Effect of alternating day and night temperature on short day-induced bud set and subsequent bud burst in long days in Norway spruce

PubMed Central

Olsen, Jorunn E.; Lee, YeonKyeong; Junttila, Olavi

2014-01-01

Young seedlings of the conifer Norway spruce exhibit short day (SD)-induced cessation of apical growth and bud set. Although different, constant temperatures under SD are known to modulate timing of bud set and depth of dormancy with development of deeper dormancy under higher compared to lower temperature, systematic studies of effects of alternating day (DT) and night temperatures (NT) are limited. To shed light on this, seedlings of different provenances of Norway spruce were exposed to a wide range of DT-NT combinations during bud development, followed by transfer to forcing conditions of long days (LD) and 18°C, directly or after different periods of chilling. Although no specific effect of alternating DT/NT was found, the results demonstrate that the effects of DT under SD on bud set and subsequent bud break are significantly modified by NT in a complex way. The effects on bud break persisted after chilling. Since time to bud set correlated with the daily mean temperature under SD at DTs of 18 and 21°C, but not a DT of 15°C, time to bud set apparently also depend on the specific DT, implying that the effect of NT depends on the actual DT. Although higher temperature under SD generally results in later bud break after transfer to forcing conditions, the fastest bud flush was observed at intermediate NTs. This might be due to a bud break-hastening chilling effect of intermediate compared to higher temperatures, and delayed bud development to a stage where bud burst can occur, under lower temperatures. Also, time to bud burst in un-chilled seedlings decreased with increasing SD-duration, suggesting that bud development must reach a certain stage before the processes leading to bud burst are initiated. The present results also indicate that low temperature during bud development had a larger effect on the most southern compared to the most northern provenance studied. Decreasing time to bud burst was observed with increasing northern latitude of origin in un

Dim light at night interferes with the development of the short-day phenotype and impairs cell-mediated immunity in Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus).

PubMed

Aubrecht, Taryn G; Weil, Zachary M; Nelson, Randy J

2014-10-01

Winter is a challenging time to survive and breed outside of the tropics. Animals use day length (photoperiod) to regulate seasonally appropriate adaptations in anticipation of challenging winter conditions. The net result of these photoperiod-mediated adjustments is enhanced immune function and increased survival. Thus, the ability to discriminate day length information is critical for survival and reproduction in small animals. However, during the past century, urban and suburban development has rapidly expanded and filled the night sky with light from various sources, obscuring crucial light-dark signals, which alters physiological interpretation of day lengths. Furthermore, reduced space, increased proximity to people, and the presence of light at night may act as stressors for small animals. Whereas acute stressors typically enhance immune responses, chronic exposure to stressors often impairs immune responses. Therefore, we hypothesized that the combination of dim light at night and chronic stress interferes with enhanced cell-mediated immunity observed during short days. Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) were assigned to short or long days with dark nights (0 lux) or dim (5 lux) light at night for 10 weeks. Following 2 weeks of chronic restraint (6 hr/day), a model of chronic stress, delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses were assessed. Both dim light at night and restraint reduced the DTH response. Dim light at night during long nights produced an intermediate short day phenotype. These results suggest the constant presence of light at night could negatively affect survival of photoperiodic rodents by disrupting the timing of breeding and immune responses. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of UK Primary Care Policy Reforms on Short-Stay Unplanned Hospital Admissions for Children With Primary Care-Sensitive Conditions.

PubMed

Cecil, Elizabeth; Bottle, Alex; Sharland, Mike; Saxena, Sonia

2015-01-01

We aimed to assess the impact of UK primary care policy reforms implemented in April 2004 on potentially avoidable unplanned short-stay hospital admissions for children with primary care-sensitive conditions. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis of hospital admissions for all children aged younger than 15 years in England between April 2000 and March 2012 using data from National Health Service public hospitals in England. The main outcomes were annual short-stay (<2-day) unplanned hospital admission rates for primary care-sensitive infectious and chronic conditions. There were 7.8 million unplanned admissions over the study period. More than one-half (4,144,729 of 7,831,633) were short-stay admissions for potentially avoidable infectious and chronic conditions. The primary care policy reforms of April 2004 were associated with an 8% increase in short-stay admission rates for chronic conditions, equivalent to 8,500 additional admissions, above the 3% annual increasing trend. Policy reforms were not associated with an increase in short-stay admission rates for infectious illness, which were increasing by 5% annually before April 2004. The proportion of primary care-referred admissions was falling before the reforms, and there were further sharp reductions in 2004. The introduction of primary care policy reforms coincided with an increase in short-stay admission rates for children with primary care-sensitive chronic conditions, and with more children being admitted through emergency departments. Short-stay admission rates for primary care-sensitive infectious illness increased more steadily and could be related to lowered thresholds for hospital admission. © 2015 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

Enhancing Quality of Life of Families Who Use Adult Day Services: Short- and Long-Term Effects of the Adult Day Services Plus Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gitlin, Laura N.; Reever, Karen; Dennis, Marie P.; Mathieu, Esther; Hauck, Walter W.

2006-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the short- and long-term effects of Adult Day Services Plus (ADS Plus), a low-cost care management intervention designed to enhance family caregiver well-being, increase service utilization, and decrease nursing home placement of impaired older adults enrolled in adult day care. Design and Methods: We used a…

Short-day treatment alters Douglas-fir seedling dehardening and transplant root proliferation at varying rhizosphere temperatures

Treesearch

Douglass F. Jacobs; Anthony S. Davis; BArrett C. Wilson; R. Kasten Dumroese; Rosa C. Goodman; K. Francis Salifu

2008-01-01

We tested effects of shortened day length during nursery culture on Douglis-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedling development at dormancy release. Seedlings from a 42 N source were grown either under ambient photoperiods (long-day (LD)) or with a 28 day period of 9 h light: 15 h dark photoperiods (short...

Cultural techniques for altering the flowering time and double-cropping short-day varieties

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

July-plugged transplants of short-day cv. Strawberry Festival (Fragaria x ananassa), flowered in October and November even though they were grown under long photoperiods and warm temperatures (greater than 21 degrees C) in July and August. These unexpected results were attributed to a high plant de...

Differences in Meteorological Conditions between Days with Persistent and Non-Persistent Pollution in Beijing, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Ting; Wu, Renguang; Huang, Gang

2018-02-01

We compared the regional synoptic patterns and local meteorological conditions during persistent and non-persistent pollution events in Beijing using US NCEP-Department of Energy reanalysis outputs and observations from meteorological stations. The analysis focused on the impacts of high-frequency (period < 90 days) variations in meteorological conditions on persistent pollution events (those lasting for at least 3 days). Persistent pollution events tended to occur in association with slow-moving weather systems producing stagnant weather conditions, whereas rapidly moving weather systems caused a dramatic change in the local weather conditions so that the pollution event was short-lived. Although Beijing was under the influence of anomalous southerly winds in all four seasons during pollution events, notable differences were identified in the regional patterns of sea-level pressure and local anomalies in relative humidity among persistent pollution events in different seasons. A region of lower pressure was present to the north of Beijing in spring, fall, and winter, whereas regions of lower and higher pressures were observed northwest and southeast of Beijing, respectively, in summer. The relative humidity near Beijing was higher in fall and winter, but lower in spring and summer. These differences may explain the seasonal dependence of the relationship between air pollution and the local meteorological variables. Our analysis showed that the temperature inversion in the lower troposphere played an important part in the occurrence of air pollution under stagnant weather conditions. Some results from this study are based on a limited number of events and thus require validation using more data.

Day napping and short night sleeping are associated with higher risk of diabetes in older adults.

PubMed

Xu, Qun; Song, Yiqing; Hollenbeck, Albert; Blair, Aaron; Schatzkin, Arthur; Chen, Honglei

2010-01-01

To examine whether day napping or short night sleeping is associated with higher risk of diabetes. This was a prospective study of hours of day napping and night sleeping assessed in 1996-1997 in relation to diabetes diagnosed between 2000 and 2006 (n = 10,143) among 174,542 participants in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP Diet and Health Study. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI were derived from multivariate logistic regression models. Longer day napping was associated with a higher risk of diabetes. After adjustment for potential confounders, ORs were 1.23 (95% CI 1.18-1.29) for those reporting <1 h and 1.55 (95% CI 1.45-1.66) for those reporting > or =1 h of napping compared with individuals who did not nap (P(trend) < 0.0001). For night sleeping, with 7-8 h as the referent, the OR was 1.46 (95% CI 1.31-1.63) for <5 h, 1.11 (1.06-1.16) for 5-6 h, and 1.11 (0.99-1.24) for > or =9 h. In both analyses, additional adjustment for BMI only modestly attenuated the associations. Further analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between hours of napping and sleeping on diabetes (P(interaction) < 0.0001). Among participants with no napping, only short night sleeping was associated with higher occurrence of diabetes, whereas among those with > or =1 h of napping, both long and short sleeping was associated with higher risk. Day napping and short night sleeping are associated with higher risk of diabetes. The association between sleep duration and diabetes may be modified by napping habit.

Within-day variability on short and long walking tests in persons with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Feys, Peter; Bibby, Bo; Romberg, Anders; Santoyo, Carme; Gebara, Benoit; de Noordhout, Benoit Maertens; Knuts, Kathy; Bethoux, Francois; Skjerbæk, Anders; Jensen, Ellen; Baert, Ilse; Vaney, Claude; de Groot, Vincent; Dalgas, Ulrik

2014-03-15

To compare within-day variability of short (10 m walking test at usual and fastest speed; 10MWT) and long (2 and 6-minute walking test; 2MWT/6MWT) tests in persons with multiple sclerosis. Observational study. MS rehabilitation and research centers in Europe and US within RIMS (European network for best practice and research in MS rehabilitation). Ambulatory persons with MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale 0-6.5). Subjects of different centers performed walking tests at 3 time points during a single day. 10MWT, 2MWT and 6MWT at fastest speed and 10MWT at usual speed. Ninety-five percent limits of agreement were computed using a random effects model with individual pwMS as random effect. Following this model, retest scores are with 95% certainty within these limits of baseline scores. In 102 subjects, within-day variability was constant in absolute units for the 10MWT, 2MWT and 6MWT at fastest speed (+/-0.26, 0.16 and 0.15m/s respectively, corresponding to +/-19.2m and +/-54 m for the 2MWT and 6MWT) independent on the severity of ambulatory dysfunction. This implies a greater relative variability with increasing disability level, often above 20% depending on the applied test. The relative within-day variability of the 10MWT at usual speed was +/-31% independent of ambulatory function. Absolute values of within-day variability on walking tests at fastest speed were independent of disability level and greater with short compared to long walking tests. Relative within-day variability remained overall constant when measured at usual speed. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Day Napping and Short Night Sleeping Are Associated With Higher Risk of Diabetes in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Xu, Qun; Song, Yiqing; Hollenbeck, Albert; Blair, Aaron; Schatzkin, Arthur; Chen, Honglei

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE To examine whether day napping or short night sleeping is associated with higher risk of diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a prospective study of hours of day napping and night sleeping assessed in 1996–1997 in relation to diabetes diagnosed between 2000 and 2006 (n = 10,143) among 174,542 participants in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP Diet and Health Study. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI were derived from multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS Longer day napping was associated with a higher risk of diabetes. After adjustment for potential confounders, ORs were 1.23 (95% CI 1.18–1.29) for those reporting <1 h and 1.55 (95% CI 1.45–1.66) for those reporting ≥1 h of napping compared with individuals who did not nap (Ptrend < 0.0001). For night sleeping, with 7–8 h as the referent, the OR was 1.46 (95% CI 1.31–1.63) for <5 h, 1.11 (1.06–1.16) for 5–6 h, and 1.11 (0.99–1.24) for ≥9 h. In both analyses, additional adjustment for BMI only modestly attenuated the associations. Further analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between hours of napping and sleeping on diabetes (Pinteraction < 0.0001). Among participants with no napping, only short night sleeping was associated with higher occurrence of diabetes, whereas among those with ≥1 h of napping, both long and short sleeping was associated with higher risk. CONCLUSIONS Day napping and short night sleeping are associated with higher risk of diabetes. The association between sleep duration and diabetes may be modified by napping habit. PMID:19825823

On the relationship between tropospheric conditions and widespread hot days in Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asakereh, Hossein; Shadman, Hassan

2018-01-01

The present study investigated how the tropospheric conditions relate to the occurrence of widespread hot days (WHD) in Iran using the data of maximum daily temperature and other tropospheric variables. To better understand the tropospheric conditions during WHD, different patterns of tropospheric circulation were examined systematically. Four tropospheric types were identified based on sea level pressure (SLP). SLP, 500 hPa height, anomaly patterns, and warm advection maps were constructed for typical days of each group. The tropospheric conditions associated with hot days occurred simultaneously with a low-pressure system at sea level, a ridge at middle troposphere over Iran, and a pronounced trough over the Mediterranean Sea at 500 hPa. These conditions caused air mass from subtropical regions toward Iran. That is, northward, northeastward, and even eastward winds injected heat with warm origins toward the country. Hot days compounded by drought conditions have affected many parts of the country in different ways such as decrease in the agricultural products in numerous areas and significant discharge reduction in many rivers. The society is also very likely to face considerable challenges to cope with hot days. The findings of the study can be utilized in climate modeling and climate prediction of hot days in the country. Accordingly, water and electricity consumption can be planned with further precision and water consumption can be managed in crises.

Type-f thioredoxins have a role in the short-term activation of carbon metabolism and their loss affects growth under short-day conditions in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Naranjo, Belén; Diaz-Espejo, Antonio; Lindahl, Marika; Cejudo, Francisco Javier

2016-03-01

Redox regulation plays a central role in the adaptation of chloroplast metabolism to light. Extensive biochemical analyses in vitro have identified f-type thioredoxins (Trxs) as the most important catalysts for light-dependent reduction and activation of the enzymes of the Calvin-Benson cycle. However, the precise function of type f Trxs in vivo and their impact on plant growth are still poorly known. To address this issue we have generated an Arabidopsis thaliana double knock-out mutant, termed trxf1f2, devoid of both f1 and f2 Trxs. Despite the essential function previously proposed for f-type Trxs, the visible phenotype of the trxf1f2 double mutant was virtually indistinguishable from the wild type when grown under a long-day photoperiod. However, the Trx f-deficient plants showed growth inhibition under a short-day photoperiod which was not rescued at high light intensity. The absence of f-type Trxs led to significantly lower photosynthetic electron transport rates and higher levels of non-photochemical energy quenching. Notably, the Trx f null mutant suffered from a shortage of photosystem I electron acceptors and delayed activation of carbon dioxide fixation following a dark-light transition. Two redox-regulated Calvin-Benson cycle enzymes, fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) and Rubisco activase, showed retarded and incomplete reduction in the double mutant upon illumination, compared with wild-type plants. These results show that the function of f-type Trxs in the rapid activation of carbon metabolism in response to light is not entirely compensated for by additional plastid redox systems, and suggest that these Trxs have an important role in the light adjustment of photosynthetic metabolism. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

42 CFR 418.108 - Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care. 418.108 Section 418.108 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM HOSPICE CARE Conditions of participation...

42 CFR 418.108 - Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care. 418.108 Section 418.108 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM HOSPICE CARE Conditions of participation...

42 CFR 418.108 - Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care. 418.108 Section 418.108 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM (CONTINUED) HOSPICE CARE Conditions of...

42 CFR 418.108 - Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care. 418.108 Section 418.108 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM (CONTINUED) HOSPICE CARE Conditions of...

42 CFR 418.108 - Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 42 Public Health 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Condition of participation: Short-term inpatient care. 418.108 Section 418.108 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICARE PROGRAM (CONTINUED) HOSPICE CARE Conditions of...

The Influence of Match-Day Napping in Elite Female Netball Athletes.

PubMed

O'Donnell, Shannon; Beaven, Christopher M; Driller, Matthew

2018-03-15

To assess the effect of match-day napping and duration of naps on perceptual and performance indices in elite female netball players over two consecutive netball seasons. Fourteen elite female netball athletes (mean ± SD; age = 23 ± 6 yr) participated in an observational study over 26 competition matches. On each match day, athletes provided information on their napping habits, perceived energy levels, and then performed 3 countermovement jumps (CMJ) 3h30 prior to the start of the match. One hour following the match, subjective player performance ratings from the players and two members of the coaching staff were obtained. Naps were characterized into 3 conditions for analysis; No Nap (NN), <20 min Nap (SHORT), and ≥20 min Nap (LONG). A significant difference in peak jump velocity was observed between the SHORT and the NN condition in favor of the shorter nap (3.23 ± 0.26 and 3.07 ± 0.36 m.s -1 , respectively, d = 0.34, p < 0.05). A moderate, significant difference (d = 0.85; p < 0.05) was observed for the coach rating of performance (out of 10) between the SHORT and the NN condition (7.2 ± 0.8 and 6.4 ± 0.9, respectively) in favor of SHORT. The findings from the study would suggest that a short nap (<20 min) on the day of competition can enhance jump velocity and improve subjective performance in elite netball players, as assessed by coaching staff.

Evaluation of Ophthalmic Surgical Instrument Sterility Using Short-Cycle Sterilization for Sequential Same-Day Use.

PubMed

Chang, David F; Hurley, Nikki; Mamalis, Nick; Whitman, Jeffrey

2018-03-27

The common practice of short-cycle sterilization for ophthalmic surgical instrumentation has come under increased regulatory scrutiny. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of short-cycle sterilization processing for consecutive same-day cataract procedures. Testing of specific sterilization processing methods by an independent medical device validation testing laboratory. Phaco handpieces from 3 separate manufacturers were tested along with appropriate biologic indicators and controls using 2 common steam sterilizers. A STATIM 2000 sterilizer (SciCan, Canonsburg, PA) with the STATIM metal cassette, and an AMSCO Century V116 pre-vacuum sterilizer (STERIS, Mentor, OH) using a Case Medical SteriTite container (Case Medical, South Hackensack, NJ) rigid container were tested using phaco tips and handpieces from 3 different manufacturers. Biological indicators were inoculated with highly resistant Geobacillus stearothermophilus, and each sterility verification test was performed in triplicate. Both wrapped and contained loads were tested with full dry cycles and a 7-day storage time to simulate prolonged storage. In adherence with the manufacturers' instructions for use (IFU), short cycles (3.0-3.5-minute exposure times) for unwrapped and contained loads were also tested after only 1 minute of dry time to simulate use on a consecutive case. Additional studies were performed to demonstrate whether any moisture present in the load containing phaco handpieces postprocessing was sterile and would affect the sterility of the contents after a 3-minute transit/storage time. This approximated the upper limit of time needed to transfer a containment device to the operating room. Presence or absence of microbial growth from cultured test samples. All inoculated test samples from both sterilizers were negative for growth of the target organism whether the full dry phase was interrupted or not. Pipetted postprocessing moisture samples and swabs of the handpieces were

Short-Term Total Sleep-Deprivation Impairs Contextual Fear Memory, and Contextual Fear-Conditioning Reduces REM Sleep in Moderately Anxious Swiss Mice

PubMed Central

Qureshi, Munazah F.; Jha, Sushil K.

2017-01-01

The conditioning tasks have been widely used to model fear and anxiety and to study their association with sleep. Many reports suggest that sleep plays a vital role in the consolidation of fear memory. Studies have also demonstrated that fear-conditioning influences sleep differently in mice strains having a low or high anxiety level. It is, therefore, necessary to know, how sleep influences fear-conditioning and how fear-conditioning induces changes in sleep architecture in moderate anxious strains. We have used Swiss mice, a moderate anxious strain, to study the effects of: (i) sleep deprivation on contextual fear conditioned memory, and also (ii) contextual fear conditioning on sleep architecture. Animals were divided into three groups: (a) non-sleep deprived (NSD); (b) stress control (SC); and (c) sleep-deprived (SD) groups. The SD animals were SD for 5 h soon after training. We found that the NSD and SC animals showed 60.57% and 58.12% freezing on the testing day, while SD animals showed significantly less freezing (17.13% only; p < 0.001) on the testing day. Further, we observed that contextual fear-conditioning did not alter the total amount of wakefulness and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. REM sleep, however, significantly decreased in NSD and SC animals on the training and testing days. Interestingly, REM sleep did not decrease in the SD animals on the testing day. Our results suggest that short-term sleep deprivation impairs fear memory in moderate anxious mice. It also suggests that NREM sleep, but not REM sleep, may have an obligatory role in memory consolidation. PMID:29238297

Using conditional probability to identify trends in intra-day high-frequency equity pricing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rechenthin, Michael; Street, W. Nick

2013-12-01

By examining the conditional probabilities of price movements in a popular US stock over different high-frequency intra-day timespans, varying levels of trend predictability are identified. This study demonstrates the existence of predictable short-term trends in the market; understanding the probability of price movement can be useful to high-frequency traders. Price movement was examined in trade-by-trade (tick) data along with temporal timespans between 1 s to 30 min for 52 one-week periods for one highly-traded stock. We hypothesize that much of the initial predictability of trade-by-trade (tick) data is due to traditional market dynamics, or the bouncing of the price between the stock’s bid and ask. Only after timespans of between 5 to 10 s does this cease to explain the predictability; after this timespan, two consecutive movements in the same direction occur with higher probability than that of movements in the opposite direction. This pattern holds up to a one-minute interval, after which the strength of the pattern weakens.

Early Extinction after Fear Conditioning Yields a Context-Independent and Short-Term Suppression of Conditional Freezing in Rats

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chun-hui; Maren, Stephen

2009-01-01

Extinction of Pavlovian fear conditioning in rats is a useful model for therapeutic interventions in humans with anxiety disorders. Recently, we found that delivering extinction trials soon (15 min) after fear conditioning yields a short-term suppression of fear, but little long-term extinction. Here, we explored the possible mechanisms underlying…

Short-Term fo F2 Forecast: Present Day State of Art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhailov, A. V.; Depuev, V. H.; Depueva, A. H.

An analysis of the F2-layer short-term forecast problem has been done. Both objective and methodological problems prevent us from a deliberate F2-layer forecast issuing at present. An empirical approach based on statistical methods may be recommended for practical use. A forecast method based on a new aeronomic index (a proxy) AI has been proposed and tested over selected 64 severe storm events. The method provides an acceptable prediction accuracy both for strongly disturbed and quiet conditions. The problems with the prediction of the F2-layer quiet-time disturbances as well as some other unsolved problems are discussed

Work-Family Balance and Energy: A Day-Level Study on Recovery Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanz-Vergel, Ana Isabel; Demerouti, Evangelia; Moreno-Jimenez, Bernardo; Mayo, Margarita

2010-01-01

The present study examines whether daily recovery inhibiting and enhancing conditions predict day-levels of work-family conflict (WFC), work-family facilitation (WFF), exhaustion and vigor. Forty-nine individuals from various professional backgrounds in Spain provided questionnaire and daily survey measures over a period of five working days.…

NASA 14 Day Undersea Missions: A Short-Duration Spaceflight Analog for Immune System Dysregulation?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crucian, B. E.; Stowe, R. P.; Mehta, S. K.; Chouker, A.; Feuerecker, M.; Quiriarte, H.; Pierson, D. L.; Sams, C. F.

2011-01-01

This poster paper reviews the use of 14 day undersea missions as a possible analog for short duration spaceflight for the study of immune system dysregulation. Sixteen subjects from the the NASA Extreme Enviro nment Mission Operations (NEEMO) 12, 13 and 14 missions were studied for immune system dysregulation. The assays that are presented in this poster are the Virleukocyte subsets, the T Cell functions, and the intracellular/secreted cytokine profiles. Other assays were performed, but are not included in this presntation.

Treatment of complicated urinary tract infection and acute pyelonephritis by short-course intravenous levofloxacin (750 mg/day) or conventional intravenous/oral levofloxacin (500 mg/day): prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled, multicenter, non-inferiority clinical trial.

PubMed

Ren, Hong; Li, Xiao; Ni, Zhao-Hui; Niu, Jian-Ying; Cao, Bin; Xu, Jie; Cheng, Hong; Tu, Xiao-Wen; Ren, Ai-Min; Hu, Ying; Xing, Chang-Ying; Liu, Ying-Hong; Li, Yan-Feng; Cen, Jun; Zhou, Rong; Xu, Xu-Dong; Qiu, Xiao-Hui; Chen, Nan

2017-03-01

To compare the efficacy and safety of short-course intravenous levofloxacin (LVFX) 750 mg with a conventional intravenous/oral regimen of LVFX 500 mg in patients from China with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) and acute pyelonephritis (APN). This was a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled, multicenter, non-inferiority clinical trial. Patients with cUTI and APN were randomly assigned to a short-course therapy group (intravenous LVFX at750 mg/day for 5 days) or a conventional therapy group (intravenous/oral regimen of LVFX at 500 mg/day for 7-14 days). The clinical, laboratory, and microbiological results were evaluated for efficacy and safety. The median dose of LVFX was 3555.4 mg in the short-course therapy group and 4874.2 mg in the conventional therapy group. Intention-to-treat analysis indicated the clinical effectiveness in the short-course therapy group (89.87%, 142/158) was non-inferior to that in the conventional therapy group (89.31%, 142/159). The microbiological effectiveness rates were also similar (short-course therapy: 89.55%, 60/67; conventional therapy: 86.30%, 63/73; p > 0.05). There were no significant differences in other parameters, including clinical and microbiological recurrence rates. The incidence of adverse effects and drug-related adverse effects were also similar for the short-course therapy group (21.95%, 36/164; 18.90%, 31/164) and the conventional therapy group (23.03%, 38/165; 15.76%, 26/165). Patients with cUTIs and APN who were given short-course LVFX therapy and conventional LVFX therapy had similar outcomes in clinical and microbiological efficacy, tolerance, and safety. The short-course therapy described here is a more convenient alternative to the conventional regimen with potential implication in anti-resistance and cost saving.

Short-term results after local application of steroids and anesthetics in patients with painful spine conditions.

PubMed

Hadziahmetovic, Narcisa Vavra; Aganovic, Damir; Kadic, Aldijana; Biscevic, Mirza

2014-01-01

Spinal pain is the most common of all chronic pain disorders. Imaging studies can be used to determine whether a pathological process is associated with the patient's symptoms. To determine the short-term efficiency of local instillation of steroids in patients with painful spine conditions. A prospective study included 35 patients with diagnosis of lumbar or cervical radiculopathy, or cervical and lumbar syndrome at the Department for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department for the Orthopedics and Traumatology, and Department for the Neurosurgery, Clinical Canter University of Sarajevo (KCUS). A clinical examination, visual pain scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were performed prior to the needle procedure and seven days after it. Descriptive and comparative statistics were used for comparison of pre and post-interventional results. This procedure was done for the first time in our region. The males and females were equally represented in this study (17:18). The patients were 29 to 80 years old. The highest number of patients have been between 40-60 years, older then that have been 44.2% of patients, and younger only 8.5%. Patients have complained about the radicular pain along the legs or arms or back or neck pain. Most of them had disc herniation-57.14%, 8.57% had bulging disc, 8.57% had spinal canal stenosis, 5.71% had fasetarthrosis, rest of them had combination of those conditions. There was a statistically significant difference between the value of ODI score before procedure and 7 days later (26 +/- 10:16 +/- 12; p < 0.001). The difference was also statistically significant in VAS values (7 +/- 1:1 +/- 1; p < 0.001). Our study suggests that needle instillation of steroid and lidocaine is effective in short-term pain occurs in different painful spine conditions (Sy cervicale, lumbare and radiculopathy). It is valuable alternative to the classic methods of physical and drug therapy. It can also postpone surgical treatment, and it is

Relative impact of short-term emissions controls on gas and particle-phase oxidative potential during the 2015 China Victory Day Parade in Beijing, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Wei; Fang, Dongqing; Shang, Jing; Li, Zhengqiang; Zhang, Yang; Huo, Peng; Liu, Zhaoying; Schauer, James J.; Zhang, Yuanxun

2018-06-01

A field observation focusing on reactive oxygen species (ROS) was conducted before, during, and after the 2015 China Victory Day Parade to understand the influence of short-term emissions controls on atmospheric oxidative activity. The hourly average concentrations of PM2.5, SO2, NO, NO2, CO, O3, as well as gas and particle-phase ROS, were measured using a series of online instruments. PM2.5 concentrations during control days were significantly lower than non-control days, which directly lead to the "Parade Blue", yet reductions of most gaseous pollutants except SO2 were not so obvious as PM. Similarly, the control measures also led to a great loss of particle-phase ROS throughout the control period, while the reduction of ROS in gas phase was not obvious until the more stringent measures implemented since September 1. Furthermore, only weak positive correlations were observed among ROS and some other measured species, indicating ROS concentrations were affected by a number of comprehensive factors that single marker could not capture. Meanwhile, meteorological condition and regional transportation were also shown to be the minor factors affecting atmospheric oxidizing capacity. The results of this observation mainly revealed the control measures were conducive to reducing particle-related ROS. However, the reduction of gas-phase ROS activity was less effective given the menu of controls employed for the 2015 China Victory Day Parade. Therefore, short-term emissions controls only aimed to PM reduction and visibility improvement will produce the blue sky but will not equivalently reduce the gas-phase ROS. Supplemental control measures will be needed to further reduce gas-phase ROS concentrations.

Short-term heat acclimation prior to a multi-day desert ultra-marathon improves physiological and psychological responses without compromising immune status.

PubMed

Willmott, Ashley G B; Hayes, Mark; Waldock, Kirsty A M; Relf, Rebecca L; Watkins, Emily R; James, Carl A; Gibson, Oliver R; Smeeton, Nicholas J; Richardson, Alan J; Watt, Peter W; Maxwell, Neil S

2017-11-01

Multistage, ultra-endurance events in hot, humid conditions necessitate thermal adaptation, often achieved through short term heat acclimation (STHA), to improve performance by reducing thermoregulatory strain and perceptions of heat stress. This study investigated the physiological, perceptual and immunological responses to STHA prior to the Marathon des Sables. Eight athletes (age 42 ± 4 years and body mass 81.9 ± 15.0 kg) completed 4 days of controlled hyperthermia STHA (60 min·day ‒1 , 45°C and 30% relative humidity). Pre, during and post sessions, physiological and perceptual measures were recorded. Immunological measures were recorded pre-post sessions 1 and 4. STHA improved thermal comfort (P = 0.02), sensation (P = 0.03) and perceived exertion (P = 0.04). A dissociated relationship between perceptual fatigue and T re was evident after STHA, with reductions in perceived Physical (P = 0.04) and General (P = 0.04) fatigue. Exercising T re and HR did not change (P > 0.05) however, sweat rate increased 14% (P = 0.02). No changes were found in white blood cell counts or content (P > 0.05). Four days of STHA facilitates effective perceptual adaptations, without compromising immune status prior to an ultra-endurance race in heat stress. A greater physiological strain is required to confer optimal physiological adaptations.

"Chrono-functional milk": The difference between melatonin concentrations in night-milk versus day-milk under different night illumination conditions.

PubMed

Asher, A; Shabtay, A; Brosh, A; Eitam, H; Agmon, R; Cohen-Zinder, M; Zubidat, A E; Haim, A

2015-01-01

Pineal melatonin (MLT) is produced at highest levels during the night, under dark conditions. We evaluated differences in MLT-concentration by comparing daytime versus night time milk samples, from two dairy farms with different night illumination conditions: (1) natural dark (Dark-Night); (2) short wavelength Artificial Light at Night (ALAN, Night-Illuminated). Samples were collected from 14 Israeli Holstein cows from each commercial dairy farm at 04:30 h ("Night-milk") 12:30 h ("Day-milk") and analyzed for MLT-concentration. In order to study the effects of night illumination conditions on cows circadian rhythms, Heart Rate (HR) daily rhythms were recorded. MLT-concentrations of Night-milk samples from the dark-night group were significantly (p < 0.001) higher than those of Night-illuminated conditions (30.70 ± 1.79 and 17.81 ± 0.33 pg/ml, respectively). Interestingly, night illumination conditions also affected melatonin concentrations at daytime where under Dark-Night conditions values are significantly (p < 0.001) higher than Night-Illuminated conditions, (5.36 ± 0.33 and 3.30 ± 0.18 pg/ml, respectively). There were no significant differences between the two treatments in the milk yield and milk composition except somatic cell count (SCC), which was significantly lower (p = 0.02) in the Dark-Night group compared with the Night-Illuminated group. Cows in both groups presented a significant (p < 0.01) HR daily rhythm, therefore we assume that in the night illuminated cows feeding and milking time are the "time keeper", while in the Dark-night cows, HR rhythms were entrained by the light/dark cycle. The higher MLT-concentration in Dark-night cows with the lower SCC values calls upon farmers to avoid exposure of cows to ALAN. Therefore, under Dark-night conditions milk quality will improve by lowering SCC values where separation between night and day of such milk can produce chrono-functional milk, naturally rich with

Effects of short-day treatment on long-term growth performance and maturation of farmed Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus reared in brackish water.

PubMed

Gunnarsson, S; Johansson, M; Gústavsson, A; Arnason, T; Arnason, J; Smáradóttir, H; Björnsson, B Th; Thorarensen, H; Imsland, A K

2014-10-01

The effects of a 6 week short-day photoperiod followed by continuous light, applied during the juvenile phase of Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus in fresh water on smoltification and on the long-term growth and maturity following transfer to brackish water (BW) (constant salinity of either 17 and 27 or increasing salinity in steps from 17 to 27) were investigated. Prior to salinity transfer, the juveniles were either reared at continuous light (C group) or reared for 6 weeks on a short day (8L:16D, S group) followed by continuous light (24L:0D). Increased salinity had negative effect on growth, with female fish reared at 17 salinity weighing 19 and 27% more than the salinity-step group (17-27) and the 27 salinity group, respectively. The stepwise acclimation to salinity had limited advantage in terms of growth rate. Short photoperiod for 6 weeks (November to January) followed by continuous light improved growth, but not seawater (SW) tolerance. Gill Na(+) , K(+) -ATPase activity and plasma Na(+) levels changed with time, indicating some variation in osmoregulatory capacity during the experimental period. Overall, there appear to be interactive effects on maturation from applying short-day photoperiod followed by rearing at higher salinities. Plasma leptin varied with time and may be linked to stress caused by the observed variations in osmoregulatory ability. It is concluded that changes in growth rates observed in this study are mainly related to rearing salinity with higher growth rates at lower salinities. Short-day photoperiod has some growth-inducing effects but did not improve SW tolerance. Farmers of S. alpinus using BW for land-based rearing should keep salinity at moderate and stable levels according to these results to obtain best growth. © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Bioinformatics Challenge Days

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-12-30

MIT Lincoln Laboratory in cooperation with Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC). These events explored the utility of a short-term “ hack day...conceived as an experiment applying a short “ hack day” format to bioinformatics problems of interest to DTRA. Participants of diverse technical...organizers took note of different types of previous hack day formats that had been very open-ended (i.e., gave participants a collection of hardware or

Short-fiber protein of ad40 confers enteric tropism and protection against acidic gastrointestinal conditions.

PubMed

Rodríguez, Ester; Romero, Carolina; Río, Adolfo; Miralles, Marta; Raventós, Aida; Planells, Laura; Burgueño, Joan F; Hamada, Hirofumi; Perales, Jose Carlos; Bosch, Assumpció; Gassull, Miguel Angel; Fernández, Ester; Chillon, Miguel

2013-08-01

The lack of vectors for selective gene delivery to the intestine has hampered the development of gene therapy strategies for intestinal diseases. We hypothesized that chimeric adenoviruses of Ad5 (species C) displaying proteins of the naturally enteric Ad40 (species F) might hold the intestinal tropism of the species F and thus be useful for gene delivery to the intestine. As oral-fecal dissemination of enteric adenovirus must withstand the conditions encountered in the gastrointestinal tract, we studied the resistance of chimeric Ad5 carrying the short-fiber protein of Ad40 to acid milieu and proteases and found that the Ad40 short fiber confers resistance to inactivation in acidic conditions and that AdF/40S was further activated upon exposure to low pH. In contrast, the chimeric AdF/40S exhibited only a slightly higher protease resistance compared with Ad5 to proteases present in simulated gastric juice. Then, the biodistribution of different chimeric adenoviruses by oral, rectal, and intravenous routes was tested. Expression of reporter β-galactosidase was measured in extracts of 15 different organs 3 days after administration. Our results indicate that among the chimeric viruses, only intrarectally given AdF/40S infected the colon (preferentially enteroendocrine cells and macrophages) and to a lesser extent, the small intestine, whereas Ad5 infectivity was very poor in all tissues. Additional in vitro experiments showed improved infectivity of AdF/40S also in different human epithelial cell lines. Therefore, our results point at the chimeric adenovirus AdF/40S as an interesting vector for selective gene delivery to treat intestinal diseases.

Enhanced short-cut nitrification in an airlift reactor by CaCO3 attachment on biomass under high bicarbonate condition.

PubMed

Ali, Mohammad; Chai, Li-Yuan; Wang, Hai-Ying; Tang, Chong-Jian; Min, Xiao-Bo; Yan, Xu; Peng, Cong; Song, Yu-Xia; Zheng, Ping

2016-06-01

The short-cut nitrification (SCN) performance of an airlift reactor (ALR) was investigated under increasing bicarbonate condition. The sequential increase of bicarbonate from 2.5 to 7.0 g/L accelerated the nitrite accumulation and improved the NAP to 99 %. With the increase of bicarbonate dose to 11 g/L, the ammonium removal efficiency and the ammonium removal rate (ARR) were improved to 95.1 % and 0.57 kg/m(3)/day, respectively. However, the elevation of bicarbonate concentration from 11.0 to 14.0 g/L gradually depreciated the nitrite accumulation percentage to 62.5 %. Then, the reactor was operated in increasing ammonium strategy to increase the nitrogen loading rate (NLR) to 1.1 kg/m(3)/day under 700 mg/L influent ammonium concentration. The ARR and nitrite production rate were elevated to 1.1 and 0.9 kg/m(3)/day, respectively. The SCN performance was improved to 1.8 kg/m(3)/day (NLR) by the subsequent progressive shortening of HRT to 4.8 h at ammonium concentration of 350 mg/L, which was 1.6 times higher than that of the increasing ammonium strategy. Chemical analysis with EDS, FTIR and XRD confirmed the presence of CaCO3 precipitates on biomass surface during the long-term operation under high bicarbonate conditions. The attachment of precipitates to the SCN sludge helped to improve the biomass settleability and finally enhanced the SCN performance of the ALR.

A Whole-Genome Microarray Study of Arabidopsis thaliana Semisolid Callus Cultures Exposed to Microgravity and Nonmicrogravity Related Spaceflight Conditions for 5 Days on Board of Shenzhou 8

PubMed Central

Neef, Maren; Ecke, Margret; Hampp, Rüdiger

2015-01-01

The Simbox mission was the first joint space project between Germany and China in November 2011. Eleven-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana wild type semisolid callus cultures were integrated into fully automated plant cultivation containers and exposed to spaceflight conditions within the Simbox hardware on board of the spacecraft Shenzhou 8. The related ground experiment was conducted under similar conditions. The use of an in-flight centrifuge provided a 1 g gravitational field in space. The cells were metabolically quenched after 5 days via RNAlater injection. The impact on the Arabidopsis transcriptome was investigated by means of whole-genome gene expression analysis. The results show a major impact of nonmicrogravity related spaceflight conditions. Genes that were significantly altered in transcript abundance are mainly involved in protein phosphorylation and MAPK cascade-related signaling processes, as well as in the cellular defense and stress responses. In contrast to short-term effects of microgravity (seconds, minutes), this mission identified only minor changes after 5 days of microgravity. These concerned genes coding for proteins involved in the plastid-associated translation machinery, mitochondrial electron transport, and energy production. PMID:25654111

Winter day lengths counteract stimulatory effects of apomorphine and yohimbine on sexual behavior of male Syrian hamsters.

PubMed

Piekarski, David J; Jarjisian, Stephan G; Zucker, Irving

2012-08-01

Yohimbine and apomorphine selectively act on noradrenergic and dopaminergic neural substrates to augment male sexual behavior (MSB) in several rodent species. The present study assessed whether these drugs can overcome the suppressive effects of short winter-like day lengths on MSB. Yohimbine treatments that markedly increase copulatory behavior of male hamsters in long days were completely ineffective in facilitating MSB when injected after gonadal regression induced by 16 wks of short day lengths and after complete gonadal recrudescence after 32 wks of short days; apomorphine was similarly ineffective. The brain circuit that mediates MSB either may be less responsive to yohimbine and apomorphine in short than long days, or these drugs may not produce equivalent neurotransmitter changes in the two day lengths. After 32 wks of short-day treatment, all males had undergone testicular recrudescence and successfully ejaculated on initial tests with sexually receptive females after a hiatus of at least 4 mo during which they were denied mating opportunities. This suggests that overwintering males in the field are in a state of reproductive readiness at the outset of spring conditions favorable for survival of offspring.

Foraging under conditions of short-term exploitative competition: the case of stock traders

PubMed Central

Saavedra, Serguei; Malmgren, R. Dean; Switanek, Nicholas; Uzzi, Brian

2013-01-01

Theory purports that animal foraging choices evolve to maximize returns, such as net energy intake. Empirical research in both human and non-human animals reveals that individuals often attend to the foraging choices of their competitors while making their own foraging choices. Owing to the complications of gathering field data or constructing experiments, however, broad facts relating theoretically optimal and empirically realized foraging choices are only now emerging. Here, we analyse foraging choices of a cohort of professional day traders who must choose between trading the same stock multiple times in a row—patch exploitation—or switching to a different stock—patch exploration—with potentially higher returns. We measure the difference between a trader's resource intake and the competitors' expected intake within a short period of time—a difference we call short-term comparative returns. We find that traders' choices can be explained by foraging heuristics that maximize their daily short-term comparative returns. However, we find no one-best relationship between different trading choices and net income intake. This suggests that traders' choices can be short-term win oriented and, paradoxically, maybe maladaptive for absolute market returns. PMID:23363635

Foraging under conditions of short-term exploitative competition: the case of stock traders.

PubMed

Saavedra, Serguei; Malmgren, R Dean; Switanek, Nicholas; Uzzi, Brian

2013-03-22

Theory purports that animal foraging choices evolve to maximize returns, such as net energy intake. Empirical research in both human and non-human animals reveals that individuals often attend to the foraging choices of their competitors while making their own foraging choices. Owing to the complications of gathering field data or constructing experiments, however, broad facts relating theoretically optimal and empirically realized foraging choices are only now emerging. Here, we analyse foraging choices of a cohort of professional day traders who must choose between trading the same stock multiple times in a row--patch exploitation--or switching to a different stock--patch exploration--with potentially higher returns. We measure the difference between a trader's resource intake and the competitors' expected intake within a short period of time--a difference we call short-term comparative returns. We find that traders' choices can be explained by foraging heuristics that maximize their daily short-term comparative returns. However, we find no one-best relationship between different trading choices and net income intake. This suggests that traders' choices can be short-term win oriented and, paradoxically, maybe maladaptive for absolute market returns.

Overview of developing desired conditions: Short-term actions, long-term objectives

Treesearch

J. D. Chew; K. O' Hara; J. G. Jones

2001-01-01

A number of modeling tools are required to go from short-term treatments to long-term objectives expressed as desired future conditions. Three models are used in an example that starts with determining desired stand level structure and ends with the implementation of treatments over time at a landscape scale. The Multi-Aged Stocking Assessment Model (MASAM) is used for...

Adaptation of an Antarctic lichen to Martian niche conditions can occur within 34 days

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Vera, Jean-Pierre; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk; Khan, Afshin; Lorek, Andreas; Koncz, Alexander; Möhlmann, Diedrich; Spohn, Tilman

2014-08-01

Stresses occurring on the Martian surface were simulated in a Mars Simulation Chamber (MSC) and included high UV fluxes (Zarnecki and Catling, 2002), low temperatures, low water activity, high atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and an atmospheric pressure of about 800 Pa (Kasting, 1991; Head et al., 2003). The lichen Pleopsidium chlorophanum is an extremophile that lives in very cold, dry, high-altitude habitats, which are Earth's best approximation of the Martian surface. Samples with P. chlorophanum were exposed uninterruptedly to simulated conditions of the unprotected Martian surface (i.e. 6344 kJ m-2) and protected niche conditions (269 kJ m-2) for 34 days. Under unprotected Martian surface conditions the fungal symbiont decreases its metabolic activity and it was unclear if the algal symbiont of the lichen was still actively photosynthesizing. However, under "protected site" conditions, the entire lichen not only survived and remained photosynthetically active, it even adapted physiologically by increasing its photosynthetic activity over 34 days.

Short break and emergency respite care: what options for young people with life-limiting conditions?

PubMed

Mitchell, Tracy K; Knighting, Katherine; O'Brien, Mary R; Jack, Barbara A

2016-02-01

Service providers face difficult decisions about how best to develop services for the increasing numbers of young people with life-limiting conditions who require palliative care. To explore alternative short break and emergency respite care options to children's hospice care. A two-phase evaluation with young people, families and professionals. Phase 1: qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups (n=53). Phase 2: mixed-method survey (n=82), qualitative findings only. There were few, or no, appropriate short break and emergency respite care alternatives when children's hospice care was not available that can meet the need of young people with life-limiting conditions, creating anxiety for children's hospice users and those leaving the service as a result of reaching transition age or through no longer meeting the children's hospice eligibility criteria. Access to appropriate short break and emergency respite care is required to prevent lifelong negative consequences for young people with life-limiting conditions, their family and society. Research is undoubtedly required to explore the impact and outcomes of children's hospice discharge for young people and their family. Particular attention should be paid to the lack of services for an increasing population making the transition from children's hospices.

Performance of Sustainable Fly Ash and Slag Cement Mortars Exposed to Simulated and Real In Situ Mediterranean Conditions along 90 Warm Season Days

PubMed Central

Esteban, María Dolores

2017-01-01

Nowadays, cement manufacture is one of the most polluting worldwide industrial sectors. In order to reduce its CO2 emissions, the clinker replacement by ground granulated blast–furnace slag and fly ash is becoming increasingly common. Both additions are well-studied when the hardening conditions of cementitious materials are optimum. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to study the short-term effects of exposure, to both laboratory simulated and real in situ Mediterranean climate environments, on the microstructure and durability-related properties of mortars made using commercial slag and fly ash cements, as well as ordinary Portland cement. The real in situ condition consisted of placing the samples at approximately 100 m away from the Mediterranean Sea. The microstructure was analysed using mercury intrusion porosimetry. The effective porosity, the capillary suction coefficient and the non-steady state chloride migration coefficient were also studied. In view of the results obtained, the non-optimum laboratory simulated Mediterranean environment was a good approach to the real in situ one. Finally, mortars prepared using sustainable cements with slag and fly ash exposed to both Mediterranean climate environments, showed adequate service properties in the short-term (90 days), similar to or even better than those in mortars made with ordinary Portland cement. PMID:29088107

Performance of Sustainable Fly Ash and Slag Cement Mortars Exposed to Simulated and Real In Situ Mediterranean Conditions along 90 Warm Season Days.

PubMed

Ortega, José Marcos; Esteban, María Dolores; Sánchez, Isidro; Climent, Miguel Ángel

2017-10-31

Nowadays, cement manufacture is one of the most polluting worldwide industrial sectors. In order to reduce its CO₂ emissions, the clinker replacement by ground granulated blast-furnace slag and fly ash is becoming increasingly common. Both additions are well-studied when the hardening conditions of cementitious materials are optimum. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to study the short-term effects of exposure, to both laboratory simulated and real in situ Mediterranean climate environments, on the microstructure and durability-related properties of mortars made using commercial slag and fly ash cements, as well as ordinary Portland cement. The real in situ condition consisted of placing the samples at approximately 100 m away from the Mediterranean Sea. The microstructure was analysed using mercury intrusion porosimetry. The effective porosity, the capillary suction coefficient and the non-steady state chloride migration coefficient were also studied. In view of the results obtained, the non-optimum laboratory simulated Mediterranean environment was a good approach to the real in situ one. Finally, mortars prepared using sustainable cements with slag and fly ash exposed to both Mediterranean climate environments, showed adequate service properties in the short-term (90 days), similar to or even better than those in mortars made with ordinary Portland cement.

How demanding is the brain on a reversal task under day and night conditions?

PubMed

Arias, N; Fidalgo, C; Méndez, M; Arias, J L

2015-07-23

Reversal learning has been studied as the process of learning to inhibit previously rewarded actions. These behavioral studies are usually performed during the day, when animals are in their daily period rest. However, how day or night affects spatial reversal learning and the brain regions involved in the learning process are still unknown. We conducted two experiments using the Morris Water Maze under different light-conditions: naïve group (CN, n=8), day group (DY, n=8), control DY group (CDY, n=8) night group (NG, n=8), and control NG group (CNG, n=7). Distance covered, velocity and latencies to reach the platform were examined. After completing these tasks, cytochrome c-oxidase activity (CO) in several brain limbic system structures was compared between groups. There were no behavioral differences in the time of day when the animals were trained. However, the metabolic brain consumption was higher in rats trained in the day condition. This CO increase was supported by the prefrontal cortex, thalamus, dorsal and ventral striatum, hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, revealing their role in the performance of the spatial reversal learning task. Finally, the orbitofrontal cortex has been revealed as a key structure in reversal learning execution. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

32 CFR 268.6 - Reporting of accounts receivable and sales under 120 days delayed payment terms (short-term credit).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Reporting of accounts receivable and sales under... sales under 120 days delayed payment terms (short-term credit). (a) General. (1) Amounts payable to DoD Components for sales of Defense articles and services on terms which require payment of cash in advance of...

32 CFR 268.6 - Reporting of accounts receivable and sales under 120 days delayed payment terms (short-term credit).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 32 National Defense 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Reporting of accounts receivable and sales under... sales under 120 days delayed payment terms (short-term credit). (a) General. (1) Amounts payable to DoD Components for sales of Defense articles and services on terms which require payment of cash in advance of...

The effect of recombination under short-circuit conditions on the determination of charge transport properties in nanostructured photoelectrodes.

PubMed

Villanueva-Cab, J; Anta, J A; Oskam, G

2016-01-28

We report on the commonly unaccounted for process of recombination under short-circuit conditions in nanostructured photoelectrodes with special attention to the charge collection efficiency. It is observed that when recombination under short circuit conditions is significant, small perturbation methods overestimate the charge-collection efficiency, which is related to the inaccurate determination of the electron diffusion coefficient and diffusion length.

Short- and long-term conditioning of a temperate marine diatom community to acidification and warming.

PubMed

Tatters, Avery O; Roleda, Michael Y; Schnetzer, Astrid; Fu, Feixue; Hurd, Catriona L; Boyd, Philip W; Caron, David A; Lie, Alle A Y; Hoffmann, Linn J; Hutchins, David A

2013-01-01

Ocean acidification and greenhouse warming will interactively influence competitive success of key phytoplankton groups such as diatoms, but how long-term responses to global change will affect community structure is unknown. We incubated a mixed natural diatom community from coastal New Zealand waters in a short-term (two-week) incubation experiment using a factorial matrix of warming and/or elevated pCO2 and measured effects on community structure. We then isolated the dominant diatoms in clonal cultures and conditioned them for 1 year under the same temperature and pCO2 conditions from which they were isolated, in order to allow for extended selection or acclimation by these abiotic environmental change factors in the absence of interspecific interactions. These conditioned isolates were then recombined into 'artificial' communities modelled after the original natural assemblage and allowed to compete under conditions identical to those in the short-term natural community experiment. In general, the resulting structure of both the unconditioned natural community and conditioned 'artificial' community experiments was similar, despite differences such as the loss of two species in the latter. pCO2 and temperature had both individual and interactive effects on community structure, but temperature was more influential, as warming significantly reduced species richness. In this case, our short-term manipulative experiment with a mixed natural assemblage spanning weeks served as a reasonable proxy to predict the effects of global change forcing on diatom community structure after the component species were conditioned in isolation over an extended timescale. Future studies will be required to assess whether or not this is also the case for other types of algal communities from other marine regimes.

Hospital Volume and 30-Day Mortality for Three Common Medical Conditions

PubMed Central

Ross, Joseph S.; Normand, Sharon-Lise T.; Wang, Yun; Ko, Dennis T.; Chen, Jersey; Drye, Elizabeth E.; Keenan, Patricia S.; Lichtman, Judith H.; Bueno, Héctor; Schreiner, Geoffrey C.; Krumholz, Harlan M.

2010-01-01

Background The association between hospital volume and the death rate for patients who are hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia remains unclear. It is also not known whether a volume threshold for such an association exists. Methods We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data from Medicare administrative claims for all fee-for-service beneficiaries who were hospitalized between 2004 and 2006 in acute care hospitals in the United States for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, or pneumonia. Using hierarchical logistic-regression models for each condition, we estimated the change in the odds of death within 30 days associated with an increase of 100 patients in the annual hospital volume. Analyses were adjusted for patients’ risk factors and hospital characteristics. Bootstrapping procedures were used to estimate 95% confidence intervals to identify the condition-specific volume thresholds above which an increased volume was not associated with reduced mortality. Results There were 734,972 hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction in 4128 hospitals, 1,324,287 for heart failure in 4679 hospitals, and 1,418,252 for pneumonia in 4673 hospitals. An increased hospital volume was associated with reduced 30-day mortality for all conditions (P<0.001 for all comparisons). For each condition, the association between volume and outcome was attenuated as the hospital's volume increased. For acute myocardial infarction, once the annual volume reached 610 patients (95% confidence interval [CI], 539 to 679), an increase in the hospital volume by 100 patients was no longer significantly associated with reduced odds of death. The volume threshold was 500 patients (95% CI, 433 to 566) for heart failure and 210 patients (95% CI, 142 to 284) for pneumonia. Conclusions Admission to higher-volume hospitals was associated with a reduction in mortality for acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, and pneumonia, although there was a

2-arachidonoylglycerol signaling impairs short-term fear extinction

PubMed Central

Hartley, N D; Gunduz-Cinar, O; Halladay, L; Bukalo, O; Holmes, A; Patel, S

2016-01-01

Impairments in fear extinction are thought to be central to the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress disorder, and endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling has been strongly implicated in extinction learning. Here we utilized the monoacylglycerol lipase inhibitor JZL184 to selectively augment brain 2-AG levels combined with an auditory cue fear-conditioning paradigm to test the hypothesis that 2-AG-mediated eCB signaling modulates short-term fear extinction learning in mice. We show that systemic JZL184 impairs short-term extinction learning in a CB1 receptor-dependent manner without affecting non-specific freezing behavior or the acquisition of conditioned fear. This effect was also observed in over-conditioned mice environmentally manipulated to re-acquire fear extinction. Cumulatively, the effects of JZL184 appear to be partly due to augmentation of 2-AG signaling in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), as direct microinfusion of JZL184 into the BLA produced similar results. Moreover, we elucidate a short ~3-day temporal window during which 2-AG augmentation impairs extinction behavior, suggesting a preferential role for 2-AG-mediated eCB signaling in the modulation of short-term behavioral sequelae to acute traumatic stress exposure. PMID:26926885

Gene expression changes during short day induced terminal bud formation in Norway spruce.

PubMed

Asante, Daniel K A; Yakovlev, Igor A; Fossdal, Carl Gunnar; Holefors, Anna; Opseth, Lars; Olsen, Jorunn E; Junttila, Olavi; Johnsen, Øystein

2011-02-01

The molecular basis for terminal bud formation in autumn is not well understood in conifers. By combining suppression subtractive hybridization and monitoring of gene expression by qRT-PCR analysis, we aimed to identify genes involved in photoperiodic control of growth cessation and bud set in Norway spruce. Close to 1400 ESTs were generated and their functional distribution differed between short day (SD-12 h photoperiod) and long day (LD-24 h photoperiod) libraries. Many genes with putative roles in protection against stress appeared differentially regulated under SD and LD, and also differed in transcript levels between 6 and 20 SDs. Of these, PaTFL1(TERMINAL FLOWER LIKE 1) showed strongly increased transcript levels at 6 SDs. PaCCCH(CCCH-TYPE ZINC FINGER) and PaCBF2&3(C-REPEAT BINDING FACTOR 2&3) showed a later response at 20 SDs, with increased and decreased transcript levels, respectively. For rhythmically expressed genes such as CBFs, such differences might represent a phase shift in peak expression, but might also suggest a putative role in response to SD. Multivariate analyses revealed strong differences in gene expression between LD, 6 SD and 20 SD. The robustness of the gene expression patterns was verified in 6 families differing in bud-set timing under natural light with gradually decreasing photoperiod. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Days Out of Role Due to Mental and Physical Conditions: Results from the Singapore Mental Health Study

PubMed Central

Abdin, Edimansyah; Ong, Clarissa; Chong, Siow Ann; Vaingankar, Janhavi Ajit; Subramaniam, Mythily

2016-01-01

Objective The aim of the current study was to evaluate the relative contributions of mental and physical conditions to days out of role among adults aged 18 years and above in Singapore. Methods The Singapore Mental Health Study was a cross-sectional epidemiological survey of a nationally representative sample of residents aged 18 years or older. Diagnosis of mental disorders was established using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview; while chronic physical conditions were established using a checklist. Days out of role were assessed using a WHO Disability Assessment Schedule item. Multivariate regression analyses were used to estimate individual-level and societal-level effects of disorders. Results Overall, 8.7% of respondents reported at least one day out of role, with a mean of 5.8 days. The most disabling conditions at the individual level were cancer (118.9 additional days), cardiovascular diseases (93.5), and bipolar disorder (71.0). At the societal level, cardiovascular diseases contributed the highest population attributable risk proportion (45%), followed by cancer (39.3%), and hypertension (13.5%). Conclusions Mental and physical conditions are linked to significant losses in productivity for society as well as role disability for individuals, underscoring the need to enhance prevention and intervention efforts to increase overall productivity and improve individual functioning. PMID:26840741

Short, frequent, 5-days-per-week, in-center hemodialysis versus 3-days-per week treatment: a randomized crossover pilot trial through the Midwest Pediatric Nephrology Consortium.

PubMed

Laskin, Benjamin L; Huang, Guixia; King, Eileen; Geary, Denis F; Licht, Christoph; Metlay, Joshua P; Furth, Susan L; Kimball, Tom; Mitsnefes, Mark

2017-08-01

No controlled trials in children with end-stage kidney disease have assessed the benefits of more frequently administered hemodialysis (HD). We conducted a multicenter, crossover pilot trial to determine if short, more frequent (5 days per week) in-center HD was feasible and associated with improvements in blood pressure compared with three conventional HD treatments per week. Because adult studies have not controlled for the weekly duration of dialysis, we fixed the total treatment time at 12 h a week of dialysis during two 3-month study periods; only frequency varied from 5 to 3 days per week between study periods. Eight children (median age 16.7 years) consented at three children's hospitals. The prespecified primary composite outcome was a sustained 10% decrease in systolic blood pressure and/or a decrease in antihypertensive medications relative to each study period's baseline. Among the six patients completing both study periods, five (83.3%) experienced the primary outcome during HD performed 5 days per week but not 3 days per week; one of the six (16.7%) achieved that outcome during 3-day but not 5-day (p = 0.22) per week HD. During 5-day HD, all patients had significantly more treatments during which their pre-HD systolic (p = 0.01) or diastolic (p = 0.01) blood pressure was 10% lower than baseline. We observed that more frequent HD sessions per week was feasible and associated with improved blood pressure control, but barriers to changing thrice-weekly standard of care include financial reimbursement and the time demands associated with more frequent treatments.

A computer program to perform dynamic thermal analysis for bare overhead conductors during short-time overload conditions

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

Shrestha, P.; Pham, K.

1995-12-31

Under emergency conditions, a bare overhead conductor can carry an increased amount of current that is well in excess of its normal rating. When there is this increase in current flow on a bare overhead conductor, the temperature does not rise instantaneously. but increases along a curve determined by the current, the conductor properties and the ambient conditions. The conductor temperature at the end of a short-time overload period must be restricted to its maximum design value. This paper presents a simplified approach in analyzing the dynamic performance for bare overhead conductors during short-time overload condition. A computer program wasmore » developed to calculate the short-time ratings for bare overhead conductors. The following parameters: current induced heating. solar load, convective/conductive cooling, radiative cooling, altitude, wind velocity and ampacity of the bare conductor were considered. Several sample graphical output lots are included with the paper.« less

Functional and evolutionary characterization of the CONSTANS gene family in short-day photoperiodic flowering in soybean.

