Association between levels of physical activity and poor self-rated health in Korean adults: The Third Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), 2005.

PubMed

Han, M A; Kim, K S; Park, J; Kang, M G; Ryu, S Y

2009-10-01

To investigate the association between level of physical activity and poor self-rated health in Korean adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 7,800 adults aged > or =19 years who completed the Health Interview and the Health Behavior Surveys, issued during the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005). The association between self-rated health and physical activity was tested using Chi-squared test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratios of poor self-rated health for different levels of physical activity after adjusting for physical and chronic medical conditions. The prevalence of poor self-rated health was significantly lower as the level of physical activity increased, and odds ratios for poor self-rated health were significantly lower for higher levels of physical activity after adjusting for age, marital status, educational status, smoking, alcohol consumption, and the number of physical impairments and chronic medical conditions. The association was similar in different age groups and among healthy respondents and respondents with physical impairments or chronic medical conditions. Physical activity was positively associated with self-rated health in Koreans. The independent association between a lower level of physical activity and poor self-rated health supports public health programmes that encourage regular physical activity.

Heart rate and physical activity patterns in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

PubMed

Waninge, Aly; van der Putten, Annette A J; Stewart, Roy E; Steenbergen, Bert; van Wijck, Ruud; van der Schans, Cees P

2013-11-01

Because physical fitness and health are related to physical activity, it is important to gain an insight into the physical activity levels of persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). The purpose of this study was to examine heart rate patterns to measure the activity levels of persons with PIMD and to analyze these heart rate patterns according to participant characteristics, observed level of activity, days, and time of day. The heart rate patterns of 24 participants with PIMD were measured continuously using a heart rate monitor for 8 h · d for a period of 6 days. Physical activity levels were measured with questionnaires. Data were analyzed using multilevel analysis. The results indicate that the participants use only 32% of their heart rate reserve over 6 days. The intensity of heart rate reserve ranged from 1 to 62%. On a given day, wide ranges in heart rates between participants and within persons were observed. Between days, only small ranges in the heart rate were found. The participants could be grouped into 4 classes according to their heart rate. In addition, factors such as time of day, physical activity, and age are significantly related to heart rate patterns. In conclusion, this study is an important first step in exploring activity patterns based on heart rate patterns in persons with PIMD. The participants used relatively small fractions of their heart rate reserves. Time of day and age appear to have a considerable influence on heart rate patterns. The observed classes in heart rate patterns suggest that other probably more personal and psychosocial factors have significant influences on heart rate patterns, as well.

Comparison Analysis among Large Amount of SNS Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toriumi, Fujio; Yamamoto, Hitoshi; Suwa, Hirohiko; Okada, Isamu; Izumi, Kiyoshi; Hashimoto, Yasuhiro

In recent years, application of Social Networking Services (SNS) and Blogs are growing as new communication tools on the Internet. Several large-scale SNS sites are prospering; meanwhile, many sites with relatively small scale are offering services. Such small-scale SNSs realize small-group isolated type of communication while neither mixi nor MySpace can do that. However, the studies on SNS are almost about particular large-scale SNSs and cannot analyze whether their results apply for general features or for special characteristics on the SNSs. From the point of view of comparison analysis on SNS, comparison with just several types of those cannot reach a statistically significant level. We analyze many SNS sites with the aim of classifying them by using some approaches. Our paper classifies 50,000 sites for small-scale SNSs and gives their features from the points of network structure, patterns of communication, and growth rate of SNS. The result of analysis for network structure shows that many SNS sites have small-world attribute with short path lengths and high coefficients of their cluster. Distribution of degrees of the SNS sites is close to power law. This result indicates the small-scale SNS sites raise the percentage of users with many friends than mixi. According to the analysis of their coefficients of assortativity, those SNS sites have negative values of assortativity, and that means users with high degree tend to connect users with small degree. Next, we analyze the patterns of user communication. A friend network of SNS is explicit while users' communication behaviors are defined as an implicit network. What kind of relationships do these networks have? To address this question, we obtain some characteristics of users' communication structure and activation patterns of users on the SNS sites. By using new indexes, friend aggregation rate and friend coverage rate, we show that SNS sites with high value of friend coverage rate activate diary postings and their comments. Besides, they become activated when hub users with high degree do not behave actively on the sites with high value of friend aggregation rate and high value of friend coverage rate. On the other hand, activation emerges when hub users behave actively on the sites with low value of friend aggregation rate and high value of friend coverage rate. Finally, we observe SNS sites which are increasing the number of users considerably, from the viewpoint of network structure, and extract characteristics of high growth SNS sites. As a result of discrimination on the basis of the decision tree analysis, we can recognize the high growth SNS sites with a high degree of accuracy. Besides, this approach suggests mixi and the other small-scale SNS sites have different character trait.

Impact of space weather on human heart rate during the years 2011-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galata, E.; Ioannidou, S.; Papailiou, M.; Mavromichalaki, H.; Paravolidakis, K.; Kouremeti, M.; Rentifis, L.; Simantirakis, E.; Trachanas, K.

2017-08-01

During the last years a possible link between different levels of solar and geomagnetic disturbances and human physiological parameters is suggested by several published studies. In this work the examination of the potential association between heart rate variations and specific space weather activities was performed. A total of 482 individuals treated at Hippocratio General Hospital in Athens, the Cardiology clinics of Nikaia General Hospital in Piraeus and the Heraklion University Hospital in Crete, Greece, were assessed from July 2011 to April 2013. The heart rate of the individuals was recorded by a Holter monitor on a n hourly basis, while the hourly variations of the cosmic ray intensity measured by the Neutron Monitor Station of the Athens University and of the geomagnetic index Dst provided by the Kyoto Observatory were used. The ANalysis Of VAriance (ANOVA) and the Multiple Linear Regression analysis were used for analysis of these data. A statistically significant effect of both cosmic rays and geomagnetic activity on heart rate was observed, which may indicate that changes in space weather could be linked to heart rate variations.

Inference of the Activity Timeline of Cattle Foraging on a Mediterranean Woodland Using GPS and Pedometry

PubMed Central

Ungar, Eugene D.; Schoenbaum, Iris; Henkin, Zalmen; Dolev, Amit; Yehuda, Yehuda; Brosh, Arieh

2011-01-01

The advent of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has transformed our ability to track livestock on rangelands. However, GPS data use would be greatly enhanced if we could also infer the activity timeline of an animal. We tested how well animal activity could be inferred from data provided by Lotek GPS collars, alone or in conjunction with IceRobotics IceTag pedometers. The collars provide motion and head position data, as well as location. The pedometers count steps, measure activity levels, and differentiate between standing and lying positions. We gathered synchronized data at 5-min resolution, from GPS collars, pedometers, and human observers, for free-grazing cattle (n = 9) at the Hatal Research Station in northern Israel. Equations for inferring activity during 5-min intervals (n = 1,475), classified as Graze, Rest (or Lie and Stand separately), and Travel were derived by discriminant and partition (classification tree) analysis of data from each device separately and from both together. When activity was classified as Graze, Rest and Travel, the lowest overall misclassification rate (10%) was obtained when data from both devices together were subjected to partition analysis; separate misclassification rates were 8, 12, and 3% for Graze, Rest and Travel, respectively. When Rest was subdivided into Lie and Stand, the lowest overall misclassification rate (10%) was again obtained when data from both devices together were subjected to partition analysis; misclassification rates were 6, 1, 26, and 17% for Graze, Lie, Stand, and Travel, respectively. The primary problem was confusion between Rest (or Stand) and Graze. Overall, the combination of Lotek GPS collars with IceRobotics IceTag pedometers was found superior to either device alone in inferring animal activity. PMID:22346582

Heart rate variability in newborns.

PubMed

Javorka, K; Lehotska, Z; Kozar, M; Uhrikova, Z; Kolarovszki, B; Javorka, M; Zibolen, M

2017-09-22

Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in newborns is influenced by genetic determinants, gestational and postnatal age, and other variables. Premature infants have a reduced HRV. In neonatal HRV evaluated by spectral analysis, a dominant activity can be found in low frequency (LF) band (combined parasympathetic and sympathetic component). During the first postnatal days the activity in the high frequency (HF) band (parasympathetic component) rises, together with an increase in LF band and total HRV. Hypotrophy in newborn can cause less mature autonomic cardiac control with a higher contribution of sympathetic activity to HRV as demonstrated by sequence plot analysis. During quiet sleep (QS) in newborns HF oscillations increase - a phenomenon less expressed or missing in premature infants. In active sleep (AS), HRV is enhanced in contrast to reduced activity in HF band due to the rise of spectral activity in LF band. Comparison of the HR and HRV in newborns born by physiological vaginal delivery, without (VD) and with epidural anesthesia (EDA) and via sectio cesarea (SC) showed no significant differences in HR and in HRV time domain parameters. Analysis in the frequency domain revealed, that the lowest sympathetic activity in chronotropic cardiac chronotropic regulation is in the VD group. Different neonatal pathological states can be associated with a reduction of HRV and an improvement in the health conditions is followed by changes in HRV what can be use as a possible prognostic marker. Examination of heart rate variability in neonatology can provide information on the maturity of the cardiac chronotropic regulation in early postnatal life, on postnatal adaptation and in pathological conditions about the potential dysregulation of cardiac function in newborns, especially in preterm infants.

Scaling behavior of online human activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhi-Dan; Cai, Shi-Min; Huang, Junming; Fu, Yan; Zhou, Tao

2012-11-01

The rapid development of the Internet technology enables humans to explore the web and record the traces of online activities. From the analysis of these large-scale data sets (i.e., traces), we can get insights about the dynamic behavior of human activity. In this letter, the scaling behavior and complexity of human activity in the e-commerce, such as music, books, and movies rating, are comprehensively investigated by using the detrended fluctuation analysis technique and the multiscale entropy method. Firstly, the interevent time series of rating behaviors of these three types of media show similar scaling properties with exponents ranging from 0.53 to 0.58, which implies that the collective behaviors of rating media follow a process embodying self-similarity and long-range correlation. Meanwhile, by dividing the users into three groups based on their activities (i.e., rating per unit time), we find that the scaling exponents of the interevent time series in the three groups are different. Hence, these results suggest that a stronger long-range correlations exist in these collective behaviors. Furthermore, their information complexities vary in the three groups. To explain the differences of the collective behaviors restricted to the three groups, we study the dynamic behavior of human activity at the individual level, and find that the dynamic behaviors of a few users have extremely small scaling exponents associated with long-range anticorrelations. By comparing the interevent time distributions of four representative users, we can find that the bimodal distributions may bring forth the extraordinary scaling behaviors. These results of the analysis of the online human activity in the e-commerce may not only provide insight into its dynamic behaviors but may also be applied to acquire potential economic interest.

Microfluidic mixing for sperm activation and motility analysis of pearl Danio zebrafish

PubMed Central

Park, Daniel S.; Egnatchik, Robert A.; Bordelon, Hali; Tiersch, Terrence R.; Monroe, W. Todd

2013-01-01

Sperm viability in aquatic species is increasingly being evaluated by motility analysis via computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) following activation of sperm with manual dilution and mixing by hand. User variation can limit the speed and control over the activation process, preventing consistent motility analysis. This is further complicated by the short interval (i.e., less than 15 s) of burst motility in these species. The objectives of this study were to develop a staggered herringbone microfluidic mixer to: 1) activate small volumes of Danio pearl zebrafish (Danio albolineatus) sperm by rapid mixing with diluent, and 2) position sperm in a viewing chamber for motility evaluation using a standard CASA system. A herringbone micromixer was fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to yield high quality smooth surfaces. Based on fluorescence microscopy, mixing efficiency exceeding 90% was achieved within 5 s for a range of flow rates (from 50 to 250 μL/h), with a correlation of mixing distances and mixing efficiency. For example, at the nominal flow rate of 100 μL/h, there was a significant difference in mixing efficiency between 3.5 mm (75 ± 4%; mean ± SD) and 7 mm (92 ± 2%; P = 0.002). The PDMS micromixer, integrated with standard volumetric slides, demonstrated activation of fresh zebrafish sperm with reduced user variation, greater control, and without morphologic damage to sperm. Analysis of zebrafish sperm viability by CASA revealed a statistically higher motility rate for activation by micromixing (56 ± 4%) than manual activation (45 ± 7%; n = 5, P = 0.011). This micromixer represented a first step in streamlining methods for consistent, rapid assessment of sperm quality for zebrafish and other aquatic species. The capability to rapidly activate sperm and consistently measure motility with CASA using the PDMS micromixer described herein will improve studies of germplasm physiology and cryopreservation. PMID:22494680

Microfluidic mixing for sperm activation and motility analysis of pearl Danio zebrafish.

PubMed

Park, Daniel S; Egnatchik, Robert A; Bordelon, Hali; Tiersch, Terrence R; Monroe, W Todd

2012-07-15

Sperm viability in aquatic species is increasingly being evaluated by motility analysis via computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) following activation of sperm with manual dilution and mixing by hand. User variation can limit the speed and control over the activation process, preventing consistent motility analysis. This is further complicated by the short interval (i.e., less than 15 s) of burst motility in these species. The objectives of this study were to develop a staggered herringbone microfluidic mixer to: 1) activate small volumes of Danio pearl zebrafish (Danio albolineatus) sperm by rapid mixing with diluent, and 2) position sperm in a viewing chamber for motility evaluation using a standard CASA system. A herringbone micromixer was fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to yield high quality smooth surfaces. Based on fluorescence microscopy, mixing efficiency exceeding 90% was achieved within 5 s for a range of flow rates (from 50 to 250 μL/h), with a correlation of mixing distances and mixing efficiency. For example, at the nominal flow rate of 100 μL/h, there was a significant difference in mixing efficiency between 3.5 mm (75±4%; mean±SD) and 7 mm (92±2%; P=0.002). The PDMS micromixer, integrated with standard volumetric slides, demonstrated activation of fresh zebrafish sperm with reduced user variation, greater control, and without morphologic damage to sperm. Analysis of zebrafish sperm viability by CASA revealed a statistically higher motility rate for activation by micromixing (56±4%) than manual activation (45±7%; n=5, P=0.011). This micromixer represented a first step in streamlining methods for consistent, rapid assessment of sperm quality for zebrafish and other aquatic species. The capability to rapidly activate sperm and consistently measure motility with CASA using the PDMS micromixer described herein will improve studies of germplasm physiology and cryopreservation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Active, capable, and potentially active faults - a paleoseismic perspective

USGS Publications Warehouse

Machette, M.N.

2000-01-01

Maps of faults (geologically defined source zones) may portray seismic hazards in a wide range of completeness depending on which types of faults are shown. Three fault terms - active, capable, and potential - are used in a variety of ways for different reasons or applications. Nevertheless, to be useful for seismic-hazards analysis, fault maps should encompass a time interval that includes several earthquake cycles. For example, if the common recurrence in an area is 20,000-50,000 years, then maps should include faults that are 50,000-100,000 years old (two to five typical earthquake cycles), thus allowing for temporal variability in slip rate and recurrence intervals. Conversely, in more active areas such as plate boundaries, maps showing faults that are <10,000 years old should include those with at least 2 to as many as 20 paleoearthquakes. For the International Lithosphere Programs' Task Group II-2 Project on Major Active Faults of the World our maps and database will show five age categories and four slip rate categories that allow one to select differing time spans and activity rates for seismic-hazard analysis depending on tectonic regime. The maps are accompanied by a database that describes evidence for Quaternary faulting, geomorphic expression, and paleoseismic parameters (slip rate, recurrence interval and time of most recent surface faulting). These maps and databases provide an inventory of faults that would be defined as active, capable, and potentially active for seismic-hazard assessments.

Effect of probiotics on inducing remission and maintaining therapy in ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, and pouchitis: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Shen, Jun; Zuo, Zhi-Xiang; Mao, Ai-Ping

2014-01-01

Whether probiotics are beneficial at all stages of treatment in inflammatory bowel disease or superior to placebo remains controversial. Two reviewers independently selected randomized controlled trials comparing probiotics with controls in inflammatory bowel disease and extracted data related to remission/response rates, relapse rates, and adverse events. Subanalyses were also performed. Twenty-three randomized controlled trials with a total of 1763 participants met the inclusion criteria. From the meta-analysis, probiotics significantly increase the remission rates in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC) (P = 0.01, risk ratio [RR] = 1.51). The remission rates were significantly higher in patients with active UC treated with probiotics than placebo (P < 0.0001, RR = 1.80). Unfortunately, subgroup analysis found that only VSL#3 significantly increased the remission rates compared with controls in patients with active UC (P = 0.004, RR = 1.74). Interestingly, VSL#3 (P < 0.00001, RR = 0.18) also significantly reduced the clinical relapse rates for maintaining remission in patients with pouchitis. No significantly different adverse events were detected between probiotics and controls in the treatment of UC (P = 0.94, RR = 0.99) or CD (P = 0.33, RR = 0.87). Administration of probiotics results in additional benefit in inducing remission of patients with UC. VSL#3 are beneficial for maintaining remission in patients with pouchitis. And, probiotics can provide the similar effect as 5-aminosalicylic acid on maintaining remission of UC, although no additional adverse events presented.

The contribution of human agricultural activities to increasing evapotranspiration is significantly greater than climate change effect over Heihe agricultural region.

PubMed

Zou, Minzhong; Niu, Jun; Kang, Shaozhong; Li, Xiaolin; Lu, Hongna

2017-08-18

Evapotranspiration (ET) is a major component linking the water, energy, and carbon cycles. Understanding changes in ET and the relative contribution rates of human activity and of climate change at the basin scale is important for sound water resources management. In this study, changes in ET in the Heihe agricultural region in northwest China during 1984-2014 were examined using remotely-sensed ET data with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Correlation analysis identified the dominant factors that influence change in ET per unit area and those that influence change in total ET. Factor analysis identified the relative contribution rates of the dominant factors in each case. The results show that human activity, which includes factors for agronomy and irrigation, and climate change, including factors for precipitation and relative humidity, both contribute to increases in ET per unit area at rates of 60.93% and 28.01%, respectively. Human activity, including the same factors, and climate change, including factors for relative humidity and wind speed, contribute to increases in total ET at rates of 53.86% and 35.68%, respectively. Overall, in the Heihe agricultural region, the contribution of human agricultural activities to increased ET was significantly greater than that of climate change.

The wire material and cross-section effect on double delta closing loops regarding load and spring rate magnitude: an in vitro study.

PubMed

Ferreira, M do A

1999-03-01

The mechanical behavior of orthodontics closing loops, with three different wire materials (stainless steel, cobalt-chromium and titanium-molybdenum) and with different cross-sections and a double delta design, was studied in tension tests. The springs were stress-relieved, except the titanium-molybdenum wires. There were 72 sample springs, divided into 33 stainless steel, 26 cobalt-chromium and 13 titanium-molybdenum, activated at 0.5 mm intervals, from neutral position to 3.0 mm. It was hypothesized that loads, after spring activation, and spring rate, are dependent on cross-section, wire material, and activation. The analysis of variance and the Tukey-Kramer test were applied to verify the differences between all coupled averages of the loads. Regression analysis was also used to verify if closing loops behavior was in accordance with Hooke's law and to obtain the spring rate. The results show that the loads are dependent on activation, cross-section, and wire material. Titanium-molybdenum 0.017 x 0.025 inch (Ormco) springs showed the smallest loads and the best spring rate. (beta = 84.9 g/mm)

Glyphosate application increased catabolic activity of gram-negative bacteria but impaired soil fungal community.

PubMed

Liu, Yehao; Li, Yongchun; Hua, Xiaomei; Müller, Karin; Wang, Hailong; Yang, Tongyi; Wang, Qiong; Peng, Xin; Wang, Mengcheng; Pang, Yanjun; Qi, Jinliang; Yang, Yonghua

2018-05-01

Glyphosate is a non-selective organophosphate herbicide that is widely used in agriculture, but its effects on soil microbial communities are highly variable and often contradictory, especially for high dose applications. We applied glyphosate at two rates: the recommended rate of 50 mg active ingredient kg -1 soil and 10-fold this rate to simulate multiple glyphosate applications during a growing season. After 6 months, we investigated the effects on the composition of soil microbial community, the catabolic activity and the genetic diversity of the bacterial community using phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), community level catabolic profiles (CLCPs), and 16S rRNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Microbial biomass carbon (C mic ) was reduced by 45%, and the numbers of the cultivable bacteria and fungi were decreased by 84 and 63%, respectively, under the higher glyphosate application rate. According to the PLFA analysis, the fungal biomass was reduced by 29% under both application rates. However, the CLCPs showed that the catabolic activity of the gram-negative (G-) bacterial community was significantly increased under the high glyphosate application rate. Furthermore, the DGGE analysis indicated that the bacterial community in the soil that had received the high glyphosate application rate was dominated by G- bacteria. Real-time PCR results suggested that copies of the glyphosate tolerance gene (EPSPS) increased significantly in the treatment with the high glyphosate application rate. Our results indicated that fungi were impaired through glyphosate while G- bacteria played an important role in the tolerance of microbiota to glyphosate applications.

A new analysis of heart rate variability in the assessment of fetal parasympathetic activity: An experimental study in a fetal sheep model.

PubMed

Garabedian, C; Champion, C; Servan-Schreiber, E; Butruille, L; Aubry, E; Sharma, D; Logier, R; Deruelle, P; Storme, L; Houfflin-Debarge, V; De Jonckheere, J

2017-01-01

Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a recognized tool in the assessment of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. Indeed, both time and spectral analysis techniques enable us to obtain indexes that are related to the way the ANS regulates the heart rate. However, these techniques are limited in terms of the lack of thresholds of the numerical indexes, which is primarily due to high inter-subject variability. We proposed a new fetal HRV analysis method related to the parasympathetic activity of the ANS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of our method compared to commonly used HRV analysis, with regard to i) the ability to detect changes in ANS activity and ii) inter-subject variability. This study was performed in seven sheep fetuses. In order to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of our index in evaluating parasympathetic activity, we directly administered 2.5 mg intravenous atropine, to inhibit parasympathetic tone, and 5 mg propranolol to block sympathetic activity. Our index, as well as time analysis (root mean square of the successive differences; RMSSD) and spectral analysis (high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) spectral components obtained via fast Fourier transform), were measured before and after injection. Inter-subject variability was estimated by the coefficient of variance (%CV). In order to evaluate the ability of HRV parameters to detect fetal parasympathetic decrease, we also estimated the effect size for each HRV parameter before and after injections. As expected, our index, the HF spectral component, and the RMSSD were reduced after the atropine injection. Moreover, our index presented a higher effect size. The %CV was far lower for our index than for RMSSD, HF, and LF. Although LF decreased after propranolol administration, fetal stress index, RMSSD, and HF were not significantly different, confirming the fact that those indexes are specific to the parasympathetic nervous system. In conclusion, our method appeared to be effective in detecting parasympathetic inhibition. Moreover, inter-subject variability was much lower, and effect size higher, with our method compared to other HRV analysis methods.

Nutrients removal and substrate enzyme activities in vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands for mariculture wastewater treatment: Effects of ammonia nitrogen loading rates and salinity levels.

PubMed

Li, Meng; Liang, Zhenlin; Callier, Myriam D; Roque d'orbcastel, Emmanuelle; Sun, Guoxiang; Ma, Xiaona; Li, Xian; Wang, Shunkui; Liu, Ying; Song, Xiefa

2018-06-01

This study aims to investigate the effects of ammonia nitrogen loading rates and salinity levels on nutrients removal rates and substrate enzyme activities of constructed wetland (CW) microcosms planted with Salicornia bigelovii treating mariculture wastewater. Activities of urease (UA), dehydrogenase (DA), protease (PrA) and phosphatase (PA) were considered. Using principal component analysis (PCA), nutrient removal index (NRI) and enzyme activity index (EAI) were developed to evaluate the effects. The results revealed that increasing ammonia nitrogen loading rates had positive effects on nitrogen removal rates (i.e. NH 4 -N and DIN) and enhanced substrate enzyme activities. Compared with low salinity (i.e. 15 and 22), high salinity levels (i.e. 29 and 36) enhanced nutrients removal rates, DA and UA, but weaken PA and PrA. In conclusion, CW microcosms with Salicornia bigelovii can be used for the removal of nutrients under a range of ammonia nitrogen loadings and high salinity levels. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Safety and acceptability of transcranial direct current stimulation for the acute treatment of major depressive episodes: Analysis of individual patient data.

PubMed

Moffa, Adriano H; Brunoni, André R; Fregni, Felipe; Palm, Ulrich; Padberg, Frank; Blumberger, Daniel M; Daskalakis, Zafiris J; Bennabi, Djamila; Haffen, Emmanuel; Alonzo, Angelo; Loo, Colleen K

2017-10-15

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation modality that has been increasingly used for major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment. Although studies in healthy volunteers showed that the technique is well-tolerated, tDCS safety and acceptability have not been sufficiently explored in patients with MDD. We collected individual patient data from 6 randomized clinical trials that had been previously identified in a systematic review and meta-analysis. Primary outcomes were safety (rate of adverse events) and acceptability (rate of dropouts). Secondary outcomes were clinical, demographic and treatment predictors of the primary outcomes. Dropout rates between active (8.8%) and sham (12%) groups were not significantly different (OR= 0.7, p=0.38). Adverse event rates between active (73.5%) and sham (68.3%) groups were not significantly different (OR= 1.4, p= 0.23). Higher current densities were associated with lower adverse event rates. Dropout reasons were not systematically reported and adverse events were not collected using questionnaires standardized across studies. Active tDCS is as acceptable and safe as sham tDCS, as found in randomized clinical trials of MDD. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Universal Temporal Profile of Replication Origin Activation in Eukaryotes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldar, Arach

2011-03-01

The complete and faithful transmission of eukaryotic genome to daughter cells involves the timely duplication of mother cell's DNA. DNA replication starts at multiple chromosomal positions called replication origin. From each activated replication origin two replication forks progress in opposite direction and duplicate the mother cell's DNA. While it is widely accepted that in eukaryotic organisms replication origins are activated in a stochastic manner, little is known on the sources of the observed stochasticity. It is often associated to the population variability to enter S phase. We extract from a growing Saccharomyces cerevisiae population the average rate of origin activation in a single cell by combining single molecule measurements and a numerical deconvolution technique. We show that the temporal profile of the rate of origin activation in a single cell is similar to the one extracted from a replicating cell population. Taking into account this observation we exclude the population variability as the origin of observed stochasticity in origin activation. We confirm that the rate of origin activation increases in the early stage of S phase and decreases at the latter stage. The population average activation rate extracted from single molecule analysis is in prefect accordance with the activation rate extracted from published micro-array data, confirming therefore the homogeneity and genome scale invariance of dynamic of replication process. All these observations point toward a possible role of replication fork to control the rate of origin activation.

