shanenko Departamento de Física Universidade Federal de Pernambuco 50670-901 Recife PE Brazil e-mail: arkadyshanenko@df.ufpe.br Professor Renato F Jardim Instituto de Física Universidade de S\\~ao Paulo CP 66318 S\\~ao Paulo SP Brazil e-mail: rjardim@if.usp.br Professor Francois Peeters Department Fysica Universiteit Antwerpen Groneneborgerlann 171 B-2020, Antwerpen Belgium e-mail: francois.peeters@uantwerpen.be Organizing committee ChairmanCarlos Arturo Parra Vargas Proceedings EditorJosé Albino Aguiar Program ChairJairo Roa-Rojas SecretaryAura Janeth Barón González TreasurerArmando Sarmiento Santos Speaker ChairRafael González Hernández Fernando Naranjo Mayorga David A Landínez Téllez Jesús Oswaldo Morán José Sierra Ortega

  3. Vertical Mixing In Western Lake Constance Due To Long Internal Waves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boehrer, B.

    Current profiles in the pelagic waters of western Lake Constance have been broken up into modes of the internal wave equation [1,2]. All current profiles can be well represented by a combination of the first and second mode wave. The temporal vari- ation of the modal composition with the interaction of the first and second mode im- plies current shear at varying depths. From current and density profiles, the gradient Richardson number can be evaluated in its spatial and temporal pattern with occa- tional occurence of supercritical values at all depths, also in the deep hypolimnion. An empiric connection between gradient Richardson number and diapycnical mixing [3] is applied to yield a profile of vertical transport coefficients, which can be com- pared with transport coefficients from gradient flux calculations of temperature and electrical conductivity profiles [4]. [1] B. Boehrer, J. Ilmberger and K.O. Münnich (2000): Vertical Structure of Current in Western Lake Constance, JGR-Oceans, 105 (12), 28823-28835 [2] B. Boehrer (2000): Modal Response of a Deep Stratified Lake: Western Lake Con- stance, JGR-Oceans, 105 (12), 28837-28845 [3] H. Peeters, M.C. Gregg and J.M. Toole (1988): On the parameterization of equa- torial turbulence, JGR, 93, 1199-1218 [4] G. Heinz, J. Ilmberger and M. Schimmele (1990): Vertical Mixing in Überlinger See, western part of Lake Constance, Aquat. Sci., 52(3), 256-268

  4. Effects of Aversive Classical Conditioning on Sexual Response in Women With Dyspareunia and Sexually Functional Controls.

    PubMed

    Both, Stephanie; Brauer, Marieke; Weijenborg, Philomeen; Laan, Ellen

    2017-05-01

    association of sex with pain and possibly deficient safety learning play a role in dyspareunia. Both S, Brauer M, Weijenborg P, Laan E. Effects of Aversive Classical Conditioning on Sexual Response in Women With Dyspareunia and Sexually Functional Controls. J Sex Med 2017;14:687-701. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. From SEST to ALMA, from NTT to OWL: of vision, dreams and realities. Perspectives from the Directors General, past and present: Harry van der Laan, ESO Director General, 1988 - 1992

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Laan, Harry

    2002-09-01

    ESO has come a long way since in 1987 the first rocks were blasted at the NTT site on La Silla. Those were exciting days, when SEST came online and soon after the VLT programme was getting up to speed upon its approval in December 1987. It was not an easy time for staff or management: taking up the role of main contractor for its own design and construction programme rather than finding an industrial consultant to do so was an enormous challenge. It was not obvious that it could be done, for more than ninety per cent of ESO's staff capacity was occupied with running La Silla, operating Headquarter services and constructing the NTT. The VLT Blue Book and the bag of money Council had allocated to its realization were necessary but by no means sufficient. For the new, formidable task, manpower had to be found and trained, manpower both reassigned and newly recruited.

  6. Citations Prize 2009 Citations Prize 2009

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Webb, Steve; Harris, Simon

    2009-12-01

    Physics in Medicine & Biology (PMB) awards its 'Citations Prize' to the authors of the original research paper that has received the most citations in the preceding five years (according to the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI)). The lead author of the winning paper is presented with the Rotblat Medal (named in honour of Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat who was the second—and longest serving—Editor of PMB, from 1961-1972). The winning co-authors each receive a certificate. Photograph of the 2009 Citations Prize winners Some of the winning authors with their certificates, and Christian Morel with the Rotblat Medal, at the award ceremony in Orsay, near Paris. From left to right are Corinne Groiselle, Lydia Maigne, David Brasse, Irène Buvat, Dimitris Visvikis, Giovanni Santin, Uwe Pietrzyk, Pierre-François Honore, Christian Morel, Sébastien Jan and Arion Chatziioannou. The winner of the 2009 Citations Prize for the paper which has received the most citations in the previous 5 years (2004-2008) is GATE: a simulation toolkit for PET and SPECT Authors: S Jan, G Santin, D Strul, S Staelens, K Assié, D Autret, S Avner, R Barbier, M Bardiès, P M Bloomfield, D Brasse, V Breton, P Bruyndonckx, I Buvat, A F Chatziioannou, Y Choi, Y H Chung, C Comtat, D Donnarieix, L Ferrer, S J Glick, C J Groiselle, D Guez, P-F Honore, S Kerhoas-Cavata, A S Kirov, V Kohli, M Koole, M Krieguer, D J van der Laan, F Lamare, G Largeron, C Lartizien, D Lazaro, M C Maas, L Maigne, F Mayet, F Melot, C Merheb, E Pennacchio, J Perez, U Pietrzyk, F R Rannou, M Rey, D R Schaart, C R Schmidtlein, L~Simon, T Y Song, J-M Vieira, D Visvikis, R Van de Walle, E Wieörs and C Morel Reference: S Jan et al 2004 Phys. Med. Biol. 49 4543-61 Since its publication in 2004 this article has received over 200 citations. This extremely high figure is a testament to the great influence and usefulness of the work to the nuclear medicine community. More discussion of the winning paper can be found on

  7. Photoemission Spectroscopy of Delta- Plutonium: Experimental Review

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tobin, J. G.

    2002-03-01

    The electronic structure of Plutonium, particularly delta- Plutonium, remains ill defined and without direct experimental verification. Recently, we have embarked upon a program of study of alpha- and delta- Plutonium, using synchrotron radiation from the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, CA, USA [1]. This work is set within the context of Plutonium Aging [2] and the complexities of Plutonium Science [3]. The resonant photoemission of delta-plutonium is in partial agreement with an atomic, localized model of resonant photoemission, which would be consistent with a correlated electronic structure. The results of our synchrotron- based studies will be compared with those of recent laboratory- based works [4,5,6]. The talk will conclude with a brief discussion of our plans for the future, such as the performance of spin-resolving and dichroic photoemission measurements of Plutonium [7] and the development of single crystal ultrathin films of Plutonium. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by the University of California, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-Eng-48. 1. J. Terry, R.K. Schulze, J.D. Farr, T. Zocco, K. Heinzelman, E. Rotenberg, D.K. Shuh, G. van der Laan, D.A. Arena, and J.G. Tobin, “5f Resonant Photoemission from Plutonium”, UCRL-JC-140782, Surf. Sci. Lett., accepted October 2001. 2. B.D. Wirth, A.J. Schwartz, M.J. Fluss, M.J. Caturla, M.A. Wall, and W.G. Wolfer, MRS Bulletin 26, 679 (2001). 3. S.S. Hecker, MRS Bulletin 26, 667 (2001). 4. T. Gouder, L. Havela, F. Wastin, and J. Rebizant, Europhys. Lett. 55, 705 (2001); MRS Bulletin 26, 684 (2001); Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 3378 (2000). 5. A.J. Arko, J.J. Joyce, L. Morales, J. Wills, J. Lashley, F. Wastin, and J. Rebizant, Phys. Rev. B 62, 1773 (2000). 6. L.E. Cox, O. Eriksson, and B.R. Cooper, Phys. Rev. B 46, 13571 (1992). 7. J. Tobin, D.A. Arena, B. Chung, P. Roussel, J. Terry, R.K. Schulze, J.D. Farr, T. Zocco, K. Heinzelman, E