PubMed

Wu, Faqiang; Price, Brian William; Haider, Waseem; Seufferheld, Gabriela; Nelson, Randall; Hanzawa, Yoshie

2014-01-01

CONSTANS (CO) plays a central role in photoperiodic flowering control of plants. However, much remains unknown about the function of the CO gene family in soybean and the molecular mechanisms underlying short-day photoperiodic flowering of soybean. We identified 26 CO homologs (GmCOLs) in the soybean genome, many of them previously unreported. Phylogenic analysis classified GmCOLs into three clades conserved among flowering plants. Two homeologous pairs in Clade I, GmCOL1a/GmCOL1b and GmCOL2a/GmCOL2b, showed the highest sequence similarity to Arabidopsis CO. The mRNA abundance of GmCOL1a and GmCOL1b exhibited a strong diurnal rhythm under flowering-inductive short days and peaked at dawn, which coincided with the rise of GmFT5a expression. In contrast, the mRNA abundance of GmCOL2a and GmCOL2b was extremely low. Our transgenic study demonstrated that GmCOL1a, GmCOL1b, GmCOL2a and GmCOL2b fully complemented the late flowering effect of the co-1 mutant in Arabidopsis. Together, these results indicate that GmCOL1a and GmCOL1b are potential inducers of flowering in soybean. Our data also indicate rapid regulatory divergence between GmCOL1a/GmCOL1b and GmCOL2a/GmCOL2b but conservation of their protein function. Dynamic evolution of GmCOL regulatory mechanisms may underlie the evolution of photoperiodic signaling in soybean.

Effects of Short-term Hypergravity Exposure on Germination, Growth and Photosynthesis of Triticum aestivum L.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidyasagar, Pandit B.; Jagtap, Sagar S.; Dixit, Jyotsana P.; Kamble, Shailendra M.; Dhepe, Aarti P.

2014-12-01

Numerous studies have been carried out to investigate the hypergravity effect on plants, where seedlings (4-5 days old) were continuously exposed and grown under hypergravity condition. Here, we have used a novel `shortterm hypergravity exposure experimental method' where imbibed caryopses (instead of seedlings) were exposed to higher hypergravity values ranging from 500 g to 2500 g for a short interval time of 10 minutes and post short-term hypergravity treated caryopses were grown under 1 g conditions for five days. Changing patterns in caryopsis germination and growth, along with various photosynthetic and biochemical parameters were studied. Results revealed the significant inhibition of caryopsis germination and growth in short-term hypergravity treated seeds over control. Photosynthesis parameters such as chlorophyll content, rate of photosynthesis (PN), transpiration rate (Evap) and stomatal conductance (Gs), along with intracellular CO2 concentration (Cint) were found to be affected significantly in 5 days old seedlings exposed to short-term hypergravity treatment. In order to investigate the cause of observed inhibition, we examined the α-amylase activity and antioxidative enzyme activities. α-amylase activity was found to be inhibited, along with the reduction of sugars necessary for germination and earlier growth in short-term hypergravity treated caryopses. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and guaiacol peroxidase were increased in short-term hypergravity treated caryopses, suggesting that caryopses might have experienced oxidative stress upon short-term hypergravity exposure.

The PHD-containing protein EARLY BOLTING IN SHORT DAYS regulates seed dormancy in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Narro-Diego, Laura; López-González, Leticia; Jarillo, Jose A; Piñeiro, Manuel

2017-10-01

The Arabidopsis protein EARLY BOLTING IN SHORT DAYS (EBS), a plant-specific transcriptional regulator, is involved in the control of flowering time by repressing the floral integrator FT. The EBS protein binds the H3K4me3 histone mark and interacts with histone deacetylases to modulate gene expression. Here, we show that EBS also participates in the regulation of seed dormancy. ebs mutations cause a reduction in seed dormancy, and the concurrent loss of function of the EBS homologue SHORT LIFE (SHL) enhances this dormancy alteration. Transcriptomic analyses in ebs mutant seeds uncovered the misregulation of several regulators of seed dormancy including the MADS box gene AGAMOUS-LIKE67 (AGL67). AGL67 interacts genetically with EBS in seed dormancy regulation, indicating that both loci act in the same pathway. Interestingly, EBS functions independently of the master regulator gene of dormancy DELAY OF GERMINATION 1 (DOG1) and other genes encoding chromatin remodelling factors involved in the control of seed dormancy. Altogether, these data show that EBS is a central repressor of germination during seed dormancy and that SHL acts redundantly with EBS in the control of this developmental process. Our observations suggest that a tightly regulated crosstalk among histone modifications is necessary for a proper control of seed dormancy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Day-to-Day Variability of Postural Sway and Its Association With Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Leach, Julia M.; Mancini, Martina; Kaye, Jeffrey A.; Hayes, Tamara L.; Horak, Fay B.

2018-01-01

Introduction: Increased variability in motor function has been observed during the initial stages of cognitive decline. However, the natural variability of postural control, as well as its association with cognitive status and decline, remains unknown. The objective of this pilot study was to characterize the day-to-day variability in postural sway in non-demented older adults. We hypothesized that older adults with a lower cognitive status would have higher day-to-day variability in postural sway. Materials and Methods: A Nintendo Wii balance board (WBB) was used to quantify postural sway in the home twice daily for 30 days in 20 non-demented, community-dwelling older adults: once under a single-task condition and once under a dual-task condition (using a daily word search task administered via a Nook tablet). Mean sway distance, velocity, area, centroidal frequency and frequency dispersion were derived from the center of pressure data acquired from the WBB. Results: Linear relationships were observed between the day-to-day variability in postural sway and cognitive status (indexed by cognitive global z-scores). More variability in time-domain postural sway (sway distance and area) and less variability in frequency-domain postural sway (centroidal sway frequency) were associated with a lower cognitive status under both the single- and dual-task conditions. Additionally, lower cognitive performance rates on the daily word search task were related to a lower cognitive status. Discussion: This small pilot study conducted on a short time scale motivates large-scale implementations over more extended time periods. Tracking longitudinal changes in postural sway may further our understanding of early-stage postural decline and its association with cognitive decline and, in turn, may aid in the early detection of dementia during preclinical stages when the utility of disease-modifying therapies would be greatest. PMID:29780319

Day-to-Day Variability of Postural Sway and Its Association With Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Leach, Julia M; Mancini, Martina; Kaye, Jeffrey A; Hayes, Tamara L; Horak, Fay B

2018-01-01

Introduction : Increased variability in motor function has been observed during the initial stages of cognitive decline. However, the natural variability of postural control, as well as its association with cognitive status and decline, remains unknown. The objective of this pilot study was to characterize the day-to-day variability in postural sway in non-demented older adults. We hypothesized that older adults with a lower cognitive status would have higher day-to-day variability in postural sway. Materials and Methods : A Nintendo Wii balance board (WBB) was used to quantify postural sway in the home twice daily for 30 days in 20 non-demented, community-dwelling older adults: once under a single-task condition and once under a dual-task condition (using a daily word search task administered via a Nook tablet). Mean sway distance, velocity, area, centroidal frequency and frequency dispersion were derived from the center of pressure data acquired from the WBB. Results : Linear relationships were observed between the day-to-day variability in postural sway and cognitive status (indexed by cognitive global z-scores). More variability in time-domain postural sway (sway distance and area) and less variability in frequency-domain postural sway (centroidal sway frequency) were associated with a lower cognitive status under both the single- and dual-task conditions. Additionally, lower cognitive performance rates on the daily word search task were related to a lower cognitive status. Discussion : This small pilot study conducted on a short time scale motivates large-scale implementations over more extended time periods. Tracking longitudinal changes in postural sway may further our understanding of early-stage postural decline and its association with cognitive decline and, in turn, may aid in the early detection of dementia during preclinical stages when the utility of disease-modifying therapies would be greatest.

The effects of dysthymic disorder on health-related quality of life and disability days in persons with comorbid medical conditions in the general population.

PubMed

Baune, Bernhard T; Caniato, Riccardo N; Arolt, Volker; Berger, Klaus

2009-01-01

We aimed to investigate in medical disorders the effects of comorbid dysthymic disorder as compared to major depressive disorder (MDD) on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and disability days in the general population. In a population-based study 4,181 individuals were assessed for the presence of dysthymic disorder and depression, utilizing the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Each participant received a thorough medical examination to assess the presence of comorbid somatic conditions. HR-QoL was evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Survey Short-Form 36 (SF-36) and disability days were provided by self-report. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and multivariable logistic regression were used. Comorbidity with illnesses from a maximum of 6 somatic disease groups was more prevalent in persons with dysthymic disorder (78.7%) than in those with MDD (70.4%). Persons with dysthymic disorder had a significantly lower mental health summary score in the SF-36 and more disability days than those with MDD. The physical health summary scores were not significantly different between participants with dysthymic disorder and MDD (after Bonferroni correction), suggesting that limitations in physical functioning due to comorbid medical conditions were similar in both affective disorder groups. These results show that affective disorders comorbid with medical, somatic illnesses have a major impact on HR-QoL and disability with more pronounced effects in dysthymic disorder than in MDD. Differences in the time course of both conditions might contribute to this finding. Our results support the need for an improved identification and treatment of affective disorders in patients with somatic illnesses. Copyright (c) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Molecular mapping of QTL alleles of Brassica oleracea affecting days to flowering and photosensitivity in spring Brassica napus

PubMed Central

Bennett, Rick A.; Kebede, Berisso

2018-01-01

Earliness of flowering and maturity are important traits in spring Brassica napus canola–whether grown under long- or short-day condition. By use of a spring B. napus mapping population carrying the genome content of B. oleracea and testing this population under 10 to 18 h photoperiod and 18 to 20 0C (day) temperature conditions, we identified a major QTL on the chromosome C1 affecting flowering time without being influenced by photoperiod and temperature, and a major QTL on C9 affecting flowering time under a short photoperiod (10 h); in both cases, the QTL alleles reducing the number of days to flowering in B. napus were introgressed from the late flowering species B. oleracea. Additive effect of the C1 QTL allele at 14 to18 h photoperiod was 1.1 to 2.9 days; however, the same QTL allele exerted an additive effect of 6.2 days at 10 h photoperiod. Additive effect of the C9 QTL at 10 h photoperiod was 2.8 days. These two QTL also showed significant interaction in the control of flowering only under a short-day (10 h photoperiod) condition with an effect of 2.3 days. A few additional QTL were also detected on the chromosomes C2 and C8; however, none of these QTL could be detected under all photoperiod and temperature conditions. BLASTn search identified several putative flowering time genes on the chromosomes C1 and C9 and located the physical position of the QTL markers in the Brassica genome; however, only a few of these genes were found within the QTL region. Thus, the molecular markers and the genomic regions identified in this research could potentially be used in breeding for the development of early flowering photoinsensitive B. napus canola cultivars, as well as for identification of candidate genes involved in flowering time variation and photosensitivity. PMID:29320498

Molecular mapping of QTL alleles of Brassica oleracea affecting days to flowering and photosensitivity in spring Brassica napus.

PubMed

Rahman, Habibur; Bennett, Rick A; Kebede, Berisso

2018-01-01

Earliness of flowering and maturity are important traits in spring Brassica napus canola-whether grown under long- or short-day condition. By use of a spring B. napus mapping population carrying the genome content of B. oleracea and testing this population under 10 to 18 h photoperiod and 18 to 20 0C (day) temperature conditions, we identified a major QTL on the chromosome C1 affecting flowering time without being influenced by photoperiod and temperature, and a major QTL on C9 affecting flowering time under a short photoperiod (10 h); in both cases, the QTL alleles reducing the number of days to flowering in B. napus were introgressed from the late flowering species B. oleracea. Additive effect of the C1 QTL allele at 14 to18 h photoperiod was 1.1 to 2.9 days; however, the same QTL allele exerted an additive effect of 6.2 days at 10 h photoperiod. Additive effect of the C9 QTL at 10 h photoperiod was 2.8 days. These two QTL also showed significant interaction in the control of flowering only under a short-day (10 h photoperiod) condition with an effect of 2.3 days. A few additional QTL were also detected on the chromosomes C2 and C8; however, none of these QTL could be detected under all photoperiod and temperature conditions. BLASTn search identified several putative flowering time genes on the chromosomes C1 and C9 and located the physical position of the QTL markers in the Brassica genome; however, only a few of these genes were found within the QTL region. Thus, the molecular markers and the genomic regions identified in this research could potentially be used in breeding for the development of early flowering photoinsensitive B. napus canola cultivars, as well as for identification of candidate genes involved in flowering time variation and photosensitivity.

Creep of experimental short fiber-reinforced composite resin.

PubMed

Garoushi, Sufyan; Kaleem, Muhammad; Shinya, Akikazu; Vallittu, Pekka K; Satterthwaite, Julian D; Watts, David C; Lassila, Lippo V J

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reinforcing effect of short E-glass fiber fillers oriented in different directions on composite resin under static and dynamic loading. Experimental short fiber-reinforced composite resin (FC) was prepared by mixing 22.5 wt% of short E-glass fibers, 22.5 wt% of resin, and 55 wt% of silane-treated silica fillers. Three groups of specimens (n=5) were tested: FC with isotropic fiber orientation, FC with anisotropic fiber orientation, and particulate-filled composite resin (PFC) as a control. Time-dependent creep and recovery were recorded. ANOVA revealed that after secondary curing in a vacuum oven and after storage in dry condition for 30 days, FC with isotropic fiber orientation (1.73%) exhibited significantly lower static creep value (p<0.05) than PFC (2.54%). For the different curing methods and storage conditions evaluated in this study, FC achieved acceptable static and dynamic creep values when compared to PFC.

Computational Design of Short Pulse Laser Driven Iron Opacity Measurements at Stellar-Relevant Conditions

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

Martin, Madison E.

Opacity is a critical parameter in the simulation of radiation transport in systems such as inertial con nement fusion capsules and stars. The resolution of current disagreements between solar models and helioseismological observations would bene t from experimental validation of theoretical opacity models. Overall, short pulse laser heated iron experiments reaching stellar-relevant conditions have been designed with consideration of minimizing tamper emission and optical depth effects while meeting plasma condition and x-ray emission goals.

[Plastic surgery in day hospital conditions: comparison between two hospital models].

PubMed

Faga, A; Carminati, M; Falconi, D; Gatti, S; Rottino, A

2003-12-01

Personal experience of plastic surgery carried out in Day Hospital conditions is reported. The experience took place within the hospital structure through two different organisational models called here transversal and divisional organisation models: characteristic of the former is that it uses a dedicated interdivisional structure within the hospital involving the centralization of all day-surgery activities, whereas the latter organizes Day Surgery activities within the operating unit whose structures it shares. On the basis of a comparison between the two models we were able to note advantages and disadvantages. We can review our experience in brief by stating that our own preference went to the transversal model which presents the indubitable advantage of being a logistic structure which is hinged on daytime activity and is ready therefore to satisfy on the one hand the needs of this type of patient and, on the other, the needs of the structure itself in efficiency terms. We propose to correct the disadvantages of the transversal model which can be outlined in its lack of homogeneity in the pathology treated and in the subtraction of the criterion of clinical priority in waiting lists through the attainment of a critical dimensional threshold such as to permit programmable sessions with patients with homogeneous pathology (i.e. belonging to the same hospital unit) and through the maintenance of a certain number of Day Hospital beds (around 25%) reserved for new emergency clinical cases.

The influence of demographics and working conditions on self-reported injuries among Latino day laborers

PubMed Central

Fernández-Esquer, Maria Eugenia; Fernández-Espada, Natalie; Atkinson, John A; Montano, Cecilia F

2015-01-01

Background: The majority of day laborers in the USA are Latinos. They are engaged in high-risk occupations and suffer high occupational injury rates. Objectives: To describe on-the-job injuries reported by Latino day laborers, explore the extent that demographic and occupational factors predict injuries, and whether summative measures for total job types, job conditions, and personal protective equipment (PPE) predict injuries. Methods: A community survey was conducted with 327 participants at 15 corners in Houston, Texas. Hierarchical and multiple logistic regressions explored predictors of occupational injury odds in the last year. Results: Thirty-four percent of respondents reported an occupational injury in the previous year. Education, exposure to loud noises, cold temperatures, vibrating machinery, use of hard hats, total number of job conditions, and total PPE significantly predicted injury odds. Conclusion: Risk for injury among day laborers is not only the product of a specific hazard, but also the result of their exposure to multiple occupational hazards. PMID:25291983

[Effects of short-term continuous lighting with LED lamps and nitrogen nutrition conditions on quality of hydroponically grown purple lettuce].

PubMed

Yu, Yi; Yang, Qi-chang; Liu, Wen-ke

2015-11-01

Purple lettuce was grown hydroponically under six different nitrogen nutrition conditions, with NO(3-)-N:NH(4+)-N at 1:0, 4:1 and 1:1 combined with nitrogen application levels of 10 and 15 mmol · L(-1), for 25 days in solar greenhouse, then treated with short-term continuous lighting (SCL) before harvest to study the changes in contents of nutrients and analyze the effects of nitrogen nutrition conditions on the changes. Results showed that the shoot dry mass of all six nitrogen nutrition conditions were significantly improved under SCL treatment, by 35.1% at least, and the root dry mass increased greatly except for NO(3-)-N:NH(4+)-N 1:1 combined with nitrogen application level 15 mmol · L(-1) treatment and NO(3-)-N:NH(4+)-N 1:0 combined with nitrogen application level 10 mmol · L(-1) treatment. The relative contents of total phenols and flavonoid of different nitrogen nutrition conditions turned significantly different after treatment with SCL. The relative contents of total phenols and flavonoid were enhanced with the improvement of ammonium nitrogen ratio, while the relative content of anthocyanin increased and then decreased with the improvement of ammonium nitrogen ratio. The lighting treatment reduced the nitrate content of leaf blade of all six nitrogen nutrition conditions remarkably by 23.2% at least. The contents of ascorbic acid, soluble sugar and soluble protein rose significantly under SCL treatments. The study showed that the reduction of nitrate content speeded up with the enhancement of nitrogen application level and ammonium nitrogen ratio, and the advancement of ascorbic acid content slowed down with the increasing nitrogen application level. The soluble sugar improvement speed increased with the increasing ammonium nitrogen ratio, and SCL lifted the dry mass of the lettuce greatly. The results showed that SCL with LED lamps improved significantly the dry matter of lettuce under different nitrogen nutrition conditions, reduced the nitrate

Short-term heart rate variability in asthmatic obese children: effect of exhaustive exercise and different humidity conditions.

PubMed

Rezvan, K; Dabidi Roshan, V; Mahmudi, S A

2015-11-01

Asthmatic obese children experience changes in functional capacity and autonomic control. Previous heart rate variability (HRV) studies were based on 24-hour recordings, little research has been conducted on the short-term HRV in asthmatic obese children, primarily during physical effort indifferent environmental humidity conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of aerobic activity on short-term HRV in asthmatic obese children under two different environmental humidity conditions. Ten obese boys with mild asthma as experimental group and 15 obese healthy boys with the same conditions were involved as a control group. Protocol included progressive and exhaustive aerobic activities on a calibrated ergometer pedal bicycle in two various environmental humidity 35±5% and 65±5%. HRV was measured by PADSY MEDSET Holter monitoring device during three phases; pre-test, mid-test and post-test. Then, short-term HRV was assessed from calculation of the mean R-R interval measured on HRV at each phases. HRV significantly decreased at mid-test and post-test among asthmatic and health children. However, the aforesaid changes were significantly higher in the asthmatic than health children following. Moreover, decrease of short-term HRV was significantly greater in the 35±5% than 65±5% environmental humidity. Our findings suggest from the autonomic standpoint, asthmatic and non-asthmatic children respond differently to exhaustive exercise induced stress. Aerobic exercise at an environment with high humidity compared with the low humidity appears to have additional benefits on short-term HRV in that it enhances the parasympathetic and autonomic modulation of the heart in asthmatic obese children.

Multiple Chronic Conditions and Disparities in 30-Day Hospital Readmissions Among Nonelderly Adults.

PubMed

Basu, Jayasree; Hanchate, Amresh; Koroukian, Siran

2018-05-15

This study examines the patterns of 30-day hospital readmissions by race/ethnicity and multiple chronic conditions (MCC) burden among nonelderly adult patients. We used hospital discharge data of patients in the 18- to 64-year age group in 5 US states, California, Florida, Missouri, New York, and Tennessee, for 2009 from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database (HCUP-SID) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, linked to contextual and provider data from the Health Resources and Services Administration. A multilevel logistic regression model was used for data pooled over 5 states, adjusting for patient, hospital, and community characteristics. Controlling for other covariates, the study found that a higher MCC burden was associated with a higher all-cause 30-day readmission risk. We found considerable heterogeneity in levels of readmission risk among racial/ethnic subgroups stratified by chronic conditions. Among patients with a lowest MCC burden, African Americans had the highest risk of readmission, but with a higher MCC burden, the risk of readmission increased most for Hispanics.

Voice symptoms of call-centre customer service advisers experienced during a work-day and effects of a short vocal training course.

PubMed

Lehto, Laura; Alku, Paavo; Bäckström, Tom; Vilkman, Erkki

2005-01-01

Occupational voice users often suffer from voice symptoms to varying extents. The first goal of this study was to find out how telephone customer service advisers experience voice symptoms at different moments of the working day. The second goal was to investigate the effects of a short vocal training course arranged for telephone workers. The results indicate that although the subjects did not suffer from severe voice problems, the short vocal training course significantly reduced some of the vocal symptoms they had experienced. The results suggest that systematic consultation and training for occupational voice users in the field of occupational voice care would be advantageous.

Circadian modulation of short-term memory in Drosophila.

PubMed

Lyons, Lisa C; Roman, Gregg

2009-01-01

Endogenous biological clocks are widespread regulators of behavior and physiology, allowing for a more efficient allocation of efforts and resources over the course of a day. The extent that different processes are regulated by circadian oscillators, however, is not fully understood. We investigated the role of the circadian clock on short-term associative memory formation using a negatively reinforced olfactory-learning paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster. We found that memory formation was regulated in a circadian manner. The peak performance in short-term memory (STM) occurred during the early subjective night with a twofold performance amplitude after a single pairing of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. This rhythm in memory is eliminated in both timeless and period mutants and is absent during constant light conditions. Circadian gating of sensory perception does not appear to underlie the rhythm in short-term memory as evidenced by the nonrhythmic shock avoidance and olfactory avoidance behaviors. Moreover, central brain oscillators appear to be responsible for the modulation as cryptochrome mutants, in which the antennal circadian oscillators are nonfunctional, demonstrate robust circadian rhythms in short-term memory. Together these data suggest that central, rather than peripheral, circadian oscillators modulate the formation of short-term associative memory and not the perception of the stimuli.

A perspective on the use of an enhanced recovery program in open, non-instrumented day surgery for degenerative lumbar and cervical spinal conditions.

PubMed

Venkata, Hari K; van Dellen, James R

2018-06-01

A means of significantly shortening patients' length of hospital stay, improving their outcome and thereby also reducing costs is to use an enhanced recovery program (ERP) which is increasingly being used in a number of surgical sub-specialties. This paper provides a perspective on its prospective use in a wide-ranging, unselected cohort of patients undergoing open spinal surgery for degenerative lumbar and cervical spinal conditions. Selected spinal cases undergoing day surgery have been increasingly reported. A prospective, unselected, consecutive cohort of 246 cases, over an 18-month period, undergoing open, non-instrumented decompression spinal surgery and using ERP (and the concept of "bundles of care") was analyzed. Nine cases could not be included as they did not fully meet the entry criteria. No routine follow-up was arranged for the study group. The ages ranged widely, from 23-90 years (mean 57). In 187 the surgery for degenerative conditions was lumbar and in 50 cervical. The ASA (American Association of Anesthesiologists) ratings were 108=1; 107=2 and 22=3. Using the United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS) definitions of length of stay 225 (95%) could be finally classified as "ambulatory" and 12 (5%) were "short stay". A sub-cohort of 126 (53.2%) were "day cases". The follow-up was >1 year for all. There were no wound infections reported; 5 postdischarge cases (2.1%) needed to be seen in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department (less than 4 days postsurgery), but none needed re-admission; and there were 7 re-admissions (2.5%), between 4 and 30 days, and of these 6 required a further surgical procedure. There were no long-term instability complications reported in this cohort. ERP can be used for spinal surgery. There were identifiable and correctable medical and social factors found on analysis which could significantly increase the "day cases" number to over 90%.

Short Hospitalization system: a new way of interpreting day surgery care.

PubMed

Rago, Rocco; Franceschini, Francesca; Tomassini, Carlo R

2016-01-01

Today's poorer income on the one hand and the more and more unbearable costs on the other, call for solutions to maintain public health through proper and collective care. We need to think of a new dimension of health, to found a modern and innovative approach, which can combine the respect of healthcare rights with the optimization of resources. Worldwide, franchises serving millions of people every year succeed in limiting operating costs and still offer a service and a quality equal to single businesses. Let's imagine every single Day Surgery Unit (DSU), within its own hospital, as a single trade: starting a process of centralized management and subsequent affiliation with other DSUs, they would increase their healthcare offer by means of solid organization, efficiency and foresight that with a strong focus on innovation and continuous updating, thus increasing its range of consumers and containing management costs. The Short Hospitalization System (SHS) is the proposed project, which is not only a type of hospitalization which is different from the ordinary, but also an innovative clinical-organizational model, with an important economic impact, where the management and maximization of the different hospital flows (care, professional, logistical, information), as well as the ability to implement strategies to anticipate them are crucial. The expected benefits are both clinically and socially relevant. Among them: 1) best practice build up; 2) lower impact on daily habits and increased patient satisfaction; 3) reduction of social and health expenditure.

Crew factors in flight operations 2: Psychophysiological responses to short-haul air transport operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gander, Philippa H.; Graeber, R. Curtis; Foushee, H. Clayton; Lauber, John K.; Connell, Linda J.

1994-01-01

Seventy-four pilots were monitored before, during, and after 3- or 4-day commercial short-haul trip patterns. The trips studied averaged 10.6 hr of duty per day with 4.5 hr of flight time and 5.5 flight segments. The mean rest period lasted 12.5 hr and occurred progressively earlier across successive days. On trip nights, subjects took longer to fall asleep, slept less, woke earlier, and reported lighter, poorer sleep with more awakenings than on pretrip nights. During layovers, subjective fatigue and negative affect were higher, and positive affect and activation lower, than during pretrip, in-flight, or posttrip. Pilots consumed more caffeine, alcohol, and snacks on trip days than either pretrip or posttrip. Increases in heart rate over mid-cruise were observed during descent and landing, and were greater for the pilot flying. Heart-rate increases were greater during takeoff and descent under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) than under visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The following would be expected to reduce fatigue in short-haul operations: regulating duty hours, as well as flight hours; scheduling rest periods to begin at the same time of day, or progressively later, across the days of a trip; and educating pilots about alternatives to alcohol as a means of relaxing before sleep.

Double-layer rotor magnetic shield performance analysis in high temperature superconducting synchronous generators under short circuit fault conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hekmati, Arsalan; Aliahmadi, Mehdi

2016-12-01

High temperature superconducting, HTS, synchronous machines benefit from a rotor magnetic shield in order to protect superconducting coils against asynchronous magnetic fields. This magnetic shield, however, suffers from exerted Lorentz forces generated in light of induced eddy currents during transient conditions, e.g. stator windings short-circuit fault. In addition, to the exerted electromagnetic forces, eddy current losses and the associated effects on the cryogenic system are the other consequences of shielding HTS coils. This study aims at investigating the Rotor Magnetic Shield, RMS, performance in HTS synchronous generators under stator winding short-circuit fault conditions. The induced eddy currents in different circumferential positions of the rotor magnetic shield along with associated Joule heating losses would be studied using 2-D time-stepping Finite Element Analysis, FEA. The investigation of Lorentz forces exerted on the magnetic shield during transient conditions has also been performed in this paper. The obtained results show that double line-to-ground fault is of the most importance among different types of short-circuit faults. It was revealed that when it comes to the design of the rotor magnetic shields, in addition to the eddy current distribution and the associated ohmic losses, two phase-to-ground fault should be taken into account since the produced electromagnetic forces in the time of fault conditions are more severe during double line-to-ground fault.

Acute Ethanol Has Biphasic Effects on Short- and Long-Term Memory in Both Foreground and Background Contextual Fear Conditioning in C57BL/6 Mice

PubMed Central

Gulick, Danielle; Gould, Thomas J.

2009-01-01

Background Ethanol is a frequently abused, addictive drug that impairs cognitive function. Ethanol may disrupt cognitive processes by altering attention, short-term memory, and/ or long-term memory. Interestingly, some research suggests that ethanol may enhance cognitive processes at lower doses. The current research examined the dose-dependent effects of ethanol on contextual and cued fear conditioning. In addition, the present studies assessed the importance of stimulus salience in the effects of ethanol and directly compared the effects of ethanol on short-term and long-term memory. Methods This study employed both foreground and background fear conditioning, which differ in the salience of contextual stimuli, and tested conditioning at 4 hours, 24 hours, and 1 week in order to assess the effects of ethanol on short-term and long-term memory. Foreground conditioning consisted of 2 presentations of a foot shock unconditioned stimulus (US) (2 seconds, 0.57 mA). Background conditioning consisted of 2 auditory conditioned stimulus (30 seconds, 85 dB white noise)–foot shock (US; 2 seconds, 0.57 mA) pairings. Results For both foreground and background conditioning, ethanol enhanced short-term and long-term memory for contextual and cued conditioning at a low dose (0.25 g/kg) and impaired short-term and long-term memory for contextual and cued conditioning at a high dose (1.0 g/kg). Conclusions These results suggest that ethanol has long-lasting, biphasic effects on short-term and long-term memory for contextual and cued conditioning. Furthermore, the effects of ethanol on contextual fear conditioning are independent of the salience of the context. PMID:17760787

Short rendezvous missions for advanced Russian human spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murtazin, Rafail F.; Budylov, Sergey G.

2010-10-01

The two-day stay of crew in a limited inhabited volume of the Soyuz-TMA spacecraft till docking to ISS is one of the most stressful parts of space flight. In this paper a number of possible ways to reduce the duration of the free flight phase are considered. The duration is defined by phasing strategy that is necessary for reduction of the phase angle between the chaser and target spacecraft. Some short phasing strategies could be developed. The use of such strategies creates more comfortable flight conditions for crew thanks to short duration and additionally it allows saving spacecraft's life support resources. The transition from the methods of direct spacecraft rendezvous using one orbit phasing (first flights of " Vostok" and " Soyuz" vehicles) to the currently used methods of two-day rendezvous mission can be observed in the history of Soviet manned space program. For an advanced Russian human rated spacecraft the short phasing strategy is recommended, which can be considered as a combination between the direct and two-day rendezvous missions. The following state of the art technologies are assumed available: onboard accurate navigation; onboard computations of phasing maneuvers; launch vehicle with high accuracy injection orbit, etc. Some operational requirements and constraints for the strategies are briefly discussed. In order to provide acceptable phase angles for possible launch dates the experience of the ISS altitude profile control can be used. As examples of the short phasing strategies, the following rendezvous missions are considered: direct ascent, short mission with the phasing during 3-7 orbits depending on the launch date (nominal or backup). For each option statistical modeling of the rendezvous mission is fulfilled, as well as an admissible phase angle range, accuracy of target state vector and addition fuel consumption coming out of emergency is defined. In this paper an estimation of pros and cons of all options is conducted.

The association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use: a case-crossover study.

PubMed

Jones, Aaron; Schumacher, Connie; Bronskill, Susan E; Campitelli, Michael A; Poss, Jeffrey W; Seow, Hsien; Costa, Andrew P

2018-04-30

The extent to which home care visits contribute to the delay or avoidance of emergency department use is poorly characterized. We examined the association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use among patients receiving publicly funded home care. We conducted a population-based case-crossover study among patients receiving publicly funded home care in the Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant region of Ontario between January and December 2015. Within individuals, all days with emergency department visits after 5 pm were selected as cases and matched with control days from the previous week. The cohort was stratified according to whether patients had ongoing home care needs ("long stay") or short-term home care needs ("short stay"). We used conditional logistical regression to estimate the association between receiving a home care visit during the day and visiting the emergency department after 5 pm on the same day. A total of 4429 long-stay patients contributed 5893 emergency department visits, and 2836 short-stay patients contributed 3476 visits. Receiving a home care nursing visit was associated with an increased likelihood of visiting the emergency department after 5 pm on the same day in both long-stay (odds ratio [OR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-1.48) and short-stay patients (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07-1.39). Stronger associations were observed for less acute visits to the emergency department. No associations were observed for other types of home care visits. Patients receiving home care were more likely to visit the emergency department during the evening on days they received a nursing visit. The mechanism of the association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use and the extent to which same-day emergency department visits could be prevented or diverted require additional investigation. © 2018 Joule Inc. or its licensors.

The association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use: a case–crossover study

PubMed Central

Jones, Aaron; Schumacher, Connie; Bronskill, Susan E.; Campitelli, Michael A.; Poss, Jeffrey W.; Seow, Hsien

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: The extent to which home care visits contribute to the delay or avoidance of emergency department use is poorly characterized. We examined the association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use among patients receiving publicly funded home care. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case–crossover study among patients receiving publicly funded home care in the Hamilton–Niagara–Haldimand–Brant region of Ontario between January and December 2015. Within individuals, all days with emergency department visits after 5 pm were selected as cases and matched with control days from the previous week. The cohort was stratified according to whether patients had ongoing home care needs (“long stay”) or short-term home care needs (“short stay”). We used conditional logistical regression to estimate the association between receiving a home care visit during the day and visiting the emergency department after 5 pm on the same day. RESULTS: A total of 4429 long-stay patients contributed 5893 emergency department visits, and 2836 short-stay patients contributed 3476 visits. Receiving a home care nursing visit was associated with an increased likelihood of visiting the emergency department after 5 pm on the same day in both long-stay (odds ratio [OR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17–1.48) and short-stay patients (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07–1.39). Stronger associations were observed for less acute visits to the emergency department. No associations were observed for other types of home care visits. INTERPRETATION: Patients receiving home care were more likely to visit the emergency department during the evening on days they received a nursing visit. The mechanism of the association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use and the extent to which same-day emergency department visits could be prevented or diverted require additional investigation. PMID:29712671

Transfer from long to short photoperiods affects production efficiency of day-neutral rice

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldman, K. R.; Mitchell, C. A.

1999-01-01

The day-neutral, semidwarf rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivar Ai-Nan-Tsao was grown in a greenhouse under summer conditions using high-pressure sodium lamps to extend the natural photoperiod. After allowing 2 weeks for germination, stand establishment, and thinning to a consistent planting density of 212 plants/m2, stands were maintained under continuous lighting for 35 or 49 days before shifting to 8- or 12-h photoperiods until harvest 76 days after planting. Non-shifted control treatments consisting of 8-, 12-, or 24-h photoperiods also were maintained throughout production. Tiller number increased as duration of exposure to continuous light increased before shifting to shorter photoperiods. However, shoot harvest index and yield efficiency rate were lower for all plants receiving continuous light than for those under the 8- or 12-h photoperiods. Stands receiving 12-h photoperiods throughout production had the highest grain yield per plant and equaled the 8-h-photoperiod control plants for the lowest tiller number per plant. As long as stands were exposed to continuous light, tiller formation continued. Shifting to shorter photoperiods late in the cropping cycle resulted in newly formed tillers that were either sterile or unable to mature grain before harvest. Late-forming tillers also suppressed yield of grain in early-forming tillers, presumably by competing for photosynthate or for remobilized assimilate during senescence. Stands receiving 12-h photoperiods throughout production not only produced the highest grain yield at harvest but had the highest shoot harvest index, which is important for resource-recovery strategies in advanced life-support systems proposed for space.

Short-term test-retest-reliability of conditioned pain modulation using the cold-heat-pain method in healthy subjects and its correlation to parameters of standardized quantitative sensory testing.

PubMed

Gehling, Julia; Mainka, Tina; Vollert, Jan; Pogatzki-Zahn, Esther M; Maier, Christoph; Enax-Krumova, Elena K

2016-08-05

Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) is often used to assess human descending pain inhibition. Nine different studies on the test-retest-reliability of different CPM paradigms have been published, but none of them has investigated the commonly used heat-cold-pain method. The results vary widely and therefore, reliability measures cannot be extrapolated from one CPM paradigm to another. Aim of the present study was to analyse the test-retest-reliability of the common heat-cold-pain method and its correlation to pain thresholds. We tested the short-term test-retest-reliability within 40 ± 19.9 h using a cold-water immersion (10 °C, left hand) as conditioning stimulus (CS) and heat pain (43-49 °C, pain intensity 60 ± 5 on the 101-point numeric rating scale, right forearm) as test stimulus (TS) in 25 healthy right-handed subjects (12females, 31.6 ± 14.1 years). The TS was applied 30s before (TSbefore), during (TSduring) and after (TSafter) the 60s CS. The difference between the pain ratings for TSbefore and TSduring represents the early CPM-effect, between TSbefore and TSafter the late CPM-effect. Quantitative sensory testing (QST, DFNS protocol) was performed on both sessions before the CPM assessment. paired t-tests, Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), smallest real difference (SRD), Pearson's correlation, Bland-Altman analysis, significance level p < 0.05 with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, when necessary. Pain ratings during CPM correlated significantly (ICC: 0.411…0.962) between both days, though ratings for TSafter were lower on day 2 (p < 0.005). The early (day 1: 16.7 ± 11.7; day 2: 19.5 ± 11.9; ICC: 0.618, SRD: 20.2) and late (day 1: 1.7 ± 9.2; day 2: 7.6 ± 11.5; ICC: 0.178, SRD: 27.0) CPM effect did not differ significantly between both days. Both early and late CPM-effects did not correlate with the pain thresholds. The short-term test-retest-reliability of the early CPM-effect using the

Short-term variability in the ionosphere due to the nonlinear interaction between the 6 day wave and migrating tides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Quan; Oberheide, Jens; Yue, Jia; Wang, Wenbin

2017-08-01

Using the thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere electrodynamics general circulation model simulations, we investigate the short-term ionospheric variability due to the child waves and altered tides produced by the nonlinear interaction between the 6 day wave and migrating tides. Via the Fourier spectral diagnostics and least squares fittings, the [21 h, W2] and [13 h, W1] child waves, generated by the interaction of the 6 day wave with the DW1 and SW2, respectively, are found to play the leading roles on the subdiurnal variability (e.g., ±10 m/s in the ion drift and 50% in the NmF2) in the F region vertical ion drift changes through the dynamo modulation induced by the low-latitude zonal wind and the meridional wind at higher latitudes. The relatively minor contribution of the [11 h, W3] child wave is explicit as well. Although the [29 h, W0] child wave has the largest magnitude in the E region, its effect is totally absent in the vertical ion drift due to the zonally uniform structure. But the [29 h, W0] child wave shows up in the NmF2. It is found that the NmF2 short-term variability is attributed to the wave modulations on both E region dynamo and in situ F region composition. Also, the altered migrating tides due to the interaction will not contribute to the ionospheric changes significantly.

Good Days, Bad Days: Wind as a Driver of Foraging Success in a Flightless Seabird, the Southern Rockhopper Penguin

PubMed Central

Dehnhard, Nina; Ludynia, Katrin; Poisbleau, Maud; Demongin, Laurent; Quillfeldt, Petra

2013-01-01

Due to their restricted foraging range, flightless seabirds are ideal models to study the short-term variability in foraging success in response to environmentally driven food availability. Wind can be a driver of upwelling and food abundance in marine ecosystems such as the Southern Ocean, where wind regime changes due to global warming may have important ecological consequences. Southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome) have undergone a dramatic population decline in the past decades, potentially due to changing environmental conditions. We used a weighbridge system to record daily foraging mass gain (the difference in mean mass of adults leaving the colony in the morning and returning to the colony in the evening) of adult penguins during the chick rearing in two breeding seasons. We related the day-to-day variability in foraging mass gain to ocean wind conditions (wind direction and wind speed) and tested for a relationship between wind speed and sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA). Foraging mass gain was highly variable among days, but did not differ between breeding seasons, chick rearing stages (guard and crèche) and sexes. It was strongly correlated between males and females, indicating synchronous changes among days. There was a significant interaction of wind direction and wind speed on daily foraging mass gain. Foraging mass gain was highest under moderate to strong winds from westerly directions and under weak winds from easterly directions, while decreasing under stronger easterly winds and storm conditions. Ocean wind speed showed a negative correlation with daily SSTA, suggesting that winds particularly from westerly directions might enhance upwelling and consequently the prey availability in the penguins' foraging areas. Our data emphasize the importance of small-scale, wind-induced patterns in prey availability on foraging success, a widely neglected aspect in seabird foraging studies, which might become more important with increasing

Days out of role due to common physical and mental conditions: results from the Northern Ireland study of health and stress.

PubMed

Ennis, Edel; O'Neill, S; Murphy, S; Bunting, B

2016-11-01

Days out of role due to health problems are a major source of lost human capital. We examined the relative importance of common physical and mental disorders in accounting for days out of role in Northern Ireland using the Northern Ireland Study of Health and Stress (NISHS) WHO World Mental Health (WMH) Survey. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with 4340 respondents (68.4 % response rate). Multiple regression analysis estimated associations of specific chronic physical disorders and mental disorders conditions and comorbidities with days out of role controlling for basic socio-demographics. Overall, 16.8 % of respondents had at least one day totally out of role in the previous year. The strongest population-level effect was associated with arthritis, which accounted for 23.5 % of all days out of role. The strongest individual-level effects (days out of role per year) were associated with any anxiety disorder (32.3) arthritis (26.1) and pain (22.0). The 11 conditions accounted for 93 % of all days out of role, as measured by population attributable risk proportions (PARPs). Common health conditions, including mental disorders, make up a large proportion of the number of days out of role and should be addressed to substantially increase overall productivity.

Day to Day

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jurecki, Dennis

2006-01-01

A clean, healthy and safe school provides students, faculty and staff with an environment conducive to learning and working. However, budget and staff reductions can lead to substandard cleaning practices and unsanitary conditions. Some school facility managers have been making the switch to a day-schedule to reduce security and energy costs, and…

Comparison of in-hospital versus 30-day mortality assessments for selected medical conditions.

PubMed

Borzecki, Ann M; Christiansen, Cindy L; Chew, Priscilla; Loveland, Susan; Rosen, Amy K

2010-12-01

In-hospital mortality measures such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Inpatient Quality Indicators (IQIs) are easily derived using hospital discharge abstracts and publicly available software. However, hospital assessments based on a 30-day postadmission interval might be more accurate given potential differences in facility discharge practices. To compare in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates for 6 medical conditions using the AHRQ IQI software. We used IQI software (v3.1) and 2004-2007 Veterans Health Administration (VA) discharge and Vital Status files to derive 4-year facility-level in-hospital and 30-day observed mortality rates and observed/expected ratios (O/Es) for admissions with a principal diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, stroke, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hip fracture, and pneumonia. We standardized software-calculated O/Es to the VA population and compared O/Es and outlier status across sites using correlation, observed agreement, and kappas. Of 119 facilities, in-hospital versus 30-day mortality O/E correlations were generally high (median: r = 0.78; range: 0.31-0.86). Examining outlier status, observed agreement was high (median: 84.7%, 80.7%-89.1%). Kappas showed at least moderate agreement (k > 0.40) for all indicators except stroke and hip fracture (k ≤ 0.22). Across indicators, few sites changed from a high to nonoutlier or low outlier, or vice versa (median: 10, range: 7-13). The AHRQ IQI software can be easily adapted to generate 30-day mortality rates. Although 30-day mortality has better face validity as a hospital performance measure than in-hospital mortality, site assessments were similar despite the definition used. Thus, the measure selected for internal benchmarking should primarily depend on the healthcare system's data linkage capabilities.

The short-term stress response - Mother nature's mechanism for enhancing protection and performance under conditions of threat, challenge, and opportunity.

PubMed

Dhabhar, Firdaus S

2018-03-26

Our group has proposed that in contrast to chronic stress that can have harmful effects, the short-term (fight-or-flight) stress response (lasting for minutes to hours) is nature's fundamental survival mechanism that enhances protection and performance under conditions involving threat/challenge/opportunity. Short-term stress enhances innate/primary, adaptive/secondary, vaccine-induced, and anti-tumor immune responses, and post-surgical recovery. Mechanisms and mediators include stress hormones, dendritic cell, neutrophil, macrophage, and lymphocyte trafficking/function and local/systemic chemokine and cytokine production. Short-term stress may also enhance mental/cognitive and physical performance through effects on brain, musculo-skeletal, and cardiovascular function, reappraisal of threat/anxiety, and training-induced stress-optimization. Therefore, short-term stress psychology/physiology could be harnessed to enhance immuno-protection, as well as mental and physical performance. This review aims to provide a conceptual framework and targets for further investigation of mechanisms and conditions under which the protective/adaptive aspects of short-term stress/exercise can be optimized/harnessed, and for developing pharmacological/biobehavioral interventions to enhance health/healing, and mental/cognitive/physical performance. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Readability of New Aviation Chart Symbology in Day and NVG Reading Conditions.

PubMed

Wagstaff, Anthony S; Larsen, Terje

2017-11-01

The Swedish Air Force (SwAF) conducted a study in 2010 to harmonize portrayal of aeronautical info (AI) on SwAF charts with NATO standards. A mismatch was found concerning vertical obstructions (VO). Norway regarded Sweden's existing symbology as a way to solve the problem of overcrowded air charts and the two countries started to cooperate. The result of this development was a new set of symbology for obstacles. The aim of this study was to test the readability of the new obstacle and power line symbols compared to the old symbols. We also wished to assess the readability in NVG illumination conditions, particularly regarding the new symbols compared to the old. In a randomized controlled study design, 21 volunteer military pilots from the Norwegian and Swedish Air Force were asked to perform tracking and chart-reading tests. The chart-reading test scored both errors and readability using a predefined score index. Subjective scoring was also done at the end of the test day. Overall response time improved by approximately 20% using the new symbology and error rate decreased by approximately 30-90% where statistically significant differences were found. The tracking test turned out to be too difficult due to several factors in the experimental design. Even though some caution should be shown in drawing conclusions from this study, the general trends seem well supported with the number of aircrew subjects we were able to recruit.Wagstaff AS, Larsen T. Readability of new aviation chart symbology in day and NVG reading conditions. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(11):978-984.

Endogenous alpha-ketol linolenic acid levels in short day-induced cotyledons are closely related to flower induction in Pharbitis nil.

PubMed

Suzuki, Masayuki; Yamaguchi, Shoko; Iida, Toshii; Hashimoto, Ikue; Teranishi, Hiromi; Mizoguchi, Masaya; Yano, Fumihiko; Todoroki, Yasushi; Watanabe, Naoharu; Yokoyama, Mineyuki

2003-01-01

Alpha-ketol linolenic acid [KODA, 9,10-ketol-octadecadienoic acid, that is 9-hydroxy-10-oxo-12(Z),15(Z)-octadecadienoic acid] is a signal compound found in Lemna paucicostata after exposure to stress, such as drought, heat or osmotic stress. KODA reacts with catecholamines to generate products that strongly induce flowering, although KODA itself is inactive [Yokoyama et al. (2000) Plant Cell Physiol. 41: 110; Yamaguchi et al. (2001) Plant Cell Physiol. 42: 1201]. We examined the role of KODA in the flower-induction process of Pharbitis nil (violet). KODA was identified for the first time in seedlings of P. nil grown under a flower-inductive condition (16-h dark exposure), by means of LC-SIM and LC-MS/MS. In addition, the changes in endogenous KODA levels (evaluated after esterification of KODA with 9-anthryldiazomethane) during the flower-inductive phase in short day-induced cotyledons were closely related to flower induction. The KODA concentration sharply increased in seedlings during the last 2 h of a 16-h dark period, while the KODA level showed no significant elevation under continuous light. The increase of KODA level occurred in cotyledonal blades, but not in other parts (petiole, hypocotyls and shoot tip). When the 16-h dark period was interrupted with a 10-min light exposure at the 8th h, flower induction was blocked and KODA level also failed to increase. The degree of elevation of KODA concentration in response to 16-h dark exposure was the highest when the cotyledons had just unfolded, and gradually decreased in seedlings grown under continuous light for longer periods, reaching the basal level at the 3rd day after unfolding. Flower-inducing ability also decreased in a similar manner. These results suggest that KODA may be involved in flower induction in P. nil.

Evaluation of anaerobic digestion processes for short sludge-age waste activated sludge combined with anammox treatment of digestate liquor.

PubMed

Ge, Huoqing; Batstone, Damien; Keller, Jurg

2016-01-01

The need to reduce energy input and enhance energy recovery from wastewater is driving renewed interest in high-rate activated sludge treatment (i.e. short hydraulic and solids retention times (HRT and SRT, respectively)). This process generates short SRT activated sludge stream, which should be highly degradable. However, the evaluation of anaerobic digestion of short SRT sludge has been limited. This paper assesses anaerobic digestion of short SRT sludge digestion derived from meat processing wastewater under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. The thermophilic digestion system (55°C) achieved 60 and 68% volatile solids destruction at 8 day and 10 day HRT, respectively, compared with 50% in the mesophilic digestion system (35°C, 10 day HRT). The digestion effluents from the thermophilic (8-10 day HRT) and mesophilic systems were stable, as assessed by residual methane potentials. The ammonia rich sludge dewatering liquor was effectively treated by a batch anammox process, which exhibited comparable nitrogen removal rate as the tests using a control synthetic ammonia solution, indicating that the dewatering liquor did not have inhibiting/toxic effects on the anammox activity.

Operant conditioning in the ant Myrmica sabuleti.

PubMed

Cammaerts, M C

2004-11-30

Operant conditioning could be obtained in the ant Myrmica sabuleti by presenting to the workers, during a six-day period, an apparatus containing either sugared water or meat as a reward. The conditioning obtained using sugared water as a reward was short lasting. A reconditioning was more persistent and lasted four hours. The ants' response was very precise, since they exhibited it only in front of an apparatus identical to that used during the training phase. Operant conditioning obtained using meat as a reward was more pronounced than that obtained by using sugared water, probably because meat is more valuable as a reward than sugar for the species studied, which is essentially a carnivorous one. Such a conditioning was rather persistent. Indeed, a first operant conditioning obtained by using meat as a reward could still be detected after seven hours, and a reconditioning was still significant after eight hours. One day after this eight-hour period without rewarding the ants, the response was higher again and a further day later, it was still significant. Since the operant conditioning is easy to perform and quantify and since the ants' response is very precise, such a conditioning can be used for further studying M. sabuleti workers' visual perception.

Extra-high short-circuit current for bifacial solar cells in sunny and dark-light conditions.

PubMed

Duan, Jialong; Duan, Yanyan; Zhao, Yuanyuan; He, Benlin; Tang, Qunwei

2017-09-05

We present here a symmetrically structured bifacial solar cell tailored by two fluorescent photoanodes and a platinum/titanium/platinum counter electrode, yielding extra-high short-circuit current densities as high as 28.59 mA cm -2 and 119.9 μA cm -2 in simulated sunlight irradiation (100 mW cm -2 , AM1.5) and dark-light conditions, respectively.

Short Duration Heat Acclimation in Australian Football Players

PubMed Central

Kelly, Monica; Gastin, Paul B.; Dwyer, Daniel B; Sostaric, Simon; Snow, Rodney J.

2016-01-01

This study examined if five sessions of short duration (27 min), high intensity, interval training (HIIT) in the heat over a nine day period would induce heat acclimation in Australian football (AF) players. Fourteen professional AF players were matched for VO2peak (mL·kg-1·min-1) and randomly allocated into either a heat acclimation (Acc) (n = 7) or Control (Con) group (n = 7). The Acc completed five cycle ergometer HIIT sessions within a nine day period on a cycle ergometer in the heat (38.7 ± 0.5 °C; 34.4 ± 1.3 % RH), whereas Con trained in thermo-neutral conditions (22.3 ± 0.2 °C; 35.8 ± 0. % RH). Four days prior and two days post HIIT participants undertook a 30 min constant load cycling test at 60% V̇O2peak in the heat (37.9 ± 0.1 °C; 28.5 ± 0.7 % RH) during which VO2, blood lactate concentration ([Lac-]), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), thermal comfort, core and skin temperatures were measured. Heat acclimation resulted in reduced RPE, thermal comfort and [Lac-] (all p < 0.05) during the submaximal exercise test in the heat. Heart rate was lower (p = 0.007) after HIIT, in both groups. Heat acclimation did not influence any other measured variables. In conclusion, five short duration HIIT sessions in hot dry conditions induced limited heat acclimation responses in AF players during the in-season competition phase. In practice, the heat acclimation protocol can be implemented in a professional team environment; however the physiological adaptations resulting from such a protocol were limited. Key points Some minor heat acclimation adaptations can be induced in professional AF players with five 27 min non-consecutive, short duration HIIT sessions in the heat. The heat acclimation protocol employed in this study was able to be implemented in a professional team sport environment during an actual competitive season. Elevating and maintaining a high core temperature sufficient for heat acclimation likely requires a longer heat

Short Duration Heat Acclimation in Australian Football Players.

PubMed

Kelly, Monica; Gastin, Paul B; Dwyer, Daniel B; Sostaric, Simon; Snow, Rodney J

2016-03-01

This study examined if five sessions of short duration (27 min), high intensity, interval training (HIIT) in the heat over a nine day period would induce heat acclimation in Australian football (AF) players. Fourteen professional AF players were matched for VO2peak (mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) and randomly allocated into either a heat acclimation (Acc) (n = 7) or Control (Con) group (n = 7). The Acc completed five cycle ergometer HIIT sessions within a nine day period on a cycle ergometer in the heat (38.7 ± 0.5 °C; 34.4 ± 1.3 % RH), whereas Con trained in thermo-neutral conditions (22.3 ± 0.2 °C; 35.8 ± 0. % RH). Four days prior and two days post HIIT participants undertook a 30 min constant load cycling test at 60% V̇O2peak in the heat (37.9 ± 0.1 °C; 28.5 ± 0.7 % RH) during which VO2, blood lactate concentration ([Lac(-)]), heart rate (HR), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), thermal comfort, core and skin temperatures were measured. Heat acclimation resulted in reduced RPE, thermal comfort and [Lac(-)] (all p < 0.05) during the submaximal exercise test in the heat. Heart rate was lower (p = 0.007) after HIIT, in both groups. Heat acclimation did not influence any other measured variables. In conclusion, five short duration HIIT sessions in hot dry conditions induced limited heat acclimation responses in AF players during the in-season competition phase. In practice, the heat acclimation protocol can be implemented in a professional team environment; however the physiological adaptations resulting from such a protocol were limited. Key pointsSome minor heat acclimation adaptations can be induced in professional AF players with five 27 min non-consecutive, short duration HIIT sessions in the heat.The heat acclimation protocol employed in this study was able to be implemented in a professional team sport environment during an actual competitive season.Elevating and maintaining a high core temperature sufficient for heat acclimation likely requires a longer heat

The effects of single versus twice daily short term heat acclimation on heat strain and 3000m running performance in hot, humid conditions.

PubMed

Willmott, A G B; Gibson, O R; Hayes, M; Maxwell, N S

2016-02-01

Endurance performances are impaired under conditions of elevated heat stress. Short term heat acclimation (STHA) over 4-6 days can evoke rapid adaptation, which mitigate decrements in performance and alleviate heat strain. This study investigated the efficacy of twice daily heat acclimation (TDHA) compared to single session per day heat acclimation (SDHA) and normothermic training, at inducing heat acclimation phenotype and its impact upon running performance in hot, humid conditions. Twenty one, moderately trained males were matched and assigned to three groups; SDHA (mean±SD) (peak oxygen consumption [V̇O2peak] 45.8±6.1mLkg(-1)min(-1), body mass 81.3±16.0kg, stature 182±3cm), TDHA (46.1±7.0mLkg(-1)min(-1), 80.1±11.9kg, 178±4cm) or control (CON) (47.1±3.5mLkg(-1)min(-1), 78.6±16.7kg, 178±4cm). Interventions consisted of 45min cycling at 50% V̇O2peak, once daily for 4d (SDHA) and twice daily for 2d (TDHA), in 35°C, 60% relative humidity (RH), and once daily for 4 days (CON) in 21°C, 40% RH. Participants completed a pre- and post-intervention 5km treadmill run trial in 30°C, 60% RH, where the first 2km were fixed at 40% V̇O2peak and the final 3km was self-paced. No statistically significant interaction effects occurred within- or between-groups over the 2-4 days intervention. While within-group differences were found in physiological and perceptual measures during the fixed intensity trial post-intervention, they did not statistically differ between-groups. Similarly, TDHA (-36±34s [+3.5%]) and SDHA (-26±28s [+2.8%]) groups improved 3km performances (p=0.35), but did not differ from CON (-6±44s [+0.6%]). This is the first study to investigate the effects of HA twice daily and compare it with traditional single session per day STHA. These STHA protocols may have the ability to induce partial adaptive responses to heat stress and possibly enhance performance in environmentally challenging conditions, however, future development is warranted to

Behavioral and physiological effects of a short-term feed restriction in lactating dairy cattle with different body condition scores at calving.

PubMed

Schütz, K E; Cox, N R; Macdonald, K A; Roche, J R; Verkerk, G A; Rogers, A R; Tucker, C B; Matthews, L R; Meier, S; Webster, J R

2013-07-01

Body condition score (BCS) around calving, and the typical BCS loss for up to 100 d after parturition, is associated with both production and reproductive performance of dairy cattle. In addition, there is public concern that thin cows may have impaired welfare, particularly in early lactation where feed demand exceeds pasture growth, and a lag exists between peak milk energy requirements and intake. The aim of this experiment was to determine how BCS at calving influences behavioral and physiological responses to a short-term feed restriction at 47 DIM. Body condition score (on a 10-point scale) at calving was manipulated by modifying the diets in the previous lactation of healthy dairy cattle to generate 3 treatment groups: low BCS (3.4; n=17), medium BCS (4.6; n=18), or high BCS (5.4; n=20). Cows were tested in 4 groups for 8 consecutive days; testing consisted of different levels of feed allocation (d 1 and 2: 100%; d 3 and 4: 75%; d 5: 50%; d 6 to 8: 125%), where 100% was 15kg of DM/cow per day. All BCS groups had similar and marked behavioral and physiological responses to feed restriction. For example, they increased vocalization, time spent eating silage and grazing, aggressive behavior, and fat metabolism (as measured by concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acids), and reduced milk production. Body condition affected some of these responses. Fewer cows with low BCS engaged in aggressive interactions in a feed competition test (trough filled with silage that could be consumed in 15 min) on the first day of feed restriction (low: 32%; medium: 74%; high: 64%; standard error of difference=15.4%). High BCS cows had greater concentrations of β-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acids throughout the experimental period, which suggests more fat mobilization; however, plasma leptin and fecal glucocorticosteroid metabolite concentrations were unaffected by BCS. Whereas cows demonstrated marked responses to feed restriction, the results

Short-course antibiotics for acute otitis media.

PubMed

Kozyrskyj, Anita; Klassen, Terry P; Moffatt, Michael; Harvey, Krystal

2010-09-08

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common illness during childhood, for which antibiotics are frequently prescribed. To determine the effectiveness of a short course of antibiotics (less than seven days) in comparison to a long course of antibiotics (seven days or greater) for the treatment of AOM in children. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2009, issue 4) which contains the Acute Respiratory Infections Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, CINAHL, BIOSIS Previews, OCLC Papers First and Proceedings First, Proquest Dissertations and Theses (inception to November 2009); International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, the NLM Gateway, ClinicalTrials.gov and Current Controlled Trials (inception to August 2008). Trials were included if they met the following criteria: participants aged one month to 18 years; clinical diagnosis of ear infection; no previous antimicrobial therapy; and randomisation to treatment with less than seven days versus seven days or more of antibiotics. The primary outcome of treatment failure was defined as the absence of clinical resolution, relapse or recurrence of AOM during one month following initiation of therapy. Treatment outcomes were extracted from individual studies and combined in the form of a summary odds ratio (OR). A summary OR of 1.0 indicates that the treatment failure rate following less than seven days of antibiotic treatment was similar to the failure rate following seven days or more of treatment. This update included 49 trials containing 12,045 participants. Risk of treatment failure was higher with short courses of antibiotics (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.55) at one month after initiation of therapy (21% failure with short-course treatment and 18% with long-course; absolute difference of 3% between groups). There were no differences found when examining treatment with ceftriaxone for less than seven days (30% failure

Short sleep duration and poor sleep quality predict next-day suicidal ideation: an ecological momentary assessment study.