Active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) versus standard CPR for cardiac arrest patients: a meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Luo, Xu-rui; Zhang, Hui-li; Chen, Geng-jin; Ding, Wen-shu; Huang, Liang

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ACDCPR) has been popular in the treatment of patients with cardiac arrest (CA). However, the effect of ACD-CPR versus conventional standard CPR (S-CRP) is contriversial. This study was to analyze the efficacy and safety of ACD-CPR versus S-CRP in treating CA patients. METHODS: Randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials published from January 1990 to March 2011 were searched with the phrase “active compression-decompression cardiopulmonary resuscitation and cardiac arrest” in PubMed, EmBASE, and China Biomedical Document Databases. The Cochrane Library was searched for papers of meta-analysis. Restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) rate, survival rate to hospital admission, survival rate at 24 hours, and survival rate to hospital discharge were considered primary outcomes, and complications after CPR were viewed as secondary outcomes. Included studies were critically appraised and estimates of effects were calculated according to the model of fixed or random effects. Inconsistency across the studies was evaluated using the I2 statistic method. Sensitivity analysis was made to determine statistical heterogeneity. RESULTS: Thirteen studies met the criteria for this meta-analysis. The studies included 396 adult CA patients treated by ACD-CPR and 391 patients by S-CRP. Totally 234 CA patients were found out hospitals, while the other 333 CA patients were in hospitals. Two studies were evaluated with high-quality methodology and the rest 11 studies were of poor quality. ROSC rate, survival rate at 24 hours and survival rate to hospital discharge with favorable neurological function indicated that ACD-CPR is superior to S-CRP, with relative risk (RR) values of 1.39 (95% CI 0.99–1.97), 1.94 (95% CI 1.45–2.59) and 2.80 (95% CI 1.60–5.24). No significant differences were found in survival rate to hospital admission and survival rate to hospital discharge for ACD-CPR versus S-CRP with RR values of 1.06 (95% CI 0.76–1.60) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.73–1.38). CONCLUSION: Quality controlled studies confirmed the superiority of ACD-CPR to S-CRP in terms of ROSC rate and survival rate at 24 hours. Compared with S-CRP, ACD-CPR could not improve survival rate to hospital admission or survival rate to hospital discharge. PMID:25215130

Fluorescent recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis of nuclear export rates identifies intrinsic features of nucleocytoplasmic transport.

PubMed

Cardarelli, Francesco; Tosti, Luca; Serresi, Michela; Beltram, Fabio; Bizzarri, Ranieri

2012-02-17

A quantitative description of carrier-mediated nuclear export in live cells is presented. To this end, we fused a prototypical leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) to GFP as a cargo model and expressed the fluorescent chimera in live CHO-K1 cells. By modeling FRAP data, we calculate the NES affinity for the export machinery and the maximum rate of nuclear export achievable at saturation of endogenous carriers. The measured active-export time through the Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC) is 18 ms, remarkably similar to the previously determined active-import rate. Also, our results reveal that active export/import and active export/passive diffusion fluxes are uncoupled, thus complementing previous reports on active import/passive diffusion uncoupling. These findings suggest differential gating at the NPC level.

Genome-Based Metabolic Mapping and 13C Flux Analysis Reveal Systematic Properties of an Oleaginous Microalga Chlorella protothecoides

DOE PAGES

Wu, Chao; Xiong, Wei; Dai, Junbiao; ...

2014-12-15

We report that integrated and genome-based flux balance analysis, metabolomics, and 13C-label profiling of phototrophic and heterotrophic metabolism in Chlorella protothecoides, an oleaginous green alga for biofuel. The green alga Chlorella protothecoides, capable of autotrophic and heterotrophic growth with rapid lipid synthesis, is a promising candidate for biofuel production. Based on the newly available genome knowledge of the alga, we reconstructed the compartmentalized metabolic network consisting of 272 metabolic reactions, 270 enzymes, and 461 encoding genes and simulated the growth in different cultivation conditions with flux balance analysis. Phenotype-phase plane analysis shows conditions achieving theoretical maximum of the biomass andmore » corresponding fatty acid-producing rate for phototrophic cells (the ratio of photon uptake rate to CO 2 uptake rate equals 8.4) and heterotrophic ones (the glucose uptake rate to O 2 consumption rate reaches 2.4), respectively. Isotope-assisted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry reveals higher metabolite concentrations in the glycolytic pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in heterotrophic cells compared with autotrophic cells. We also observed enhanced levels of ATP, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate), reduced, acetyl-Coenzyme A, and malonyl-Coenzyme A in heterotrophic cells consistently, consistent with a strong activity of lipid synthesis. To profile the flux map in experimental conditions, we applied nonstationary 13C metabolic flux analysis as a complementing strategy to flux balance analysis. We found that the result reveals negligible photorespiratory fluxes and a metabolically low active tricarboxylic acid cycle in phototrophic C. protothecoides. In comparison, high throughput of amphibolic reactions and the tricarboxylic acid cycle with no glyoxylate shunt activities were measured for heterotrophic cells. Lastly, taken together, the metabolic network modeling assisted by experimental metabolomics and 13C labeling better our understanding on global metabolism of oleaginous alga, paving the way to the systematic engineering of the microalga for biofuel production.« less

NASA trend analysis procedures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This publication is primarily intended for use by NASA personnel engaged in managing or implementing trend analysis programs. 'Trend analysis' refers to the observation of current activity in the context of the past in order to infer the expected level of future activity. NASA trend analysis was divided into 5 categories: problem, performance, supportability, programmatic, and reliability. Problem trend analysis uncovers multiple occurrences of historical hardware or software problems or failures in order to focus future corrective action. Performance trend analysis observes changing levels of real-time or historical flight vehicle performance parameters such as temperatures, pressures, and flow rates as compared to specification or 'safe' limits. Supportability trend analysis assesses the adequacy of the spaceflight logistics system; example indicators are repair-turn-around time and parts stockage levels. Programmatic trend analysis uses quantitative indicators to evaluate the 'health' of NASA programs of all types. Finally, reliability trend analysis attempts to evaluate the growth of system reliability based on a decreasing rate of occurrence of hardware problems over time. Procedures for conducting all five types of trend analysis are provided in this publication, prepared through the joint efforts of the NASA Trend Analysis Working Group.

Refining a measure of brain injury sequelae to predict postacute rehabilitation outcome: rating scale analysis of the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory.

PubMed

Malec, J F; Moessner, A M; Kragness, M; Lezak, M D

2000-02-01

Evaluate the psychometric properties of the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory (MPAI). Rating scale (Rasch) analysis of MPAI and principal component analysis of residuals; the predictive validity of the MPAI measures and raw scores was assessed in a sample from a day rehabilitation program. Outpatient brain injury rehabilitation. 305 persons with brain injury. A 22-item scale reflecting severity of sequelae of brain injury that contained a mix of indicators of impairment, activity, and participation was identified. Scores and measures for MPAI scales were strongly correlated and their predictive validities were comparable. Impairment, activity, and participation define a single dimension of brain injury sequelae. The MPAI shows promise as a measure of this construct.

The integrated manual and automatic control of complex flight systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmidt, D. K.

1986-01-01

The topics of research in this program include pilot/vehicle analysis techniques, identification of pilot dynamics, and control and display synthesis techniques for optimizing aircraft handling qualities. The project activities are discussed. The current technical activity is directed at extending and validating the active display synthesis procedure, and the pilot/vehicle analysis of the NLR rate-command flight configurations in the landing task. Two papers published by the researchers are attached as appendices.

Multilevel models for evaluating the risk of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions at intersections and mid-blocks

PubMed Central

Quistberg, D. Alex; Howard, Eric J.; Ebel, Beth E.; Moudon, Anne V.; Saelens, Brian E.; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Curtin, James E.; Rivara, Frederick P.

2015-01-01

Walking is a popular form of physical activity associated with clear health benefits. Promoting safe walking for pedestrians requires evaluating the risk of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions at specific roadway locations in order to identify where road improvements and other interventions may be needed. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the risk of pedestrian collisions at intersections and mid-blocks in Seattle, WA. The study used 2007-2013 pedestrian-motor vehicle collision data from police reports and detailed characteristics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment at intersection and mid-block locations. The primary outcome was the number of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions over time at each location (incident rate ratio [IRR] and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]). Multilevel mixed effects Poisson models accounted for correlation within and between locations and census blocks over time. Analysis accounted for pedestrian and vehicle activity (e.g., residential density and road classification). In the final multivariable model, intersections with 4 segments or 5 or more segments had higher pedestrian collision rates compared to mid-blocks. Non-residential roads had significantly higher rates than residential roads, with principal arterials having the highest collision rate. The pedestrian collision rate was higher by 9% per 10 feet of street width. Locations with traffic signals had twice the collision rate of locations without a signal and those with marked crosswalks also had a higher rate. Locations with a marked crosswalk also had higher risk of collision. Locations with a one-way road or those with signs encouraging motorists to cede the right-of-way to pedestrians had fewer pedestrian collisions. Collision rates were higher in locations that encourage greater pedestrian activity (more bus use, more fast food restaurants, higher employment, residential, and population densities). Locations with higher intersection density had a lower rate of collisions as did those in areas with higher residential property values. The novel spatiotemporal approach used that integrates road/crossing characteristics with surrounding neighborhood characteristics should help city agencies better identify high-risk locations for further study and analysis. Improving roads and making them safer for pedestrians achieves the public health goals of reducing pedestrian collisions and promoting physical activity. PMID:26339944

Alterations in the heart rate and activity rhythms of three orbital astronauts on a space mission.

PubMed

Liu, Zhizhen; Wan, Yufeng; Zhang, Lin; Tian, Yu; Lv, Ke; Li, Yinghui; Wang, Chunhui; Chen, Xiaoping; Chen, Shanguang; Guo, Jinhu

2015-01-01

Environmental factors in space are dramatically different from those on Earth. The spaceflight environment has been known to influence human physiology and behavior on orbital missions. In this study, we investigated alterations in the diurnal rhythms of activity and heart rate of three Chinese astronauts on a space mission. An analysis of the heart rate data showed a significant decrease in heart rate amplitudes during flight in all three subjects. The heart rate amplitudes of all the three astronauts were significantly dampened during flight, and the minimum as well as the maximum value of heart rate increased after flight. A phase shift in heart rate was observed in one of the three astronauts after flight. These results demonstrate the influence of spaceflight on heart physiology and function. In addition, a significant decrease in body trunk activity and rhythmicity occurred during flight, demonstrating that the spaceflight environment disturbs motion adaptation and diurnal activity rhythms. Copyright © 2015 The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Control on Return from International Space Station (CCISS)- Heart Rate and Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughson, R. L.; Shoemaker, J. K.; Blaber, A. P.; Arbeille, Ph.; Zuj, K. A.; Greaves, D. K.

2008-06-01

CCISS is a project to study the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular responses of astronauts before, during and after long-duration (>60-day) stays on the International Space Station. The CCISS experiments consist of three phases that are designed to achieve an integrated examination of components responsible for return of blood to the heart, the pumping of blood from the heart and the distribution to the vascular territories including the brain. In this report the data are obtained from the 24-h monitoring of physical activity (Actiwatch on wrist and ankle) and of heart rate (Holter monitor). The data show clear patterns of change in physical activity from predominantly leg-based on Earth to relatively little activity of the ankles with maintained or increased activity of the wrists on ISS. Both on Earth and on ISS the largest changes in heart rate occur during the periods of leg activity. Average heart rate was changed little during the periods of minimal activity or of sleep in comparisons of Earth with in-flight recording both within the first two weeks of flight and the last two weeks. These data clearly show the importance of monitoring heart rate and physical activity simultaneously and show that attempts to derive indicators of autonomic activity from spectral analysis of heart rate variability should not be performed in the absence of knowledge of both variables.

High-frequency autonomic modulation: a new model for analysis of autonomic cardiac control.

PubMed

Champéroux, Pascal; Fesler, Pierre; Judé, Sebastien; Richard, Serge; Le Guennec, Jean-Yves; Thireau, Jérôme

2018-05-03

Increase in high-frequency beat-to-beat heart rate oscillations by torsadogenic hERG blockers appears to be associated with signs of parasympathetic and sympathetic co-activation which cannot be assessed directly using classic methods of heart rate variability analysis. The present work aimed to find a translational model that would allow this particular state of the autonomic control of heart rate to be assessed. High-frequency heart rate and heart period oscillations were analysed within discrete 10 s intervals in a cohort of 200 healthy human subjects. Results were compared to data collected in non-human primates and beagle dogs during pharmacological challenges and torsadogenic hERG blockers exposure, in 127 genotyped LQT1 patients on/off β-blocker treatment and in subgroups of smoking and non-smoking subjects. Three states of autonomic modulation, S1 (parasympathetic predominance) to S3 (reciprocal parasympathetic withdrawal/sympathetic activation), were differentiated to build a new model of heart rate variability referred to as high-frequency autonomic modulation. The S2 state corresponded to a specific state during which both parasympathetic and sympathetic systems were coexisting or co-activated. S2 oscillations were proportionally increased by torsadogenic hERG-blocking drugs, whereas smoking caused an increase in S3 oscillations. The combined analysis of the magnitude of high-frequency heart rate and high-frequency heart period oscillations allows a refined assessment of heart rate autonomic modulation applicable to long-term ECG recordings and offers new approaches to assessment of the risk of sudden death both in terms of underlying mechanisms and sensitivity. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.

Impact of Diabetes Type 1 in Children on Autonomic Modulation at Rest and in Response to the Active Orthostatic Test

PubMed Central

Giacon, Thais Roque; Vanderlei, Franciele Marques; Christofaro, Diego Giulliano Destro; Vanderlei, Luiz Carlos Marques

2016-01-01

Introduction Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1), of which one of the first subclinical manifestations is changes in heart rate variability (HRV). Thus, analysis of HRV associated with the autonomic active orthostatic test is important in this population. Objectives To analyze the autonomic modulation responses induced by the implementation of the active orthostatic test, in children with DM1, and study the autonomic modulation by means of HRV indices. Method Data of 35 children were analyzed, of both sexes, aged between 7 and 15 years, who were divided into two groups: Diabetic (n = 16) and Control (n = 19). The following variables were collected initially: weight, height, body fat percentage, heart rate, blood pressure and casual blood glucose. Subsequently, for analysis of autonomic modulation, the beat-to-beat heart rate was captured by a heart rate monitor in the supine position for 30 minutes and after 10 minutes standing during performance of the active orthostatic test. HRV indices were calculated in the time and frequency domains. For data analysis, covariance analysis was used to compare groups and ANOVA for repeated measures to compare the effects of the active orthostatic test. These data were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, body fat percentage and casual blood glucose, with a 5% significance level. Results The results suggested that diabetic children at rest present a decrease in SDNN (50.4 vs. 75.2), rMSSD (38.7 vs 57.6) and LF [ms2] (693.6 vs 1874.6). During the active orthostatic test the children in both groups demonstrated a reduction in SDNN, RMSSD and LF [ms2] compared to the resting position, and this response was less pronounced in the diabetic group. Conclusion We conclude that regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, body fat percentage and casual blood glucose, performing the active orthostatic test promoted increased sympathetic modulation and reduced parasympathetic modulation in both groups, and this response was less pronounced in diabetic children, who presented reduced overall variability and parasympathetic modulation. PMID:27788152

Impact of Diabetes Type 1 in Children on Autonomic Modulation at Rest and in Response to the Active Orthostatic Test.

PubMed

Giacon, Thais Roque; Vanderlei, Franciele Marques; Christofaro, Diego Giulliano Destro; Vanderlei, Luiz Carlos Marques

2016-01-01

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM1), of which one of the first subclinical manifestations is changes in heart rate variability (HRV). Thus, analysis of HRV associated with the autonomic active orthostatic test is important in this population. To analyze the autonomic modulation responses induced by the implementation of the active orthostatic test, in children with DM1, and study the autonomic modulation by means of HRV indices. Data of 35 children were analyzed, of both sexes, aged between 7 and 15 years, who were divided into two groups: Diabetic (n = 16) and Control (n = 19). The following variables were collected initially: weight, height, body fat percentage, heart rate, blood pressure and casual blood glucose. Subsequently, for analysis of autonomic modulation, the beat-to-beat heart rate was captured by a heart rate monitor in the supine position for 30 minutes and after 10 minutes standing during performance of the active orthostatic test. HRV indices were calculated in the time and frequency domains. For data analysis, covariance analysis was used to compare groups and ANOVA for repeated measures to compare the effects of the active orthostatic test. These data were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, body fat percentage and casual blood glucose, with a 5% significance level. The results suggested that diabetic children at rest present a decrease in SDNN (50.4 vs. 75.2), rMSSD (38.7 vs 57.6) and LF [ms2] (693.6 vs 1874.6). During the active orthostatic test the children in both groups demonstrated a reduction in SDNN, RMSSD and LF [ms2] compared to the resting position, and this response was less pronounced in the diabetic group. We conclude that regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, body fat percentage and casual blood glucose, performing the active orthostatic test promoted increased sympathetic modulation and reduced parasympathetic modulation in both groups, and this response was less pronounced in diabetic children, who presented reduced overall variability and parasympathetic modulation.

Increasing Children’s Physical Activity During School Recess Periods

PubMed Central

Ludwig, David

2013-01-01

Objectives. We examined whether schools’ participation in the Recess Enhancement Program (REP) in the spring of 2011 was associated with higher rates of children’s vigorous physical activity. Methods. In REP, a coach guides children through age-appropriate games aimed at increasing their physical activity. During recess at 25 New York City public elementary schools (15 REP, 10 non-REP), researchers visually scanned predetermined areas (n = 1339 scans), recording the number of sedentary, walking, and very active children. Results. Multivariate statistical analysis found that participation in REP was a significant predictor (P = .027) of the rate of vigorous physical activity (percentage very active in scan area) whose least-squares means were 41% in REP schools and 27% in non-REP schools. A significantly higher rate in REP schools persisted when the coach was not in the scan area, suggesting a change in the recess culture of REP schools. Conclusions. The rate of vigorous physical activity in REP schools was 14 percentage points, or 52%, higher than the rate in non-REP schools. This low-cost intervention might be a valuable addition to the tools for combating childhood obesity and worth replicating elsewhere. PMID:23678902

Sign and magnitude scaling properties of heart rate variability in patients with end-stage renal failure: Are these properties useful to identify pathophysiological adaptations?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerma, Claudia; Echeverría, Juan C.; Infante, Oscar; Pérez-Grovas, Héctor; González-Gómez, Hortensia

2017-09-01

The scaling properties of heart rate variability data are reliable dynamical features to predict mortality and for the assessment of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this manuscript was to determine if the scaling properties, as provided by the sign and magnitude analysis, can be used to differentiate between pathological changes and those adaptations basically introduced by modifications of the mean heart rate in distinct manoeuvres (active standing or hemodialysis treatment, HD), as well as clinical conditions (end stage renal disease, ESRD). We found that in response to active standing, the short-term scaling index (α1) increased in healthy subjects and in ESRD patients only after HD. The sign short-term scaling exponent (α1sign) increased in healthy subjects and ESRD patients, showing a less anticorrelated behavior in active standing. Both α1 and α1sign did show covariance with the mean heart rate in healthy subjects, while in ESRD patients, this covariance was observed only after HD. A reliable estimation of the magnitude short-term scaling exponent (α1magn) required the analysis of time series with a large number of samples (>3000 data points). This exponent was similar for both groups and conditions and did not show covariance with the mean heart rate. A surrogate analysis confirmed the presence of multifractal properties (α1magn > 0.5) in the time series of healthy subjects and ESDR patients. In conclusion, α1 and α1sign provided insights into the physiological adaptations during active standing, which revealed a transitory impairment before HD in ESRD patients. The presence of multifractal properties indicated that a reduced short-term variability does not necessarily imply a declined regulatory complexity in these patients.

Efficacy and Safety of Tacrolimus Therapy for Active Ulcerative Colitis; A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Komaki, Yuga; Komaki, Fukiko; Ido, Akio

2016-01-01

Background: Approximately 25% of patients with ulcerative colitis [UC] experience a severe flare requiring steroid therapy to avoid colectomy. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of tacrolimus as a rescue therapy for active UC. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for relevant studies assessing the efficacy of tacrolimus for active UC. Outcomes included short- and long-term clinical response, colectomy free rates, and rate of adverse events in randomised controlled trials [RCTs] and observational studies. Results: Two RCTs comparing high trough concentration [10–15ng/ml] versus placebo [n = 103] and 23 observational studies [n = 831] were identified. Clinical response at 2 weeks was significantly higher with tacrolimus compared with placebo (risk ratio [RR] = 4.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.09–10.17, p = 0.15 x 10-3] among RCTs. Rates of clinical response at 1 and 3 months were 0.73 [95% CI = 0.64–0.81] and 0.76 [95% CI = 0.59–0.87], and colectomy-free rates remained high at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months [0.86, 0.84, 0.78, and 0.69, respectively] among observational studies. Among RCTs, adverse events were more frequent compared with placebo [RR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.20–3.37, p = 0.83 x 10-2], but there was no difference in severe adverse events [RR = 3.15, 95% CI = 0.14–72.9, p = 0.47]. Severe adverse events were rare among observational studies [0.11, 95% CI = 0.06–0.20]. Conclusions: In the present meta-analysis, tacrolimus was associated with high clinical response and colectomy-free rates without increased risk of severe adverse events for active UC. PMID:26645641

Sign and magnitude scaling properties of heart rate variability in patients with end-stage renal failure: Are these properties useful to identify pathophysiological adaptations?

PubMed

Lerma, Claudia; Echeverría, Juan C; Infante, Oscar; Pérez-Grovas, Héctor; González-Gómez, Hortensia

2017-09-01

The scaling properties of heart rate variability data are reliable dynamical features to predict mortality and for the assessment of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this manuscript was to determine if the scaling properties, as provided by the sign and magnitude analysis, can be used to differentiate between pathological changes and those adaptations basically introduced by modifications of the mean heart rate in distinct manoeuvres (active standing or hemodialysis treatment, HD), as well as clinical conditions (end stage renal disease, ESRD). We found that in response to active standing, the short-term scaling index (α 1 ) increased in healthy subjects and in ESRD patients only after HD. The sign short-term scaling exponent (α 1sign ) increased in healthy subjects and ESRD patients, showing a less anticorrelated behavior in active standing. Both α 1 and α 1sign did show covariance with the mean heart rate in healthy subjects, while in ESRD patients, this covariance was observed only after HD. A reliable estimation of the magnitude short-term scaling exponent (α 1magn ) required the analysis of time series with a large number of samples (>3000 data points). This exponent was similar for both groups and conditions and did not show covariance with the mean heart rate. A surrogate analysis confirmed the presence of multifractal properties (α 1magn  > 0.5) in the time series of healthy subjects and ESDR patients. In conclusion, α 1 and α 1sign provided insights into the physiological adaptations during active standing, which revealed a transitory impairment before HD in ESRD patients. The presence of multifractal properties indicated that a reduced short-term variability does not necessarily imply a declined regulatory complexity in these patients.

Active pain coping is associated with the response in real-time fMRI neurofeedback during pain.

PubMed

Emmert, Kirsten; Breimhorst, Markus; Bauermann, Thomas; Birklein, Frank; Rebhorn, Cora; Van De Ville, Dimitri; Haller, Sven

2017-06-01

Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback is used as a tool to gain voluntary control of activity in various brain regions. Little emphasis has been put on the influence of cognitive and personality traits on neurofeedback efficacy and baseline activity. Here, we assessed the effect of individual pain coping on rt-fMRI neurofeedback during heat-induced pain. Twenty-eight healthy subjects completed the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) prior to scanning. The first part of the fMRI experiment identified target regions using painful heat stimulation. Then, subjects were asked to down-regulate the pain target brain region during four neurofeedback runs with painful heat stimulation. Functional MRI analysis included correlation analysis between fMRI activation and pain ratings as well as CSQ ratings. At the behavioral level, the active pain coping (first principal component of CSQ) was correlated with pain ratings during neurofeedback. Concerning neuroimaging, pain sensitive regions were negatively correlated with pain coping. During neurofeedback, the pain coping was positively correlated with activation in the anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and visual cortex. Thermode temperature was negatively correlated with anterior insula and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation. In conclusion, self-reported pain coping mechanisms and pain sensitivity are a source of variance during rt-fMRI neurofeedback possibly explaining variations in regulation success. In particular, active coping seems to be associated with successful pain regulation.

Models for H₃ receptor antagonist activity of sulfonylurea derivatives.

PubMed

Khatri, Naveen; Madan, A K

2014-03-01

The histamine H₃ receptor has been perceived as an auspicious target for the treatment of various central and peripheral nervous system diseases. In present study, a wide variety of 60 2D and 3D molecular descriptors (MDs) were successfully utilized for the development of models for the prediction of antagonist activity of sulfonylurea derivatives for histamine H₃ receptors. Models were developed through decision tree (DT), random forest (RF) and moving average analysis (MAA). Dragon software version 6.0.28 was employed for calculation of values of diverse MDs of each analogue involved in the data set. The DT classified and correctly predicted the input data with an impressive non-error rate of 94% in the training set and 82.5% during cross validation. RF correctly classified the analogues into active and inactive with a non-error rate of 79.3%. The MAA based models predicted the antagonist histamine H₃ receptor activity with non-error rate up to 90%. Active ranges of the proposed MAA based models not only exhibited high potency but also showed improved safety as indicated by relatively high values of selectivity index. The statistical significance of the models was assessed through sensitivity, specificity, non-error rate, Matthew's correlation coefficient and intercorrelation analysis. Proposed models offer vast potential for providing lead structures for development of potent but safe H₃ receptor antagonist sulfonylurea derivatives. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative analysis of dose rates in bricks determined by neutron activation analysis, alpha counting and X-ray fluorescence analysis for the thermoluminescence fine grain dating method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bártová, H.; Kučera, J.; Musílek, L.; Trojek, T.

2014-11-01

In order to evaluate the age from the equivalent dose and to obtain an optimized and efficient procedure for thermoluminescence (TL) dating, it is necessary to obtain the values of both the internal and the external dose rates from dated samples and from their environment. The measurements described and compared in this paper refer to bricks from historic buildings and a fine-grain dating method. The external doses are therefore negligible, if the samples are taken from a sufficient depth in the wall. However, both the alpha dose rate and the beta and gamma dose rates must be taken into account in the internal dose. The internal dose rate to fine-grain samples is caused by the concentrations of natural radionuclides 238U, 235U, 232Th and members of their decay chains, and by 40K concentrations. Various methods can be used for determining trace concentrations of these natural radionuclides and their contributions to the dose rate. The dose rate fraction from 238U and 232Th can be calculated, e.g., from the alpha count rate, or from the concentrations of 238U and 232Th, measured by neutron activation analysis (NAA). The dose rate fraction from 40K can be calculated from the concentration of potassium measured, e.g., by X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) or by NAA. Alpha counting and XRF are relatively simple and are accessible for an ordinary laboratory. NAA can be considered as a more accurate method, but it is more demanding regarding time and costs, since it needs a nuclear reactor as a neutron source. A comparison of these methods allows us to decide whether the time- and cost-saving simpler techniques introduce uncertainty that is still acceptable.