  8. Large effect of irradiance on hydrogen isotope fractionation of alkenones in Emiliania huxleyi

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Meer, Marcel T. J.; Benthien, Albert; French, Katherine L.; Epping, Eric; Zondervan, Ingrid; Reichart, Gert-Jan; Bijma, Jelle; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.; Schouten, Stefan

    2015-07-01

    The hydrogen isotopic (δD) composition of long-chain alkenones produced by certain haptophyte algae has been suggested as a potential proxy for reconstructing paleo sea surface salinity. However, environmental parameters other than salinity may also affect the δD of alkenones. We investigated the impact of the level of irradiance on hydrogen isotopic fractionation of alkenones versus growth water by cultivating two strains of the cosmopolitan haptophyte Emiliania huxleyi at different light intensities. The hydrogen isotope fractionation decreased by approximately 40‰ when irradiance was increased from 15 to 200 μmol photons m-2 s-1 above which it was relatively constant. The response is likely a direct effect of photosystem I and II activity as the relationship of the fractionation factor α versus light intensity can be described by an Eilers-Peeters photosynthesis model. This irradiance effect is in agreement with published δD data of alkenones derived from suspended particulate matter collected from different depths in the photic zone of the Gulf of California and the eastern tropical North Pacific. However, haptophyte algae tend to bloom at relatively high light intensities (>500 μmol photons m-2 s-1) occurring at the sea surface, at which hydrogen isotope fractionation is relatively constant and not affected by changes in light intensity. Alkenones accumulating in the sediment are likely mostly derived from these surface water haptophyte blooms, when the largest amount of biomass is produced. Therefore, the observed irradiance effect is unlikely to affect the applicability of the hydrogen isotopic composition of sedimentary long chain alkenones as a proxy for paleosalinity.

  9. Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers.

    PubMed

    Elfer, Peter; Page, Jools

    2015-12-02

    The last 30 years have seen a significant increase in babies attending nursery, with corresponding questions about the aims and organisation of practice. Research broadly agrees on the importance of emotionally consistent, sensitive and responsive interactions between staff and babies. Policy objectives for nursery and expectations of parents and staff give rise to different and sometimes conflicting aims for such interactions; for example attachments to staff, peer interactions or early learning. Research shows marked variations of pedagogy aims and organisation with babies in nurseries in different national and cultural contexts. It also demonstrates variation between nurseries in similar contexts and between staff in their beliefs and values about work with babies. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the beliefs, aspirations and approaches of eight managers concerning pedagogy with babies in two similar English local authorities. These managers spoke of the importance of being responsive to the concerns and priorities of parents, whilst being sensitive to the demands of the work on their staff. The main finding was of the contradictions and confusions managers felt were inherent in the work, arising from both conflicting policy objectives and personal beliefs and aspirations; sometimes their own and sometimes those of individual staff and parents. Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, and Peeters' [(2012). Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice. European Journal of Education , 47 (4), 508-526.] concept of the 'competent system' is used to recommend a grounded approach to the development of a more culturally, socially and individually responsive pedagogy with babies than appears to exist at present.

  10. Pedagogy with babies: perspectives of eight nursery managers

    PubMed Central

    Elfer, Peter; Page, Jools

    2015-01-01

    The last 30 years have seen a significant increase in babies attending nursery, with corresponding questions about the aims and organisation of practice. Research broadly agrees on the importance of emotionally consistent, sensitive and responsive interactions between staff and babies. Policy objectives for nursery and expectations of parents and staff give rise to different and sometimes conflicting aims for such interactions; for example attachments to staff, peer interactions or early learning. Research shows marked variations of pedagogy aims and organisation with babies in nurseries in different national and cultural contexts. It also demonstrates variation between nurseries in similar contexts and between staff in their beliefs and values about work with babies. This paper reports on an exploratory study of the beliefs, aspirations and approaches of eight managers concerning pedagogy with babies in two similar English local authorities. These managers spoke of the importance of being responsive to the concerns and priorities of parents, whilst being sensitive to the demands of the work on their staff. The main finding was of the contradictions and confusions managers felt were inherent in the work, arising from both conflicting policy objectives and personal beliefs and aspirations; sometimes their own and sometimes those of individual staff and parents. Urban, Vandenbroeck, Van Laere, Lazzari, and Peeters' [(2012). Towards competent systems in early childhood education and care. Implications for policy and practice. European Journal of Education, 47(4), 508–526.] concept of the ‘competent system’ is used to recommend a grounded approach to the development of a more culturally, socially and individually responsive pedagogy with babies than appears to exist at present. PMID:26692633

  11. Mercury in the Black Sea - results of the 2013 GEOTRACES MEDBlack cruise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heimbürger, L. E.; Sonke, J.; Rijkenberg, M. J. A.; Gerringa, L. J.; De Baar, H. J. W.

    2014-12-01

    Inorganic mercury (Hg), whether of natural or anthropogenic origin, can be converted into the neurotoxin methylmercury (MeHg). Today we believe this conversion occurs during the bacterial remineralization of sinking organic matter in the oceanic water column. The Black Sea with its high organic matter inputs and anoxic deep waters is an excellent study site to investigate in more detail the processes yielding MeHg. To date only one vertical profile of Hg species near the Western shelf and one vertical profile in the Western Gyre are published (Lamborg et al. 2008). We will present new results of the 2013 Dutch-led GEOTRACES MEDBlack cruise in the Black Sea. Research vessel "Pelagia" occupied 12 full depth stations along an east-west transect from 13 to 25 July 2013. High resolution vertical profiles were sampled using a titanium ultraclean CTD frame (de Baar et al., 2008) equipped with 24 x 24L PVDF samplers. Samples were filtered (0.2µm, Sartobran 300), drawn into pre-cleaned 250mL Savillex PFA bottles and acidified to 0.4% (v:v) with double-distilled HCl. Dissolved MeHg, as the sum of monomethylHg and dimethylHg, was analyzed via isotope dilution gas chromatography sector field inductively coupled mass spectrometry. Total dissolved Hg was determined following the US EPA 1631 method. We will present high resolution vertical Hg species profiles, including one ultra-high resolution profile (1 sample every 5m-depth) to understand the dynamics along the chemocline (Luther et al., 1991). We will also present the results of the GEOTRACES international intercalibration exercise for dissolved MeHg and dissolved total Hg in surface seawater that we organized during the same cruise. References De Baar HJW, Timmermans KR, Laan P, De Porto HH, Ober S, Blom JJ, Bakker MC, Schilling J, Sarthou G, Smit MG, Klunder M. Titan: A new facility for ultraclean sampling of trace elements and isotopes in the deep oceans in the international Geotraces program. Mar. Chem. 2008, 111