PubMed

Littlewood, Donna L; Kyle, Simon D; Carter, Lesley-Anne; Peters, Sarah; Pratt, Daniel; Gooding, Patricia

2018-04-26

Sleep problems are a modifiable risk factor for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Yet, sparse research has examined temporal relationships between sleep disturbance, suicidal ideation, and psychological factors implicated in suicide, such as entrapment. This is the first in-the-moment investigation of relationships between suicidal ideation, objective and subjective sleep parameters, and perceptions of entrapment. Fifty-one participants with current suicidal ideation completed week-long ecological momentary assessments. An actigraph watch was worn for the duration of the study, which monitored total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and sleep latency. Daily sleep diaries captured subjective ratings of the same sleep parameters, with the addition of sleep quality. Suicidal ideation and entrapment were measured at six quasi-random time points each day. Multi-level random intercept models and moderation analyses were conducted to examine the links between sleep, entrapment, and suicidal ideation, adjusting for anxiety and depression severity. Analyses revealed a unidirectional relationship whereby short sleep duration (both objective and subjective measures), and poor sleep quality, predicted the higher severity of next-day suicidal ideation. However, there was no significant association between daytime suicidal ideation and sleep the following night. Sleep quality moderated the relationship between pre-sleep entrapment and awakening levels of suicidal ideation. This is the first study to report night-to-day relationships between sleep disturbance, suicidal ideation, and entrapment. Findings suggest that sleep quality may alter the strength of the relationship between pre-sleep entrapment and awakening suicidal ideation. Clinically, results underscore the importance of assessing and treating sleep disturbance when working with those experiencing suicidal ideation.

The balance of dynamic vorticity for the Presidents' Day storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zapotocny, Tom Harmon

1990-06-01

The maintenance of isentropic dynamic vorticity, defined as the vertical component of the curl of momentum, is examined for the life cycle of the Presidents'Day storm. Dynamic vorticity and its tendency are also compared to the more commonly used kinematic vorticity and its tendency. Diagnostics are first performed on an inviscid numerical simulation of an amplifying baroclinic disturbance by a hybrid isentropic-sigma coordinate channel model. The main purpose for studying a simulation with the channel model is to examine the first-order balance of dynamic vorticity during development under simplified conditions. A more in-depth evaluation of dynamic vorticity is presented for an excellent numerical simulation of the Presidents' Day storm of 18 to 20 February 1979. Dynamic vorticity diagnostics for the Presidents' Day storm reveal the importance of mass asymmetries within an isentropic layer and also document the effect of weak static stability. Prior to cyclogenesis, a strong cyclonic circulation tendency exists from both the vertical advection of vorticity and tilting terms. Another important feature is the merging of two synoptic scale short waves; one propagating southeast from the Great Lakes states, the other moving northeast from the Gulf of Mexico. Cyclogenesis is initiated by the latter of these two short waves, while rapid development occurs when the Great Lakes short waves reaches the Middle Atlantic states. During rapid development, an assessment of the ageostrophic component on spin-up is obtained from a balance of the divergence term and pressure stresses. Spin-up from the ageostrophic component is largest ahead of the lower tropospheric warm front. The impact of an 80 m/s subtropical jet streak, which enhances upper tropospheric processes during development, is also examined.

Identification of warm day and cool night conditions induced flowering-related genes in a Phalaenopsis orchid hybrid by suppression subtractive hybridization.

PubMed

Li, D M; Lü, F B; Zhu, G F; Sun, Y B; Xu, Y C; Jiang, M D; Liu, J W; Wang, Z

2014-02-14

The influence of warm day and cool night conditions on induction of spikes in Phalaenopsis orchids has been studied with respect to photosynthetic efficiency, metabolic cycles and physiology. However, molecular events involved in spike emergence induced by warm day and cool night conditions are not clearly understood. We examined gene expression induced by warm day and cool night conditions in the Phalaenopsis hybrid Fortune Saltzman through suppression subtractive hybridization, which allowed identification of flowering-related genes in warm day and cool night conditions in spikes and leaves at vegetative phase grown under warm daily temperatures. In total, 450 presumably regulated expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were identified and classified into functional categories, including metabolism, development, transcription factor, signal transduction, transportation, cell defense, and stress. Furthermore, database comparisons revealed a notable number of Phalaenopsis hybrid Fortune Saltzman ESTs that matched genes with unknown function. The expression profiles of 24 genes (from different functional categories) have been confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR in induced spikes and juvenile apical leaves. The results of the real-time PCR showed that, compared to the vegetative apical leaves, the transcripts of genes encoding flowering locus T, AP1, AP2, KNOX1, knotted1-like homeobox protein, R2R3-like MYB, adenosine kinase 2, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, and naringenin 3-dioxygenase accumulated significantly higher levels, and genes encoding FCA, retrotransposon protein Ty3 and C3HC4-type RING finger protein accumulated remarkably lower levels in spikes of early developmental stages. These results suggested that the genes of two expression changing trends may play positive and negative roles in the early floral transition of Phalaenopsis orchids. In conclusion, spikes induced by warm day and cool night conditions were complex in

Prefrontocortical dopamine loss in rats delays long-term extinction of contextual conditioned fear, and reduces social interaction without affecting short-term social interaction memory.

PubMed

Fernandez Espejo, Emilio

2003-03-01

Prefrontal dopamine loss delays extinction of cued fear conditioning responses, but its role in contextual fear conditioning has not been explored. Medial prefrontal lesions also enhance social interaction in rats, but the role of prefrontal dopamine loss on social interaction memory is not known. Besides, a role for subcortical accumbal dopamine on mnesic changes after prefrontal dopamine manipulation has been proposed but not explored. The objective was to study the involvement of dopaminergic neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens in two mnesic tasks: contextual fear conditioning and social interaction memory. For contextual fear conditioning, short- and long-term freezing responses after an electric shock were studied, as well as extinction retention. Regarding social interaction memory, the recognition of a juvenile, a very sensitive short-term memory test, was used. Dopamine loss was carried out by injection of 6-hydroxydopamine, and postmortem catecholamine levels were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Prefrontocortical dopamine loss (>76%) led to a reactive enhancement of accumbal dopamine content (p<0.01), supporting the hypothesis that a hyperdopaminergic tone emerges in the nucleus accumbens after prefrontocortical dopamine loss. In lesioned rats, long-term extinction of contextual fear conditioning was significantly delayed and extinction retention was impaired without changes in acquisition and short-term contextual fear conditioning and, on the other hand, acquisition and short-term social interaction memory were not affected, although time spent on social interaction was significantly reduced. Added dopamine loss in the nucleus accumbens (>76%) did not alter these behavioral changes. In summary, the results of the present study indicate that the dopaminergic network in the mPFC (but not in the nucleus accumbens) coordinates the normal long-term extinction of contextual fear conditioning

Magnetospheric Truncation, Tidal Inspiral, and the Creation of Short-period and Ultra-short-period Planets

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

Lee, Eve J.; Chiang, Eugene, E-mail: evelee@berkeley.edu

Sub-Neptunes around FGKM dwarfs are evenly distributed in log orbital period down to ∼10 days, but dwindle in number at shorter periods. Both the break at ∼10 days and the slope of the occurrence rate down to ∼1 day can be attributed to the truncation of protoplanetary disks by their host star magnetospheres at corotation. We demonstrate this by deriving planet occurrence rate profiles from empirical distributions of pre-main-sequence stellar rotation periods. Observed profiles are better reproduced when planets are distributed randomly in disks—as might be expected if planets formed in situ—rather than piled up near disk edges, as wouldmore » be the case if they migrated in by disk torques. Planets can be brought from disk edges to ultra-short (<1 day) periods by asynchronous equilibrium tides raised on their stars. Tidal migration can account for how ultra-short-period planets are more widely spaced than their longer-period counterparts. Our picture provides a starting point for understanding why the sub-Neptune population drops at ∼10 days regardless of whether the host star is of type FGK or early M. We predict planet occurrence rates around A stars to also break at short periods, but at ∼1 day instead of ∼10 days because A stars rotate faster than stars with lower masses (this prediction presumes that the planetesimal building blocks of planets can drift inside the dust sublimation radius).« less

Oxygen consumption of animals under conditions of hypokinesia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Loginova, Y. N.; Volozhin, A. I.; Krasnyku, I. G.; Stroganova, Y. A.

1980-01-01

The influence of hypokinesia on the oxygen consumption of rats, dog, and squirrels was investigated. Three periods of gaseous exchange were revealed in rats under conditions of a limited motor activity. During the first 10-15 days O2 consumption displayed a sharp elevation; on the 20th-30th day, it became stabilized at a higher level (in comparison with control) and it sharply rose again on the 40th-100th day. In dogs, hypokinesia produced a reduction of O2 consumption and then a tendency to its elevation was seen. A short period of physical exercises in squirrels after hypokinesia led to increased oxygen consumption at rest.

The charming physician (El médico encantador): neurological conditions in a short story by Silvina Ocampo.

PubMed

Delgado-García, Guillermo; Rodríguez-Návarez, Carolina; Estañol, Bruno

2017-11-01

The Argentinian author Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993) left us a vast body of works which are considered outstanding in many ways. In 1960, she published a short story, entitled "El médico encantador" (The Charming Physician), in the renowned literary magazine Sur. The central character of this piece is a family doctor named Albino Morgan, who had a secret truth: in any house he visited, all variety of disease also entered. He brought with him the viruses he disseminated. The narrator of this short story-one of his patients-describes four of Morgan's diseases. These imaginary neurological conditions allowed Ocampo to explore improbable situations in everyday life.

Correction: The effect of recombination under short-circuit conditions on the determination of charge transport properties in nanostructured photoelectrodes.

PubMed

Villanueva-Cab, J; Anta, J A; Oskam, G

2016-05-28

Correction for 'The effect of recombination under short-circuit conditions on the determination of charge transport properties in nanostructured photoelectrodes' by J. Villanueva-Cab et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 2303-2308.

Feeling old today? Daily health, stressors, and affect explain day-to-day variability in subjective age.

PubMed

Kotter-Grühn, Dana; Neupert, Shevaun D; Stephan, Yannick

2015-01-01

Subjective age is an important correlate of health, well-being, and longevity. So far, little is known about short-term variability in subjective age and the circumstances under which individuals feel younger/older in daily life. This study examined whether (a) older adults' felt age fluctuates on a day-to-day basis, (b) daily changes in health, stressors, and affect explain fluctuations in felt age, and (c) the daily associations between felt age and health, stressors, or affect are time-ordered. Using an eight-day daily diary approach, N = 43 adults (60-96 years, M = 74.65, SD = 8.19) filled out daily questionnaires assessing subjective age, health, daily stressors, and affect. Data were analysed using multilevel modelling. Subjective age, health, daily stressors, affect. Intra-individual variability in felt age was not explained by time but by short-term variability in other variables. Specifically, on days when participants experienced more than average health problems, stress, or negative affect they felt older than on days with average health, stress, or negative affect. No time-ordered effects were found. Bad health, many stressors, and negative affective experiences constitute circumstances under which older adults feel older than they typically do. Thus, daily measures of subjective age could be markers of health and well-being.

Genetic short stature.

PubMed

Grunauer, Michelle; Jorge, Alexander A L

2018-02-01

Adult height and growth patterns are largely genetically programmed. Studies in twins have indicated that the heritability of height is high (>80%), suggesting that genetic variation is the main determinant of stature. Height exhibits a normal (Gaussian) distribution according to sex, age, and ancestry. Short stature is usually defined as a height which is 2 standard deviations (S.D.) less than the mean height of a specific population. This definition includes 2.3% of the population and usually includes healthy individuals. In this group of short stature non-syndromic conditions, the genetic influence occurs polygenically or oligogenically. As a rule, each common genetic variant accounts for a small effect (1mm) on individual height variation. Recently, several studies demonstrated that some rare variants can cause greater effect on height, without causing a syndromic condition. In more extreme cases, height SDS below 2.5 or 3 (which would comprise approximately 0.6 and 0.1% of the population, respectively) is frequently associated with syndromic conditions and are usually caused by a monogenic defect. More than 1,000 inherited/genetic diseases have growth disorder as an important phenotype. These conditions are usually responsible for syndromic short stature. In the coming years, we expect to discover several genetic causes of short stature, thereby explaining the phenotype of what we currently classify as short stature of unknown cause. These discoveries will have a profound impact on the follow-up and treatment of these children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imaging in short stature.

PubMed

Chaudhary, Vikas; Bano, Shahina

2012-09-01

Short stature can be a sign of disease, disability, and social stigma causing psychological stress. It is important to have an early diagnosis and treatment. Short stature may result from skeletal dysplasias, endocrine disorders, may be familial, or may be the result of malnutrition and chronic illnesses. A team effort of the healthcare professionals like pediatricians, endocrinologists, radiologists, and pathologists is required to diagnose, treat and monitor various pathological conditions associated with growth abnormality. In this review, we have discussed the role of imaging in diagnosing and characterizing various pathological conditions associated with short stature.

Resuscitation of starved anaerobic ammonium oxidation sludge system: Impacts of repeated short-term starvation.

PubMed

Ye, Lihong; Li, Dong; Zhang, Jie; Zeng, Huiping

2018-05-04

Starvation of biomass is common during underloading of bioreactors or sludge storage in biological wastewater treatment industries. The aim of this work was to study the impact of starvation modes on the nitrogen removal capacity of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process in sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The repeated short-term starvation and reactivation experiments were performed to evaluate the response of anammox sludge system in the condition of 27 ± 1.5 °C and 320 min HRT. Moreover, the nitrogen removal ability of the anammox process was reactivated rapidly in the low substrate condition, then the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency reached 82.5%, with the effluent TN of around 14.6 mgNL -1 . The repeated short-term starvation (1 day-4 days) and recovery mode could improve the tolerance and apparent activity of anammox sludge system. The dominant species of general anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria (AnAOB) was Candidatus Brocadia, which had better self-adaption to repeated starvation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of capabilities of lidar systems in day-and night-time under different atmospheric and internal-noise conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agishev, Ravil; Comerón, Adolfo

2018-04-01

As an application of the dimensionless parameterization concept proposed earlier for the characterization of lidar systems, the universal assessment of lidar capabilities in day and night conditions is considered. The dimensionless parameters encapsulate the atmospheric conditions, the lidar optical and optoelectronic characteristics, including the photodetector internal noise, and the sky background radiation. Approaches to ensure immunity of the lidar system to external background radiation are discussed.

Postpartum body condition score and results from the first test day milk as predictors of disease, fertility, yield, and culling in commercial dairy herds.

PubMed

Heuer, C; Schukken, Y H; Dobbelaar, P

1999-02-01

The study used field data from a regular herd health service to investigate the relationships between body condition scores or first test day milk data and disease incidence, milk yield, fertility, and culling. Path model analysis with adjustment for time at risk was applied to delineate the time sequence of events. Milk fever occurred more often in fat cows, and endometritis occurred between calving and 20 d of lactation more often in thin cows. Fat cows were less likely to conceive at first service than were cows in normal condition. Fat body condition postpartum, higher first test day milk yield, and a fat to protein ratio of > 1.5 increased body condition loss. Fat or thin condition or condition loss was not related to other lactation diseases, fertility parameters, milk yield, or culling. First test day milk yield was 1.3 kg higher after milk fever and was 7.1 kg lower after displaced abomasum. Higher first test day milk yield directly increased the risk of ovarian cyst and lameness, increased 100-d milk yield, and reduced the risk of culling and indirectly decreased reproductive performance. Cows with a fat to protein ratio of > 1.5 had higher risks for ketosis, displaced abomasum, ovarian cyst, lameness, and mastitis. Those cows produced more milk but showed poor reproductive performance. Given this type of herd health data, we concluded that the first test day milk yield and the fat to protein ratio were more reliable indicators of disease, fertility, and milk yield than was body condition score or loss of body condition score.

A panel study in congestive heart failure to estimate the short-term effects from personal factors and environmental conditions on oxygen saturation and pulse rate.

PubMed

Goldberg, M S; Giannetti, N; Burnett, R T; Mayo, N E; Valois, M-F; Brophy, J M

2008-10-01

Recent studies suggest that persons with congestive heart failure (CHF) may be at higher risk for short-term effects of air pollution. This daily diary panel study in Montreal, Quebec, was carried out to determine whether oxygen saturation and pulse rate were associated with selected personal factors, weather conditions and air pollution. Thirty-one subjects with CHF participated in this study in 2002 and 2003. Over a 2-month period, the investigators measured their oxygen saturation, pulse rate, weight and temperature each morning and recorded these and other data in a daily diary. Air pollution and weather conditions were obtained from fixed-site monitoring stations. The study made use of mixed regression models, adjusting for within-subject serial correlation and temporal trends, to determine the association between oxygen saturation and pulse rate and personal and environmental variables. Depending on the model, we accounted for the effects of a variety of personal variables (eg, body temperature, salt consumption) as well as nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, maximum temperature and change in barometric pressure at 8:00 from the previous day. In multivariable analyses, the study found that oxygen saturation was reduced when subjects reported that they were ill, consumed salt, or drank liquids on the previous day and had higher body temperatures on the concurrent day (only the latter was statistically significant). Relative humidity and decreased atmospheric pressure from the previous day were associated with oxygen saturation. In univariate analyses, there was negative associations with concentrations of fine particulates, ozone, and sulphur dioxide (SO2), but only SO2 was significant after adjustment for the effects of weather. For pulse rate, no associations were found for the personal variables and in univariate analyses the study found positive associations with NO(2), fine particulates (aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 microm or under, PM(2.5)), SO2, and maximum

Aerosols cause intraseasonal short-term suppression of Indian monsoon rainfall.

PubMed

Dave, Prashant; Bhushan, Mani; Venkataraman, Chandra

2017-12-11

Aerosol abundance over South Asia during the summer monsoon season, includes dust and sea-salt, as well as, anthropogenic pollution particles. Using observations during 2000-2009, here we uncover repeated short-term rainfall suppression caused by coincident aerosols, acting through atmospheric stabilization, reduction in convection and increased moisture divergence, leading to the aggravation of monsoon break conditions. In high aerosol-low rainfall regions extending across India, both in deficient and normal monsoon years, enhancements in aerosols levels, estimated as aerosol optical depth and absorbing aerosol index, acted to suppress daily rainfall anomaly, several times in a season, with lags of a few days. A higher frequency of prolonged rainfall breaks, longer than seven days, occurred in these regions. Previous studies point to monsoon rainfall weakening linked to an asymmetric inter-hemispheric energy balance change attributed to aerosols, and short-term rainfall enhancement from radiative effects of aerosols. In contrast, this study uncovers intraseasonal short-term rainfall suppression, from coincident aerosol forcing over the monsoon region, leading to aggravation of monsoon break spells. Prolonged and intense breaks in the monsoon in India are associated with rainfall deficits, which have been linked to reduced food grain production in the latter half of the twentieth century.

Development of an Experimental Model to Study the Relationship Between Day-to-Day Variability in Blood Pressure and Aortic Stiffness

PubMed Central

Bouissou-Schurtz, Camille; Lindesay, Georges; Regnault, Véronique; Renet, Sophie; Safar, Michel E.; Molinie, Vincent; Dabire, Hubert; Bezie, Yvonnick

2015-01-01

We aimed to develop an animal model of long-term blood pressure variability (BPV) and to investigate its consequences on aortic damage. We hypothesized that day-to-day BPV produced by discontinuous treatment of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by valsartan may increase arterial stiffness. For that purpose, rats were discontinuously treated, 2 days a week, or continuously treated by valsartan (30 mg/kg/d in chow) or placebo. Telemetered BP was recorded during 2 min every 15 min, 3 days a week during 8 weeks to cover the full BP variations in response to the treatment schedule. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and aortic structure evaluated by immunohistochemistry were investigated in a second set of rats treated under the same conditions. Continuous treatment with valsartan reduced systolic BP (SBP) and reversed the aortic structural alterations observed in placebo treated SHR (decrease of medial cross-sectional area). Discontinuous treatment with valsartan decreased SBP to a similar extent but increased the day-to-day BPV, short term BPV, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and PWV as compared with continuous treatment. Despite no modifications in the elastin/collagen ratio and aortic thickness, an increase in PWV was observed following discontinuous treatment and was associated with a specific accumulation of fibronectin and its αv-integrin receptor compared with both groups of rats. Taken together the present results indicate that a discontinuous treatment with valsartan is able to induce a significant increase in day-to-day BPV coupled to an aortic phenotype close to that observed in hypertension. This experimental model should pave the way for future experimental and clinical studies aimed at assessing how long-term BPV increases aortic stiffness. PMID:26696902

Altered entrainment to the day/night cycle attenuates the daily rise in circulating corticosterone in the mouse.

PubMed

Sollars, Patricia J; Weiser, Michael J; Kudwa, Andrea E; Bramley, Jayne R; Ogilvie, Malcolm D; Spencer, Robert L; Handa, Robert J; Pickard, Gary E

2014-01-01

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a circadian oscillator entrained to the day/night cycle via input from the retina. Serotonin (5-HT) afferents to the SCN modulate retinal signals via activation of 5-HT1B receptors, decreasing responsiveness to light. Consequently, 5-HT1B receptor knockout (KO) mice entrain to the day/night cycle with delayed activity onsets. Since circulating corticosterone levels exhibit a robust daily rhythm peaking around activity onset, we asked whether delayed entrainment of activity onsets affects rhythmic corticosterone secretion. Wheel-running activity and plasma corticosterone were monitored in mice housed under several different lighting regimens. Both duration of the light:dark cycle (T cycle) and the duration of light within that cycle was altered. 5-HT1B KO mice that entrained to a 9.5L:13.5D (short day in a T = 23 h) cycle with activity onsets delayed more than 4 h after light offset exhibited a corticosterone rhythm in phase with activity rhythms but reduced 50% in amplitude compared to animals that initiated daily activity <4 h after light offset. Wild type mice in 8L:14D (short day in a T = 22 h) conditions with highly delayed activity onsets also exhibited a 50% reduction in peak plasma corticosterone levels. Exogenous adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) stimulation in animals exhibiting highly delayed entrainment suggested that the endogenous rhythm of adrenal responsiveness to ACTH remained aligned with SCN-driven behavioral activity. Circadian clock gene expression in the adrenal cortex of these same animals suggested that the adrenal circadian clock was also aligned with SCN-driven behavior. Under T cycles <24 h, altered circadian entrainment to short day (winter-like) conditions, manifest as long delays in activity onset after light offset, severely reduces the amplitude of the diurnal rhythm of plasma corticosterone. Such a pronounced reduction in the glucocorticoid rhythm may alter rhythmic gene expression in the central

Altered Entrainment to the Day/Night Cycle Attenuates the Daily Rise in Circulating Corticosterone in the Mouse

PubMed Central

Sollars, Patricia J.; Weiser, Michael J.; Kudwa, Andrea E.; Bramley, Jayne R.; Ogilvie, Malcolm D.; Spencer, Robert L.; Handa, Robert J.; Pickard, Gary E.

2014-01-01

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a circadian oscillator entrained to the day/night cycle via input from the retina. Serotonin (5-HT) afferents to the SCN modulate retinal signals via activation of 5-HT1B receptors, decreasing responsiveness to light. Consequently, 5-HT1B receptor knockout (KO) mice entrain to the day/night cycle with delayed activity onsets. Since circulating corticosterone levels exhibit a robust daily rhythm peaking around activity onset, we asked whether delayed entrainment of activity onsets affects rhythmic corticosterone secretion. Wheel-running activity and plasma corticosterone were monitored in mice housed under several different lighting regimens. Both duration of the light∶dark cycle (T cycle) and the duration of light within that cycle was altered. 5-HT1B KO mice that entrained to a 9.5L:13.5D (short day in a T = 23 h) cycle with activity onsets delayed more than 4 h after light offset exhibited a corticosterone rhythm in phase with activity rhythms but reduced 50% in amplitude compared to animals that initiated daily activity <4 h after light offset. Wild type mice in 8L:14D (short day in a T = 22 h) conditions with highly delayed activity onsets also exhibited a 50% reduction in peak plasma corticosterone levels. Exogenous adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) stimulation in animals exhibiting highly delayed entrainment suggested that the endogenous rhythm of adrenal responsiveness to ACTH remained aligned with SCN-driven behavioral activity. Circadian clock gene expression in the adrenal cortex of these same animals suggested that the adrenal circadian clock was also aligned with SCN-driven behavior. Under T cycles <24 h, altered circadian entrainment to short day (winter-like) conditions, manifest as long delays in activity onset after light offset, severely reduces the amplitude of the diurnal rhythm of plasma corticosterone. Such a pronounced reduction in the glucocorticoid rhythm may alter rhythmic gene expression in the

Imaging in short stature

PubMed Central

Chaudhary, Vikas; Bano, Shahina

2012-01-01

Short stature can be a sign of disease, disability, and social stigma causing psychological stress. It is important to have an early diagnosis and treatment. Short stature may result from skeletal dysplasias, endocrine disorders, may be familial, or may be the result of malnutrition and chronic illnesses. A team effort of the healthcare professionals like pediatricians, endocrinologists, radiologists, and pathologists is required to diagnose, treat and monitor various pathological conditions associated with growth abnormality. In this review, we have discussed the role of imaging in diagnosing and characterizing various pathological conditions associated with short stature. PMID:23087851

Cost-effectiveness comparison between pituitary down-regulation with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist short regimen on alternate days and an antagonist protocol for assisted fertilization treatments.

PubMed

Maldonado, Luiz Guilherme Louzada; Franco, José Gonçalves; Setti, Amanda Souza; Iaconelli, Assumpto; Borges, Edson

2013-05-01

To compare cost-effectiveness between pituitary down-regulation with a GnRH agonist (GnRHa) short regimen on alternate days and GnRH antagonist (GnRHant) multidose protocol on in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcome. Prospective, randomized. A private center. Patients were randomized into GnRHa (n = 48) and GnRHant (n = 48) groups. GnRHa stimulation protocol: administration of triptorelin on alternate days starting on the first day of the cycle, recombinant FSH (rFSH), and recombinant hCG (rhCG) microdose. GnRHant protocol: administration of a daily dose of rFSH, cetrorelix, and rhCG microdose. ICSI outcomes and treatment costs. A significantly lower number of patients underwent embryo transfer in the GnRHa group. Clinical pregnancy rate was significantly lower and miscarriage rate was significantly higher in the GnRHa group. It was observed a significant lower cost per cycle in the GnRHa group compared with the GnRHant group ($5,327.80 ± 387.30 vs. $5,900.40 ± 472.50). However, mean cost per pregnancy in the GnRHa was higher than in the GnRHant group ($19,671.80 ± 1,430.00 vs. $11,328.70 ± 907.20). Although the short controlled ovarian stimulation protocol with GnRHa on alternate days, rFSH, and rhCG microdose may lower the cost of an individual IVF cycle, it requires more cycles to achieve pregnancy. NCT01468441. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short Daytime Naps Briefly Attenuate Objectively Measured Sleepiness Under Chronic Sleep Restriction.

PubMed

Saletin, Jared M; Hilditch, Cassie J; Dement, William C; Carskadon, Mary A

2017-09-01

Napping is a useful countermeasure to the negative effects of acute sleep loss on alertness. The efficacy of naps to recover from chronic sleep loss is less well understood. Following 2 baseline nights (10 hours' time-in-bed), participants were restricted to 7 nights of 5-hour sleep opportunity. Ten adults participated in the No-Nap condition, and a further 9 were assigned to a Nap condition with a daily 45-minute nap opportunity at 1300 h. Sleepiness was assessed using the multiple sleep latency test and a visual analogue scale at 2-hour intervals. Both objective and subjective indexes of sleepiness were normalized within subject as a difference from those at baseline prior to sleep restriction. Mixed-effects models examined how the daytime nap opportunity altered sleepiness across the day and across the protocol. Short daytime naps attenuated sleepiness due to chronic sleep restriction for up to 6-8 hours after the nap. Benefits of the nap did not extend late into evening. Subjective sleepiness demonstrated a similar short-lived benefit that emerged later in the day when objective sleepiness already returned to pre-nap levels. Neither measure showed a benefit of the nap the following morning after the subsequent restriction night. These data indicate a short daytime nap may attenuate sleepiness in chronic sleep restriction, yet subjective and objective benefits emerge at different time scales. Because neither measure showed a benefit the next day, the current study underscores the need for careful consideration before naps are used as routine countermeasures to chronic sleep loss. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Short- and long-term antidepressant effects of ketamine in a rat chronic unpredictable stress model.

PubMed

Jiang, Yinghong; Wang, Yiqiang; Sun, Xiaoran; Lian, Bo; Sun, Hongwei; Wang, Gang; Du, Zhongde; Li, Qi; Sun, Lin

2017-08-01

This research was aimed to evaluate the behaviors of short- or long-term antidepressant effects of ketamine in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS). Ketamine, a glutamate noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, regulates excitatory amino acid functions, such as anxiety disorders and major depression, and plays an important role in synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. After 42 days of CUS model, male rats received either a single injection of ketamine (10 mg/kg; day 43) or 15 daily injections (days 43-75). The influence of ketamine on behavioral reactivity was assessed 24 hr (short-term) or 7 weeks after ketamine treatment (long-term). Behavioral tests used to assess the effects of these treatments included the sucrose preference (SP), open field (OF), elevated plus maze (EPM), forced swimming (FS), and water maze (WM) to detect anxiety-like behavior (OF and EPM), forced swimming (FS), and water maze (WM). Results: Short-term ketamine administration resulted in increases of body weight gain, higher sensitivity to sucrose, augmented locomotor activity in the OF, more entries into the open arms of the EPM, along increased activity in the FS test; all responses indicative of reductions in depression/despair in anxiety-eliciting situations. No significant differences in these behaviors were obtained under conditions of long-term ketamine administration ( p  > .05). The CUS + Ketamine group showed significantly increased activity as compared with the CUS + Vehicle group for analysis of the long-term effects of ketamine (* p  < .05). Nor were significant differences obtained in learning and memory performance in rats receiving ketamine ( p  > .05). Taken together these findings demonstrate that a short-term administration of ketamine induced rapid antidepressant-like effects in adult male rats exposed to CUS conditions, effects that were not observed in response to the long-term treatment regime.

Real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting of drought in Norway

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwok Wong, Wai; Hisdal, Hege

2013-04-01

Drought is considered to be one of the most costly natural disasters. Drought monitoring and forecasting are thus important for sound water management. In this study hydrological drought characteristics applicable for real-time monitoring and short-term forecasting of drought in Norway were developed. A spatially distributed hydrological model (HBV) implemented in a Web-based GIS framework provides a platform for drought analyses and visualizations. A number of national drought maps can be produced, which is a simple and effective way to communicate drought conditions to decision makers and the public. The HBV model is driven by precipitation and air temperature data. On a daily time step it calculates the water balance for 1 x 1 km2 grid cells characterized by their elevation and land use. Drought duration and areal drought coverage for runoff and subsurface storage (sum of soil moisture and groundwater) were derived. The threshold level method was used to specify drought conditions on a grid cell basis. The daily 10th percentile thresholds were derived from seven-day windows centered on that calendar day from the reference period 1981-2010 (threshold not exceeded 10% of the time). Each individual grid cell was examined to determine if it was below its respective threshold level. Daily drought-stricken areas can then be easily identified when visualized on a map. The drought duration can also be tracked and calculated by a retrospective analysis. Real-time observations from synoptic stations interpolated to a regular grid of 1 km resolution constituted the forcing data for the current situation. 9-day meteorological forecasts were used as input to the HBV model to obtain short-term hydrological drought forecasts. Downscaled precipitation and temperature fields from two different atmospheric models were applied. The first two days of the forecast period adopted the forecasts from Unified Model (UM4) while the following seven days were based on the 9-day forecasts

Impact of a 7-Day Field Training on Oral Health Condition in Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Personnel.

PubMed

Yamashita, Koji; Nishiyama, Takeshi; Nagata, Emi; Ramadhani, Atik; Kawada-Matsuo, Miki; Komatsuzawa, Hitoshi; Oho, Takahiko

2017-07-01

In the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), personnel periodically perform intensive training that mimics the conditions seen in battle and during natural disasters. Military training involves intensive, stressful conditions, and changes in immune responses have been found in personnel following training. Good oral condition is important for military personnel to fulfill their duties; however, they have difficulty performing daily oral care under training conditions. In this study, we investigated the impact of a 7-day field training on the oral health status of JGSDF personnel by comparing their oral condition before and just after training. The participants were 59 male and 3 female JGSDF personnel undergoing a 7-day field training. All personnel provided informed written consent to participate, and this study was approved by the ethics committee of the Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences. Oral health behaviors before and during the training period were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Dental caries was assessed before training in terms of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT), and periodontal condition was examined before and immediately after training using the community periodontal index (CPI). The presence of eight species of bacteria in dental plaque, including commensal streptococci that are early colonizers on the tooth surface, cariogenic bacteria, and periodontopathic bacteria, was determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction. We also assessed antibacterial factors and a stress marker in saliva samples. Sample collection was performed before and just after training. In addition to difference analysis between groups, logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between each health behavior and periodontal deterioration. The frequency of toothbrushing decreased, and snacking increased during the training period. Thirty-five personnel (56.5%) showed an increase in

The influence of antecedent conditions on flood risk in sub-Saharan Africa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bischiniotis, Konstantinos; van den Hurk, Bart; Coughlan de Perez, Erin; Jongman, Brenden; Veldkamp, Ted; Aerts, Jeroen

2017-04-01

Traditionally, flood risk management has focused on long-term flood protection measures. However, many countries are often not able to afford hard infrastructure that provides sufficient safety levels due to the high investment costs. As a consequence, they rely more on post disaster response and timely warning systems. Most early warning systems have predominantly focused on precipitation as the main predictive factor, having usually lead times of hours or days. However, other variables could also play a role. For instance, anomalous positive water storage, soil saturation and evapotranspiration are physical factors that may influence the length of the flood build-up period. This period can vary from some days to several months before the event and it is particularly important in flood risk management since longer flood warning lead times during this period could result in better flood preparation actions. This study addresses how the antecedent conditions of historical reported flood events over the period 1980 to 2010 in sub-Saharan Africa relate to flood generation. The seasonal-scale conditions are reflected in the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), which is calculated using monthly precipitation and temperature data and accounts for the wetness/dryness of an area. Antecedent conditions are separated into a) a short term 'weather-scale' period (0-7 days) and b) a 'seasonal-scale' period (up to 6 months) before the flood event in such a way that they do not overlap. Total 7-day precipitation, which is based on daily meteorological data, was used to evaluate the short-term weather-scale conditions. Using a pair of coordinates, derived from the NatCatSERVICE database on global flood losses, each flood event is positioned on a 0.5°x 0.5° grid cell. The antecedent SPEI conditions of the two periods and their joint influence in flood generation are compared to the same period conditions of the other years of the dataset. First results

Effect of a 21-day balneotherapy program on blood cell counts, ponogen levels, and blood biochemical indexes in servicemen in sub-health condition.

PubMed

Xu, Li; Wu, Lin; Liu, Tingting; Xing, Wenrong; Cao, Xinsheng; Zhang, Shu; Su, Zongyi

2017-09-01

[Purpose] The aim of our study was to explore the changes in the blood of servicemen in sub-health conditions during a 21-day balneotherapy program. [Subjects and Methods] For this study, 129 servicemen in sub-health condition were recruited. The subjects were randomly divided into either the balneotherapy group (70) or the control group (59). Subjects in the balneotherapy group received whole-body immersion bath therapy in thermomineral water (30 min daily) for 21 days. Their blood samples were examined 1 day before and after balneotherapy. The parameters studied included mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), white blood cell (WBC), lactic acid (LAC), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose (GLU), and triglycerides (TG) levels. [Results] After 21 days of balneotherapy, MCH levels and MCHC increased significantly and WBC counts increased significantly. LAC levels decreased significantly. ALT, GLU, and TG levels decreased significantly. In the control group, there were no statistical differences before and after tap water baths following the same procedure. [Conclusion] A 21-day balneotherapy program significantly improved blood cell counts and blood biochemical indexes and reduced ponogen levels in servicemen in sub-health condition.

Effect of a 21-day balneotherapy program on blood cell counts, ponogen levels, and blood biochemical indexes in servicemen in sub-health condition

PubMed Central

Xu, Li; Wu, Lin; Liu, Tingting; Xing, Wenrong; Cao, Xinsheng; Zhang, Shu; Su, Zongyi

2017-01-01

[Purpose] The aim of our study was to explore the changes in the blood of servicemen in sub-health conditions during a 21-day balneotherapy program. [Subjects and Methods] For this study, 129 servicemen in sub-health condition were recruited. The subjects were randomly divided into either the balneotherapy group (70) or the control group (59). Subjects in the balneotherapy group received whole-body immersion bath therapy in thermomineral water (30 min daily) for 21 days. Their blood samples were examined 1 day before and after balneotherapy. The parameters studied included mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), white blood cell (WBC), lactic acid (LAC), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose (GLU), and triglycerides (TG) levels. [Results] After 21 days of balneotherapy, MCH levels and MCHC increased significantly and WBC counts increased significantly. LAC levels decreased significantly. ALT, GLU, and TG levels decreased significantly. In the control group, there were no statistical differences before and after tap water baths following the same procedure. [Conclusion] A 21-day balneotherapy program significantly improved blood cell counts and blood biochemical indexes and reduced ponogen levels in servicemen in sub-health condition. PMID:28931990

Three-day clotrimazole treatment in candidal vulvovaginitis.

PubMed Central

Masterton, G; Napier, I R; Henderson, J N; Roberts, J E

1977-01-01

The accepted modern practice is to treat each sexually transmitted disease with the shortest possible course of treatment consistent with success. In candidal vulvovaginitis, six days is the minimum period that has so far been found to be successful, but we report here a further reduction to three days. Patients were given two clotrimazole pessaries nightly for three consecutive nights; the overall success rate was 89-4% one month after treatment. This compares favourably with the 93% cure rate reported with the six-day course of clotrimazole. With both the long and short courses, patients having their first attack of genital candidosis responded better than those with a history of previous infection. Short courses of clotrimazole treatment are particularly valuable in dealing with uncooperative women who stop treatment at the earliest possible moment. Clinical and laboratory diagnostic pitfalls and their possible influence upon the therapeutic outcome are also discussed. PMID:870143

Effects of short-term fasting on stress physiology, body condition, and locomotor activity in wintering male white-crowned sparrows.

PubMed

Krause, Jesse S; Pérez, Jonathan H; Meddle, Simone L; Wingfield, John C

2017-08-01

For wild free-living animals the availability of food resources can be greatly affected by environmental perturbations such as weather events. In response to environmental perturbations, animals activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to adjust physiology and behavior. The literature asserts that during weather events food intake declines leading to changes in HPA axis activity, as measured by both baseline and stress-induced glucocorticoid concentrations. Here we investigated how body condition, locomotor activity, and stress physiology were affected by varying lengths of a fast (1, 2, 6, and 24h; similar to that experienced by free-living birds) compared to when food was provided ad libitum in captive wintering male white-crowned sparrows, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii, exposed to a short day photoperiod. Baseline corticosterone concentrations were increased for all fasting durations but were highest in 6 and 24h fasted birds. Stress-induced corticosterone was elevated in 1h fasted birds with a trend for the 2h of fast; no other differences were found. Baseline corticosterone concentrations were negatively related to both total fat scores and body mass. All birds lost body mass regardless of fast length but birds fasted for 24h lost the most. Fat scores declined in the 6 and 24h groups, and no measureable changes were detected in pectoralis muscle profile. Locomotor activity was increased over the entire period in which food was removed regardless of fasting duration. Together this suggests that reduced food availability is responsible, at least in part, for the rapid elevation both baseline corticosterone under any duration of fast and stress-induced concentrations during short-term fasts. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

United States comparative costs and absenteeism of diabetic ophthalmic conditions.

PubMed

Brook, Richard A; Kleinman, Nathan L; Patel, Sunil; Smeeding, Jim E; Beren, Ian A; Turpcu, Adam

2015-06-01

This retrospective cohort study examined the impact of diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR), or diabetes on annual health benefit costs and absenteeism in US employees. Claims data from 2001 to 2012 was extracted from the Human Capital Management Services Group Research Reference Database on annual direct/indirect health benefit costs and absences for employees aged ≥ 18 years. Employees with DME, DR, or diabetes were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Employees were divided into two groups, drivers or nondrivers, and examined in separate analyses. For drivers and nondrivers, the DME, DR, and diabetes cohorts were compared with their respective control groups (without diabetes). Two-part regression models controlled for demographics and job-related characteristics. A total of 39,702 driver and 426,549 nondriver employees were identified as having ≥ 1 year's continuous health plan enrollment. Direct medical costs for drivers with DME, DR, or diabetes were $6470, $8021, and $5102, respectively (>2.8 times higher and statistically significant compared with driver controls). Nondrivers with DME and DR incurred significantly higher sick leave and short-term disability costs compared with the nondrivers with diabetes and nondriver controls. In drivers with DME, the majority of days of absence were for short- and long-term disability (12.41 and 11.43 days, respectively). In drivers with DR, the majority of days of absence were for short-term disability (10.70 days). In nondrivers with DME and nondrivers with DR, the majority of days of absence were for sick leave (5.74 and 4.93 days, respectively) and short-term disability (5.08 and 4.93 days, respectively). DME and DR are associated with substantial direct medical cost and absenteeism in this real-world sample of medically insured employees. This research highlights the negative impact of DME and DR on annual costs and absenteeism

Short-term use of serotonin reuptake inhibitors and risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

PubMed

Wang, Yen-Po; Chen, Yung-Tai; Tsai, Chia-Fen; Li, Szu-Yuan; Luo, Jiing-Chyuan; Wang, Shuu-Jiun; Tang, Chao-Hsiun; Liu, Chia-Jen; Lin, Han-Chieh; Lee, Fa-Yauh; Chang, Full-Young; Lu, Ching-Liang

2014-01-01

The association between selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) and risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding remains controversial. Previous studies have generally evaluated the issue for approximately 3 months, even though the SSRI-mediated inhibition of platelet serotonin concentrations occurs within 7-14 days. The authors explored the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding after short-term SSRI exposure by a case-crossover design. The records of psychiatric inpatients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database (1998-2009). Rates of antidepressant use were compared for case and control periods with time windows of 7, 14, and 28 days. The adjusted self-matched odds ratios from a conditional logistic regression model were used to determine the association between SSRI use and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. A total of 5,377 patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding were enrolled. The adjusted odds ratio for the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding after SSRI exposure was 1.67 (95% CI=1.23-2.26) for the 7-day window, 1.84 (95% CI=1.42-2.40) for the 14-day window, and 1.67 (95% CI=1.34-2.08) for the 28-day window. SSRIs with high and intermediate, but not low, affinity for serotonin transporter were associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. An elevated risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding after SSRI exposure was seen in male but not female patients. Short-term SSRI use (7-28 days) is significantly associated with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Gender differences may exist in the relationship between SSRI use and upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Physicians should carefully monitor signs of upper gastrointestinal bleeding even after short-term exposure to SSRIs, as is done with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and aspirin.

Present and future assessment of growing degree days over selected Greek areas with different climate conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paparrizos, Spyridon; Matzarakis, Andreas

2017-10-01

The determination of heat requirements in the first developing phases of plants has been expressed as Growing Degree Days (GDD). The current study focuses on three selected study areas in Greece that are characterised by different climatic conditions due to their location and aims to assess the future variation and spatial distribution of Growing Degree Days (GDD) and how these can affect the main cultivations in the study areas. Future temperature data were obtained and analysed by the ENSEMBLES project. The analysis was performed for the future periods 2021-2050 and 2071-2100 with the A1B and B1 scenarios. Spatial distribution was performed using a combination of dynamical and statistical downscaling technique through ArcGIS 10.2.1. The results indicated that for all the future periods and scenarios, the GDD are expected to increase. Furthermore, the increase in the Sperchios River basin will be the highest, followed by the Ardas and the Geropotamos River basins. Moreover, the cultivation period will be shifted from April-October to April-September which will have social, economical and environmental benefits. Additionally, the spatial distribution indicated that in the upcoming years the existing cultivations can find favourable conditions and can be expanded in mountainous areas as well. On the other hand, due to the rough topography that exists in the study areas, the wide expansion of the existing cultivations into higher altitudes is unaffordable. Nevertheless, new more profitable cultivations can be introduced which can find propitious conditions in terms of GDD.

Condition assessment of short-line railroad bridges in Pennsylvania.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-02-01

Current levels of available resources to maintain and preserve the Pennsylvania short-line railroad (SLRR) bridge infrastructure require that important priority decisions be made on an annual basis. The primary objective of this study was to establis...

Take Advantage of Constitution Day

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCune, Bonnie F.

2008-01-01

The announcement of the mandate for Constitution and Citizenship Day shortly before September, 2005, probably led to groans of dismay. Not another "must-do" for teachers and schools already stressed by federal and state requirements for standardized tests, increasingly rigid curricula, and scrutiny from the public and officials. But the…

Optimization of interaction conditions for efficient short laser pulse amplification by stimulated Brillouin scattering in the strongly coupled regime

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

Chiaramello, M.; Riconda, C.; Amiranoff, F.

Plasma amplification of low energy, a short (∼100–500 fs) laser pulse by an energetic long (∼10 ps) pulse via strong coupling Stimulated Brillouin Backscattering is investigated with an extensive analysis of one-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Parameters relevant to nowadays experimental conditions are investigated. The obtained seed pulse spectra are analyzed as a function of the interaction conditions such as plasma profile, pulses delay, and seed or pulse duration. The factors affecting the amount of energy transferred are determined, and the competition between Brillouin-based amplification and parasitic Raman backscattering is analyzed, leading to the optimization of the interaction conditions.

Short sleep duration among workers--United States, 2010.

PubMed

2012-04-27

Insufficient sleep can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences for fatigued workers and others around them. For example, an estimated 20% of vehicle crashes are linked to drowsy driving. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that healthy adults sleep 7-9 hours per day. To assess the prevalence of short sleep duration among workers, CDC analyzed data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The analysis compared sleep duration by age group, race/ethnicity, sex, marital status, education, and employment characteristics. Overall, 30.0% of civilian employed U.S. adults (approximately 40.6 million workers) reported an average sleep duration of ≤6 hours per day. The prevalence of short sleep duration (≤6 hours per day) varied by industry of employment (range: 24.1%-41.6%), with a significantly higher rate of short sleep duration among workers in manufacturing (34.1%) compared with all workers combined. Among all workers, those who usually worked the night shift had a much higher prevalence of short sleep duration (44.0%, representing approximately 2.2 million night shift workers) than those who worked the day shift (28.8%, representing approximately 28.3 million day shift workers). An especially high prevalence of short sleep duration was reported by night shift workers in the transportation and warehousing (69.7%) and health-care and social assistance (52.3%) industries. Targeted interventions, such as evidence-based shift system designs that improve sleep opportunities and evidence-based training programs on sleep and working hours tailored for managers and employees, should be implemented to protect the health and safety of workers, their coworkers, and the public.

An increase in IL-1β concentrations in embryo culture-conditioned media obtained by in vitro fertilization on day 3 is related to successful implantation.

PubMed

Sequeira, Karina; Espejel-Núñez, Aurora; Vega-Hernández, Eva; Molina-Hernández, Anayansi; Grether-González, Patricia

2015-11-01

This study aimed to evaluate interleukin (IL)-1β concentrations in maternal serum and in embryo-cultured conditioned media and to correlate these findings with success of implantation. A total of 70 infertile women who underwent in vitro fertilization treatment were studied. IL-1β concentrations were quantified in maternal serum and in embryo culture-conditioned media on days 1 and 3. The findings were compared between those who achieved pregnancy and those who did not. No significant differences were found in IL-1β serum concentrations between the groups. IL-1β was not detected in day 1 culture-conditioned medium. On day 3, IL-1β was quantified in 27 patients, and IL-1β concentrations were significantly higher in women who achieved pregnancy than in those who did not (p < 0.001). High IL-1β concentrations in day 3 culture-conditioned medium in patients who achieve pregnancy after in vitro fertilization treatment indicate a possible role of embryonic IL-1β in the implantation process.

Survival of Listeria monocytogenes in milk during high-temperature, short-time pasteurization.

PubMed Central

Doyle, M P; Glass, K A; Beery, J T; Garcia, G A; Pollard, D J; Schultz, R D

1987-01-01

Milk from cows inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes was pooled for 2 to 4 days and then heated at 71.7 to 73.9 degrees C for 16.4 s or at 76.4 to 77.8 degrees C for 15.4 s in a high-temperature, short-time plate heat exchanger pasteurization unit. L. monocytogenes was isolated from milk after heat treatment in six of nine pasteurization trials done at 71.7 to 73.9 degrees C and in none of three trials done at 76.4 to 77.8 degrees C. An average of 1.5 to 9.2 L. monocytogenes cells was seen in each milk polymorphonuclear leukocyte before heat treatment in 11 of 12 pasteurization trials. Noticeable degradation of leukocytes with intracellular listeria was detected in unpasteurized milk after 3 days of storage at 4 degrees C, and by 4 days of storage leukocytes had deteriorated to cellular debris, suggesting that holding unpasteurized milk refrigerated for 4 or more days would eliminate a protective effect leukocytes may provide for increasing heat resistance of L. monocytogenes. Results indicate that under the conditions of this study, L. monocytogenes can survive the minimum high-temperature, short-time treatment (71.7 degrees C, 15 s) required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pasteurizing milk. Images PMID:3116926

Sleep extension normalizes ERP of waking auditory sensory gating in healthy habitually short sleeping individuals.

PubMed

Gumenyuk, Valentina; Korzyukov, Oleg; Roth, Thomas; Bowyer, Susan M; Drake, Christopher L

2013-01-01

Chronic sleep loss has been associated with increased daytime sleepiness, as well as impairments in memory and attentional processes. In the present study, we evaluated the neuronal changes of a pre-attentive process of wake auditory sensory gating, measured by brain event-related potential (ERP)--P50 in eight normal sleepers (NS) (habitual total sleep time (TST) 7 h 32 m) vs. eight chronic short sleeping individuals (SS) (habitual TST ≤6 h). To evaluate the effect of sleep extension on sensory gating, the extended sleep condition was performed in chronic short sleeping individuals. Thus, one week of time in bed (6 h 11 m) corresponding to habitual short sleep (hSS), and one week of extended time (∼ 8 h 25 m) in bed corresponding to extended sleep (eSS), were counterbalanced in the SS group. The gating ERP assessment was performed on the last day after each sleep condition week (normal sleep and habitual short and extended sleep), and was separated by one week with habitual total sleep time and monitored by a sleep diary. We found that amplitude of gating was lower in SS group compared to that in NS group (0.3 µV vs. 1.2 µV, at Cz electrode respectively). The results of the group × laterality interaction showed that the reduction of gating amplitude in the SS group was due to lower amplitude over the left hemisphere and central-midline sites relative to that in the NS group. After sleep extension the amplitude of gating increased in chronic short sleeping individuals relative to their habitual short sleep condition. The sleep condition × frontality interaction analysis confirmed that sleep extension significantly increased the amplitude of gating over frontal and central brain areas compared to parietal brain areas.

Sleep Extension Normalizes ERP of Waking Auditory Sensory Gating in Healthy Habitually Short Sleeping Individuals

PubMed Central

Gumenyuk, Valentina; Korzyukov, Oleg; Roth, Thomas; Bowyer, Susan M.; Drake, Christopher L.

2013-01-01

Chronic sleep loss has been associated with increased daytime sleepiness, as well as impairments in memory and attentional processes. In the present study, we evaluated the neuronal changes of a pre-attentive process of wake auditory sensory gating, measured by brain event-related potential (ERP) – P50 in eight normal sleepers (NS) (habitual total sleep time (TST) 7 h 32 m) vs. eight chronic short sleeping individuals (SS) (habitual TST ≤6 h). To evaluate the effect of sleep extension on sensory gating, the extended sleep condition was performed in chronic short sleeping individuals. Thus, one week of time in bed (6 h 11 m) corresponding to habitual short sleep (hSS), and one week of extended time (∼ 8 h 25 m) in bed corresponding to extended sleep (eSS), were counterbalanced in the SS group. The gating ERP assessment was performed on the last day after each sleep condition week (normal sleep and habitual short and extended sleep), and was separated by one week with habitual total sleep time and monitored by a sleep diary. We found that amplitude of gating was lower in SS group compared to that in NS group (0.3 µV vs. 1.2 µV, at Cz electrode respectively). The results of the group × laterality interaction showed that the reduction of gating amplitude in the SS group was due to lower amplitude over the left hemisphere and central-midline sites relative to that in the NS group. After sleep extension the amplitude of gating increased in chronic short sleeping individuals relative to their habitual short sleep condition. The sleep condition × frontality interaction analysis confirmed that sleep extension significantly increased the amplitude of gating over frontal and central brain areas compared to parietal brain areas. PMID:23520548

Energy and Emission Characteristics of a Short-Arc Xenon Flash Lamp Under "Saturated" Optical Brightness Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamrukov, A. S.; Kireev, S. G.; Kozlov, N. P.; Shashkovskii, S. G.

2017-09-01

We present the results of a study of the electrical, energy, and spectral brightness characteristics of an experimental three-electrode high-pressure xenon flash lamp under conditions ensuring close to maximum possible spectral brightness for the xenon emission. We show that under saturated optical brightness conditions (brightness temperature in the visible region of the spectrum 30,000 K), emission of a pulsed discharge in xenon is quite different from the emission from an ideal blackbody: the maximum brightness temperatures are 24,000 K in the short-wavelength UV region and 19,000 K in the near IR range. The relative fraction of UV radiation in the emission spectrum of the lamp is >50%, which lets us consider such lamps as promising broadband sources of radiation with high spectral brightness for many important practical applications.

Intraday and Interday Reliability of Ultra-Short-Term Heart Rate Variability in Rugby Union Players.

PubMed

Nakamura, Fábio Y; Pereira, Lucas A; Esco, Michael R; Flatt, Andrew A; Moraes, José E; Cal Abad, Cesar C; Loturco, Irineu

2017-02-01

Nakamura, FY, Pereira, LA, Esco, MR, Flatt, AA, Moraes, JE, Cal Abad, CC, and Loturco, I. Intraday and interday reliability of ultra-short-term heart rate variability in rugby union players. J Strength Cond Res 31(2): 548-551, 2017-The aim of this study was to examine the intraday and interday reliability of ultra-short-term vagal-related heart rate variability (HRV) in elite rugby union players. Forty players from the Brazilian National Rugby Team volunteered to participate in this study. The natural log of the root mean square of successive RR interval differences (lnRMSSD) assessments were performed on 4 different days. The HRV was assessed twice (intraday reliability) on the first day and once per day on the following 3 days (interday reliability). The RR interval recordings were obtained from 2-minute recordings using a portable heart rate monitor. The relative reliability of intraday and interday lnRMSSD measures was analyzed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The typical error of measurement (absolute reliability) of intraday and interday lnRMSSD assessments was analyzed using the coefficient of variation (CV). Both intraday (ICC = 0.96; CV = 3.99%) and interday (ICC = 0.90; CV = 7.65%) measures were highly reliable. The ultra-short-term lnRMSSD is a consistent measure for evaluating elite rugby union players, in both intraday and interday settings. This study provides further validity to using this shortened method in practical field conditions with highly trained team sports athletes.

Short-term memory loss associated with rosuvastatin.

PubMed

Galatti, Laura; Polimeni, Giovanni; Salvo, Francesco; Romani, Marcello; Sessa, Aurelio; Spina, Edoardo

2006-08-01

Memory loss and cognitive impairment have been reported in the literature in association with several 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins), but we found no published case reports associated with rosuvastatin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of rosuvastatin-related short-term memory loss. A 53-year-old Caucasian man with hypercholesterolemia experienced memory loss after being treated with rosuvastatin 10 mg/day. He had no other concomitant conditions or drug therapies. After discontinuation of rosuvastatin, the neuropsychiatric adverse reaction resolved gradually, suggesting a probable drug association. During the following year, the patient remained free from neuropsychiatric disturbances. Clinicians should be aware of possible adverse cognitive reactions during statin therapy, including rosuvastatin.

Components of day-to-day variability of cerebral perfusion measurements - Analysis of phase contrast mapping magnetic resonance imaging measurements in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Ismaili, Abd R A; Vestergaard, Mark B; Hansen, Adam E; Larsson, Henrik B W; Johannesen, Helle H; Law, Ian; Henriksen, Otto M

2018-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the components of day-to-day variability of repeated phase contrast mapping (PCM) magnetic resonance imaging measurements of global cerebral blood flow (gCBF). Two dataset were analyzed. In Dataset 1 duplicated PCM measurements of total brain flow were performed in 11 healthy young volunteers on two separate days applying a strictly standardized setup. For comparison PCM measurements obtained from a previously published study (Dataset 2) were analyzed in order to assess long-term variability in an aged population in a less strictly controlled setup. Global CBF was calculated by normalizing total brain flow to brain volume. On each day measurements of hemoglobin, caffeine and glucose were obtained. Linear mixed models were applied to estimate coefficients of variation (CV) of total (CVt), between-subject (CVb), within-subject day-to-day (CVw), and intra-session residual variability (CVr). In Dataset 1 CVt, CVb, CVw and CVr were estimated to be 11%, 9.4%, 4% and 4.2%, respectively, and to 8.8%, 7.2%, 2.7% and 4.3%, respectively, when adjusting for hemoglobin and plasma caffeine. In Dataset 2 CVt, CVb and CVw were estimated to be 25.4%, 19.2%, and 15.0%, respectively, and decreased to 16.6%, 8.2% and 12.5%, respectively, when adjusting for the same covariates. Our results suggest that short-term day-to-day variability of gCBF is relatively low compared to between-subject variability when studied in standardized conditions, whereas long-term variability in an aged population appears to be much larger when studied in less a standardized setup. The results further showed that from 20% to 35% of the total variability in gCBF can be attributed to the effects of hemoglobin and caffeine.

Short-term exposure to ambient ozone and stroke hospital admission: A case-crossover analysis.

PubMed

Montresor-López, Jessica A; Yanosky, Jeff D; Mittleman, Murray A; Sapkota, Amir; He, Xin; Hibbert, James D; Wirth, Michael D; Puett, Robin C

2016-01-01

We evaluated the association between short-term exposure to ambient ozone air pollution and stroke hospital admissions among adult residents of South Carolina (SC). Data on all incident stroke hospitalizations from 2002 to 2006 were obtained from the SC Office of Research and Statistics. Ozone exposure data were obtained from the US Environmental Protection Agency's Hierarchical Bayesian Model. A semi-symmetric bidirectional case-crossover design was used to examine the association between ozone exposure on lag days 0-2 (0 to 2 days before admission) and stroke hospitalization. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). No significant associations were observed between short-term ozone exposure and hospitalization for all stroke (e.g., lag day 0: OR=0.98; 95% CI=0.96, 1.00) or ischemic stroke (lag day 0: OR=0.98; 95% CI=0.96, 1.01). Risk of hospitalization for hemorrhagic stroke appeared to be higher among African Americans than European Americans; however, the majority of these associations did not reach statistical significance. Among adults in SC from 2002 to 2006, there was no evidence of an association between ozone exposure and risk of hospitalization for all stroke or ischemic stroke; however, African Americans may have an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

Improving creativity performance by short-term meditation.

PubMed

Ding, Xiaoqian; Tang, Yi-Yuan; Tang, Rongxiang; Posner, Michael I

2014-03-19

One form of meditation intervention, the integrative body-mind training (IBMT) has been shown to improve attention, reduce stress and change self-reports of mood. In this paper we examine whether short-term IBMT can improve performance related to creativity and determine the role that mood may play in such improvement. Forty Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to short-term IBMT group or a relaxation training (RT) control group. Mood and creativity performance were assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) questionnaire respectively. As predicted, the results indicated that short-term (30 min per day for 7 days) IBMT improved creativity performance on the divergent thinking task, and yielded better emotional regulation than RT. In addition, cross-lagged analysis indicated that both positive and negative affect may influence creativity in IBMT group (not RT group). Our results suggested that emotion-related creativity-promoting mechanism may be attributed to short-term meditation.

Forecasts of geomagnetic activities and HF radio propagation conditions made at Hiraiso/Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marubashi, K.; Miyamoto, Y.; Kidokoro, T.; Ishii, T.

1979-01-01

The Hiraiso Branch of RRL prediction techniques are summarized separately for the 27 day recurrent storm and the flare-associated storm. The storm predictions are compared with the actual geomagnetic activities in two ways. The first one is the comparison on a day to day basis. In the second comparison, the accuracy of the storm predictions during 1965-1976 are evaluated. In addition to the storm prediction, short-term predictions of HF radio propagation conditions are conducted at Hiraiso. The HF propagation predictions are briefly described as an example of the applications of the magnetic storm prediction.

Statistical analysis of short-term water stress conditions at Riggs Creek OzFlux tower site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, Mohammad; Rüdiger, Christoph; Walker, Jeffrey P.