Volcanic eruptions on Io - Implications for surface evolution and mass loss

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, T. V.; Soderblom, L. A.

1982-01-01

Active volcanism on Io results in a continual resurfacing of the satellite. Analysis of required burial rates to erase impact craters, the mass production in the observed plumes, and the energy requirements for the volcanic activity suggest resurfacing rates of 0.001 to 10 cm/yr in recent geologic time. If this rate is typical of the last 4.5 Gyr, then extensive recycling of the upper crust and mantle must have occurred. The currently estimated loss rate of S, O, and Na from Io into the magnetosphere corresponds to only a small fraction of the resurfacing rate and should not have resulted in either extensive erosion or total depletion of any of the escaping species.

Are Navy Weight Management Programs Ensuring Sailor Physical Readiness? An Analysis at Naval Medical Center San Diego.

PubMed

Wisbach, Gordon G; Peters, Joshua; Guerrero, Jenise Leon; Mozzini, Nelson; Metzger, Helen

2018-03-14

The obesity epidemic in the USA includes active duty service members in the military and effects physical readiness. At the Naval Medical Center San Diego command, the Health & Wellness Department is charged with administering the Weight Management Programs (WMP) for sailors in the San Diego area to ensure military physical readiness requirements. The optimal allocation of personnel and resources to manage these programs is paramount for mission success. We analyzed the cost and effectiveness of the WMPs for the active duty population stationed at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) with the intent of offering potential recommendations for program optimization. As an approved quality improvement program, the cost and effectiveness of the WMP, namely Fitness Enhancement Program (FEP) and ShipShape (SS), for the active duty population stationed at NMCSD were analyzed from 2013 to 2014 by utilizing various official sources. Data analysis included reviewing historical data for trends and developing a budgetary analysis to include Direct Labor Hour rates and opportunity costs. Interviews were conducted with key staff and participants in the WMPs to determine essential aspects and potential beneficial changes to the programs. Overall results were evaluated to identify potential opportunities for program expansion and improvement. Data analysis revealed that the FEP is producing a 78% success rate, with approximately 30% of the enrolled personnel actively participating. Concurrently, the SS program at NMCSD is producing a 71% success rate with 90% course completion rate. This success rate is significantly higher than the national SS average of 34%. Furthermore, our cost analysis revealed that the SS program a significantly higher return on investment. Interviews conducted of key staff and participants yielded several commonalities regarding key factors involved with WMPs success or needed improvements. To improve the WMPs at NMCSD, the findings in this report support the following recommendations: (1) maximize the SS program, (2) increase utilization of FEP, and (3) increase the participation and training of Assistant Command Fitness Leaders. WMPs navy-wide may benefit from incorporating similar program improvements to increase physical readiness of service members and, therefore, support command mission success.

Evaluation of the Environmental Gamma-ray Dose Rate by Skyshine Analysis During the Maintenance of an Activated TFC in ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, S.; Takatsu, H.; Maki, K.; Yamada, K.; Mori, S.; Iida, H.; Santoro, R. T.

1997-09-01

Gamma-ray exposure dose rates at the ITER site boundary were estimated for the cases of removal of a failed activated Toroidal Field (TF) coil from the torus and removal of a failed activated TF coil together with a sector of the activated Vacuum Vessel (VV). Skyshine analyses were performed using the two-dimensional SN radiation transport code, DOT3.5. The exposure gamma-ray dose rates on the ground at the site boundary (presently assumed to be 1 km from the ITER building), were calculated to be 1.1 and 84 μSv/year for removal of the TF coil without and with a VV sector, respectively. The dose rate level for the latter case is close to the tentative radiation limit of 100 μSv/year so an additional ˜14 cm of concrete is required in the ITER building roof to satisfy the criterion for a safety factor often for the site boundary dose rate.

Hydromechanical Earthquake Nucleation Model Forecasts Onset, Peak, and Falling Rates of Induced Seismicity in Oklahoma and Kansas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norbeck, J. H.; Rubinstein, J. L.

2018-04-01

The earthquake activity in Oklahoma and Kansas that began in 2008 reflects the most widespread instance of induced seismicity observed to date. We develop a reservoir model to calculate the hydrologic conditions associated with the activity of 902 saltwater disposal wells injecting into the Arbuckle aquifer. Estimates of basement fault stressing conditions inform a rate-and-state friction earthquake nucleation model to forecast the seismic response to injection. Our model replicates many salient features of the induced earthquake sequence, including the onset of seismicity, the timing of the peak seismicity rate, and the reduction in seismicity following decreased disposal activity. We present evidence for variable time lags between changes in injection and seismicity rates, consistent with the prediction from rate-and-state theory that seismicity rate transients occur over timescales inversely proportional to stressing rate. Given the efficacy of the hydromechanical model, as confirmed through a likelihood statistical test, the results of this study support broader integration of earthquake physics within seismic hazard analysis.

Is Increasing Coal Seam Gas Well Development Activity Associated with Increasing Hospitalisation Rates in Queensland, Australia? An Exploratory Analysis 1995-2011.

PubMed

Werner, Angela K; Cameron, Cate M; Watt, Kerrianne; Vink, Sue; Jagals, Paul; Page, Andrew

2017-05-18

The majority of Australia's coal seam gas (CSG) reserves are in Queensland, where the industry has expanded rapidly in recent years. Despite concerns, health data have not been examined alongside CSG development. This study examined hospitalisation rates as a function of CSG development activity in Queensland, during the period 1995-2011. Admissions data were examined with CSG well numbers, which served as a proxy for CSG development activity. Time series models were used to assess changes in hospitalisation rates for periods of "low", "medium", "high", and "intense" activity compared to a period of "very low" activity, adjusting for covariates. "All-cause" hospitalisation rates increased monotonically with increasing gas well development activity in females (324.0 to 390.3 per 1000 persons) and males (294.2 to 335.4 per 1000 persons). Hospitalisation rates for "Blood/immune" conditions generally increased for both sexes. Female and male hospitalisation rates for "Circulatory" conditions decreased with increasing CSG activity. Hospitalisation rates were generally low for reproductive and birth outcomes; no clear associations were observed. This study showed some outcomes were associated with increasing CSG development activity. However, as a condition of data access, the population and outcomes were aggregated to a broad geographic study area rather than using higher geographic resolution data. Higher resolution data, as well as other data sources, should be explored. Further research should be conducted with an expanded time period to determine if these trends continue as the industry grows.

Fluorescent Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP) Analysis of Nuclear Export Rates Identifies Intrinsic Features of Nucleocytoplasmic Transport*

PubMed Central

Cardarelli, Francesco; Tosti, Luca; Serresi, Michela; Beltram, Fabio; Bizzarri, Ranieri

2012-01-01

A quantitative description of carrier-mediated nuclear export in live cells is presented. To this end, we fused a prototypical leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES) to GFP as a cargo model and expressed the fluorescent chimera in live CHO-K1 cells. By modeling FRAP data, we calculate the NES affinity for the export machinery and the maximum rate of nuclear export achievable at saturation of endogenous carriers. The measured active-export time through the Nuclear Pore Complex (NPC) is 18 ms, remarkably similar to the previously determined active-import rate. Also, our results reveal that active export/import and active export/passive diffusion fluxes are uncoupled, thus complementing previous reports on active import/passive diffusion uncoupling. These findings suggest differential gating at the NPC level. PMID:22190681

Overestimation of physical activity level is associated with lower BMI: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Watkinson, Clare; van Sluijs, Esther Mf; Sutton, Stephen; Hardeman, Wendy; Corder, Kirsten; Griffin, Simon J

2010-09-20

Poor recognition of physical inactivity may be an important barrier to healthy behaviour change, but little is known about this phenomenon. We aimed to characterize a high-risk population according to the discrepancies between objective and self-rated physical activity (PA), defined as awareness. An exploratory cross-sectional analysis of PA awareness using baseline data collected from 365 ProActive participants between 2001 and 2003 in East Anglia, England. Self-rated PA was defined as 'active' or 'inactive' (assessed via questionnaire). Objective PA was defined according to achievement of guideline activity levels (≥30 minutes or <30 minutes spent at least moderate intensity PA, assessed by heart rate monitoring). Four awareness groups were created: 'Realistic Actives', 'Realistic Inactives', 'Overestimators' and 'Underestimators'. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between awareness group and 17 personal, social and biological correlates. 63.3% of participants (N = 231) were inactive according to objective measurement. Of these, 45.9% rated themselves as active ('Overestimators'). In a multiple logistic regression model adjusted for age and smoking, males (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.12, 3.98), those with lower BMI (OR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.84, 0.95), younger age at completion of full-time education (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.74, 0.93) and higher general health perception (OR = 1.02 CI = 1.00, 1.04) were more likely to overestimate their PA. Overestimation of PA is associated with favourable indicators of relative slimness and general health. Feedback about PA levels could help reverse misperceptions.

Modulations of Heart Rate, ECG, and Cardio-Respiratory Coupling Observed in Polysomnography

PubMed Central

Penzel, Thomas; Kantelhardt, Jan W.; Bartsch, Ronny P.; Riedl, Maik; Kraemer, Jan F.; Wessel, Niels; Garcia, Carmen; Glos, Martin; Fietze, Ingo; Schöbel, Christoph

2016-01-01

The cardiac component of cardio-respiratory polysomnography is covered by ECG and heart rate recordings. However, their evaluation is often underrepresented in summarizing reports. As complements to EEG, EOG, and EMG, these signals provide diagnostic information for autonomic nervous activity during sleep. This review presents major methodological developments in sleep research regarding heart rate, ECG, and cardio-respiratory couplings in a chronological (historical) sequence. It presents physiological and pathophysiological insights related to sleep medicine obtained by new technical developments. Recorded nocturnal ECG facilitates conventional heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, studies of cyclical variations of heart rate, and analysis of ECG waveform. In healthy adults, the autonomous nervous system is regulated in totally different ways during wakefulness, slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep. Analysis of beat-to-beat heart-rate variations with statistical methods enables us to estimate sleep stages based on the differences in autonomic nervous system regulation. Furthermore, up to some degree, it is possible to track transitions from wakefulness to sleep by analysis of heart-rate variations. ECG and heart rate analysis allow assessment of selected sleep disorders as well. Sleep disordered breathing can be detected reliably by studying cyclical variation of heart rate combined with respiration-modulated changes in ECG morphology (amplitude of R wave and T wave). PMID:27826247

Modulations of Heart Rate, ECG, and Cardio-Respiratory Coupling Observed in Polysomnography.

PubMed

Penzel, Thomas; Kantelhardt, Jan W; Bartsch, Ronny P; Riedl, Maik; Kraemer, Jan F; Wessel, Niels; Garcia, Carmen; Glos, Martin; Fietze, Ingo; Schöbel, Christoph

2016-01-01

The cardiac component of cardio-respiratory polysomnography is covered by ECG and heart rate recordings. However, their evaluation is often underrepresented in summarizing reports. As complements to EEG, EOG, and EMG, these signals provide diagnostic information for autonomic nervous activity during sleep. This review presents major methodological developments in sleep research regarding heart rate, ECG, and cardio-respiratory couplings in a chronological (historical) sequence. It presents physiological and pathophysiological insights related to sleep medicine obtained by new technical developments. Recorded nocturnal ECG facilitates conventional heart rate variability (HRV) analysis, studies of cyclical variations of heart rate, and analysis of ECG waveform. In healthy adults, the autonomous nervous system is regulated in totally different ways during wakefulness, slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep. Analysis of beat-to-beat heart-rate variations with statistical methods enables us to estimate sleep stages based on the differences in autonomic nervous system regulation. Furthermore, up to some degree, it is possible to track transitions from wakefulness to sleep by analysis of heart-rate variations. ECG and heart rate analysis allow assessment of selected sleep disorders as well. Sleep disordered breathing can be detected reliably by studying cyclical variation of heart rate combined with respiration-modulated changes in ECG morphology (amplitude of R wave and T wave).

Single pilot IFR accident data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harris, D. F.; Morrisete, J. A.

1982-01-01

The aircraft accident data recorded and maintained by the National Transportation Safety Board for 1964 to 1979 were analyzed to determine what problems exist in the general aviation single pilot instrument flight rules environment. A previous study conducted in 1978 for the years 1964 to 1975 provided a basis for comparison. The purpose was to determine what changes, if any, have occurred in trends and cause-effect relationships reported in the earlier study. The increasing numbers have been tied to measures of activity to produce accident rates which in turn were analyzed in terms of change. Where anomalies or unusually high accident rates were encountered, further analysis was conducted to isolate pertinent patterns of cause factors and/or experience levels of involved pilots. The bulk of the effort addresses accidents in the landing phase of operations. A detailed analysis was performed on controlled/uncontrolled collisions and their unique attributes delineated. Estimates of day vs. night general aviation activity and accident rates were obtained.

The impact of the business cycle on occupational injuries in the UK.

PubMed

Davies, Rhys; Jones, Paul; Nuñez, Imanol

2009-07-01

This paper investigates the cyclical fluctuations in rates of workplace injury for the UK from 1986 to 2005. Time series analysis shows that, in aggregate terms, the rate of minor injuries is pro-cyclical whilst the rate of major injury is not affected by the level of economic activity. Analysis by sector reveals that cyclical fluctuations are sharper in the construction and manufacturing sectors. Using panel data, we find that fluctuations in both the rates of minor and major injury are related to the level of new hiring and the ratio of actual to usual hours worked. However, only minor injuries are related to variables that control for workers' bargaining power. The analysis demonstrates the importance of both compositional effects and individual reporting behaviour to understanding cyclical variations in workplace injury rates.

Respiration activity of Escherichia coli entrapped in a cone-shaped microwell and cylindrical micropore monitored by scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM).

PubMed

Kaya, Takatoshi; Numai, Daisuke; Nagamine, Kuniaki; Aoyagi, Shigeo; Shiku, Hitoshi; Matsue, Tomokazu

2004-06-01

The metabolic activity of E. coli cells embedded in collagen gel microstructures in a cone-shaped well and in a cylindrical micropore was investigated using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM), based on the oxygen consumption rate and the conversion rate from ferrocyanide to ferricyanide. The analysis of the concentration profiles for oxygen and ferrocyanide afforded the oxygen consumption rate and the ferrocyanide production rate. A comparison indicated that the ferrocyanide production rates were larger than the oxygen consumption rate, and also that the rates observed in the cylindrical micropore were larger than those observed in the cone-shaped well. The ferrocyanide production rate of a single E. coli cell was calculated to be (5.4 +/- 2.6) x 10(-19) mol s(-1), using a cylindrical micropore system.

Updated hazard rate equations for dual safeguard systems.

PubMed

Rothschild, Marc

2007-04-11

A previous paper by this author [M.J. Rothschild, Updated hazard rate equation for single safeguards, J. Hazard. Mater. 130 (1-2) (2006) 15-20] showed that commonly used analytical methods for quantifying failure rates overestimates the risk in some circumstances. This can lead the analyst to mistakenly believe that a given operation presents an unacceptable risk. For a single safeguard system, a formula was presented in that paper that accurately evaluates the risk over a wide range of conditions. This paper expands on that analysis by evaluating the failure rate for dual safeguard systems. The safeguards can be activated at the same time or at staggered times, and the safeguard may provide an indication whether it was successful upon a challenge, or its status may go undetected. These combinations were evaluated using a Monte Carlo simulation. Empirical formulas for evaluating the hazard rate were developed from this analysis. It is shown that having the safeguards activate at the same time while providing positive feedback of their individual actions is the most effective arrangement in reducing the hazard rate. The hazard rate can also be reduced by staggering the testing schedules of the safeguards.

Maternal exercise, season and sex modify the daily fetal heart rate rhythm.

PubMed

Sletten, J; Cornelissen, G; Assmus, J; Kiserud, T; Albrechtsen, S; Kessler, J

2018-05-13

The knowledge on biological rhythms is rapidly expanding. We aimed to define the longitudinal development of the daily (24-hour) fetal heart rate rhythm in an unrestricted, out-of-hospital setting and to examine the effects of maternal physical activity, season and fetal sex. We recruited 48 women with low-risk singleton pregnancies. Using a portable monitor for continuous fetal electrocardiography, fetal heart rate recordings were obtained around gestational weeks 24, 28, 32 and 36. Daily rhythms in fetal heart rate and fetal heart rate variation were detected by cosinor analysis; developmental trends were calculated by population-mean cosinor and multilevel analysis. For the fetal heart rate and fetal heart rate variation, a significant daily rhythm was present in 122/123 (99.2%) and 116/121 (95.9%) of the individual recordings respectively. The rhythms were best described by combining cosine waves with periods of 24 and 8 hours. With increasing gestational age, the magnitude of the fetal heart rate rhythm increased, and the peak of the fetal heart rate variation rhythm shifted from a mean of 14:25 (24 weeks) to 20:52 (36 weeks). With advancing gestation, the rhythm-adjusted mean value of the fetal heart rate decreased linearly in females (P < .001) and nonlinearly in males (quadratic function, P = .001). At 32 and 36 weeks, interindividual rhythm diversity was found in male fetuses during higher maternal physical activity and during the summer season. The dynamic development of the daily fetal heart rate rhythm during the second half of pregnancy is modified by fetal sex, maternal physical activity and season. © 2018 Scandinavian Physiological Society. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rostral dorsolateral pontine neurons with sympathetic nerve-related activity.

PubMed

Barman, S M; Gebber, G L; Kitchens, H

1999-02-01

Spike-triggered averaging, arterial pulse-triggered analysis, and coherence analysis were used to classify rostral dorsolateral pontine (RDLP) neurons into groups whose naturally occurring discharges were correlated to only the 10-Hz rhythm (n = 29), to only the cardiac-related rhythm (n = 15), and to both rhythms (n = 15) in inferior cardiac sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) of urethan-anesthetized cats. Most of the neurons with activity correlated to only the cardiac-related rhythm were located medial to the other two groups of neurons. The firing rates of most RDLP neurons with activity correlated to only the 10-Hz rhythm (9 of 12) or both rhythms (7 of 8) were decreased during baroreceptor reflex-induced inhibition of SND produced by aortic obstruction; thus, they are presumed to be sympathoexcitatory. The firing rates of four of seven RDLP neurons with activity correlated to only the cardiac-related rhythm increased during baroreceptor reflex activation; thus, they may be sympathoinhibitory. We conclude that the RDLP contains a functionally heterogeneous population of neurons with sympathetic nerve-related activity. These neurons could not be antidromically activated by stimulation of the thoracic spinal cord.

[Heart rate variability of subjects when the instruction reading and their interrelations with the effectiveness of the follow-visual-motor activities].

PubMed

Murtazina, E P

2015-01-01

Investigation of the processes of studying human instructions relevant follow-up in terms of systemic mechanisms of learning and memory processes, and moreover affects such a fundamental issue as psychophysiology focused attention, understanding the meaning of the information provided and the formation of social motivation in human activities. Analysis of heart rate variability in reading the instructions compared to the initial state of operational rest showed that this stage of the activity causes pronounced emotional stress, which is manifested in increased heart rate, decrease in variability and pronounced changes in the spectral characteristics of heart rate. Besides, it was revealed that heart rate variability in a state of operational rest before testing, and in the process of reading instructions positively correlated with the duration of the instruction reading and inversely correlated with effectiveness and the level of resistance of the subjects to the error after error when follow-up activities. Showing pronounced gender differences in the relationships between changes in the variability of heart rate when reading the instructions and the subsequent execution indicators of visual-motor test.

Tactical swimming activity and heart rate aspects of youth water polo game.

PubMed

Lupo, Corrado; Capranica, Laura; Cugliari, Giovanni; Gomez, Miguel A; Tessitore, Antonio

2016-09-01

Although physical demands could differently occur during particular phases of the youth water polo game, at present, literature lacks of time-motion and heart rate data referred to specific tactical situation. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze a youth water polo game, specifying heart rate, and swimming activity aspects in relation to game situations. Twenty-six youth male players (15.6±0.5 years old) voluntary played a friendly game, which was tactically analyzed (offensive and defensive Even and Counterattack situation, and Power-play, Inferiority and Game Breaks) using notational analysis procedures. Successively, the heart rate (aerobic, anaerobic) and time motion (horizontal, vertical, and duel swimming patterns, with and without ball possession, backstroke) analyses were applied only to six (3 for team) players because they performed at list half of the total game duration. The tactical scenarios were mainly characterized by offensive (33%) and defensive (33%) even possessions, and game breaks (23%). No effect emerged between situations in terms of heart rate distribution, because it principally resulted as aerobic (range: 58-97%). The swimming activity analysis mainly showed differences (P≤0.05) between offensive counterattack and power-play in terms of distance (1 min of game, single pattern), time duration (1 min of game), and speed (single pattern) related to the horizontal activity. Repeated high intensity activities were performed 3.0±2.8 (range: 1-7) during the game. The findings of the present study provide important information for the planning of youth water polo training, with specific reference to playing situations.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98 (DRS-R98).

PubMed

Thurber, Steven; Kishi, Yasuhiro; Trzepacz, Paula T; Franco, Jose G; Meagher, David J; Lee, Yanghyun; Kim, Jeong-Lan; Furlanetto, Leticia M; Negreiros, Daniel; Huang, Ming-Chyi; Chen, Chun-Hsin; Kean, Jacob; Leonard, Maeve

2015-01-01

Principal components analysis applied to the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 contributes to understanding the delirium construct. Using a multisite pooled international delirium database, the authors applied confirmatory factor analysis to Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 scores from 859 adult patients evaluated by delirium experts (delirium, N=516; nondelirium, N=343). Confirmatory factor analysis found all diagnostic features and core symptoms (cognitive, language, thought process, sleep-wake cycle, motor retardation), except motor agitation, loaded onto factor 1. Motor agitation loaded onto factor 2 with noncore symptoms (delusions, affective lability, and perceptual disturbances). Factor 1 loading supports delirium as a single construct, but when accompanied by psychosis, motor agitation's role may not be solely as a circadian activity indicator.

[Productive social activities in mothers of intellectually disabled children moderate the relationship between caregiver burden and self-rated health].

PubMed

Yatsugi, Sawa; Suzukamo, Yoshimi; Izumi, Sinichi

2013-07-01

Recently, the length of time for which intellectually disabled children receive homecare has increased; hence, the mothers caring for these intellectually disabled children at home are being exposed to increasingly heavy caregiver burden. Previous studies have reported that negative psychological states, including caregiver burden, influence self-rated health status; however, when elderly people engaged in productive social activities, they experienced heightened positive psychological states. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate whether mothers' participation in productive social activities influenced the relationship between caregiver burden and self-rated health status. We performed a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire that included items on self-rated health, the modified Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview, productive social activities, and various confounding variables. We sent the questionnaires to 270 mothers belonging to patient and family advocacy groups. We then compared the self-rated health and caregiver burden between a group of mothers involved in productive social activities and a group not involved in such activities. The relationships between self-rated health, caregiver burden, and productive social activities were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc testing. We obtained 120 valid responses. Mothers with greater burden had worse self-rated health than the other group (r=-0.305). According to the ANOVA results, the self-rated health of mothers involved in productive social activities did not significantly differ between caregiver burden groups (mild burden group: 3.4 vs. severe burden group: 3.12; F=1.3, P=.253), whereas the self-rated health of mothers without productive social activities showed a significant difference between caregiver burden groups (mild burden group: 3.4 vs. severe burden group: 2.7; F=5.6, P=.017). Mothers with greater burden had worse self-rated health. However, in mothers who were engaged in productive social activities, self-rated health did not differ between the mild burden and severe burden groups. Therefore, productive social activities can favorably moderate the relationship between caregiver burden and self-rated health.

Activity and Diversity of Methanotrophic Bacteria at Methane Seeps in Eastern Lake Constance Sediments ▿

PubMed Central

Deutzmann, Jörg S.; Wörner, Susanne; Schink, Bernhard

2011-01-01

The activity and community structure of aerobic methanotrophic communities were investigated at methane seeps (pockmarks) in the littoral and profundal zones of an oligotrophic freshwater lake (Lake Constance, Germany). Measurements of potential methane oxidation rates showed that sediments inside littoral pockmarks are hot spots of methane oxidation. Potential methane oxidation rates at littoral pockmark sites exceeded the rates of the surrounding sediment by 2 orders of magnitude. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of the pmoA gene revealed major differences in the methanotrophic community composition between littoral pockmarks and the surrounding sediments. Clone library analysis confirmed that one distinct Methylobacter-related group dominates the community at littoral pockmarks. In profundal sediments, the differences between pockmarks and surrounding sediments were found to be less pronounced. PMID:21335392

An ecological study of factors associated with rates of self-inflicted death in prisons in England and Wales.

PubMed

Leese, Morven; Thomas, Stuart; Snow, Louisa

2006-01-01

This study describes ecological associations between self-inflicted death rates and prison-level environmental indicators over the period 2000-2002 in England and Wales. The objective was to assist in the development of interventions for reducing the incidence of self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales, by identifying risk factors, including overcrowding, positive drug tests, the number of assaults, purposeful activity, offending behaviour programmes, and cost per prisoner. Poisson regression was used to estimate associations between self-inflicted death rates and these potential risk factors, controlling for different categories of prison. The annual rate of self-inflicted death during 2000-2002 was 1.14 per 1000 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.34), with no evidence for a difference in the two years. Highest rates were in the Male Local and Women's prisons at 1.86 (95% CI 1.42 to 2.26) and 2.27 (95% CI 1.35 to 3.84) per 1000 respectively. In a multivariate analysis, overcrowding, assault rate and purposeful activity were significant. In an analysis controlling also for prison category, only purposeful activity remained independently significant, as a protective factor (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.92, p=0.02) with weaker evidence for a positive association with positive drug tests (RR 1.41, 95% CI 0.96 to 2.05, p=0.08). Despite concerns about the quality of routinely collected data and the interpretation of ecological associations, this study suggests that a higher level of purposeful activity is independently associated with lower rates of self-inflicted death, whatever the prison category. This adds support to other studies conducted at the level of the individual prisoner.

Study of the coumarate decarboxylase and vinylphenol reductase activities of Dekkera bruxellensis (anamorph Brettanomyces bruxellensis) isolates.