  12. Sexual Inhibition is a Vulnerability Factor for Orgasm Problems in Women.

    PubMed

    Tavares, Inês M; Laan, Ellen T M; Nobre, Pedro J

    2018-03-01

    development of clinical strategies to address and regulate them is recommended. Although this study investigated a large community sample, this sample was composed of heterosexual, relatively young women and thus generalization of the present results demands some caution. Social desirability was controlled for in the analyses and questionnaires were not collected face to face, which constitutes a strength of this study because social desirability is lower in self-administered online questionnaires compared with paper-and-pencil questionnaires, particularly for more sensitive sexual issues. SIS1 was found to be a vulnerability factor for female orgasmic difficulties. Future research should test these findings with different samples, particularly clinical samples of women with orgasmic problems, preferably with the use of longitudinal designs. Tavares IM, Laan ETM, Nobre PJ. Sexual Inhibition is a Vulnerability Factor for Orgasm Problems in Women. J Sex Med 2018;15:361-372. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity.

    PubMed

    Tavares, Inês M; Laan, Ellen T M; Nobre, Pedro J

    2017-06-01

    of automatic thoughts and of positive emotions experienced during sexual activity. Data were not collected face to face, which constitutes a strength of this study, because it is known that social desirability is lower in self-administered online questionnaires compared with traditional paper-and-pencil questionnaires, particularly for more sensitive sexual issues. The fact that the sample was composed of heterosexual, premenopausal, and relatively young women demands some caution regarding generalization of the present results. The findings support the contribution of cognitive and affective factors to female orgasmic functioning. It is recommended that future research confirm these findings with other samples, particularly clinical samples of women with orgasmic difficulties. Tavares IM, Laan ETM, Nobre PJ. Cognitive-Affective Dimensions of Female Orgasm: The Role of Automatic Thoughts and Affect During Sexual Activity. J Sex Med 2017;14:818-828. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Spontaneous Seizures and Altered Gene Expression in GABA Signaling Pathways in a mind bomb Mutant Zebrafish

    PubMed Central

    Hortopan, Gabriela A.; Dinday, Matthew T.; Baraban, Scott C.

    2010-01-01

    conserved signal transduction cascade mediating development. In neuroectoderm, where cells have the potential to become neurons, activated Notch inhibits proneural gene expression in a process referred to as lateral inhibition. In the absence of Notch-mediated lateral inhibition, too many early-born cells differentiate into neurons (Chitnis et al., 1995; de la Pompa et al., 1997). Recent studies identified several E3 ligases that modulate Notch signaling through ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation and endocytosis (Lai, 2002). Ubiquitination, which occurs when an E3 ligase enzyme binds to both substrate and an E2 thioesterified protein (Deshaies and Joazeiro, 2009), is a key mechanism regulating many cellular processes. Mutation or small deletions within the ubiquitin E3A ligase gene in humans has been linked to autism spectrum disorders (Glessner et al., 2009) and Angelman syndrome, a neurogenetic disorder characterized by developmental delay, severe intellectual disability, absent speech, exuberant behavior, motor impairment, and epilepsy (Clayton-Smith and Laan, 2003). PMID:20943912

  15. Optimisation of high-quality total ribonucleic acid isolation from cartilaginous tissues for real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis

    PubMed Central

    Peeters, M.; Huang, C. L.; Vonk, L. A.; Lu, Z. F.; Bank, R. A.; Doulabi, B. Zandieh

    2016-01-01

    Objectives Studies which consider the molecular mechanisms of degeneration and regeneration of cartilaginous tissues are seriously hampered by problematic ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolations due to low cell density and the dense, proteoglycan-rich extracellular matrix of cartilage. Proteoglycans tend to co-purify with RNA, they can absorb the full spectrum of UV light and they are potent inhibitors of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Therefore, the objective of the present study is to compare and optimise different homogenisation methods and RNA isolation kits for an array of cartilaginous tissues. Materials and Methods Tissue samples such as the nucleus pulposus (NP), annulus fibrosus (AF), articular cartilage (AC) and meniscus, were collected from goats and homogenised by either the MagNA Lyser or Freezer Mill. RNA of duplicate samples was subsequently isolated by either TRIzol (benchmark), or the RNeasy Lipid Tissue, RNeasy Fibrous Tissue, or Aurum Total RNA Fatty and Fibrous Tissue kits. RNA yield, purity, and integrity were determined and gene expression levels of type II collagen and aggrecan were measured by real-time PCR. Results No differences between the two homogenisation methods were found. RNA isolation using the RNeasy Fibrous and Lipid kits resulted in the purest RNA (A260/A280 ratio), whereas TRIzol isolations resulted in RNA that is not as pure, and show a larger difference in gene expression of duplicate samples compared with both RNeasy kits. The Aurum kit showed low reproducibility. Conclusion For the extraction of high-quality RNA from cartilaginous structures, we suggest homogenisation of the samples by the MagNA Lyser. For AC, NP and AF we recommend the RNeasy Fibrous kit, whereas for the meniscus the RNeasy Lipid kit is advised. Cite this article: M. Peeters, C. L. Huang, L. A. Vonk, Z. F. Lu, R. A. Bank, M. N. Helder, B. Zandieh Doulabi. Optimisation of high-quality total ribonucleic acid isolation from cartilaginous tissues for real

  16. Modeling serotonin uptake in the lung shows endothelial transporters dominate over cleft permeation

    PubMed Central

    Bassingthwaighte, James B.

    2013-01-01

    A four-region (capillary plasma, endothelium, interstitial fluid, cell) multipath model was configured to describe the kinetics of blood-tissue exchange for small solutes in the lung, accounting for regional flow heterogeneity, permeation of cell membranes and through interendothelial clefts, and intracellular reactions. Serotonin uptake data from the Multiple indicator dilution “bolus sweep” experiments of Rickaby and coworkers (Rickaby DA, Linehan JH, Bronikowski TA, Dawson CA. J Appl Physiol 51: 405–414, 1981; Rickaby DA, Dawson CA, and Linehan JH. J Appl Physiol 56: 1170–1177, 1984) and Malcorps et al. (Malcorps CM, Dawson CA, Linehan JH, Bronikowski TA, Rickaby DA, Herman AG, Will JA. J Appl Physiol 57: 720–730, 1984) were analyzed to distinguish facilitated transport into the endothelial cells (EC) and the inhibition of tracer transport by nontracer serotonin in the bolus of injectate from the free uninhibited permeation through the clefts into the interstitial fluid space. The permeability-surface area products (PS) for serotonin via the inter-EC clefts were ∼0.3 ml·g−1·min−1, low compared with the transporter-mediated maximum PS of 13 ml·g−1·min−1 (with Km = ∼0.3 μM and Vmax = ∼4 nmol·g−1·min−1). The estimates of serotonin PS values for EC transporters from their multiple data sets were similar and were influenced only modestly by accounting for the cleft permeability in parallel. The cleft PS estimates in these Ringer-perfused lungs are less than half of those for anesthetized dogs (Yipintsoi T. Circ Res 39: 523–531, 1976) with normal hematocrits, but are compatible with passive noncarrier-mediated transport observed later in the same laboratory (Dawson CA, Linehan JH, Rickaby DA, Bronikowski TA. Ann Biomed Eng 15: 217–227, 1987; Peeters FAM, Bronikowski TA, Dawson CA, Linehan JH, Bult H, Herman AG. J Appl Physiol 66: 2328–2337, 1989) The identification and quantitation of the cleft pathway conductance from these