2017-10-01

A large range of indices and proxies are available to describe the water stress conditions of an area subject to different applications, which have varying capabilities and limitations depending on the prevailing local climatic conditions and land cover. The present study uses a range of spatio-temporally high-resolution (daily and within daily) data sources to evaluate a number of drought indices (DIs) for the Riggs Creek OzFlux tower site in southeastern Australia. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to evaluate the statistical characteristics of individual DIs subject to short-term water stress conditions. In order to derive a more general and therefore representative DI, a new criterion is required to specify the statistical similarity between each pair of indices to allow determining the dominant drought types along with their representative DIs. The results show that the monitoring of water stress at this case study area can be achieved by evaluating the individual behaviour of three clusters of (i) vegetation conditions, (ii) water availability and (iii) water consumptions. This indicates that it is not necessary to assess all individual DIs one by one to derive a comprehensive and informative data set about the water stress of an area; instead, this can be achieved by analysing one of the DIs from each cluster or deriving a new combinatory index for each cluster, based on established combination methods.

Short-term and long-term clinostat and vibration-induced biochemical changes in dwarf Marigold stems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegel, S. M.; Siegel, B. Z.

Stems of 21-day dwarf Marigold plants cultivated on the clinostat were compared with plants cultivated on vertical axis rotators (``vibrational controls'') and stationary controls for long-term changes in cell wall composition. Stems of 21-day plants grown under stationary conditions and subsequently exposed to the clinostat for 24 hours were also analyzed. Among the long-term markers, calcium, lignin, and protein-bound hemicellulose (possibly cell wall glycoprotein) clearly differentiated the effects of vibration from those of the clinostat. Short-term differential responses included rate of ethylene production, nastic movement and peroxidase activity of the cell wall, but not of the protoplast.

Short-term and long-term clinostat and vibration-induced biochemical changes in dwarf marigold stems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siegel, S. M.; Siegel, B. Z.

1983-01-01

Stems of 21-day dwarf marigold plants cultivated on the clinostat were compared with plants cultivated on vertical axis rotators ('vibrational controls') and stationary controls for long-term changes in cell wall composition. Stems of 21-day plants grown under stationary conditions and subsequently exposed to the clinostat for 24 hours were also analyzed. Among the long-term markers, calcium, lignin, and protein-bound hemicellulose (possibly cell wall glycoprotein) clearly differentiated the effects of vibration from those of the clinostat. Short-term differential responses included rate of ethylene production, nastic movement and peroxidase activity of the cell wall, but not of the protoplast.

[Sleep structure instability in healthy men under conditions of 105-day isolation experiment "Mars-105"].

PubMed

Kovrov, G V; Posokhov, S I; Posokhov, S S; Zavalko, I M; Ponomareva, I P

2013-01-01

Night-to-night stability of falling asleep and duration of wakefulness in the sleep was studied in six healthy male subjects under conditions of 105-day isolation experiment "Mars-105". Polysomnography records were carried out in each subject during five nights taken in regular intervals within the experiment. Three subjects demonstrated high stability of falling asleep and wakefulness in sleep (group I), whereas in the remaining three subjects stability of these characteristics was low (group [I). Delta-sleep was shown to be deepened in subjects of group II (significant prevalence of stage 4 (47.3 min) over stage 3 (32.9 min)). In subjects of group I, the duration of stage 3 was 44.9 min and that of stage 4 was 26.6 min. We suggest that night-to-night instability of falling asleep and duration of wakefulness in sleep in combination with delta sleep is the special individual form of sleep adaptation to conditions of chronic isolation stress.

Weather, day length and physical activity in older adults: Cross-sectional results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk Cohort

PubMed Central

Wu, Yu-Tzu; Luben, Robert; Wareham, Nicholas; Griffin, Simon; Jones, Andy P.

2017-01-01

Background A wide range of environmental factors have been related to active ageing, but few studies have explored the impact of weather and day length on physical activity in older adults. We investigate the cross-sectional association between weather conditions, day length and activity in older adults using a population-based cohort in England, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk study. Methods Physical activity was measured objectively over 7 days using an accelerometer and this was used to calculate daily total physical activity (counts per minute), daily minutes of sedentary behaviour and light, moderate and vigorous physical activity (LMVPA). Day length and two types of weather conditions, precipitation and temperature, were obtained from a local weather station. The association between these variables and physical activity was examined by multilevel first-order autoregressive modelling. Results After adjusting for individual factors, short day length and poor weather conditions, including high precipitation and low temperatures, were associated with up to 10% lower average physical activity (p<0.01) and 8 minutes less time spent in LMVPA but 15 minutes more sedentary time, compared to the best conditions. Conclusion Day length and weather conditions appear to be an important factor related to active ageing. Future work should focus on developing potential interventions to reduce their impact on physical activity behaviours in older adults. PMID:28562613

Weather, day length and physical activity in older adults: Cross-sectional results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk Cohort.

PubMed

Wu, Yu-Tzu; Luben, Robert; Wareham, Nicholas; Griffin, Simon; Jones, Andy P

2017-01-01

A wide range of environmental factors have been related to active ageing, but few studies have explored the impact of weather and day length on physical activity in older adults. We investigate the cross-sectional association between weather conditions, day length and activity in older adults using a population-based cohort in England, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Norfolk study. Physical activity was measured objectively over 7 days using an accelerometer and this was used to calculate daily total physical activity (counts per minute), daily minutes of sedentary behaviour and light, moderate and vigorous physical activity (LMVPA). Day length and two types of weather conditions, precipitation and temperature, were obtained from a local weather station. The association between these variables and physical activity was examined by multilevel first-order autoregressive modelling. After adjusting for individual factors, short day length and poor weather conditions, including high precipitation and low temperatures, were associated with up to 10% lower average physical activity (p<0.01) and 8 minutes less time spent in LMVPA but 15 minutes more sedentary time, compared to the best conditions. Day length and weather conditions appear to be an important factor related to active ageing. Future work should focus on developing potential interventions to reduce their impact on physical activity behaviours in older adults.

Short-term Dynamics of Photopriming Increase Carbon Loss During Litter Decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; King, J. Y.; Karlen, S. D.; Ralph, J.

2017-12-01

Solar radiation plays a key role in carbon (C) cycling by increasing the decomposition rates of plant litter through photodegradation. This process is particularly important in drylands where solar radiation is high and microbial activity may be limited by water availability. One mechanism of photodegradation may be the facilitation of microbial decomposition of litter by altering litter chemistry and consequently degradability, termed photopriming. However, it remains unclear to what extent photopriming contributes to litter decomposition. We evaluated photopriming by ultraviolet (UV) radiation through two laboratory experiments. In one experiment, we found that four months of UV exposure increased mass loss by 3-4% compared to dark treatment in two of three litter species commonly found in California oak savanna; however, UV exposure did not alter litter degradability as measured by microbial respiration in an incubation study. UV exposure had limited effects on lignin and other cell wall structures, but one month of microbial decomposition in the dark significantly reduced lignin β-aryl ether inter-unit linkages and acetylated xylans, which interestingly was the same pattern seen in litter exposed to UV radiation under field conditions and may account for the significant effects of UV exposure on litter mass loss observed in situ. These results indicate that microbial decomposition, not abiotic photodegradation, was ultimately responsible for changes in litter chemistry observed in the field. In a separate experiment, litter of a common grass was incubated for 128 days under either alternating UV radiation and dark conditions at two-day intervals or continuous darkness. During the second half of the experiment, alternating UV exposure increased CO2 production by 35% compared to continuous darkness, suggesting that UV exposure induces subtle but important changes in litter chemistry that facilitate microbial decomposition on a temporal scale of days. Together

Testing day: The effects of processing bias induced by Navon stimuli on the strength of the Müller-Lyer illusion.

PubMed

Mundy, Matthew E

2014-01-01

Explanations for the cognitive basis of the Müller-Lyer illusion are still frustratingly mixed. To date, Day's (1989) theory of perceptual compromise has received little empirical attention. In this study, we examine the merit of Day's hypothesis for the Müller-Lyer illusion by biasing participants toward global or local visual processing through exposure to Navon (1977) stimuli, which are known to alter processing level preference for a short time. Participants (N = 306) were randomly allocated to global, local, or control conditions. Those in global or local conditions were exposed to Navon stimuli for 5 min and participants were required to report on the global or local stimulus features, respectively. Subsequently, participants completed a computerized Müller-Lyer experiment where they adjusted the length of a line to match an illusory-figure. The illusion was significantly stronger for participants with a global bias, and significantly weaker for those with a local bias, compared with the control condition. These findings provide empirical support for Day's "conflicting cues" theory of perceptual compromise in the Müller-Lyer illusion.

Predicting sleep quality from stress and prior sleep--a study of day-to-day covariation across six weeks.

PubMed

Åkerstedt, Torbjörn; Orsini, Nicola; Petersen, Helena; Axelsson, John; Lekander, Mats; Kecklund, Göran

2012-06-01

The connection between stress and sleep is well established in cross-sectional questionnaire studies and in a few prospective studies. Here, the intention was to study the link between stress and sleep on a day-to-day basis across 42 days. Fifty participants kept a sleep/wake diary across 42 days and responded to daily questions on sleep and stress. The results were analyzed with a mixed model approach using stress during the prior day to predict morning ratings of sleep quality. The results showed that bedtime stress and worries were the main predictors of sleep quality, but that, also, late awakening, short prior sleep, high quality of prior sleep, and good health the prior day predicted higher sleep quality. Stress during the day predicts subsequent sleep quality on a day-to-day basis across 42 days. The observed range of variation in stress/worries was modest, which is why it is suggested that the present data underestimates the impact of stress on subsequent sleep quality. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

78 FR 24325 - Earth Day, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-24

... home and abroad. Last year, we launched a global initiative to cut short- lived climate pollutants that contribute to global warming. We have proposed historic investments in Land and Water Conservation Fund... Day marked a renewal of America's global leadership in conservation. It began as a national discussion...

Effects of day-length variations on emotional responses towards unfamiliarity in Swiss mice.

PubMed

Kopp, C; Misslin, R; Vogel, E; Rettori, M C; Delagrange, P; Guardiola-Lemaitre, B

1997-11-01

Pineal melatonin secretion occurs at night in all vertebrates and the duration of its secretion is negatively correlated with day length. As an anxiolytic activity of melatonin has been shown in rats and mice, this study examined possible changes of emotional reactivity in response to day length variations in Swiss mice. Three groups of mice were observed in a free-exploratory test: a group submitted to a short-day exposure (6:18 h light-dark cycle) for 2 weeks, a group submitted to a long-day exposure (18:6 h light-dark cycle) for 2 weeks and a control group which was maintained in housing 12:12 h light-dark cycle. The short-day exposed group of mice exhibited significantly fewer attempts to enter into the unfamiliar enclosure, spent significantly more time in it and presented significantly more rears than controls whereas the long-day exposed group of mice made more attempts than controls. These results suggest a decreased emotional level in short-day exposed mice and an increased level in long-day exposed mice. This could be interpreted as confirming the idea of anxiolytic-like properties of melatonin; however, the specific role of this hormone in the changes of anxiety related to day length must be assessed by further measures of potential variations of circulating melatonin.

Reliability of Degree-Day Models to Predict the Development Time of Plutella xylostella (L.) under Field Conditions.

PubMed

Marchioro, C A; Krechemer, F S; de Moraes, C P; Foerster, L A

2015-12-01

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a cosmopolitan pest of brassicaceous crops occurring in regions with highly distinct climate conditions. Several studies have investigated the relationship between temperature and P. xylostella development rate, providing degree-day models for populations from different geographical regions. However, there are no data available to date to demonstrate the suitability of such models to make reliable projections on the development time for this species in field conditions. In the present study, 19 models available in the literature were tested regarding their ability to accurately predict the development time of two cohorts of P. xylostella under field conditions. Only 11 out of the 19 models tested accurately predicted the development time for the first cohort of P. xylostella, but only seven for the second cohort. Five models correctly predicted the development time for both cohorts evaluated. Our data demonstrate that the accuracy of the models available for P. xylostella varies widely and therefore should be used with caution for pest management purposes.

[Short bowel syndrome].

PubMed

Parfenov, A I; Sabelnikova, E A; Kuzmina, T N

2017-01-01

The paper gives information on the classification, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of short bowel syndrome following after intestinal resection. It discusses the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with this condition.

Short-term effects on bone turnover of replacing milk with cola beverages: a 10-day interventional study in young men.

PubMed

Kristensen, Mette; Jensen, Marlene; Kudsk, Jane; Henriksen, Marianne; Mølgaard, Christian

2005-12-01

In the Western world, increased consumption of carbonated soft drinks combined with a decreasing intake of milk may increase the risk of osteoporosis. This study was designed to reflect the trend of replacing milk with carbonated beverages in a group of young men on a low-calcium diet and studies the effects of this replacement on calcium homeostasis and bone turnover. This controlled crossover intervention study included 11 healthy men (22-29 years) who were given a low-calcium basic diet in two 10-day intervention periods with an intervening 10-day washout. During one period, they drank 2.5 l of Coca Cola per day and during the other period 2.5 l of semi-skimmed milk. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25(OH)2D), osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) and cross-linked C-telopeptides (CTX), plasma intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) and urinary cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTX) were determined at baseline and endpoint of each intervention period. An increase in serum phosphate (P<0.001), 1,25(OH)2D (P<0.001), PTH (P=0.046) and osteocalcin (P<0.001) was observed in the cola period compared to the milk period. Also, bone resorption was significantly increased following the cola period, seen as increased serum CTX (P<0.001) and urinary NTX (P<0.001) compared to the milk period. No changes were observed in serum concentrations of calcium or B-ALP. This study demonstrates that over a 10-day period high intake of cola with a low-calcium diet induces increased bone turnover compared to a high intake of milk with a low-calcium diet. Thus, the trend towards a replacement of milk with cola and other soft drinks, which results in a low calcium intake, may negatively affect bone health as indicated by this short-term study.

The effect of day-neutral mutations in barley and wheat on the interaction between photoperiod and vernalization.

PubMed

Turner, Adrian S; Faure, Sébastien; Zhang, Yang; Laurie, David A

2013-09-01

Vernalization-2 (Vrn-2) is the major flowering repressor in temperate cereals. It is only expressed under long days in wild-type plants. We used two day-neutral (photoperiod insensitive) mutations that allow rapid flowering in short or long days to investigate the day length control of Vrn-2. The barley (Hordeum vulgare) early maturity8 (eam8) mutation affects the barley ELF3 gene. eam8 mutants disrupt the circadian clock resulting in elevated expression of Ppd-H1 and the floral activator HvFT1 under short or long days. When eam8 was crossed into a genetic background with a vernalization requirement Vrn-2 was expressed under all photoperiods and the early flowering phenotype was partially repressed in unvernalized (UV) plants, likely due to competition between the constitutively active photoperiod pathway and the repressing effect of Vrn-2. We also investigated the wheat (Triticum aestivum) Ppd-D1a mutation. This differs from eam8 in causing elevated levels of Ppd-1 and TaFT1 expression without affecting the circadian clock. We used genotypes that differed in "short-day vernalization". Short days were effective in promoting flowering in individuals wild type at Ppd-D1, but not in individuals that carry the Ppd-D1a mutation. The latter showed Vrn-2 expression in short days. In summary, eam8 and Ppd-D1a mimic long days in terms of photoperiod response, causing Vrn-2 to become aberrantly expressed (in short days). As Ppd-D1a does not affect the circadian clock, this also shows that clock regulation of Vrn-2 operates indirectly through one or more downstream genes, one of which may be Ppd-1.

Pedagogical Staff in Children's Day Care Centres in Germany--Links between Working Conditions, Job Satisfaction, Commitment and Work-Related Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schreyer, Inge; Krause, Martin

2016-01-01

This article investigates links between staff working conditions in children's day care centres ("Kindertageseinrichtungen"--known as "Kitas" in Germany), job satisfaction, commitment and perceived stress at work. Data are based on the nationwide, representative questionnaire survey AQUA ("Arbeitsplatz und Qualität in…

Depression treatment and short-term healthcare expenditures among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with chronic physical conditions.

PubMed

Shen, Chan; Shah, Neel; Findley, Patricia A; Sambamoorthi, Usha

2013-10-22

Research on the impact of depression treatment on expenditures is nascent and shows results that vary from negative associations with healthcare expenditures to increased expenditures. However many of these studies did not include psychotherapy as part of the depression treatment. None of these studies included "no treatment" as a comparison group. In addition, no study has included a broad group of chronic physical conditions in studying depression treatment expenditures. We determined the association between depression treatment and short-term healthcare expenditures using a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries with chronic physical conditions and depression. In this retrospective cohort study, we examined the association between depression treatment in the baseline year and healthcare expenditures in the following year using data from 2000 through 2005 of the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries. Using the rotating panel design of MCBS, we derived five two-year cohorts: 2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2003-2004, and 2004-2005. The study sample included 1,055 elderly Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 or over. We compared healthcare expenditures of no depression treatment group with depression treatment groups using t-tests. Linear regressions of log-transformed dollars were used to assess the relationship between depression treatment and healthcare expenditures after controlling for demographic, socio-economic, health status, lifestyle risk factors, year of observation and baseline expenditures. Compared to no depression treatment ($16,795), the average total expenditures were higher for those who used antidepressants only ($17,425) and those who used psychotherapy with or without antidepressants ($19,733). After controlling for the independent variables, antidepressant use and psychotherapy with or without antidepressants were associated with 20.2% (95% CI: 14.1-26.7%) and 29

Comparison of Postural Recovery Following Short and Long Duration Spaceflights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wood, S. J.; Fiedler, J.; Taylor, L. C.; Kozlovskaya, I.; Black, F. O.; Paloski, W. H.

2010-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Post-flight postural ataxia reflects adaptive changes to vestibulo-spinal reflexes and control strategies adopted for movement in weightlessness. Quantitative measures obtained during computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) from US and Russian programs provide insight into the effect of spaceflight duration in terms of both the initial decrements and recovery of postural stability. METHODS: CDP was obtained on 117 crewmembers following Shuttle flights lasting 4-17 days, and on 64 crewmembers following long-duration missions lasting 48-380 days. Although the number and timing of sessions varied, the goal was to characterize postural recovery pooling similar measures from different research and flight medicine programs. This report focuses on eyes closed, head erect conditions with either a fixed or sway-referenced base of support. A smaller subset of subjects repeated the sway-referenced condition while making pitch head movements (+/- 20deg at 0.33Hz). Equilibrium scores were derived from peak-to-peak anterior-posterior sway. Fall probability was modeled using Bayesian statistical methods to estimate parameters of a logit function. RESULTS: The standard Romberg condition was the least sensitive. Longer duration flights led to larger decrements in stability with sway-reference support during the first 1-2 days, although the timecourse of recovery was similar across flight duration with head erect. Head movements led to increased incidence of falls during the first week, with a significantly longer recovery following long duration flights. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic assessment of postural instability, and differences in the timecourse of postural recovery between short and long flight durations, are more pronounced during unstable support conditions requiring active head movements.

Short communication: Pharmacokinetics of intramammary hetacillin in dairy cattle milked 3 times per day.

PubMed

Lindquist, Danielle A; Baynes, Ronald E; Smith, Geof W

2015-03-01

Mastitis remains a critical disease in the dairy industry and the use of intramammary antibiotics plays a critical role in mastitis treatment. Hetacillin is currently approved as an intramammary antibiotic that is used to treat mastitis in dairy cows. It is approved for once a day administration and can be used for a total of 3 d. An increasing number of dairy farms are milking 3 times per day (instead of the traditional 2 times per day) and very little pharmacokinetic data exists on the use of intramammary drugs in a 3×system. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if once a day intramammary infusion of hetacillin is sufficient to maintain therapeutic drug concentrations in cattle milked 3 times per day. Eight Holstein cattle milked 3 times per day were used in this study. After collecting a baseline milk sample, each cow received intramammary infusions of hetacillin in the left front and right rear quarters once a day for 3 d. Milk samples from each of the treated quarters were collected at each milking and frozen until analysis. Milk samples were analyzed for ampicillin concentrations using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography method. All treated quarters had antibiotic concentrations well above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for gram-positive mastitis pathogens at 8 and 16 h postinfusion. Milk concentrations had fallen well below the MIC by the 24-h period (before the next infusion). All 8 cows in this study consistently had individual quarter milk ampicillin concentrations below the FDA tolerance of 0.01 μg/mL (10 ppb) within 48 h of the last infusion. Based on this study, milk ampicillin concentrations exceed the minimum inhibitory concentration required to inhibit the growth of 90% of organisms (MIC90) for at least 65% of the dosing interval, which is sufficient for once-daily dosing with most cases of gram-positive mastitis. Therefore, intramammary hetacillin should be an effective treatment for the vast majority of gram

Improving creativity performance by short-term meditation

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background One form of meditation intervention, the integrative body-mind training (IBMT) has been shown to improve attention, reduce stress and change self-reports of mood. In this paper we examine whether short-term IBMT can improve performance related to creativity and determine the role that mood may play in such improvement. Methods Forty Chinese undergraduates were randomly assigned to short-term IBMT group or a relaxation training (RT) control group. Mood and creativity performance were assessed by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) questionnaire respectively. Results As predicted, the results indicated that short-term (30 min per day for 7 days) IBMT improved creativity performance on the divergent thinking task, and yielded better emotional regulation than RT. In addition, cross-lagged analysis indicated that both positive and negative affect may influence creativity in IBMT group (not RT group). Conclusions Our results suggested that emotion-related creativity-promoting mechanism may be attributed to short-term meditation. PMID:24645871

The intraspecific variability of short- and long-term carbon allocation, turnover and fluxes under different environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wegener, Frederik; Beyschlag, Wolfram; Werner, Christiane

2014-05-01

Carbon allocation strategies differ clearly between functional plant groups (e.g. grasses, shrubs and trees) and to a lesser extent between different species of the same functional group. However, little is known about the plasticity of carbon allocation within the same species. To investigate the variability of carbon (C) allocation, we induced different allocation pattern in the Mediterranean shrub Halimium halimifolium by changing growing conditions (light and nutrition) and followed the plant development for 15 months. We analyzed morphological and physiological traits, and changes in C allocation and δ13C values in seven tissue classes: 1st generation leaves, 2nd generation leaves, emerging leaves, lateral shoots, stem, main roots and fine roots. We used a soil/canopy chamber system that enables independent measurements of above and belowground δ13CO2-exchange, enabling total estimates of carbon gain during photosynthesis and the carbon loss during respiration on a whole plant level. Moreover, we followed the fate of recently assimilated carbon in all plant tissues by 13CO2 pulse labeling for 13 days. A reduction of light (Low L treatment) increased allocation to stems by 84% and the specific leaf area (SLA) by 29%, compared to control. Reduced nutrient availability (Low N treatment) enhanced carbon allocation into fine roots by 57%. We found high intraspecific variability in turnover times of C pools. The Low N treatment enhanced transport of recently assimilated C from leaves to roots in quantity (22% compared to 7% in control plants) and velocity (13C peak in main roots after 5h compared to 18h in control). The treatments differed also in fractions of 13C recovered within leaves: 48%, 28% and 41% of 13C from labeling were found after 13 days in leaves of control, Low N, and Low L, respectively. Through the combination of natural carbon isotope analysis, 13CO2 labeling and whole-plant chamber measurements we obtained information about long and short-term C

Time-of-day differences and short-term stability of the neural response to monetary reward: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hasler, Brant P; Forbes, Erika E; Franzen, Peter L

2014-10-30

Human and animal studies indicate that reward function is modulated by the circadian clock that governs our daily sleep/wake rhythm. For example, a robust circadian rhythm exists in positive affect, which is lower in the morning hours and peaks in the afternoon. A handful of functional neuroimaging studies suggest that systematic diurnal variation exists in brain activity related to other functions, but no published human studies have examined daily variation in the neural processing of reward. In the present study, we attempt to advance this literature by using functional neuroimaging methods to examine time-of-day changes in the responsivity of the reward circuit. Using a within-person design and a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) monetary reward task, we compared morning and afternoon reward-related brain activation in a sample of healthy young adults within 24h. Region of interest analyses focused on the striatum, and we hypothesized greater reward activation in the afternoon, concordant with the circadian peak in positive affect. Results were consistent with our hypothesis. In addition, we counterbalanced the order of morning and afternoon scans in order to explore the short-term stability of the neural response. Whole-brain analyses showed a markedly higher reactivity to reward throughout the brain in the first scan relative to the second scan, consistent with habituation to the monetary reward stimuli. However, these effects did not appear to explain the time-of-day findings. In summary, we report the first preliminary evidence of circadian variation in the neural processing of reward. These findings have both methodological and theoretical implications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vibration sensibility testing in the workplace. Day-to-day reliability.

PubMed

Rosecrance, J C; Cook, T M; Satre, D L; Goode, J D; Schroder, M J

1994-09-01

Loss of vibration sensibility has been suggested as an early indicator of peripheral compression neuropathy, including carpal tunnel syndrome. Although vibration sensibility has been used frequently to evaluate carpal tunnel syndrome, the day-to-day reliability of vibration measurements in an industrial population measured at the workplace has not been assessed. Vibration sensibility testing was performed at the university ergonomics laboratory on 50 volunteers (100 hands) and at a newspaper company on 50 workers (100 hands). Vibration perception and disappearance thresholds were measured on two occasions separated by 3 to 5 days. Student's t tests indicated no significant differences between the first and second tests or between the two groups. Pearson product-moment correlations for test-retest reliability were lower in the industry group but were relatively high despite the less than optimal testing conditions. Our findings suggest that vibration sensibility measurements are reliable from day to day not only in the laboratory but also in the workplace.

Conditioned placebo analgesia persists when subjects know they are receiving a placebo

PubMed Central

Schafer, Scott M.; Colloca, Luana; Wager, Tor D.

2015-01-01

Belief in the effectiveness of a placebo treatment is widely thought to be critical for placebo analgesia. Many types of placebo responses—even those that depend on conditioning—appear to be mediated by expectations that are strengthened as treatment cues are reinforced with positive outcomes. However, placebo effects may occur even when participants are aware they are receiving placebo. To address the question of whether conditioned placebo analgesia can persist in the absence of expectations, we studied the effects of long (4 days) vs. short (1 day) conditioning to a placebo treatment. After an initial placebo test, a “reveal” manipulation convincingly demonstrated to participants that they had never received an active drug. Placebo analgesia persisted after the reveal in the long conditioning group only. These findings suggest that reinforcing treatment cues with positive outcomes can create placebo effects that are independent of reported expectations for pain relief. PMID:25617812

Efficacy of long-term 4.0 g/day mesalazine (Pentasa) for maintenance therapy in ulcerative colitis.

PubMed

Takeshima, Fuminao; Matsumura, Masato; Makiyama, Kazuya; Ohba, Kazuo; Yamakawa, Masaki; Nishiyama, Hitoshi; Yamao, Takuji; Akazawa, Yuko; Yamaguchi, Naoyuki; Ohnita, Ken; Ichikawa, Tatsuki; Isomoto, Hajime; Nakao, Kazuhiko

2014-07-27

High-dose (4.0 g/day) mesalazine is typically used for induction therapy, but its efficacy as maintenance therapy remains to be determined. We conducted a multicenter retrospective study to investigate the efficacy of continuous treatment with 4.0 g/day of mesalazine. Japanese ulcerative colitis (UC) patients receiving acute induction therapy with 4.0 g/day mesalazine were enrolled and followed. Those who clinically improved or who achieved clinical remission were categorized into 2 sub-groups according to the median duration of treatment with 4.0 g/day of mesalazine. The clinical relapse frequency and the time to relapse were analyzed. We enrolled 180 patients with active UC, and then 115 patients who clinically improved or who achieved clinical remission after treatment with 4.0 g/day mesalazine were categorized into 2 sub-groups according to the median of treatment duration: a short-term treatment group (≤105 days, n=58) and a long-term treatment group (>105 days, n=57). Overall, 45 (39.1%) patients relapsed: 28 (48.3%) in the short-term treatment group and 17 (29.8%) in the long-term treatment group. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The relapse-free rate in the long-term treatment group was significantly higher than that in the short-term treatment group (p<0.05). The mean time to relapse in the long-term treatment group was significantly longer than that in the short-term treatment group (425.6±243.8 days vs. 277.4±224.5 days; p<0.05). Long-term continuous treatment with high-dose mesalazine (4.0 g/day) may be more effective than short-term treatment for maintenance of remission in UC patients.

Universal versus conditional day 3 follow-up for children with non-severe unclassified fever at the community level in Ethiopia: A cluster-randomised non-inferiority trial.

PubMed

Källander, Karin; Alfvén, Tobias; Funk, Tjede; Abebe, Ayalkibet; Hailemariam, Abreham; Getachew, Dawit; Petzold, Max; Steinhardt, Laura C; Gutman, Julie R

2018-04-01

With declining malaria prevalence and improved use of malaria diagnostic tests, an increasing proportion of children seen by community health workers (CHWs) have unclassified fever. Current community management guidelines by WHO advise that children seen with non-severe unclassified fever (on day 1) should return to CHWs on day 3 for reassessment. We compared the safety of conditional follow-up reassessment only in cases where symptoms do not resolve with universal follow-up on day 3. We undertook a 2-arm cluster-randomised controlled non-inferiority trial among children aged 2-59 months presenting with fever and without malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, or danger signs to 284 CHWs affiliated with 25 health centres (clusters) in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia. The primary outcome was treatment failure (persistent fever, development of danger signs, hospital admission, death, malaria, pneumonia, or diarrhoea) at 1 week (day 8) of follow-up. Non-inferiority was defined as a 4% or smaller difference in the proportion of treatment failures with conditional follow-up compared to universal follow-up. Secondary outcomes included the percentage of children brought for reassessment, antimicrobial prescription, and severe adverse events (hospitalisations and deaths) after 4 weeks (day 29). From December 1, 2015, to November 30, 2016, we enrolled 4,595 children, of whom 3,946 (1,953 universal follow-up arm; 1,993 conditional follow-up arm) adhered to the CHW's follow-up advice and also completed a day 8 study visit within ±1 days. Overall, 2.7% had treatment failure on day 8: 0.8% (16/1,993) in the conditional follow-up arm and 4.6% (90/1,953) in the universal follow-up arm (risk difference of treatment failure -3.81%, 95% CI -∞, 0.65%), meeting the prespecified criterion for non-inferiority. There were no deaths recorded by day 29. In the universal follow-up arm, 94.6% of caregivers reported returning for reassessment on day 3, in contrast to

Day-to-day ionospheric variability due to lower atmosphere perturbations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H.; Yudin, V. A.; Roble, R. G.

2013-12-01

Ionospheric day-to-day variability is a ubiquitous feature, even in the absence of appreciable geomagnetic activities. Although meteorological perturbations have been recognized as an important source of the variability, it is not well represented in previous modeling studies, and the mechanism is not well understood. This study demonstrates that TIME-GCM (Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model) constrained in the stratosphere and mesosphere by the hourly Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) simulations is capable of reproducing observed features of day-to-day variability in the thermosphere-ionosphere. Realistic weather patterns in the lower atmosphere in WACCM was specified by Modern Era Retrospective reanalysis for Research and Application (MERRA). The day-to-day variations in mean zonal wind, migrating and non-migrating tides in the thermosphere, vertical and zonal ExB drifts, and ionosphere F2 layer peak electron density (NmF2) are examined. The standard deviations of the drifts and NmF2 display local time and longitudinal dependence that compare favorably with observations. Their magnitudes are 50% or more of those from observations. The day-to-day thermosphere and ionosphere variability in the model is primarily caused by the perturbations originated in lower atmosphere, since the model simulation is under constant solar minimum and low geomagnetic conditions.

Short-term prediction of threatening and violent behaviour in an Acute Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit based on patient and environment characteristics.

PubMed

Vaaler, Arne E; Iversen, Valentina C; Morken, Gunnar; Fløvig, John C; Palmstierna, Tom; Linaker, Olav M

2011-03-18

The aims of the present study were to investigate clinically relevant patient and environment-related predictive factors for threats and violent incidents the first three days in a PICU population based on evaluations done at admittance. In 2000 and 2001 all 118 consecutive patients were assessed at admittance to a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Patient-related conditions as actuarial data from present admission, global clinical evaluations by physician at admittance and clinical nurses first day, a single rating with an observer rated scale scoring behaviours that predict short-term violence in psychiatric inpatients (The Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC)) at admittance, and environment-related conditions as use of segregation or not were related to the outcome measure Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R). A multiple logistic regression analysis with SOAS-R as outcome variable was performed. The global clinical evaluations and the BVC were effective and more suitable than actuarial data in predicting short-term aggression. The use of segregation reduced the number of SOAS-R incidents. In a naturalistic group of patients in a PICU segregation of patients lowers the number of aggressive and threatening incidents. Prediction should be based on clinical global judgment, and instruments designed to predict short-term aggression in psychiatric inpatients. NCT00184119/NCT00184132.

Short- and long-term consequences of early developmental conditions: a case study on wild and domesticated zebra finches.

PubMed

Tschirren, B; Rutstein, A N; Postma, E; Mariette, M; Griffith, S C

2009-02-01

Divergent selection pressures among populations can result not only in significant differentiation in morphology, physiology and behaviour, but also in how these traits are related to each other, thereby driving the processes of local adaptation and speciation. In the Australian zebra finch, we investigated whether domesticated stock, bred in captivity over tens of generations, differ in their response to a life-history manipulation, compared to birds taken directly from the wild. In a 'common aviary' experiment, we thereto experimentally manipulated the environmental conditions experienced by nestlings early in life by means of a brood size manipulation, and subsequently assessed its short- and long-term consequences on growth, ornamentation, immune function and reproduction. As expected, we found that early environmental conditions had a marked effect on both short- and long-term morphological and life-history traits in all birds. However, although there were pronounced differences between wild and domesticated birds with respect to the absolute expression of many of these traits, which are indicative of the different selection pressures wild and domesticated birds were exposed to in the recent past, manipulated rearing conditions affected morphology and ornamentation of wild and domesticated finches in a very similar way. This suggests that despite significant differentiation between wild and domesticated birds, selection has not altered the relationships among traits. Thus, life-history strategies and investment trade-offs may be relatively stable and not easily altered by selection. This is a reassuring finding in the light of the widespread use of domesticated birds in studies of life-history evolution and sexual selection, and suggests that adaptive explanations may be legitimate when referring to captive bird studies.

Using mobile phones and short message service to deliver self-management interventions for chronic conditions: a meta-review.

PubMed

Jones, Katherine R; Lekhak, Nirmala; Kaewluang, Napatsawan

2014-04-01

The worldwide burden of chronic disease is widespread and growing. This shift from acute to chronic care requires rethinking how resources are invested in managing these conditions. One response has been to create programs and interventions that have the goal of helping patients better manage their own conditions. Over time, these self-management interventions and strategies have increasingly relied on various technologies for their implementation, with the newest technology being mobile phones and short message service (SMS). The objective of this meta-review was to evaluate the current evidence on the use of mobile phones and SMS to deliver self-management interventions for chronic conditions. A meta-review was conducted of the 11 systematic reviews (SRs) that were identified and retrieved after an extensive search of electronic databases covering the years 2000-2012. Relevant information was abstracted from each systematic review and a quality assessment carried out using the AMSTAR ("A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews") criteria. The number and types of included studies and total number of subjects varied significantly across the systematic reviews. Mobile phone text messaging was reported to significantly improve adherence to appointments and antiretroviral therapy, short-term smoking quit rates, and selected clinical and behavioral outcomes. AMSTAR scores ranged from 11 to 3, reflecting substantial variation in SR quality. Mobile phones and SMS show promise as a technology to deliver self-management interventions to improve outcomes of chronic care management. However, the quality of future studies and systematic reviews needs to be improved. There also are unresolved issues about the technology itself. © 2014 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Impact of a five-day short course on integration of health promotion into practice in north Queensland.

PubMed

Devine, Susan G; Llewellyn-Jones, Lorraine; Lloyd, Jacqui

2009-04-01

Workforce development is one element of health promotion capacity building. This paper describes the extent to which participants in a five-day short course in health promotion, delivered three times in north Queensland during 2007, reported greater adoption of health promotion within their work roles, and the factors that affected the level of adoption. Out of 54 course attendees, 39 completed a post-course survey five to nine months after completing the course (72% response rate). Additionally, 11 course attendees participated in a focus group or phone interview to explore survey findings. The courses succeeded in providing knowledge, skills, confidence and enthusiasm to undertake health promotion work. Eighty per cent of participants stated they had incorporated health promotion into their work frequently or all of the time since undertaking the course. Lack of understanding of health promotion from co-workers and managers, lack of organisational support and commitment, lack of resources, competing clinical priorities, and lack of time were cited as the main barriers for undertaking health promotion. The course met participant training needs. However, similar training across all levels of staff including management may help to develop organisational capacity, thereby building a more knowledgeable workforce that is supported to undertake health promotion as a core part of an organisation's business.

New Pathways From Short Sleep to Obesity? Associations Between Short Sleep and "Secondary" Eating and Drinking Behavior.

PubMed

Tajeu, Gabriel S; Sen, Bisakha

2017-05-01

The association between short sleep and obesity risk is well established. However, we explore a new pathway between short sleep and obesity: whether short sleep is linked to more time spent in secondary eating or drinking, that is, eating or drinking (beverages other than water, such as sugar-sweetened beverages) while primarily engaged in another activity, such as television watching. This pooled cross-sectional study uses data from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) from 2006 to 2008. The study takes place in the United States. Subjects are 28,150 adults (55.8% female) aged 21 to 65 who were surveyed in the ATUS. Outcomes are time spent on (1) secondary eating and drinking and (2) primary eating and drinking. Our main predictor variable is sleep duration. Controlling for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, we estimate multivariate regression-analysis models for the full sample, as well as by weekday/weekend status, race, and gender subgroups. In multivariate models, compared to respondents reporting normal sleep, short sleep was associated with additional 8.7 (SE = 2.1) minutes per day of secondary eating (p < .01) and additional 28.6 (SE = 4.2) and 31.28 (SE = 5.0) minutes per day of secondary drinking on weekdays and weekends, respectively (p < .01). We find that short sleep is associated with more time spent in secondary eating and, in particular, secondary drinking. This potentially suggests a pathway from short sleep to increased caloric intake in the form of beverages and distracted eating and thus potential increased obesity risk, although more research is needed.

Reliability of Undergraduate Student in a Research on the Relations between Behavior and Days of the Week or Atmospheric Conditions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vachon, Jean

The influence of atmospheric conditions and the day of the week on school children's behavior was investigated by undergraduates. The college students were told either that their participation in the research was compulsory and would be graded, or that their participation was voluntary and ungraded. Fifty teachers observed their pupils' behavior…

Job satisfaction and short-term sickness absence among Dutch workers.

PubMed

Notenbomer, Annette; Roelen, Corné A M; Groothoff, Johan W

2006-06-01

Sickness absence is a considerable economic and social problem. Short-term sickness absence is known to be associated with behavioural attitudes. The correlation between sickness absence and job satisfaction has been studied infrequently and with contradictory results. This study investigated the correlation between short-term sickness absence and both global and specific job satisfaction. We defined short-term sickness absence as spells of up to 42 days. A random sample of 898 Dutch workers from a variety of economic sectors and companies received a self-report questionnaire on their first day of sick leave. The questionnaire measured global and specific job satisfaction. In our regression analysis, we controlled for the confounding factors of age, gender, educational level, perceived workload, job autonomy and decision latitude. The duration of an absence spell was defined as the amount of calendar days between sick leave and return to work. Global job satisfaction did not correlate significantly with the duration of short-term sickness absence. While increasing physical job demands predicted longer absence, increasing job autonomy and educational level predicted shorter absence. Satisfaction with colleagues predicted longer duration absence. Global job satisfaction did not correlate with the duration of short-term absence spells, but specific satisfaction with colleagues was associated with longer sickness spells.

Short sleep duration, shift work, and actual days taken off work are predictive life-style risk factors for new-onset metabolic syndrome: a seven-year cohort study of 40,000 male workers.

PubMed

Itani, Osamu; Kaneita, Yoshitaka; Tokiya, Mikiko; Jike, Maki; Murata, Atsushi; Nakagome, Sachi; Otsuka, Yuichiro; Ohida, Takashi

2017-11-01

This longitudinal study investigated the effects of various lifestyle-related factors - including sleep duration, shift work, and actual days taken off work - on new-onset metabolic syndrome (MetS). A total of 39,182 male employees (mean age 42.4 ± 9.8 years) of a local government organization in Japan were followed up for a maximum of seven years, between 1999 and 2006. Multivariate analysis (Cox proportional hazard method) identified seven high-risk lifestyle factors that were significantly associated with new-onset MetS or a range of metabolic factors (obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia): (1) short sleep duration (<5 h/day), (2) shift work, (3) insufficient number of days off work, (4) always eating until satiety, (5) not trying to take every opportunity to walk, (6) alcohol intake ≥60 g/day, and (7) smoking. In addition, a higher number of these high-risk lifestyle factors significantly promoted the onset of MetS. The hazard ratio for MetS associated with 0-1 high-risk lifestyle parameters per subject at the baseline was set at 1.00. Hazard ratios associated with the following numbers of high-risk lifestyle parameters were: 1.22 (95% CI 1.15-1.29) for 2-3 of these parameters; and 1.43 (1.33-1.54) for 4-7. An increase in the number of high-risk lifestyle factors - such as short sleep duration, shift work, and an insufficient number of days off work - increased the risk of MetS onset. Comprehensive strategies to improve a range of lifestyle factors for workers, such as sleep duration and days off work, could reduce the risk of MetS onset. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laparoscopic and open subtotal colectomies have similar short-term results.

PubMed

Hoogenboom, Froukje J; Bosker, Robbert J I; Groen, Henk; Meijerink, Wilhelmus J H J; Lamme, Bas; Pierie, Jean Pierre E N

2013-01-01

Laparoscopic subtotal colectomy (STC) is a complex procedure. It is possible that short-term benefits for segmental resections cannot be attributed to this complex procedure. This study aims to assess differences in short-term results for laparoscopic versus open STC during a 15-year single-institute experience. We reviewed consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopic or open elective or subacute STC from January 1997 to December 2012. Fifty-six laparoscopic and 50 open STCs were performed. The operation time was significantly longer in the laparoscopic group, median 266 min (range 121-420 min), compared to 153 min (range 90-408 min) in the open group (p < 0.001). Median hospital stay showed no statistical difference, 14 days (range 1-129 days) in the laparoscopic and 13 days (range 1-85 days) in the open group. Between-group postoperative complications were not statistically different. Laparoscopic STC has short-term results similar to the open procedure, except for a longer operation time. The laparoscopic approach for STC is therefore only advisable in selected patients combined with extensive preoperative counseling. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Constraints on an Optical Afterglow and on Supernova Light Following the Short Burst GRB 050813

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ferrero, P.; Sanchez, S. F.; Kann, D. A.; Klose, S.; Greiner, J.; Gorosabel, J.; Hartmann, D. H.; Henden, A. A.; Moller, P.; Palazzi, E.;

Effects of Filtering Visual Short Wavelengths During Nocturnal Shiftwork on Sleep and Performance

PubMed Central

Rahman, Shadab A.; Shapiro, Colin M.; Wang, Flora; Ainlay, Hailey; Kazmi, Syeda; Brown, Theodore J.

2013-01-01

Circadian phase resetting is sensitive to visual short wavelengths (450–480 nm). Selectively filtering this range of wavelengths may reduce circadian misalignment and sleep impairment during irregular light-dark schedules associated with shiftwork. We examined the effects of filtering short wavelengths (<480 nm) during night shifts on sleep and performance in nine nurses (five females and four males; mean age ± SD: 31.3 ± 4.6 yrs). Participants were randomized to receive filtered light (intervention) or standard indoor light (baseline) on night shifts. Nighttime sleep after two night shifts and daytime sleep in between two night shifts was assessed by polysomnography (PSG). In addition, salivary melatonin levels and alertness were assessed every 2 h on the first night shift of each study period and on the middle night of a run of three night shifts in each study period. Sleep and performance under baseline and intervention conditions were compared with daytime performance on the seventh day shift, and nighttime sleep following the seventh daytime shift (comparator). On the baseline night PSG, total sleep time (TST) (p < 0.01) and sleep efficiency (p = 0.01) were significantly decreased and intervening wake times (wake after sleep onset [WASO]) (p = 0.04) were significantly increased in relation to the comparator night sleep. In contrast, under intervention, TST was increased by a mean of 40 min compared with baseline, WASO was reduced and sleep efficiency was increased to levels similar to the comparator night. Daytime sleep was significantly impaired under both baseline and intervention conditions. Salivary melatonin levels were significantly higher on the first (p < 0.05) and middle (p < 0.01) night shifts under intervention compared with baseline. Subjective sleepiness increased throughout the night under both conditions (p < 0.01). However, reaction time and throughput on vigilance tests were similar to daytime

The Ecology of Family Day Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kontos, Susan

1994-01-01

Examined interrelationships of family, child care, and children in the family day-care system to portray the ecology of family day care. Found that families did not choose caregivers who resembled themselves in terms of socioeconomic status, childrearing preferences, and stress. Family day-care quality was associated with conditions of caregiving…

Day-to-day relations between stress and sleep and the mediating role of perseverative cognition.

PubMed

Van Laethem, Michelle; Beckers, Debby G J; van Hooff, Madelon L M; Dijksterhuis, Ap; Geurts, Sabine A E

2016-08-01

The goals of this longitudinal diary-based study were to shed light on the day-level relationship between stress and subsequent sleep, and to examine whether perseverative cognition is a mediating factor in this relation. A total of 44 Dutch PhD students were followed during a two-month period, from one month before their public thesis defense (ie, a stressful life event), until one month thereafter. Participants completed short evening and morning questionnaires on eight occasions (in anticipation of and following the defense), including questions about day-level stress, sleep quality, and perseverative cognition. Objective sleep parameters were collected with the SenseWear Pro Armband. Multilevel analysis was used to analyze daily observations nested within individuals. Analyses revealed that day-level stress was not directly related to subsequent subjective sleep indicators or to subsequent objective sleep indicators. Day-level stress was significantly associated with day-level perseverative cognition, and daily variations in perseverative cognition were significantly related to several day-level objective sleep parameters (sleep efficiency, marginally to number of awakenings, and wake after sleep onset), and to several day-level subjective sleep parameters (sleep quality, number of awakenings, wake after sleep onset). Finally, mediation analyses using path analysis suggested that, on the day level, perseverative cognition functions as a mediator between stress and several sleep parameters, namely, subjective sleep quality, objective sleep efficiency, and subjective wake after sleep onset. Perseverative cognition is a promising explanatory mechanism linking day-level stress to subjective and objective measures of sleep. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Iodine-131: a potential short-lived, wastewater-specific particle tracer in an urbanized estuarine system.

PubMed

Smith, Joseph P; Oktay, Sarah I; Kada, John; Olsen, Curtis R

2008-08-01

The short-lived, fission-produced radioisotope, 131I (t1/2 = 8.04 days), was detected in wastewater, surficial sediment, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples collected from New York Harbor (NYH) between 2001 and 2002. lodine-131 is used as a radiopharmaceutical for medical imaging, diagnostics, and treatments for conditions of the thyroid. It is introduced into the municipal waste stream by medical facilities and patients and is subsequently released into the estuary via wastewater effluent. Measured 131I activities in surface sediments were correlated with those of 7Be (t1/2 = 53.2 days), a naturally occurring radioisotope that is widely used to quantify particle dynamics, sediment focusing, and short-term sediment deposition and accumulation in aquatic systems. Surficial sediment 131I activities were also compared with measured trace metal (Cu, Pb) and organic carbon (OC(sed)) concentrations which can be linked to wastewater inputs. These preliminary results from NYH introduce 131I as a potentially valuable source-specific, shortlived biogeochemical tracer (timescales < 1 month) for particles, sediments, and wastewater-sourced contaminants in urbanized aquatic systems.

Thermal Analysis of the Vulnerability of the Spacesuit Battery Design to Short-Circuit Conditions (Presentation)

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

Kim, G. H.; Chaney, L.; Smith, K.

2010-04-22

NREL researchers created a mathematical model of a full 16p-5s spacesuit battery for NASA that captures electrical/thermal behavior during shorts to assess the vulnerability of the battery to pack-internal (cell-external) shorts. They found that relocating the short from battery pack-external (experimental validation) to pack-internal (modeling study) causes substantial additional heating of cells, which can lead to cell thermal runaway. All three layers of the bank-to-bank separator must fail for the pack-internal short scenario to occur. This finding emphasizes the imperative of battery pack assembly cleanliness. The design is tolerant to pack-internal shorts when stored at 0% state of charge.

Short Tandem Repeat DNA Internet Database

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 130 Short Tandem Repeat DNA Internet Database (Web, free access)   Short Tandem Repeat DNA Internet Database is intended to benefit research and application of short tandem repeat DNA markers for human identity testing. Facts and sequence information on each STR system, population data, commonly used multiplex STR systems, PCR primers and conditions, and a review of various technologies for analysis of STR alleles have been included.

Relationship between body condition of American alligators and water depth in the Everglades, Florida

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fujisaki, Ikuko; Rice, Kenneth G.; Pearlstine, Leonard G.; Mazzotti, Frank J.

2009-01-01

Feeding opportunities of American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in freshwater wetlands in south Florida are closely linked to hydrologic conditions. In the Everglades, seasonally and annually fluctuating surface water levels affect populations of aquatic organisms that alligators consume. Since prey becomes more concentrated when water depth decreases, we hypothesized an inverse relationship between body condition and water depth in the Everglades. On average, condition of adult alligators in the dry season was significantly higher than in the wet season, but this was not the case for juveniles/subadults. The correlation between body condition and measured water depth at capture locations was weak; however, there was a significant negative correlation between the condition and predicted water depth prior to capture for all animals except for spring juveniles/subadults which had a weak positive condition-water depth relationship. Overall, a relatively strong inverse correlation occurred at 10-49 days prior to the capture day, suggesting that current body condition of alligators may depend on feeding opportunities during that period. Fitted regression of body condition on water depth (mean depth of 10 days when condition-water depth correlation was greatest) resulted in a significantly negative slope, except for spring adult females and spring juveniles/subadults for which slopes were not significantly different from zero. Our results imply that water management practices may be critical for alligators in the Everglades since water depth can affect animal condition in a relatively short period of time.

Method for Assessing Contrast Performance under Lighting Conditions such as Entering a Tunnel on Sunny Day.

PubMed

Huang, Y; Menozzi, M

2015-04-01

Clinical assessment of dark adaptation is time consuming and requires a specialised instrumentation such as a nyktometer. It is therefore not surprising that dark adaptation is rarely tested in practice. As for the case of testing fitness of a driver, demands on adaptation in daily driving tasks mostly depart from settings in a nyktometer. In daily driving, adaptation is stressed by high and fast transitions of light levels, and the period of time which is relevant to safe driving starts right after a transition and ends several seconds later. In the nyktometer dark adaptation is tested after completion of the adaptation process. RESULTS of a nyktometer test may therefore deliver little information about adaptation shortly after light transitions. In an attempt to develop a clinical test aiming to fulfill both a short measurement time and offering test conditions comparable to conditions in driving, we conducted a preliminary study in which contrast sensitivity thresholds were recorded for light transitions as found in daily driving tasks and for various times after transition onsets. Contrast sensitivity performance is compared to dark adaptation performance as assessed by a myktometer. Contrast sensitivity thresholds were recorded in 17 participants by means of a twin projection apparatus. The apparatus enabled the projection of an adapting field and of a Landolt ring both with a variable luminance. Five different stepwise transitions in levels of adapting luminance were tested. All transitions occurred from bright to dark. The Landolt ring was flashed 100 or 500 ms after the transition had occurred. Participants were instructed to report the orientation of the Landolt ring. A Rodenstock Nyktometer, Plate 501, was used to record dark adaptation threshold. Experimental data from the proposed test revealed a noticeably increasing contrast detection threshold measured in dark adaptation in the stronger transition from 14 000 to 8 cd/m2 than in the weaker

Short-term prediction of threatening and violent behaviour in an Acute Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit based on patient and environment characteristics

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The aims of the present study were to investigate clinically relevant patient and environment-related predictive factors for threats and violent incidents the first three days in a PICU population based on evaluations done at admittance. Methods In 2000 and 2001 all 118 consecutive patients were assessed at admittance to a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Patient-related conditions as actuarial data from present admission, global clinical evaluations by physician at admittance and clinical nurses first day, a single rating with an observer rated scale scoring behaviours that predict short-term violence in psychiatric inpatients (The Brøset Violence Checklist (BVC)) at admittance, and environment-related conditions as use of segregation or not were related to the outcome measure Staff Observation Aggression Scale-Revised (SOAS-R). A multiple logistic regression analysis with SOAS-R as outcome variable was performed. Results The global clinical evaluations and the BVC were effective and more suitable than actuarial data in predicting short-term aggression. The use of segregation reduced the number of SOAS-R incidents. Conclusions In a naturalistic group of patients in a PICU segregation of patients lowers the number of aggressive and threatening incidents. Prediction should be based on clinical global judgment, and instruments designed to predict short-term aggression in psychiatric inpatients. Trial registrations NCT00184119/NCT00184132 PMID:21418581

Long-term effects of interference on short-term memory performance in the rat

PubMed Central

Missaire, Mégane; Fraize, Nicolas; Joseph, Mickaël Antoine; Hamieh, Al Mahdy; Parmentier, Régis; Marighetto, Aline; Salin, Paul Antoine; Malleret, Gaël

2017-01-01

A distinction has always been made between long-term and short-term memory (also now called working memory, WM). The obvious difference between these two kinds of memory concerns the duration of information storage: information is supposedly transiently stored in WM while it is considered durably consolidated into long-term memory. It is well acknowledged that the content of WM is erased and reset after a short time, to prevent irrelevant information from proactively interfering with newly stored information. In the present study, we used typical WM radial maze tasks to question the brief lifespan of spatial WM content in rodents. Groups of rats were submitted to one of two different WM tasks in a radial maze: a WM task involving the repetitive presentation of a same pair of arms expected to induce a high level of proactive interference (PI) (HIWM task), or a task using a different pair in each trial expected to induce a low level of PI (LIWM task). Performance was effectively lower in the HIWM group than in LIWM in the final trial of each training session, indicative of a “within-session/short-term” PI effect. However, we also observed a different “between-session/long-term” PI effect between the two groups: while performance of LIWM trained rats remained stable over days, the performance of HIWM rats dropped after 10 days of training, and this impairment was visible from the very first trial of the day, hence not attributable to within-session PI. We also showed that a 24 hour-gap across training sessions known to allow consolidation processes to unfold, was a necessary and sufficient condition for the long-term PI effect to occur. These findings suggest that in the HIWM task, WM content was not entirely reset between training sessions and that, in specific conditions, WM content can outlast its purpose by being stored more permanently, generating a long-term deleterious effect of PI. The alternative explanation is that WM content could be transferred and

Long-term effects of interference on short-term memory performance in the rat.

PubMed

Missaire, Mégane; Fraize, Nicolas; Joseph, Mickaël Antoine; Hamieh, Al Mahdy; Parmentier, Régis; Marighetto, Aline; Salin, Paul Antoine; Malleret, Gaël

2017-01-01

A distinction has always been made between long-term and short-term memory (also now called working memory, WM). The obvious difference between these two kinds of memory concerns the duration of information storage: information is supposedly transiently stored in WM while it is considered durably consolidated into long-term memory. It is well acknowledged that the content of WM is erased and reset after a short time, to prevent irrelevant information from proactively interfering with newly stored information. In the present study, we used typical WM radial maze tasks to question the brief lifespan of spatial WM content in rodents. Groups of rats were submitted to one of two different WM tasks in a radial maze: a WM task involving the repetitive presentation of a same pair of arms expected to induce a high level of proactive interference (PI) (HIWM task), or a task using a different pair in each trial expected to induce a low level of PI (LIWM task). Performance was effectively lower in the HIWM group than in LIWM in the final trial of each training session, indicative of a "within-session/short-term" PI effect. However, we also observed a different "between-session/long-term" PI effect between the two groups: while performance of LIWM trained rats remained stable over days, the performance of HIWM rats dropped after 10 days of training, and this impairment was visible from the very first trial of the day, hence not attributable to within-session PI. We also showed that a 24 hour-gap across training sessions known to allow consolidation processes to unfold, was a necessary and sufficient condition for the long-term PI effect to occur. These findings suggest that in the HIWM task, WM content was not entirely reset between training sessions and that, in specific conditions, WM content can outlast its purpose by being stored more permanently, generating a long-term deleterious effect of PI. The alternative explanation is that WM content could be transferred and stored

Short day length enhances physiological resilience of the immune system against 2-deoxy-d-glucose-induced metabolic stress in a tropical seasonal breeder Funambulus pennanti.

PubMed

Gupta, Sameer; Haldar, Chandana

2017-03-01

Studies demonstrate the importance of metabolic resources in the regulation of reproduction and immune functions in seasonal breeders. In this regard, the restricted energy availability can be considered as an environmental variable that may act as a seasonal stressor and can lead to compromised immune functions. The present study explored the effect of photoperiodic variation in the regulation of immune function under metabolic stress condition. The T-cell-dependent immune response in a tropical seasonal breeder Funambulus pennanti was studied following the inhibition of cellular glucose utilization with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG). 2-DG treatment resulted in the suppression of general (e.g., proliferative response of lymphocytes) and antigen-specific [anti-keyhole limpet hemocyanin IgG titer and delayed-type hypersensitivity response] T-cell responses with an activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which was evident from the increased levels of plasma corticosterone. 2-DG administration increased the production of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] and decreased the autocrine T-cell growth factor IL-2. The immunocompromising effect of 2-DG administration was retarded in animals exposed to short photoperiods compared with the control and long photoperiod-exposed groups. This finding suggested that short photoperiodic conditions enhanced the resilience of the immune system, possibly by diverting metabolic resources from the reproductive organs toward the immune system. In addition, melatonin may have facilitated the energy "trade-off" between reproductive and immune mechanisms, thereby providing an advantage to the seasonal breeders for their survival during stressful environmental conditions. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Caring for a Living: A Study on Wages and Working Conditions in Canadian Child Care. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Child Care Federation, Ottawa (Ontario).

Between November 1990 and August 1992, a study examined wages and working conditions of child care staff in both licensed group centers and family day care homes in Canada. Three instruments were developed for the study, a short telephone interview for center directors, a follow-up director's questionnaire, and a staff questionnaire. The study…

Probabilistic Solar Wind and Geomagnetic Forecasting Using an Analogue Ensemble or "Similar Day" Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owens, M. J.; Riley, P.; Horbury, T. S.

2017-05-01

Effective space-weather prediction and mitigation requires accurate forecasting of near-Earth solar-wind conditions. Numerical magnetohydrodynamic models of the solar wind, driven by remote solar observations, are gaining skill at forecasting the large-scale solar-wind features that give rise to near-Earth variations over days and weeks. There remains a need for accurate short-term (hours to days) solar-wind forecasts, however. In this study we investigate the analogue ensemble (AnEn), or "similar day", approach that was developed for atmospheric weather forecasting. The central premise of the AnEn is that past variations that are analogous or similar to current conditions can be used to provide a good estimate of future variations. By considering an ensemble of past analogues, the AnEn forecast is inherently probabilistic and provides a measure of the forecast uncertainty. We show that forecasts of solar-wind speed can be improved by considering both speed and density when determining past analogues, whereas forecasts of the out-of-ecliptic magnetic field [BN] are improved by also considering the in-ecliptic magnetic-field components. In general, the best forecasts are found by considering only the previous 6 - 12 hours of observations. Using these parameters, the AnEn provides a valuable probabilistic forecast for solar-wind speed, density, and in-ecliptic magnetic field over lead times from a few hours to around four days. For BN, which is central to space-weather disturbance, the AnEn only provides a valuable forecast out to around six to seven hours. As the inherent predictability of this parameter is low, this is still likely a marked improvement over other forecast methods. We also investigate the use of the AnEn in forecasting geomagnetic indices Dst and Kp. The AnEn provides a valuable probabilistic forecast of both indices out to around four days. We outline a number of future improvements to AnEn forecasts of near-Earth solar-wind and geomagnetic

Value of semen parameters, with special reference to TNF-α, in predicting the quality of boar semen after short-term storage.

PubMed

Mrkun, Janko; Kosec, Marjan; Zrimšek, Petra

2013-06-01

The aim of this study was to address the question whether changes in boar semen quality after short-term storage could be predicted on the basis of standard semen parameters and TNF-α level determined on the day of semen collection under commercial conditions. Progressive motility showed the highest positive correlation with morphology on day 0 of collection, and progressive motility on day 3 (P < 0.05) showed a negative correlation with acrosome abnormalities (P < 0.05). According to the area under receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves (AUCs), progressive motility could also be used in predicting semen quality after 3 days of storage (AUC > 0.5; P < 0.05). TNF-α in seminal plasma is the only parameter measured on day 0 to show a significant correlation with the percentage of viable spermatozoa after 3 days of semen storage (r = 0.495, P < 0.05). ROC analysis shows that TNF-α level is helpful in discriminating viability outcome after semen storage (AUC = 0.94, P < 0.001). We can predict with 92.35% certainty that fresh semen samples with more than 150 pg/ml of TNF-α in the seminal plasma will retain more than 85% of viable spermatozoa after 3 days of storage. Thus, TNF-α can contribute to predicting the quality of short-term stored semen.