PubMed

Godoy, L; Garrido, D; Martínez, C; Saavedra, J; Combina, M; Ganga, M A

2009-04-01

To evaluate the coumarate descarboxylase (CD) and vinylphenol reductase (VR) activities in Dekkera bruxellensis isolates and study their relationship to the growth rate, protein profile and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular pattern. CD and VR activities were quantified, as well, the growth rate, intracellular protein profile and molecular analysis (RAPD) were determined in 12 isolates of D. bruxellensis. All the isolates studied showed CD activity, but only some showed VR activity. Those isolates with the greatest growth rate did not present a different protein profile from the others. The FASC showed a relationship between RAPD molecular patterns and VR activity. CD activity is common to all of the D. bruxellensis isolates. This was not the case with VR activity, which was detected at a low percentage in the analysed micro-organisms. A correlation was observed between VR activity and the RAPD patterns. This is the first study that quantifies the CD and VR enzyme activities in D. bruxellensis, demonstrating that these activities are not present in all isolates of this yeast.

Assessment of Homomorphic Analysis for Human Activity Recognition from Acceleration Signals.

PubMed

Vanrell, Sebastian Rodrigo; Milone, Diego Humberto; Rufiner, Hugo Leonardo

2017-07-03

Unobtrusive activity monitoring can provide valuable information for medical and sports applications. In recent years, human activity recognition has moved to wearable sensors to deal with unconstrained scenarios. Accelerometers are the preferred sensors due to their simplicity and availability. Previous studies have examined several \\azul{classic} techniques for extracting features from acceleration signals, including time-domain, time-frequency, frequency-domain, and other heuristic features. Spectral and temporal features are the preferred ones and they are generally computed from acceleration components, leaving the acceleration magnitude potential unexplored. In this study, based on homomorphic analysis, a new type of feature extraction stage is proposed in order to exploit discriminative activity information present in acceleration signals. Homomorphic analysis can isolate the information about whole body dynamics and translate it into a compact representation, called cepstral coefficients. Experiments have explored several configurations of the proposed features, including size of representation, signals to be used, and fusion with other features. Cepstral features computed from acceleration magnitude obtained one of the highest recognition rates. In addition, a beneficial contribution was found when time-domain and moving pace information was included in the feature vector. Overall, the proposed system achieved a recognition rate of 91.21% on the publicly available SCUT-NAA dataset. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest recognition rate on this dataset.

Analysis of Active Lava Flows on Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii, Using SIR-C Radar Correlation Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zebker, H. A.; Rosen, P.; Hensley, S.; Mouginis-Mark, P. J.

1995-01-01

Precise eruption rates of active pahoehoe lava flows on Kilauea volcano, Hawaii, have been determined using spaceborne radar data acquired by the Space Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C). Measurement of the rate of lava flow advance, and the determination of the volume of new material erupted in a given period of time, are among the most important observations that can be made when studying a volcano.

Shape-Independent Model of Monitor Neutron Activation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yusuf, Siaka Ojo

The technique of monitor neutron activation analysis has been improved by developing a shape-independent model to solve the problem of the treatment of the epithermal reaction contribution to the reaction rate in reactor neutron activation analysis. It is a form of facility characterization in which differential approximations to neither the neutron flux distribution as a function of energy nor the reaction cross section as a function of energy are necessary. The model predicts a linear relationship when the k-factors (ratios of reaction rates of two nuclides at a given irradiation position) for element x, k _{c} (x), is plotted against the k-factor for the monitor, k_{c} (m). The slope of this line, B(x,c,m) is measured for each element x to provide the calibration of the irradiation facility for monitor activation analysis. In this thesis, scandium was chosen as the comparator and antimony as the epithermal monitor. B(x, Sc, Sb) has been accurately measured for a number of nuclides in three different reactors. The measurement was done by irradiating filter papers containing binary mixture of the elements x and the flux monitor Sc at the various irradiation positions in these three reactors. The experiment was designed in such a way that systematic errors due to mass ratios and efficiency ratios cancel out. Also, rate related errors and backgrounds were kept at negligible values. The results show that B(x,c,m) depends not only on x, c, and m, but also on the type of moderator used for the reactor. We want this new approach to be adopted at all laboratories where routine analysis of multi-element samples are done with the monitor method since the choices of c and m are flexible.

Surface Creep Rate and Moment Accumulation Rate Along the Aceh Segment of the Sumatran Fault From L-band ALOS-1/PALSAR-1 Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, X.; Sandwell, D. T.; Schmidt, D. A.

2018-04-01

We analyzed the interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from the ALOS-1/PALSAR-1 satellite to image the interseismic deformation along the Sumatran fault. The interferometric synthetic aperture radar time series analysis reveals up to 20 mm/year of aseismic creep on the Aceh segment along the Northern Sumatran fault. This is a large fraction of the total slip rate across this fault. The spatial extent of the aseismic creep extends for 100 km. The along-strike variation of the aseismic creep has an inverse "U" shape. An analysis of the moment accumulation rate shows that the central part of the creeping section accumulates moment at approximately 50% of the rate of the surrounding locked segments. An initial analysis of temporal variations suggests that the creep rate may be decelerating with time, suggesting that the creep rate is adjusting to a stress perturbation from nearby seismic activity. Our study has implications to the earthquake hazard along the northern Sumatran fault.

Signal-independent timescale analysis (SITA) and its application for neural coding during reaching and walking.

PubMed

Zacksenhouse, Miriam; Lebedev, Mikhail A; Nicolelis, Miguel A L

2014-01-01

What are the relevant timescales of neural encoding in the brain? This question is commonly investigated with respect to well-defined stimuli or actions. However, neurons often encode multiple signals, including hidden or internal, which are not experimentally controlled, and thus excluded from such analysis. Here we consider all rate modulations as the signal, and define the rate-modulations signal-to-noise ratio (RM-SNR) as the ratio between the variance of the rate and the variance of the neuronal noise. As the bin-width increases, RM-SNR increases while the update rate decreases. This tradeoff is captured by the ratio of RM-SNR to bin-width, and its variations with the bin-width reveal the timescales of neural activity. Theoretical analysis and simulations elucidate how the interactions between the recovery properties of the unit and the spectral content of the encoded signals shape this ratio and determine the timescales of neural coding. The resulting signal-independent timescale analysis (SITA) is applied to investigate timescales of neural activity recorded from the motor cortex of monkeys during: (i) reaching experiments with Brain-Machine Interface (BMI), and (ii) locomotion experiments at different speeds. Interestingly, the timescales during BMI experiments did not change significantly with the control mode or training. During locomotion, the analysis identified units whose timescale varied consistently with the experimentally controlled speed of walking, though the specific timescale reflected also the recovery properties of the unit. Thus, the proposed method, SITA, characterizes the timescales of neural encoding and how they are affected by the motor task, while accounting for all rate modulations.

Possible influence of solar extreme events and related geomagnetic disturbances on human cardio-vascular state: Results of collaborative Bulgarian-Azerbaijani studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimitrova, S.; Mustafa, F. R.; Stoilova, I.; Babayev, E. S.; Kazimov, E. A.

2009-02-01

This collaborative study is based on the analysis and comparison of results of coordinated experimental investigations conducted in Bulgaria and Azerbaijan for revealing a possible influence of solar activity changes and related geomagnetic activity variations on the human cardio-vascular state. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate of 86 healthy volunteers were measured on working days during a period of comparatively high solar and geomagnetic activity (2799 measurements in autumn 2001 and spring 2002) in Sofia. Daily experimental investigations of parameters of cardio-vascular health state were performed in Azerbaijan with a permanent group of examined persons. Heart rate and electrocardiograms were digitally registered (in total 1532 records) for seven functionally healthy persons on working days and Saturdays, in the Laboratory of Heliobiology at the Medical Center INAM in Baku, from 15.07.2006 to 13.11.2007. Obtained digital recordings were subjected to medical, statistical and spectral analyses. Special attention was paid to effects of solar extreme events, particularly those of November 2001 and December 2006. The statistical method of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc analysis were applied to check the significance of the influence of geomagnetic activity on the cardio-vascular parameters under consideration. Results revealed statistically significant increments for the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values of the group with geomagnetic activity increase. Arterial blood pressure values started increasing two days prior to geomagnetic storms and kept their high values up to two days after the storms. Heart rate reaction was ambiguous and not significant for healthy persons examined (for both groups) under conditions with geomagnetic activity changes. It is concluded that heart rate for healthy persons at middle latitudes can be considered as a more stable physiological parameter which is not so sensitive to environmental changes while the dynamics of arterial blood pressure reveals a compensatory reaction of the human organism for adaptation.

Occurrence of pharmaceutically active compounds during 1-year period in wastewaters from four wastewater treatment plants in Seville (Spain).

PubMed

Santos, J L; Aparicio, I; Callejón, M; Alonso, E

2009-05-30

Several pharmaceutically active compounds have been monitored during 1-year period in influent and effluent wastewater from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to evaluate their temporal evolution and removal from wastewater and to know which variables have influence in their removal rates. Pharmaceutical compounds monitored were four antiinflammatory drugs (diclofenac, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen), an antiepileptic drug (carbamazepine) and a nervous stimulant (caffeine). All of the pharmaceutically active compounds monitored, except diclofenac, were detected in influent and effluent wastewater. Mean concentrations measured in influent wastewater were 6.17, 0.48, 93.6, 1.83 and 5.41 microg/L for caffeine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen, respectively. Mean concentrations measured in effluent wastewater were 2.02, 0.56, 8.20, 0.84 and 2.10 microg/L for caffeine, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen, respectively. Mean removal rates of the pharmaceuticals varied from 8.1% (carbamazepine) to 87.5% (ibuprofen). The existence of relationships between the concentrations of the pharmaceutical compounds, their removal rates, the characterization parameters of influent wastewaters and the WWTP control design parameters has been studied by means of statistical analysis (correlation and principal component analysis). With both statistical analyses, high correlations were obtained between the concentration of the pharmaceutical compounds and the characterization parameters of influent wastewaters; and between the removal rates of the pharmaceutical compounds, the removal rates of the characterization parameters of influent wastewaters and the WWTP hydraulic retention times. Principal component analysis showed the existence of two main components accounting for 76% of the total variability.

Molecular friction dissipation and mode coupling in organic monolayers and polymer films.

PubMed

Knorr, Daniel B; Widjaja, Peggy; Acton, Orb; Overney, René M

2011-03-14

The impact of thermally active molecular rotational and translational relaxation modes on the friction dissipation process involving smooth nano-asperity contacts has been studied by atomic force microscopy, using the widely known Eyring analysis and a recently introduced method, dubbed intrinsic friction analysis. Two distinctly different model systems, i.e., monolayers of octadecyl-phosphonic acid (ODPA) and thin films of poly(tert-butyl acrylate) (PtBA) were investigated regarding shear-rate critical dissipation phenomena originating from diverging mode coupling behaviors between the external shear perturbation and the internal molecular modes of relaxation. Rapidly (ODPA) versus slowly (PtBA) relaxing systems, in comparison to the sliding rate, revealed monotonous logarithmic and nonmonotonous spectral shear rate dependences, respectively. Shear coupled, enthalpic activation energies of 46 kJ∕mol for ODPA and of 35 and ∼65 kJ∕mol for PtBA (below and above the glass transition) were found that could be attributed to intrinsic modes of relaxations. Also, entropic energies involved in the cooperative backbone mobility of PtBA could be quantified, dwarfing the activation energy by more than a factor of five. This study provides (i) a material specific understanding of the molecular scale dissipation process in shear compliant substances, (ii) analyses of material intrinsic shear-rate mode coupling, shear coordination and energetics, (iii) a verification of Eyring's model applied to tribological systems toward material intrinsic specificity, and (iv) a valuable extension of the Eyring analysis for complex macromolecular systems that are slowly relaxing, and thus, exhibit shear-rate mode coupling.

Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely To Be Depressed and To Attempt Suicide. A Report of the Heritage Center for Data Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rector, Robert E.; Johnson, Kirk A.; Noyes, Lauren R.

Although teen sexual activity has declined in recent years, the overall rate is still high. The problems associated with teen sexual activity are well known. Less widely known are the psychological and emotional problems associated with this activity. The present study examines the linkage between teenage sexual activity and emotional health. The…

Circulatory response and autonomic nervous activity during gum chewing.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Yoko; Sakagami, Joe; Ono, Takahiro; Hori, Kazuhiro; Zhang, Min; Maeda, Yoshinobu

2009-08-01

Mastication has been proven to enhance the systemic circulation, with circulatory responses seeming to be largely regulated by autonomic nervous activity via a more complex regulatory system than those of other activities. However, few studies have examined the relationships between changes in autonomic nervous activity and the systemic circulation that are induced by masticatory movement. We investigated changes in the systemic circulation and autonomic nervous activity during gum chewing to clarify the influence of mastication. Electrocardiograms, arterial blood pressure, and masseter electromyograms were taken while chewing gum continuously as indicators of systemic circulation in 10 healthy subjects with normal dentition. Cardiac sympathetic activity and vagus nervous activity, as well as vasomotor sympathetic nervous activity, were evaluated by fluctuation analysis of heart rate and blood pressure. Repeated analysis of variance and multiple comparisons were performed to determine chronological changes in each indicator during gum chewing. Gum chewing increased the heart rate and the mean arterial pressure. Although cardiac sympathetic activity and vagus nervous activity showed significant changes, vasomotor sympathetic nervous activity did not. These results suggest that changes in the autonomic nervous activity of the heart are mainly involved in the enhancement of systemic circulation with gum chewing. This explains some characteristics of autonomic nervous regulation in masticatory movement.

Activity affects intraspecific body-size scaling of metabolic rate in ectothermic animals.

PubMed

Glazier, Douglas Stewart

2009-10-01

Metabolic rate is commonly thought to scale with body mass (M) to the 3/4 power. However, the metabolic scaling exponent (b) may vary with activity state, as has been shown chiefly for interspecific relationships. Here I use a meta-analysis of literature data to test whether b changes with activity level within species of ectothermic animals. Data for 19 species show that b is usually higher during active exercise (mean +/- 95% confidence limits = 0.918 +/- 0.038) than during rest (0.768 +/- 0.069). This significant upward shift in b to near 1 is consistent with the metabolic level boundaries hypothesis, which predicts that maximal metabolic rate during exercise should be chiefly influenced by volume-related muscular power production (scaling as M (1)). This dependence of b on activity level does not appear to be a simple temperature effect because body temperature in ectotherms changes very little during exercise.

A geographical information system-based analysis of cancer mortality and population exposure to coal mining activities in West Virginia, United States of America.

PubMed

Hendryx, Michael; Fedorko, Evan; Anesetti-Rothermel, Andrew

2010-05-01

Cancer incidence and mortality rates are high in West Virginia compared to the rest of the United States of America. Previous research has suggested that exposure to activities of the coal mining industry may contribute to elevated cancer mortality, although exposure measures have been limited. This study tests alternative specifications of exposure to mining activity to determine whether a measure based on location of mines, processing plants, coal slurry impoundments and underground slurry injection sites relative to population levels is superior to a previously-reported measure of exposure based on tons mined at the county level, in the prediction of age-adjusted cancer mortality rates. To this end, we utilize two geographical information system (GIS) techniques--exploratory spatial data analysis and inverse distance mapping--to construct new statistical analyses. Total, respiratory and "other" age-adjusted cancer mortality rates in West Virginia were found to be more highly associated with the GIS-exposure measure than the tonnage measure, before and after statistical control for smoking rates. The superior performance of the GIS measure, based on where people in the state live relative to mining activity, suggests that activities of the industry contribute to cancer mortality. Further confirmation of observed phenomena is necessary with person-level studies, but the results add to the body of evidence that coal mining poses environmental risks to population health in West Virginia.

Analysis of activation and shutdown contact dose rate for EAST neutral beam port

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuqing; Wang, Ji; Zhong, Guoqiang; Li, Jun; Wang, Jinfang; Xie, Yahong; Wu, Bin; Hu, Chundong

2017-12-01

For the safe operation and maintenance of neutral beam injector (NBI), specific activity and shutdown contact dose rate of the sample material SS316 are estimated around the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) neutral beam port. Firstly, the neutron emission intensity is calculated by TRANSP code while the neutral beam is co-injected to EAST. Secondly, the neutron activation and shutdown contact dose rates for the neutral beam sample materials SS316 are derived by the Monte Carlo code MCNP and the inventory code FISPACT-2007. The simulations indicate that the primary radioactive nuclides of SS316 are 58Co and 54Mn. The peak contact dose rate is 8.52 × 10-6 Sv/h after EAST shutdown one second. That is under the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) design values 1 × 10-5 Sv/h.

Fractal Based Analysis of the Influence of Odorants on Heart Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namazi, Hamidreza; Kulish, Vladimir V.

2016-12-01

An important challenge in heart research is to make the relation between the features of external stimuli and heart activity. Olfactory stimulation is an important type of stimulation that affects the heart activity, which is mapped on Electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. Yet, no one has discovered any relation between the structures of olfactory stimuli and the ECG signal. This study investigates the relation between the structures of heart rate and the olfactory stimulus (odorant). We show that the complexity of the heart rate is coupled with the molecular complexity of the odorant, where more structurally complex odorant causes less fractal heart rate. Also, odorant having higher entropy causes the heart rate having lower approximate entropy. The method discussed here can be applied and investigated in case of patients with heart diseases as the rehabilitation purpose.

Lack of consensus among competency ratings of the same occupation: noise or substance?

PubMed

Lievens, Filip; Sanchez, Juan I; Bartram, Dave; Brown, Anna

2010-05-01

Although rating differences among incumbents of the same occupation have traditionally been viewed as error variance in the work analysis domain, such differences might often capture substantive discrepancies in how incumbents approach their work. This study draws from job crafting, creativity, and role theories to uncover situational factors (i.e., occupational activities, context, and complexity) related to differences among competency ratings of the same occupation. The sample consisted of 192 incumbents from 64 occupations. Results showed that 25% of the variance associated with differences in competency ratings of the same occupation was related to the complexity, the context, and primarily the nature of the occupation's work activities. Consensus was highest for occupations involving equipment-related activities and direct contact with the public. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

Dimensions of managerial work in hospital dietetic services.

PubMed

Palacio, J P; Spears, M C; Vaden, A G; Downey, R G

1985-07-01

The objective of this study was to identify underlying dimensions of the managerial work of hospital dietetic services professional staff. A survey instrument was developed on the basis of Mintzberg's role theory of management. Respondents were asked to rate 80 activity statements on the relative importance and time demand of each. Principal component analysis was used to determine whether items could be conceptualized meaningfully by a smaller number of components capable of accounting for interrelationships. Reliabilities and correlations were computed for the resulting managerial factor scores. Six factors were identified from the importance ratings: Upper Management, Interaction with Subordinates, Outside Activities, Quality Assurance, Communication Activities, and Personnel Activities. Similar dimensions were identified from the time-demand ratings. Findings from this analysis suggest that managers in different functional specialties and at various organizational levels tend to vary in their allocation of time and to stress different roles. As a person rises on the administrative ladder of responsibility, concentration on extramural affairs and involvement in planning are greater, and concern with specific operational problems decreases. The importance of conceptual skills was especially evident in upper administrative positions, as was the critical need for intergroup skills.

Activity recognition of assembly tasks using body-worn microphones and accelerometers.

PubMed

Ward, Jamie A; Lukowicz, Paul; Tröster, Gerhard; Starner, Thad E

2006-10-01

In order to provide relevant information to mobile users, such as workers engaging in the manual tasks of maintenance and assembly, a wearable computer requires information about the user's specific activities. This work focuses on the recognition of activities that are characterized by a hand motion and an accompanying sound. Suitable activities can be found in assembly and maintenance work. Here, we provide an initial exploration into the problem domain of continuous activity recognition using on-body sensing. We use a mock "wood workshop" assembly task to ground our investigation. We describe a method for the continuous recognition of activities (sawing, hammering, filing, drilling, grinding, sanding, opening a drawer, tightening a vise, and turning a screwdriver) using microphones and three-axis accelerometers mounted at two positions on the user's arms. Potentially "interesting" activities are segmented from continuous streams of data using an analysis of the sound intensity detected at the two different locations. Activity classification is then performed on these detected segments using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) on the sound channel and hidden Markov models (HMMs) on the acceleration data. Four different methods at classifier fusion are compared for improving these classifications. Using user-dependent training, we obtain continuous average recall and precision rates (for positive activities) of 78 percent and 74 percent, respectively. Using user-independent training (leave-one-out across five users), we obtain recall rates of 66 percent and precision rates of 63 percent. In isolation, these activities were recognized with accuracies of 98 percent, 87 percent, and 95 percent for the user-dependent, user-independent, and user-adapted cases, respectively.

Enhancing methane production from waste activated sludge using a novel indigenous iron activated peroxidation pre-treatment process.

PubMed

Zhou, Xu; Wang, Qilin; Jiang, Guangming

2015-04-01

Methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) is limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor methane potential of WAS. This study presents a novel pre-treatment strategy based on indigenous iron (in WAS) activated peroxidation to enhance methane production from WAS. Pre-treatment of WAS for 30 min at 50mg H2O2/g total solids (dry weight) and pH 2.0 (iron concentration in WAS was 7 mg/g TS) substantially enhanced WAS solubilization. Biochemical methane potential tests demonstrated that methane production was improved by 10% at a digestion time of 16d after incorporating the indigenous iron activated peroxidation pre-treatment. Model-based analysis indicated that indigenous iron activated peroxidation pre-treatment improved the methane potential by 13%, whereas the hydrolysis rate was not significantly affected. The economic analysis showed that the proposed pre-treatment method can save the cost by $112,000 per year in a treatment plant with a population equivalent of 300,000. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is Increasing Coal Seam Gas Well Development Activity Associated with Increasing Hospitalisation Rates in Queensland, Australia? An Exploratory Analysis 1995–2011

PubMed Central

Werner, Angela K.; Cameron, Cate M.; Watt, Kerrianne; Vink, Sue; Jagals, Paul; Page, Andrew

2017-01-01

The majority of Australia’s coal seam gas (CSG) reserves are in Queensland, where the industry has expanded rapidly in recent years. Despite concerns, health data have not been examined alongside CSG development. This study examined hospitalisation rates as a function of CSG development activity in Queensland, during the period 1995–2011. Admissions data were examined with CSG well numbers, which served as a proxy for CSG development activity. Time series models were used to assess changes in hospitalisation rates for periods of “low”, “medium”, “high”, and “intense” activity compared to a period of “very low” activity, adjusting for covariates. “All-cause” hospitalisation rates increased monotonically with increasing gas well development activity in females (324.0 to 390.3 per 1000 persons) and males (294.2 to 335.4 per 1000 persons). Hospitalisation rates for “Blood/immune” conditions generally increased for both sexes. Female and male hospitalisation rates for “Circulatory” conditions decreased with increasing CSG activity. Hospitalisation rates were generally low for reproductive and birth outcomes; no clear associations were observed. This study showed some outcomes were associated with increasing CSG development activity. However, as a condition of data access, the population and outcomes were aggregated to a broad geographic study area rather than using higher geographic resolution data. Higher resolution data, as well as other data sources, should be explored. Further research should be conducted with an expanded time period to determine if these trends continue as the industry grows. PMID:28524113

Assessment of Uncertainty in the Determination of Activation Energy for Polymeric Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darby, Stephania P.; Landrum, D. Brian; Coleman, Hugh W.

1998-01-01

An assessment of the experimental uncertainty in obtaining the kinetic activation energy from thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data is presented. A neat phenolic resin, Borden SC1O08, was heated at three heating rates to obtain weight loss vs temperature data. Activation energy was calculated by two methods: the traditional Flynn and Wall method based on the slope of log(q) versus 1/T, and a modification of this method where the ordinate and abscissa are reversed in the linear regression. The modified method produced a more accurate curve fit of the data, was more sensitive to data nonlinearity, and gave a value of activation energy 75 percent greater than the original method. An uncertainty analysis using the modified method yielded a 60 percent uncertainty in the average activation energy. Based on this result, the activation energy for a carbon-phenolic material was doubled and used to calculate the ablation rate In a typical solid rocket environment. Doubling the activation energy increased surface recession by 3 percent. Current TGA data reduction techniques that use the traditional Flynn and Wall approach to calculate activation energy should be changed to the modified method.

Multilevel models for evaluating the risk of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions at intersections and mid-blocks.

PubMed

Quistberg, D Alex; Howard, Eric J; Ebel, Beth E; Moudon, Anne V; Saelens, Brian E; Hurvitz, Philip M; Curtin, James E; Rivara, Frederick P

2015-11-01

Walking is a popular form of physical activity associated with clear health benefits. Promoting safe walking for pedestrians requires evaluating the risk of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions at specific roadway locations in order to identify where road improvements and other interventions may be needed. The objective of this analysis was to estimate the risk of pedestrian collisions at intersections and mid-blocks in Seattle, WA. The study used 2007-2013 pedestrian-motor vehicle collision data from police reports and detailed characteristics of the microenvironment and macroenvironment at intersection and mid-block locations. The primary outcome was the number of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions over time at each location (incident rate ratio [IRR] and 95% confidence interval [95% CI]). Multilevel mixed effects Poisson models accounted for correlation within and between locations and census blocks over time. Analysis accounted for pedestrian and vehicle activity (e.g., residential density and road classification). In the final multivariable model, intersections with 4 segments or 5 or more segments had higher pedestrian collision rates compared to mid-blocks. Non-residential roads had significantly higher rates than residential roads, with principal arterials having the highest collision rate. The pedestrian collision rate was higher by 9% per 10 feet of street width. Locations with traffic signals had twice the collision rate of locations without a signal and those with marked crosswalks also had a higher rate. Locations with a marked crosswalk also had higher risk of collision. Locations with a one-way road or those with signs encouraging motorists to cede the right-of-way to pedestrians had fewer pedestrian collisions. Collision rates were higher in locations that encourage greater pedestrian activity (more bus use, more fast food restaurants, higher employment, residential, and population densities). Locations with higher intersection density had a lower rate of collisions as did those in areas with higher residential property values. The novel spatiotemporal approach used that integrates road/crossing characteristics with surrounding neighborhood characteristics should help city agencies better identify high-risk locations for further study and analysis. Improving roads and making them safer for pedestrians achieves the public health goals of reducing pedestrian collisions and promoting physical activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Examining the Relationship between Heart Rate and Problem Behavior: A Case Study of Severe Skin Picking in Prader-Willi Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Scott S.; Hammond, Jennifer L.; Hustyi, Kristin M.

2013-01-01

Few studies have examined the relationship between heart rate and self-injurious behavior (SIB) shown by individuals with IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities). In this single-case study, we simultaneously monitored heart rate and activity levels during a functional analysis of severe skin picking behavior exhibited by a young man with…

Interpreting activity in H(2)O-H(2)SO(4) binary nucleation.