  17. Evaluating the Effect of Labeled Benchmarks on Children's Number Line Estimation Performance and Strategy Use.

    PubMed

    Peeters, Dominique; Sekeris, Elke; Verschaffel, Lieven; Luwel, Koen

    2017-01-01

    Some authors argue that age-related improvements in number line estimation (NLE) performance result from changes in strategy use. More specifically, children's strategy use develops from only using the origin of the number line, to using the origin and the endpoint, to eventually also relying on the midpoint of the number line. Recently, Peeters et al. (unpublished) investigated whether the provision of additional unlabeled benchmarks at 25, 50, and 75% of the number line, positively affects third and fifth graders' NLE performance and benchmark-based strategy use. It was found that only the older children benefitted from the presence of these benchmarks at the quartiles of the number line (i.e., 25 and 75%), as they made more use of these benchmarks, leading to more accurate estimates. A possible explanation for this lack of improvement in third graders might be their inability to correctly link the presented benchmarks with their corresponding numerical values. In the present study, we investigated whether labeling these benchmarks with their corresponding numerical values, would have a positive effect on younger children's NLE performance and quartile-based strategy use as well. Third and sixth graders were assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a control condition with an empty number line bounded by 0 at the origin and 1,000 at the endpoint, (b) an unlabeled condition with three additional external benchmarks without numerical labels at 25, 50, and 75% of the number line, and (c) a labeled condition in which these benchmarks were labeled with 250, 500, and 750, respectively. Results indicated that labeling the benchmarks has a positive effect on third graders' NLE performance and quartile-based strategy use, whereas sixth graders already benefited from the mere provision of unlabeled benchmarks. These findings imply that children's benchmark-based strategy use can be stimulated by adding additional externally provided benchmarks on the number line, but that

  18. Evaluating the Effect of Labeled Benchmarks on Children’s Number Line Estimation Performance and Strategy Use

    PubMed Central

    Peeters, Dominique; Sekeris, Elke; Verschaffel, Lieven; Luwel, Koen

    2017-01-01

    Some authors argue that age-related improvements in number line estimation (NLE) performance result from changes in strategy use. More specifically, children’s strategy use develops from only using the origin of the number line, to using the origin and the endpoint, to eventually also relying on the midpoint of the number line. Recently, Peeters et al. (unpublished) investigated whether the provision of additional unlabeled benchmarks at 25, 50, and 75% of the number line, positively affects third and fifth graders’ NLE performance and benchmark-based strategy use. It was found that only the older children benefitted from the presence of these benchmarks at the quartiles of the number line (i.e., 25 and 75%), as they made more use of these benchmarks, leading to more accurate estimates. A possible explanation for this lack of improvement in third graders might be their inability to correctly link the presented benchmarks with their corresponding numerical values. In the present study, we investigated whether labeling these benchmarks with their corresponding numerical values, would have a positive effect on younger children’s NLE performance and quartile-based strategy use as well. Third and sixth graders were assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a control condition with an empty number line bounded by 0 at the origin and 1,000 at the endpoint, (b) an unlabeled condition with three additional external benchmarks without numerical labels at 25, 50, and 75% of the number line, and (c) a labeled condition in which these benchmarks were labeled with 250, 500, and 750, respectively. Results indicated that labeling the benchmarks has a positive effect on third graders’ NLE performance and quartile-based strategy use, whereas sixth graders already benefited from the mere provision of unlabeled benchmarks. These findings imply that children’s benchmark-based strategy use can be stimulated by adding additional externally provided benchmarks on the number line

  19. Post-glacial coast development and human settling of the North European Ice Marginal Landscape (IML)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bregman, I. Kant Baltic Federal State University, Kaliningrad, Russia, E. P. H.; Netherlands, Utrecht University, the; Druzhinina, I. Kant Baltic Federal State University, Kaliningrad, Russia, O. A.

    2012-04-01

    In North Europe, in the Ice Marginal Landscapes (IML) from the Netherlands to Estonia, human settling is in the Late-Pleistocene - Holocene strongly influenced by post-glacial relative coast development(MESO, 2010; SINCOS, 2002-2009; Machu, 2006-2009, IGCP project 346, CoPaF, 2009-2012) and glacio-isostasy. Geological processes like updoming and tectonic block displacements not only influenced sedimentation of river systems in delta's (e.g. Cohen, 2003), but influenced coastal development and human settling too in the North Sea area (e.g. Peeters, 2009; Hijma e.a., 2011) the Wadden areas (e.g. de Langen, 2011) and lagoons (e.g. Druzhinina, 2010). An overview of shoreline development at the distal side of the Late Glacial forbulge related to glaciological and geophysical processes however does not exist and coastal development models are also not correlated with human settling. Our project( 2012 - 2018) has the aim to describe the influence of shifting coast on the way of settling and living of ancient man in the IML. The main questions to be answered are as follow: (i) Is coast development influenced by glaciations a result of interaction between endo- and exogenic (glaciological-, geological-, and geophysical) forces in general and at the local scale of morphological elements? (ii) Did ancient man adept to changes in natural circumstances and what did that mean for his social behavior and economy? (iii) Were forms of human society and economy in the IML primarily dependent on the natural environment with regard to geophysical and geological differences and related to post-glacial response of the earth crust? Detailed integrated studying of "key-areas", with attention to deep geology, will allow to get new insight of the impact of post-glacial shoreline changes and history of man on the coast in the IML with focus on his past (history of relations) and future (impact of climate change. The project is an international project, with participation of institutes all

  20. Study of Turbulence and Radial Electric Field Transitions in ASDEX Upgrade using Doppler Reflectometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Conway, Garrard