Oxidation of dissolved iron under warmer, wetter conditions on Mars: Transitions to present-day arid environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, R. G.

1993-01-01

The copious deposits of ferric-iron assemblages littering the surface of bright regions of Mars indicate that efficient oxidative weathering reactions have taken place during the evolution of the planet. Because the kinetics of atmosphere-surface (gas-solid) reactions are considerably slower than chemical weathering reactions involving an aqueous medium, most of the oxidation products now present in the martian regolith probably formed when groundwater flowed near the surface. This paper examines how chemical weathering reactions were effected by climatic variations when warm, wet environments became arid on Mars. Analogies are drawn with hydrogeochemical and weathering environments on the Australian continent where present-day oxidation of iron is occurring in acidic ground water under arid conditions.

Retention interval affects visual short-term memory encoding.

PubMed

Bankó, Eva M; Vidnyánszky, Zoltán

2010-03-01

Humans can efficiently store fine-detailed facial emotional information in visual short-term memory for several seconds. However, an unresolved question is whether the same neural mechanisms underlie high-fidelity short-term memory for emotional expressions at different retention intervals. Here we show that retention interval affects the neural processes of short-term memory encoding using a delayed facial emotion discrimination task. The early sensory P100 component of the event-related potentials (ERP) was larger in the 1-s interstimulus interval (ISI) condition than in the 6-s ISI condition, whereas the face-specific N170 component was larger in the longer ISI condition. Furthermore, the memory-related late P3b component of the ERP responses was also modulated by retention interval: it was reduced in the 1-s ISI as compared with the 6-s condition. The present findings cannot be explained based on differences in sensory processing demands or overall task difficulty because there was no difference in the stimulus information and subjects' performance between the two different ISI conditions. These results reveal that encoding processes underlying high-precision short-term memory for facial emotional expressions are modulated depending on whether information has to be stored for one or for several seconds.

The Watcombe housing study: the short-term effect of improving housing conditions on the indoor environment.

PubMed

Richardson, George; Barton, Andrew; Basham, Meryl; Foy, Chris; Eick, Susan Ann; Somerville, Margaret

2006-05-15

A three-year study (1999-2001) was initiated in the UK to assess the effect of improving housing conditions in 3-4 bedroom, single-family unit, social rented sector houses on the health of the occupants. The houses were randomised into two groups. Phase I houses received extensive upgrading including wet central heating, on demand ventilation, double-glazed doors, cavity wall and roof/loft insulation. An identical intervention for Phase II houses was delayed for one year. As part of this randomised waiting list study, discrete measurements were made of indoor environmental variables in each house, to assess the short-term effects of improving housing conditions on the indoor environment. Variables representative of indoor environmental conditions were measured in the living room, bedroom and outdoors in each of the three years of the study. In 2000, there was a significant difference between the changes from 1999 to 2000 between Phase I (upgraded) and II (not then upgraded) houses for bedroom temperatures (p=0.002). Changes in wall surface dampness and wall dampness in Phase I houses were also significantly different to the change in Phase II houses in 2000 (p=0.001), but by 2001 the Phase I houses had reverted to the same dampness levels they had before upgrading. The housing upgrades increased bedroom temperatures in all houses. Other indoor environmental variables were not affected.

Short nights reduce light-induced circadian phase delays in humans.

PubMed

Burgess, Helen J; Eastman, Charmane I

2006-01-01

Short sleep episodes are common in modern society. We recently demonstrated that short nights reduce phase advances to light. Here we show that short nights also reduce phase delays to light. Two weeks of 6-hour sleep episodes in the dark (short nights) and 2 weeks of long 9-hour sleep episodes (long nights) in counterbalanced order, separated by 7 days. Following each series of nights, there was a dim-light phase assessment to assess baseline phase. Three days later, subjects were exposed to a phase-delaying light stimulus for 2 days, followed by a final phase assessment. Subjects slept at home in dark bedrooms but came to the laboratory for the phase assessments and light stimulus. Seven young healthy subjects. The 3.5-hour light stimulus was four 30-minute pulses of bright light (-5000 lux) separated by 30-minute intervals of room light. The stimulus began 2.5 hours after each subject's dim-light melatonin onset, followed by a 6- or 9-hour sleep episode. On the second night, the bright light and sleep episode began 1 hour later. The dim-light melatonin onset and dimlight melatonin offset phase delayed 1.4 and 0.7 hours less in the short nights, respectively (both p < or = .015). These results indicate for the first time that short nights can reduce circadian phase delays, that long nights can increase phase delays to light, or both. People who curtail their sleep may inadvertently reduce their circadian responsiveness to evening light.

Sensor Fish Characterization of Fish Passage Conditions through John Day Dam Spillbay 20 with a Modified Flow Deflector

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

Duncan, Joanne P.

Fish passage conditions over a modified deflector in Spillbay 20 at John Day Dam were evaluated by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Portland District, using Sensor Fish devices. The objectives of the study were to describe and compare passage exposure conditions at two spill discharges, 2.4 and 4.0 thousand cubic feet per second (kcfs), identifying potential fish injury regions within the routes, and to evaluate a low-tailwater condition at the 2.4-kcfs discharge. The study was performed in April 2010 concurrent with HI-Z balloon-tag studies by Normandeau Associates, Inc. Sensor Fish data were analyzedmore » to estimate 1) exposure conditions, particularly exposure to severe collision and shear events; 2) differences in passage conditions between treatments; and 3) relationships to live-fish injury and mortality data estimates. Nearly all Sensor Fish significant events were classified as collisions; the most severe occurred at the gate, on the spillbay chute, or at the deflector transition. Collisions in the gate region were observed only during the 2.4-kcfs discharge, when the tainter gate was open 1.2 ft. One shear event was observed during the evaluation, occurring at the deflector transition during passage at the 2.4-kcfs discharge at low tailwater. Flow quality, computed using the Sensor Fish turbulence index, was best for passage at the low-flow low-tailwater condition as well. The worst flow quality was observed for the 4.0-kcfs test condition. Contrasting the passage exposure conditions, the 2.4-kcfs low-tailwater treatment would be most deleterious to fish survival and well-being.« less

Ontogeny of the daily profile of plasma melatonin in European starlings raised under long or short photoperiods.

PubMed

Dawson, Alistair; Van't, Hof Thomas J

2002-06-01

Photoperiodic manipulation of young European starlings suggests that their reproductive physiology is incapable of responding to a short photoperiod until they are fully grown. This study aimed to determine whether the lack of response to a short photoperiod is reflected in the daily profile of plasma melatonin concentrations. Five-day-old starlings taken from nest boxes showed a significant (p < 0.0001) rhythm in plasma melatonin concentrations, with high values during night. In nestlings hand-reared from 5 days of age on a long photoperiod (LD 16:8), equivalent to natural photoperiod at the time, the amplitude of the daily rhythm in melatonin increased significantly (p < 0.01) with age until birds were fully grown (20 days old). In nestlings reared on a short photoperiod (LD 8:16), the daily melatonin profile remained almost identical to that of long photoperiod birds until they were fully grown. However, after 20 days old, the duration of elevated nighttime melatonin began to extend to encompass the entire period of darkness. In contrast, fully grown starlings transferred from a long to a short photoperiod had partially adapted to the short photoperiod after 5 days; by 10 days, the daily melatonin profile was identical to that of birds held chronically on a short photoperiod. Thus, consistent with responses of reproductive physiology, the pineal of young birds appears to be incapable of perceiving, or adapting to, a short photoperiod.

Randomized Pilot of an Anxiety Sensitivity-Based Intervention for Individuals in a Substance Use Day Program.

PubMed

Worden, Blaise L; Genova, Marla; Tolin, David F

2017-01-01

Anxiety sensitivity (AS), or the tendency to appraise physical symptoms as intolerable or dangerous, may maintain the cycle between co-occurring anxiety and substance use disorders. This study examined preliminary efficacy of a brief intervention targeting AS for individuals with heterogeneous substance use disorders. Forty-one patients with high AS entering an addictions day program were randomized to treatment as usual (TAU) or to TAU plus a nine-hour AS-focused intervention that consisted of interoceptive exposures, psychoeducation about the cycle of problematic substance use and anxiety, and a single session of cognitive challenging (e.g., reviewing common cognitive distortions and decatastrophizing anxiety symptoms). Mixed-effects intent-to-treat models suggested that participants in the AS condition showed greater decreases in AS at post-treatment, but this effect was lost at follow-up three months later. Intervention conditions did not differ in change in percent days abstinent or self-reported anxiety, with both conditions showing significant improvement at post-treatment. Results suggest that the nine-hour AS-focused intervention led to a short-term benefit over TAU alone, but this benefit was not sustained at three months' follow-up. Future AS interventions may need to target specific subconstructs of AS for selected populations, or target emotional distress tolerance more broadly.

34 CFR 300.11 - Day; business day; school day.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true Day; business day; school day. 300.11 Section 300.11... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES General Definitions Used in This Part § 300.11 Day; business day; school day. (a) Day means calendar day unless otherwise indicated as business day or school day. (b) Business day...

Living Conditions and Psychological Distress in Latino Migrant Day Laborers: The Role of Cultural and Community Protective Factors.

PubMed

Organista, Kurt C; Ngo, Samantha; Neilands, Torsten B; Kral, Alex H

2017-03-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between typically difficult living conditions and psychological distress in Latino migrant day laborers (LMDLs), with attention to the potentially protective roles of contact with family in country of origin (i.e., communication, sending money, etc.), availability of local culture (i.e., food, music, people from one's country of origin), and utilization of community resources perceived to be culturally competent (i.e., services that are respectful, able to serve Latinos, able to solve problems, in Spanish, etc.). Participants were 344 LMDLs surveyed in the San Francisco Bay Area. As hypothesized: (a) difficult living conditions were related to depression, anxiety, and desesperación [desperation], the latter a popular Latino idiom of psychological distress recently validated on LMDLs; (b) contact with family moderated the relation between difficult living conditions and depression and desesperación but not anxiety and (c) access to local culture, and utilization of community resources, mediated the relation between difficult living conditions and depression and desesperación but not anxiety. Implications for intervening at local and larger levels in order to provide some protection against distress built into the LMDL experience in the United States are discussed. © Society for Community Research and Action 2016.

24th geotechnical laboratory testing short course

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-02-01

This is a 3-day workshop/short course to teach practicing professionals techniques and procedures for conducting high quality geotechnical laboratory tests. Transportation facility design and construction begins with an investigation of the type, ext...

Short-term high-altitude pre-exposure improves neurobehavioral ability

PubMed Central

Guo, Wenyun; Chen, Guozhu; Qin, Jun; Zhang, Jihang; Guo, Xubin; Yu, Jie; Song, Pan; Lu, Wei; Xu, Baida; Li, Jiabei; Ding, Xiaohan

2016-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the duration of high-altitude (HA) pre-exposure on human neurobehavioral parameters including mood states and cognitive performance at HA. One hundred and eleven healthy individuals (ranging in age from 18 to 35 years) were recruited to participate in this study. They were divided into two groups: a 4-day short-term HA pre-exposure group (n=57) and a 3-month long-term HA pre-exposure group (n=54). All participants lived in the area at 400 m altitude above sea level before pre-exposure to HA. They were then transported to 3700 m plateau for either a 4-day or a 3-month HA pre-exposure, and finally delivered to 4400 m plateau. On the last day of pre-exposure at 3700 m and on the 10th day at 4400 m, neurobehavioral parameters of the participants in the two groups were evaluated. At the end of pre-exposure and on the 10th day of HA exposure, participants in the short-term group had significantly lower negative mood states, better cognitive performance with higher sensorimotor, attention, and psychomotor abilities, and less acute mountain sickness in comparison with the participants in the long-term pre-exposure group. Our field study with large samples showed that in comparison with 3-month long-term pre-exposure, 4-day short-term HA pre-exposure at 3700 m has a better effect in improving human neurobehavioral parameters including mood states and cognitive performance and reducing acute mountain sickness when exposed to a HA at 4400 m. PMID:26966781

Association of Short-term Exposure to Air Pollution With Mortality in Older Adults.

PubMed

Di, Qian; Dai, Lingzhen; Wang, Yun; Zanobetti, Antonella; Choirat, Christine; Schwartz, Joel D; Dominici, Francesca

2017-12-26

The US Environmental Protection Agency is required to reexamine its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) every 5 years, but evidence of mortality risk is lacking at air pollution levels below the current daily NAAQS in unmonitored areas and for sensitive subgroups. To estimate the association between short-term exposures to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone, and at levels below the current daily NAAQS, and mortality in the continental United States. Case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression to estimate the association between short-term exposures to PM2.5 and ozone (mean of daily exposure on the same day of death and 1 day prior) and mortality in 2-pollutant models. The study included the entire Medicare population from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2012, residing in 39 182 zip codes. Daily PM2.5 and ozone levels in a 1-km × 1-km grid were estimated using published and validated air pollution prediction models based on land use, chemical transport modeling, and satellite remote sensing data. From these gridded exposures, daily exposures were calculated for every zip code in the United States. Warm-season ozone was defined as ozone levels for the months April to September of each year. All-cause mortality in the entire Medicare population from 2000 to 2012. During the study period, there were 22 433 862 million case days and 76 143 209 control days. Of all case and control days, 93.6% had PM2.5 levels below 25 μg/m3, during which 95.2% of deaths occurred (21 353 817 of 22 433 862), and 91.1% of days had ozone levels below 60 parts per billion, during which 93.4% of deaths occurred (20 955 387 of 22 433 862). The baseline daily mortality rates were 137.33 and 129.44 (per 1 million persons at risk per day) for the entire year and for the warm season, respectively. Each short-term increase of 10 μg/m3 in PM2.5 (adjusted by ozone) and 10 parts per billion (10-9) in warm-season ozone (adjusted by

Retrieval practice with short-answer, multiple-choice, and hybrid tests.

PubMed

Smith, Megan A; Karpicke, Jeffrey D

2014-01-01

Retrieval practice improves meaningful learning, and the most frequent way of implementing retrieval practice in classrooms is to have students answer questions. In four experiments (N=372) we investigated the effects of different question formats on learning. Students read educational texts and practised retrieval by answering short-answer, multiple-choice, or hybrid questions. In hybrid conditions students first attempted to recall answers in short-answer format, then identified answers in multiple-choice format. We measured learning 1 week later using a final assessment with two types of questions: those that could be answered by recalling information verbatim from the texts and those that required inferences. Practising retrieval in all format conditions enhanced retention, relative to a study-only control condition, on both verbatim and inference questions. However, there were little or no advantages of answering short-answer or hybrid format questions over multiple-choice questions in three experiments. In Experiment 4, when retrieval success was improved under initial short-answer conditions, there was an advantage of answering short-answer or hybrid questions over multiple-choice questions. The results challenge the simple conclusion that short-answer questions always produce the best learning, due to increased retrieval effort or difficulty, and demonstrate the importance of retrieval success for retrieval-based learning activities.

Iron Supplementation during Three Consecutive Days of Endurance Training Augmented Hepcidin Levels.

PubMed

Ishibashi, Aya; Maeda, Naho; Kamei, Akiko; Goto, Kazushige

2017-07-30

Iron supplementation contributes an effort to improving iron status among athletes, but it does not always prevent iron deficiency. In the present study, we explored the effect of three consecutive days of endurance training (twice daily) on the hepcidin-25 (hepcidin) level. The effect of iron supplementation during this period was also determined. Fourteen male endurance athletes were enrolled and randomly assigned to either an iron-treated condition (Fe condition, n = 7) or a placebo condition (Control condition; CON, n = 7). They engaged in two 75-min sessions of treadmill running at 75% of maximal oxygen uptake on three consecutive days (days 1-3). The Fe condition took 12 mg of iron twice daily (24 mg/day), and the CON condition did not. On day 1, both conditions exhibited significant increases in serum hepcidin and plasma interleukin-6 levels after exercise ( p < 0.05). In the CON condition, the hepcidin level did not change significantly throughout the training period. However, in the Fe condition, the serum hepcidin level on day 4 was significantly higher than that of the CON condition ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, the hepcidin level was significantly elevated following three consecutive days of endurance training when moderate doses of iron were taken.

Iron Supplementation during Three Consecutive Days of Endurance Training Augmented Hepcidin Levels

PubMed Central

Ishibashi, Aya; Maeda, Naho; Kamei, Akiko; Goto, Kazushige

2017-01-01

Iron supplementation contributes an effort to improving iron status among athletes, but it does not always prevent iron deficiency. In the present study, we explored the effect of three consecutive days of endurance training (twice daily) on the hepcidin-25 (hepcidin) level. The effect of iron supplementation during this period was also determined. Fourteen male endurance athletes were enrolled and randomly assigned to either an iron-treated condition (Fe condition, n = 7) or a placebo condition (Control condition; CON, n = 7). They engaged in two 75-min sessions of treadmill running at 75% of maximal oxygen uptake on three consecutive days (days 1–3). The Fe condition took 12 mg of iron twice daily (24 mg/day), and the CON condition did not. On day 1, both conditions exhibited significant increases in serum hepcidin and plasma interleukin-6 levels after exercise (p < 0.05). In the CON condition, the hepcidin level did not change significantly throughout the training period. However, in the Fe condition, the serum hepcidin level on day 4 was significantly higher than that of the CON condition (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the hepcidin level was significantly elevated following three consecutive days of endurance training when moderate doses of iron were taken. PMID:28758951

Short-Term Planning of Hybrid Power System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knežević, Goran; Baus, Zoran; Nikolovski, Srete

2016-07-01

In this paper short-term planning algorithm for hybrid power system consist of different types of cascade hydropower plants (run-of-the river, pumped storage, conventional), thermal power plants (coal-fired power plants, combined cycle gas-fired power plants) and wind farms is presented. The optimization process provides a joint bid of the hybrid system, and thus making the operation schedule of hydro and thermal power plants, the operation condition of pumped-storage hydropower plants with the aim of maximizing profits on day ahead market, according to expected hourly electricity prices, the expected local water inflow in certain hydropower plants, and the expected production of electrical energy from the wind farm, taking into account previously contracted bilateral agreement for electricity generation. Optimization process is formulated as hourly-discretized mixed integer linear optimization problem. Optimization model is applied on the case study in order to show general features of the developed model.

The Watcombe Housing Study: the short term effect of improving housing conditions on the health of residents.

PubMed

Barton, Andy; Basham, Meryl; Foy, Chris; Buckingham, Ken; Somerville, Margaret

2007-09-01

To assess the short term health effects of improving housing. Randomised to waiting list. 119 council owned houses in south Devon, UK. About 480 residents of these houses. Upgrading houses (including central heating, ventilation, rewiring, insulation, and re-roofing) in two phases a year apart. All residents completed an annual health questionnaire: SF36 and GHQ12 (adults). Residents reporting respiratory illness or arthritis were interviewed using condition-specific questionnaires, the former also completing peak flow and symptom diaries (children) or spirometry (adults). Data on health service use and time lost from school were collected. Interventions improved energy efficiency. For those living in intervention houses, non-asthma-related chest problems (Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.005) and the combined asthma symptom score for adults (Mann-Whitney test, z = 2.7, p = 0.007) diminished significantly compared with control houses. No difference between intervention and control houses was seen for SF36 or GHQ12. Rigorous study designs for the evaluation of complex public health and community based interventions are possible. Quantitatively measured health benefits are small, but as health benefits were measured over a short time scale, there may have been insufficient time for measurable improvements in general and disease-specific health to become apparent.

Garde a l'enfance: Etude sur la remuneration et les conditions de travail dans le domaine de la garde a l'enfance au Canada. Rapport final (Caring for a Living: A Study on Wages and Working Conditions in Canadian Child Care. Final Report).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Child Care Federation, Ottawa (Ontario).

Between November 1990 and August 1992, a study examined wages and working conditions of child care staff in both licensed group centers and family day care homes in Canada. Three instruments were developed for the study, a short telephone interview for center directors, a follow-up director's questionnaire, and a staff questionnaire. The study…

Production of well-matured compost from night-soil sludge by an extremely short period of thermophilic composting.

PubMed

Nakasaki, Kiyohiko; Ohtaki, Akihito; Takemoto, Minoru; Fujiwara, Shunrokuro

2011-03-01

The effect of various operational conditions on the decomposition of organic material during the composting of night-soil treatment sludge was quantitatively examined. The optimum composting conditions were found to be a temperature of ca. 60°C and an initial pH value of 8. Rapid decomposition of organic matter ceased by the sixth day of composting under these optimum conditions, and the final value of the cumulative emission of carbon (E(C)), which represents the degree of organic matter decomposition, was less than 40%, indicating that the sludge contained only a small amount of easily degradable organic material. A plant growth assay using Komatsuna (Brassica campestris L. var. rapiferafroug) in a 1/5000a standard cultivation pot was then conducted for the compost at various degrees of organic matter decomposition: the raw composting material, the final compost obtained on day 6, and the 2 intermediate compost products (i.e., E(C)=10% and 20%). It was found that the larger the E(C), the greater the yield of Komatsuna growth. It was also found that 6 days of composting is sufficient to promote Komatsuna growth at the standard loading level, which is equivalent to a 1.5 g N/pot, since the promotion effect was as high as that obtained using chemical fertilizer. It can therefore be concluded that well-matured compost could be obtained in a short period of time (i.e., as early as 6 days), when night-soil sludge is composted under optimum conditions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incubation of conditioned fear in the conditioned suppression model in rats: role of food-restriction conditions, length of conditioned stimulus, and generality to conditioned freezing

PubMed Central

Pickens, Charles L.; Navarre, Brittany M.; Nair, Sunila G.

2010-01-01

We recently adapted the conditioned suppression of operant responding method to study fear incubation. We found that food-restricted rats show low fear 2 days after extended (10 d; 100 30-sec tone-shock pairings) fear training and high fear after 1–2 months. Here, we studied a potential mechanism of fear incubation: extended food-restriction stress. We also studied whether fear incubation is observed after fear training with a prolonged-duration (6-min) tone conditioned stimulus (CS), and whether conditioned freezing incubates after extended training in rats with or without a concurrent operant task. Conditioned fear was assessed 2 days and 1 month after training. In the conditioned suppression method, fear incubation was reliably observed in rats under moderate food-restriction conditions (18–20 g food/day) that allowed for weight gain, and after extended (10 d), but not limited (1 d), fear training with the 6-min CS. Incubation of conditioned freezing was observed after extended fear training in rats lever-pressing for food and, to a lesser degree, in rats not performing an operant task. Results indicate that prolonged hunger-related stress does not account for fear incubation in the conditioned suppression method, and that fear incubation occurs to a longer-duration (6-min) fear CS. Extended training also leads to robust fear incubation of conditioned freezing in rats performing an operant task and weaker fear incubation in rats not performing an operant task. PMID:20600654

Incubation of conditioned fear in the conditioned suppression model in rats: role of food-restriction conditions, length of conditioned stimulus, and generality to conditioned freezing.

PubMed

Pickens, C L; Navarre, B M; Nair, S G

2010-09-15

We recently adapted the conditioned suppression of operant responding method to study fear incubation. We found that food-restricted rats show low fear 2 days after extended (10 d; 100 30-s tone-shock pairings) fear training and high fear after 1-2 months. Here, we studied a potential mechanism of fear incubation: extended food-restriction stress. We also studied whether fear incubation is observed after fear training with a prolonged-duration (6-min) tone conditioned stimulus (CS), and whether conditioned freezing incubates after extended training in rats with or without a concurrent operant task. Conditioned fear was assessed 2 days and 1 month after training. In the conditioned suppression method, fear incubation was reliably observed in rats under moderate food-restriction conditions (18-20 g food/day) that allowed for weight gain, and after extended (10 d), but not limited (1 d), fear training with the 6-min CS. Incubation of conditioned freezing was observed after extended fear training in rats lever-pressing for food and, to a lesser degree, in rats not performing an operant task. Results indicate that prolonged hunger-related stress does not account for fear incubation in the conditioned suppression method, and that fear incubation occurs to a longer-duration (6-min) fear CS. Extended training also leads to robust fear incubation of conditioned freezing in rats performing an operant task and weaker fear incubation in rats not performing an operant task. (c) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA 14 Day Undersea Missions: A Short-Duration Spaceflight Analog for Immune System Dysregulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crucian, B. E.; Stowe, R. P.; Mehta, S. K.; Quiriarte, H.; Pierson, D. L.; Sams, C. F.

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND Spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation (SAID) occurs during spaceflight and may represent specific clinical risks for exploration-class missions. An appropriate ground analog for spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation would offer a platform for ground-evaluation of various potential countermeasures. This study evaluated the NASA Undersea Mission Operations ( NEEMO ), consisting of 14 day undersea deployment at the Aquarius station, as an analog for SAID. Sixteen Aquanauts from missions NEEMO-12, 13 and 14 participated in the study. RESULTS Mid-mission alterations leukocyte distribution occurred, including granulocytosis and elevations in central-memory CD8+ T-cells. General T cell function was reduced during NEEMO missions in roughly 50% of subjects. Secreted cytokines profiles were evaluated following whole blood stimulation with CD3/CD28 (T cells) or LPS (monocytes). T cell production of IFNg, IL-5, IL-10, IL-2, TNFa and IL-6 were all reduced before and during the mission. Conversely, monocyte production of TNFa, IL-10, IL-6, IL-1b and IL-8 were elevated during mission, moreso at the MD-14 timepoint. Antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral capsid antigen and early antigen were increased in approximately 40% of the subjects. Changes in EBV tetramer-positive CD8+ T-cells exhibited a variable pattern. Antibodies against Cytomegalovirus (CMV) were marginally increased during the mission. Herpesvirus reactivation was determined by PCR. EBV viral load was generally elevated at L-6. Higher levels of salivary EBV were found during the NEEMO mission than before and after as well as than the healthy controls. No VZV or CMV was found in any pre, during and after NEEMO mission or control samples. Plasma cortisol was elevated at L-6. CONCLUSION Unfortunately, L-6 may be too near to mission start to be an appropriate baseline measurement. The general immune changes in leukocyte distribution, T cell function, cytokine production, virus specific

Validation of a short-term memory test for the recognition of people and faces.

PubMed

Leyk, D; Sievert, A; Heiss, A; Gorges, W; Ridder, D; Alexander, T; Wunderlich, M; Ruther, T

2008-08-01

Memorising and processing faces is a short-term memory dependent task of utmost importance in the security domain, in which constant and high performance is a must. Especially in access or passport control-related tasks, the timely identification of performance decrements is essential, margins of error are narrow and inadequate performance may have grave consequences. However, conventional short-term memory tests frequently use abstract settings with little relevance to working situations. They may thus be unable to capture task-specific decrements. The aim of the study was to devise and validate a new test, better reflecting job specifics and employing appropriate stimuli. After 1.5 s (short) or 4.5 s (long) presentation, a set of seven portraits of faces had to be memorised for comparison with two control stimuli. Stimulus appearance followed 2 s (first item) and 8 s (second item) after set presentation. Twenty eight subjects (12 male, 16 female) were tested at seven different times of day, 3 h apart. Recognition rates were above 60% even for the least favourable condition. Recognition was significantly better in the 'long' condition (+10%) and for the first item (+18%). Recognition time showed significant differences (10%) between items. Minor effects of learning were found for response latencies only. Based on occupationally relevant metrics, the test displayed internal and external validity, consistency and suitability for further use in test/retest scenarios. In public security, especially where access to restricted areas is monitored, margins of error are narrow and operator performance must remain high and level. Appropriate schedules for personnel, based on valid test results, are required. However, task-specific data and performance tests, permitting the description of task specific decrements, are not available. Commonly used tests may be unsuitable due to undue abstraction and insufficient reference to real-world conditions. Thus, tests are required

Factors responsible for performance on the day-night task: response set or semantics?

PubMed

Simpson, Andrew; Riggs, Kevin J

2005-07-01

In a recent study Diamond, Kirkham and Amso (2002) obtained evidence consistent with the claim that the day-night task requires inhibition because the picture and its corresponding conflicting response are semantically related. In their study children responded more accurately in a dog-pig condition (see /day picture/ say "dog"; see /night picture/ say "pig") than the standard day-night condition (see /day picture/ say "night"; see /night picture/ say "day"). However, there is another effect that may have made the day-night condition harder than the dog-pig condition: the response set effect. In the day-night condition the names of the two stimuli ("day" and "night") and the two corresponding conflicting responses ("night" and "day") are from the same response set: both "day" and "night". In the dog-pig condition the names of the stimuli ("day", "night") and the corresponding responses ("dog", "pig") are from a different response set. In two experiments (Experiment 1 with 4-year-olds (n = 25); Experiment 2 with , 4-, 5-, 7- and 11-year-olds (n = 81)) children were tested on four experimental conditions that enabled the effects of semantics and response set to be separated. Overall, our data suggest that response set is a major factor in creating the inhibitory demands of the day-night task in children of all ages. Results are discussed in relation to other inhibitory tasks.

[Character and speed of recovery of psychophysiological functions after application of various kinds of anesthesia in conditions of a "one-day" stationary].

PubMed

Polinchuk, I S

2009-09-01

The frequency of operative interventions, performed according to the "one-day" stationary technology is raising every day. The patients are choosed in accordance with conventional methods, while somatic state of a patient and the further operation volume playing the leading role. But in 30% of patients in the early postoperative period and in 10.4% in the late postopeartive period the high psychic functions disorders occur, which are called postoperative cognitive dysfunction. The investigation is devoted to studying of character and speed of restoration of psychophysiologic functions after application of various general anaesthesy in conditions of the "one-day" stationary. There was proved, that apart of general anaesthesy scheme applied, in all the patients the cognitive functions defect was noted in postoperative period. These functions are restored most quickly in application of propofol in the scheme and most slower in mononarcosis with ketamin.

RainyDay: An Online, Open-Source Tool for Physically-based Rainfall and Flood Frequency Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, D.; Yu, G.; Holman, K. D.

2017-12-01

Flood frequency analysis in ungaged or changing watersheds typically requires rainfall intensity-duration-frequency (IDF) curves combined with hydrologic models. IDF curves only depict point-scale rainfall depth, while true rainstorms exhibit complex spatial and temporal structures. Floods result from these rainfall structures interacting with watershed features such as land cover, soils, and variable antecedent conditions as well as river channel processes. Thus, IDF curves are traditionally combined with a variety of "design storm" assumptions such as area reduction factors and idealized rainfall space-time distributions to translate rainfall depths into inputs that are suitable for flood hydrologic modeling. The impacts of such assumptions are relatively poorly understood. Meanwhile, modern precipitation estimates from gridded weather radar, grid-interpolated rain gages, satellites, and numerical weather models provide more realistic depictions of rainfall space-time structure. Usage of such datasets for rainfall and flood frequency analysis, however, are hindered by relatively short record lengths. We present RainyDay, an open-source stochastic storm transposition (SST) framework for generating large numbers of realistic rainfall "scenarios." SST "lengthens" the rainfall record by temporal resampling and geospatial transposition of observed storms to extract space-time information from regional gridded rainfall data. Relatively short (10-15 year) records of bias-corrected radar rainfall data are sufficient to estimate rainfall and flood events with much longer recurrence intervals including 100-year and 500-year events. We describe the SST methodology as implemented in RainyDay and compare rainfall IDF results from RainyDay to conventional estimates from NOAA Atlas 14. Then, we demonstrate some of the flood frequency analysis properties that are possible when RainyDay is integrated with a distributed hydrologic model, including robust estimation of flood

Legacy effects of simulated short-term climate change on ammonia oxidisers, denitrifiers, and nitrous oxide emissions in an acid soil.

PubMed

Xu, Xiaoya; Liu, Xiaorui; Li, Yong; Ran, Yu; Liu, Yapeng; Zhang, Qichun; Li, Zheng; He, Yan; Xu, Jianming; Di, Hongjie

2017-04-01

Although the effect of simulated climate change on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and on associated microbial communities has been reported, it is not well understood if these effects are short-lived or long-lasting. Here, we conducted a field study to determine the interactive effects of simulated warmer and drier conditions on nitrifier and denitrifier communities and N 2 O emissions in an acidic soil and the longevity of the effects. A warmer (+2.3 °C) and drier climate (-7.4% soil moisture content) was created with greenhouses. The variation of microbial population abundance and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), bacteria (AOB), and denitrifiers (nirK/S, nosZ) were determined using real-time PCR and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the simulated warmer and drier conditions under the greenhouse following urea application significantly increased N 2 O emissions. There was also a moderate legacy effect on the N 2 O emissions when the greenhouses were removed in the urea treatment, although this effect only lasted a short period of time (about 60 days). The simulated climate change conditions changed the composition of AOA with the species affiliated to marine group 1.1a-associated lineage increasing significantly. The abundance of all the functional denitrifier genes decreased significantly under the simulated climate change conditions and the legacy effect, after the removal of greenhouses, significantly increased the abundance of AOB, AOA (mainly the species affiliated to marine group 1.1a-associated lineage), and nirK and nosZ genes in the urea-treated soil. In general, the effect of the simulated climate change was short-lived, with the denitrifier communities being able to return to ambient levels after a period of adaptation to ambient conditions. Therefore, the legacy effect of simulated short-time climate change conditions on the ammonia oxidizer and denitrifier communities and N 2 O emissions were temporary and

Effects of temporal averaging on short-term irradiance variability under mixed sky conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohmann, Gerald M.; Monahan, Adam H.

2018-05-01

Characterizations of short-term variability in solar radiation are required to successfully integrate large numbers of photovoltaic power systems into the electrical grid. Previous studies have used ground-based irradiance observations with a range of different temporal resolutions and a systematic analysis of the effects of temporal averaging on the representation of variability is lacking. Using high-resolution surface irradiance data with original temporal resolutions between 0.01 and 1 s from six different locations in the Northern Hemisphere, we characterize the changes in representation of temporal variability resulting from time averaging. In this analysis, we condition all data to states of mixed skies, which are the most potentially problematic in terms of local PV power volatility. Statistics of clear-sky index k* and its increments Δk*τ (i.e., normalized surface irradiance and changes therein over specified intervals of time) are considered separately. Our results indicate that a temporal averaging time scale of around 1 s marks a transition in representing single-point irradiance variability, such that longer averages result in substantial underestimates of variability. Higher-resolution data increase the complexity of data management and quality control without appreciably improving the representation of variability. The results do not show any substantial discrepancies between locations or seasons.

Short-Term EEG Spectral Pattern as a Single Event in EEG Phenomenology

PubMed Central

Fingelkurts, Al. A; Fingelkurts, An. A

2010-01-01

Spectral decomposition, to this day, still remains the main analytical paradigm for the analysis of EEG oscillations. However, conventional spectral analysis assesses the mean characteristics of the EEG power spectra averaged out over extended periods of time and/or broad frequency bands, thus resulting in a “static” picture which cannot reflect adequately the underlying neurodynamic. A relatively new promising area in the study of EEG is based on reducing the signal to elementary short-term spectra of various types in accordance with the number of types of EEG stationary segments instead of using averaged power spectrum for the whole EEG. It is suggested that the various perceptual and cognitive operations associated with a mental or behavioural condition constitute a single distinguishable neurophysiological state with a distinct and reliable spectral pattern. In this case, one type of short-term spectral pattern may be considered as a single event in EEG phenomenology. To support this assumption the following issues are considered in detail: (a) the relations between local EEG short-term spectral pattern of particular type and the actual state of the neurons in underlying network and a volume conduction; (b) relationship between morphology of EEG short-term spectral pattern and the state of the underlying neurodynamical system i.e. neuronal assembly; (c) relation of different spectral pattern components to a distinct physiological mechanism; (d) relation of different spectral pattern components to different functional significance; (e) developmental changes of spectral pattern components; (f) heredity of the variance in the individual spectral pattern and its components; (g) intra-individual stability of the sets of EEG short-term spectral patterns and their percent ratio; (h) discrete dynamics of EEG short-term spectral patterns. Functional relevance (consistency) of EEG short-term spectral patterns in accordance with the changes of brain functional state

[Diagnosis and treatment of acute pharyngitis -Is there any benefit on ten-day course of antibiotics?

PubMed

Oliveira Pereira, Catarina; Ramos, Daniela; Mação, Patrícia; Januário, Gustavo; Januário, Luís

2018-06-01

In group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis a ten-day course of amoxicillin is recommended. However, short-course treatments seem to be equally effective. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate and compare the outcome of patients treated with 7-day course and 10-day course of amoxicillin. Retrospective analysis of all GAS pharyngitis admitted to a paediatric emergency department in 2014. Demographic variables, the application and results of the rapid antigenic diagnostic test (RADT), treatment, complications and return in the next 30 days were analysed. Two groups were defined for comparative analysis according to the duration of treatment with amoxicillin: A) short-course (up to 7 days) and B) long-course (10 days). Were included 989 GAS pharyngitis. The median age was 5.2 years, 50.1% male. Amoxicillin was the most prescribed antibiotic (94.9%) with a median duration of 7 days. 10-day course therapy was prescribed in 31.9% of the cases. There were no differences between short and long-course treatment groups regarding age (P=.600), gender (P=.429) and complications (P=.436). Considering the endpoint "return to the emergency department", we concluded that up to 7 days of treatment was non-inferior to 10 days of treatment. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin, but a 10-day course was prescribed in few cases. In our analysis there seems to be no benefit with long-course treatments with amoxicillin in GAS pharyngitis. Copyright © 2017 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

34 CFR 300.11 - Day; business day; school day.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... has the same meaning for all children in school, including children with and without disabilities... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Day; business day; school day. 300.11 Section 300.11... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES General Definitions Used in This Part § 300.11 Day; business day; school day. (a...

34 CFR 300.11 - Day; business day; school day.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... has the same meaning for all children in school, including children with and without disabilities... 34 Education 2 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true Day; business day; school day. 300.11 Section 300.11... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES General Definitions Used in This Part § 300.11 Day; business day; school day. (a...

34 CFR 300.11 - Day; business day; school day.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... has the same meaning for all children in school, including children with and without disabilities... 34 Education 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Day; business day; school day. 300.11 Section 300.11... CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES General Definitions Used in This Part § 300.11 Day; business day; school day. (a...

Effects of Short-Term Hypergravity Exposure are Reversible in Triticum aestivum L. Caryopses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, Jyotsana P.; Jagtap, Sagar S.; Kamble, Shailendra M.; Vidyasagar, Pandit B.

2017-10-01

Short-term hypergravity exposure is shown to retard seed germination, growth and photosynthesis in wheat caryopses. This study investigates the reversibility of effects of short-term hypergravity on imbibed wheat ( Triticum aestivum var L.) caryopses. After hypergravity exposure (500 × g - 2500 × g for 10 min) on a centrifuge, exposed caryopses were kept under normal gravity (1 × g) up to six days and then sown on agar. Results of the present study showed that percentage germination and growth were completely restored for DAY 6 compared to DAY 0. Restoration of germination and growth was accompanied by increased α-amylase activity. The specific activity of antioxidative enzyme viz. catalase and guaiacol peroxidase was lowered on DAY 6 compared to DAY 0 suggesting an alleviation of oxidative cellular damage against hypergravity stress. Chlorophyll pigment recovery along with chlorophyll fluorescence (PI and Fv/Fm) on DAY 6 indicates a transient rather than permanent damage of the photosynthetic apparatus. Thus, our findings demonstrate that short-term hypergravity effects are reversible in wheat caryopses. The metabolic cause of restoration of seed germination and growth upon transferring the caryopses to normal gravity is performed by a reactivation of carbohydrate- metabolizing enzymes, α-amylase and alleviation of oxidative stress damage with subsequent recovery of chlorophyll biosynthesis and photosynthetic activity.

Factors associated with short sleep duration in adolescents

PubMed Central

Felden, Érico Pereira Gomes; Filipin, Douglas; Barbosa, Diego Grasel; Andrade, Rubian Diego; Meyer, Carolina; Louzada, Fernando Mazilli

2016-01-01

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with short sleep duration in adolescents from Maravilha – Santa Catarina (SC), southern Brazil. Methods: The sample consisted of 516 adolescents aged 10–19 years of both genders. Issues associated with short sleep duration and difficulty falling asleep, chronotype, daytime sleepiness, physical activity, sedentary behavior and weight status were investigated. Results: The prevalence of short sleep duration (<8h on school days) was 53.6%. Adolescents aged 17–19 years showed a 2.05-fold (95%CI: 1.20–3.50) greater prevalence of short sleep duration than those aged 10–12 years. The ones studying in morning and evening shifts had a higher prevalence of short sleep duration compared to those in the afternoon shift. Older age and school shift were the main factors associated with short sleep duration. Conclusions: Adolescents from Maravilha showed high prevalence of short sleep duration, and older adolescents that studied in the morning and evening shifts showed reduced sleep. PMID:26559604

Application of subtracted gDNA microarray-assisted Bulked Segregant Analysis for rapid discovery of molecular markers associated with day-neutrality in strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa)

PubMed Central

Gor, Mian Chee; Mantri, Nitin; Pang, Edwin

2016-01-01

A Fragaria Discovery Panel (FDP; strawberry-specific SDA) containing 287 features was constructed by subtracting the pooled gDNA of nine non-angiosperm species from the pooled gDNA of five strawberry genotypes. This FDP was used for Bulk Segregant Analysis (BSA) to enable identification of molecular markers associated with day-neutrality. Analysis of hybridisation patterns of a short day (SD) DNA bulk and three day-neutral (DN) DNA bulks varying in flowering strength allowed identification of a novel feature, FaP2E11, closely linked to CYTOKININ OXIDASE 1 (CKX1) gene possibly involved in promoting flowering under non-inductive condition. The signal intensities of FaP2E11 feature obtained from the strong DN bulk (DN1) is three fold higher than the short day bulk (SD), indicating that the putative marker may linked to a CKX1 variant allele with lower enzyme activity. We propose a model for flowering regulation based on the hypothesis that flowering strength may be regulated by the copy number of FaP2E11-linked CKX1 alleles. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the SDA-based BSA approach for the identification of molecular markers associated with day-neutrality in strawberry. This innovative strategy is an efficient and cost-effective approach for molecular marker discovery. PMID:27586242

Modeling and control parameters for GMAW, short-circuiting transfer

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

Cook, G.E.; DeLapp, D.R.; Barnett, R.J.

1996-12-31

Digital signal processing was used to analyze the electrical arc signals of the gas metal arc welding process with short-circuiting transfer. Among the features extracted were arc voltage and current (both average and peak values), short-circuiting frequency, arc period, shorting period, and the ratio of the arcing to shorting period. Additionally , a Joule heating model was derived which accurately predicted the melt-back distance during each short. The short-circuiting frequency, the ratio of the arc period to short periods, and the melt-back distance were found to be good indicators for monitoring and control of stable arc conditions.

Short-course oral steroids as an adjunct therapy for chronic rhinosinusitis.

PubMed

Head, Karen; Chong, Lee Yee; Hopkins, Claire; Philpott, Carl; Schilder, Anne G M; Burton, Martin J

2016-04-26

This review is one of a suite of six Cochrane reviews looking at the primary medical management options for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.Chronic rhinosinusitis is a common condition involving inflammation of the lining of the nose and paranasal sinuses. It is characterised by nasal blockage and nasal discharge, facial pressure/pain and loss of sense of smell. The condition can occur with or without nasal polyps. Oral corticosteroids are used to control the inflammatory response and improve symptoms. To assess the effects of a short course of oral corticosteroids as an adjunct ('add-on') therapy in people with chronic rhinosinusitis who are already on standard treatments. The Cochrane ENT Information Specialist searched the Cochrane ENT Trials Register; Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2015, Issue 7); MEDLINE; EMBASE; ClinicalTrials.gov; ICTRP and additional sources for published and unpublished trials. The date of the search was 11 August 2015. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing a short course (up to 21 days) of oral corticosteroids to placebo or no treatment, where all patients were also receiving pharmacological treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis. We used the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Our primary outcomes were disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQL), patient-reported disease severity, and the adverse event of mood or behavioural disturbances. Secondary outcomes included general HRQL, endoscopic nasal polyp score, computerised tomography (CT) scan score, and the adverse events of insomnia, gastrointestinal disturbances and osteoporosis. We used GRADE to assess the quality of the evidence for each outcome; this is indicated in italics. Two trials with a total of 78 participants met the inclusion criteria. Both the populations and the 'standard' treatments differed in the two studies. Oral steroids as an adjunct to intranasal corticosteroids One trial in adults with nasal polyps

Effect of 8 days of a hypergravity condition on the sprinting speed and lower-body power of elite rugby players.

PubMed

Barr, Matthew J; Gabbett, Tim J; Newton, Robert U; Sheppard, Jeremy M

2015-03-01

-Sprinting speed and lower-body power are considered to be key physical abilities for rugby players. A method of improving the lower-body power of athletes is simulated hypergravity. This method involves wearing a weighted vest at all times during the day for an extended period of time. There are no studies that have examined the effect of hypergravity on speed or the benefit for rugby players. An experimental group (n = 8) and a control group (n = 7) of national team rugby players took part in the study, which consisted of rugby, conditioning, speed, and strength sessions. The experimental group wore a weighted vest equating to 12% of their body mass for 8 days. All players were tested for speed and lower-body power before, 2 days after, and 9 days after the intervention. Speed testing involved the athletes completing 40-m sprints with timing lights and high-speed video cameras assessing acceleration and maximal velocity sprinting kinematics. Lower-body power was assessed using weighted countermovement jumps (CMJs). No group differences were found for sprinting speed at any point. The experimental group displayed a large decrease in acceleration ground contact time (-0.01 ± 0.005 s, d = 1.07) and a moderate increase in 15-kg CMJ velocity (0.07 ± 0.11 m·s, d = 0.71). Individual responses showed that players in the experimental group had both negative and positive speed and power responses to the training intervention. Simulated hypergravity for 8 days is likely ineffective at improving sprinting speed while undergoing standard rugby training.

How Do Earth-Sized, Short-Period Planets Form?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohler, Susanna

2017-08-01

Matching theory to observation often requires creative detective work. In a new study, scientists have used a clever test to reveal clues about the birth of speedy, Earth-sized planets.Former Hot Jupiters?Artists impression of a hot Jupiter with an evaporating atmosphere. [NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech]Among the many different types of exoplanets weve observed, one unusual category is that of ultra-short-period planets. These roughly Earth-sized planets speed around their host stars at incredible rates, with periods of less than a day.How do planets in this odd category form? One popular theory is that they were previously hot Jupiters, especially massive gas giants orbiting very close to their host stars. The close orbit caused the planets atmospheres to be stripped away, leaving behind only their dense cores.In a new study, a team of astronomers led by Joshua Winn (Princeton University) has found a clever way to test this theory.Planetary radius vs. orbital period for the authors three statistical samples (colored markers) and the broader sample of stars in the California Kepler Survey. [Winn et al. 2017]Testing MetallicitiesStars hosting hot Jupiters have an interesting quirk: they typically have metallicities that are significantly higher than an average planet-hosting star. It is speculated that this is because planets are born from the same materials as their host stars, and hot Jupiters require the presence of more metals to be able to form.Regardless of the cause of this trend, if ultra-short-period planets are in fact the solid cores of former hot Jupiters, then the two categories of planets should have hosts with the same metallicity distributions. The ultra-short-period-planet hosts should therefore also be weighted to higher metallicities than average planet-hosting stars.To test this, the authors make spectroscopic measurements and gather data for a sample of stellar hosts split into three categories:64 ultra-short-period planets (orbital period shorter than a

Is the weekend effect really ubiquitous? A retrospective clinical cohort analyses of 30-day mortality by day of week and time of day using linked population data from New South Wales, Australia.

PubMed

Baldwin, Heather J; Marashi-Pour, Sadaf; Chen, Huei-Yang; Kaldor, Jill; Sutherland, Kim; Levesque, Jean-Frederic

2018-04-12

To examine the associations between day of week and time of admission and 30-day mortality for six clinical conditions: ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure. Retrospective population-based cohort analyses. Hospitalisation records were linked to emergency department and deaths data. Random-effect logistic regression models were used, adjusting for casemix and taking into account clustering within hospitals. All hospitals in New South Wales, Australia, from July 2009 to June 2012. Patients admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis for one of the six clinical conditions examined. Adjusted ORs for all-cause mortality within 30 days of admission, by day of week and time of day. A total of 148 722 patients were included in the study, with 17 721 deaths within 30 days of admission. Day of week of admission was not associated with significantly higher likelihood of death for five of the six conditions after adjusting for casemix. There was significant variation in mortality for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by day of week; however, this was not consistent with a strict weekend effect (Thursday: OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.12 to 1.48; Friday: OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.44; Saturday: OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.37; Sunday OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.22; compared with Monday). There was evidence for a night effect for patients admitted for stroke (ischaemic: OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.45; haemorrhagic: OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.40 to 1.78). Mortality outcomes for these conditions, adjusted for casemix, do not vary in accordance with the weekend effect hypothesis. Our findings support a growing body of evidence that questions the ubiquity of the weekend effect. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Toll-like receptor 3 pre-conditioning increases the therapeutic efficacy of umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis model.

PubMed

Fuenzalida, Patricia; Kurte, Mónica; Fernández-O'ryan, Catalina; Ibañez, Cristina; Gauthier-Abeliuk, Melanie; Vega-Letter, Ana María; Gonzalez, Paz; Irarrázabal, Carlos; Quezada, Nataly; Figueroa, Fernando; Carrión, Flavio

2016-05-01

Immunomodulatory properties of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UCMSCs) can be differentially modulated by toll-like receptors (TLR) agonists. Here, the therapeutic efficacy of short TLR3 and TLR4 pre-conditioning of UCMSCs was evaluated in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice. The novelty of this study is that although modulation of human MSCs activity by TLRs is not a new concept, this is the first time that short TLR pre-conditioning has been carried out in a murine inflammatory model of acute colitis. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water ad libitum for 7 days. At days 1 and 3, mice were injected intraperitoneally with 1 × 10(6) UCMSCs untreated or TLR3 and TLR4 pre-conditioned UCMSCs. UCMSCs were pre-conditioned with poly(I:C) for TLR3 and LPS for TLR4 for 1 h at 37°C and 5% CO2. We evaluated clinical signs of disease and body weights daily. At the end of the experiment, colon length and histological changes were assessed. poly(I:C) pre-conditioned UCMSCs significantly ameliorated the clinical and histopathological severity of DSS-induced colitis compared with UCMSCs or LPS pre-conditioned UCMSCs. In contrast, infusion of LPS pre-conditioned UCMSCs significantly increased clinical signs of disease, colon shortening and histological disease index in DSS-induced colitis. These results show that short in vitro TLR3 pre-conditioning with poly(I:C) enhances the therapeutic efficacy of UCMSCs, which is a major breakthrough for developing improved treatments to patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimization of conditions for transient Agrobacterium-mediated gene expression assays in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Kim, Mi Jung; Baek, Kon; Park, Chung-Mo

2009-08-01

Transient genetic transformation of plant organs is an indispensable way of studying gene function in plants. This study was aimed to develop an optimized system for transient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the Arabidopsis leaves. The beta-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene was employed to evaluate growth and biochemical parameters that influence the levels of transient expression. The effects of plant culture conditions, Agrobacterial genetic backgrounds, densities of Agrobacterial cell suspensions, and of several detergents were analyzed. We found that optimization of plant culture conditions is the most critical factor among the parameters analyzed. Higher levels of transient expression were observed in plants grown under short day conditions (SDs) than in plants grown under long day conditions (LDs). Furthermore, incubation of the plants under SDs at high relative humidity (85-90%) for 24 h after infiltration greatly improved the levels of transient expression. Under the optimized culture conditions, expression of the reporter gene reached the peak 3 days after infiltration and was rapidly decreased after the peak. Among the five Agrobacterial strains examined, LAB4404 produced the highest levels of expression. We also examined the effects of detergents, including Triton X-100, Tween-20, and Silwet L-77. Supplementation of the infiltration media either with 0.01% Triton X-100 or 0.01% Tween-20 improved the levels of expression by approximately 1.6-fold. Our observations indicate that transient transformation of the Arabidopsis leaves in the infiltration media supplemented with 0.01% Triton X-100 and incubation of the infiltrated plants under SDs at high relative humidity are necessary for maximal levels of expression.

UV hazard on a summer's day under Mediterranean conditions, and the protective role of a beach umbrella

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grifoni, D.; Carreras, G.; Sabatini, F.; Zipoli, G.

2005-11-01

Mediterranean beaches are very crowded during summer and, because of the high values of solar UV radiation, the potential risk for human health is relevant. In this study, all-day measurements of biologically effective global and diffuse UV radiation for skin (UVBEeryt) and eye (UVBEpker, UVBEpconj, UVBEcat) disorders were carried out on differently tilted surfaces on a summer’s day on a Mediterranean beach. The role played by beach umbrellas in protection from excessive sun exposure was also investigated. Erythema, photokeratitis and cataract seem to require almost the same exposure time to reach the risk threshold dose. Under full sunlight, the highest global and diffuse UV values are reached on surfaces normally oriented towards sunlight and on horizontal surfaces, respectively. Over vertical surfaces, at this northern hemisphere site, global and diffuse UV radiation reaches maxima values in the south-facing direction around noon, while maxima values are reached early in the morning and late in the afternoon over surfaces facing east and west, respectively. The quality of the beach umbrella’s protection (efficiency in blocking solar UV radiation) varies with surface orientation; the highest efficiency for our specific site and geometrical conditions occurs over horizontal surfaces, with efficiency being least over vertical surfaces when incident radiation values are still relevant.

Refeeding syndrome, an undiagnosed and forgotten potentially fatal condition

PubMed Central

Machado, Juliana Deh Carvalho; Suen, Vivian Marques Miguel; Chueire, Fernando Bahdur; Marchini, Julio Flávio Meirelles; Marchini, Julio Sérgio

2009-01-01

Refeeding syndrome (RFS) has been well described but is also a frequently forgotten and undiagnosed complication in clinical practice, which, if untreated, may lead to death. Patients who are more prone to developing RFS are those with at least one of the following conditions: BMI <16 kg/m2, a recent unintentional weight loss >15%, very little nutritional intake for >10 days, and/or low plasma concentrations of potassium, phosphate or magnesium before feeding; and those with at least two of the following conditions: BMI <18.5 kg/m2, a recent weight loss >10%, very little nutritional intake for >5 day, and/or a history of alcohol abuse or drug use, including insulin, chemotherapy or diuretics. We report here a patient who, after undergoing intestinal resection (short gut syndrome), presented diarrhoea, weight loss and protein–energy malnutrition. After nutritional assessment, the nutritional support team decided to feed the patient by the parenteral route. After 16 h of parenteral nutrition, the patient developed supraventricular tachycardia, hypomagnesaemia and hypocalcaemia, and RFS was diagnosed and managed. After intestinal adaptation, the patient is currently able to maintain his nutritional status with nutrition therapy by the oral route. PMID:21686764

Pregnancy shortly after an acute episode of severe acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

PubMed

Panaitescu, Anca M; Stoia, Razvan; Ciobanu, Anca M; Demetrian, Mihaela; Peltecu, Gheorghe

2016-12-01

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but potentially fatal condition. In women with a previous history of TTP there is increased risk of recurrence during pregnancy and the puerperium. There is some evidence that the risk of relapse during pregnancy is increased if the interval between the event and conception is short. We present a case in which pregnancy was achieved a few days after full recovery from an acute episode of severe acquired TTP (ADAMTS13 activity <0.1%) which was successfully treated with four courses of plasma exchange. There was no relapse of TTP during pregnancy and a healthy baby was delivered at term; the puerperium was uneventful. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

GnRH mRNA levels in male three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, under different reproductive conditions.

PubMed

Shao, Yi Ta; Tseng, Yung Che; Chang, Chia-Hao; Yan, Hong Young; Hwang, Pung Pung; Borg, Bertil

2015-02-01

In vertebrates, reproduction is regulated by the brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis, where the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is one of the key components. However, very little is known about the possible role of GnRH in the environmental and feedback control of fish reproduction. To investigate this, full-length gnrh2 (chicken GnRH II) and gnrh3 (salmon GnRH) sequences of male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), which are clustered with the taxa of the same GnRH type as other Euteleostei, were cloned and annotated. gnrh1 is absent in this species. The mRNA levels of gnrh2 and gnrh3 in the sticklebacks' brain were measured under breeding and post-breeding conditions as well as in castrated and sham-operated breeding fish and castrated/sham-operated fish kept under long-day (LD 16:8) and short-day (LD 8:16) conditions. Fully breeding males had considerably higher mRNA levels of gnrh2 and gnrh3 in the thalamus (Th) and in the telencephalon and preoptic area (T+POA), respectively, than post-breeding males. Sham-operated breeding males have higher gnrh3 mRNA levels than the corresponding castrated males. Moreover, higher gnrh2 mRNA levels in the Th and higher gnrh3 mRNA levels in the T+POA and hypothalamus (HypTh) were also found in long-day sham-operated males than in sham-operated fish kept under an inhibitory short day photoperiod. Nevertheless, gnrh2 and gnrh3 mRNA levels were not up-regulated in castrated males kept under long-day photoperiod, which suggests that positive feedbacks on the brain-pituitary-gonad axis are necessary for this response. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feasibility study of superconducting power cables for DC electric railway feeding systems in view of thermal condition at short circuit accident

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Daisuke; Ohsaki, Hiroyuki; Tomita, Masaru

2016-12-01

A superconducting power cable has merits of a high power transmission capacity, transmission losses reduction, a compactness, etc., therefore, we have been studying the feasibility of applying superconducting power cables to DC electric railway feeding systems. However, a superconducting power cable is required to be cooled down and kept at a very low temperature, so it is important to reveal its thermal and cooling characteristics. In this study, electric circuit analysis models of the system and thermal analysis models of superconducting cables were constructed and the system behaviors were simulated. We analyzed the heat generation by a short circuit accident and transient temperature distribution of the cable to estimate the value of temperature rise and the time required from the accident. From these results, we discussed a feasibility of superconducting cables for DC electric railway feeding systems. The results showed that the short circuit accident had little impact on the thermal condition of a superconducting cable in the installed system.

The impact of short night-time naps on performance, sleepiness and mood during a simulated night shift.

PubMed

Centofanti, Stephanie A; Hilditch, Cassie J; Dorrian, Jillian; Banks, Siobhan

2016-01-01

Short naps on night shift are recommended in some industries. There is a paucity of evidence to verify the sustained recovery benefits of short naps in the last few hours of the night shift. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the sustained recovery benefits of 30 and 10-min nap opportunities during a simulated night shift. Thirty-one healthy participants (18F, 21-35 y) completed a 3-day, between-groups laboratory study with one baseline night (22:00-07:00 h time in bed), followed by one night awake (time awake from 07:00 h on day two through 10:00 h day three) with random allocation to: a 10-min nap opportunity ending at 04:00 h, a 30-min nap opportunity ending at 04:00 h or no nap (control). A neurobehavioral test bout was administered approximately every 2 h during wake periods. There were no significant differences between nap conditions for post-nap psychomotor vigilance performance after controlling for pre-nap scores (p > 0.05). The 30-min nap significantly improved subjective sleepiness compared to the 10-min nap and no-nap control (p < 0.05). The 10-min nap significantly worsened negative mood compared to the 30-min nap and no-nap control (p < 0.01). Contrary to some evidence suggesting "power naps" can help to alleviate performance decrements, a 30-min nap opportunity at approximately 04:00 h was found to improve subjective, but not objective sleepiness. A 10-min nap may lead to increased negative mood in the hours following the nap due to a "short nap aversion" effect.

Bone Resorption Increases as Early as the Second Day in Head- Down Bed Rest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heer, M.; Kamps, N.; Mika, C.; Boese, A.; Gerzer, R.