PubMed

Bein, Keith J; Wexler, Anthony S

2007-09-28

Sulfuric acid-water nucleation is thought to be a key atmospheric mechanism for forming new condensation nuclei. In earlier literature, measurements of sulfuric acid activity were interpreted as the total (monomer plus hydrate) concentration above solution. Due to recent reinterpretations, most literature values for H(2)SO(4) activity are thought to represent the number density of monomers. Based on this reinterpretation, the current work uses the most recent models of H(2)O-H(2)SO(4) binary nucleation along with perturbation analyses to predict a decrease in critical cluster mole fraction, increase in critical cluster diameter, and orders of magnitude decrease in nucleation rate. Nucleation rate parameterizations available in the literature, however, give opposite trends. To resolve these discrepancies, nucleation rates were calculated for both interpretations of H(2)SO(4) activity and directly compared to the available parameterizations as well as the perturbation analysis. Results were in excellent agreement with older parameterizations that assumed H(2)SO(4) activity represents the total concentration and duplicated the predicted trends from the perturbation analysis, but differed by orders of magnitude from more recent parameterizations that assume H(2)SO(4) activity represents only the monomer. Comparison with experimental measurements available in the literature revealed that the calculations of the current work assuming a(a) represents the total concentration are most frequently in agreement with observations.

Positive correlation between blood pressure or heart rate and chymase-dependent angiotensin II-forming activity in circulating mononuclear leukocytes measured by new ELISA.

PubMed

Okamura, Keisuke; Okuda, Tetsu; Shirai, Kazuyuki; Urata, Hidenori

2018-01-01

The aim of the present study was to establish a convenient clinically applicable assay method for chymase-dependent angiotensin II forming activity of circulating mononuclear leukocytes (CML), which was potentially a marker of tissue chymase activity. Using this method, association between CML chymase activity and clinical parameters was determined. Cardiovascular outpatients (n = 170) without taking antihypertensive medication were recruited. An ELISA for chymase-dependent angiotensin II-forming activity in CML was established using Nma /Dnp-modified angiotensin I. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age and male gender were significant independent determinants of the increased CML chymase activity. After adjustment by age and gender, the CML chymase activity was positively correlated with systolic blood pressure, pulse rate, and the brain natriuretic peptide level. The relation between blood pressure and CML chymase activity suggests that it might reflect that increased tissue chymase activity contributes to systemic high blood pressure and heart rate because plasma chymase is inactive due to inhibitory plasma inhibitors.

The development of new purification methods to assess the circadian rhythm of body temperature in Mongolian gerbils.

PubMed

Weinert, D; Nevill, A; Weinandy, R; Waterhouse, J

2003-03-01

Six Mongolian gerbils were studied for 8-10d while housed in separate cages in a 12:12h light-dark (L-D) cycle (lights on at 07:00h). Recordings of body temperature, heart rate, and spontaneous activity were made throughout. The temperature and heart rate rhythms were "purified" to take into account the effects of activity, and then the rhythm of temperature was further purified to take into account other masking influences ("non-activity masking effects" or NAME,). The methods employed in the purification processes involved linear regression analysis or analysis of covariance, the latter using functions of activity and NAME as covariates. From these methods, it was possible to obtain not only an estimate of the endogenous component of the temperature rhythm but also a measure of circadian changes in the sensitivity of temperature to masking effects. Even though all purification methods removed many of the effects of spontaneous activity from the temperature record, there remained temperature fluctuations at the L-D and D-L transitions that appeared to be independent of activity. The NAME was of only very marginal value in the purification process. Comparison of the purification methods indicated that the linear methods were inferior (both from a biological viewpoint and when the results were compared mathematically) to those that allowed the rate of rise of temperature due to increasing amounts of activity to become progressively less. The sensitivity of temperature and heart rate to the masking effects of activity showed a circadian rhythm, with sensitivities in the resting phase being greater than those in the active phase. These findings are compatible with the view that thermoregulatory reflexes are induced by spontaneous activity of sufficient amount, and that there is a circadian rhythm in the body temperature at which these reflexes are initiated and in their effectiveness.

The Use of Spray-Dried Mn₃O₄/C Composites as Electrocatalysts for Li-O₂ Batteries.

PubMed

Yang, Hong-Kai; Chin, Chih-Chun; Chen, Jenn-Shing

2016-11-07

The electrocatalytic activities of Mn₃O₄/C composites are studied in lithium-oxygen (Li-O₂) batteries as cathode catalysts. The Mn₃O₄/C composites are fabricated using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) with organic surfactants as the carbon sources. The physical and electrochemical performance of the composites is characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, particle size analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurements, elemental analysis, galvanostatic charge-discharge methods and rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) measurements. The electrochemical tests demonstrate that the Mn₃O₄/C composite that is prepared using Trition X-114 (TX114) surfactant has higher activity as a bi-functional catalyst and delivers better oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalytic performance in Li-O₂ batteries because there is a larger surface area and particles are homogeneous with a meso/macro porous structure. The rate constant ( k f ) for the production of superoxide radical (O₂ • - ) and the propylene carbonate (PC)-electrolyte decomposition rate constant ( k ) for M₃O₄/C and Super P electrodes are measured using RRDE experiments and analysis in the 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate (TBAPF₆)/PC electrolyte. The results show that TX114 has higher electrocatalytic activity for the first step of ORR to generate O₂ • - and produces a faster PC-electrolyte decomposition rate.

Adherence rates to ferric citrate as compared to active control in patients with end stage kidney disease on dialysis.

PubMed

Jalal, Diana; McFadden, Molly; Dwyer, Jamie P; Umanath, Kausik; Aguilar, Erwin; Yagil, Yoram; Greco, Barbara; Sika, Mohammed; Lewis, Julia B; Greene, Tom; Goral, Simin

2017-04-01

Oral phosphate binders are the main stay of treatment of hyperphosphatemia. Adherence rates to ferric citrate, a recently approved phosphate binder, are unknown. We conducted a post-hoc analysis to evaluate whether adherence rates were different for ferric citrate vs. active control in 412 subjects with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) who were randomized to ferric citrate vs. active control (sevelamer carbonate and/or calcium acetate). Adherence was defined as percent of actual number of pills taken to total number of pills prescribed. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics including gender, race/ethnicity, and age between the ferric citrate and active control groups. Baseline phosphorus, calcium, and parathyroid hormone levels were similar. Mean (SD) adherence was 81.4% (17.4) and 81.7% (15.9) in the ferric citrate and active control groups, respectively (P = 0.88). Adherence remained similar between both groups after adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, age, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetic nephropathy (mean [95% CI]: 81.4% [78.2, 84.6] and 81.5% [77.7, 85.2] for ferric citrate and active control, respectively). Gender, race/ethnicity, age, and diagnosis of diabetic nephropathy did not influence adherence to the prescribed phosphate binder. Subjects with CVD had lower adherence rates to phosphate binder; this was significant only in the active control group. Adherence rates to the phosphate binder, ferric citrate, were similar to adherence rates to active control. Similar adherence rates to ferric citrate are notable since tolerance to active control was an entry criteria and the study was open label. Gender, race/ethnicity, nor age influenced adherence. © 2016 International Society for Hemodialysis.

Getting the word out: neural correlates of enthusiastic message propagation.

PubMed

Falk, Emily B; O'Donnell, Matthew Brook; Lieberman, Matthew D

2012-01-01

What happens in the mind of a person who first hears a potentially exciting idea?We examined the neural precursors of spreading ideas with enthusiasm, and dissected enthusiasm into component processes that can be identified through automated linguistic analysis, gestalt human ratings of combined linguistic and non-verbal cues, and points of convergence/divergence between the two. We combined tools from natural language processing (NLP) with data gathered using fMRI to link the neurocognitive mechanisms that are set in motion during initial exposure to ideas and subsequent behaviors of these message communicators outside of the scanner. Participants' neural activity was recorded as they reviewed ideas for potential television show pilots. Participants' language from video-taped interviews collected post-scan was transcribed and given to an automated linguistic sentiment analysis (SA) classifier, which returned ratings for evaluative language (evaluative vs. descriptive) and valence (positive vs. negative). Separately, human coders rated the enthusiasm with which participants transmitted each idea. More positive sentiment ratings by the automated classifier were associated with activation in neural regions including medial prefrontal cortex; MPFC, precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex; PC/PCC, and medial temporal lobe; MTL. More evaluative, positive, descriptions were associated exclusively with neural activity in temporal-parietal junction (TPJ). Finally, human ratings indicative of more enthusiastic sentiment were associated with activation across these regions (MPFC, PC/PCC, DMPFC, TPJ, and MTL) as well as in ventral striatum (VS), inferior parietal lobule and premotor cortex. Taken together, these data demonstrate novel links between neural activity during initial idea encoding and the enthusiasm with which the ideas are subsequently delivered. This research lays the groundwork to use machine learning and neuroimaging data to study word of mouth communication and the spread of ideas in both traditional and new media environments.

Getting the word out: neural correlates of enthusiastic message propagation

PubMed Central

Falk, Emily B.; O'Donnell, Matthew Brook; Lieberman, Matthew D.

2012-01-01

What happens in the mind of a person who first hears a potentially exciting idea?We examined the neural precursors of spreading ideas with enthusiasm, and dissected enthusiasm into component processes that can be identified through automated linguistic analysis, gestalt human ratings of combined linguistic and non-verbal cues, and points of convergence/divergence between the two. We combined tools from natural language processing (NLP) with data gathered using fMRI to link the neurocognitive mechanisms that are set in motion during initial exposure to ideas and subsequent behaviors of these message communicators outside of the scanner. Participants' neural activity was recorded as they reviewed ideas for potential television show pilots. Participants' language from video-taped interviews collected post-scan was transcribed and given to an automated linguistic sentiment analysis (SA) classifier, which returned ratings for evaluative language (evaluative vs. descriptive) and valence (positive vs. negative). Separately, human coders rated the enthusiasm with which participants transmitted each idea. More positive sentiment ratings by the automated classifier were associated with activation in neural regions including medial prefrontal cortex; MPFC, precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex; PC/PCC, and medial temporal lobe; MTL. More evaluative, positive, descriptions were associated exclusively with neural activity in temporal-parietal junction (TPJ). Finally, human ratings indicative of more enthusiastic sentiment were associated with activation across these regions (MPFC, PC/PCC, DMPFC, TPJ, and MTL) as well as in ventral striatum (VS), inferior parietal lobule and premotor cortex. Taken together, these data demonstrate novel links between neural activity during initial idea encoding and the enthusiasm with which the ideas are subsequently delivered. This research lays the groundwork to use machine learning and neuroimaging data to study word of mouth communication and the spread of ideas in both traditional and new media environments. PMID:23189049

Maltotriose fermentation by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PubMed

Zastrow, C R; Hollatz, C; de Araujo, P S; Stambuk, B U

2001-07-01

Maltotriose, the second most abundant sugar of brewer's wort, is not fermented but is respired by several industrial yeast strains. We have isolated a strain capable of growing on a medium containing maltotriose and the respiratory inhibitor, antimycin A. This strain produced equivalent amounts of ethanol from 20 g l(-1) glucose, maltose, or maltotriose. We performed a detailed analysis of the rates of active transport and intracellular hydrolysis of maltotriose by this strain, and by a strain that does not ferment this sugar. The kinetics of sugar hydrolysis by both strains was similar, and our results also indicated that yeast cells do not synthesize a maltotriose-specific alpha-glucosidase. However, when considering active sugar transport, a different pattern was observed. The maltotriose-fermenting strain showed the same rate of active maltose or maltotriose transport, while the strain that could not ferment maltotriose showed a lower rate of maltotriose transport when compared with the rates of active maltose transport. Thus, our results revealed that transport across the plasma membrane, and not intracellular hydrolysis, is the rate-limiting step for the fermentation of maltotriose by these Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells.

Thermogravimetric study and kinetic analysis of fungal pretreated corn stover using the distributed activation energy model.

PubMed

Ma, Fuying; Zeng, Yelin; Wang, Jinjin; Yang, Yang; Yang, Xuewei; Zhang, Xiaoyu

2013-01-01

Non-isothermal thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) measurements are used to determine pyrolytic characteristics and kinetics of lignocellulose. TG/DTG experiments at different heating rates with corn stover pretreated with monocultures of Irpex lacteus CD2 and Auricularia polytricha AP and their cocultures were conducted. Heating rates had little effect on the pyrolysis process, but the peak of weight loss rate in the DTG curves shifted towards higher temperature with heating rate. The maximum weight loss of biopretreated samples was 1.25-fold higher than that of the control at the three heating rates, and the maximum weight loss rate of the co-culture pretreated samples was intermediate between that of the two mono-cultures. The activation energies of the co-culture pretreated samples were 16-72 kJ mol(-1) lower than that of the mono-culture at the conversion rate range from 10% to 60%. This suggests that co-culture pretreatment can decrease activation energy and accelerate pyrolysis reaction thus reducing energy consumption. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NHS Trusts' clinical research activity and overall CQC performance - Is there a correlation?

PubMed

Jonker, L; Fisher, S J

2015-11-01

Since the late 2000's, the creation of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has transformed clinical research activity in the United Kingdom. This study sought to establish if there is a link between clinical research activity and overall NHS Trust performance. Retrospective cohort study. Data for NHS Trust performance were obtained from public databases, namely the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 2013 risk rating for overall performance, and 2012-13 NIHR records for clinical research activity. Applying Spearman's rank analysis, none of the Trust categories showed a correlation with CQC risk rating: small hospitals, r = -0.062 (P = 0.76; n = 27); medium, r = -0.224 (P = 0.13; n = 47); large, r = -0.008 (P = 0.96; n = 57); academic, r = -0.18 (P = 0.41; n = 24). Similar results were observed when CQC risk rating was compared with the number of different clinical research studies conducted per Trust. The degree of NIHR National Portfolio clinical research activity is not significantly related to CQC risk rating, used as an indicator of overall NHS Trust performance. Other studies have previously shown that increased research activity correlates with improved mortality rates, one component of CQC risk rating scores. Alternative tools may have to be explored to evaluate the impact of clinical research on NHS Trusts and its patients. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pyrolysis kinetic and product analysis of different microalgal biomass by distributed activation energy model and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Yang, Xuewei; Zhang, Rui; Fu, Juan; Geng, Shu; Cheng, Jay Jiayang; Sun, Yuan

2014-07-01

To assess the energy potential of different microalgae, Chlorella sorokiniana and Monoraphidium were selected for studying the pyrolytic behavior at different heating rates with the analytical method of thermogravimetric analysis (TG), distributed activation energy model (DAEM) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS). Results presented that Monoraphidium 3s35 showed superiority for pyrolysis at low heating rate. Calculated by DAEM, during the conversion rate range from 0.1 to 0.7, the activation energies of C. sorokiniana 21 were much lower than that of Monoraphidium 3s35. Both C. sorokiniana 21 and Monoraphidium 3s35 can produce certain amount (up to 20.50%) of alkane compounds, with 9-Octadecyne (C18H34) as the primary compound. Short-chain alkanes (C7-C13) with unsaturated carbon can be released in the pyrolysis at 500°C for both microalgal biomass. It was also observed that the pyrolysis of C. sorokiniana 21 released more alcohol compounds, while Monoraphidium 3s35 produced more saccharides. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived climate in physical activity settings.

PubMed

Gill, Diane L; Morrow, Ronald G; Collins, Karen E; Lucey, Allison B; Schultz, Allison M

2010-01-01

This study focused on the perceived climate for LGBT youth and other minority groups in physical activity settings. A large sample of undergraduates and a selected sample including student teachers/interns and a campus Pride group completed a school climate survey and rated the climate in three physical activity settings (physical education, organized sport, exercise). Overall, school climate survey results paralleled the results with national samples revealing high levels of homophobic remarks and low levels of intervention. Physical activity climate ratings were mid-range, but multivariate analysis of variation test (MANOVA) revealed clear differences with all settings rated more inclusive for racial/ethnic minorities and most exclusive for gays/lesbians and people with disabilities. The results are in line with national surveys and research suggesting sexual orientation and physical characteristics are often the basis for harassment and exclusion in sport and physical activity. The current results also indicate that future physical activity professionals recognize exclusion, suggesting they could benefit from programs that move beyond awareness to skills and strategies for creating more inclusive programs.

The 2006 lava dome eruption of Merapi Volcano (Indonesia): Detailed analysis using MODIS TIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carr, Brett B.; Clarke, Amanda B.; Vanderkluysen, Loÿc

2016-02-01

Merapi is one of Indonesia's most active and dangerous volcanoes. Prior to the 2010 VEI 4 eruption, activity at Merapi during the 20th century was characterized by the growth and collapse of a series of lava domes. Periods of very slow growth were punctuated by short episodes of increased eruption rates characterized by dome collapse-generated pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). An eruptive event of this type occurred in May-June, 2006. For effusive eruptions such as this, detailed extrusion rate records are important for understanding the processes driving the eruption and the hazards presented by the eruption. We use thermal infrared (TIR) images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites to estimate extrusion rates at Merapi Volcano during the 2006 eruption using the method of Harris and Ripepe (2007). We compile a set of 75 nighttime MODIS images of the eruptive period to produce a detailed time series of thermal radiance and extrusion rate that reveal multiple phases of the 2006 eruption. These data closely correspond to the published ground-based observational record and improve observation density and detail during the eruption sequence. Furthermore, additional analysis of radiance values for thermal anomalies in Band 21 (λ = 3.959 μm) of MODIS images results in a new framework for detecting different styles of activity. We successfully discriminate among slow dome growth, rapid dome growth, and PDC-producing dome collapse. We also demonstrate a positive correlation between PDC frequency and extrusion rate, and provide evidence that extrusion rate can increase in response to external events such as dome collapses or tectonic earthquakes. This study represents a new method of documenting volcanic activity that can be applied to other similar volcanic systems.

The dog mite, Demodex canis: prevalence, fungal co-infection, reactions to light, and hair follicle apoptosis.

PubMed

Tsai, Yu-Jen; Chung, Wen-Cheng; Wang, Lian-Chen; Ju, Yu-Ten; Hong, Chin-Lin; Tsai, Yu-Yang; Li, Yi-Hung; Wu, Ying-Ling

2011-01-01

Infection rate, reaction to light, and hair follicle apoptosis are examined in the dogmite, Demodex canis Leydig (Prostigmata: Demodicidae), in dogs from the northern area of Taiwan. An analysis of relevant samples revealed 7.2% (73/1013) prevalence of D. canis infection. Infection during the investigation peaked each winter, with an average prevalence of 12.5% (32/255). The infection rates significantly varied in accordance with month, sex, age, and breed (p < 0.05). Most of the lesions were discovered on the backs of the infected animals, where the infection rate was 52.1% (38/73) (P < 0.05). The epidemiologic analysis of infection based on landscape area factor, found that employing a map-overlapping method showed a higher infection rate in the eastern distribution of Taiwan's northern area than other areas. Isolation tests for Microsporum canis Bodin (Onygenales: Arthrodermataceae) and Trichophyton mentagrophyte Robin (Blanchard) on the D. canis infected dogs revealed prevalence rates of 4.4% (2/45) and 2.2% (1/45), respectively. Observations demonstrated that D. canis slowly moved from a light area to a dark area. Skin samples were examined for cellular apoptosis by activated caspase3 immunohistochemical staining. Cells that surrounded the infected hair follicles were activated caspase3-positive, revealing cell apoptosis in infected follicles via the activation of caspase3.

The Dog Mite, Demodex canis: Prevalence, Fungal Co-Infection, Reactions to Light, and Hair Follicle Apoptosis

PubMed Central

Tsai, Yu-Jen; Chung, Wen-Cheng; Wang, Lian-Chen; Ju, Yu-Ten; Hong, Chin-Lin; Tsai, Yu-Yang; Li, Yi-Hung; Wu, Ying-Ling

2011-01-01

Infection rate, reaction to light, and hair follicle apoptosis are examined in the dogmite, Demodex canis Leydig (Prostigmata: Demodicidae), in dogs from the northern area of Taiwan. An analysis of relevant samples revealed 7.2% (73/1013) prevalence of D. canis infection. Infection during the investigation peaked each winter, with an average prevalence of 12.5% (32/255). The infection rates significantly varied in accordance with month, sex, age, and breed (p < 0.05). Most of the lesions were discovered on the backs of the infected animals, where the infection rate was 52.1% (38/73) (P < 0.05). The epidemiologic analysis of infection based on landscape area factor, found that employing a map-overlapping method showed a higher infection rate in the eastern distribution of Taiwan's northern area than other areas. Isolation tests for Microsporum canis Bodin (Onygenales: Arthrodermataceae) and Trichophyton mentagrophyte Robin (Blanchard) on the D. canis infected dogs revealed prevalence rates of 4.4% (2/45) and 2.2% (1/45), respectively. Observations demonstrated that D. canis slowly moved from a light area to a dark area. Skin samples were examined for cellular apoptosis by activated caspase3 immunohistochemical staining. Cells that surrounded the infected hair follicles were activated caspase3-positive, revealing cell apoptosis in infected follicles via the activation of caspase3. PMID:21867442

Heart Rate Variability – a Tool to Differentiate Positive and Negative Affective States in Pigs?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The causal neurophysiological processes, such as autonomic nervous system activity, that mediate behavioral and physiological reactivity to an environment have largely been ignored. Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis is a clinical diagnostic tool used to assess affective states (stressful and ple...

Absorbed dose rates in tissue from prompt gamma emissions from near-thermal neutron absorption

DOE PAGES

Schwahn, Scott O.

2015-10-01

Prompt gamma emission data from the International Atomic Energy Agency s Prompt Gamma-ray Neutron Activation Analysis database are analyzed to determine the absorbed dose rates in tissue to be expected when natural elements are exposed in a near-thermal neutron environment.

Design, Synthesis, and Structure--Activity Relationship of New 2-Aryl-3,4-dihydro-β-carbolin-2-ium Salts as Antifungal Agents.

PubMed

Hou, Zhe; Zhu, Li-Fei; Yu, Xin-chi; Sun, Ma-Qiang; Miao, Fang; Zhou, Le

2016-04-13

Twenty-two 2-aryl-9-methyl-3,4-dihydro-β-carbolin-2-ium bromides along with four 9-demethylated derivatives were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic analysis. By using the mycelium growth rate method, the compounds were evaluated for antifungal activities in vitro against six plant pathogenic fungi, and structure-activity relationships (SAR) were derived. Almost all of the compounds showed obvious inhibition activity on each of the fungi at 150 μM. For all of the fungi, 10 of the compounds showed average inhibition rates of >80% at 150 μM, and most of their EC50 values were in the range of 2.0-30.0 μM. SAR analysis showed that the substitution pattern of the N-aryl ring significantly influences the activity; N9-alkylation improves the activity, whereas aromatization of ring-C reduces the activity. It was concluded that the present research provided a series of new 2-aryl-9-alkyl-3,4-dihydro-β-carbolin-2-iums with excellent antifungal potency and structure optimization design for the development of new carboline antifungal agents.

Reference Guide for Building Diagnostics Equipment and Techniques.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-01

ventilation rates indicates a potential for employee complaints of symptoms and of contamination by such pollutants as radon daughters which cause no...MONITOR (active) Measurement and Analysis. Radon daughters are collected on a filter and particle activity is measured with a detector. A microprocessor

Analysis of electron transfer processes across liquid/liquid interfaces: estimation of free energy of activation using diffuse boundary model.

PubMed

Harinipriya, S; Sangaranarayanan, M V

2006-01-31

The evaluation of the free energy of activation pertaining to the electron-transfer reactions occurring at liquid/liquid interfaces is carried out employing a diffuse boundary model. The interfacial solvation numbers are estimated using a lattice gas model under the quasichemical approximation. The standard reduction potentials of the redox couples, appropriate inner potential differences, dielectric permittivities, as well as the width of the interface are included in the analysis. The methodology is applied to the reaction between [Fe(CN)6](3-/4-) and [Lu(biphthalocyanine)](3+/4+) at water/1,2-dichloroethane interface. The rate-determining step is inferred from the estimated free energy of activation for the constituent processes. The results indicate that the solvent shielding effect and the desolvation of the reactants at the interface play a central role in dictating the free energy of activation. The heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constant is evaluated from the molar reaction volume and the frequency factor.

Efficacy and Safety of Tacrolimus Therapy for Active Ulcerative Colitis; A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Komaki, Yuga; Komaki, Fukiko; Ido, Akio; Sakuraba, Atsushi

2016-04-01

Approximately 25% of patients with ulcerative colitis [UC] experience a severe flare requiring steroid therapy to avoid colectomy. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of tacrolimus as a rescue therapy for active UC. Electronic databases were searched for relevant studies assessing the efficacy of tacrolimus for active UC. Outcomes included short- and long-term clinical response, colectomy free rates, and rate of adverse events in randomised controlled trials [RCTs] and observational studies. Two RCTs comparing high trough concentration [10-15ng/ml] versus placebo [n = 103] and 23 observational studies [n = 831] were identified. Clinical response at 2 weeks was significantly higher with tacrolimus compared with placebo (risk ratio [RR] = 4.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.09-10.17, p = 0.15 x 10(-3)] among RCTs. Rates of clinical response at 1 and 3 months were 0.73 [95% CI = 0.64-0.81] and 0.76 [95% CI = 0.59-0.87], and colectomy-free rates remained high at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months [0.86, 0.84, 0.78, and 0.69, respectively] among observational studies. Among RCTs, adverse events were more frequent compared with placebo [RR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.20-3.37, p = 0.83 x 10(-2)], but there was no difference in severe adverse events [RR = 3.15, 95% CI = 0.14-72.9, p = 0.47]. Severe adverse events were rare among observational studies [0.11, 95% CI = 0.06-0.20]. In the present meta-analysis, tacrolimus was associated with high clinical response and colectomy-free rates without increased risk of severe adverse events for active UC. Copyright © 2015 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Analysis of the Temperature and Strain-Rate Dependences of Strain Hardening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreyca, Johannes; Kozeschnik, Ernst

2018-01-01

A classical constitutive modeling-based Ansatz for the impact of thermal activation on the stress-strain response of metallic materials is compared with the state parameter-based Kocks-Mecking model. The predicted functional dependencies suggest that, in the first approach, only the dislocation storage mechanism is a thermally activated process, whereas, in the second approach, only the mechanism of dynamic recovery is. In contradiction to each of these individual approaches, our analysis and comparison with experimental evidence shows that thermal activation contributes both to dislocation generation and annihilation.

ZnO nanostructures with different morphology for enhanced photocatalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peter, I. John; Praveen, E.; Vignesh, G.; Nithiananthi, P.