    2006-10-01

    The radial electric field is recognised as an important factor in the performance of magnetically confined fusion plasmas. On ASDEX Upgrade microwave Doppler reflectometry has been developed to directly measure Er profiles, its shear and its fluctuations. Here a poloidally tilted antenna selects via Bragg a specific turbulence wavenumber giving a frequency shift directly proportional to the perpendicular rotation velocity u= vE xB+ vturb of the turbulence moving in the plasma. Turbulence simulations show vE xBvturb allowing simple extraction of Er with good accuracy. In the scrape-off-layer Er is positive, but reverses across the separatrix due to the pedestal pressure gradient to form a negative well. The strength of the well scales directly with confinement, typically -50V/cm for ohmic/L-mode, rising to -300V/cm for H-mode and in excess of -500V/cm for improved H-modes. Without NBI vE xB vturb which allows the turbulence behaviour to be investigated. For example the core rotation reverses from ion to electron direction when plasma collisionality is raised while matched gyro-kinetic turbulence simulations show the dominant turbulence changing from TEM to ITG with corresponding vturb reversal, which implies the core Er reverses sign with the turbulence. Also of major importance to confinement are zonal flows and GAMs - radially localised oscillating E xB flows. Er fluctuations directly measured by Doppler refl. reveal coherent modes in the edge gradient region where turbulence vorticity and Er shear are largest. The mode frequency scales as sound speed over major radius but is sensitive to plasma shape and local q. So far GAMs have not been seen in H-modes, nor in the plasma core. In each topic, the synergetic combination of experiment, theory and numerical simulation aids interpretation shows Er is interlinked with turbulence and the mean plasma profiles. Collaborators: J.Schirmer, W.Suttrop, C.Angioni, R.Dux, F.Jenko, E.Holzhauer, S.Klenge, B.Kurzan, C.Maggi, A.G.Peeters

  1. Effects of climate change on deep-water oxygen and winter mixing in a deep lake (Lake Geneva)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schwefel, Robert; Alfred, Wüest; Damien, Bouffard

    2016-04-01

    Oxygen is the most important dissolved gas for lake ecosystems. Because low oxygen concentrations are an ongoing problem in many parts of the oceans and numerous lakes, oxygen depletion processes have been intensively studied over the last decades and were mainly attributed to high nutrient loads. Recently, climate-induced changes in stratification and mixing behavior were recognized as additional thread to hypolimnetic oxygen budgets in lakes and reservoirs [Matzinger et al., 2007; Zhang et al., 2015]. Observational data of Lake Geneva, a deep perialpine lake situated between France and Switzerland showed no decreasing trend in hypoxia over the last 43 years, despite an impressive reduction in nutrient input during this period. Instead, hypoxic conditions were predominantly controlled by deep mixing end of winter and in turn by winter temperatures. To test the sensitivity of Lake Geneva on future climate change and changes in water transparency, we simulated the hydrodynamics and temperature of Lake Geneva under varying conditions for atmospheric temperature and water clarity performed with the one-dimensional model SIMSTRAT [Goudsmit, 2002]. The results show, that the stratification in lakes is only weakly affected by changes in light absorption due to varying water quality. For conditions expected for the end of the century, a decrease in the annual mean deep convective mixing of up to 45 m is predicted. Also complete mixing events over the whole lake are less likely to occur. A change in the hypolimnetic oxygen concentration of up to 20% can thus be expected in the future. These results show, that changes in deep mixing have an equally strong impact as eutrophication on the deep-water oxygen development of oligomictic lakes and have to be considered in the prediction of the future development of lakes. References: Goudsmit, G. H., H. Burchard, F. Peeters, and A. Wüest (2002), Application of k-ɛ turbulence models to enclosed basins: The role of internal

  2. The update of resist outgas testing for metal containing resists at EIDEC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shiobara, Eishi; Mikami, Shinji

    2017-10-01

    work was supported by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). [1] Eishi Shiobara, Shinji Mikami, Satoshi Tanaka, International Symposium on EUV Lithography, Hiroshima, Japan, P-RE-01, (2016). [2] Mark van de Kerkhof, Hans Jasper, Leon Levasier, Rudy Peeters, Roderik van Es, Jan-Willem Bosker, Alexander Zdravkov, Egbert Lenderink, Fabrizio Evangelista, Par Broman, Bartosz Bilski, Thorsten Last, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 10143, 101430D (2017). [3] Oktay Yildirim, Elizabeth Buitrago, Rik Hoefnagels, Marieke Meeuwissen, Sander Wuister, Gijsbert Rispens, Anton van Oosten, Paul Derks, Jo Finders, Michaela Vockenhuber, Yasin Ekinci, Proc. of SPIE Vol. 10143, 101430Q (2017).

  3. Combining Ambient Measurements of OH Radicals and OH Reactivity in a Tropical Rainforest during the OP-3 Project: Resolving the Magnitude of the Missing OH Sources and Sinks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whalley, L. K.; Edwards, P.; Furneaux, K. L.; Goddard, A.; George, I. J.; Evans, M. J.; Heard, D. E.; Team Op-3

    2010-12-01

    effect of 0.74 ppbv of NO. The model is unable to account for all of the OH reactivity; to simulate the OH reactivity a range of unmeasured sinks must be invoked. In general we believe that the simultaneous measurement of OH reactivity and OH concentration enables the separation of OH sources and sinks, allowing a more comprehensive test of our understanding of the radical chemistry occurring in this chemically complex environment. [1] J. Lelieveld, T. M. Butler, J. N. Crowley et al.: Nature, 2008, 452, p.737 - 740 [2] J. Peeters, T. L. Nguyen & L. Vereecken, PCCP, 2009, 11, p.5935 - 5939

  4. Alkenone based constraints of the hydrological development in the mozambique channel over the last 39, 000 years

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kasper, Sebastian; Castañeda, Isla; Tjallingii, Rik; Brummer, Geert-Jan; Schneider, Ralph; Sininnghe-Damsté, Jaap S.; Schouten, Stefan; van der Meer, Marcel T. J.

    2014-05-01

    Indian Ocean surface circulation through the Mozambique Channel forms the upstream source for the Agulhas Current, which is the main mechanism for transporting warm and salty waters from the Indian Ocean into the Atlantic via the Agulhas Leakage (Lutjeharms 2006). However, the Agulhas Leakage was reduced substantially during glacial times due to the northward migration of the subtropical fronts and shifts in the wind fields, and resulted in accumulation of warm and saline waters in the Southwest Indian Ocean (Peeters et al., 2004). A better understanding of the interactions between sea surface temperatures (SST) and sea surface salinity (SSS) in the Agulhas source region are fundamental for reconstructing past changes in this surface warm water route of the global conveyor and ocean-continent climate linkage with respect to South Africa. Here we present a record of the stable hydrogen isotope composition of the combined di- and tri- unsaturated alkenones (Dalkenone) that might relate to past SSS variations. We compare the variations of the Dalkenone with UK'37 SST records from sediment core 64PE304-80 located in the Mozambique Channel off the Zambezi River mouth. To estimate the influence of freshwater input at this site the alkenone hydrogen isotope record was compared to BIT Index values and Ca/Ti ratios reflecting the input of soil organic matter and lithogenic material on the core site, respectively. During the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the onset of Heinrich event 1 (HE1) at ~18,000 years, Dalkenone and UK'37 are positively correlated. The Dalkenone is more enriched during HE1 corresponding with high BIT values, increased Ca/Ti ratios, and relatively cold SST values. After ~16 ka, Dalkenone values decrease when UK'37 SST increases throughout the early Holocene, suggesting an increase of the continental precipitation and runoff during periods of increased SST. This period can be related to postglacial warming of the tropical ocean or due to a latitudinal

  5. Planktonic Foraminifera Study at Site ODP 999A (Caribbean Sea): Insights into Oceanic Exchange and Paleocirculation During the last 450 Kyrs.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vautravers, M. J.; Spero, H. J.; Schmidt, M. W.