Long-term bed rest and space mission studies have shown that immobilization as well as microgravity induce increased bone resorption while bone formation tends to decrease. In order to analyze the kinetics of short-term changes in bone turnover we studied in a randomized, strictly controlled crossover design the effects of 6 days 6° head-down tilt bed rest (HDT) in 8 male healthy subjects (mean body weight (BW): 70.1 +/- 1.88 kg; mean age: 25.5 +/- 1.04 years) in our metabolic ward. Two days before arriving in the metabolic ward the subjects started with a diet consisting of an energy content of 10 MJ/d, 2000 mg Calcium/d, 400 i.U. Vitamin D, 200 mEq Na+ and 50 ml water/kg BW/d. The diet was continued in the metabolic ward. The metabolic ward period (11days) was divided into 3 parts: 4 ambulatory days, 6 days either HDT or control and 1 recovery day. Continuous urine collection started on the first day in the metabolic ward to analyze calcium excretion and bone resorption markers, namely C-telopeptide (CTX) and N-telopeptide (NTX). On the 2nd ambulatory day in the metabolic ward and on the 5th day in HDT or control blood was drawn to analyze serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, and bone formation markers (bone Alkaline Phosphatase (bAP), Procollagen-I-Propeptide (P-I-CP). Both study phases were identical with respect to environmental conditions, study protocol and diet. Urinary calcium excretion was as early as the first day in immobilization increased (p<0.01). CTX- and NTX-excretion stayed unchanged the first 24 hours in HDT compared to the control. But, already on the 2nd day of immobilization both bone resorption markers significantly increased. NTX-excretion was increased by 28.7 +/- 14.0% (p<0.05), while CTX-excretion rose by 17.8 +/- 8.3% (p<0.01). Both, the CTX- excretion as well as the calcium excretion keep the significantly higher level during the HDT period, and even continued through the first day of recovery. However, NTX excretion, descended from day

MK-801 and memantine act differently on short-term memory tested with different time-intervals in the Morris water maze test.

PubMed

Duda, Weronika; Wesierska, Malgorzata; Ostaszewski, Pawel; Vales, Karel; Nekovarova, Tereza; Stuchlik, Ales

2016-09-15

N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) play a crucial role in spatial memory formation. In neuropharmacological studies their functioning strongly depends on testing conditions and the dosage of NMDAR antagonists. The aim of this study was to assess the immediate effects of NMDAR block by (+)MK-801 or memantine on short-term allothetic memory. Memory was tested in a working memory version of the Morris water maze test. In our version of the test, rats underwent one day of training with 8 trials, and then three experimental days when rats were injected intraperitoneally with low- 5 (MeL), high - 20 (MeH) mg/kg memantine, 0.1mg/kg MK-801 or 1ml/kg saline (SAL) 30min before testing, for three consecutive days. On each experimental day there was just one acquisition and one test trial, with an inter-trial interval of 5 or 15min. During training the hidden platform was relocated after each trial and during the experiment after each day. The follow-up effect was assessed on day 9. Intact rats improved their spatial memory across the one training day. With a 5min interval MeH rats had longer latency then all rats during retrieval. With a 15min interval the MeH rats presented worse working memory measured as retrieval minus acquisition trial for path than SAL and MeL and for latency than MeL rats. MK-801 rats had longer latency than SAL during retrieval. Thus, the high dose of memantine, contrary to low dose of MK-801 disrupts short-term memory independent on the time interval between acquisition and retrieval. This shows that short-term memory tested in a working memory version of water maze is sensitive to several parameters: i.e., NMDA receptor antagonist type, dosage and the time interval between learning and testing. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

How Day School Teachers Perceive Their Working Conditions: A National Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamir, Eran; Pearlmutter, Nili; Feiman-Nemser, Sharon

2017-01-01

Induction and mentoring are widely considered in the United States and in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries as a basic universal and critical intervention for a successful launch of new teachers. Based on an expanded set of survey data, this article focuses on how Jewish day schools offer professional…

Short-term effects of tidal flooding on soil nitrogen mineralization in a Chinese tidal salt marsh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Haifeng; Bai, Junhong; Deng, Xiaoya; Lu, Qiongqiong; Ye, Xiaofei

2018-02-01

Tidal flooding is an important control of nitrogen biogeochemistry in wetland ecosystems of Yellow River Delta, China. Variations in hydrology could change soil redox dynamics and conditions for microorganisms living. A tidal simulation experiment was designed to extract tidal flooding effect on nitrogen mineralization of salt marsh soil. Inorganic nitrogen and relevant enzyme were measured during the 20-day incubation period. Considering the variation of both inorganic N and enzymes, nitrogen mineralization process in tidal salt marsh could be divided into 2 phases of short term response and longtime adaption by around 12th incubation day as the inflection point. Soil ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) and volatilized ammonia (NH3) occupied the mineralization process since nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) was not detected over whole incubation period. NH4+-N varied fluctuant and increased significantly after 12 day's incubation. Released NH3 reached to peak value of 14.24 mg m-2 d-1 at the inflection point and declined thereafter. Inorganic nitrogen released according to net nitrogen mineralization rate (RM) under the tidal flooding condition without plant uptake except first 2 days. However, during the transitional period of 6-12 days, RM decreased notably to almost 0 and increased again after inflection point with the value of 0.182 mg kg-1 d-1. It might be due to the change of microbial composition and function when soil shifted from oxic to anoxic, which were reflected by arylamidase, urease and fluorescein diacetate. Fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis and arylamidase had the similar variation of U style with decreasing activities before 12 days' incubation. All the enzymes measured in this experiment increased after inflection point. Whereas, urease activity kept constant from 2 to 12 days. Alternant oxidation reduction condition would increase N loss through denitrification and ammonia volatilization during the transitional period, while more inorganic nitrogen would be

Health Effects of Short-Term Fluctuations in Macroeconomic Conditions: The Case of Hypertension for Older Americans.

PubMed

Angrisani, Marco; Lee, Jinkook

2016-11-01

We investigate the health effects of short-term macroeconomic fluctuations as described by changes in unemployment rate, house, and stock market price indexes. The 'Great Recession' provides the opportunity to conduct this analysis as it involved contemporaneous shocks to the labor, housing, and stock markets. Using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study over the period 2004-2010, we relate changes in hypertension status to changes in state-level unemployment rate and house prices and to changes in stock market prices. We consider hypertension, a disease related to stress and of high prevalence among older adults, that has received little attention in the literature linking macroeconomic conditions to individual health. Our analysis exploits self-reports of hypertension diagnosis as well as directly measured blood pressure readings. Using both measures, we find that the likelihood of developing hypertension is negatively related to changes in house prices. Also, decreasing house prices lower the probability of stopping hypertension medication treatment for individuals previously diagnosed with the condition. We do not observe significant associations between hypertension and either changes in unemployment rate or stock market prices. We document heterogeneity in the estimated health effects of the recession by gender, education, asset ownership, and work status. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Supplemental intermittent-day heat training and the lactate threshold.

PubMed

Gollan, Stuart; Chalmers, Samuel; Alderton, Stephen; Norton, Kevin

2017-04-01

Heat acclimation over consecutive days has been shown to improve aerobic-based performance. Recently, it has been suggested that heat training can improve performance in a temperate environment. However, due to the multifactorial training demands of athletes, consecutive-day heat training may not be suitable. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of brief (8×30min) intermittent (every 3-4 days) supplemental heat training on the second lactate threshold point (LT 2 ) in temperate and hot conditions. 21 participants undertook eight intermittent-day mixed-intensity treadmill exercise training sessions in hot (30°C; 50% relative humidity [RH]) or temperate (18°C; 30% RH) conditions. A pre- and post-incremental exercise test occurred in temperate (18°C; 30% RH) and hot conditions (30°C; 50% RH) to determine the change in LT 2 . The heat training protocol did not improve LT 2 in temperate (Effect Size [ES]±90 confidence interval=0.10±0.16) or hot (ES=0.26±0.26) conditions. The primary finding was that although the intervention group had a change greater than the SWC, no statistically significant improvements were observed following an intermittent eight day supplemental heat training protocol comparable to a control group training only in temperate conditions. This is likely due to the brief length of each heat training session and/or the long duration between each heat exposure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A validation of the application of D2O stable isotope tracer techniques for monitoring day-to-day changes in muscle protein subfraction synthesis in humans

PubMed Central

Wilkinson, Daniel J.; Franchi, Martino V.; Brook, Matthew S.; Narici, Marco V.; Williams, John P.; Mitchell, William K.; Szewczyk, Nathaniel J.; Greenhaff, Paul L.; Atherton, Philip J.

2013-01-01

Quantification of muscle protein synthesis (MPS) remains a cornerstone for understanding the control of muscle mass. Traditional [13C]amino acid tracer methodologies necessitate sustained bed rest and intravenous cannulation(s), restricting studies to ∼12 h, and thus cannot holistically inform on diurnal MPS. This limits insight into the regulation of habitual muscle metabolism in health, aging, and disease while querying the utility of tracer techniques to predict the long-term efficacy of anabolic/anticatabolic interventions. We tested the efficacy of the D2O tracer for quantifying MPS over a period not feasible with 13C tracers and too short to quantify changes in mass. Eight men (22 ± 3.5 yr) undertook one-legged resistance exercise over an 8-day period (4 × 8–10 repetitions, 80% 1RM every 2nd day, to yield “nonexercised” vs. “exercise” leg comparisons), with vastus lateralis biopsies taken bilaterally at 0, 2, 4, and 8 days. After day 0 biopsies, participants consumed a D2O bolus (150 ml, 70 atom%); saliva was collected daily. Fractional synthetic rates (FSRs) of myofibrillar (MyoPS), sarcoplasmic (SPS), and collagen (CPS) protein fractions were measured by GC-pyrolysis-IRMS and TC/EA-IRMS. Body water initially enriched at 0.16–0.24 APE decayed at ∼0.009%/day. In the nonexercised leg, MyoPS was 1.45 ± 0.10, 1.47 ± 0.06, and 1.35 ± 0.07%/day at 0–2, 0–4, and 0–8 days, respectively (∼0.05–0.06%/h). MyoPS was greater in the exercised leg (0–2 days: 1.97 ± 0.13%/day; 0–4 days: 1.96 ± 0.15%/day, P < 0.01; 0–8 days: 1.79 ± 0.12%/day, P < 0.05). CPS was slower than MyoPS but followed a similar pattern, with the exercised leg tending to yield greater FSRs (0–2 days: 1.14 ± 0.13 vs. 1.45 ± 0.15%/day; 0–4 days: 1.13 ± 0.07%/day vs. 1.47 ± 0.18%/day; 0–8 days: 1.03 ± 0.09%/day vs. 1.40 ± 0.11%/day). SPS remained unchanged. Therefore, D2O has unrivaled utility to quantify day-to-day MPS in humans and inform on short

Short-term risk of hospitalization for asthma or bronchiolitis in children living near an aluminum smelter.

PubMed

Lewin, Antoine; Buteau, Stéphane; Brand, Allan; Kosatsky, Tom; Smargiassi, Audrey

2013-01-01

Few studies have measured the effect of short-term exposure to industrial emissions on the respiratory health of children. Here we estimate the risk of hospitalization for asthma and bronchiolitis in young children associated with their recent exposure to emissions from an aluminum smelter. We used a case-crossover design to assess the risk of hospitalization, February 1999-December 2008, in relation to short-term variation in levels of exposure among children 0-4 years old living less than 7.5 km from the smelter. The percentage of hours per day that the residence of a hospitalized child was in the shadow of winds crossing the smelter was used to estimate the effect of wind-borne emissions on case and crossover days. Community-wide pollutant exposure was estimated through daily mean and daily maximum SO2 and PM2.5 concentrations measured at a fixed monitoring site near the smelter. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using conditional logistic regressions. The risk of same-day hospitalization for asthma or bronchiolitis increased with the percentage of hours in a day that a child's residence was downwind of the smelter. For children aged 2-4 years, the OR was 1.27 (95% CI=1.03-1.56; n=103 hospitalizations), for an interquartile range (IQR) of 21% of hours being downwind. In this age group, the OR with PM2.5 daily mean levels was slightly smaller than with the hours downwind (OR: 1.22 for an IQR of 15.7 μg/m(3), 95% CI=1.03-1.44; n=94 hospitalizations). Trends were observed between hospitalizations and levels of SO2 for children 2-4 years old. Increasing short-term exposure to emissions from a Quebec aluminum smelter was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for asthma and bronchiolitis in young children who live nearby. Estimating exposure through records of wind direction allows for the integration of exposure to all pollutants carried from the smelter stack.

Short-term risk of hospitalization for asthma or bronchiolitis in children living near an aluminum smelter

PubMed Central

Lewin, Antoine; Buteau, Stéphane; Brand, Allan; Kosatsky, Tom; Smargiassi, Audrey

2013-01-01

Few studies have measured the effect of short-term exposure to industrial emissions on the respiratory health of children. Here we estimate the risk of hospitalization for asthma and bronchiolitis in young children associated with their recent exposure to emissions from an aluminum smelter. We used a case–crossover design to assess the risk of hospitalization, February 1999–December 2008, in relation to short-term variation in levels of exposure among children 0–4 years old living less than 7.5 km from the smelter. The percentage of hours per day that the residence of a hospitalized child was in the shadow of winds crossing the smelter was used to estimate the effect of wind-borne emissions on case and crossover days. Community-wide pollutant exposure was estimated through daily mean and daily maximum SO2 and PM2.5 concentrations measured at a fixed monitoring site near the smelter. Odds ratios (OR) were estimated using conditional logistic regressions. The risk of same-day hospitalization for asthma or bronchiolitis increased with the percentage of hours in a day that a child's residence was downwind of the smelter. For children aged 2–4 years, the OR was 1.27 (95% CI=1.03–1.56; n=103 hospitalizations), for an interquartile range (IQR) of 21% of hours being downwind. In this age group, the OR with PM2.5 daily mean levels was slightly smaller than with the hours downwind (OR: 1.22 for an IQR of 15.7 μg/m3, 95% CI=1.03–1.44; n=94 hospitalizations). Trends were observed between hospitalizations and levels of SO2 for children 2–4 years old. Increasing short-term exposure to emissions from a Quebec aluminum smelter was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for asthma and bronchiolitis in young children who live nearby. Estimating exposure through records of wind direction allows for the integration of exposure to all pollutants carried from the smelter stack. PMID:23695491

Day-to-Day Variability in Self-Reported Cigarettes Per Day.

PubMed

Hughes, John R; Shiffman, Saul; Naud, Shelly; Peters, Erica N

2017-09-01

Nicotine addiction theory predicts small day-to-day variability in cigarettes/day (CPD) whereas social learning theory predicts large variability. A description of the variability in CPD over multiple days is not available. We conducted secondary analyses of two natural history studies with daily smokers-one of smokers not intending to quit, and one of smokers intending to quit sometime in the next 3 months. In the former, smokers recorded their smoking during the day by Ecological Momentary Assessment, using a palm-top computer. In the latter, participants reported CPD nightly via a phone Interactive Voice Response system. Analyses were based on smokers who reported averaging ≥10 CPD, and on days in which there was no attempt to stop or reduce smoking. Across the two studies, on average, smokers had small changes in day-to-day CPD (mean changes were 2.2 and 2.9 CPD). However a minority averaged changing by ≥5 CPD from one day to the next (7% and 11%), and many changed by ≥5 CPD on at least 10 of the 90 days (8% and 31%). Neither smoking restrictions, dependence, stereotypy ratings, nor interest in quitting predicted variability. Although on average, smokers have little change day-to-day CPD, a substantial minority of smokers often change by 5 CPD from day-to-day. We did not find potential causes of this variability. Across day variability in CPD is larger than implied in prior studies. Determining causes of day-to-day variability should increase our understanding of the determinants of smoking. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Short arc orbit determination and Gaia alerts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spoto, Federica; Tanga, Paolo; Del Vigna, Alessio; Carry, Benoit; Thuillot, William; David, Pedro; Mignard, Francois; Milani, Andrea; Tommei, Giacomo

2017-10-01

Since October 2016, the short term (ST) processing of Solar System Objects (SSOs) by Gaia is up and running, and it has produced almost 600 alerts. A crucial point in the chain is the possibility of performing a short arc orbit determination as soon as the object has been detected, which allows the follow up of the object from the ground.The method we present has been recentely developed for two mainreasons: 1) search for imminent impactors within the NEO - Confirmation Page(imminent impactors are asteroids that could impact the Earth infew days from their discovery) 2) validation of the SSO-ST Gaia pipeline.We show some good confirmations on objects that could have been discovered by Gaia, and some properties of the Gaia astrometry for the short term.

Child-to-teacher ratio and day care teacher sickness absenteeism.

PubMed

Gørtz, Mette; Andersson, Elvira

2014-12-01

The literature on occupational health points to work pressure as a trigger of sickness absence. However, reliable, objective measures of work pressure are in short supply. This paper uses Danish day care teachers as an ideal case for analysing whether work pressure measured by the child-to-teacher ratio, that is, the number of children per teacher in an institution, affects teacher sickness absenteeism. We control for individual teacher characteristics, workplace characteristics, and family background characteristics of the children in the day care institutions. We perform estimations for two time periods, 2002-2003 and 2005-2006, by using generalized method of moments with lagged levels of the child-to-teacher ratio as instrument. Our estimation results are somewhat mixed. Generally, the results indicate that the child-to-teacher ratio is positively related to short-term sickness absence for nursery care teachers, but not for preschool teachers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Potential revenues from a new day-use fee

Treesearch

Stephen D. Reiling; Hsiang-tai Cheng

1995-01-01

The Corps of Engineers will be implementing a new user fee at day-use areas during the next two years. This paper presents the procedures used to estimate the revenue that the new fee would generate at six Corps projects located across the U.S. The results suggest that revenues will fall well short of the naive projection calculated on the assumption that the new fee...

Two girls with short stature, short neck, vertebral anomalies, Sprengel deformity and intellectual disability.

PubMed

Isidor, Bertrand; David, Albert

2015-01-01

Here, we report two unrelated girls with prenatal onset short stature, short neck, cervical vertebral anomalies, Sprengel deformity, and mild intellectual disability. The association of these features first suggested a syndromic form of Klippel-Feil anomaly. We therefore analyzed the three known disease causing genes and the candidate gene PAX1. However, direct sequencing of GDF6, GDF3, PAX1, and MEOX1 failed to identify any mutation. To our knowledge, the phenotype we report has not been described previously, leading us to speculate that this condition may represent a new syndrome. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction for the rapid screening of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in water.

PubMed

Chang, Chia-Yu; Chung, Wu-Hsun; Ding, Wang-Hsien

2016-01-01

The rapid screening of trace levels of short-chain chlorinated paraffins in various aqueous samples was performed by a simple and reliable procedure based on vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction combined with gas chromatography and electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry. The optimal vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction conditions for 20 mL water sample were as follows: extractant 400 μL of dichloromethane; vortex extraction time of 1 min at 2500 × g; centrifugation of 3 min at 5000 × g; and no ionic strength adjustment. Under the optimum conditions, the limit of quantitation was 0.05 μg/L. Precision, as indicated by relative standard deviations, was less than 9% for both intra- and inter-day analysis. Accuracy, expressed as the mean extraction recovery, was above 91%. The vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction with gas chromatography and electron capture negative ionization mass spectrometry method was successfully applied to quantitatively extract short-chain chlorinated paraffins from samples of river water and the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant, and the concentrations ranged from 0.8 to 1.6 μg/L. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

48 CFR 1852.223-72 - Safety and Health (Short Form).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Safety and Health (Short... and Clauses 1852.223-72 Safety and Health (Short Form). As prescribed in 1823.7001(e), insert the following clause: Safety and Health (Short Form) (APR 2002) (a) Safety is the freedom from those conditions...

48 CFR 1852.223-72 - Safety and Health (Short Form).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Safety and Health (Short... and Clauses 1852.223-72 Safety and Health (Short Form). As prescribed in 1823.7001(e), insert the following clause: Safety and Health (Short Form) (APR 2002) (a) Safety is the freedom from those conditions...

48 CFR 1852.223-72 - Safety and Health (Short Form).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Safety and Health (Short... and Clauses 1852.223-72 Safety and Health (Short Form). As prescribed in 1823.7001(e), insert the following clause: Safety and Health (Short Form) (APR 2002) (a) Safety is the freedom from those conditions...

48 CFR 1852.223-72 - Safety and Health (Short Form).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Safety and Health (Short... and Clauses 1852.223-72 Safety and Health (Short Form). As prescribed in 1823.7001(e), insert the following clause: Safety and Health (Short Form) (APR 2002) (a) Safety is the freedom from those conditions...

48 CFR 1852.223-72 - Safety and Health (Short Form).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Safety and Health (Short... and Clauses 1852.223-72 Safety and Health (Short Form). As prescribed in 1823.7001(e), insert the following clause: Safety and Health (Short Form) (APR 2002) (a) Safety is the freedom from those conditions...

Very-long-term and short-term chromatic adaptation: are their influences cumulative?

PubMed

Belmore, Suzanne C; Shevell, Steven K

2011-02-09

Very-long-term (VLT) chromatic adaptation results from exposure to an altered chromatic environment for days or weeks. Color shifts from VLT adaptation are observed hours or days after leaving the altered environment. Short-term chromatic adaptation, on the other hand, results from exposure for a few minutes or less, with color shifts measured within seconds or a few minutes after the adapting light is extinguished; recovery to the pre-adapted state is complete in less than an hour. Here, both types of adaptation were combined. All adaptation was to reddish-appearing long-wavelength light. Shifts in unique yellow were measured following adaptation. Previous studies demonstrate shifts in unique yellow due to VLT chromatic adaptation, but shifts from short-term chromatic adaptation to comparable adapting light can be far greater than from VLT adaptation. The question considered here is whether the color shifts from VLT adaptation are cumulative with large shifts from short-term adaptation or, alternatively, does simultaneous short-term adaptation eliminate color shifts caused by VLT adaptation. The results show the color shifts from VLT and short-term adaptation together are cumulative, which indicates that both short-term and very-long-term chromatic adaptation affect color perception during natural viewing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Short-Duration Spaceflight Does Not Prolong QTc Intervals in Male Astronauts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, Brett M.; Meck, Janice V.

2004-01-01

Although ventricular dysrhythmias are not increased during, and QTc intervals are not prolonged after, short-duration (5 to 16 days) spaceflights, QTc intervals have not previously been reported during these shorter flights. Holter monitor recordings, obtained in 11 male astronauts who flew on shuttle missions ranging from 5 to 10 days, showed that QTc intervals did not change significantly 10 days before launch, on 2 separate days of spaceflight, and 2 days after landing. Taken together, these data and our previous report show that QTc interval prolongation occurs sometime between the 9th and 30th days of spaceflight.

Hair breakage during combing. III. The effects of bleaching and conditioning on short and long segment breakage by wet and dry combing of tresses.

PubMed

Robbins, Clarence; Kamath, Yash

2007-01-01

A recent publication (1), provided evidence for two types of hair breakage during combing, short segment breakage (approximately less than 1.27 cm) and longer segment breakage. We have confirmed these results and refined the separation distance between short and long segment breakage at about 2.54 cm. Furthermore, chemical bleaching increased both short and long segment breakage while a commercial hair conditioner decreased both types of breakage. Whether the hair is chemically bleached or conditioned, for dry combing, short segment breakage increases with increasing comb strokes, that is, short segment breakage increases as combing damages the ends of the hair, however, long segment breakage does not increase with increasing comb strokes. Wet combing provided a decrease in short segment breakage and an increase in long segment breaks, but no increase in breakage with increasing comb strokes. Mechanical combing of tresses shows similar results qualitatively, however the variance was too large and adjustments need to be made to provide for a larger number of broken hairs to bring the mechanical and hand combing results in line. For dry combing, as the comb descends through the hair, hairs above it are made parallel and those beneath are either made parallel or knot by, hairs looping around other hairs or hairs looping around comb teeth and other hairs several cm between the comb and the hair tips. As the comb advances through the looped/knotted hairs long breaks occur or as the comb descends near the tips wrapped ends can result. End wrapping by inertia & possibly static charge produces short segment breaks which are more severe if the hair is cut at 90 degrees versus a tapered cut. For wet combing, clumping of hairs by a capillary action produces fewer short segment breaks, by reducing end wrapping: however, crossed hair interactions occur & because of higher friction more severe snags arise higher up in the tress, and lower hair breaking load due to plasticization

Short-Term Azithromycin Treatment Promotes Cornea Allograft Survival in the Rat

PubMed Central

Hildebrand, Antonia; Eberwein, Philipp; Reinhard, Thomas; Schwartzkopff, Johannes

2013-01-01

Background Any inflammatory response following corneal transplantation may induce rejection and irreversible graft failure. The purpose of this study is to analyze the anti-inflammatory effect of azithromycin (AZM) following experimental keratoplasty in rats. Methods Corneal transplants were performed between Fisher-donor and Lewis-recipient rats. Recipients were postoperatively treated three times daily with AZM, miglyol, ofloxacin or dexamethasone eye drops. As an additional control, AZM was applied following syngeneic keratoplasty. Furthermore, short-term treatments with AZM for seven days perioperatively or with AZM only three days prior to the transplantation were compared to appropriate controls. All transplants were monitored clinically for opacity, edema, and vascularization. Infiltrating CD45+, CD4+, CD8+, CD25+, CD161+ and CD163+ cells were quantified via immunohistochemistry. Results AZM significantly promoted corneal graft survival compared with miglyol or ofloxacin treatment. This effect was comparable to topical dexamethasone. No adverse AZM effect was observed. Histology confirmed a significant reduction of infiltrating leukocytes. The short-term application of AZM for three days prior to transplantation or for seven days perioperatively reduced corneal graft rejection significantly compared with the controls. Conclusions Along with antibiotic properties, topical AZM has a strong anti-inflammatory effect. Following keratoplasty, this effect is comparable to topical dexamethasone without the risk of steroid-induced adverse effects. Short-term treatment with AZM three days prior to the transplantation was sufficient to promote graft survival in the rat keratoplasty model. We therefore suggest further assessing the anti-inflammatory function of topical AZM following keratoplasty in humans. PMID:24349336

Short-term azithromycin treatment promotes cornea allograft survival in the rat.

PubMed

Wacker, Katrin; Denker, Sophy; Hildebrand, Antonia; Eberwein, Philipp; Reinhard, Thomas; Schwartzkopff, Johannes

2013-01-01

Any inflammatory response following corneal transplantation may induce rejection and irreversible graft failure. The purpose of this study is to analyze the anti-inflammatory effect of azithromycin (AZM) following experimental keratoplasty in rats. Corneal transplants were performed between Fisher-donor and Lewis-recipient rats. Recipients were postoperatively treated three times daily with AZM, miglyol, ofloxacin or dexamethasone eye drops. As an additional control, AZM was applied following syngeneic keratoplasty. Furthermore, short-term treatments with AZM for seven days perioperatively or with AZM only three days prior to the transplantation were compared to appropriate controls. All transplants were monitored clinically for opacity, edema, and vascularization. Infiltrating CD45(+), CD4(+), CD8(+), CD25(+), CD161(+) and CD163(+) cells were quantified via immunohistochemistry. AZM significantly promoted corneal graft survival compared with miglyol or ofloxacin treatment. This effect was comparable to topical dexamethasone. No adverse AZM effect was observed. Histology confirmed a significant reduction of infiltrating leukocytes. The short-term application of AZM for three days prior to transplantation or for seven days perioperatively reduced corneal graft rejection significantly compared with the controls. Along with antibiotic properties, topical AZM has a strong anti-inflammatory effect. Following keratoplasty, this effect is comparable to topical dexamethasone without the risk of steroid-induced adverse effects. Short-term treatment with AZM three days prior to the transplantation was sufficient to promote graft survival in the rat keratoplasty model. We therefore suggest further assessing the anti-inflammatory function of topical AZM following keratoplasty in humans.

Short-term storage of sterlet Acipenser ruthenus testicular cells at -80 °C.

PubMed

Golpour, Amin; Siddique, Mohammad Abdul Momin; Rodina, Marek; Pšenička, Martin

2016-04-01

The conservation of sturgeons is of critical importance, and optimization of long-term storage is crucial to cell survival. This study aimed to examine the viability rates of several variations of sturgeon testicular cells storage at -80 °C for purpose of a short-term storage in a deep freezer or shipment on dried ice. Testes extracted from three immature fish were cut into small pieces, immersed in a cryomedium composed of phosphate buffered saline with 0.5% bovine serum albumin, 50 mM glucose, and 1.5 M ethylene glycol as a cryoprotectant, chilled from 10 to -80 °C at a cooling rate of 1 °C per min, and stored under varying conditions. Our results revealed a significant effect of storage conditions on the number of living and dead cells (p > 0.05). Samples that were stored for 7 days at -80 °C showed a considerable decline in terms of cell viability compared to samples stored for 2 days storage at -80 °C or in LN. This result indicated that testicular cells can be stored at -80 °C and/or on dry ice, for 2 days with minimum loss of viability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Day care and female employment in Mexico: descriptive evidence and policy considerations].

PubMed

Knaul, F; Parker, S

1996-01-01

"This paper analyzes the supply and organization of public day care in Mexico and presents a series of considerations as to the formulation of future policy. The research concentrates on the evolution of public policies to provide day care to working women in the formal sector through the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS). Data on the evolution of female labor force participation, changes in family structure, the supply of day care and patterns of child care arrangements, suggest that access to formal facilities falls short of demand.... Innovative policies for the reorganization and expansion of the provision of day care are presently under consideration." (EXCERPT)

Short-term effects of playing computer games on attention.

PubMed

Tahiroglu, Aysegul Yolga; Celik, Gonca Gul; Avci, Ayse; Seydaoglu, Gulsah; Uzel, Mehtap; Altunbas, Handan

2010-05-01

The main aim of the present study is to investigate the short-term cognitive effects of computer games in children with different psychiatric disorders and normal controls. One hundred one children are recruited for the study (aged between 9 and 12 years). All participants played a motor-racing game on the computer for 1 hour. The TBAG form of the Stroop task was administered to all participants twice, before playing and immediately after playing the game. Participants with improved posttest scores, compared to their pretest scores, used the computer on average 0.67 +/- 1.1 hr/day, while the average administered was measured at 1.6 +/- 1.4 hr/day and 1.3 +/- 0.9 hr/day computer use for participants with worse or unaltered scores, respectively. According to the regression model, male gender, younger ages, duration of daily computer use, and ADHD inattention type were found to be independent risk factors for worsened posttest scores. Time spent playing computer games can exert a short-term effect on attention as measured by the Stroop test.

Drop short control of electrode gap

DOEpatents

Fisher, Robert W.; Maroone, James P.; Tipping, Donald W.; Zanner, Frank J.

1986-01-01

During vacuum consumable arc remelting the electrode gap between a consumable electrode and a pool of molten metal is difficult to control. The present invention monitors drop shorts by detecting a decrease in the voltage between the consumable electrode and molten pool. The drop shorts and their associated voltage reductions occur as repetitive pulses which are closely correlated to the electrode gap. Thus, the method and apparatus of the present invention controls electrode gap based upon drop shorts detected from the monitored anode-cathode voltage. The number of drop shorts are accumulated, and each time the number of drop shorts reach a predetermined number, the average period between drop shorts is calculated from this predetermined number and the time in which this number is accumulated. This average drop short period is used in a drop short period electrode gap model which determines the actual electrode gap from the drop short. The actual electrode gap is then compared with a desired electrode gap which is selected to produce optimum operating conditions and the velocity of the consumable error is varied based upon the gap error. The consumable electrode is driven according to any prior art system at this velocity. In the preferred embodiment, a microprocessor system is utilized to perform the necessary calculations and further to monitor the duration of each drop short. If any drop short exceeds a preset duration period, the consumable electrode is rapidly retracted a predetermined distance to prevent bonding of the consumable electrode to the molten remelt.

Short-Term Energy Outlook Supplement: Key drivers for EIA's short-term U.S. crude oil production outlook

EIA Publications

2013-01-01

Crude oil production increased by 790,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) between 2011 and 2012, the largest increase in annual output since the beginning of U.S. commercial crude oil production in 1859. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects U.S. crude oil production to continue rising over the next two years represented in the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO).

Transition from Long Day Care to Kindergarten: Continuity or Not?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barblett, Lennie; Barratt-Pugh, Caroline; Kilgallon, Pam; Maloney, Carmel

2011-01-01

Transition practices that ensure continuity between early childhood settings have been shown to be important in assisting children's short-term and long-term growth and development (Vogler, Cravello & Woodhead, 2008). In Western Australia many young children move from and between long day care (LDC) settings to kindergarten. In that state,…

Interpersonal Attraction Under Negative Conditions: A Problem for the Classical Conditioning Paradigm?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kenrick, Douglas T.; Johnson, Gregory A.

The influence of aversive conditions on interpersonal attraction was investigated using 60 female undergraduates as subjects. Dyads were formed and equally divided into aversive (loud-noise) and neutral (low-noise) conditions. After completing an attitude survey questionnaire subjects completed a short filler task while the experimenter…

Short-term use of glucocorticoids and risk of peptic ulcer bleeding: a nationwide population-based case-crossover study.

PubMed

Tseng, C-L; Chen, Y-T; Huang, C-J; Luo, J-C; Peng, Y-L; Huang, D-F; Hou, M-C; Lin, H-C; Lee, F-Y

2015-09-01

Controversy exists regarding glucocorticoids therapy and the risk of peptic ulcer bleeding (PUB). The present study was undertaken to determine whether short-term use of glucocorticoids is associated with the occurrence of peptic ulcer bleeding. The records of adult patients hospitalised for newly diagnosed peptic ulcer bleeding from 2000 to 2012 were retrieved from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database, a nationwide population-based registry system. The association between systemic glucocorticoids usage and peptic ulcer bleeding was determined with a conditional logistic regression model comparing cases and controls during time windows of 7, 14 and 28 days using a case-crossover design. Of the 8894 enrolled patients, the adjusted self-matched odds ratios for peptic ulcer bleeding after exposure to the glucocorticoids were 1.37 (95% CI: 1.12-1.68, P = 0.003) for the 7-day window, 1.66 (95% CI: 1.38-2.00, P < 0.001) for the 14-day window and 1.84 (95% CI: 1.57-2.16, P < 0.001) for the 28-day window. Moderate to high, but not low dose glucocorticoids (methylprednisolone <4 mg/day or its equivalence) were associated with an increased risk of peptic ulcer bleeding. Concomitant use of a nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or aspirin further elevated the risk. However, it does not eliminate the effect of underlying diseases flare-up that may have placed the patients at risk for peptic ulcer bleeding in this kind of study design. Short-term (7-28 days) exposure to glucocorticoids is significantly associated with peptic ulcer bleeding; this risk seems dose-dependent and is higher when nonselective NSAIDs or aspirin are used concurrently. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Day-to-day consistency of lower extremity kinematics during stair ambulation in 24-45 years old athletes.

PubMed

Husa-Russell, Johanna; Ukelo, Thomas; List, Renate; Lorenzetti, Silvio; Wolf, Peter

2011-04-01

Before making interpretations on the effects of interventions or on the features of pathological gait patterns during stair ambulation, the day-to-day consistency of the investigated variables must be established. In this article, the day-to-day consistency was determined for kinematic variables during barefoot stair ambulation. Ten healthy athletes performed two gait analysis sessions, at least one week apart, utilizing a marker set of 47 skin markers, and a functional joint center/axes determination. Being found on limits of agreement and mean differences between the repeated stair ambulation sessions, totally 43 ranges of motions were examined at the hip, knee, ankle, and midfoot joints. The day-to-day consistency was generally in the magnitude of three degrees, irrespective of test condition, investigated joint, or regarded cardinal body plane. The reported values of the day-to-day consistency provide guidelines to distinguish between pathological and healthy gait patterns, and thresholds to determine minimal effects of interventions during stair ambulation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time of Day and Day of Week Trends in EMS Demand.

PubMed

Cantwell, Kate; Morgans, Amee; Smith, Karen; Livingston, Michael; Spelman, Tim; Dietze, Paul

2015-01-01

We examined temporal variations in overall Emergency Medical Services (EMS) demand, as well as medical and trauma cases separately. We analyzed cases according to time of day and day of week to determine whether population level demand demonstrates temporal patterns that will increase baseline knowledge for EMS planning. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Ambulance Victoria data warehouse covering the period 2008-2011. We included all cases of EMS attendance which resulted in 1,203,803 cases for review. Data elements comprised age, gender, date and time of call to the EMS emergency number along with the clinical condition of the patient. We employed Poisson regression to analyze case numbers and trigonometric regression to quantify distribution patterns. EMS demand exhibited a bimodal distribution with the highest peak at 10:00 and a second smaller peak at 19:00. The highest number of cases occurred on Fridays, and the lowest on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. However, the distribution of cases throughout the day differed by day of week. Distribution patterns on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays differed significantly from the rest of the week (p < 0.001). When categorized into medical or trauma cases, medical cases were more frequent during working hours and involved patients of higher mean age (57 years vs. 49 years for trauma, p < 0.001). Trauma cases peaked on Friday and Saturday nights around midnight. Day of week EMS demand distribution patterns reveal differences that can be masked in aggregate data. Day of week EMS demand distribution patterns showed not only which days have differences in demand but the times of day at which the demand changes. Patterns differed by case type as well. These differences in distribution are important for EMS demand planning. Increased understanding of EMS demand patterns is imperative in a climate of ever-increasing demand and fiscal constraints. Further research is needed into the effect of age and case type on EMS

Short-term fasting induces intra-hepatic lipid accumulation and decreases intestinal mass without reduced brush-border enzyme activity in mink (Mustela vison) small intestine.

PubMed

Bjornvad, C R; Elnif, J; Sangild, P T

2004-11-01

For many mammalian species short-term fasting is associated with intestinal atrophy and decreased digestive capacity. Under natural conditions, strictly carnivorous animals often experience prey scarcity during winter, and they may therefore be particularly well adapted to short-term food deprivation. To examine how the carnivorous gastrointestinal tract is affected by fasting, small-intestinal structure, brush-border enzyme activities and hepatic structure and function were examined in fed mink (controls) and mink that had been fasted for 1-10 days. During the first 1-2 days of fasting, intestinal mass decreased more rapidly than total body mass and villus heights were reduced 25-40%. In contrast, tissue-specific activity of the brush-border enzymes sucrase, maltase, lactase, aminopeptidase A and dipeptidylpeptidase IV increased 0.5- to 1.5-fold at this time, but returned to prefasting levels after 6 days of fasting. After 6-10 days of fasting there was a marked increase in the activity of hepatic enzymes and accumulation of intra-hepatic lipid vacuoles. Thus, mink may be a useful model for studying fasting-induced intestinal atrophy and adaptation as well as mechanisms involved in accumulation of intra-hepatic lipids following food deprivation in strictly carnivorous domestic mammals, such as cats and ferrets.

Surface clay formation during short-term warmer and wetter conditions on a largely cold ancient Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, Janice L.; Fairén, Alberto G.; Michalski, Joseph R.; Gago-Duport, Luis; Baker, Leslie L.; Velbel, Michael A.; Gross, Christoph; Rampe, Elizabeth B.

2018-03-01

The ancient rock record for Mars has long been at odds with climate modelling. The presence of valley networks, dendritic channels and deltas on ancient terrains points towards running water and fluvial erosion on early Mars1, but climate modelling indicates that long-term warm conditions were not sustainable2. Widespread phyllosilicates and other aqueous minerals on the Martian surface3-6 provide additional evidence that an early wet Martian climate resulted in surface weathering. Some of these phyllosilicates formed in subsurface crustal environments5, with no association with the Martian climate, while other phyllosilicate-rich outcrops exhibit layered morphologies and broad stratigraphies7 consistent with surface formation. Here, we develop a new geochemical model for early Mars to explain the formation of these clay-bearing rocks in warm and wet surface locations. We propose that sporadic, short-term warm and wet environments during a generally cold early Mars enabled phyllosilicate formation without requiring long-term warm and wet conditions. We conclude that Mg-rich clay-bearing rocks with lateral variations in mixed Fe/Mg smectite, chlorite, talc, serpentine and zeolite occurrences formed in subsurface hydrothermal environments, whereas dioctahedral (Al/Fe3+-rich) smectite and widespread vertical horizonation of Fe/Mg smectites, clay assemblages and sulphates formed in variable aqueous environments on the surface of Mars. Our model for aluminosilicate formation on Mars is consistent with the observed geological features, diversity of aqueous mineralogies in ancient surface rocks and state-of-the-art palaeoclimate scenarios.

Implications of variable waste placement conditions for MSW landfills.

PubMed

Cox, Jason T; Yesiller, Nazli; Hanson, James L

2015-12-01

This investigation was conducted to evaluate the influence of waste placement practices on the engineering response of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. Waste placement conditions were varied by moisture addition to the wastes at the time of disposal. Tests were conducted at a California landfill in test plots (residential component of incoming wastes) and full-scale active face (all incoming wastes including residential, commercial, and self-delivered components). The short-term effects of moisture addition were assessed by investigating compaction characteristics and moisture distribution and the long-term effects by estimating settlement characteristics of the variably placed wastes. In addition, effects on engineering properties including hydraulic conductivity and shear strength, as well as economic aspects were investigated. The unit weight of the wastes increased with moisture addition to a maximum value and then decreased with further moisture addition. At the optimum moisture conditions, 68% more waste could be placed in the same landfill volume compared to the baseline conditions. Moisture addition raised the volumetric moisture content of the wastes to the range 33-42%, consistent with values at and above field capacity. Moisture transfer occurred between consecutive layers of compacted wastes and a moisture addition schedule of 2 days of as-received conditions and 1 day of moisture addition was recommended. Settlement of wastes was estimated to increase with moisture addition, with a 34% increase at optimum moisture compared to as-received conditions. Overall, moisture addition during compaction increased unit weight, the amount of incoming wastes disposed in a given landfill volume, biological activity potential, and predicted settlement. The combined effects have significant environmental and economic implications for landfill operations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Blood circulation under conditions of weightlessness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kastyan, I. I.; Kopanev, V. I.

1980-01-01

Experimental materials and published data on the problem of blood circulation in man and animals under conditions of short and long term weightlessness are summarized. The data obtained allow the conclusion, that when humans spent 5 days in a weightless state their blood circulation was not essentially distributed. Some features of the functioning of the cardiovascular system are pointed out: delay of adaptation rate, increase in lability, etc. There is a discussion of the physiological mechanisms for the direct and indirect effect of weightlessness. The direct effect comprise the complex of reactions caused by the significant fall in hydrostatic pressure and the indirect embraces all the reactions arising in the organism resulting from disturbance of the systematic character of the analyzers that take part in the analysis of space realtions and the body's orientation in space.

Working multiple jobs over a day or a week: Short-term effects on sleep duration

PubMed Central

Marucci-Wellman, Helen R.; Lombardi, David A.; Willetts, Joanna L.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Approximately 10% of the employed population in the United States works in multiple jobs. They are more likely to work long hours and in nonstandard work schedules, factors known to impact sleep duration and quality, and increase the risk of injury. In this study we used multivariate regression models to compare the duration of sleep in a 24-hour period between workers working in multiple jobs (MJHs) with single job holders (SJHs) controlling for other work schedule and demographic factors. We used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics US American Time Use Survey (ATUS) pooled over a 9-year period (2003–2011). We found that MJHs had significantly reduced sleep duration compared with SJHs due to a number of independent factors, such as working longer hours and more often late at night. Male MJHs, working in their primary job or more than one job on the diary day, also had significantly shorter sleep durations (up to 40 minutes less on a weekend day) than male SJHs, even after controlling for all other factors. Therefore, duration of work hours, time of day working and duration of travel for work may not be the only factors to consider when understanding if male MJHs are able to fit in enough recuperative rest from their busy schedule. Work at night had the greatest impact on sleep duration for females, reducing sleep time by almost an hour compared with females who did not work at night. We also hypothesize that the high frequency or fragmentation of non-leisure activities (e.g. work and travel for work) throughout the day and between jobs may have an additional impact on the duration and quality of sleep for MJHs. PMID:27092404

Working multiple jobs over a day or a week: Short-term effects on sleep duration.

PubMed

Marucci-Wellman, Helen R; Lombardi, David A; Willetts, Joanna L

Approximately 10% of the employed population in the United States works in multiple jobs. They are more likely to work long hours and in nonstandard work schedules, factors known to impact sleep duration and quality, and increase the risk of injury. In this study we used multivariate regression models to compare the duration of sleep in a 24-hour period between workers working in multiple jobs (MJHs) with single job holders (SJHs) controlling for other work schedule and demographic factors. We used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics US American Time Use Survey (ATUS) pooled over a 9-year period (2003-2011). We found that MJHs had significantly reduced sleep duration compared with SJHs due to a number of independent factors, such as working longer hours and more often late at night. Male MJHs, working in their primary job or more than one job on the diary day, also had significantly shorter sleep durations (up to 40 minutes less on a weekend day) than male SJHs, even after controlling for all other factors. Therefore, duration of work hours, time of day working and duration of travel for work may not be the only factors to consider when understanding if male MJHs are able to fit in enough recuperative rest from their busy schedule. Work at night had the greatest impact on sleep duration for females, reducing sleep time by almost an hour compared with females who did not work at night. We also hypothesize that the high frequency or fragmentation of non-leisure activities (e.g. work and travel for work) throughout the day and between jobs may have an additional impact on the duration and quality of sleep for MJHs.

Atenolol Is Associated with Lower Day of Surgery Heart Rate as compared to Long and Short-acting Metoprolol

PubMed Central

Schonberger, Robert B.; Brandt, Cynthia; Feinleib, Jessica; Dai, Feng; Burg, Matthew M.

2012-01-01

Objectives We analyzed the association between outpatient beta-blocker type and day-of-surgery heart rate in ambulatory surgical patients. We further investigated whether differences in day of surgery heart rate between atenolol and metoprolol could be explained by once-daily versus twice-daily dosing regimens. Design Retrospective observational study. Setting VA Hospital Participants Ambulatory surgical patients on chronic atenolol or metoprolol. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Using a propensity-score matched cohort, we compared day of surgery heart rates of patients prescribed atenolol versus metoprolol. We then differentiated between once-daily and twice-daily metoprolol formulations and compared day of surgery heart rates within a general linear model. Day of surgery heart rates in patients prescribed atenolol vs. any metoprolol formulation were slower by a mean of 5.1 beats/min (66.6 vs. 71.7; 95% CI of difference 1.9 to 8.3, p=0.002), a difference that was not observed in preoperative primary care visits. The general linear model demonstrated that patients prescribed atenolol (typically QD dosing) had a mean day of surgery heart rate 5.6 beats/min lower compared to patients prescribed once-daily metoprolol succinate (68.9 vs. 74.5; 95% CI of difference: −8.6 to −2.6, p<0.001) and 3.8 beats/minute lower compared to patients prescribed twice-daily metoprolol tartrate (68.9 vs. 72.7; 95% CI of difference: −6.1 to −1.6, p<0.001). Day of surgery heart rates were similar between different formulations of metoprolol (95% CI of difference: −1.0 to +4.6, p=0.22). Conclusions Atenolol is associated with lower day of surgery heart rate vs. metoprolol. The heart rate difference is specific to the day of surgery and is not explained by once-daily versus twice-daily dosing regimens. PMID:22889605

The solar spectrum at typical clear weather days

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boer, K. W.

1976-01-01

The solar spectrum in the range of 300 is less than lambda is less than 1500nm is given for five typical clear weather days. These days are selected to represent typical seasonal conditions in respect to airmass water vapor, ozone, and turbidity. Present data are reviewed, and specific conditions are selected. The spectral distribution of the irradiance is given for the direct component, the scattered skylight, the total flux on a horizontal surface, and the flux on an inclined surface normal to the direct beam.

Estimating Activity Duration by Momentary Time-Sampling of Part or All of the Day

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansell, Jim; Beadle-Brown, Julie

2011-01-01

Background: Studies of engagement in meaningful activity often focus on a short period during the afternoon. The question arises whether this produces different results from studies covering the whole day. Methods: Data collected for 18 individuals using a 20-s momentary time-sample from 08:00 to 19:00 over a number of days for each person were…

Operating aerobic wastewater treatment at very short sludge ages enables treatment and energy recovery through anaerobic sludge digestion.

PubMed

Ge, Huoqing; Batstone, Damien J; Keller, Jurg

2013-11-01

Conventional abattoir wastewater treatment processes for carbon and nutrient removal are typically designed and operated with a long sludge retention time (SRT) of 10-20 days, with a relatively high energy demand and physical footprint. The process also generates a considerable amount of waste activated sludge that is not easily degradable due to the long SRT. In this study, an innovative high-rate sequencing batch reactor (SBR) based wastewater treatment process with short SRT and hydraulic retention time (HRT) is developed and characterised. The high-rate SBR process was shown to be most effective with SRT of 2-3 days and HRT of 0.5-1 day, achieving >80% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and phosphorus and approximately 55% nitrogen removal. A majority of carbon removal (70-80%) was achieved by biomass assimilation and/or accumulation, rather than oxidation. Anaerobic degradability of the sludge generated in the high-rate SBR process was strongly linked to SRT, with measured degradability extent being 85% (2 days SRT), 73% (3 days), and 63% (4 days), but it was not influenced by digestion temperature. However, the rate of degradation for 3 and 4 days SRT sludge was increased by 45% at thermophilic conditions compared to mesophilic conditions. Overall, the treatment process provides a very compact and energy efficient treatment option for highly degradable wastewaters such as meat and food processing, with a substantial space reduction by using smaller reactors and a considerable net energy output through the reduced aerobic oxidation and concurrent increased methane production potential through the efficient sludge digestion. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Economic Viability of Pumped-Storage Power Plants Equipped with Ternary Units and Considering Hydraulic Short-Circuit Operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chazarra, Manuel; Pérez-Díaz, Juan I.; García-González, Javier

2017-04-01

This paper analyses the economic viability of pumped-storage hydropower plants equipped with ternary units and considering hydraulic short-circuit operation. The analysed plant is assumed to participate in the day-ahead energy market and in the secondary regulation service of the Spanish power system. A deterministic day-ahead energy and reserve scheduling model is used to estimate the maximum theoretical income of the plant assuming perfect information of the next day prices and the residual demand curves of the secondary regulation reserve market. Results show that the pay-back periods with and without the hydraulic short-circuit operation are significantly lower than their expected lifetime and that the pay-back periods can be reduced with the inclusion of the hydraulic short-circuit operation.

Short-term solar activity forecasting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie-Zhen, C.; Ai-Di, Z.

1979-01-01

A method of forecasting the level of activity of every active region on the surface of the Sun within one to three days is proposed in order to estimate the possibility of the occurrence of ionospheric disturbances and proton events. The forecasting method is a probability process based on statistics. In many of the cases, the accuracy in predicting the short term solar activity was in the range of 70%, although there were many false alarms.

Does hyperthermia constrain flight duration in a short-distance migrant?

PubMed

Guillemette, Magella; Woakes, Anthony J; Larochelle, Jacques; Polymeropoulos, Elias T; Granbois, Jean-Marc; Butler, Patrick J; Pelletier, David; Frappell, Peter B; Portugal, Steven J

2016-09-26

While some migratory birds perform non-stop flights of over 11 000 km, many species only spend around 15% of the day in flight during migration, posing a question as to why flight times for many species are so short. Here, we test the idea that hyperthermia might constrain flight duration (FD) in a short-distance migrant using remote biologging technology to measure heart rate, hydrostatic pressure and body temperature in 19 migrating eider ducks (Somateria mollissima), a short-distance migrant. Our results reveal a stop-and-go migration strategy where migratory flights were frequent (14 flights day(-1)) and short (15.7 min), together with the fact that body temperature increases by 1°C, on average, during such flights, which equates to a rate of heat storage index (HSI) of 4°C h(-1) Furthermore, we could not find any evidence that short flights were limited by heart rate, together with the fact that the numerous stops could not be explained by the need to feed, as the frequency of dives and the time spent feeding were comparatively small during the migratory period. We thus conclude that hyperthermia appears to be the predominant determinant of the observed migration strategy, and suggest that such a physiological limitation to FD may also occur in other species.This article is part of the themed issue 'Moving in a moving medium: new perspectives on flight'. © 2016 The Author(s).

Perceptions of the Role of Short-Term Volunteerism in International Development: Views from Volunteers, Local Hosts, and Community Members.

PubMed

Loiseau, Bethina; Sibbald, Rebekah; Raman, Salem A; Darren, Benedict; Loh, Lawrence C; Dimaras, Helen

2016-01-01

Background. Short-term international volunteer trips traditionally involve volunteers from high-income countries travelling to low- and middle-income countries to assist in service-related development activities. Their duration typically ranges from 7 to 90 days. The city of La Romana, Dominican Republic, receives hundreds of short-term international volunteers annually. They participate in activities aimed at improving conditions faced by a marginalized ethnic-Haitian community living in bateyes. Methods. This qualitative analysis examined perceptions of short-term international volunteerism, held by three key stakeholder groups in La Romana: local hosts, international volunteers, and community members. Responses from semistructured interviews were recorded and analysed by thematic analysis. Results. Themes from the 3 groups were broadly categorized into general perceptions of short-term volunteerism and proposed best practices. These were further subdivided into perceptions of value, harms, and motivations associated with volunteer teams for the former and best practices around volunteer composition and selection, partnership, and skill sets and predeparture training for the latter. Conclusion. Notable challenges were associated with short-term volunteering, including an overemphasis on the material benefits from volunteer groups expressed by community member respondents; misalignment of the desired and actual skill sets of volunteers; duplicate and uncoordinated volunteer efforts; and the perpetuation of stereotypes suggesting that international volunteers possess superior knowledge or skills. Addressing these challenges is critical to optimizing the conduct of short-term volunteerism.

Perceptions of the Role of Short-Term Volunteerism in International Development: Views from Volunteers, Local Hosts, and Community Members

PubMed Central

Loiseau, Bethina; Sibbald, Rebekah; Raman, Salem A.; Darren, Benedict; Loh, Lawrence C.

2016-01-01

Background. Short-term international volunteer trips traditionally involve volunteers from high-income countries travelling to low- and middle-income countries to assist in service-related development activities. Their duration typically ranges from 7 to 90 days. The city of La Romana, Dominican Republic, receives hundreds of short-term international volunteers annually. They participate in activities aimed at improving conditions faced by a marginalized ethnic-Haitian community living in bateyes. Methods. This qualitative analysis examined perceptions of short-term international volunteerism, held by three key stakeholder groups in La Romana: local hosts, international volunteers, and community members. Responses from semistructured interviews were recorded and analysed by thematic analysis. Results. Themes from the 3 groups were broadly categorized into general perceptions of short-term volunteerism and proposed best practices. These were further subdivided into perceptions of value, harms, and motivations associated with volunteer teams for the former and best practices around volunteer composition and selection, partnership, and skill sets and predeparture training for the latter. Conclusion. Notable challenges were associated with short-term volunteering, including an overemphasis on the material benefits from volunteer groups expressed by community member respondents; misalignment of the desired and actual skill sets of volunteers; duplicate and uncoordinated volunteer efforts; and the perpetuation of stereotypes suggesting that international volunteers possess superior knowledge or skills. Addressing these challenges is critical to optimizing the conduct of short-term volunteerism. PMID:27382372

Ninety-day mortality after resection for lung cancer is nearly double 30-day mortality.

PubMed

Pezzi, Christopher M; Mallin, Katherine; Mendez, Andres Samayoa; Greer Gay, Emmelle; Putnam, Joe B

2014-11-01

To evaluate 30-day and 90-day mortality after major pulmonary resection for lung cancer including the relationship to hospital volume. Major lung resections from 2007 to 2011 were identified in the National Cancer Data Base. Mortality was compared according to annual volume and demographic and clinical covariates using univariate and multivariable analyses, and included information on comorbidity. Statistical significance (P<.05) and 95% confidence intervals were assessed. There were 124,418 major pulmonary resections identified in 1233 facilities. The 30-day mortality rate was 2.8%. The 90-day mortality rate was 5.4%. Hospital volume was significantly associated with 30-day mortality, with a mortality rate of 3.7% for volumes less than 10, and 1.7% for volumes of 90 or more. Other variables significantly associated with 30-day mortality include older age, male sex, higher stage, pneumonectomy, a previous primary cancer, and multiple comorbidities. Similar results were found for 90-day mortality rates. In the multivariate analysis, hospital volume remained significant with adjusted odds ratios of 2.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-2.6) for 30-day mortality and 1.3 (95% CI, 1.1-1.6) for conditional 90-day mortality for the hospitals with the lowest volume (<10) compared with those with the highest volume (>90). Hospitals with a volume less than 30 had an adjusted odds ratio for 30-day mortality of 1.3 (95% CI, 1.2-1.5) compared with those with a volume greater than 30. Mortality at 30 and 90 days and hospital volume should be monitored by institutions performing major pulmonary resection and benchmarked against hospitals performing at least 30 resections per year. Copyright © 2014 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Effect of short-acting combined oral contraceptives on bleeding after induced abortion].

PubMed

Wang, X F; Zhong, M; Liu, J

2017-11-07

Objective: To explore the effect of short-acting combined oral contraceptives on vaginal bleeding after induced abortion. Methods: A total of 726 patients, who had took induced abortion from July 2016 to September 2016 in obstetrics and gynecology outpatient department of Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, were included and divided into the observation group and the control group according to whether they took short-acting combined oral contraceptives after induced abortion, with 312 cases, 414 cases respectively.The vaginal bleeding days, amounts of bleeding, the endometrial thickness 3 weeks later, and whether the patient had menstrual recovery on time were observed and analyzed. Results: The observation group had less bleeding days and amount of bleeding, compared with the control group.69.87% (218/312) patients of the observation group had more than 8mm of endometrial thickness on postoperative day 21, while 61.11% (253/414) of the observation group did, the difference was statistically significant ( P =0.034).90.06% (281/312) patients of the observation group had menstrual recovery on time, while 82.61% (342/414) of the observation group did, the difference was statistically significant ( P =0.004). Conclusion: Short-acting combined oral contraceptives after induced abortion can significantly shorten the vaginal bleeding days, reduce the amount of bleeding, promote endometrial repair and menstrual recovery.There fore, it has important clinical significance and application value.

Molecular cloning and photoperiod-regulated expression of gibberellin 20-oxidase from the long-day plant spinach.

PubMed

Wu, K; Li, L; Gage, D A; Zeevaart, J A

1996-02-01

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a long-day (LD) rosette plant in which stem growth under LD conditions is mediated by gibberellins (GAs). Major control points in spinach are the later steps of sequential oxidation and elimination of C-20 of C20-GAs. Degenerate oligonucleotide primers were used to obtain a polymerase chain reaction product from spinach genomic DNA that has a high homology with GA 20-oxidase cDNAs from Cucurbita maxima L. and Arabidopsis thaliana Heynh. This polymerase chain reaction product was used as a probe to isolate a full-length cDNA clone with an open reading frame encoding a putative 43-kD protein of 374 amino acid residues. When this cDNA clone was expressed in Escherichia coli, the fusion protein catalyzed the biosynthetic sequence GA53-->GA44-->GA19-->GA20 and GA19-->GA17. This establishes that in spinach a single protein catalyzes the oxidation and elimination of C-20. Transfer of spinach plants from short day (SD) to LD conditions caused an increase in the level of all GAs of the early-13-hydroxylation pathway, except GA53, with GA20, GA1, and GA8 showing the largest increases. Northern blot analysis indicated that the level of GA 20-oxidase mRNA was higher in plants in LD than in SD conditions, with highest level of expression in the shoot tips and elongating stems. This expression pattern of GA 20-oxidase is consistent with the different levels of GA20, GA1, and GA8 found in spinach plants grown in SD and LD conditions.

The pattern of LH secretion and the ovarian response to the 'ram effect' in the anoestrous ewe is influenced by body condition but not by short-term nutritional supplementation.

PubMed

Scaramuzzi, R J; Oujagir, L; Menassol, J-B; Freret, S; Piezel, A; Brown, H M; Cognié, J; Fabre Nys, C

2014-10-01

In sheep, the 'ram effect' induces out-of-season fertility and good nutrition increases prolificacy. This experiment determined if fatness or short-term nutritional supplementation modified the response to the 'ram effect'. A group of 48 Île-de-France ewes were fed diets that produced groups with body-condition scores (BCS) of >3.0 and <2.0. Within each BCS group animals were supplemented daily with 500g of lupins from Day -5 to Day 0 (ram introduction) resulting in four groups: low BCS, supplemented (n=7) and non-supplemented (n=8) and high BCS, supplemented (n=12) and non-supplemented (n=11). The blood concentrations of glucose and insulin and the LH response to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) were determined. After the 'ram effect' the pattern of LH pulsatility, the LH surge and ovarian responses were analysed. Low BCS ewes had lower glucose and insulin (P<0.001) and supplementation increased both (P≤0.001). The increase in LH induced by GnRH was reduced in low BCS ewes (P=0.015) but it was not affected by supplementation. Similarly, LH pulsatility was reduced in low BCS ewes (P<0.05). The LH surge and ovarian cyclicity were not affected but the follow-up cycle was delayed (P=0.034) and progesterone was reduced (P=0.029) in low BCS ewes. There was an effect of BCS on ovulation rate (P<0.05). These results show that the BCS can modify the response to the 'ram effect' and that supplementation has little effect on this response.