2017-12-01

ZnO nanomaterials of different morphologies have been synthesized and the effect of morphology on Photocatalytic activity on natural dye has been investigated. Crystalline size and lattice strain of the synthesized particles are determined by XRD analysis and Williamson-Hall (W-H) method respectively. All other important physical parameters such as strain, stress and energy density values are also calculated using W-H analysis using different models such as uniform deformation model, uniform deformation stress model and uniform deformation energy density model. A shift in the peak of FTIR spectrum of ZnO is observed due to morphology effects. The SEM analysis reveals that the synthesized ZnO nanoparticles appear as flake, rod and dot. ZnO quantum dot exhibits higher photocatalytic activity comparing to the other morphologies. Larger surface area, high adsorption rate, large charge separation and the slow recombination of electrons/holes in ZnO dots establish dots as favorable morphology for good photocatalysis. Among the three, ZnO quantum dot shows three-times enhancement in the kinetic rate constants of photocatalysis. The results confirm that availability of specific (active) surface area, photocatalytic potential and quantum confinement of photo-induced carriers differ with morphology.

Binding proteins enhance specific uptake rate by increasing the substrate-transporter encounter rate.

PubMed

Bosdriesz, Evert; Magnúsdóttir, Stefanía; Bruggeman, Frank J; Teusink, Bas; Molenaar, Douwe

2015-06-01

Microorganisms rely on binding-protein assisted, active transport systems to scavenge for scarce nutrients. Several advantages of using binding proteins in such uptake systems have been proposed. However, a systematic, rigorous and quantitative analysis of the function of binding proteins is lacking. By combining knowledge of selection pressure and physiochemical constraints, we derive kinetic, thermodynamic, and stoichiometric properties of binding-protein dependent transport systems that enable a maximal import activity per amount of transporter. Under the hypothesis that this maximal specific activity of the transport complex is the selection objective, binding protein concentrations should exceed the concentration of both the scarce nutrient and the transporter. This increases the encounter rate of transporter with loaded binding protein at low substrate concentrations, thereby enhancing the affinity and specific uptake rate. These predictions are experimentally testable, and a number of observations confirm them. © 2015 FEBS.

Activity concentrations and dose rates from decorative granite countertops.

PubMed

Llope, W J

2011-06-01

The gamma radiation emitted from a variety of commercial decorative granites available for use in U.S. homes has been measured with portable survey meters as well as an NaI(Th) gamma spectrometer. The (40)K, U-nat, and (232)Th activity concentrations were determined using a full-spectrum analysis. The dose rates that would result from two different arrangements of decorative granite slabs as countertops were explored in simulations involving an adult anthropomorphic phantom. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrolysis rate constants and activation parameters for phosphate- and phosphonate-bridged phthalonitrile monomers under acid, neutral and alkali conditions.

PubMed

Belsky, Kirill S; Sulimov, Artem V; Bulgakov, Boris A; Babkin, Alexandr V; Kepman, Alexey V

2017-08-01

Hydrolysis data for Bis(3-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)phenyl) phenyl phosphate and Bis(3-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)phenyl) phenylphosphonate under pH 4, 7 and 10 are presented. Conversion/time plots collected by HPLC analysis, typical chromatograms and NMR spectra of the reactions products are given. Pseudo-first order rate constants are determined for both substrates at 25, 50 and 80 °C. Activation parameters were calculated from Arrhenius equation.

Analysis of Biosignals During Immersion in Computer Games.

PubMed

Yeo, Mina; Lim, Seokbeen; Yoon, Gilwon

2017-11-17

The number of computer game users is increasing as computers and various IT devices in connection with the Internet are commonplace in all ages. In this research, in order to find the relevance of behavioral activity and its associated biosignal, biosignal changes before and after as well as during computer games were measured and analyzed for 31 subjects. For this purpose, a device to measure electrocardiogram, photoplethysmogram and skin temperature was developed such that the effect of motion artifacts could be minimized. The device was made wearable for convenient measurement. The game selected for the experiments was League of Legends™. Analysis on the pulse transit time, heart rate variability and skin temperature showed increased sympathetic nerve activities during computer game, while the parasympathetic nerves became less active. Interestingly, the sympathetic predominance group showed less change in the heart rate variability as compared to the normal group. The results can be valuable for studying internet gaming disorder.

Plausibility assessment of a 2-state self-paced mental task-based BCI using the no-control performance analysis.

PubMed

Faradji, Farhad; Ward, Rabab K; Birch, Gary E

2009-06-15

The feasibility of having a self-paced brain-computer interface (BCI) based on mental tasks is investigated. The EEG signals of four subjects performing five mental tasks each are used in the design of a 2-state self-paced BCI. The output of the BCI should only be activated when the subject performs a specific mental task and should remain inactive otherwise. For each subject and each task, the feature coefficient and the classifier that yield the best performance are selected, using the autoregressive coefficients as the features. The classifier with a zero false positive rate and the highest true positive rate is selected as the best classifier. The classifiers tested include: linear discriminant analysis, quadratic discriminant analysis, Mahalanobis discriminant analysis, support vector machine, and radial basis function neural network. The results show that: (1) some classifiers obtained the desired zero false positive rate; (2) the linear discriminant analysis classifier does not yield acceptable performance; (3) the quadratic discriminant analysis classifier outperforms the Mahalanobis discriminant analysis classifier and performs almost as well as the radial basis function neural network; and (4) the support vector machine classifier has the highest true positive rates but unfortunately has nonzero false positive rates in most cases.

Ninety-five orthotopic transplantations in 74 women of ovarian tissue after cytotoxic treatment in a fertility preservation network: tissue activity, pregnancy and delivery rates.

PubMed

Van der Ven, H; Liebenthron, J; Beckmann, M; Toth, B; Korell, M; Krüssel, J; Frambach, T; Kupka, M; Hohl, M K; Winkler-Crepaz, K; Seitz, S; Dogan, A; Griesinger, G; Häberlin, F; Henes, M; Schwab, R; Sütterlin, M; von Wolff, M; Dittrich, R

2016-09-01

What is the success rate in terms of ovarian activity (menstrual cycles) as well as pregnancy and delivery rates 1 year after orthotopic ovarian transplantations conducted in a three-country network? In 49 women with a follow-up >1 year after transplantation, the ovaries were active in 67% of cases and the pregnancy and delivery rates were 33 and 25%, respectively. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue in advance of cytotoxic therapies and later transplantation of the tissue is being performed increasingly often, and the total success rates in terms of pregnancy and delivery have been described in case series. However, published case series have not allowed either a more detailed analysis of patients with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) or calculation of success rates based on the parameter 'tissue activity'. Retrospective analysis of 95 orthotopic transplantations in 74 patients who had been treated for cancer, performed in the FertiPROTEKT network from 2008 to June 2015. Of those 95 transplantations, a first subgroup (Subgroup 1) was defined for further analysis, including 49 women with a follow-up period >1 year after transplantation. Of those 49 women, a second subgroup (Subgroup 5) was further analysed, including 40 women who were transplanted for the first time and who were diagnosed with POI before transplantation. Transplantation was performed in 16 centres and data were transferred to the FertiPROTEKT registry. The transplantations were carried out after oncological treatment had been completed and after a remission period of at least 2 years. Tissue was transplanted orthotopically, either into or onto the residual ovaries or into a pelvic peritoneal pocket. The success rates were defined as tissue activity (menstrual cycles) after 1 year (primary outcome) and as pregnancies and deliveries achieved. The average age of all transplanted 74 women was 31 ± 5.9 years at the time of cryopreservation and 35 ± 5.2 at the time of transplantation. Twenty-one pregnancies and 17 deliveries were recorded. In Subgroup 1, tissue was cryopreserved at the age of 30 ± 5.6 and transplanted at 34 ± 4.9 years. Ovaries remained active 1 year after transplantation in 67% of cases (n = 33/49), the pregnancy rate was 33% (n = 16/49) and the delivery rate was 25% (n = 12/49). In Subgroup 5, tissue was cryopreserved at the age 30 ± 5.9 years and transplanted at 34 ± 5.2 years. Ovaries remained active 1 year after transplantation in 63% of cases (n = 25/40), the pregnancy rate was 28% (n = 11/40) and the delivery rate was 23% (n = 9/40). The success rates were age dependant with higher success in women who cryopreserved at a younger age. In Subgroup 5, tissue was exclusively transplanted into the ovary in 10% (n = 4/40) of women and into a peritoneal pocket in 75% (n = 30/40), resulting in spontaneous conceptions in 91% of patients (n = 10/11). The data were drawn from a retrospective analysis. The cryopreservation and transplantation techniques used have changed during the study period. The tissue was stored in many tissue banks and many surgeons were involved, leading to heterogeneity of the procedures. However, this does reflect the realistic situation in many countries. Although patients with POI were evaluated before transplantation to allow specific analysis of the transplanted tissue itself, the possibility cannot be excluded that residual ovarian tissue was also reactivated. This is the largest case series worldwide to date and it confirms that cryopreservation and transplantation of ovarian tissue can be a successful option for preserving fertility. Persistent tissue activity 12 months after transplantation suggests that the pregnancy and delivery rates may increase further in the future. As transplantation into the peritoneum results in a high success rate, this approach may be an alternative to transplantation into the ovary. However, in order to establish the best transplantation site, a randomized study is required. This study was in part funded from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (# DI 1525) and the Wilhelm Sander Foundation (2012.127.1) and did not receive any funding from a commercial company. No competing interests. None. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

G3 Analysis. Volume 2. Appendixes.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-12-01

AA-8167 216 03 ANALYSIS VOLUME 2 &*PENDXES(U) COMBINED NUS V3 OPERATION RESEARCH ACTIVITY FORT LEAVENWORTH KS A 𔄀 S R RCCINELLI ET AL . DEC 95...Analytic tecnniques: DA, SIM, Al 3-15. AID DESCRIPTOR: Controlled Supply Rate ( CSR ) a. Product supported: OPORD (Service Support) D. Description...APPENOIXESCU) COMBINED ASKS 31P3 OPERATIONS RESEARCH ACTIVITY FORT LEAVENWORTH KS ACCINELLI ET AL . DEC 85 CAORA/TR-13/BS-YOL-2 UNCLASSIFIED F/B 15/7

Activation of muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channels by nicotinic and muscarinic agonists

PubMed Central

Akk, Gustav; Auerbach, Anthony

1999-01-01

The dose-response parameters of recombinant mouse adult neuromuscular acetylcholine receptor channels (nAChR) activated by carbamylcholine, nicotine, muscarine and oxotremorine were measured. Rate constants for agonist association and dissociation, and channel opening and closing, were estimated from single-channel kinetic analysis.The dissociation equilibrium constants were (mM): ACh (0.16)carbamylcholine (5.1)>oxotremorine M (0.6)>nicotine (0.5)>muscarine (0.15).Rat neuronal α4β2 nAChR can be activated by all of the agonists. However, detailed kinetic analysis was impossible because the recordings lacked clusters representing the activity of a single receptor complex. Thus, the number of channels in the patch was unknown and the activation rate constants could not be determined.Considering both receptor affinity and agonist efficacy, muscarine and oxotremorine are significant agonists of muscle-type nAChR. The results are discussed in terms of structure-function relationships at the nAChR transmitter binding site. PMID:10602325

Mathematical modeling of transmission co-infection tuberculosis in HIV community

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lusiana, V.; Putra, P. S.; Nuraini, N.; Soewono, E.

2017-03-01

TB and HIV infection have the effect of deeply on assault the immune system, since they can afford to weaken host immune respone through a mechanism that has not been fully understood. HIV co-infection is the stongest risk factor for progression of M. tuberculosis to active TB disease in HIV individuals, as well as TB has been accelerated to progression HIV infection. In this paper we create a model of transmission co-infection TB in HIV community, dynamic system with ten compartments built in here. Dynamic analysis in this paper mentioned ranging from disease free equilibrium conditions, endemic equilibrium conditions, basic reproduction ratio, stability analysis and numerical simulation. Basic reproductive ratio were obtained from spectral radius the next generation matrix of the model. Numerical simulations are built to justify the results of the analysis and to see the changes in the dynamics of the population in each compartment. The sensitivity analysis indicates that the parameters affecting the population dynamics of TB in people with HIV infection is parameters rate of progression of individuals from the exposed TB class to the active TB, treatment rate of exposed TB individuals, treatment rate of infectious (active TB) individuals and probability of transmission of TB infection from an infective to a susceptible per contact per unit time. We can conclude that growing number of infections carried by infectious TB in people with HIV infection can lead to increased spread of disease or increase in endemic conditions.

Crystallography Coupled with Kinetic Analysis Provide Mechanistic Underpinnings of a Nicotine-Degrading Enzyme.

PubMed

Tararina, Margarita A; Xue, Song; Smith, Lauren C; Muellers, Samantha N; Miranda, Pedro O; Janda, Kim D; Allen, Karen N

2018-05-29

Nicotine oxidoreductase (NicA2) is a bacterial flavoenzyme, which catalyzes the first step of nicotine catabolism by oxidizing S-nicotine into N-methyl-myosmine. Its use has been proposed as a biotherapeutic for nicotine addiction due to its nanomolar substrate binding affinity. The first crystal structure of NicA2 has been reported, establishing NicA2 as a member of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) family. However, substrate specificity and structural determinants of substrate binding/catalysis have not been explored. Herein, analysis of pH-rate profile, single-turnover kinetics and binding data establish that pH does not significantly affect catalytic rate and product release is not rate limiting. The X-ray crystal structure of NicA2 with S-nicotine refined to 2.65 Å resolution reveals a hydrophobic binding site with a solvent exclusive cavity. Hydrophobic interactions predominantly orient the substrate, promoting the binding of a deprotonated species and supporting a hydride-transfer mechanism. Notably, NicA2 showed no activity against neurotransmitters oxidized by the two isoforms of human MAO. To further probe the substrate range of NicA2, enzyme activity was evaluated using a series of substrate analogs, indicating that S-nicotine is the optimal substrate and substitutions within the pyridyl ring abolish NicA2 activity. Moreover, mutagenesis and kinetic analysis of active-site residues reveal that removal of a hydrogen bond between the pyridyl ring of S-nicotine and the hydroxyl group of T381 has a 10-fold effect on KM, supporting the role of this bond in positioning the catalytically competent form of the substrate. Together, crystallography combined with kinetic analysis provide a deeper understanding of this enzyme's remarkable specificity.

Bioluminescent Reaction by Immobilized Luciferase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Ryuta; Takahama, Eriko; Iinuma, Masataka; Ikeda, Takeshi; Kadoya, Yutaka; Kuroda, Akio

We have investigated an effect of immobilization of luciferase molecules at the optical fiber end on a bioluminescent reaction. The time dependence of measured count rates of emitted photons has been analyzed by fitting with numerical solution of differential equations including the effect of the product-inhibitor and the deactivation of the luciferase. Through the analysis, we have successfully extracted kinetic constants such as, reaction rate, number of active luciferase molecules, etc. Ratio of active molecules to total luciferase molecules in immobilization was one order of magnitude lower than that in solution. The reaction rate of the bioluminescent process was also different from the one of free luciferase in solution.

[Photosynthetic characteristics of five arbor species in Shenyang urban area].

PubMed

Li, Hai-Me; He, Xing-Yuan; Wang, Kui-Ling; Chen, Wei

2007-08-01

By using LI-6400 infrared gas analyzer, this paper studied the diurnal and seasonal variations of the photosynthetic rate of main arbor species (Populus alba x P. berolinensis, Salix matsudana, Ulmus pumila, Robinia pseudoacacia and Prunus davidiana) in Shenyang urban area. The correlations between net photosynthetic rate and environmental factors (photosynthetic active radiation, temperature, and stomatal conductance) were assessed by multivariate regression analysis, and related equations were constructed. The results showed that for test arbor species, the diurnal variation of photosynthetic rate mainly presented a single peak curve, and the seasonal variation was in the order of summer > autumn > spring. The major factors affecting the photosynthetic rate were photosynthetic active radiation, stomatal conductance, and intercellular CO2 concentration.

Spontaneous alterations of regional brain activity in patients with adult generalized anxiety disorder

PubMed Central

Xia, Likun; Li, Shumei; Wang, Tianyue; Guo, Yaping; Meng, Lihong; Feng, Yunping; Cui, Yu; Wang, Fan; Ma, Jian; Jiang, Guihua

2017-01-01

Objective We aimed to examine how spontaneous brain activity might be related to the pathophysiology of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Patients and methods Using resting-state functional MRI, we examined spontaneous regional brain activity in 31 GAD patients (mean age, 36.87±9.16 years) and 36 healthy control participants (mean age, 39.53±8.83 years) matched for age, education, and sex from December 2014 to October 2015. We performed a two-sample t-test on the voxel-based analysis of the regional homogeneity (ReHo) maps. We used Pearson correlation analysis to compare scores from the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, State–Trait Anxiety Scale-Trait Scale, and mean ReHo values. Results We found abnormal spontaneous activity in multiple regions of brain in GAD patients, especially in the sensorimotor cortex and emotional regions. GAD patients showed decreased ReHo values in the right orbital middle frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, right middle frontal gyrus, and bilateral supplementary motor areas, with increased ReHo values in the left middle temporal gyrus, left superior temporal gyrus, and right superior occipital gyrus. The ReHo value of the left middle temporal gyrus correlated positively with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores. Conclusion These results suggest that altered local synchronization of spontaneous brain activity may be related to the pathophysiology of GAD. PMID:28790831

Study for urbanization corresponding to socio-economic activities in Savannaket, Laos using satellite remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimijiama, S.; Nagai, M.

2014-06-01

In Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), economic liberalization and deregulation facilitated by GMS Regional Economic Corporation Program (GMS-ECP) has triggered urbanization in the region. However, the urbanization rate and its linkage to socio-economic activities are ambiguous. The objectives of this paper are to: (a) determine the changes in urban area from 1972 to 2013 using remote sensing data, and (b) analyse the relationships between urbanization with respect to socio-economic activities in central Laos. The study employed supervised classification and human visible interpretation to determine changes in urbanization rate. Regression analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the urbanization rate and socio-economic variables. The result shows that the urban area increased significantly from 1972 to 2013. The socio-economic variables such as school enrollment, labour force, mortality rate, water source and sanitation highly correlated with the rate of urbanization during the period. The study concluded that identifying the highly correlated socio-economic variables with urbanization rate could enable us to conduct a further urbanization simulation. The simulation helps in designing policies for sustainable development.

Cardiovascular and respiratory dynamics during normal and pathological sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penzel, Thomas; Wessel, Niels; Riedl, Maik; Kantelhardt, Jan W.; Rostig, Sven; Glos, Martin; Suhrbier, Alexander; Malberg, Hagen; Fietze, Ingo

2007-03-01

Sleep is an active and regulated process with restorative functions for physical and mental conditions. Based on recordings of brain waves and the analysis of characteristic patterns and waveforms it is possible to distinguish wakefulness and five sleep stages. Sleep and the sleep stages modulate autonomous nervous system functions such as body temperature, respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate. These functions consist of a sympathetic tone usually related to activation and to parasympathetic (or vagal) tone usually related to inhibition. Methods of statistical physics are used to analyze heart rate and respiration to detect changes of the autonomous nervous system during sleep. Detrended fluctuation analysis and synchronization analysis and their applications to heart rate and respiration during sleep in healthy subjects and patients with sleep disorders are presented. The observed changes can be used to distinguish sleep stages in healthy subjects as well as to differentiate normal and disturbed sleep on the basis of heart rate and respiration recordings without direct recording of brain waves. Of special interest are the cardiovascular consequences of disturbed sleep because they present a risk factor for cardiovascular disorders such as arterial hypertension, cardiac ischemia, sudden cardiac death, and stroke. New derived variables can help to find indicators for these health risks.

Automated Techniques for Quantification of Coastline Change Rates using Landsat Imagery along Caofeidian, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Di; Li, Ziwei; Liu, Zhaoqin; Yu, Yang

2014-03-01

This paper focuses on automated extraction and monitoring of coastlines by remote sensing techniques using multi-temporal Landsat imagery along Caofeidian, China. Caofeidian, as one of the active economic regions in China, has experienced dramatic change due to enhanced human activities, such as land reclamation. These processes have caused morphological changes of the Caofeidian shoreline. In this study, shoreline extraction and change analysis are researched. An algorithm based on image texture and mathematical morphology is proposed to automate coastline extraction. We tested this approach and found that it's capable of extracting coastlines from TM and ETM+ images with little human modifications. Then, the detected coastline vectors are imported into Arcgis software, and the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) is used to calculate the change rate (the end point rate and linear regression rate). The results show that in some parts of the research area, remarkable coastline changes are observed, especially the accretion rate. The abnormal accretion is mostly attributed to the large-scale land reclamation during 2003 and 2004 in Caofeidian. So we can conclude that various construction projects, especially the land reclamation project, have made Caofeidian shorelines change greatly, far above the normal.

Assessment of antibacterial properties and the active ingredient of plant extracts and its effect on the performance of crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio var. E'erqisi, Bloch).

PubMed

Lu, Chunxia; Luo, Xiaoling; Luo, Ruifeng; Chen, Xia; Xing, Lijie; Tang, Zonggui; Li, Hongmin

2013-03-15

In this study, the antibacterial properties and active ingredient of plant extracts and its effect on the performance of crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio var. E'erqisi, Bloch) were assessed. The transmission electron microscopy and flow cytometric analysis showed that the antibacterial activity of plant extracts is due to the disruption of the cell membrane and the leakage of cytoplasmic contents. The UPLC-MS/MS analysis showed that the contents of gallic acid, (-)-epigallocatechin, (+)-catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, aloe-emodin, rhein, emodin, chrysophanol, and physcion, were 5.27%, 3.30%, 1.08%, 19.32%, 5.46%, 0.23%, 0.56%, 1.28%, 0.75% and 0.39% in plant extracts, respectively. Results of feeding experiment showed that feeding crucian carp with 1.0% and 2.0% plant extracts significantly enhanced specific growth rate, serum total protein, lysozyme, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities, and decreased the feed conversion rate, malondialdehyde contents and the mortality rate (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that plant extracts added to fish feed can act as natural antimicrobial and immunostimulants to prevent pathogenic infection, enhance immune response, and promote growth of the fish. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Aberrant neural processing of moral violations in criminal psychopaths

PubMed Central

Harenski, Carla L.; Harenski, Keith A.; Shane, Matthew S.; Kiehl, Kent A.

2010-01-01

A defining characteristic of psychopathy is the willingness to intentionally commit moral transgressions against others without guilt or remorse. Despite this ‘moral insensitivity’, the behavioral and neural correlates of moral decision-making in psychopathy have not been well studied. To address this issue, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record hemodynamic activity in 72 incarcerated male adults, stratified into psychopathic (N = 16) and nonpsychopathic (N = 16) groups based on scores from the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, while they made decisions regarding the ‘severity of moral violations’ of pictures that did or did not depict moral situations. Consistent with hypotheses, an analysis of brain activity during the evaluation of pictures depicting moral violations in psychopaths vs. nonpsychopaths showed atypical activity in several regions involved in moral decision-making. This included reduced moral/non-moral picture distinctions in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior temporal cortex in psychopaths relative to nonpsychopaths. In a separate analysis, the association between severity of moral violation ratings and brain activity across participants was compared in psychopaths versus nonpsychopaths. Results revealed a positive association between amygdala activity and severity ratings that was greater in nonpsychopaths than psychopaths, and a negative association between posterior temporal activity and severity ratings that was greater in psychopaths than nonpsychopaths. These results reveal potential neural underpinnings of moral insensitivity in psychopathy and are discussed with reference to neurobiological models of morality and psychopathy. PMID:21090881

Characteristics and Activities of Teachers on Distance Learning Programs That Affect Their Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanišic Stojic, Svetlana M.; Dobrijevic, Gordana; Stanišic, Nemanja; Stanic, Nenad

2014-01-01

This paper presents an analysis of teachers' ratings on distance learning undergraduate study programs: 7,156 students enrolled in traditional and 528 students enrolled in distance learning studies took part in the evaluation questionnaire, assessing 71 teachers. The data were collected from the Moodle platform and from the Singidunum University…

Heart Rate Variability during Social Interactions in Children with and without Psychopathology: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shahrestani, Sara; Stewart, Elizabeth M.; Quintana, Daniel S.; Hickie, Ian B.; Guastella, Adam J.

2014-01-01

Background: The inability to regulate autonomic activity during social interactions is believed to contribute to social and emotional dysregulation in children. Research has employed heart rate variability (HRV) during both socially engaging and socially disengaging dyadic tasks between children and adults to assess this. Methods: We conducted a…

Autonomic responses during acute myocardial infarction in the rat model: implications for arrhythmogenesis.

PubMed

Kolettis, Theofilos M; Kontonika, Marianthi; Lekkas, Panagiotis; Vlahos, Antonios P; Baltogiannis, Giannis G; Gatzoulis, Konstantinos A; Chrousos, George P

2018-04-10

Autonomic responses participate in the pathophysiology of acute myocardial infarction, but their precise time course remains unclear. Here, we investigated the autonomic activity and ventricular tachyarrhythmias in conscious, unrestrained rats post-infarction. The left coronary artery was ligated in 12 Wistar rats, and six rats were sham operated, followed by 24-h electrocardiographic recording via implanted telemetry transmitters. Sympathetic activity was assessed by detrended fluctuation analysis and vagal activity by time- and frequency-domain analysis of heart rate variability. The duration of the ventricular tachyarrhythmias was measured, and voluntary motion served as a marker of heart failure. In sham-operated rats, heart rate and sympathetic activity remained low, whereas vagal activity rose progressively after the fourth hour. Post-ligation, medium-sized antero-septal necrosis was observed, reaching ~20% of the left ventricular volume; tachyarrhythmias were frequent, displaying a bimodal curve, and motion counts were low. Vagal activity decreased early post-ligation, coinciding with a high incidence of tachyarrhythmias, but tended to rise subsequently in rats with higher motion counts. Sympathetic activity increased after the third hour, along with a second tachyarrhythmia peak, and remained elevated throughout the 24-h period. Vagal withdrawal, followed by gradual sympathetic activation, may participate in arrhythmogenesis during acute myocardial infarction.

Non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of ternary Se90Te10-xPbx glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atyia, H. E.; Farid, A. S.