    2004-12-01

    A recent micro-palaeontological study of a core from the South Atlantic (Peeters et al., Nature. 430, 661, 2004) stresses the importance of the Agulhas leakage intensity as a key control on North Atlantic Thermohaline operation. Planktonic foraminifera counts were conducted on the Colombian Basin core ODP 999A (12° N, 74° W, 2878 m); results are presented on a SPECMAP-based age model (Schmidt et al., in prep 2004). At present both climate and surface circulation are driven by the motion of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which governs dry/wet seasons and upwelling intensity. Caribbean surface water originates from both the south Atlantic, which re-circulates Indian Ocean water, and the north Atlantic subtropical gyre. Similarly the deep-water is a mixture of AAIW and UNADW, originating in the southern and northern hemispheres respectively. A CaCO3 preservation index, which is deduced from planktonic fragments and pteropod remains, is used to trace changes in the intermediate water mixture. This study confirms that the sediments are better preserved during glacial times. Furthermore, it shows that the sediments of MIS11 are intensely dissolved, suggesting a maximal contribution of AAIW. Over the last 450 kyr, we observe a decreasing contribution of the AAIW during both interglacial and glacial times. In addition, the Holocene appears unusual, with a low AAIW to UNADW ratio in comparison to previous warm intervals. An examination of the percentages of the surface Indo-Pacific species G. menardii seems to confirm part this result, identifying MIS11 as a time of maximal Indian-Atlantic exchange via the Agulhas 3valve2. It also confirms that during MIS2, 3 and 4, Caribbean surface waters were unusually unfavourable for this species and/or that the Agulhas connection was absent. The % of G. Hexagona, another Indo-Pacific species, which lives in deeper thermocline waters, peaks during MIS11, MIS9e, MIS7c and MIS5e but is absent during the Holocene and MIS7e

  6. Influences of the Agulhas Current on South African terrestrial climate as inferred from speleothem stable isotope records

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Braun, K.; Bar-Matthews, M.; Ayalon, A.; Marean, C.; Herries, A. I. R.; Zahn, R.; Matthews, A.

    2012-04-01

    Basin[5,6] as well as an ice-core record from Antarctica[7] reveal that the speleothem δ18O and δ13C are more closely related to the sea surface temperature shifts in the Agulhas region and Antarctica (with lower δ18O and δ13C values corresponding to higher temperatures) than to the influence of global ice-volume related changes in the isotopic composition of the ocean. A contemporary record from a cave site situated ~92 km inland from Mossel Bay (E-Flux Cave, Klein Karoo) shows a very different signal, corresponding to overall changes in Obliquity[8]. The influence of the Agulhas Current is thus apparent on the coast, but reduced inland. [1] Bar-Matthews, M. et al. 2010. Quaternary Science Reviews 29 p2131. [2] Braun, K. et al. 2011. Conference Abstract, Climate Change - The Karst Record 6. Birmingham England p27. [3] Chase, B. M. & Meadows, M. E., 2007. Earth-Science Reviews 84 p103. [4] Cortese, G. et al. 2004. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 222 p767. [5] Martínez-Méndez, G. et al. (2010). Paleoceanography 25(PA4227): doi:10.1029/2009PA001879. [6] Peeters, F. J. C. et al. 2004. Nature 430 p661. [7] Petit, J. R. et al. 1999. Nature 399 p429. [8] Berger, A. L. 1978. Quaternary Research 9 p139.

  7. Fullerenes, Organics and the Diffuse Interstellar Bands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Foing, Bernard H.

    2016-07-01

    ; [12] Krelowski, J. et al. 1999A&A 347, 235; [13] Sonnentrucker, P., Cami, J., Ehrenfreund, P., Foing, B. H. 1997 A&A 327, 1215; [14] Sonnentrucker, P., Foing, B. H., Breitfellner, M., Ehrenfreund, P. 1999 A&A 346, 936; [15] Cox, N. et al. 2007 A&A 470, 941; [16] Ehrenfreund, P. et al. 2002 ApJ 576 L117; [17] Ehrenfreund, P.; Foing, B. H. 1996 A&A 307 L25; [18] Sarre, P. J. et al. 1995 MNRAS.277 L41; [19] Cossart-Magos, C. & Leach, S. 1990 A&A 233, 559; [20] Cox, N. L., Ehrenfreund, P., Foing, B. H. et al. 2011 A&A 531, 25; [21] Cox, N. L., Boudin, N., Foing, B. H. et al. 2007 A&A 465, 899; [22] Ehrenfreund, P. & Charnley, S. 2000 ANRAA 38, 427; [23] Scarrott, S. M., Watkin, S., Miles, J. R., Sarre, P. J. 1992 MNRAS 255, 11; [25] Planck Collaboration, 2011 A&A 536 20 (Planck early results. XX.); [26] Ehrenfreund, P. et al. 1995 A&A 299; 213; [27] Ehrenfreund, P. & Foing, B. H 1995 P&SS 43, 1183; [28] van der Zwet, G. P., Allamandola, L. J. 1985 A&A 146 76; [29] Salama, F. et al. 1996 ApJ 458, 621; [30] Ruiterkamp, R. et al. 2005 A&A 432, 515; [31] Ruiterkamp, R. et al. 2002 A&A 390, 1153; [32] Vuong, M. H. & Foing, B. H 2000 A&A 363, L5; [33] Le Page, V. et al 2001 ApJS 132, 233; [34] Ehrenfreund, P et al. 2007 P&SS 55, 383; [35] Bryson, K. L., Peeters, Z., Salama, F., Foing, B., Ehrenfreund, P. et al. 2011 AdSpR 48, 1980; [36] Mattioda, A., Cook, A., Ehrenfreund, P. et al. 2012 AsBio 12, 841.

  8. COST Action MP0806 'Particles in Turbulence': International Conference on Fundamentals, Experiments, Numeric and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abel, Markus; Bodenschatz, Eberhard; Toschi, Federico

    2011-12-01

    also like to thank the students from Potsdam University for their exquisite help. We are very thankful to Anita Peeters for her unwavering support and help in the organization of this particular event, as well as, for the efforts ensuring the smooth running of the COST Action 'Particles in turbulence'. Markus Abel, Eberhard Bodenschatz, Federico Toschi The PDF files of the conference program and conference poster are attached.