34 CFR 300.11 - Day; business day; school day.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Day; business day; school day. 300.11 Section 300.11 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR THE EDUCATION OF...

Soft-short management and remediation in 10-year-old NiCds in Geo orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flordeliza, Nicanor A.; Bounds, Ronald W.

1996-01-01

After 10 years in Geo orbit, during the spring 1993 eclipse season, soft shorts occurred in cells of two of the three batteries on the F2R spacecraft On battery #1, the cell soft short turned suddenly into a hard short; the resulting sudden 1.2V fall in battery voltage and rise in temperature was observed via telemetry. On battery #3, the deleterious impact of its soft short increased day by day, manifesting itself as a drop in battery voltage part-way through each eclipse, causing high loading on the remaining good battery. This paper reports how by planned charge management, including applying (against-the-book) overcharge ratios (C/D) exceeding 1.75, the battery #3 cell soft short was 'built down' until the cell voltage fade ceased. The problem with the battery #3 soft-shorted cell was fought with partial success throughout the latter half of the fall 93 season, and the lessons learned were applied to alleviate the problem during the spring 94 and fall 94 eclipse seasons. The life of the spacecraft was successfully prolonged until it was retired in March 1995.

Effectiveness of short-course therapy (5 days) with cefuroxime axetil in treatment of secondary bacterial infections of acute bronchitis.

PubMed Central

Henry, D; Ruoff, G E; Rhudy, J; Puopolo, A; Drehobl, M; Schoenberger, J; Giguere, G; Collins, J J

1995-01-01

Five hundred thirty-seven patients were enrolled in two independent, investigator-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trials comparing the clinical and bacteriologic efficacies and the safety of 5- or 10-day treatment with cefuroxime axetil with those of 10-day treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanate in the treatment of secondary bacterial infections of acute bronchitis. Patients received either 5 or 10 days of treatment (n = 177 in each group) with cefuroxime axetil at 250 mg twice daily or 10 days of treatment (n = 183) with amoxicillin-clavulanate at 500 mg three times daily. Patients in the cefuroxime axetil (5 days) group received placebo on days 6 to 10. Bacteriologic assessments were based on sputum specimen cultures obtained preceding and, when possible, following treatment. Organisms were isolated from the pretreatment sputum specimens of 242 of 537 (45%) patients, with the primary pathogens being Haemophilus influenzae, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus (28, 25, 13, 9, and 8% of isolates, respectively). Pathogens were eradicated or presumed to be eradicated in 87% (52 of 60), 91% (53 of 58), and 86% (60 of 70) of bacteriologically evaluable patients treated with cefuroxime axetil (5 days), cefuroxime axetil (10 days), and amoxicillin-clavulanate, respectively. A satisfactory clinical outcome (cure or improvement) was achieved in 82% (107 of 130), 86% (117 of 136), and 83% (130 of 157) of the clinically evaluable patients treated with cefuroxime axetil (5 days), cefuroxime axetil (10 days), and amoxicillin-clavulanate, respectively. Treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanate was associated with a significantly higher incidence of drug-related adverse events than was treatment with cefuroxime axetil for either 5 or 10 days (P = 0.001), primarily reflecting a higher incidence of drug-related gastrointestinal adverse events (37 versus 19 and 15%, respectively; P < 0.001), particularly

Short-range solar radiation forecasts over Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landelius, Tomas; Lindskog, Magnus; Körnich, Heiner; Andersson, Sandra

2018-04-01

In this article the performance for short-range solar radiation forecasts by the global deterministic and ensemble models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is compared with an ensemble of the regional mesoscale model HARMONIE-AROME used by the national meteorological services in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Note however that only the control members and the ensemble means are included in the comparison. The models resolution differs considerably with 18 km for the ECMWF ensemble, 9 km for the ECMWF deterministic model, and 2.5 km for the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble. The models share the same radiation code. It turns out that they all underestimate systematically the Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) for clear-sky conditions. Except for this shortcoming, the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble model shows the best agreement with the distribution of observed Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI) and DNI values. During mid-day the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble mean performs best. The control member of the HARMONIE-AROME ensemble also scores better than the global deterministic ECMWF model. This is an interesting result since mesoscale models have so far not shown good results when compared to the ECMWF models. Three days with clear, mixed and cloudy skies are used to illustrate the possible added value of a probabilistic forecast. It is shown that in these cases the mesoscale ensemble could provide decision support to a grid operator in terms of forecasts of both the amount of solar power and its probabilities.

Plant Growth under Natural Light Conditions Provides Highly Flexible Short-Term Acclimation Properties toward High Light Stress

PubMed Central

Schumann, Tobias; Paul, Suman; Melzer, Michael; Dörmann, Peter; Jahns, Peter

2017-01-01

Efficient acclimation to different growth light intensities is essential for plant fitness. So far, most studies on light acclimation have been conducted with plants grown under different constant light regimes, but more recent work indicated that acclimation to fluctuating light or field conditions may result in different physiological properties of plants. Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) was grown under three different constant light intensities (LL: 25 μmol photons m−2 s−1; NL: 100 μmol photons m−2 s−1; HL: 500 μmol photons m−2 s−1) and under natural fluctuating light (NatL) conditions. We performed a thorough characterization of the morphological, physiological, and biochemical properties focusing on photo-protective mechanisms. Our analyses corroborated the known properties of LL, NL, and HL plants. NatL plants, however, were found to combine characteristics of both LL and HL grown plants, leading to efficient and unique light utilization capacities. Strikingly, the high energy dissipation capacity of NatL plants correlated with increased dynamics of thylakoid membrane reorganization upon short-term acclimation to excess light. We conclude that the thylakoid membrane organization and particularly the light-dependent and reversible unstacking of grana membranes likely represent key factors that provide the basis for the high acclimation capacity of NatL grown plants to rapidly changing light intensities. PMID:28515734

Adoption of a nestling house mouse by a female short-tailed shrew

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blus, L.J.; Johnson, D.A.

1969-01-01

A nursing female short-tailed shrew adopted a nestling house mouse. The mouse was observed in the nest with the female and her litter of shrews three days after it was introduced into the aluminum box containing the shrews, but it was found dead in the nest four days later.

Short communication: Principal components and factor analytic models for test-day milk yield in Brazilian Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Bignardi, A B; El Faro, L; Rosa, G J M; Cardoso, V L; Machado, P F; Albuquerque, L G

2012-04-01

A total of 46,089 individual monthly test-day (TD) milk yields (10 test-days), from 7,331 complete first lactations of Holstein cattle were analyzed. A standard multivariate analysis (MV), reduced rank analyses fitting the first 2, 3, and 4 genetic principal components (PC2, PC3, PC4), and analyses that fitted a factor analytic structure considering 2, 3, and 4 factors (FAS2, FAS3, FAS4), were carried out. The models included the random animal genetic effect and fixed effects of the contemporary groups (herd-year-month of test-day), age of cow (linear and quadratic effects), and days in milk (linear effect). The residual covariance matrix was assumed to have full rank. Moreover, 2 random regression models were applied. Variance components were estimated by restricted maximum likelihood method. The heritability estimates ranged from 0.11 to 0.24. The genetic correlation estimates between TD obtained with the PC2 model were higher than those obtained with the MV model, especially on adjacent test-days at the end of lactation close to unity. The results indicate that for the data considered in this study, only 2 principal components are required to summarize the bulk of genetic variation among the 10 traits. Copyright © 2012 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does the stress response predict the ability of wild birds to adjust to short-term captivity? A study of the rock pigeon (Columbia livia).

PubMed

Angelier, Frédéric; Parenteau, Charline; Trouvé, Colette; Angelier, Nicole

2016-12-01

Although the transfer of wild animals to captivity is crucial for conservation purposes, this process is often challenging because some species or individuals do not adjust well to captive conditions. Chronic stress has been identified as a major concern for animals held on long-term captivity. Surprisingly, the first hours or days of captivity have been relatively overlooked. However, they are certainly very stressful, because individuals are being transferred to a totally novel and confined environment. To ensure the success of conservation programmes, it appears crucial to better understand the proximate causes of interspecific and interindividual variability in the sensitivity to these first hours of captivity. In that respect, the study of stress hormones is relevant, because the hormonal stress response may help to assess whether specific individuals or species adjust, or not, to such captive conditions ('the stress response-adjustment to captivity hypothesis'). We tested this hypothesis in rock pigeons by measuring their corticosterone stress response and their ability to adjust to short-term captivity (body mass loss and circulating corticosterone levels after a day of captivity). We showed that an increased corticosterone stress response is associated with a lower ability to adjust to short-term captivity (i.e. higher body mass loss and circulating corticosterone levels). Our study suggests, therefore, that a low physiological sensitivity to stress may be beneficial for adjusting to captivity. Future studies should now explore whether the stress response can be useful to predict the ability of individuals from different populations or species to not only adjust to short-term but also long-term captivity.

Estradiol enhances the acquisition of lithium chloride-induced conditioned taste aversion in castrated male rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Shih-Fan; Tsai, Yuan-Feen; Tai, Mei-Yun; Yeh, Kuei-Ying

2015-10-01

The present study examined the effects of short-term treatment with ovarian hormones on the acquisition of conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Adult male rats were castrated and randomly divided into LiCl- and saline-treated groups. Nineteen days after castration, all of the animals were subjected to 23.5-h daily water deprivation for seven successive days (day 1 to day 7). On the conditioning day (day 8), the rats received either a 4 ml/kg of 0.15 M LiCl or the same dose of saline injection immediately after administration of a 2 % sucrose solution during the 30-min water session. Starting from day 6, rats in both groups received one of the following treatments: daily subcutaneous injection of (1) estradiol alone (30 μg/kg; estradiol benzoate (E) group), (2) estradiol plus progesterone (500 μg; E + progesterone (P) group), or (3) olive oil. From day 9 to day 11, all of the rats were given daily two-bottle preference tests during the 30-min fluid session. The estradiol and estradiol plus progesterone treatments in the LiCl groups resulted in significantly lower preference scores for the sucrose solution compared with the olive oil treatment groups, but no difference in preference score was seen between these two groups. These results indicate that both the estradiol and estradiol plus progesterone treatments in the LiCl groups enhanced the acquisition of CTA learning and suggest that estradiol affects the acquisition of CTA mediated by an activational effect in male rats, whereas progesterone treatment does not influence the effects of estradiol on the acquisition of CTA.

Study of short lactation in Sahiwal cattle at organized farm

PubMed Central

Narwaria, U. S.; Mehla, R. K.; Verma, K. K.; Lathwal, S. S.; Yadav, Rajnarayan; Verma, A. K.

2015-01-01

Aim: The aim was to study the associated factors and extent of short lactations in Sahiwal cattle maintained under organized herd. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted on Sahiwal cattle (n=530), utilizing 1724 lactation records with respect to lactation length (LL), spread over a period of 15 years (1997-2011), maintained at Livestock Research Center, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. Observations of LL were analyzed by descriptive statistical analysis in order to know the extent of short lactation of animals in the herd. Paternal Half sib method was used to estimate the genetic parameters, i.e., heritability, genetic, and phenotypic correlation. The influence of various non-genetic factors (season of calving, the period of calving, parity, type of calving, and season of drying) on LL was studied by least squares analysis of variance technique. Results: The least squares means for LL was found to be 215.83±3.08 days. Only 32.48% of total lactation records were fell in the range of 251-350 days of LL, while more than three-fourth (76%) of total observations were failed to reach the standard level of 305 milking days. LL class ranges from 251 to 300 days accommodated maximum number of observations (19.2%). The heritability estimate of LL was 0.22±0.07. Positive correlations were found between LL and service period, LL and 305 or less days milk yield, LL and calving interval; whereas dry period was negatively correlated with the LL. The least squares analysis had shown that LL was significantly (p<0.01) influenced by the period of calving, type of calving, and season of drying. Significantly higher LL (276.50±7.21 days) was found in animals calved in the first period than those calved in other periods. The cows dried during summer season had the shortest LL (188.48±7.68 days) as compared to other seasons. Conclusion: Present findings regarding short lactations occurrence may be alarming for the indigenous herd, demanding comprehensive

38 CFR 59.160 - Adult day health care requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Adult day health care... (CONTINUED) GRANTS TO STATES FOR CONSTRUCTION OR ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.160 Adult day health care requirements. As a condition for receiving a grant and grant funds under this part for an adult day health care...

38 CFR 59.160 - Adult day health care requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Adult day health care... (CONTINUED) GRANTS TO STATES FOR CONSTRUCTION OR ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.160 Adult day health care requirements. As a condition for receiving a grant and grant funds under this part for an adult day health care...

38 CFR 59.160 - Adult day health care requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Adult day health care... (CONTINUED) GRANTS TO STATES FOR CONSTRUCTION OR ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.160 Adult day health care requirements. As a condition for receiving a grant and grant funds under this part for an adult day health care...

38 CFR 59.160 - Adult day health care requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Adult day health care... (CONTINUED) GRANTS TO STATES FOR CONSTRUCTION OR ACQUISITION OF STATE HOMES § 59.160 Adult day health care requirements. As a condition for receiving a grant and grant funds under this part for an adult day health care...

Intermittent Short Sleep Results in Lasting Sleep Wake Disturbances and Degeneration of Locus Coeruleus and Orexinergic Neurons

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yan; Fenik, Polina; Zhan, Guanxia; Somach, Rebecca; Xin, Ryan; Veasey, Sigrid

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Intermittent short sleep (ISS) is pervasive among students and workers in modern societies, yet the lasting consequences of repeated short sleep on behavior and brain health are largely unexplored. Wake-activated neurons may be at increased risk of metabolic injury across sustained wakefulness. Methods: To examine the effects of ISS on wake-activated neurons and wake behavior, wild-type mice were randomized to ISS (a repeated pattern of short sleep on 3 consecutive days followed by 4 days of recovery sleep for 4 weeks) or rested control conditions. Subsets of both groups were allowed a recovery period consisting of 4-week unperturbed activity in home cages with littermates. Mice were examined for immediate and delayed (following recovery) effects of ISS on wake neuron cell metabolics, cell counts, and sleep/wake patterns. Results: ISS resulted in sustained disruption of sleep/wake activity, with increased wakefulness during the lights-on period and reduced wake bout duration and wake time during the lights-off period. Noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and orexinergic neurons showed persistent alterations in morphology, and reductions in both neuronal stereological cell counts and fronto-cortical projections. Surviving wake-activated neurons evidenced persistent reductions in sirtuins 1 and 3 and increased lipofuscin. In contrast, ISS resulted in no lasting injury to the sleep-activated melanin concentrating hormone neurons. Conclusions: Collectively these findings demonstrate for the first time that ISS imparts significant lasting disturbances in sleep/wake activity, degeneration of wake-activated LC and orexinergic neurons, and lasting metabolic changes in remaining neurons most consistent with premature senescence. Citation: Zhu Y, Fenik P, Zhan G, Somach R, Xin R, Veasey S. Intermittent short sleep results in lasting sleep wake disturbances and degeneration of locus coeruleus and orexinergic neurons. SLEEP 2016;39(8):1601–1611. PMID:27306266

Lignin decomposition and microbial community in paddy soils: effects of alternating redox conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cerli, Chiara; Liu, Qin; Hanke, Alexander; Kaiser, Klaus; Kalbitz, Karsten

2013-04-01

Paddy soils are characterised by interchanging cycles of anaerobic and aerobic conditions. Such fluctuations cause continuous changes in soil solution chemistry as well as in the composition and physiological responses of the microbial community. Temporary deficiency in oxygen creates conditions favourable to facultative or obligates anaerobic bacteria, while aerobic communities can thrive in the period of water absence. These alterations can strongly affect soil processes, in particular organic matter (OM) accumulation and mineralization. In submerged soils, lignin generally constitutes a major portion of the total OM because of hampered degradation under anoxic conditions. The alternating redox cycles resulting from paddy soil management might promote both degradation and preservation of lignin, affecting the overall composition and reactivity of total and dissolved OM. We sampled soils subjected to cycles of anoxic (rice growing period) and oxic (harvest and growth of other crops) conditions since 700 and 2000 years. We incubated suspended Ap material, sampled from the two paddy plus two corresponding non-paddy control soils under oxic and anoxic condition, for 3 months, interrupted by a short period of three weeks (from day 21 to day 43) with reversed redox conditions. At each sampling time (day 2, 21, 42, 63, 84), we determined lignin-derived phenols (by CuO oxidation) as well as phospholipids fatty acids contents and composition. We aimed to highlight changes in lignin decomposition as related to the potential rapid changes in microbial community composition. Since the studied paddy soils had a long history of wet rice cultivation, the microbial community should be well adapted to interchanging oxic and anoxic cycles, therefore fully expressing its activity at both conditions. In non-paddy soil changes in redox conditions caused modification of quantity and composition of the microbial community. On the contrary, in well-established paddy soils the microbial

Comparison of the effects of dose-dependent zinc chloride on short-term and long-term memory in young male rats.

PubMed

Moazedi, A A; Ghotbeddin, Z; Parham, G H

2007-08-15

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dose-dependent of zinc chloride on short-term and long-term memory in a shuttle box. Young Wistar rats (94+/-10 g) (age 27-30 days) consumed zinc chloride drinking water in five different doses (20, 30, 50, 70 and 100 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) for two weeks by gavage. After 14 days on experimental diets, a shuttle box used to test short- and long-term memory. Two criteria considering for behavioral test, including latency in entering dark chamber and time spent in the dark chamber. This experiment shows that after 2 weeks oral administration of ZnCl2 with (20, 30 and 50 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) doses, the rat's working (short-term) has been improved (p<0.05). Whereas ZnCl2 with 30 mg kg(-1) day(-1) dose has been more effected than other doses (p<0.001). But rat which received ZnCl2 with 100 mg kg(-1) day(-1), has been shown significant impairment in working memory (p<0.05) and there was no significant difference in reference (long-term) memory for any of groups. In general, this study has demonstrated that zinc chloride consumption with 30 mg kg(-1) day(-1) dose for two weeks was more effective than other doses on short-term memory. But consumption of ZnCl2 with 100 mg kg(-1) day(-1) dose for two week had the negative effect on short-term memory. On the other hand, zinc supplementation did not have an effect on long-term memory.

Relationship between Fear Conditionability and Aversive Memories: Evidence from a Novel Conditioned-Intrusion Paradigm

PubMed Central

Wegerer, Melanie; Blechert, Jens; Kerschbaum, Hubert; Wilhelm, Frank H.

2013-01-01

Intrusive memories – a hallmark symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – are often triggered by stimuli possessing similarity with cues that predicted or accompanied the traumatic event. According to learning theories, intrusive memories can be seen as a conditioned response to trauma reminders. However, direct laboratory evidence for the link between fear conditionability and intrusive memories is missing. Furthermore, fear conditioning studies have predominantly relied on standardized aversive stimuli (e.g. electric stimulation) that bear little resemblance to typical traumatic events. To investigate the general relationship between fear conditionability and aversive memories, we tested 66 mentally healthy females in a novel conditioned-intrusion paradigm designed to model real-life traumatic experiences. The paradigm included a differential fear conditioning procedure with neutral sounds as conditioned stimuli and short violent film clips as unconditioned stimuli. Subsequent aversive memories were assessed through a memory triggering task (within 30 minutes, in the laboratory) and ambulatory assessment (involuntary aversive memories in the 2 days following the experiment). Skin conductance responses and subjective ratings demonstrated successful differential conditioning indicating that naturalistic aversive film stimuli can be used in a fear conditioning experiment. Furthermore, aversive memories were elicited in response to the conditioned stimuli during the memory triggering task and also occurred in the 2 days following the experiment. Importantly, participants who displayed higher conditionability showed more aversive memories during the memory triggering task and during ambulatory assessment. This suggests that fear conditioning constitutes an important source of persistent aversive memories. Implications for PTSD and its treatment are discussed. PMID:24244407

Female sex workers use power over their day-to-day lives to meet the condition of a conditional cash transfer intervention to incentivize safe sex.

PubMed

Cooper, Jan E; Dow, William H; de Walque, Damien; Keller, Ann C; McCoy, Sandra I; Fernald, Lia C H; Balampama, Marianna P; Kalolella, Admirabilis; Packel, Laura J; Wechsberg, Wendee M; Ozer, Emily J

2017-05-01

Female Sex Workers are a core population in the HIV epidemic, and interventions such as conditional cash transfers (CCTs), effective in other health domains, are a promising new approach to reduce the spread of HIV. Here we investigate how a population of Tanzanian female sex workers, though constrained in many ways, experience and use their power in the context of a CCT intervention that incentivizes safe sex. We analyzed 20 qualitative in-depth interviews with female sex workers enrolled in a randomized-controlled CCT program, the RESPECT II pilot, and found that while such women have limited choices, they do have substantial power over their work logistics that they leveraged to meet the conditions of the CCT and receive the cash award. It was through these decisions over work logistics, such as reducing the number of workdays and clients, that the CCT intervention had its greatest impact on modifying female sex workers' behavior. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Short-term reliability of inflammatory mediators and response to exercise in the heat.

PubMed

Guy, Joshua H; Edwards, Andrew M; Miller, Catherine M; Deakin, Glen B; Pyne, David B

2017-08-01

Prospective application of serum cytokines, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and heat shock proteins (eHSPs) requires reliable measurement of these biomarkers that can signify exercise-induced heat stress in hot conditions. To accomplish this, both short-term (7 day) reliability (at rest, n = 12) and the acute responsiveness of each biomarker to exercise in the heat (pre and post 60-min cycling, 34.5°C and 70% RH, n = 20) were evaluated. Serum was analysed for the concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), heat shock protein 72 (eHSP72), immunoglobulin M (IgM) and LPS. Test-retest reliability was determined as the coefficient of variation (CV). Biomarkers with the least short-term within-participant variation were IL-6 (19%, ±20%; CV, ±95% confidence limits (CL)) and LPS (23%, ±13%). Greater variability was observed for IgM, eHSP72 and CRP (CV range 28-38%). IL-6 exhibited the largest increase in response to acute exercise (95%, ±11%, P = < 0.001) and although CRP had a modest CV (12%, ±7%), it increased substantially post-exercise (P = 0.02, ES; 0.78). In contrast, eHSP72 and LPS exhibited trivial changes post-exercise. It appears variation of common inflammatory markers after exercise in the heat is not always discernible from short-term (weekly) variation.

Day Care in Caracas: A Day Care Homes Program Evaluation Report. Volume I: Executive Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Ruesta, Maria Carlota; de Vidal, Amalia Barrios

This document provides a summary of a formative evaluation research project concerning the neighborhood day care homes program in Caracas, Venezuela. The evaluation included nine lines of study: (1) an assessment of sociodemographic conditions of Venezuelan preschool age children, legal and employment status of Venezuelan women, and general social…

Formulating the Rasch Differential Item Functioning Model under the Marginal Maximum Likelihood Estimation Context and Its Comparison with Mantel-Haenszel Procedure in Short Test and Small Sample Conditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paek, Insu; Wilson, Mark

2011-01-01

This study elaborates the Rasch differential item functioning (DIF) model formulation under the marginal maximum likelihood estimation context. Also, the Rasch DIF model performance was examined and compared with the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) procedure in small sample and short test length conditions through simulations. The theoretically known…

Hippocampal volume in healthy controls given 3-day stress doses of hydrocortisone.

PubMed

Brown, E Sherwood; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung; Lu, Hanzhang; Jamadar, Rhoda; Issac, Sruthy; Shad, Mujeeb; Denniston, Daren; Tamminga, Carol; Nakamura, Alyson; Thomas, Binu P

2015-03-13

In animal models, corticosterone elevations are associated with hippocampal changes that can be prevented with phenytoin. In humans, Cushing's syndrome and long-term prescription corticosteroid use are associated with a reduction in the hippocampal volume. However, little is known about the effects of short-term corticosteroid administration on the hippocampus. The current report examines changes in the hippocampal volume during a brief hydrocortisone exposure and whether volumetric changes can be blocked by phenytoin. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover study was conducted in healthy adults (n=17). Participants received hydrocortisone (160 mg/day)/placebo, phenytoin/placebo, both medications together, or placebo/placebo, with 21-day washouts between the conditions. Structural MRI scans and cortisol levels were obtained following each medication condition. No significant difference in the total brain volume was observed with hydrocortisone. However, hydrocortisone was associated with a significant 1.69% reduction in the total hippocampal volume compared with placebo. Phenytoin blocked the volume reduction associated with hydrocortisone. Reduction in hippocampal volume correlated with the change in cortisol levels (r=-0.58, P=0.03). To our knowledge, this is the first report of structural hippocampal changes with brief corticosteroid exposure. The correlation between the change in hippocampal volume and cortisol level suggests that the volume changes are related to cortisol elevation. Although the findings from this pilot study need replication, they suggest that the reductions in hippocampal volume occur even during brief exposure to corticosteroids, and that hippocampal changes can, as in animal models, be blocked by phenytoin. The results may have implications both for understanding the response of the hippocampus to stress as well as for patients receiving prescription corticosteroids.

Infectious Diseases in Day Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sleator, Esther K.

Discussed in this publication are infectious illnesses for which children attending day care appear to be at special risk. Also covered are the common cold, some infectious disease problems receiving media attention, and some other annoying but not serious diseases, such as head lice, pinworms, and contagious skin conditions. Causes,…

Evaluation of a short food frequency questionnaire used among Norwegian children.

PubMed

Lillegaard, Inger Therese L; Overby, Nina Cecilie; Andersen, Lene Frost

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) against a four-day precoded food diary (PFD) with regard to frequency of food intake among Norwegian 9- and 13-year-olds. A total of 733 9-year-olds and 904 13-year-olds completed first a short FFQ and one to two weeks later a four-day PFD. The short FFQ included questions about 23 food items, including different drinks, fruits, vegetables, bread, fish, pizza, sweets, chocolate and savoury snacks. The PFD covered the whole diet. When comparing mean intake from the PFD with comparable food items in the FFQ, all food items showed that increasing intake measured with the PFD corresponded with increasing intake with the short FFQ. However, participants reported a significantly higher frequency of intake for most foods with the short FFQ compared with PFD, except for soft drinks with sugar and sweets. The median Spearman correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.36 among the 9-year-olds and 0.32 among the 13-year-olds. Often eaten foods such as fruits and vegetables had higher correlations than seldom eaten foods such as pizza and potato chips. The median correlation coefficients for drinks alone were higher (r=0.47) for both age groups. Results indicate that the short FFQ was able to identify high and low consumers of food intake and had a moderate capability to rank individuals according to food intake. Drinks, fruits and vegetables had better correlations with the PFD than infrequently eaten food items.

Effects of short vacations, vacation activities and experiences on employee health and well-being.

PubMed

de Bloom, Jessica; Geurts, Sabine A E; Kompier, Michiel A J

2012-10-01

It was investigated (1) whether employee health and well-being (H&W) improve during short vacations (4-5 days), (2) how long this improvement lasts after returning home and resuming work and (3) to what extent vacation activities and experiences explain health improvements during and after short vacations. Eighty workers reported their H&W 2 weeks before vacation (Pre), during vacation (Inter), on the day of return (Post 1) and on the third and 10th day after returning home (Post 2 and Post 3, respectively). The results showed improvements in H&W during short vacations (d=0.62), although this effect faded out rather quickly. Partial correlations and regression analyses showed that employees reported higher H&W during vacation, the more relaxed and psychologically detached they felt, the more time they spent on conversations with the partner, the more pleasure they derived from their vacation activities and the lower the number of negative incidents during vacation. Experiences of relaxation and detachment from work positively influenced H&W even after returning home. Working during vacation negatively influenced H&W after vacation. In conclusion, short vacations are an effective, although not very long lasting, 'cure' to improve employees' H&W. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Intermittent Short Sleep Results in Lasting Sleep Wake Disturbances and Degeneration of Locus Coeruleus and Orexinergic Neurons.

PubMed

Zhu, Yan; Fenik, Polina; Zhan, Guanxia; Somach, Rebecca; Xin, Ryan; Veasey, Sigrid

2016-08-01

Intermittent short sleep (ISS) is pervasive among students and workers in modern societies, yet the lasting consequences of repeated short sleep on behavior and brain health are largely unexplored. Wake-activated neurons may be at increased risk of metabolic injury across sustained wakefulness. To examine the effects of ISS on wake-activated neurons and wake behavior, wild-type mice were randomized to ISS (a repeated pattern of short sleep on 3 consecutive days followed by 4 days of recovery sleep for 4 weeks) or rested control conditions. Subsets of both groups were allowed a recovery period consisting of 4-week unperturbed activity in home cages with littermates. Mice were examined for immediate and delayed (following recovery) effects of ISS on wake neuron cell metabolics, cell counts, and sleep/wake patterns. ISS resulted in sustained disruption of sleep/wake activity, with increased wakefulness during the lights-on period and reduced wake bout duration and wake time during the lights-off period. Noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and orexinergic neurons showed persistent alterations in morphology, and reductions in both neuronal stereological cell counts and fronto-cortical projections. Surviving wake-activated neurons evidenced persistent reductions in sirtuins 1 and 3 and increased lipofuscin. In contrast, ISS resulted in no lasting injury to the sleep-activated melanin concentrating hormone neurons. Collectively these findings demonstrate for the first time that ISS imparts significant lasting disturbances in sleep/wake activity, degeneration of wake-activated LC and orexinergic neurons, and lasting metabolic changes in remaining neurons most consistent with premature senescence. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Estimation of desmosponge (Porifera, Demospongiae) larval settlement rates from short-term recruitment rates: Preliminary experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zea, Sven

1992-09-01

During a study of the spatial and temporal patterns of desmosponge (Porifera, Demospongiae) recruitment on rocky and coral reef habitats of Santa Marta, Colombian Caribbean Sea, preliminary attempts were made to estimate actual settlement rates from short-term (1 to a few days) recruitment censuses. Short-term recruitment rates on black, acrylic plastic plates attached to open, non-cryptic substratum by anchor screws were low and variable (0 5 recruits/plate in 1 2 days, sets of n=5 10 plates), but reflected the depth and seasonal trends found using mid-term (1 to a few months) censusing intervals. Moreover, mortality of recruits during 1 2 day intervals was low (0 12%). Thus, short-term censusing intervals can be used to estimate actual settlement rates. To be able to make statistical comparisons, however, it is necessary to increase the number of recruits per census by pooling data of n plates per set, and to have more than one set per site or treatment.

Academic performance of day scholars versus boarders in pharmacology examinations of a medical school in Pakistan.

PubMed

Faisal, Rizwan; Shinwari, Laiyla; Izzat, Saadia

2016-09-01

To compare the academic performance of day scholar and boarder students in Pharmacology examinations. This comparative study was conducted at Rehman Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan, from June to September, 2015. It comprised third-year medical students of the sessions 2013-14 and 2014-15.The record of the results of examinations, which had already been conducted, were assessed. All the exams had two components, i.e. multiple-choice questions and short-essay questions. Students were categorised into 4 groups according to their academic performance: those who got <50% marks (Group 1); 51-69% marks (Group 2); 70-80% marks (Group 3); and >80% marks (Group 4). SPSS 20 was used for data analysis. Of the 200 students, 159(79.5%) were day scholars and 41(20.5%) were boarders. In multiple-choice questions, 29(70.7%) boarder students were in Group 2, while none of them was in Group 4. In short-essay questions, 11(26.8%) of them were in Group 1 and 17(41.5%) in Group 2. Results of day scholars' multiple-choice questions exams showed 93(58.5%) were in Group 2 and 2(1.3%) in Group 4. In short-essay questions, 63(39.6%) were in Group 2 (p>o.o5 each). No significant difference was found between the academic performance of boarders and day scholars.

Respiratory modulation of cardiovascular rhythms before and after short-duration human spaceflight.

PubMed

Verheyden, B; Beckers, F; Couckuyt, K; Liu, J; Aubert, A E

2007-12-01

Astronauts commonly return from space with altered short-term cardiovascular dynamics and blunted baroreflex sensitivity. Although many studies have addressed this issue, post-flight effects on the dynamic circulatory control remain incompletely understood. It is not clear how long the cardiovascular system needs to recover from spaceflight as most post-flight investigations only extended between a few days and 2 weeks. In this study, we examined the effect of short-duration spaceflight (1-2 weeks) on respiratory-mediated cardiovascular rhythms in five cosmonauts. Two paced-breathing protocols at 6 and 12 breaths min(-1) were performed in the standing and supine positions before spaceflight, and after 1 and 25 days upon return. Dynamic baroreflex function was evaluated by transfer function analysis between systolic pressure and the RR intervals. Post-flight orthostatic blood pressure control was preserved in all cosmonauts. In the standing position after spaceflight there was an increase in heart rate (HR) of approx. 20 beats min(-1) or more. Averaged for all five cosmonauts, respiratory sinus dysrhythmia and transfer gain reduced to 40% the day after landing, and had returned to pre-flight levels after 25 days. Low-frequency gain decreased from 6.6 (3.4) [mean (SD)] pre-flight to 3.9 (1.6) post-flight and returned to 5.7 (1.3) ms mmHg(-1) after 25 days upon return to Earth. Unlike alterations in the modulation of HR, blood pressure dynamics were not significantly different between pre- and post-flight sessions. Our results indicate that short-duration spaceflight reduces respiratory modulation of HR and decreases cardiac baroreflex gain without affecting post-flight arterial blood pressure dynamics. Altered respiratory modulation of human autonomic rhythms does not persist until 25 days upon return to Earth.

Effect of Hydrothermal immersion and Hygrothermal Conditioning on Mechanical Properties of GRE Composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraverty, A. P.

2017-02-01

Glass fibre reinforced epoxy (GRE) composite meet several degrading agents like moisture and temperature while its use in real time applications in civil infrastructures. Keeping this in mind, the short beam shear (SBS) specimens of GRE composite were exposed to such laboratory created stringent environment as a combination of moisture and elevated temperature for several periods. The environments are as: immersion in distilled water coupled with 65oC as hydrothermal conditioning and an ambience containing 95% relative humidity at 60oC as hygrothermal conditioning. Moisture treated SBS specimens were subjected to 3-point bend test to reveal inter laminar shear strength (ILSS), stress/strain at rupture and modulus values with periods of exposures. The concerned sample suffered 23% of degradation in ILSS values after 120 days of hydrothermal immersion and 25% after 90 days of hygrothermal conditioning. Samples at some optimum exposing conditions of both the exposures are thermally characterized by adopting differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test. Glass transition temperature (Tg) of such representing samples were determined from the DSC thermograms. About 8 % reduction in Tg values was observed for the GRE composite sample, expectedly, due to moisture induced matrix plasticization and swelling. The fractographs as obtained through scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed some causes of failures indicating the prime modes of failure of the treated GRE samples with optimum duration of both the exposures.

Circadian Modulation of Short-Term Memory in "Drosophila"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Lisa C.; Roman, Gregg

2009-01-01

Endogenous biological clocks are widespread regulators of behavior and physiology, allowing for a more efficient allocation of efforts and resources over the course of a day. The extent that different processes are regulated by circadian oscillators, however, is not fully understood. We investigated the role of the circadian clock on short-term…

Short-Term Hyperprolactinemia Reduces the Expression of Purinergic P2X7 Receptors during Allergic Inflammatory Response of the Lungs.

PubMed

Ochoa-Amaya, Julieta E; Queiroz-Hazarbassanov, Nicolle; Namazu, Lilian B; Calefi, Atilio S; Tobaruela, Carla N; Margatho, Rafael; Palermo-Neto, João; Ligeiro de Oliveira, Ana P; Felicio, Luciano F

2018-06-06

We have previously shown that domperidone-induced short-term hyperprolactinemia reduces the lung's allergic inflammatory response in an ovalbumin antigenic challenge model. Since purinergic receptor P2X7R activity leads to proinflammatory cytokine release and is possibly related to the pathogenesis of allergic respiratory conditions, the present study was designed to investigate a possible involvement of purinergic and prolactin receptors in this phenomenon. To induce hyperprolactinemia, domperidone was injected intraperitoneally in rats at a dose of 5.1 mg × kg-1 per day for 5 days. P2X7 expression was evaluated by lung immunohistochemistry while prolactin receptor expression in bronchoalveolar lavage leukocytes was analyzed through flow cytometry. Previous reports demonstrated that rats subjected to short-term hyperprolactinemia exhibited a decrease in leukocyte counts in bronchoalveolar lavage, especially granulocytes. Here, it is revealed that hyperprolactinemia promotes an increased expression of prolactin receptors in granulocytes. Also, increased expression of purinergic P2X7R observed in allergic animals was significantly reduced by hyperprolactinemia. Both purinergic and prolactin receptor expression changes occur during the anti-asthmatic effect of hyperprolactinemia. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Intraoperative Methadone in Same-Day Ambulatory Surgery: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Dose-Finding Pilot Study.

PubMed

Komen, Helga; Brunt, L Michael; Deych, Elena; Blood, Jane; Kharasch, Evan D

2018-05-25

Approximately 50 million US patients undergo ambulatory surgery annually. Postoperative opioid overprescribing is problematic, yet many patients report inadequate pain relief. In major inpatient surgery, intraoperative single-dose methadone produces better analgesia and reduces opioid use compared with conventional repeated dosing of short-duration opioids. This investigation tested the hypothesis that in same-day ambulatory surgery, intraoperative methadone, compared with short-duration opioids, reduces opioid consumption and pain, and determined an effective intraoperative induction dose of methadone for same-day ambulatory surgery. A double-blind, dose-escalation protocol randomized 60 patients (2:1) to intraoperative single-dose intravenous methadone (initially 0.1 then 0.15 mg/kg ideal body weight) or conventional as-needed dosing of short-duration opioids (eg, fentanyl, hydromorphone; controls). Intraoperative and postoperative opioid consumption, pain, and opioid side effects were assessed before discharge. Patient home diaries recorded pain, opioid use, and opioid side effects daily for 30 days postoperatively. Primary outcome was in-hospital (intraoperative and postoperative) opioid use. Secondary outcomes were 30 days opioid consumption, pain intensity, and opioid side effects. Median (interquartile range) methadone doses were 6 (5-6) and 9 (8-9) mg in the 0.1 and 0.15 mg/kg methadone groups, respectively. Total opioid consumption (morphine equivalents) in the postanesthesia care unit was significantly less compared with controls (9.3 mg, 1.3-11.0) in subjects receiving 0.15 mg/kg methadone (0.1 mg, 0.1-3.3; P < .001) but not 0.1 mg/kg methadone (5.0 mg, 3.3-8.1; P = .60). Dose-escalation ended at 0.15 mg/kg methadone. Total in-hospital nonmethadone opioid use after short-duration opioid, 0.1 mg/kg methadone, and 0.15 mg/kg methadone was 35.3 (25.0-44.0), 7.1 (3.7-10.0), and 3.3 (0.1-5.8) mg morphine equivalents, respectively (P < .001 for both versus

Adaptation to hot environmental conditions: an exploration of the performance basis, procedures and future directions to optimise opportunities for elite athletes.

PubMed

Guy, Joshua H; Deakin, Glen B; Edwards, Andrew M; Miller, Catherine M; Pyne, David B

2015-03-01

Extreme environmental conditions present athletes with diverse challenges; however, not all sporting events are limited by thermoregulatory parameters. The purpose of this leading article is to identify specific instances where hot environmental conditions either compromise or augment performance and, where heat acclimation appears justified, evaluate the effectiveness of pre-event acclimation processes. To identify events likely to be receptive to pre-competition heat adaptation protocols, we clustered and quantified the magnitude of difference in performance of elite athletes competing in International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships (1999-2011) in hot environments (>25 °C) with those in cooler temperate conditions (<25 °C). Athletes in endurance events performed worse in hot conditions (~3 % reduction in performance, Cohen's d > 0.8; large impairment), while in contrast, performance in short-duration sprint events was augmented in the heat compared with temperate conditions (~1 % improvement, Cohen's d > 0.8; large performance gain). As endurance events were identified as compromised by the heat, we evaluated common short-term heat acclimation (≤7 days, STHA) and medium-term heat acclimation (8-14 days, MTHA) protocols. This process identified beneficial effects of heat acclimation on performance using both STHA (2.4 ± 3.5 %) and MTHA protocols (10.2 ± 14.0 %). These effects were differentially greater for MTHA, which also demonstrated larger reductions in both endpoint exercise heart rate (STHA: -3.5 ± 1.8 % vs MTHA: -7.0 ± 1.9 %) and endpoint core temperature (STHA: -0.7 ± 0.7 % vs -0.8 ± 0.3 %). It appears that worthwhile acclimation is achievable for endurance athletes via both short-and medium-length protocols but more is gained using MTHA. Conversely, it is also conceivable that heat acclimation may be counterproductive for sprinters. As high-performance athletes are often time-poor, shorter duration protocols may

Comparison of Echocardiographic Measurements Before and After Short and Long Duration Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fritsch-Yelle, Janice M.; South, Donna A.; Wood, Margie L.; Bungo, Michael W.

2000-01-01

Previous echocardiography studies in astronauts before and after short duration (4 - 17 days) missions have demonstrated a decrease in resting left ventricular (LV) stroke volume (SV), but maintained ejection fraction (EF) and cardiac output. Similar studies before and after long duration (129 - 144 days) spaceflight have been rare and their overall results equivocal. The purpose of this work was to compare the echocardiographic measurements (M-mode, 2-D and Doppler) from short duration (n = 13) and long duration (n = 4) crewmembers. Compared to short duration astronauts, long duration crewmembers had a significantly greater percent decrease in EF (+6+/-0.02 vs.-10.5+/-0.03, p = 0.005) and percent fractional shortening (+7+/-0.03 vs. -11+/-0.07, p = 0.0 15), and an increase in LV end systolic volume (-12+/-0.06 vs. +39+/-0.24, p = 0.011). These data suggest a reduction in cardiac function that relates to mission duration. As the changes in blood pressure and circulating blood volume (9% - 12%) are reported to be similar after short and long duration flights, the drop in EF after longer spaceflights is likely due to a decrease in cardiac function rather than altered blood volume.

Short-term environmental enrichment exposure induces proliferation and maturation of doublecortin-positive cells in the prefrontal cortex

PubMed Central

Fan, Chunling; Zhang, Mengqi; Shang, Lei; Cynthia, Ngobe Akume; Li, Zhi; Yang, Zhenyu; Chen, Dan; Huang, Jufang; Xiong, Kun

2014-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that doublecortin-positive immature neurons exist predominantly in the superficial layer of the cerebral cortex of adult mammals such as guinea pigs, and these neurons exhibit very weak properties of self-proliferation during adulthood under physiological conditions. To verify whether environmental enrichment has an impact on the proliferation and maturation of these immature neurons in the prefrontal cortex of adult guinea pigs, healthy adult guinea pigs were subjected to short-term environmental enrichment. Animals were allowed to play with various cognitive and physical stimulating objects over a period of 2 weeks, twice per day, for 60 minutes each. Immunofluorescence staining results indicated that the number of doublecortin-positive cells in layer II of the prefrontal cortex was significantly increased after short-term environmental enrichment exposure. In addition, these doublecortin-positive cells co-expressed 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (a marker of cell proliferation), c-Fos (a marker of cell viability) and NeuN (a marker of mature neurons). Experimental findings showed that short-term environmental enrichment can induce proliferation, activation and maturation of doublecortin-positive cells in layer II of the prefrontal cortex of adult guinea pigs. PMID:25206818

Marked exacerbation of orthostatic intolerance after long- vs. short-duration spaceflight in veteran astronauts.

PubMed

Meck, J V; Reyes, C J; Perez, S A; Goldberger, A L; Ziegler, M G

2001-01-01

The incidence of postflight orthostatic intolerance after short-duration spaceflight is about 20%. However, the incidence after long-duration spaceflight was unknown. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that orthostatic intolerance is more severe after long-duration than after short-duration flight. We performed tilt tests on six astronauts before and after long-duration (129-190 days) spaceflights and compared these data with data obtained during stand tests before and after previous short-duration missions. Five of the six astronauts studied became presyncopal during tilt testing after long-duration flights. Only one had become presyncopal during stand testing after short-duration flights. We also compared the long-duration flight tilt test data to tilt test data from 20 different astronauts who flew on the short-duration Shuttle missions that delivered and recovered the astronauts to and from the Mir Space Station. Five of these 20 astronauts became presyncopal on landing day. Heart rate responses to tilt were no different between astronauts on long-duration flights and astronauts on short-duration flights, but long-duration subjects had lower stroke volumes and cardiac outputs than short-duration presyncopal subjects, suggesting a possible decrease in cardiac contractile function. One subject had subnormal norepinephrine release with upright posture after the long flight but not after the short flight. Plasma volume losses were not greater after long flights. Long-duration spaceflight markedly increases orthostatic intolerance, probably with multiple contributing factors.

Short-term Lost Productivity per Victim: Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Violence, or Stalking.

PubMed

Peterson, Cora; Liu, Yang; Kresnow, Marcie-Jo; Florence, Curtis; Merrick, Melissa T; DeGue, Sarah; Lokey, Colby N

2018-07-01

The purpose of this study is to estimate victims' lifetime short-term lost productivity because of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking. U.S. nationally representative data from the 2012 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey were used to estimate a regression-adjusted average per victim (female and male) and total population number of cumulative short-term lost work and school days (or lost productivity) because of victimizations over victims' lifetimes. Victims' lost productivity was valued using a U.S. daily production estimate. Analysis was conducted in 2017. Non-institutionalized adults with some lifetime exposure to intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or stalking (n=6,718 respondents; survey-weighted n=130,795,789) reported nearly 741 million lost productive days because of victimizations by an average of 2.5 perpetrators per victim. The adjusted per victim average was 4.9 (95% CI=3.9, 5.9) days, controlling for victim, perpetrator, and violence type factors. The estimated societal cost of this short-term lost productivity was $730 per victim, or $110 billion across the lifetimes of all victims (2016 USD). Factors associated with victims having a higher number of lost days included a higher number of perpetrators and being female, as well as sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking victimization by an intimate partner perpetrator, stalking victimization by an acquaintance perpetrator, and sexual violence or stalking victimization by a family member perpetrator. Short-term lost productivity represents a minimum economic valuation of the immediate negative effects of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. Victims' lost productivity affects family members, colleagues, and employers. Published by Elsevier Inc.

45,X/47,XXX Mosaicism and Short Stature.

PubMed

Everest, Erica; Tsilianidis, Laurie A; Haider, Anzar; Rogers, Douglas G; Raissouni, Nouhad; Schweiger, Bahareh

2015-01-01

We describe the case of a ten-year-old girl with short stature and 45,X/47,XXX genotype. She also suffered from vesicoureteric reflux and kidney dysfunction prior to having surgery on her ureters. Otherwise, she does not have any of the characteristics of Turner nor Triple X syndrome. It has been shown that this mosaic condition as well as other varieties creates a milder phenotype than typical Turner syndrome, which is what we mostly see in our patient. However, this patient is a special case, because she is exceptionally short. Overall, one cannot predict the resultant phenotype in these mosaic conditions. This creates difficulty in counseling parents whose children or fetuses have these karyotypes.

45,X/47,XXX Mosaicism and Short Stature

PubMed Central

Tsilianidis, Laurie A.; Haider, Anzar; Rogers, Douglas G.; Schweiger, Bahareh

2015-01-01

We describe the case of a ten-year-old girl with short stature and 45,X/47,XXX genotype. She also suffered from vesicoureteric reflux and kidney dysfunction prior to having surgery on her ureters. Otherwise, she does not have any of the characteristics of Turner nor Triple X syndrome. It has been shown that this mosaic condition as well as other varieties creates a milder phenotype than typical Turner syndrome, which is what we mostly see in our patient. However, this patient is a special case, because she is exceptionally short. Overall, one cannot predict the resultant phenotype in these mosaic conditions. This creates difficulty in counseling parents whose children or fetuses have these karyotypes. PMID:26137340

The reliability of the quantitative timed up and go test (QTUG) measured over five consecutive days under single and dual-task conditions in community dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Smith, Erin; Walsh, Lorcan; Doyle, Julie; Greene, Barry; Blake, Catherine

2016-01-01

The timed up and go (TUG) test is a commonly used assessment in older people with variations including the addition of a motor or cognitive dual-task, however in high functioning older adults it is more difficult to assess change. The quantified TUG (QTUG) uses inertial sensors to detect test and gait parameters during the test. If it is to be used in the longitudinal assessment of older adults, it is important that we know which parameters are reliable and under which conditions. This study aims to examine the relative reliability of the QTUG over five consecutive days under single, motor and cognitive dual-task conditions. Twelve community dwelling older adults (10 females, mean age 74.17 (3.88)) performed the QTUG under three conditions for five consecutive days. The relative reliability of each of the gait parameters was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC 3,1) and standard error of measurement (SEM). Five of the measures demonstrated excellent reliability (ICC>0.70) under all three conditions (time to complete test, walk time, number of gait cycles, number of steps and return from turn time). Measures of variability and turn derived parameters demonstrated weak reliability under all three conditions (ICC=0.05-0.49). For the most reliable parameters under single-task conditions, the addition of a cognitive task resulted in a reduction in reliability suggesting caution when interpreting results under these conditions. Certain sensor derived parameters during the QTUG test may provide an additional resource in the longitudinal assessment of older people and earlier identification of falls risk. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Search for Short-term Variability of EGRET Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallace, P. M.; Griffis, N. J.; Bertsch, D. L.; Hartman, R. C.; Thompson, D. J.; Kniffen, D. A.; Bloom, S. D.

2000-01-01

The 3rd EGRET Catalog of High-energy Gamma-ray Sources contains 170 unidentified sources, and there is great interest in the nature of these sources. One means of determining source class is the study of flux variability on time scales of days; pulsars are believed to be stable on these time scales while blazers are known to be highly variable. In addition, previous work has demonstrated that 3EG J0241-6103 and 3EG J1837-0606 are candidates for a new gamma-ray source class. These sources near the Galactic plane display transient behavior but cannot be associated with any known blazers. Although, many instances of flaring AGN have been reported, the EGRET database has not been systematically searched for occurrences of short-timescale (approximately 1 day) variability. These considerations have led us to conduct a systematic search for short-term variability in EGRET data, covering all viewing periods through proposal cycle 4. Six 3EG catalog sources are reported here to display variability on short time scales; four of them are unidentified. In addition, three non-catalog variable sources are discussed.

Differential gene expression of human chondrocytes cultured under short-term altered gravity conditions during parabolic flight maneuvers.

PubMed

Wehland, Markus; Aleshcheva, Ganna; Schulz, Herbert; Saar, Katrin; Hübner, Norbert; Hemmersbach, Ruth; Braun, Markus; Ma, Xiao; Frett, Timo; Warnke, Elisabeth; Riwaldt, Stefan; Pietsch, Jessica; Corydon, Thomas Juhl; Infanger, Manfred; Grimm, Daniela

2015-03-20

Chondrocytes are the main cellular component of articular cartilage. In healthy tissue, they are embedded in a strong but elastic extracelluar matrix providing resistance against mechanical forces and friction for the joints. Osteoarthritic cartilage, however, disrupted by heavy strain, has only very limited potential to heal. One future possibility to replace damaged cartilage might be the scaffold-free growth of chondrocytes in microgravity to form 3D aggregates. To prepare for this, we have conducted experiments during the 20th DLR parabolic flight campaign, where we fixed the cells after the first (1P) and the 31st parabola (31P). Furthermore, we subjected chondrocytes to isolated vibration and hypergravity conditions. Microarray and quantitative real time PCR analyses revealed that hypergravity regulated genes connected to cartilage integrity (BMP4, MMP3, MMP10, EDN1, WNT5A, BIRC3). Vibration was clearly detrimental to cartilage (upregulated inflammatory IL6 and IL8, downregulated growth factors EGF, VEGF, FGF17). The viability of the cells was not affected by the parabolic flight, but showed a significantly increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes after 31 parabolas. The IL-6 release of chondrocytes cultured under conditions of vibration was not changed, but hypergravity (1.8 g) induced a clear elevation of IL-6 protein in the supernatant compared with corresponding control samples. Taken together, this study provided new insights into the growth behavior of chondrocytes under short-term microgravity.

Water requirements of canine athletes during multi-day exercise.

PubMed

Stephens-Brown, Lara; Davis, Michael

2018-03-23

Exercise increases water requirements, but there is little information regarding water loss in dogs performing multi-day exercise OBJECTIVES: Quantify the daily water turnover of working dogs during multi-day exercise and establish the suitability of SC administration of tracer to determine water turnover. Fifteen privately owned Labrador retrievers trained for explosive detection duties and 16 privately owned Alaskan Huskies conditioned for mid-distance racing. All dogs received 0.3 g D 2 O/kg body weight by IV infusion, gavage, or SC injection before the start of a multi-day exercise challenge. Explosive detection dogs conducted 5 days of simulated off-leash explosive detection activity. Alaskan sled dogs completed a mid-distance stage race totaling 222 km in 2 days. Total body water (TBW) and daily water turnover were calculated using both indicator dilution and elimination regression techniques. Total body water (% of body weight) varied from 60% ± 8.6% in minimally conditioned Labrador retrievers to 74% ± 4.5% in highly conditioned Labrador retrievers. Daily water turnover was as high as 45% of TBW during exercise in cold conditions. There was no effect of sex or speed on daily water turnover. There was good agreement between results calculated using the indicator dilution approach and those calculated using a semilog linear regression approach when indicator isotope was administered IV or SC. Water requirements are influenced primarily by the amount of work done. SC administration of isotope-labeled water offers a simple and accurate alternative method for metabolic studies. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

Use of short-term breath measures to estimate daily methane production by cattle.

PubMed

Velazco, J I; Mayer, D G; Zimmerman, S; Hegarty, R S

2016-01-01

Methods to measure enteric methane (CH4) emissions from individual ruminants in their production environment are required to validate emission inventories and verify mitigation claims. Estimates of daily methane production (DMP) based on consolidated short-term emission measurements are developing, but method verification is required. Two cattle experiments were undertaken to test the hypothesis that DMP estimated by averaging multiple short-term breath measures of methane emission rate did not differ from DMP measured in respiration chambers (RC). Short-term emission rates were obtained from a GreenFeed Emissions Monitoring (GEM) unit, which measured emission rate while cattle consumed a dispensed supplement. In experiment 1 (Expt. 1), four non-lactating cattle (LW=518 kg) were adapted for 18 days then measured for six consecutive periods. Each period consisted of 2 days of ad libitum intake and GEM emission measurement followed by 1 day in the RC. A prototype GEM unit releasing water as an attractant (GEM water) was also evaluated in Expt. 1. Experiment 2 (Expt. 2) was a larger study based on similar design with 10 cattle (LW=365 kg), adapted for 21 days and GEM measurement was extended to 3 days in each of the six periods. In Expt. 1, there was no difference in DMP estimated by the GEM unit relative to the RC (209.7 v. 215.1 g CH(4)/day) and no difference between these methods in methane yield (MY, 22.7 v. 23.7 g CH(4)/kg of dry matter intake, DMI). In Expt. 2, the correlation between GEM and RC measures of DMP and MY were assessed using 95% confidence intervals, with no difference in DMP or MY between methods and high correlations between GEM and RC measures for DMP (r=0.85; 215 v. 198 g CH(4)/day SEM=3.0) and for MY (r=0.60; 23.8 v. 22.1 g CH(4)/kg DMI SEM=0.42). When data from both experiments was combined neither DMP nor MY differed between GEM- and RC-based measures (P>0.05). GEM water-based estimates of DMP and MY were lower than RC and GEM (P<0

Cafeteria diet overfeeding in young male rats impairs the adaptive response to fed/fasted conditions and increases adiposity independent of body weight.

PubMed

Castro, H; Pomar, C A; Picó, C; Sánchez, J; Palou, A

2015-03-01

We analyzed the effects of a short exposure to a cafeteria diet during early infancy in rats on their metabolic response to fed/fasting conditions in key tissues involved in energy homeostasis. Ten-day-old male pups were fed a control or a cafeteria diet for 12 days and then killed under ad libitum feeding conditions or 12 h fasting. The expression of key genes related to energy metabolism in liver, retroperitoneal white adipose tissue (WAT) and hypothalamus were analyzed. Despite no differences in body weight, cafeteria-fed animals had almost double the fat mass of control rats. They also showed higher food intake, higher leptinemia and altered hypothalamic expression of Neuropetide Y, suggesting a dysfunction in the control of food intake. Unlike controls, cafeteria-fed animals did not decrease WAT expression of Pparg, sterol regulatory element binding transcription factor 1 or Cidea under fasting conditions, and displayed lower Pnpla2 expression than controls. In liver, compared with controls, cafeteria animals presented: (i) lower expression of genes related with fatty acid uptake and lipogenesis under ad libitum-fed conditions; (ii) higher expression of fatty acid oxidation-related genes and glucokinase under fasting conditions; (iii) greater expression of leptin and insulin receptors; and higher protein levels of insulin receptor and the pAMPK/AMPK ratio. A short period of exposure to a cafeteria diet in early infancy in rat pups is enough to disturb the metabolic response to fed/fasting conditions in key tissues involved in energy homeostasis, particularly in WAT, and hence induces an exacerbated body fat accumulation and increased metabolic risk, with no apparent effects on body weight.

Little field evidence of direct acute and short-term effects of current pesticides on the grey partridge.

PubMed

Millot, Florian; Berny, Philippe; Decors, Anouk; Bro, Elisabeth

2015-07-01

Direct lethal and sublethal effects of pesticides on farmland birds' populations are recurring questions and largely debated. In this context, we conducted an innovative study combining radiotelemetry, farmer surveys, residue analyses on carcasses and modelling to assess the unintentional effects of pesticides on terrestrial birds. We chose the grey partridge Perdix perdix as a case study because this typical bird of European cereal ecosystems is highly exposed to pesticides. In this paper we focused on acute and short-term impacts of pesticides on adult mortality during spring and summer in a one-substance approach (multiple exposure were not studied here) but for a large variety of active substances (a.s.) actually used in cultivated farmland of Northern France. The fate and the location of 529 partridges were monitored twice a day from early March to late August 2010 and 2011 on 12 sites (14,500 ha). Their daily potential exposure to 183 a.s. was determined by overlapping birds' habitat use and daily pesticide application data. Based on this procedure, we calculated mortality rates within 10 days following a potential exposure for 157 different a.s.. 5 a.s. were associated with a "10-day mortality rate" higher than 10% but a single one (thiacloprid) is reported to be highly toxic to birds. We recorded 261 mortalities among which 94 carcasses were in suitable condition for residue analyses. We detected at least one a.s in 39.4% of carcasses. However, only 2 mortality cases were attributed to poisoning (carbofuran). Furthermore, modelling results showed that these lethal pesticide-related poisonings decreased the population growth rate by less than 1%. In conclusion, we did not point out important direct acute and short-term effects of pesticides currently used by farmers during the breeding season on the grey partridge. This is discussed with regards to the complexity of potential effects in operational conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights

Response to treatment and interval to surgery after preoperative short-course radiotherapy in rectal cancer.

PubMed

García-Cabezas, Sonia; Rodríguez-Liñán, Milagrosa; Otero-Romero, Ana M; Bueno-Serrano, Carmen M; Gómez-Barbadillo, José; Palacios-Eito, Amalia

2016-10-01

Preoperative short-course radiotherapy with immediate surgery improves local control in patients with rectal cancer. Tumor responses are smaller than those described with radiochemotherapy. Preliminary data associate this lower response to the short period until surgery. The aim of this study is to analyze the response to preoperative short-course radiotherapy and its correlation with the interval to surgery especially analyzing patients with mesorectal fascia involvement. A total of 155 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative radiotherapy (5×5Gy) were retrospectively analyzed. Tumor response in terms of rates of complete pathological response, downstaging, tumor regression grading and status of the circumferential resection margin were quantified. The mean interval from radiotherapy to surgery was 23 days. The rate of complete pathological response was 2.2% and 28% experienced downstaging (stage decreased). No differences between these rates and interval to surgery were detected. Eighty-eight patients had magnetic resonance imaging for staging (in 31 patients the mesorectal fascia was involved).The mean time to surgery in patients with involvement of the fascia and R0 surgery was 27 days and 16 days if R1 (P=.016). The cutoff of 20 days reached the highest probability of achieving a free circumferential resection margin between patients with mesorectal fascia involvement, with no statistically significant differences: RR 3.036 95% CI=(0.691-13.328), P=.06. After preoperative short-course radiotherapy, an interval>20 days enhances the likelihood of achieving a free circumferential resection margin in patients with mesorectal fascia involvement. Copyright © 2016 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Assessment of the use of xerogenic medications for chronic medical and dental conditions among adult day health participants.