2016-02-01

Ternary Se90Te10-xPbx with (x=2 and 6 at%) glass compositions have been prepared using a melt quenching technique and performed the non-isothermal kinetics by differential thermal analysis (DTA) at various heating rates. The glassy state of the studied samples has been characterized using x-ray diffraction analysis. The glass transition temperature Tg, the onset temperature of crystallization Tc and the peak temperature of crystallization Tp are found to be composition and heating rate dependent. From heating rate dependence of Tg and Tp, the glass transition activation energies Eg and the crystallization activation energies Ec have been determined according to different methods. The transformation mechanisms have been examined by the values of Avrami exponent n and dimensionality of growth m. Thermal stability and glass formation ability have been monitored through the calculation of the thermal stability S, temperature difference ΔT, Hurby parameter Hr, frequency factor Ko, crystallization rate factor K and fragility index F. The compositional dependence of the above-mentioned parameters indicate that, the stability of the studied glass samples decreases with increasing Pb at% content.

An assessment of polyurethane foam passive samplers for atmospheric metals compared with active samplers.

PubMed

Li, Qilu; Yang, Kong; Li, Jun; Zeng, Xiangying; Yu, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Gan

2018-05-01

In this study, we conducted an assessment of polyurethane foam (PUF) passive sampling for metals combining active sampling. Remarkably, we found that the metals collected in the passive samples differed greatly from those collected in active samples. By composition, Cu and Ni accounted for significantly higher proportions in passive samples than in active samples, leading to significantly higher uptake rates of Cu and Ni. In assessing seasonal variation, metals in passive samples had higher concentrations in summer (excluding Heshan), which differed greatly from the pattern of active samples (winter > summer), indicating that the uptake rates of most metals were higher in summer than in winter. Overall, due to the stable passive uptake rates, we considered that PUF passive samplers can be applied to collect atmospheric metals. Additionally, we created a snapshot of the metal pollution in the Pearl River Delta using principal component analysis of PUF samples and their source apportionment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ecological determinants of divorce: a structural approach to the explanation of Japanese divorce.

PubMed

Fukurai, H; Alston, J P

1992-01-01

This paper examines the ecological determinants of contemporary Japanese divorce rates on the prefectural level. LISREL and computer-generated graphics are the analytic methods used. The aggregate level of analysis demands the use of the ecological model which posits that demographic changes, economic activities, migration patterns, and the level of urbanization are significant predictors of divorce rate. Our analysis demonstrates that sex ratio, female labor force participation, female in-migration patterns, population increase, and net household income all play a significant role in affecting the divorce rate. Our findings also confirm the well-supported hypothesis that both population density and modernization positively influence modern Japan's divorce rates. The residual analysis also points out that in order to account for the large proportion of the unexplained variance of Japanese divorce, behavioral-related variables and island- or prefecture-specific dimensions need to be included in the ecological model of divorce.

Selective heart rate variability analysis to account for uterine activity during labor and improve classification of fetal distress.

PubMed

Warmerdam, G J J; Vullings, R; Van Laar, J O E H; Van der Hout-Van der Jagt, M B; Bergmans, J W M; Schmitt, L; Oei, S G

2016-08-01

Cardiotocography (CTG) is currently the most often used technique for detection of fetal distress. Unfortunately, CTG has a poor specificity. Recent studies suggest that, in addition to CTG, information on fetal distress can be obtained from analysis of fetal heart rate variability (HRV). However, uterine contractions can strongly influence fetal HRV. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate whether HRV analysis for detection of fetal distress can be improved by distinguishing contractions from rest periods. Our results from feature selection indicate that HRV features calculated separately during contractions or during rest periods are more informative on fetal distress than HRV features that are calculated over the entire fetal heart rate. Furthermore, classification performance improved from a geometric mean of 69.0% to 79.6% when including the contraction-dependent HRV features, in addition to HRV features calculated over the entire fetal heart rate.

A pilot study of change in cerebral activity during personality rating by questionnaire and personal computer.

PubMed

Sato, Emi; Matsuda, Kouhei

2018-06-11

The purpose of this study was to examine cerebral blood flow in the frontal cortex area during personality self-rating tasks. Our two hypotheses were (1) cerebral blood flow varies based on personality rating condition and (2) cerebral blood flow varies based on the personality traits. This experiment measured cerebral blood flow under 3 personal computer rating conditions and 2 questionnaire conditions. Comparing the rating conditions, the results of the t-test indicated that cerebral blood flow was higher in the questionnaire condition than it was in the personal computer condition. With respect to the Big Five, the result of the correlation coefficient, that is, cerebral blood flow during a personality rating task, changed according to the trait for agreeableness. The results of the analysis of the 5-cluster on individual differences indicated that certain personality traits were related to the factors that increased or decreased cerebral blood flow. An analysis of variance indicated that openness to experience and Behavioural Activation System-drive was significant given that participants with high intellectual curiosity were motivated in this experiment, thus, their cerebral blood flow may have increased. The significance of this experiment was that by employing certain performance measures we could examine differences in physical changes based on personality traits. © 2018 International Union of Psychological Science.

Clinical evaluation of an inspiratory impedance threshold device during standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

PubMed

Aufderheide, Tom P; Pirrallo, Ronald G; Provo, Terry A; Lurie, Keith G

2005-04-01

To determine whether an impedance threshold device, designed to enhance circulation, would increase acute resuscitation rates for patients in cardiac arrest receiving conventional manual cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Prospective, randomized, double-blind, intention-to-treat. Out-of-hospital trial conducted in the Milwaukee, WI, emergency medical services system. Adults in cardiac arrest of presumed cardiac etiology. On arrival of advanced life support, patients were treated with standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation combined with either an active or a sham impedance threshold device. We measured safety and efficacy of the impedance threshold device; the primary end point was intensive care unit admission. Statistical analyses performed included the chi-square test and multivariate regression analysis. One hundred sixteen patients were treated with a sham impedance threshold device, and 114 patients were treated with an active impedance threshold device. Overall intensive care unit admission rates were 17% with the sham device vs. 25% in the active impedance threshold device (p = .13; odds ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 0.87, 3.10). Patients in the subgroup presenting with pulseless electrical activity had intensive care unit admission and 24-hr survival rates of 20% and 12% in sham (n = 25) vs. 52% and 30% in active impedance threshold device groups (n = 27) (p = .018, odds ratio, 4.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.28, 14.5, and p = .12, odds ratio, 3.09; 95% confidence interval, 0.74, 13.0, respectively). A post hoc analysis of patients with pulseless electrical activity at any time during the cardiac arrest revealed that intensive care unit and 24-hr survival rates were 20% and 11% in the sham (n = 56) vs. 41% and 27% in the active impedance threshold device groups (n = 49) (p = .018, odds ratio, 2.82; 95% confidence interval, 1.19, 6.67, and p = .037, odds ratio, 3.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.07, 8.96, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes for patients presenting in ventricular fibrillation and asystole. Adverse event and complication rates were also similar. During this first clinical trial of the impedance threshold device during standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation, use of the new device more than doubled short-term survival rates in patients presenting with pulseless electrical activity. A larger clinical trial is underway to determine the potential longer term benefits of the impedance threshold device in cardiac arrest.

The cardiac effects of carbon nanotubes in rat.

PubMed

Hosseinpour, Mina; Azimirad, Vahid; Alimohammadi, Maryam; Shahabi, Parviz; Sadighi, Mina; Ghamkhari Nejad, Ghazaleh

2016-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are novel candidates in nanotechnology with a variety of increasing applications in medicine and biology. Therefore the investigation of nanomaterials' biocompatibility can be an important topic. The aim of present study was to investigate the CNTs impact on cardiac heart rate among rats. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals were recorded before and after injection of CNTs on a group with six rats. The heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was used for signals analysis. The rhythm-to-rhythm (RR) intervals in HRV method were computed and features of signals in time and frequency domains were extracted before and after injection. RESULTS of the HRV analysis showed that CNTs increased the heart rate but generally these nanomaterials did not cause serious problem in autonomic nervous system (ANS) normal activities. Injection of CNTs in rats resulted in increase of heart rate. The reason of phenomenon is that multiwall CNTs may block potassium channels. The suppressed and inhibited IK and potassium channels lead to increase of heart rate.

Component analysis and free radicals scavenging activity of Cicer arietinum L. husk pectin.

PubMed

Urias-Orona, Vania; Huerta-Oros, Joselina; Carvajal-Millán, Elizabeth; Lizardi-Mendoza, Jaime; Rascón-Chu, Agustin; Gardea, Alfonso A

2010-10-11

A pectin (CAP) was extracted from the husk of Cicer arietinum L. Monosaccharide analysis of CAP revealed the dominance of galacturonic acid and smaller amounts of galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, glucose, xylose and mannose. Viscosimetric analysis showed that the intrinsic viscosity ([η]) and the molecular weight (MW) of CAP were 296 mL/g and 105 kDa, respectively. The degree of esterification (DE = 10%) was determined by FTIR spectroscopy. CAP exhibited a dose-dependent free radical scavenging activity, as shown by its DPPH radical inhibition. At 1.0 mg/mL CAP exhibited a scavenging rate of 29% on DPPH radicals. The evaluation of antioxidant activity suggested that CAP had good potential for DPPH radical scavenging activity and should be explored as a novel potential antioxidant.

Measuring zebrafish turning rate.

PubMed

Mwaffo, Violet; Butail, Sachit; di Bernardo, Mario; Porfiri, Maurizio

2015-06-01

Zebrafish is becoming a popular animal model in preclinical research, and zebrafish turning rate has been proposed for the analysis of activity in several domains. The turning rate is often estimated from the trajectory of the fish centroid that is output by commercial or custom-made target tracking software run on overhead videos of fish swimming. However, the accuracy of such indirect methods with respect to the turning rate associated with changes in heading during zebrafish locomotion is largely untested. Here, we compare two indirect methods for the turning rate estimation using the centroid velocity or position data, with full shape tracking for three different video sampling rates. We use tracking data from the overhead video recorded at 60, 30, and 15 frames per second of zebrafish swimming in a shallow water tank. Statistical comparisons of absolute turning rate across methods and sampling rates indicate that, while indirect methods are indistinguishable from full shape tracking, the video sampling rate significantly influences the turning rate measurement. The results of this study can aid in the selection of the video capture frame rate, an experimental design parameter in zebrafish behavioral experiments where activity is an important measure.

GnRH Agonist Trigger and LH Activity Luteal Phase Support versus hCG Trigger and Conventional Luteal Phase Support in Fresh Embryo Transfer IVF/ICSI Cycles-A Systematic PRISMA Review and Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Haahr, Thor; Roque, Matheus; Esteves, Sandro C; Humaidan, Peter

2017-01-01

The use of GnRH agonist (GnRHa) for final oocyte maturation trigger in oocyte donation and elective frozen embryo transfer cycles is well established due to lower ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) rates as compared to hCG trigger. A recent Cochrane meta-analysis concluded that GnRHa trigger was associated with reduced live birth rates (LBRs) in fresh autologous IVF cycles compared to hCG trigger. However, the evidence is not unequivocal, and recent trials have found encouraging reproductive outcomes among couples undergoing GnRHa trigger and individualized luteal LH activity support. Thus, the aim was to compare GnRHa trigger followed by luteal LH activity support with hCG trigger in IVF patients undergoing fresh embryo transfer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials published until December 14, 2016. The population was infertile patients submitted to IVF/ICSI cycles with GnRH antagonist cotreatment who underwent fresh embryo transfer. The intervention was GnRHa trigger followed by LH activity luteal phase support (LPS). The comparator was hCG trigger followed by a standard LPS. The critical outcome measures were LBR and OHSS rate. The secondary outcome measures were number of oocytes retrieved, clinical and ongoing pregnancy rates, and miscarriage rates. A total of five studies met the selection criteria comprising a total of 859 patients. The LBR was not significantly different between the GnRHa and hCG trigger groups (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.62, 1.14). OHSS was reported in a total of 4/413 cases in the GnRHa group compared to 7/413 in the hCG group (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.15, 1.60). We observed a slight, but non-significant increase in miscarriage rate in the GnRHa triggered group compared to the hCG group (OR 1.85; 95% CI 0.97, 3.54). GnRHa trigger with LH activity LPS resulted in comparable LBRs compared to hCG trigger. The most recent trials reported LBRs close to unity indicating that individualization of the LH activity LPS improved the luteal phase deficiency reported in the first GnRHa trigger studies. However, LPS optimization is needed to further limit OHSS in the subgroup of normoresponder patients (<14 follicles ≥ 11 mm). CRD42016051091.

Poincaré plot analysis of ultra-short-term heart rate variability during recovery from exercise in physically active men.

PubMed

Gomes, Rayana L; Marques Vanderlei, Luiz C; Garner, David M; Ramos Santana, Milana D; de Abreu, Luiz C; Valenti, Vitor E

2017-04-26

Recently there has been increasing interest in the study of ultra-short- term heart rate variability (HRV) in sports performance and exercise physiology. In order to improve standardization of this specific analysis, we evaluated the ultra-short-term HRV analysis through SD1Poincaré index to identify exercise induced responses. We investigated 35 physically active men aged between 18 and 35 years old. Volunteers performed physical exercise on treadmill with intensity of 6.0 km / hour + 1% slope in the first five minutes for physical "warming up." This was followed by 25 minutes with intensity equivalent to 60% of Vmax, with the same slope according to the Conconi threshold. HRV was analyzed in the following periods: the five-minute period before the exercise and the five-minute period immediately after the exercise, the five minutes were divided into five segments of 60 RR intervals. Ultra-short-term RMSSD and SD1 analysis were performed. Ultra-short-term RMSSD and SD1 were significantly (p<0.0001) reduced during the initial five minutes divided into five segments of 60 RR intervals compared to (at rest) control. Heart rate was significantly (p<0.0001) increased 1 min and 3 min immediately after exercise compared to (at rest) control. At rest ultra-short-term SD1 presented significant correlation with short-term (256 RR intervals) RMSSD (r=0.78; p<0.0001), HF (r=0.574; p=0.0007) and SD1 (r=0.78; p<0.0001). Additionally, visual analysis with the Poincaré plot detected changes in HRV after exercise. Ultra-short-term HRV analysis through Poincaré plot identified heart rate autonomic responses induced by aerobic exercise.

Simultaneous Control of Error Rates in fMRI Data Analysis

PubMed Central

Kang, Hakmook; Blume, Jeffrey; Ombao, Hernando; Badre, David

2015-01-01

The key idea of statistical hypothesis testing is to fix, and thereby control, the Type I error (false positive) rate across samples of any size. Multiple comparisons inflate the global (family-wise) Type I error rate and the traditional solution to maintaining control of the error rate is to increase the local (comparison-wise) Type II error (false negative) rates. However, in the analysis of human brain imaging data, the number of comparisons is so large that this solution breaks down: the local Type II error rate ends up being so large that scientifically meaningful analysis is precluded. Here we propose a novel solution to this problem: allow the Type I error rate to converge to zero along with the Type II error rate. It works because when the Type I error rate per comparison is very small, the accumulation (or global) Type I error rate is also small. This solution is achieved by employing the Likelihood paradigm, which uses likelihood ratios to measure the strength of evidence on a voxel-by-voxel basis. In this paper, we provide theoretical and empirical justification for a likelihood approach to the analysis of human brain imaging data. In addition, we present extensive simulations that show the likelihood approach is viable, leading to ‘cleaner’ looking brain maps and operationally superiority (lower average error rate). Finally, we include a case study on cognitive control related activation in the prefrontal cortex of the human brain. PMID:26272730

Optimization of Extraction Process for Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Activities of Kursi Wufarikun Ziyabit Using Response Surface Methodology and Quantitative Analysis of Main Components.

PubMed

Edirs, Salamet; Turak, Ablajan; Numonov, Sodik; Xin, Xuelei; Aisa, Haji Akber

2017-01-01

By using extraction yield, total polyphenolic content, antidiabetic activities (PTP-1B and α -glycosidase), and antioxidant activity (ABTS and DPPH) as indicated markers, the extraction conditions of the prescription Kursi Wufarikun Ziyabit (KWZ) were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). Independent variables were ethanol concentration, extraction temperature, solid-to-solvent ratio, and extraction time. The result of RSM analysis showed that the four variables investigated have a significant effect ( p < 0.05) for Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 , and Y 5 with R 2 value of 0.9120, 0.9793, 0.9076, 0.9125, and 0.9709, respectively. Optimal conditions for the highest extraction yield of 39.28%, PTP-1B inhibition rate of 86.21%, α -glycosidase enzymes inhibition rate of 96.56%, and ABTS inhibition rate of 77.38% were derived at ethanol concentration 50.11%, extraction temperature 72.06°C, solid-to-solvent ratio 1 : 22.73 g/mL, and extraction time 2.93 h. On the basis of total polyphenol content of 48.44% in this optimal condition, the quantitative analysis of effective part of KWZ was characterized via UPLC method, 12 main components were identified by standard compounds, and all of them have shown good regression within the test ranges and the total content of them was 11.18%.

Predictability of dune activity in real dune fields under unidirectional wind regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barchyn, Thomas E.; Hugenholtz, Chris H.

2015-02-01

We present an analysis of 10 dune fields to test a model-derived hypothesis of dune field activity. The hypothesis suggests that a quantifiable threshold exists for stabilization in unidirectional wind regimes: active dunes have slipface deposition rates that exceed the vegetation deposition tolerance, and stabilizing dunes have the opposite. We quantified aeolian sand flux, slipface geometry, and vegetation deposition tolerance to directly test the hypothesis at four dune fields (Bigstick, White Sands Stable, White Sands Active, and Cape Cod). We indirectly tested the hypothesis at six additional dune fields with limited vegetation data (Hanford, Año Nuevo, Skagen Odde, Salton Sea, Oceano Stable, and Oceano Active, "inverse calculation sites"). We used digital topographic data and estimates of aeolian sand flux to approximate the slipface deposition rates prior to stabilization. Results revealed a distinct, quantifiable, and consistent pattern despite diverse environmental conditions: the modal peak of prestabilization slipface deposition rates was 80% of the vegetation deposition tolerance at stabilized or stabilizing dune fields. Results from inverse calculation sites indicate deposition rates at stabilized sites were near a hypothesized maximum vegetation deposition tolerance (1 m a-1), and active sites had slipface deposition rates much higher. Overall, these results confirm the hypothesis and provide evidence of a globally applicable, simple, and previously unidentified predictor for the dynamics of vegetation cover in dune fields under unidirectional wind regimes.

Effects of methamphetamine on the noradrenergic activity biomarker salivary alpha-amylase*

PubMed Central

Haile, Colin N.; De La Garza, Richard; Mahoney, James J.; Newton, Thomas F.

2013-01-01

Background Methamphetamine (METH) potently activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) by increasing central and peripheral norepinephrine (NE). Salivary α-amylase (sAA) is a biomarker of SNS activation that correlates with plasma NE levels. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of METH on sAA activity and whether changes in sAA activity were correlated with subjective effects ratings. Methods Non-treatment seeking METH-dependent volunteers (N=8) participated in this within-subjects laboratory-based study. Volunteers received randomly administered intravenous METH (0mg, 30mg) and sAA activity, cardiovascular measures and subjective ratings were assessed at baseline (−15 min) and five post-METH time points (10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 min). Results METH (30mg) increased sAA activity over time. sAA activity significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure following 0mg METH and systolic blood pressure following 30mg METH. Subjective ratings (ANY EFFECT, HIGH, GOOD, STIMULATED, LIKE, WLLING TO PAY) highly correlated with sAA over five post-METH time points (N=40; r’s=0.543–0.684, p’s <0.001). Age, body mass index and METH amount received on a mg/kg basis were significantly associated with sAA activity. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated sAA activity remained a significant predictor of subjective ratings following METH after controlling for these factors. Conclusions The NE peripheral biomarker sAA activity is associated with METH’s subjective effects. PMID:23968815

Effects of methamphetamine on the noradrenergic activity biomarker salivary alpha-amylase.

PubMed

Haile, Colin N; De La Garza, Richard; Mahoney, James J; Newton, Thomas F

2013-12-01

Methamphetamine (METH) potently activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) by increasing central and peripheral norepinephrine (NE). Salivary α-amylase (sAA) is a biomarker of SNS activation that correlates with plasma NE levels. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of METH on sAA activity and whether changes in sAA activity were correlated with subjective effects ratings. Non-treatment seeking METH-dependent volunteers (N=8) participated in this within-subjects laboratory-based study. Volunteers received randomly administered intravenous METH (0mg, 30 mg) and sAA activity, cardiovascular measures and subjective ratings were assessed at baseline (-15 min) and five post-METH time points (10, 20, 30, 45, and 60 min). METH (30 mg) increased sAA activity over time. sAA activity significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure following 0mg METH and systolic blood pressure following 30 mg METH. Subjective ratings (ANY EFFECT, HIGH, GOOD, STIMULATED, LIKE, WLLING TO PAY) highly correlated with sAA over five post-METH time points (N=40; r's=0.543-0.684, p's<0.001). Age, body mass index and METH amount received on a mg/kg basis were significantly associated with sAA activity. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated sAA activity remained a significant predictor of subjective ratings following METH after controlling for these factors. The NE peripheral biomarker sAA activity is associated with METH's subjective effects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Autonomic reactivity during viewing of an unpleasant film.

PubMed

Baldaro, B; Mazzetti, M; Codispoti, M; Tuozzi, G; Bolzani, R; Trombini, G

2001-12-01

The effect of an aversive, high-arousing film on heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and electrogastrographic activity (EGG) was investigated. Previous studies have indicated a larger heart-rate deceleration for visual stimuli depicting surgery or blood compared to neutral content, and this phenomenon is similar to the bradycardia observed in animals in response to fear. The heart-rate deceleration is clearly parasympathetically driven, and it is considered a general index of attention. An accurate index of cardiac vagal tone can be obtained by means of quantification of the amplitude of respiratory sinus arrhythmia. The relationship between cardiac vagal tone and EGG is complex, but animal research has shown that suppressing vagal activity dampens gastric motility. We have investigated whether a movie depicting surgery is associated with greater heart-rate deceleration, larger increase in respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and greater increase in EGG activity compared to a neutral movie. In addition, if both respiratory sinus arrhythmia and EGG are indices of vagal tone, a positive correlation between these physiological responses was expected. Analysis indicated an effect of the surgery movie on heart rate and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, but not on EGG activity. Moreover, the expected correlation was not found. Implications for future studies are discussed.

Determinations of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) lyase activity using headspace analysis of dimethylsulphide (DMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinke, M.; Malin, G.; Turner, S. M.; Liss, P. S.

2000-08-01

The osmolyte dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) can be enzymatically cleaved to dimethylsulphide (DMS), acrylate and a proton. The enzyme involved in this reaction is dimethylpropiothetin dethiomethylase (DMSP lyase; enzyme classification number 4.4.1.3.). Although the importance of this reaction for the global sulphur cycle, the influence of DMS on atmospheric acidity and the possible effect on climate regulation have been widely recognised, our knowledge of DMSP lyases is limited to just a few studies. Activity measurements of DMSP lyases offer an important step towards a better understanding of the conditions under which DMS is produced. In the available published data somewhat similar methods have been used before, but a critical examination of the method limitations has not been reported. To encourage further research on this enzyme, we suggest and detail two protocols for measurements of DMSP lyase activity: An in vitro assay for crude cell extracts or purified enzyme and an in vivo method for whole cells, which we recently started to use. After addition of DMSP, samples incubated in a gas tight vial may produce DMS from enzymatic cleavage under suitable conditions, and a DMS production rate can be estimated from time-series measurements of DMS in the headspace of the vial. Headspace analysis of DMS is a useful and rapid technique to estimate and compare DMSP lyase activities from different sources. The relative rates of DMS production in the liquid and of the gas transfer between liquid and headspace, determine the rate of DMS production measured via headspace analysis. If DMS production in the liquid is higher than the rate of transfer, headspace measurements will not reflect the actual amount of DMS produced in the liquid. In this case, extracts have to be diluted to a level that ensures linearity between dilution factor and reduction of enzyme activity. Additionally, incubation volumes and vials should be selected to provide a high surface-to-volume ratio to ensure maximum flux of DMS from the aqueous phase into the headspace. The methods can be adapted to further investigate species- and strain-specific activities, biogeographical distribution, cellular location and biochemical properties of various DMSP lyases.

Independence of motor unit recruitment and rate modulation during precision force control.

PubMed

Kamen, G; Du, D C

1999-01-01

The vertebrate motor system chiefly employs motor unit recruitment and rate coding to modulate muscle force output. In this paper, we studied how the recruitment of new motor units altered the firing rate of already-active motor units during precision force production in the first dorsal interosseous muscle. Six healthy adults performed linearly increasing isometric voluntary contractions while motor unit activity and force output were recorded. After motor unit discharges were identified, motor unit firing rates were calculated before and after the instances of new motor unit recruitment. Three procedures were applied to compute motor unit firing rate, including the mean of a fixed number of inter-spike intervals and the constant width weighted Hanning window filter method, as well as a modified boxcar technique. In contrast to previous reports, the analysis of the firing rates of over 200 motor units revealed that reduction of the active firing rates was not a common mechanism used to accommodate the twitch force produced by the recruitment of a new motor unit. Similarly, during de-recruitment there was no tendency for motor unit firing rates to increase immediately following the cessation of activity in other motor units. Considerable consistency in recruitment behavior was observed during repeated contractions. However, firing rates during repeated contractions demonstrated considerably more fluctuation. It is concluded that the neuromuscular system does not use short-term preferential motor unit disfacilitation to effect precise regulation of muscular force output.

[Multi-channel in vivo recording techniques: signal processing of action potentials and local field potentials].

PubMed

Xu, Jia-Min; Wang, Ce-Qun; Lin, Long-Nian

2014-06-25

Multi-channel in vivo recording techniques are used to record ensemble neuronal activity and local field potentials (LFP) simultaneously. One of the key points for the technique is how to process these two sets of recorded neural signals properly so that data accuracy can be assured. We intend to introduce data processing approaches for action potentials and LFP based on the original data collected through multi-channel recording system. Action potential signals are high-frequency signals, hence high sampling rate of 40 kHz is normally chosen for recording. Based on waveforms of extracellularly recorded action potentials, tetrode technology combining principal component analysis can be used to discriminate neuronal spiking signals from differently spatially distributed neurons, in order to obtain accurate single neuron spiking activity. LFPs are low-frequency signals (lower than 300 Hz), hence the sampling rate of 1 kHz is used for LFPs. Digital filtering is required for LFP analysis to isolate different frequency oscillations including theta oscillation (4-12 Hz), which is dominant in active exploration and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, gamma oscillation (30-80 Hz), which is accompanied by theta oscillation during cognitive processing, and high frequency ripple oscillation (100-250 Hz) in awake immobility and slow wave sleep (SWS) state in rodent hippocampus. For the obtained signals, common data post-processing methods include inter-spike interval analysis, spike auto-correlation analysis, spike cross-correlation analysis, power spectral density analysis, and spectrogram analysis.