  9. Sleep on the right side-Get cancer on the left?

    PubMed

    Hallberg, Orjan; Johansson, Olle

    2010-06-01

    Breast cancer frequently occurs in the left breast among both women and men [R. Roychoudhuri, V. Putcha, H. Møller, Cancer and laterality: a study of the five major paired organs (UK), Cancer Causes Control 17 (2006) 655-662; M.T. Goodman, K.H. Tung, L.R. Wilkens, Comparative epidemiology of breast cancer among men and women in the US, 1996 to 2000, Cancer Causes Control 17 (2006) 127-136; C.I. Perkins, J. Hotes, B.A. Kohler, H.L. Howe, Association between breast cancer laterality and tumor location, United States, 1994-1998, Cancer Causes Control 15 (2004) 637-645; H.A. Weiss, S.S. Devesa, L.A. Brinton, Laterality of breast cancer in the United States, Cancer Causes Control 7 (1996) 539-543; A. Ekbom, H.O. Adami, D. Trichopoulos, M. Lambe, C.C. Hsieh, J. Pontén, Epidemiologic correlates of breast cancer laterality (Sweden), Cancer Causes Control 5 (1994) 510-516]. Moreover, recent results showed that the left side of the body is more prone to melanoma than the right side [D.H. Brewster, M.J. Horner, S. Rowan, P. Jelfs, E. de Vries, E. Pukkala, Left-sided excess of invasive cutaneous melanoma in six countries, Eur. J. Cancer 43 (2007) 2634-2637]. Current explanations for left-sided breast cancer include handedness [L. Titus-Ernstoff, P.A. Newcomb, K.M. Egan, et al., Left-handedness in relation to breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women, Epidemiology 11 (2000) 181-184; M.A. Kramer, S. Albrecht, R.A. Miller, Handedness and the laterality of breast cancer in women, Nurs. Res. 34 (1985) 333-337; M.K. Ramadhani, S.G. Elias, P.A. van Noord, D.E. Grobbee, P.H. Peeters, C.S. Uiterwaal, Innate left handedness and risk of breast cancer: case-cohort study, BMJ 331 (2005) 882-883], size difference, nursing preference, and brain structure. However, men are affected even more by left laterality than women, thus many of these explanations are unconvincing. Increasing rates of skin melanoma have been associated with immune-disruptive radiation from FM/TV transmitters [O

  10. Land - Ocean Climate Linkages and the Human Evolution - New ICDP and IODP Drilling Initiatives in the East African Rift Valley and SW Indian Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zahn, R.; Feibel, C.; Co-Pis, Icdp/Iodp

    2009-04-01

    enable us to establish the linkages between the ocean climatology of the SW Indian and terrestrial climates of Eastern Africa during key periods of global climate change. Combining the ICDP records of East African terrestrial climate at key hominin sites with IODP records of marine climate variability at the SE African continental margin will help to test if pulses of hominin evolutionary innovation were linked with periods of enhanced variability of local terrestrial environments and marine climatology of the Indian Ocean. * co-PIs of the ICDP initiative HSPDP are A.S. Cohen, R. Arrowsmith, A.K. Behrensmeyer, C. Feibel, R. Johnson, Z. Kubsa, D. Olago, R. Potts, R. Renaut * co-PIs of the IODP initiative SAFARI are R. Zahn, I. Hall, R. Schneider, M. Á. Bárcena, S. Barker, A. Biastoch, Chr. Charles, J. Compton, R. Cowling, P. Diz, L. Dupont, J.-A. Flores, S. Goldstein, S. Hemming, K. Holmgren, J. Lee-Thorp, G. Knorr, C. Lear, A. Mazaud, G. Mortyn, F. Peeters, B. Preu, R. Rickaby, J. Rogers, A. Rosell-Mele, Chr. Reason, V. Spiess, M. Trauth, G. Uenzelmann-Neben, S. Weldeab, P. Ziveri

  11. EDITORIAL: Focus on Dilute Magnetic Semiconductors FOCUS ON DILUTE MAGNETIC SEMICONDUCTORS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chambers, Scott A.; Gallagher, Bryan

    2008-05-01

    Chisholm, J D Budai and D P Norton Role of charge carriers for ferromagnetism in cobalt-doped rutile TiO2 T Fukumura, H Toyosaki, K Ueno, M Nakano and M Kawasaki Ab-initio study of exchange constants and electronic structure in diluted magnetic group-IV semiconductors Silvia Picozzi and Marjana Ležaić Phase coherent transport in (Ga,Mn)As D Neumaier, K Wagner, U Wurstbauer, M Reinwald, W Wegscheider and D Weiss Hydrogen interstitials-mediated ferromagnetism in MnxGe1-x magnetic semiconductors Xin-Xin Yao, Shi-Shen Yan, Shu-Jun Hu, Xue-Ling Lin, Chong Han, Yan-Xue Chen, Guo-Lei Liu and Liang-Mo Mei Electronic structures of magnetic semiconductors FeCr2Se4 and Fe0.5Cu0.5Cr2Se4 B I Min, Seung Su Baik, H C Choi, S K Kwon and J-S Kang Investigation of pure and Co2+-doped ZnO quantum dot electronic structures using the density functional theory: choosing the right functional Ekaterina Badaeva, Yong Feng, Daniel R Gamelin and Xiaosong Li Magnetic properties of sol-gel-derived doped ZnO as a potential ferromagnetic semiconductor: a synchrotron-based study N R S Farley, K W Edmonds, A A Freeman, G van der Laan, C R Staddon, D H Gregory and B L Gallagher Local electronic structure of Cr in the II-VI diluted ferromagnetic semiconductor Zn1-xCrxTe M Kobayashi, Y Ishida, J I Hwang, G S Song, A Fujimori, C S Yang, L Lee, H-J Lin, D J Huang, C T Chen, Y Takeda, K Terai, S-I Fujimori, T Okane, Y Saitoh, H Yamagami, K Kobayashi, A Tanaka, H Saito and K Ando Lack of ferromagnetism in n-type cobalt-doped ZnO epitaxial thin films T C Kaspar, T Droubay, S M Heald, P Nachimuthu, C M Wang, V Shutthanandan, C A Johnson, D R Gamelin and S A Chambers XMCD studies on Co and Li doped ZnO magnetic semiconductors Thomas Tietze, Milan Gacic, Gisela Schütz, Gerhard Jakob, Sebastian Brück and Eberhard Goering Ferromagnetic semiconductors and the role of disorder B W Wessels An extensive comparison of anisotropies in MBE grown (Ga,Mn)As material C Gould, S Mark, K Pappert, R G Dengel, J Wenisch, R P

  12. PREFACE: XXXth International Colloquium on Group Theoretical Methods in Physics (ICGTMP) (Group30)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brackx, Fred; De Schepper, Hennie; Van der Jeugt, Joris

    2015-04-01

    Christophe Peeters, Deputy Mayor of the City of Ghent, was followed by a reception in the historical "Pacificatiezaal" of the City Hall. On Wednesday afternoon the participants had the opportunity to take a guided tour through medieval Ghent, admiring its wide range of monuments. The tour was followed by a much-appreciated boat trip exploring the canals and rivers of Ghent, all in sunny weather. On Thursday evening the conference banquet was held in the "Brasserie HA". Located in the Handelsbeurs Ghent. In the majestic banquet hall, the participants were not only treated to an exclusive dinner, but also to some fine piano music by Dmitry Gal'tsov and Richard Kerner. The conference was sponsored by: American Institute of Physics (AIP Publishing), Clay Mathematics Institute, Clifford Research Group - Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (Ghent Unviversity), Elsevier, Faculty of Sciences (Ghent University), Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS), Foundation Compositio Mathematica, FWO Research Foundation - Flanders, International Association of Mathematical Physics, International Solvay Institutes, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, National Science Foundation (USA) and Springer Birkhäuser. We would like to thank all our sponsors for their generous support. It took more than two years to organise a conference of such a size and importance. We express our gratitude to the International Advisory Committee for its help in selecting the plenary speakers and to the external members of the Organising Committee for their helpful suggestions and advice. We thank Wouter Dewolf for his devoted secretarial, administrative and organisational work and Vera Vanden Driessche for arranging the "Accompanying persons' programme". Finally, a big 'thank you' to all the local people (administrative and technical staff, research assistants and research students) for their devoted and tireless work in preparing and running the conference. Fred Brackx, Hennie De Schepper and Joris