PubMed

Lam, Annie; Kiyak, Asuman; Gossett, Allison M; McCormick, Lawrence

2009-10-01

To describe the health conditions, dental problems, and use of xerogenic medications among dental patients in adult day health (ADH) centers. Cross-sectional descriptive study. ADH centers in King County, Washington. ADH clients who were patients of a mobile dental service. Pharmacist-conducted chart reviews and in-person medication reviews with patients. Demographic description, mean numbers of medical and dental problems, medications, xerogenic medications used per subject, and identification of xerogenic medications by therapeutic class. At five sites, 97 patients were interviewed (average age 73.8 +/- 11.8 years, 61% female); ethnicities included: Asian-American (37.1%), Caucasian (30.9%), Russian (29%), and African-American (3%). Mean numbers of chronic health problems, medications, and xerogenic medications per patient were 5.2 +/- 2.7, 10.9 +/- 4.4, and 3.3 +/- 1.8, respectively. Antidepressants were the most commonly used xerogenic medication, followed by antipsychotics, antiemetics, analgesics, and antihistamines. Among 74 patients who received dental treatment, 33 (44.6%) wore dentures. Among 58 patients with teeth, a mean number of 2.8 dental problems per patient was identified. Dental caries (51.7%) was the most prevalent problem, followed by periodontitis (29.3%), soft tissue lesions (10.3%), gingivitis (5.2%), and candidiasis (3.4%). Multiple systemic diseases, use of multiple xerogenic medications, and poor oral health were prevalent among the ADH clients in this study. However, self-reports of dry mouth were unrelated to number of xerogenic medications or oral conditions. Further research is needed to determine the association between self-reported dry mouth, chronic health conditions, use of xerogenic medications, tooth loss, and/or denture use.

Evaluation of a short food frequency questionnaire used among Norwegian children

PubMed Central

Lillegaard, Inger Therese L.; Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Andersen, Lene Frost

2012-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) against a four-day precoded food diary (PFD) with regard to frequency of food intake among Norwegian 9- and 13-year-olds. Subjects and design A total of 733 9-year-olds and 904 13-year-olds completed first a short FFQ and one to two weeks later a four-day PFD. The short FFQ included questions about 23 food items, including different drinks, fruits, vegetables, bread, fish, pizza, sweets, chocolate and savoury snacks. The PFD covered the whole diet. Results When comparing mean intake from the PFD with comparable food items in the FFQ, all food items showed that increasing intake measured with the PFD corresponded with increasing intake with the short FFQ. However, participants reported a significantly higher frequency of intake for most foods with the short FFQ compared with PFD, except for soft drinks with sugar and sweets. The median Spearman correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.36 among the 9-year-olds and 0.32 among the 13-year-olds. Often eaten foods such as fruits and vegetables had higher correlations than seldom eaten foods such as pizza and potato chips. The median correlation coefficients for drinks alone were higher (r=0.47) for both age groups. Conclusions Results indicate that the short FFQ was able to identify high and low consumers of food intake and had a moderate capability to rank individuals according to food intake. Drinks, fruits and vegetables had better correlations with the PFD than infrequently eaten food items. PMID:22259597

Risk factors and prediction of very short term versus short/intermediate term post-stroke mortality: a data mining approach.

PubMed

Easton, Jonathan F; Stephens, Christopher R; Angelova, Maia

2014-11-01

Data mining and knowledge discovery as an approach to examining medical data can limit some of the inherent bias in the hypothesis assumptions that can be found in traditional clinical data analysis. In this paper we illustrate the benefits of a data mining inspired approach to statistically analysing a bespoke data set, the academic multicentre randomised control trial, U.K Glucose Insulin in Stroke Trial (GIST-UK), with a view to discovering new insights distinct from the original hypotheses of the trial. We consider post-stroke mortality prediction as a function of days since stroke onset, showing that the time scales that best characterise changes in mortality risk are most naturally defined by examination of the mortality curve. We show that certain risk factors differentiate between very short term and intermediate term mortality. In particular, we show that age is highly relevant for intermediate term risk but not for very short or short term mortality. We suggest that this is due to the concept of frailty. Other risk factors are highlighted across a range of variable types including socio-demographics, past medical histories and admission medication. Using the most statistically significant risk factors we build predictive classification models for very short term and short/intermediate term mortality. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Impact of preindustrial to present-day changes in short-lived pollutant emissions on atmospheric composition and climate forcing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naik, Vaishali; Horowitz, Larry W.; Fiore, Arlene M.; Ginoux, Paul; Mao, Jingqiu; Aghedo, Adetutu M.; Levy, Hiram

2013-07-01

We describe and evaluate atmospheric chemistry in the newly developed Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory chemistry-climate model (GFDL AM3) and apply it to investigate the net impact of preindustrial (PI) to present (PD) changes in short-lived pollutant emissions (ozone precursors, sulfur dioxide, and carbonaceous aerosols) and methane concentration on atmospheric composition and climate forcing. The inclusion of online troposphere-stratosphere interactions, gas-aerosol chemistry, and aerosol-cloud interactions (including direct and indirect aerosol radiative effects) in AM3 enables a more complete representation of interactions among short-lived species, and thus their net climate impact, than was considered in previous climate assessments. The base AM3 simulation, driven with observed sea surface temperature (SST) and sea ice cover (SIC) over the period 1981-2007, generally reproduces the observed mean magnitude, spatial distribution, and seasonal cycle of tropospheric ozone and carbon monoxide. The global mean aerosol optical depth in our base simulation is within 5% of satellite measurements over the 1982-2006 time period. We conduct a pair of simulations in which only the short-lived pollutant emissions and methane concentrations are changed from PI (1860) to PD (2000) levels (i.e., SST, SIC, greenhouse gases, and ozone-depleting substances are held at PD levels). From the PI to PD, we find that changes in short-lived pollutant emissions and methane have caused the tropospheric ozone burden to increase by 39% and the global burdens of sulfate, black carbon, and organic carbon to increase by factors of 3, 2.4, and 1.4, respectively. Tropospheric hydroxyl concentration decreases by 7%, showing that increases in OH sinks (methane, carbon monoxide, nonmethane volatile organic compounds, and sulfur dioxide) dominate over sources (ozone and nitrogen oxides) in the model. Combined changes in tropospheric ozone and aerosols cause a net negative top

Same-Day Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria in Positive Blood Culture Broths Using Short-Term Incubation on Solid Medium with the MicroFlex LT, Vitek-MS, and Vitek2 Systems

PubMed Central

Ha, Jihye; Han, Geum Hee; Kim, Myungsook; Lee, Kyungwon

2018-01-01

Background Early and appropriate antibiotic treatment improves the clinical outcome of patients with septicemia; therefore, reducing the turn-around time for identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results is essential. We established a method for rapid ID and AST using short-term incubation of positive blood culture broth samples on solid media, and evaluated its performance relative to that of the conventional method using two rapid ID systems and a rapid AST method. Methods A total of 254 mono-microbial samples were included. Positive blood culture samples were incubated on blood agar plates for six hours and identified by the MicroFlex LT (Bruker Daltonics) and Vitek-MS (bioMeriéux) systems, followed by AST using the Vitek2 System (bioMeriéux). Results The correct species-level ID rates were 82.3% (209/254) and 78.3% (199/254) for the MicroFlex LT and Vitek-MS platforms, respectively. For the 1,174 microorganism/antimicrobial agent combinations tested, the rapid AST method showed total concordance of 97.8% (1,148/1,174) with the conventional method, with a very major error rate of 0.5%, major error rate of 0.7%, and minor error rate of 1.0%. Conclusions Routine implementation of this short-term incubation method could provide ID results on the day of blood culture-positivity detection and one day earlier than the conventional AST method. This simple method will be very useful for rapid ID and AST of bacteria from positive blood culture bottles in routine clinical practice. PMID:29401558

Same-Day Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Bacteria in Positive Blood Culture Broths Using Short-Term Incubation on Solid Medium with the MicroFlex LT, Vitek-MS, and Vitek2 Systems.

PubMed

Ha, Jihye; Hong, Sung Kuk; Han, Geum Hee; Kim, Myungsook; Yong, Dongeun; Lee, Kyungwon

2018-05-01

Early and appropriate antibiotic treatment improves the clinical outcome of patients with septicemia; therefore, reducing the turn-around time for identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) results is essential. We established a method for rapid ID and AST using short-term incubation of positive blood culture broth samples on solid media, and evaluated its performance relative to that of the conventional method using two rapid ID systems and a rapid AST method. A total of 254 mono-microbial samples were included. Positive blood culture samples were incubated on blood agar plates for six hours and identified by the MicroFlex LT (Bruker Daltonics) and Vitek-MS (bioMeriéux) systems, followed by AST using the Vitek2 System (bioMeriéux). The correct species-level ID rates were 82.3% (209/254) and 78.3% (199/254) for the MicroFlex LT and Vitek-MS platforms, respectively. For the 1,174 microorganism/antimicrobial agent combinations tested, the rapid AST method showed total concordance of 97.8% (1,148/1,174) with the conventional method, with a very major error rate of 0.5%, major error rate of 0.7%, and minor error rate of 1.0%. Routine implementation of this short-term incubation method could provide ID results on the day of blood culture-positivity detection and one day earlier than the conventional AST method. This simple method will be very useful for rapid ID and AST of bacteria from positive blood culture bottles in routine clinical practice. © The Korean Society for Laboratory Medicine

Short- and long-term cognitive effects of chronic cannabinoids administration in late-adolescence rats.

PubMed

Abush, Hila; Akirav, Irit

2012-01-01

The use of cannabis can impair cognitive function, especially short-term memory. A controversial question is whether long-term cannabis use during the late-adolescence period can cause irreversible deficits in higher brain function that persist after drug use stops. In order to examine the short- and long-term effects of chronic exposure to cannabinoids, rats were administered chronic i.p. treatment with the CB1/CB2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2 (WIN; 1.2 mg/kg) for two weeks during the late adolescence period (post-natal days 45-60) and tested for behavioral and electrophysiological measures of cognitive performance 24 hrs, 10 and 30 days after the last drug injection. The impairing effects of chronic WIN on short-term memory in the water maze and the object recognition tasks as well as long-term potentiation (LTP) in the ventral subiculum (vSub)-nucleus accumbens (NAc) pathway were temporary as they lasted only 24 h or 10 d after withdrawal. However, chronic WIN significantly impaired hippocampal dependent short-term memory measured in the object location task 24 hrs, 10, 30, and 75 days after the last drug injection. Our findings suggest that some forms of hippocampal-dependent short-term memory are sensitive to chronic cannabinoid administration but other cognitive impairments are temporary and probably result from a residue of cannabinoids in the brain or acute withdrawal effects from cannabinoids. Understanding the effects of cannabinoids on cognitive function may provide us with tools to overcome these impairments and for cannabinoids to be more favorably considered for clinical use.

Does the stress response predict the ability of wild birds to adjust to short-term captivity? A study of the rock pigeon (Columbia livia)

PubMed Central

Parenteau, Charline; Trouvé, Colette; Angelier, Nicole

2016-01-01

Although the transfer of wild animals to captivity is crucial for conservation purposes, this process is often challenging because some species or individuals do not adjust well to captive conditions. Chronic stress has been identified as a major concern for animals held on long-term captivity. Surprisingly, the first hours or days of captivity have been relatively overlooked. However, they are certainly very stressful, because individuals are being transferred to a totally novel and confined environment. To ensure the success of conservation programmes, it appears crucial to better understand the proximate causes of interspecific and interindividual variability in the sensitivity to these first hours of captivity. In that respect, the study of stress hormones is relevant, because the hormonal stress response may help to assess whether specific individuals or species adjust, or not, to such captive conditions (‘the stress response-adjustment to captivity hypothesis’). We tested this hypothesis in rock pigeons by measuring their corticosterone stress response and their ability to adjust to short-term captivity (body mass loss and circulating corticosterone levels after a day of captivity). We showed that an increased corticosterone stress response is associated with a lower ability to adjust to short-term captivity (i.e. higher body mass loss and circulating corticosterone levels). Our study suggests, therefore, that a low physiological sensitivity to stress may be beneficial for adjusting to captivity. Future studies should now explore whether the stress response can be useful to predict the ability of individuals from different populations or species to not only adjust to short-term but also long-term captivity. PMID:28083117

Newly diagnosed and previously known diabetes mellitus and short-term outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Tian, Li; Wei, Chang; Zhu, Jun; Liu, Lisheng; Liang, Yan; Li, Jiandong; Yang, Yanmin

2013-12-01

The prognostic value of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the long-term outcomes of patients after myocardial infarction has been well established. The correlation between DM, including newly diagnosed DM, and short-term outcomes needs to be validated. A total of 5410 ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with typical chest pain onset in the past 12 h were enrolled. Follow-ups were carried out on days 7 and 30 after hospital admission. According to 2013 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes, the study population was stratified into the following three groups: no diabetes, newly diagnosed diabetes, and previously known diabetes. The primary outcomes of our study were mortality from all causes and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at days 7 and 30. Patients with previously known diabetes were older and had a higher incidence of previous history of cardiovascular disease compared with the other groups. The 7-day and 30-day mortality was similar between patients without DM and patients with newly diagnosed DM. For both groups, this was significantly lower than that in patients with DM. Similar results were observed for 7-day and 30-day MACE. Multivariable Cox regression analysis indicated that newly diagnosed diabetes did not correlate with 30-day MACE (hazard ratio, 0.901; 95% confidence interval, 0.759-1.069), but that previously known DM correlated with short-term MACE (hazard ratio, 1.211; 95% confidence interval, 1.009-1.453). Previously known DM, but not newly diagnosed DM, was an independent predictor for short-term MACE in patients with STEMI. To reduce the incidence of short-term MACE and the detrimental effects of stress hyperglycemia after STEMI, intensive insulin therapy should be provided to diabetic patients with STEMI.

Las Tres Comidas del Dia (The Three Meals of the Day).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olais, Niltza M.

A sixteen line poem in Spanish provides the text of this short booklet on the three meals of the day. Designed for use as supplementary reading materials for the elementary grade Spanish speaking child, the booklet was developed by students in the Bilingual Teacher Aide Program at Mesa Community College. Content and language have been controlled…

Short-term intravenous citalopram augmentation in partial/nonresponders with major depression: a randomized placebo-controlled study.

PubMed

Altamura, Alfredo Carlo; Dell'Osso, Bernardo; Buoli, Massimiliano; Bosi, Monica; Mundo, Emanuela

2008-07-01

Approximately 30-45% of patients with major depressive episode (MDE) do not fully respond to standard recommended treatments and further strategies of intervention, including pharmacological augmentation, have been proposed for these patients. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of short-term, low-dose (10 mg/day) intravenous (i.v.) citalopram augmentation versus placebo in a sample of patients with MDE and partial or no response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Thirty-six patients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th edition, text revision criteria MDE and partial or no response to oral SSRIs were selected and randomly assigned to citalopram (n=18) or to placebo (n=18) i.v. augmentation. The augmentation regimen lasted 5 consecutive days during which the patients were maintained on their current treatment with oral SSRIs. Analyses of variance with repeated measures on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total scores, administered daily with blind-raters conditions, were done. With regard to the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale total scores, a significant time effect (F=42.02, P<0.0001) and timextreatment effect (F=21.17, P<0.0001) were found in favor of citalopram. Similar results were obtained from the analysis on Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale total scores: time effect (F=50.07, P<0.0001), timextreatment effect (F=19.91, P<0.0001), and treatment effect (F=4.07, P=0.05). Even though referred to a small sample, the present findings seem to suggest that short-term, low-dose, i.v. citalopram augmentation may be effective in depressed patients with partial or no response to oral SSRIs. Further controlled studies performed with double-blind conditions are warranted to confirm the present results.

The Association Between Unhealthy Alcohol Use and Acute Care Expenditures in the 30 Days Following Hospital Discharge Among Older Veterans Affairs Patients with a Medical Condition.

PubMed

Chavez, Laura J; Liu, Chuan-Fen; Tefft, Nathan; Hebert, Paul L; Devine, Beth; Bradley, Katharine A

2017-10-01

Hospital readmissions and emergency department (ED) visits within 30 days of discharge are costly. Heavy alcohol use could predict increased risk for post-discharge acute care. This study assessed 30-day acute care utilization and expenditures for different categories of alcohol use. Veterans Affairs (VA) patients age ≥65 years with past-year alcohol screening, hospitalized for a medical condition, were included. VA and Medicare health care utilization data were used. Two-part models adjusted for patient demographics. Among 416,050 hospitalized patients, 25% had 30-day acute care use. Nondrinking patients (n = 267,746) had increased probability of acute care use, mean utilization days, and expenditures (difference of $345; 95% CI $268-$423), relative to low-risk drinkers (n = 105,023). High-risk drinking patients (n = 5,300) had increased probability of acute care use and mean utilization days, but not expenditures. Although these patients did not have greater acute care expenditures than low-risk drinking patients, they may nevertheless be vulnerable to poor post-discharge outcomes.

Effect of Different Elicitors and Preharvest Day Application on the Content of Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity of Butterhead Lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. capitata) Produced under Hydroponic Conditions.

PubMed

Moreno-Escamilla, Jesús Omar; Alvarez-Parrilla, Emilio; de la Rosa, Laura A; Núñez-Gastélum, José Alberto; González-Aguilar, Gustavo A; Rodrigo-García, Joaquín

2017-07-05

The effect of four elicitors on phytochemical content in two varieties of lettuce was evaluated. The best preharvest day for application of each elicitor was chosen. Solutions of arachidonic acid (AA), salicylic acid (SA), methyl jasmonate (MJ), and Harpin protein (HP) were applied by foliar aspersion on lettuce leaves while cultivating under hydroponic conditions. Application of elicitors was done at 15, 7, 5, 3, or 1 day before harvest. Green lettuce showed the highest increase in phytochemical content when elicitors (AA, SA, and HP) were applied on day 7 before harvest. Similarly, antioxidant activity rose in all treatments on day 7. In red lettuce, the highest content of bioactive molecules occurred in samples treated on day 15. AA, SA, and HP were the elicitors with the highest effect on phytochemical content for both varieties, mainly on polyphenol content. Antioxidant activity also increased in response to elicitation. HPLC-MS showed an increase in the content of phenolic acids in green and red lettuce, especially after elicitation with SA, suggesting activation of the caffeic acid pathway due to elicitation.

Effects of Short- and Long-Duration Space Flight on Neuromuscular Function

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buxton, Roxanne E.; Spiering, Barry A.; Ryder, Jeffrey W.; Ploutz-Snyder, Lori L.; Bloomberg, Jacob J.

2010-01-01

The Functional Task Tests (FTT) is an interdisciplinary study designed to correlate the changes in functional tasks (such as emergency egress, ladder climbing, and hatch opening) with changes in neuromuscular, cardiovascular, and sensorimotor function. One aspect of the FTT, the neuromuscular function test, is used to investigate the neuromuscular component underlying changes in the ability of astronauts to perform functional tasks (representative of critical mission tasks) safely and quickly after flight. PURPOSE: To describe neuromuscular function after short- and long-duration space flight. METHODS: To date, 5 crewmembers on short-duration (10- to 15-day) missions and 3 on long-duration missions have participated. Crewmembers were assessed 30 days before flight, on landing day (short-duration subjects only) and 1, 6, and 30 days after landing. The interpolated twitch technique, which utilizes a combination of maximal voluntary contractions and electrically evoked contractions, was used to assess the maximal voluntary isometric force (MIF) and central activation capacity of the knee extensors. Leg-press and bench-press devices were used to assess MIF and maximal dynamic power of the lower and upper body respectively. Specifically, power was measured during concentric-only ballistic throws of the leg-press sled and bench-press bar loaded to 40% and 30% of MIF respectively. RESULTS: Data are currently being collected from both Shuttle and ISS crewmembers. Emerging data indicate that measures of knee extensor muscle function are decreased with long-duration flight. DISCUSSION: The relationships between flight duration, neural drive, and muscle performance are of particular interest. Ongoing research will add to the current sample size and will focus on defining changes in muscle performance measures after long-duration space flight.

The effect of zinc supplementation of lactating rats on short-term and long-term memory of their male offspring.

PubMed

Karami, Mohammad; Ehsanivostacolaee, Simin; Moazedi, Ali Ahmad; Nosrati, Anahita

2013-01-01

In this study the effect of zinc chloride (ZnCl2) administration on the short-term and long-term memory of rats were assessed. We enrolled six groups of adult female and control group of eight Wistar rats in each group. One group was control group with free access to food and water, and five groups drunk zinc chloride in different doses (20, 30, 50, 70 and 100 mg/kg/day) in drinking water for two weeks during lactation .One month after birth, a shuttle box used to short- term and long-term memory and the latency in entering the dark chamber as well. This experiment showed that maternal 70 mg/kg dietary zinc during lactation influenced the working memory of rats' offspring in all groups. Rats received 100 mg/kg/day zinc during lactation so they had significant impairment in working memory (short-term) of their offspring (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in reference (long-term) memory of all groups. Drug consumption below70 mg/kg/day zinc chloride during lactation had no effect. While enhanced 100 mg/ kg/ day zinc in lactating rats could cause short-term memory impairment.

Universal versus conditional day 3 follow-up for children with non-severe unclassified fever at the community level in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A cluster-randomized, community-based non-inferiority trial.

PubMed

Mullany, Luke C; van Boetzelaer, Elburg W; Gutman, Julie R; Steinhardt, Laura C; Ngoy, Pascal; Barbera Lainez, Yolanda; Wittcoff, Alison; Harvey, Steven A; Ho, Lara S

2018-04-01

The World Health Organization's integrated community case management (iCCM) guidelines recommend that all children presenting with uncomplicated fever and no danger signs return for follow-up on day 3 following the initial consultation on day 1. Such fevers often resolve rapidly, however, and previous studies suggest that expectant home care for uncomplicated fever can be safely recommended. We aimed to determine if a conditional follow-up visit was non-inferior to a universal follow-up visit for these children. We conducted a cluster-randomized, community-based non-inferiority trial among children 2-59 months old presenting to community health workers (CHWs) with non-severe unclassified fever in Tanganyika Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Clusters (n = 28) of CHWs were randomized to advise caregivers to either (1) return for a follow-up visit on day 3 following the initial consultation on day 1, regardless of illness resolution (as per current WHO guidelines; universal follow-up group) or (2) return for a follow-up visit on day 3 only if illness continued (conditional follow-up group). Children in both arms were assessed again at day 8, and classified as a clinical failure if fever (caregiver-reported), malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, or decline of health status (development of danger signs, hospitalization, or death) was noted (failure definition 1). Alternative failure definitions were examined, whereby caregiver-reported fever was first restricted to caregiver-reported fever of at least 3 days (failure definition 2) and then replaced with fever measured via axillary temperature (failure definition 3). Study participants, providers, and investigators were not masked. Among 4,434 enrolled children, 4,141 (93.4%) met the per-protocol definition of receipt of the arm-specific advice from the CHW and a timely day 8 assessment (universal follow-up group: 2,210; conditional follow-up group: 1,931). Failure was similar (difference: -0.7%) in the conditional

Seeking behavior, place conditioning, and resistance to conditioned suppression of feeding in rats intermittently exposed to palatable food.

PubMed

Velázquez-Sánchez, Clara; Santos, Jeffrey W; Smith, Karen L; Ferragud, Antonio; Sabino, Valentina; Cottone, Pietro

2015-04-01

Binge eating disorder is characterized by excessive consumption of highly palatable food within short periods of time accompanied by loss of control over eating. Extensive evidence provides support for the consideration of binge eating disorder as an addiction-like disorder. In this study, we wanted to determine whether rats undergoing an operant binge-like eating procedure could develop maladaptive forms of conditioned feeding behaviors. For this purpose, we trained male rats to self-administer either a sugary, highly palatable diet ("Palatable" rats) or a chow diet ("Chow" rats) for 1 hour a day. After escalation and stabilization of palatable food intake, we tested Chow and Palatable rats in (a) a conditioned place preference test, (b) a second-order schedule of reinforcement, (c) a cue-induced suppression of feeding test. In the conditioned place preference task, Palatable rats spent significantly more time in the compartment that was previously paired with the palatable food, compared to Chow controls. Furthermore, in the second-order schedule of reinforcement task, Palatable rats exhibited active lever responding 4- to 6-fold higher than Chow control rats. Finally, in the cue-induced suppression of feeding test, although Chow control subjects reduced responding by 32% in the presence of the conditioned punishment, Palatable rats persevered in responding despite the aversive cue. These results further characterize this animal model of binge-like eating and provide additional evidence for the addictive properties of highly palatable food. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations of Short Sleep and Shift Work Status with Hypertension among Black and White Americans

PubMed Central

Ceïde, Mirnova E.; Pandey, Abhishek; Ravenell, Joe; Donat, Margaret; Ogedegbe, Gbenga; Jean-Louis, Girardin

2015-01-01

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether short sleepers (<6 hrs) who worked the non-day-shift were at greater likelihood of reporting hypertension and if these associations varied by individuals' ethnicity. Methods. Analysis was based on the 2010 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). A total of 59,199 American adults provided valid data for the present analyses (mean age = 46.2 ± 17.7 years; 51.5% were female). Respondents provided work schedule and estimated habitual sleep durations as well as self-report of chronic conditions. Results. Of the sample, 30.8% reported a diagnosis of hypertension, 79.1% reported daytime shift work, 11.0% reported rotating shift work, and 4.0% reported night shift work. Logistic regression analysis showed that shift work was significantly associated with hypertension among Blacks [OR = 1.35, CI: 1.06–1.72. P < 0.05], but not among Whites [OR = 1.01, CI: 0.85–1.20, NS]. Black shift workers sleeping less than 6 hours had significantly increased odds of reporting hypertension [OR = 1.81, CI: 1.29–2.54, P < 0.01], while their White counterparts did not [OR = 1.17, CI: 0.90–1.52, NS]. Conclusions. Findings suggest that Black Americans working the non-day-shift especially with short sleep duration have increased odds of reporting hypertension. PMID:26495140

Psychosocial short stature with psychosis: a case report.

PubMed

Wattchow, Naomi; Lee, Hsu-En; Brock, Philip

2015-02-01

Our objective was to report and describe a case of psychosocial short stature in an adolescent girl with psychotic features. Psychosocial short stature is a rare condition in which emotional stress or deprivation in childhood profoundly reduces growth, leading to persistent short stature. This disorder is variably known as psychosocial dwarfism, hyperphagic short stature or maternal deprivation dwarfism. In the literature, psychosocial short stature has not been associated previously with psychosis. We formulate that our patient's short stature, developmental regression and psychotic features were culminations of insecure mother-child attachment, personal traumatic experiences, immigrant status, high family expressed emotions and social isolation. Neuropsychiatric influences were critically regarded due to our patient's fluctuations in behaviour and affect, in the setting of cortical volume loss on brain MRI. Diagnostic hypotheses included childhood disintegrative disorder or childhood-onset schizophrenia. The management plan involved inpatient family psychoeducation, a pharmacological trial with an atypical antipsychotic and community mental health service follow-up for family therapy and psychotherapy. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

Biodiesel production from triolein and short chain alcohols through biocatalysis.

PubMed

Salis, Andrea; Pinna, Marcella; Monduzzi, Maura; Solinas, Vincenzo

2005-09-29

Oleic acid alkyl esters (biodiesel) were synthesised by biocatalysis in solvent-free conditions. Different commercial immobilised lipases, namely Candida antarctica B, Rizhomucor miehei, and Pseudomonas cepacia, were tested towards the reaction between triolein and butanol to produce butyl oleate. Pseudomonas cepacia lipase resulted to be the most active enzyme reaching 100% of conversion after 6h. Different operative conditions such as reaction temperature, water activity, and reagent stoichiometric ratio were investigated and optimised. These conditions were then used to investigate the effect of linear and branched short chain alcohols. Methanol and 2-butanol were the worst alcohols: the former, probably, due to its low miscibility with the oil and the latter because secondary alcohols usually are less reactive than primary alcohols. Conversely, linear and branched primary alcohols with short alkyl chains (C(2)--C(4)) showed high reaction rate and conversion. A mixture of linear and branched short chain alcohols that mimics the residual of ethanol distillation (fusel oil) was successfully used for oleic acid ester synthesis. These compounds are important in biodiesel mixtures since they improve low temperature properties.

Space Shuttle Day-of-Launch Trajectory Design and Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harrington, Brian E.

2010-01-01

A top priority of any launch vehicle is to insert as much mass into the desired orbit as possible. This requirement must be traded against vehicle capability in terms of dynamic control, thermal constraints, and structural margins. The vehicle is certified to a specific structural envelope which will yield certain performance characteristics of mass to orbit. Some envelopes cannot be certified generically and must be checked with each mission design. The most sensitive envelopes require an assessment on the day-of-launch. To further minimize vehicle loads while maximizing vehicle performance, a day-of-launch trajectory can be designed. This design is optimized according to that day s wind and atmospheric conditions, which will increase the probability of launch. The day-of-launch trajectory verification is critical to the vehicle's safety. The Day-Of-Launch I-Load Uplink (DOLILU) is the process by which the Space Shuttle Program redesigns the vehicle steering commands to fit that day's environmental conditions and then rigorously verifies the integrated vehicle trajectory's loads, controls, and performance. The Shuttle methodology is very similar to other United States unmanned launch vehicles. By extension, this method would be similar to the methods employed for any future NASA launch vehicles. This presentation will provide an overview of the Shuttle's day-of-launch trajectory optimization and verification as an example of a more generic application of dayof- launch design and validation.

How Long is Short?: Principles and Practice in the Delivery of Work Experience in Geography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepherd, Ifan D. H.

1998-01-01

Describes the development and implementation of the "short and thin" model of work experience at the Middlesex University geography program. The work experience program operates during the student's final year and is both "short" (10 weeks) and "thin" (one day a week). Outline the advantages and drawbacks of this…

Short-term effects of splenectomy on serum fibrosis indexes in liver cirrhosis patients.

PubMed

Kong, Degang; Chen, Xiuli; Lu, Shichun; Guo, Qingliang; Lai, Wei; Wu, Jushan; Lin, Dongdong; Zeng, Daobing; Duan, Binwei; Jiang, Tao; Cao, Jilei

2015-01-01

To determine the changing patterns of 4 liver fibrosis markers pre and post splenectomy (combined with pericardial devascularization [PCDV]) and to examine the short-term effects of splenectomy on liver fibrosis. Four liver fibrosis markers of 39 liver cirrhosis patients were examined pre, immediately post, 2 days post, and 1 week post (15 cases) splenectomy (combined with PCDV). The laminin (LN) level decreased immediately post surgery compared with the preoperative LN level (P < 0.05). The type IV collagen level decreased immediately post surgery compared with that pre surgery (P < 0.05), it significantly increased (P < 0.05) 2 days post surgery and significantly decreased 1 week post surgery (P < 0.05). Hyaluronic acid and the procollagen III N-terminal peptide levels increased significantly 2 days post surgery compared with that pre and immediately post surgery, they significantly decreased 1 week post surgery compared to 2 days post surgery (P < 0.05). In the short-term, the 4 liver fibrosis markers and the FibroScans post splenectomy showed characteristic changes, splenectomy may transiently initiate the degradation process of liver fibrosis.

Hippocampal Volume in Healthy Controls Given 3-Day Stress Doses of Hydrocortisone

PubMed Central

Brown, E Sherwood; Jeon-Slaughter, Haekyung; Lu, Hanzhang; Jamadar, Rhoda; Issac, Sruthy; Shad, Mujeeb; Denniston, Daren; Tamminga, Carol; Nakamura, Alyson; Thomas, Binu P

2015-01-01

In animal models, corticosterone elevations are associated with hippocampal changes that can be prevented with phenytoin. In humans, Cushing's syndrome and long-term prescription corticosteroid use are associated with a reduction in the hippocampal volume. However, little is known about the effects of short-term corticosteroid administration on the hippocampus. The current report examines changes in the hippocampal volume during a brief hydrocortisone exposure and whether volumetric changes can be blocked by phenytoin. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subject crossover study was conducted in healthy adults (n=17). Participants received hydrocortisone (160 mg/day)/placebo, phenytoin/placebo, both medications together, or placebo/placebo, with 21-day washouts between the conditions. Structural MRI scans and cortisol levels were obtained following each medication condition. No significant difference in the total brain volume was observed with hydrocortisone. However, hydrocortisone was associated with a significant 1.69% reduction in the total hippocampal volume compared with placebo. Phenytoin blocked the volume reduction associated with hydrocortisone. Reduction in hippocampal volume correlated with the change in cortisol levels (r=−0.58, P=0.03). To our knowledge, this is the first report of structural hippocampal changes with brief corticosteroid exposure. The correlation between the change in hippocampal volume and cortisol level suggests that the volume changes are related to cortisol elevation. Although the findings from this pilot study need replication, they suggest that the reductions in hippocampal volume occur even during brief exposure to corticosteroids, and that hippocampal changes can, as in animal models, be blocked by phenytoin. The results may have implications both for understanding the response of the hippocampus to stress as well as for patients receiving prescription corticosteroids. PMID:25409592

Effects of Short-Term Thermal Alteration on Organic Matter in Experimentally-Heated Tagish Lake Observed by Raman Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chan, Q. H. S.; Nakato, A.; Zolensky, M. E.; Nakamura, T.; Kebukawa, Y.

2007-01-01

Carbonaceous chondrites exhibit a wide range of aqueous and thermal alteration characteristics. Examples of the thermally metamorphosed carbonaceous chondrites (TMCCs) include the C2-ung/CM2TIVs Belgica (B)-7904 and Yamato (Y) 86720. The alteration extent is the most complete in these meteorites and thus they are considered typical end-members of TMCCs exhibiting complete dehydration of matrix phyllosilicates [1, 2]. The estimated heating conditions are 10 to 10(sup 3) days at 700 C to 1 to 100 hours at 890 C, i.e. short-term heating induced by impact and/or solar radiation [3]. The chemical and bulk oxygen isotopic compositions of the matrix of the carbonate (CO3)-poor lithology of the Tagish Lake (hereafter Tag) meteorite bears similarities to these TMCCs [4]. We investigated the experimentally-heated Tag with the use of Raman spectroscopy to understand how short-term heating affects the maturity of insoluble organic matter (IOM) in aqueously altered meteorites.

The feasibility of short term prophylactic antibiotics in gastric cancer surgery.

PubMed

Lee, Jun Suh; Lee, Han Hong; Song, Kyo Young; Park, Cho Hyun; Jeon, Hae Myung

2010-12-01

Most surgeons administer prophylactic antibiotics for 3 to 5 days postoperatively. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guideline recommends antibiotic therapy for 24 hours or less in clean/uncontaminated surgery. Thus, we prospectively studied the use of short term prophylactic antibiotic therapy after gastric cancer surgery. A total of 103 patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery between October 2007 and June 2008 were prospectively enrolled in a short term prophylactic antibiotics program. One gram of cefoxitin was administered 30 minutes before the incision, and one additional gram was administered intraoperatively for cases with an operation time over 3 hours. Postoperatively, one gram was administered 3 times, every 8 hours. Patients were checked routinely for fever. All cases received open surgery, and the surgical wounds were dressed and checked for Surgical Site Infection (SSI) daily. Of the 103 patients, 15 were dropped based on exclusion criteria (severe organ dysfunction, combined resection of the colon, etc). The remaining 88 patients were included in the short-term program of prophylactic antibiotic use. Of these patients, SSIs were detected in 8 (9.1%) and fever after 2 postoperative days was detected in 11 (12.5%). The incidence of SSIs increased with patient age, and postoperative fever correlated with operation time. Short term prophylactic antibiotic usage is feasible in patients who undergo gastric cancer surgery, and where there are no grave comorbidities or combined resection.

Readiness for change and short-term outcomes of female adolescents in residential treatment for anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

McHugh, Matthew D

2007-11-01

To determine if readiness for change (RFC) at admission predicted length of stay (LOS) and short-term outcomes among female adolescents in residential treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN). Using a prospective cohort design to collect data from participants (N = 65) at admission and discharge, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression tested whether RFC on admission predicted time in LOS to a favorable short-term outcome--a composite endpoint based on minimum criteria for weight gain, drive for thinness, depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Participants with low RFC had a mean survival time to a favorable short-term outcome of 59.4 days compared to 34.1 days for those with high RFC (log rank = 8.44, df = 1, p = .003). The probability of a favorable short-term outcome was 5.30 times greater for participants with high RFC. Readiness for change is a useful predictor of a favorable short-term outcome and should be considered in the assessment profile of patients with AN. (c) 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Under "real world" conditions, desflurane increases drug cost without speeding discharge after short ambulatory anesthesia compared to isoflurane.

PubMed

Schwarz, Stephan K W; Butterfield, Noam N; Macleod, Bernard A; Kim, Edward Y; Franciosi, Luigi G; Ries, Craig R

2004-11-01

To compare the measured "real world" perioperative drug cost and recovery associated with desflurane- and isoflurane-based anesthesia in short (less than one hour) ambulatory surgery. We conducted a prospective, randomized, blinded trial with patients undergoing arthroscopic meniscectomy under general anesthesia. Following iv induction, patients received either isoflurane (group I; n = 25) or desflurane (group D; n = 20) for maintenance. The primary outcome variable was total perioperative drug cost per patient in Canadian dollars. Secondary outcome variables included volatile agent consumption and cost, adjuvant anesthetic and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) drug cost, readiness for PACU discharge, and incidence of adverse events. Total perioperative drug cost per patient was 14.58 +/- 6.83 Canadian dollars (mean +/- standard deviation) for group I, and 21.47 +/- 5.18 Canadian dollars for group D (P < 0.001). Isoflurane consumption per patient was 6.0 +/- 3.0 mL compared to 18.6 +/- 7.7 mL for desflurane (P < 0.0001); corresponding costs were 0.83 +/- 0.42 Canadian dollars vs 7.61 +/- 3.15 Canadian dollars (P < 0.0001). There were no differences in adjuvant anesthetic or PACU drug cost. All but one patient from each group were deemed ready for PACU discharge at 15 min postoperatively (Aldrete score >or= 9). One patient in group D experienced postoperative nausea. No other adverse events were noted. Measured total perioperative drug cost for a short ambulatory procedure (less than one hour) under general anesthesia was higher when desflurane rather than isoflurane was used for maintenance, essentially due to volatile agent cost. Desflurane use did not translate into faster PACU discharge under "real world" conditions.

Short-term fluctuations in motivation to quit smoking in a sample of smokers in Hawaii.

PubMed

Herzog, Thaddeus; Pokhrel, Pallav; Kawamoto, Crissy T

2015-01-01

Despite its potential for usefulness in informing the development of smoking cessation interventions, short-term fluctuations in motivation to quit is a relatively understudied topic. To assess the prevalence of smokers' day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit, and to assess associations of day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit with several established cessation-related variables. A cross-sectional survey was administered to smokers in Hawaii (N = 1,567). To assess short-term fluctuations in motivation to quit smoking, participants were asked to respond "True" or "False" to the statement: "My motivation to quit smoking changes from one day to the next." Other items measured desire to quit smoking, intention to quit, confidence in quitting, cigarette dependence, and other cessation-related variables. "My motivation to quit smoking changes from one day to the next" was endorsed as true by 64.7% of smokers, and false by 35.3%. Analyses revealed that smokers who indicated fluctuating motivation were significantly more interested in quitting as compared to smokers without fluctuations. Fluctuations in motivation to quit also were associated with greater confidence in quitting, lesser cigarette dependence, and more recent quitting activity (all p < .01). Day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit are common. Day-to-day fluctuations in motivation to quit are strongly associated with higher motivation to quit, greater confidence in future quitting, and other positive cessation-relevant trends.

SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE Up-Regulates TEMPRANILLO2 Floral Repressor at Low Ambient Temperatures1[OPEN

PubMed Central

Marín-González, Esther; Matías-Hernández, Luis; Aguilar-Jaramillo, Andrea E.; Lee, Jeong Hwan; Ahn, Ji Hoon; Suárez-López, Paula; Pelaz, Soraya

2015-01-01

Plants integrate day length and ambient temperature to determine the optimal timing for developmental transitions. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), the floral integrator FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and its closest homolog TWIN SISTER OF FT promote flowering in response to their activator CONSTANS under long-day inductive conditions. Low ambient temperature (16°C) delays flowering, even under inductive photoperiods, through repression of FT, revealing the importance of floral repressors acting at low temperatures. Previously, we have reported that the floral repressors TEMPRANILLO (TEM; TEM1 and TEM2) control flowering time through direct regulation of FT at 22°C. Here, we show that tem mutants are less sensitive than the wild type to changes in ambient growth temperature, indicating that TEM genes may play a role in floral repression at 16°C. Moreover, we have found that TEM2 directly represses the expression of FT and TWIN SISTER OF FT at 16°C. In addition, the floral repressor SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP) directly regulates TEM2 but not TEM1 expression at 16°C. Flowering time analyses of svp tem mutants indicate that TEM may act in the same genetic pathway as SVP to repress flowering at 22°C but that SVP and TEM are partially independent at 16°C. Thus, TEM2 partially mediates the temperature-dependent function of SVP at low temperatures. Taken together, our results indicate that TEM genes are also able to repress flowering at low ambient temperatures under inductive long-day conditions. PMID:26243615

Parameters for abolishing conditioned place preference for cocaine from running and environmental enrichment in male C57BL/6J mice.

PubMed

Mustroph, M L; Pinardo, H; Merritt, J R; Rhodes, J S

2016-10-01

Evidence suggests that 4 weeks of voluntary wheel running abolishes conditioned place preference (CPP) for cocaine in male C57BL/6J mice. To determine the duration and timing of exposure to running wheels necessary to reduce CPP, and the extent to which the running per se influences CPP as compared to environmental enrichment without running. A total of 239 males were conditioned for 4days twice daily with cocaine (10mg/kg) and then split into 7 intervention groups prior to 4days of CPP testing. Experiment 1 consisted of two groups housed as follows: short sedentary group (SS; n=20) in normal cages for 1 week; the short running group (SR; n=20) with running wheels for 1 week. Experiment 2 consisted of five groups housed as follows; short 1 week of running followed by a 3 week sedentary period (SRS; n=20); a 3 week sedentary period followed by 1 week of running (SSR; n=20); long sedentary group (LS; n=66) in normal cages for 4 weeks; long running group (LR; n=66) with running wheels for 4 weeks; and long environmental enrichment group (EE; n=27) with toys for 4 weeks. Levels of running were similar in all running groups. Both running and environmental enrichment reduced CPP relative to sedentary groups. Results suggest that the abolishment of cocaine CPP from running is robust and occurs with as low as 1 week of intervention but may be related to enrichment component of running rather than physical activity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short-term nighttime wind turbine noise and cardiovascular events: A nationwide case-crossover study from Denmark.

PubMed

Poulsen, Aslak Harbo; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Peña, Alfredo; Hahmann, Andrea N; Nordsborg, Rikke Baastrup; Ketzel, Matthias; Brandt, Jørgen; Sørensen, Mette

2018-05-01

The number of people exposed to wind turbine noise (WTN) is increasing. WTN is reported as more annoying than traffic noise at similar levels. Long-term exposure to traffic noise has consistently been associated with cardiovascular disease, whereas effects of short-term exposure are much less investigated due to little day-to-day variation of e.g. road traffic noise. WTN varies considerably due to changing weather conditions allowing investigation of short-term effects of WTN on cardiovascular events. We identified all hospitalisations and deaths from stroke (16,913 cases) and myocardial infarction (MI) (17,559 cases) among Danes exposed to WTN between 1982 and 2013. We applied a time-stratified, case-crossover design. Using detailed data on wind turbine type and hourly wind data at each wind turbine, we simulated mean nighttime outdoor (10-10,000 Hz) and nighttime low frequency (LF) indoor WTN (10-160 Hz) over the 4 days preceding diagnosis and reference days. For indoor LF WTN between 10 and 15 dB(A) and above 15 dB(A), odds ratios (ORs) for MI were 1.27 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97-1.67; cases = 198) and 1.62 (95% CI: 0.76-3.45; cases = 21), respectively, when compared to indoor LF WTN below 5 dB(A). For stroke, corresponding ORs were 1.17 (95% CI: 0.95-1.69; cases = 166) and 2.30 (95% CI: 0.96-5.50; cases = 15). The elevated ORs above 15 dB(A) persisted across sensitivity analyses. When looking at specific lag times, noise exposure one day before MI events and three days before stroke events were associated with the highest ORs. For outdoor WTN at night, we observed both increased and decreased risk estimates. This study did not provide conclusive evidence of an association between WTN and MI or stroke. It does however suggest that indoor LF WTN at night may trigger cardiovascular events, whereas these events seemed largely unaffected by nighttime outdoor WTN. These findings need reproduction, as they were based on few cases

Spirit's Travels During its First 238 Martian Days

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This map shows the complete traverse of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit through the rover's 238th martian day, or sol (Sept. 3, 2004). This was shortly before the rover stopped driving for about two weeks while Mars was nearly behind the Sun from Earth's perspective. The background image consists of frames from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. Inset images along the route are from Spirit's navigation camera. From its landing site, Spirit drove up to the rim of 'Bonneville' crater on the far left and to the north rim of 'Missoula' crater. Then it commenced a long drive across the plains, deviating to avoid large hollows. Upon arrival at the base of the 'Columbia Hills,' Spirit drove north for a short distance before beginning its ascent onto the 'West Spur,' where it is currently located. The scale bar at lower left is 500 meters (1,640 feet). North is up.

The acute physiological stress response to an emergency alarm and mobilization during the day and at night.

PubMed

Hall, Sarah J; Aisbett, Brad; Tait, Jamie L; Turner, Anne I; Ferguson, Sally A; Main, Luana C

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute physiological stress response to an emergency alarm and mobilization during the day and at night. Sixteen healthy males aged 25 ± 4 years (mean ± SD) spent four consecutive days and nights in a sleep laboratory. This research used a within-participants design with repeated measures for time, alarm condition (alarm or control), and trial (day or night). When an alarm sounded, participants were required to mobilize immediately. Saliva samples for cortisol analysis were collected 0 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 90 min, and 120 min after mobilization, and at corresponding times in control conditions. Heart rate was measured continuously throughout the study. Heart rate was higher in the day (F(20,442) = 9.140, P < 0.001) and night (F(23,459) = 8.356, P < 0.001) alarm conditions compared to the respective control conditions. There was no difference in saliva cortisol between day alarm and day control conditions. Cortisol was higher (F(6,183) = 2.450, P < 0.001) following the night alarm and mobilization compared to the night control condition. The magnitude of difference in cortisol between night control and night alarm conditions was greater (F(6,174) = 4.071, P < 0.001) than the magnitude of difference between the day control and day alarm conditions. The augmented heart rate response to the day and night alarms supports previous observations in field settings. Variations in the cortisol responses between conditions across the day and night may relate to differences in participants' ability to interpret the alarm when sleeping versus when awake.

The acute physiological stress response to an emergency alarm and mobilization during the day and at night

PubMed Central

Hall, Sarah J; Aisbett, Brad; Tait, Jamie L; Turner, Anne I; Ferguson, Sally A; Main, Luana C

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute physiological stress response to an emergency alarm and mobilization during the day and at night. Sixteen healthy males aged 25 ± 4 years (mean ± SD) spent four consecutive days and nights in a sleep laboratory. This research used a within-participants design with repeated measures for time, alarm condition (alarm or control), and trial (day or night). When an alarm sounded, participants were required to mobilize immediately. Saliva samples for cortisol analysis were collected 0 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 90 min, and 120 min after mobilization, and at corresponding times in control conditions. Heart rate was measured continuously throughout the study. Heart rate was higher in the day (F20,442 = 9.140, P < 0.001) and night (F23,459 = 8.356, P < 0.001) alarm conditions compared to the respective control conditions. There was no difference in saliva cortisol between day alarm and day control conditions. Cortisol was higher (F6,183 = 2.450, P < 0.001) following the night alarm and mobilization compared to the night control condition. The magnitude of difference in cortisol between night control and night alarm conditions was greater (F6,174 = 4.071, P < 0.001) than the magnitude of difference between the day control and day alarm conditions. The augmented heart rate response to the day and night alarms supports previous observations in field settings. Variations in the cortisol responses between conditions across the day and night may relate to differences in participants’ ability to interpret the alarm when sleeping versus when awake. PMID:27157688

Effects of abnormal light-rearing conditions on retinal physiology in larvae zebrafish.

PubMed

Saszik, S; Bilotta, J

1999-11-01

Anatomic studies have found that zebrafish retinal neurons develop in a sequential fashion. In addition, exposure to abnormal light-rearing conditions produces deficits in visual behavior of larvae zebrafish, even though there appears to be little effect of the light-rearing conditions on the gross morphology of the retina. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of abnormal light-rearing conditions on larvae zebrafish retinal physiology. Larvae zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to constant light (LL), constant dark (DD), or normal cyclic light (LD) from fertilization to 6 days postfertilization (dpf). After 6 days, the animals were placed into normal cyclic light and tested at 6 to 8, 13 to 15, and 21 to 24 dpf. Electroretinogram (ERG) responses to visual stimuli, consisting of various wavelengths and irradiances, were recorded. Comparisons were made across the three age groups and the three light-rearing conditions. Deficits from the light-rearing conditions were seen immediately after exposure (6 8 dpf). The LL-condition subjects showed the greatest deficit in the UV and short-wavelength areas and the DD-condition subjects showed a slight deficit across the entire spectrum. At 13 to 15 dpf, the LL and DD groups showed an increase in sensitivity and by 21 to 24 dpf, the groups no longer differed from controls. Abnormal lighting environments can adversely influence the physiological development of the larvae zebrafish retina. The pattern of damage that was seen in zebrafish is similar to that found in other vertebrates, including higher vertebrates. However, unlike higher vertebrates, the zebrafish appears to be capable of regeneration. This suggests that the zebrafish would be a viable model for light environment effects and neural regeneration.

75 FR 55251 - Labor Day, 2010

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-09

... of our families, labor unions have helped advance the safe and equitable working conditions that... Day, 2010 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Working Americans are the... immeasurable contributions of working men and women today and throughout our history. As we recognize the...

Short Stature Diagnosis and Referral

PubMed Central

Maghnie, Mohamad; Labarta, José I.; Koledova, Ekaterina; Rohrer, Tilman R.

2018-01-01

The “360° GH in Europe” meeting, which examined various aspects of GH diseases, was held in Lisbon, Portugal, in June 2016. The Merck KGaA (Germany) funded meeting comprised three sessions entitled “Short Stature Diagnosis and Referral,” “Optimizing Patient Management,” and “Managing Transition.” Each session had three speaker presentations, followed by a discussion period, and is reported as a manuscript, authored by the speakers. The first session examined current processes of diagnosis and referral by endocrine specialists for pediatric patients with short stature. Requirements for referral vary widely, by country and by patient characteristics such as age. A balance must be made to ensure eligible patients get referred while healthcare systems are not over-burdened by excessive referrals. Late referral and diagnosis of non-GH deficiency conditions can result in increased morbidity and mortality. The consequent delays in making a diagnosis may compromise the effectiveness of GH treatment. Algorithms for growth monitoring and evaluation of skeletal disproportions can improve identification of non-GH deficiency conditions. Performance and validation of guidelines for diagnosis of GH deficiency have not been sufficiently tested. Provocative tests for investigation of GH deficiency remain equivocal, with insufficient information on variations due to patient characteristics, and cutoff values for definition differ not only by country but also by the assay used. When referring and diagnosing causes of short stature in pediatric patients, clinicians need to rely on many factors, but the most essential is clinical experience. PMID:29375479

Duodenal lengthening in an adult with ultra-short bowel syndrome. A case report.

PubMed

Bueno, Javier; Burgos, Rosa; Redecillas, Susana; López, Manuel; Balsells, Joaquin

2018-01-01

We have recently demonstrated the feasibility of lengthening the duodenum in children with short bowel syndrome and a dilated duodenum. This procedure gains additional intestinal length in a challenging area of autologous gut reconstruction. Herein, we report the successful application of this technique in an adult with ultra-short bowel syndrome. A 25-year-old man with a history of mid-gut volvulus was referred to our center for intestinal transplant evaluation. Only a megaduodenum stump that reached as far as the third portion (30 cm of length) and the colon up to the hepatic flexure in the form of a mucous fistula was retained. A gastrostomy tube drained gastric and bilio-pancreatic secretions (output range: 2.5-4 liters/day). The time spent on parenteral nutrition (3 liters/day; 1500 calories/day) and I.V. fluid (1.5-2 liters/day) administration was 24 hours per day. The patient underwent duodenal lengthening and tapering with 7 sequential transverse applications (5 of 45 mm and 2 of 60 mm) of an endoscopic stapler on the anterior and posterior walls of the duodenum, respecting the pancreatic parenchyma and end-to-side duodeno-colonic anastomosis. The final duodenal length was 83 cm. The pre-lengthening citrulline level increased from 13.6 micromol/L to 21.6 micromol/L one year post-lengthening. After 24 month of follow-up, the time on a parenteral pump was shortened to 9 hours during the night. The volume and calorie requirements were also reduced by half. Duodenal lengthening may be effective as part of the autologous intestinal reconstruction armamentarium in adults with short bowel syndrome.

Effect of β-3-Thienylalanine on Antibody Synthesis V. Immunosuppression in Mice by Short Diet and Drug Treatments

PubMed Central

Misefari, Aldo; La Via, Mariano F.

1971-01-01

The analogue of phenylalanine, β-3-thienylalanine, depresses severely the primary and secondary immune response to sheep erythrocytes in mice when administered for a few days immediately before and after each injection of antigen. For this immunosuppression to occur, animals must be maintained on a phenylalanine-free diet during the times of drug injection since dietary phenylalanine will restore anamnestic response. With these experimental conditions, the number of direct and indirect plaque-forming cells is greatly reduced during immune responses. The finding that marked immunosuppression can be obtained with a very short drug and diet treatment points to a potential usefullness of the analogue as a powerful immunosuppressant. PMID:5154884

Switching to a 10-day Mediterranean-style diet improves mood and cardiovascular function in a controlled crossover study.

PubMed

Lee, Jaime; Pase, Matthew; Pipingas, Andrew; Raubenheimer, Jessica; Thurgood, Madeline; Villalon, Lorena; Macpherson, Helen; Gibbs, Amy; Scholey, Andrew

2015-05-01

Even short-term adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet may benefit aspects of psychological functioning. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of switching to a 10-d Mediterranean-style diet on mood, cognition, and cardiovascular measures. Using a crossover design, 24 women were randomly assigned to either the diet change (where they switched to a Mediterranean-style diet) or no diet change (normal diet) condition for 10 days before switching to the other condition for the same duration. Mood, cognition, and cardiovascular measures of blood pressure, blood flow velocity, and arterial stiffness were assessed at baseline and at the completion of the two diets (days 11 and 22). Independent of whether the Mediterranean-style diet was undertaken before or after the crossover, it was associated with significantly elevated contentment and alertness, and significantly reduced confusion. Additionally, aspects of cognition, such as memory recall, improved significantly as a result of switching to the Mediterranean-style diet. Regarding cardiovascular measures, there was a significant reduction in augmentation pressure associated with the Mediterranean-style diet intervention, but blood flow velocity through the common carotid artery did not change. This Mediterranean-style diet has the potential to enhance aspects of mood, cognition, and cardiovascular function in a young, healthy adult sample. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the association of fluid balance and short-term outcome in traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Zhao, Zilong; Wang, Dong; Jia, Ying; Tian, Ye; Wang, Yi; Wei, Yingsheng; Zhang, Jianning; Jiang, Rongcai

2016-05-15

A balance of fluid intake and output (fluid balance) influences outcomes of critical illness, but the level of such influence remains poorly understood for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and was quantitatively examined in this study. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 351 moderate and severe TBI patients to associate the degree of fluid balance with clinical outcomes of TBI. Fluid balance and intracranial pressure (ICP) were continuously recorded for 7days on patients admitted to neurocritical care unit (NCCU). The short-term outcome was dichotomized into improvement and deterioration groups based on changes in Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) measured between admission and 30days after admission. Fluid balance was calculated as: Fluid intake (mL) - fluid outputs (mL)/day×5 and used to group patients in tertiles to study its effect on TBI outcome. Patients at the low (<637mL) and upper (>3673mL) tertiles of fluid balance were associated with poor outcomes. Those in the upper tertile also had a higher incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) and refractory intracranial hypertension (RIH). There was a negative correlation between the cumulative fluid balance and the short-term outcome for patients in the low tertile and a positive correlation between the cumulative fluid balance and the short-term outcome in the upper fluid balance group. Levels of fluid balance were also associated with serum creatinine (Cr, r=0.451, P<0.0001) and days in NCCU (r=0.188, P=0.001). More patients in the upper tertile had ICP higher than 20mmHg (P=0.009). A fluid balance in the upper tertile is an independent predictor of poor 30-day clinical outcomes after the adjustment for confounding variables in a multivariable logistic regression model. We found that fluid balance in low and upper tertiles were associated with poor short-term outcomes and ICP variations. Fluid balance in the upper tertile may be an independent predictor for poor 30-day outcome, primarily due to high AKI and RIH

Adaptations of the vestibular system to short and long-term exposures to altered gravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruce, L.

Long-term space flight creates unique environmental conditions to which the vestibular system must adapt for optimal survival. We are studying two aspects of this vestibular adaptation: (1) How does long-term exposure to microgravity and hypergravity affect the development of vestibular afferents? (2) How does short- term exposure to extremely rapid changes in gravity, such as those that occur during launch and landing, affect the vestibular system. During space flight the gravistatic receptors in the otolith organs are effectively unloaded. In hypergravity conditions they are overloaded. However, the angular acceleration receptors of the semicircular canals receive relatively normal stimulation in both micro- and hypergravity.Rat embryos exposed to microgravity from gestation day 10 (prior to vestibular function) until gestation day 20 (vestibular system is somewhat functional) showed that afferents from the posterior vertical canal projecting to the medial vestibular nucleus developed similarly in microgravity, hypergravity, and in controls . However, afferents from the saccule showed delayed development in microgravity as compared to development in hypergravity and in controls. Cerebellar plasticity is crucial for modification of sensory-motor control and learning. Thus we explored the possibility that strong vestibular stimuli would modify cerebellar motor control (i.e., eye movement, postural control, gut motility) by altering the morphology of cerebellar Purkinje cells. To study the effects of short-term exposures to strong vestibular stimuli we focused on structural changes in the vestibulo-cerebellum that are caused by strong vestibular stimuli. Adult mice were exposed to various combinations of constant and/or rapidly changing angular and linear accelerations for 8.5 min (the time length of shuttle launch). Our data shows that these stimuli cause intense excitation of cerebellar Purkinje cells, inducing up-regulation of clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Getting Them There, Keeping Them There: Benefits of an Extended School Day Program for High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furrer, Carrie J.; Magnuson, Linda; Suggs, Joseph W.

2012-01-01

Over a decade of research has demonstrated the positive effects of extended school day programs on various elementary and middle school student outcomes, both in the short and long term. The efficacy of extended school day programs in promoting academic outcomes among high school students is less well understood. This study contributes to the…

Visual Short-Term Memory During Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerzel, Dirk; Ziegler, Nathalie E.

2005-01-01

Visual short-term memory (VSTM) was probed while observers performed smooth pursuit eye movements. Smooth pursuit keeps a moving object stabilized in the fovea. VSTM capacity for position was reduced during smooth pursuit compared with a condition with eye fixation. There was no difference between a condition in which the items were approximately…

Short-term changes in thermal perception associated with heatwave conditions in Melbourne, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Cho Kwong Charlie; Gallant, Ailie J. E.; Tapper, Nigel J.

2018-05-01

Variations in human thermal perception have been described on timescales from minutes to seasons. However, the effect of weather-related thermal extremes on inter-daily changes to outdoor thermal perception has not been well characterised. This study used human thermal comfort data from an outdoor botanic garden in sub-urban Melbourne, Australia as a case study. We examined inter-daily variations in local visitors' thermal perception before (11-12 January 2014) and after (18-19 January 2014) a severe heatwave from 14 to 17 January 2014, when daily maximum temperature exceeded 41 °C for 4 consecutive days. We compared thermal comfort survey results (pre-heatwave: n = 342, post-heatwave: n = 294) with air temperature and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) measurements. Even though the days preceding and following the heatwave had a similar range in temperature (19-25 °C) and UTCI (26-32 °C), the visitors felt cooler in the days following the heatwave (i.e. lower thermal sensation votes). In the 2 days following the heatwave, visitors also wore less clothing compared with before the heatwave. Our results show that the thermal perception of visitors changed significantly following their exposure to the heatwave, even after controlling for changes in clothing choices and the ages of survey participants. Psychological adaptation to heat (such as thermal history and expectation) might be one of the possible explanations for this inter-daily variability of local visitors' thermal perception.

Effects of meteorological conditions on spore plumes