  13. Alcohol consumption and the risk of renal cancers in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Wozniak MB, Brennan P, Brenner DR, Overvad K, Olsen A, Tjønneland A, Boutron-Ruault MC, Clavel-Chapelon F, Fagherazzi G, Katzke V, Kühn T, Boeing H, Bergmann MM, Steffen A, Naska A, Trichopoulou A, Trichopoulos D, Saieva C, Grioni S, Panico S, Tumino R, Vineis P, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB, Peeters PH, Hjartåker A, Weiderpass E, Arriola L, Molina-Montes E, Duell EJ, Santiuste C, Alonso de la Torre R, Barricarte Gurrea A, Stocks T, Johansson M, Ljungberg B, Wareham N, Khaw KT, Travis RC, Cross AJ, Murphy N, Riboli E, Scelo G.Int J Cancer. 2015 Oct 15;137(8):1953-66. [Epub 2015 Apr 28]. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29559.

    PubMed

    Jay, Raman; Brennan, P; Brenner; Overvad, K; Olsen, A; Tjønneland, A; Boutron-Ruault, M C; Clavel-Chapelon, F; Fagherazzi; Katzke, V; Kühn, T; Boeing, H; Bergmann, M M; Steffen, A; Naska, A; Trichopoulou, A; Trichopoulos, D; Saieva, C; Grioni, S; Panico, S; Tumino, R; Vineis, P; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H B; Peeters, P H; Hjartåker, A; Weiderpass, E; Arriola, L; Molina-Montes, E; Duell, E J; Santiuste, C; Alonso de la Torre, R; Barricarte Gurrea, A; Stocks, T; Johansson, M; Ljungberg, B; Wareham, N; Khaw, K T; Travis, R C; Cross, A J; Murphy, N; Riboli, E; Scelo, G

    2017-03-01

    Epidemiologic studies have reported that moderate alcohol consumption is inversely associated with the risk of renal cancer. However, there is no information available on the associations in renal cancer subsites. From 1992 to 2010, 477,325 men and women in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort were followed for incident renal cancers (n = 931). Baseline and lifetime alcohol consumption was assessed by country-specific, validated dietary questionnaires. Information on past alcohol consumption was collected by lifestyle questionnaires. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from Cox proportional hazard models. In multivariate analysis, total alcohol consumption at baseline was inversely associated with renal cancer; the HR and 95% CI for the increasing categories of total alcohol consumption at recruitment vs. the light drinkers category were 0.78 (0.62-0.99), 0.82 (0.64-1.04), 0.70 (0.55-0.90), and 0.91 (0.63-1.30), respectively, (ptrend = 0.001). A similar relationship was observed for average lifetime alcohol consumption and for all renal cancer subsites combined or for renal parenchyma subsite. The trend was not observed in hypertensive individuals and not significant in smokers. In conclusion, moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a decreased risk of renal cancer. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Preface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Benage, J. F.; Dufty, J. W.; Murillo, M. S.

    2003-06-01

    , Israel N W Ashcroft Cornell University, USA J Bollinger NIST, Boulder, USA J-M Caillol Université Paris XI, France D M Ceperley University of Illinois, USA G Chabrier Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France J Clerouin CEA Bruyeres-le-Chatel, France S das Sarma University of Maryland, USA A DeSilva University of Maryland, USA H DeWitt Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA D Dubin University of California, USA J Dufty University of Florida, USA W Ebeling Humboldt University, Germany V Filinov Institute of High Temperature Physics, Russia M Fisher University of Maryland, USA V E Fortov Institute of High Temperature Physics, Russia K Golden University of Vermont, USA J-P Hansen Cambridge University, UK F Hensel Philipps-Universität, Germany G Kalman Boston College, USA W Kohn University of California, USA H Lowen University of Dusseldorf, Germany G Morfill Max Planck Institute of Extraterrestrial Physics, Germany D Neilson University of New South Wales, Australia G Patey University of British Columbia, Canada F Peeters University of Antwerp, Germany D Pines Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA G Roepke University of Rostock, Germany M Rosenberg University of California, USA Y Rosenfeld Negev Nuclear Research Center, Israel M Schlanges University of Greifswald, Germany G Senatore University of Trieste, France H Totsuji Okayama University, Japan J Weisheit Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA Obituary Forty years of plasma line broadening---in memory of Professor Charles Hooper Jr Our friend and colleague, Charles Hooper Jr, died on 5 May 2002 after a long illness and a valiant battle against it. This presentation is a brief look back at the issues in plasma line broadening over the past forty years, and the contributions to them by Chuck and his students. Chuck graduated from Dartmouth College in 1954. He served in the US Navy for two years before receiving a PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1963. He then joined the faculty at the University of Florida where his

  15. Commentary on "Plasma carotenoids and vitamin C concentrations and risk of urothelial cell carcinoma in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition." Ros MM, Bueno de Mesquita HB, Kampman E, Aben KK, Büchner FL, Jansen EH, van Gils CH, Egevad L, Overvad K, Tjønneland A, Roswall N, Boutron Ruault MC, Kvaskoff M, Perquier F, Kaaks R, Chang Claude J, Weikert S, Boeing H, Trichopoulou A, Lagiou P, Dilis V, Palli D, Pala V, Sacerdote C, Tumino R, Panico S, Peeters PH, Gram IT, Skeie G, Huerta JM, Barricarte A, Quirós JR, Sánchez MJ, Buckland G, Larrañaga N, Ehrnström R, Wallström P, Ljungberg B, Hallmans G, Key TJ, Allen NE, Khaw KT, Wareham N, Brennan P, Riboli E, Kiemeney LA, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands: Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96(4):902-10 [Epub 2012 Sep 5].

    PubMed

    See, William A

    2013-07-01

    Published associations between dietary carotenoids and vitamin C and bladder cancer risk are inconsistent. Biomarkers may provide more accurate measures of nutrient status. We investigated the association between plasma carotenoids and vitamin C and risk of urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) in a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. A total of 856 patients with newly diagnosed UCC were matched with 856 cohort members by sex, age at baseline, study center, date and time of blood collection, and fasting status. Plasma carotenoids (α- and β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) were measured by using reverse-phase HPLC, and plasma vitamin C was measured by using a colorimetric assay. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated by using conditional logistic regression with adjustment for smoking status, duration, and intensity. UCC risk decreased with higher concentrations of the sum of plasma carotenoids (IRR for the highest compared with the lowest quartile: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.93; P-trend = 0.04). Plasma β-carotene was inversely associated with aggressive UCC (IRR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.30, 0.88; P-trend = 0.02). Plasma lutein was inversely associated with risk of nonaggressive UCC (IRR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.32, 0.98; P-trend = 0.05). No association was observed between plasma vitamin C and risk of UCC. Although residual confounding by smoking or other factors cannot be excluded, higher concentrations of plasma carotenoids may reduce risk of UCC, in particular aggressive UCC. Plasma lutein may reduce risk of nonaggressive UCC. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.