Use of a prototype pulse oximeter for time series analysis of heart rate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, Erika; López, Jehú; Hautefeuille, Mathieu; Velázquez, Víctor; Del Moral, Jésica

2015-05-01

This work presents the development of a low cost pulse oximeter prototype consisting of pulsed red and infrared commercial LEDs and a broad spectral photodetector used to register time series of heart rate and oxygen saturation of blood. This platform, besides providing these values, like any other pulse oximeter, processes the signals to compute a power spectrum analysis of the patient heart rate variability in real time and, additionally, the device allows access to all raw and analyzed data if databases construction is required or another kind of further analysis is desired. Since the prototype is capable of acquiring data for long periods of time, it is suitable for collecting data in real life activities, enabling the development of future wearable applications.

Multifractal Analysis of Human Heartbeat in Sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Liang-Jing; Peng, Hu; Cai, Shi-Min; Zhou, Pei-Ling

2007-07-01

We study the dynamical properties of heart rate variability (HRV) in sleep by analysing the scaling behaviour with the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis method. It is well known that heart rate is regulated by the interaction of two branches of the autonomic nervous system: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. By investigating the multifractal properties of light, deep, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and wake stages, we firstly find an increasing multifractal behaviour during REM sleep which may be caused by augmented sympathetic activities relative to non-REM sleep. In addition, the investigation of long-range correlations of HRV in sleep with second order detrended fluctuation analysis presents irregular phenomena. These findings may be helpful to understand the underlying regulating mechanism of heart rate by autonomic nervous system during wake-sleep transitions.

Analysis of the Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) in Assessing Rounding Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weijie; Lu, Yanmin

2018-03-01

Most existing Collaborative Filtering (CF) algorithms predict a rating as the preference of an active user toward a given item, which is always a decimal fraction. Meanwhile, the actual ratings in most data sets are integers. In this paper, we discuss and demonstrate why rounding can bring different influences to these two metrics; prove that rounding is necessary in post-processing of the predicted ratings, eliminate of model prediction bias, improving the accuracy of the prediction. In addition, we also propose two new rounding approaches based on the predicted rating probability distribution, which can be used to round the predicted rating to an optimal integer rating, and get better prediction accuracy compared to the Basic Rounding approach. Extensive experiments on different data sets validate the correctness of our analysis and the effectiveness of our proposed rounding approaches.

Executive summary: Mod-1 wind turbine generator analysis and design report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

Activities leading to the detail design of a wind turbine generator having a nominal rating of 1.8 megawatts are reported. Topics covered include (1) system description; (2) structural dynamics; (3) stability analysis; (4) mechanical subassemblies design; (5) power generation subsystem; and (6) control and instrumentation subsystem.

Psychophysiology of Aggression, Psychopathy, and Conduct Problems: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorber, Michael F.

2004-01-01

A meta-analysis of 95 studies was conducted to investigate the relations of heart rate (HR) and electrodermal activity (EDA) with aggression, psychopathy, and conduct problems. Analyses revealed a complex constellation of interactive effects, with a failure in some cases of autonomic patterns to generalize across antisocial spectrum behavior…

Surface processes in an active rift setting: a source to sink approach from the Sperchios delta, central Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pechlivanidou, Sofia; Cowie, Patience; Gawthorpe, Rob

2015-04-01

This study presents an integrated source to sink approach to understand the controls on the distribution of sediments source areas, sediment routing and downstream fining in the Sperchios rift system, central Greece. The Sperchios Rift forms an active half-graben basin, which is controlled by major NW-SE trending faults. Detailed sedimentological analysis (grain size, macro/micro faunal, geochemical and mineral magnetic analysis) in conjunction with 14C age constraints reveal the stratigraphic evolution of the Sperchios delta, located at the eastern part of the rift, including the presence of a Holocene transgressive - regressive wedge overlying Late Pleistocene alluvial deposits. The process-based stratigraphic model SedFlux2D is used to simulate the delta evolution and model scenarios are compared with the measured data. A series of sensitivity tests are used to explore uncertainties associated with variations in sediment supply, tectonic subsidence rate, and Holocene relative sea level. We discuss the effects of the major controls, in particular the rate of relative sea-level rise and tectonic subsidence rate, on accommodation creation and thus delta architecture in this active rift setting during the Holocene. The transition from transgression to regression is found to be mainly controlled by the slowing rate of relative sea level rise that occurred approximately 5500 kyrs ago. Finally, we compare the sediment volumes and grain size variations preserved in the Sperchios delta to onshore erosion rates inferred from data collected on bedrock erodibility, measurements of downstream fining, as well as stream-power/transport capacity for both transverse and axial drainage networks. This comparison, when combined with information on relative uplift/subsidence patterns due to active extensional tectonics, allows us to develop a semi-quantitative, process-based source-to-sink model for this area.

Oscillatory support for rapid frequency change processing in infants.

PubMed

Musacchia, Gabriella; Choudhury, Naseem A; Ortiz-Mantilla, Silvia; Realpe-Bonilla, Teresa; Roesler, Cynthia P; Benasich, April A

2013-11-01

Rapid auditory processing and auditory change detection abilities are crucial aspects of speech and language development, particularly in the first year of life. Animal models and adult studies suggest that oscillatory synchrony, and in particular low-frequency oscillations play key roles in this process. We hypothesize that infant perception of rapid pitch and timing changes is mediated, at least in part, by oscillatory mechanisms. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), source localization and time-frequency analysis of event-related oscillations (EROs), we examined the neural substrates of rapid auditory processing in 4-month-olds. During a standard oddball paradigm, infants listened to tone pairs with invariant standard (STD, 800-800 Hz) and variant deviant (DEV, 800-1200 Hz) pitch. STD and DEV tone pairs were first presented in a block with a short inter-stimulus interval (ISI) (Rapid Rate: 70 ms ISI), followed by a block of stimuli with a longer ISI (Control Rate: 300 ms ISI). Results showed greater ERP peak amplitude in response to the DEV tone in both conditions and later and larger peaks during Rapid Rate presentation, compared to the Control condition. Sources of neural activity, localized to right and left auditory regions, showed larger and faster activation in the right hemisphere for both rate conditions. Time-frequency analysis of the source activity revealed clusters of theta band enhancement to the DEV tone in right auditory cortex for both conditions. Left auditory activity was enhanced only during Rapid Rate presentation. These data suggest that local low-frequency oscillatory synchrony underlies rapid processing and can robustly index auditory perception in young infants. Furthermore, left hemisphere recruitment during rapid frequency change discrimination suggests a difference in the spectral and temporal resolution of right and left hemispheres at a very young age. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient high repetition rate electro-optic Q-switched laser with an optically active langasite crystal

PubMed Central

Ma, Shihui; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Han, Xuekun; Lu, Qingming; Ma, Changqin; Boughton, Robert I.; Wang, Jiyang

2016-01-01

With an optically active langasite (LGS) crystal as the electro-optic Q-switch, we demonstrate an efficient Q-switched laser with a repetition rate of 200 kHz. Based on the theoretical analysis of the interaction between optical activity and electro-optic property, the optical activity of the crystal has no influence on the birefringence during Q-switching if the quarter wave plate used was rotated to align with the polarization direction. With a Nd:LuVO4 crystal possessing a large emission cross-section and a short fluorescence lifetime as the gain medium, a stable LGS Q-switched laser was designed with average output power of 4.39 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 29.4% and with a minimum pulse width of 5.1 ns. This work represents the highest repetition rate achieved so far in a LGS Q-switched laser and it can provide a practical Q-switched laser with a tunable high repetition rates for many applications, such as materials processing, laser ranging, medicine, military applications, biomacromolecule materials, remote sensing, etc. PMID:27461819

Stochastic Endogenous Replication Stress Causes ATR-Triggered Fluctuations in CDK2 Activity that Dynamically Adjust Global DNA Synthesis Rates.

PubMed

Daigh, Leighton H; Liu, Chad; Chung, Mingyu; Cimprich, Karlene A; Meyer, Tobias

2018-06-04

Faithful DNA replication is challenged by stalling of replication forks during S phase. Replication stress is further increased in cancer cells or in response to genotoxic insults. Using live single-cell image analysis, we found that CDK2 activity fluctuates throughout an unperturbed S phase. We show that CDK2 fluctuations result from transient ATR signals triggered by stochastic replication stress events. In turn, fluctuating endogenous CDK2 activity causes corresponding decreases and increases in DNA synthesis rates, linking changes in stochastic replication stress to fluctuating global DNA replication rates throughout S phase. Moreover, cells that re-enter the cell cycle after mitogen stimulation have increased CDK2 fluctuations and prolonged S phase resulting from increased replication stress-induced CDK2 suppression. Thus, our study reveals a dynamic control principle for DNA replication whereby CDK2 activity is suppressed and fluctuates throughout S phase to continually adjust global DNA synthesis rates in response to recurring stochastic replication stress events. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A Meta-analysis on Resting State High-frequency Heart Rate Variability in Bulimia Nervosa.

PubMed

Peschel, Stephanie K V; Feeling, Nicole R; Vögele, Claus; Kaess, Michael; Thayer, Julian F; Koenig, Julian

2016-09-01

Autonomic nervous system function is altered in eating disorders. We aimed to quantify differences in resting state vagal activity, indexed by high-frequency heart rate variability comparing patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and healthy controls. A systematic search of the literature to identify studies eligible for inclusion and meta-analytical methods were applied. Meta-regression was used to identify potential covariates. Eight studies reporting measures of resting high-frequency heart rate variability in individuals with BN (n = 137) and controls (n = 190) were included. Random-effects meta-analysis revealed a sizeable main effect (Z = 2.22, p = .03; Hedge's g = 0.52, 95% CI [0.06;0.98]) indicating higher resting state vagal activity in individuals with BN. Meta-regression showed that body mass index and medication intake are significant covariates. Findings suggest higher vagal activity in BN at rest, particularly in unmedicated samples with lower body mass index. Potential mechanisms underlying these findings and implications for routine clinical care are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Variable stoichiometry in active ion transport: theoretical analysis of physiological consequences.

PubMed

Johnson, E A; Tanford, C; Reynolds, J A

1985-08-01

Active ion transport systems with fixed stoichiometry are subject to a thermodynamic limit on the ion concentration gradients that they can generate and maintain, and their net rates of transport must inevitably decrease as this limit is approached. The capability to vary stoichiometry might thus be physiologically advantageous: a shift to lower stoichiometry (fewer ions pumped per reaction cycle) at increasing thermodynamic load could increase the limit on the supportable concentration gradient and could accelerate the rate of transport under high-load conditions. Here we present a theoretical and numerical analysis of this possibility, using the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATP-driven Ca pump as the example. It is easy to introduce alternate pathways into the reaction cycle for this system to shift the stoichiometry (Ca2+/ATP) from the normal value of 2:1 to 1:1, but it cannot be done without simultaneous generation of a pathway for uncoupled leak of Ca2+ across the membrane. This counteracts the advantageous effect of the change in transport stoichiometry and a physiologically useful rate acceleration cannot be obtained. This result is likely to be generally applicable to most active transport systems.

Variable stoichiometry in active ion transport: theoretical analysis of physiological consequences.

PubMed Central

Johnson, E A; Tanford, C; Reynolds, J A

1985-01-01

Active ion transport systems with fixed stoichiometry are subject to a thermodynamic limit on the ion concentration gradients that they can generate and maintain, and their net rates of transport must inevitably decrease as this limit is approached. The capability to vary stoichiometry might thus be physiologically advantageous: a shift to lower stoichiometry (fewer ions pumped per reaction cycle) at increasing thermodynamic load could increase the limit on the supportable concentration gradient and could accelerate the rate of transport under high-load conditions. Here we present a theoretical and numerical analysis of this possibility, using the sarcoplasmic reticulum ATP-driven Ca pump as the example. It is easy to introduce alternate pathways into the reaction cycle for this system to shift the stoichiometry (Ca2+/ATP) from the normal value of 2:1 to 1:1, but it cannot be done without simultaneous generation of a pathway for uncoupled leak of Ca2+ across the membrane. This counteracts the advantageous effect of the change in transport stoichiometry and a physiologically useful rate acceleration cannot be obtained. This result is likely to be generally applicable to most active transport systems. PMID:3860866

Resting spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac autonomic control in anabolic androgenic steroid users

PubMed Central

dos Santos, Marcelo R.; Sayegh, Ana L.C.; Armani, Rafael; Costa-Hong, Valéria; de Souza, Francis R.; Toschi-Dias, Edgar; Bortolotto, Luiz A.; Yonamine, Mauricio; Negrão, Carlos E.; Alves, Maria-Janieire N.N.

2018-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Misuse of anabolic androgenic steroids in athletes is a strategy used to enhance strength and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. However, its abuse leads to an imbalance in muscle sympathetic nerve activity, increased vascular resistance, and increased blood pressure. However, the mechanisms underlying these alterations are still unknown. Therefore, we tested whether anabolic androgenic steroids could impair resting baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac sympathovagal control. In addition, we evaluate pulse wave velocity to ascertain the arterial stiffness of large vessels. METHODS: Fourteen male anabolic androgenic steroid users and 12 nonusers were studied. Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were recorded. Baroreflex sensitivity was estimated by the sequence method, and cardiac autonomic control by analysis of the R-R interval. Pulse wave velocity was measured using a noninvasive automatic device. RESULTS: Mean spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, baroreflex sensitivity to activation of the baroreceptors, and baroreflex sensitivity to deactivation of the baroreceptors were significantly lower in users than in nonusers. In the spectral analysis of heart rate variability, high frequency activity was lower, while low frequency activity was higher in users than in nonusers. Moreover, the sympathovagal balance was higher in users. Users showed higher pulse wave velocity than nonusers showing arterial stiffness of large vessels. Single linear regression analysis showed significant correlations between mean blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity and pulse wave velocity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence for lower baroreflex sensitivity and sympathovagal imbalance in anabolic androgenic steroid users. Moreover, anabolic androgenic steroid users showed arterial stiffness. Together, these alterations might be the mechanisms triggering the increased blood pressure in this population. PMID:29791601

Resting spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac autonomic control in anabolic androgenic steroid users.

PubMed

Santos, Marcelo R Dos; Sayegh, Ana L C; Armani, Rafael; Costa-Hong, Valéria; Souza, Francis R de; Toschi-Dias, Edgar; Bortolotto, Luiz A; Yonamine, Mauricio; Negrão, Carlos E; Alves, Maria-Janieire N N

2018-05-21

Misuse of anabolic androgenic steroids in athletes is a strategy used to enhance strength and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. However, its abuse leads to an imbalance in muscle sympathetic nerve activity, increased vascular resistance, and increased blood pressure. However, the mechanisms underlying these alterations are still unknown. Therefore, we tested whether anabolic androgenic steroids could impair resting baroreflex sensitivity and cardiac sympathovagal control. In addition, we evaluate pulse wave velocity to ascertain the arterial stiffness of large vessels. Fourteen male anabolic androgenic steroid users and 12 nonusers were studied. Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate were recorded. Baroreflex sensitivity was estimated by the sequence method, and cardiac autonomic control by analysis of the R-R interval. Pulse wave velocity was measured using a noninvasive automatic device. Mean spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity, baroreflex sensitivity to activation of the baroreceptors, and baroreflex sensitivity to deactivation of the baroreceptors were significantly lower in users than in nonusers. In the spectral analysis of heart rate variability, high frequency activity was lower, while low frequency activity was higher in users than in nonusers. Moreover, the sympathovagal balance was higher in users. Users showed higher pulse wave velocity than nonusers showing arterial stiffness of large vessels. Single linear regression analysis showed significant correlations between mean blood pressure and baroreflex sensitivity and pulse wave velocity. Our results provide evidence for lower baroreflex sensitivity and sympathovagal imbalance in anabolic androgenic steroid users. Moreover, anabolic androgenic steroid users showed arterial stiffness. Together, these alterations might be the mechanisms triggering the increased blood pressure in this population.

NDVI-Based analysis on the influence of human activities on vegetation variation on Hainan Island

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Hongxia; Dai, Shengpei; Xie, Zhenghui; Fang, Jihua

2018-02-01

Using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset, we analyzed the predicted NDVI values variation and the influence of human activities on vegetation on Hainan Island during 2001-2015. We investigated the roles of human activities in vegetation variation, particularly from 2002 when implemented the Grain-for-Greenprogram on Hainan Island. The trend analysis, linear regression model and residual analysis were used to analyze the data. The results of the study showed that (1) The predicted vegetation on Hainan Island showed an general upward trend with a linear growth rate of 0.0025/10y (p<0.05) over the past 15 years. The areas where vegetation increasedaccounted for 52.28%, while the areas where vegetation decreased accounted for 47.72%. (2) The residual NDVI values across the region significantly increased, with a growth rate of 0.023/10y.The vegetation increased across 35.95% of Hainan Island, while it decreased in 20.2% of the area as a result of human activities. (3) In general, human activities had played a positive role in the vegetation increase on Hainan Island, and the residual NDVI trend of this region showed positive outcomes for vegetation variation after implementing ecological engineering projects. However, it indicated a growing risk of vegetation degradation in the coastal region of Hainan Island as a result of rapid urbanization, land reclamation.

A temporal importance-performance analysis of recreation attributes on national forests: a technical document supporting the Forest Service update of the 2010 RPA Assessment

Treesearch

Ashley E. Askew; J.M. Bowker; Donald B.K. English; Stanley J. Zarnoch; Gary T. Green

2017-01-01

The outdoor recreation component of the 2010 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment provided projections and modeling of participation and intensity by activity. Results provided insight into the future of multiple outdoor recreation activities through projections of participation rates, numbers of participants, days per participant, and total activity days. These...

Adolescent reproductive behavior: an international comparison of developed countries.

PubMed

Forrest, J D

1990-01-01

A comparative study of adolescent reproductive behavior in the 1980s examined difference in pregnancy, birth, and abortion levels among teenagers in developed countries especially in the US, Canada, the UK, France, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Only 6 of 37 countries with total fertility rates 3.5 and per capita income US$2000/year, and at least 1 million people had adolescent birth rates higher than the US (Bulgaria, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Romania, Hungary, and Chile). The US had the highest abortion rate (42/1000) followed by Hungary (27/1000). Thus the US had the highest adolescent pregnancy rate (96/1000) as well as Hungary (96/1000). The 6 country analysis showed that reducing the level of sexual activity among teenagers is not necessarily needed to achieve lower pregnancy rates. For example, Sweden had the highest levels of sexual activity but its pregnancy rate were 33% as high as those of the US. The rates of sexual activity among teenagers in the Netherlands equaled those of the US, but its pregnancy rates were 14% as high as those of the US. All countries had earlier, more extensive, and better contraceptive use among sexually active teenagers than the US which accounted for their lower pregnancy rates. The more realistic acceptance of sexual activity among teenagers and provision of contraceptives in all the countries except the US differed from the societal ambivalence in the US. Thus ambivalence about sexuality and the appropriateness of contraceptive use results in lower contraceptive use and greater adolescent pregnancy rates. US adolescents constantly receive conflicting messages that sex is romantic, thrilling, and arousing but it is also immoral to have premarital sex. Thus adults need to be more candid about sexuality so they can clearly convey to adolescents their expectations for responsible behavior and to provide the information and services needed to make effective use of contraceptives when sexually active.

Source analysis of auditory steady-state responses in acoustic and electric hearing.

PubMed

Luke, Robert; De Vos, Astrid; Wouters, Jan

2017-02-15

Speech is a complex signal containing a broad variety of acoustic information. For accurate speech reception, the listener must perceive modulations over a range of envelope frequencies. Perception of these modulations is particularly important for cochlear implant (CI) users, as all commercial devices use envelope coding strategies. Prolonged deafness affects the auditory pathway. However, little is known of how cochlear implantation affects the neural processing of modulated stimuli. This study investigates and contrasts the neural processing of envelope rate modulated signals in acoustic and CI listeners. Auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) are used to study the neural processing of amplitude modulated (AM) signals. A beamforming technique is applied to determine the increase in neural activity relative to a control condition, with particular attention paid to defining the accuracy and precision of this technique relative to other tomographies. In a cohort of 44 acoustic listeners, the location, activity and hemispheric lateralisation of ASSRs is characterised while systematically varying the modulation rate (4, 10, 20, 40 and 80Hz) and stimulation ear (right, left and bilateral). We demonstrate a complex pattern of laterality depending on both modulation rate and stimulation ear that is consistent with, and extends, existing literature. We present a novel extension to the beamforming method which facilitates source analysis of electrically evoked auditory steady-state responses (EASSRs). In a cohort of 5 right implanted unilateral CI users, the neural activity is determined for the 40Hz rate and compared to the acoustic cohort. Results indicate that CI users activate typical thalamic locations for 40Hz stimuli. However, complementary to studies of transient stimuli, the CI population has atypical hemispheric laterality, preferentially activating the contralateral hemisphere. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Spatial and Temporal Comparison of DNRA Communities in New River Estuary, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, B.; Lisa, J.; Tobias, C. R.

2016-02-01

Dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) is an important nitrate respiring pathway, competing with denitrification, in various ecosystems. Studies examining the diversity and composition of DNRA communities are limited and their link to DNRA activity is unknown. We conducted a multidisciplinary investigation of sediment communities in the upper reaches of a eutrophic estuary to examine spatial and temporal variation of DNRA community structures and determine their linkage to activities. Sediment samples were collected seasonally from two study sites (AA2 and JAX) in the New River Estuary, North Carolina, USA. 15N-nitrate tracer experiments were conducted to measure potential DNRA rates while abundance of DNRA communities was measured using quantitative PCR of cytochrome C nitrite reductase genes (nrfA). Composition and diversity of DNRA communities were also examined based on next generation sequencing (NGS) of nrfA genes using an Ion Torrent PGM. Bioinformatic analysis was conducted using the FunGene pipeline and Mothur program. Higher DNRA activities were measured at JAX and associated with higher abundance of nrfA genes. Seasonal variation in DNRA rates and nrfA gene abundance was more evident at JAX than AA2. Nitrate concentration and dissolved oxygen in bottom water were significantly and positively correlated with activities and abundance of DNRA communities. The nrfA NGS analysis revealed that spatial variation of DNRA communities was much greater than temporal variation with salinity, dissolved organic carbon, and nitrate as the most important environmental variables affecting these communities. Diversity of DNRA communities was negative correlated with the DNRA rates and nrfA gene abundance, which suggests that dominant members of the DNRA community are responsible for higher rates. Thus, our multidisciplinary study clearly demonstrates the linkage between structure and activities of DNRA communities in the upper reaches of New River Estuary.

Breast cancer screening in Italy: evaluating key performance indicators for time trends and activity volumes.

PubMed

Giordano, Livia; Castagno, Roberta; Giorgi, Daniela; Piccinelli, Cristiano; Ventura, Leonardo; Segnan, Nereo; Zappa, Marco

2015-01-01

Together with the National centre for screening monitoring (ONS), GISMa supports annual collection of data on national breast screening activities. Aggregated data on implementation and performance are gathered through a standardized form to calculate process and impact indicators. Analyzed data belong to 153 local programmes in the period 2006-2011 (2006-2012 for participation rate only). During the whole period, Italian crude participation rate exceeded GISMa's acceptable standard (50%), even though a higher participation in northern and central Italy compared to southern Italy and Islands was observed. Time trend analysis of diagnostic indicators confirmed in 2011 an adequate quality of breast screening performance, especially at subsequent screening. Recall rate at initial screening did not reach the acceptable standard (<7%) and rose slightly over the period. On the contrary, a good performance was achieved at subsequent screening. The same trend was followed by the overall detection rate and positive predictive value. They both showed a progressive reduction (from 6.2‰ in 2006 to 4.5‰ in 2011 for DR and from 8.0% in 2006 to 5.2% in 2011 for PPV, respectively) at initial screening and a good, stable trend at subsequent screening. Activity volume analysis shows that in programmes with greater activity (test/year ≥10,000) RR at both initial and subsequent screening has a better performance. This is also true for DR and PPV where programmes with high volumes of activity do better, especially when compared with those that interpret fewer than 5,000 mammograms per year. In spite of a few limits, these results are reassuring, and they reward the efforts made by screening professionals. It is therefore important to continue to monitor screening indicators and suggest, test, and evaluate new strategies for continuous improvement.

Kinetics of initiation, propagation, and termination for the [rac-(C(2)H(4)(1-indenyl)(2))ZrMe][MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)]-catalyzed polymerization of 1-hexene.

PubMed

Liu, Z; Somsook, E; White, C B; Rosaaen, K A; Landis, C R

2001-11-14

Metallocene-catalyzed polymerization of 1-alkenes offers fine control of critical polymer attributes such as molecular weight, polydispersity, tacticity, and comonomer incorporation. Enormous effort has been expended on the synthesis and discovery of new catalysts and activators, but elementary aspects of the catalytic processes remain unclear. For example, it is unclear how the catalyst is distributed among active and dormant sites and how this distribution influences the order in monomer for the propagation rates, for which widely varying values are reported. Similarly, although empirical relationships between average molecular weights and monomer have been established for many systems, the underlying mechanisms of chain termination are unclear. Another area of intense interest concerns the role of ion-pairing in controlling the activity and termination mechanisms of metallocene-catalyzed polymerizations. Herein we report the application of quenched-flow kinetics, active site counting, polymer microstructure analysis, and molecular weight distribution analysis to the determination of fundamental rate laws for initiation, propagation, and termination for the polymerization of 1-hexene in toluene solution as catalyzed by the contact ion-pair, [rac-(C(2)H(4)(1-indenyl)(2))ZrMe][MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)] (1) over the temperature range of -10 to 50 degrees C. Highly isotactic (>99% mmmm) poly-1-hexene is produced with no apparent enchained regioerrors. Initiation and propagation processes are first order in the concentrations of 1-hexene and 1 but independent of excess borane or the addition of the contact ion-pair [PhNMe(3)][MeB(C(6)F(5))(3)]. Active site counting and the reaction kinetics provide no evidence of catalyst accumulation in dormant or inactive sites. Initiation is slower than propagation by a factor of 70. The principal termination process is the formation of unsaturates of two types: vinylidene end groups that arise from termination after a 1,2 insertion and vinylene end groups that follow 2,1 insertions. The rate law for the former termination process is independent of the 1-hexene concentration, whereas the latter is first order. Analysis of (13)C-labeled polymer provides support for a mechanism of vinylene end group formation that is not chain transfer to monomer. Deterministic modeling of the molecular weight distributions using the fundamental rate laws and kinetic constants demonstrates the robustness of the kinetic analysis. Comparisons of insertion frequencies with estimated limits on the rates of ion-pair symmetrization obtained by NMR suggest that ion-pair separation prior to insertion is not required, but the analysis requires assumptions that cannot be validated.

Long Term Activity Analysis in Surveillance Video Archives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Ming-yu

2010-01-01

Surveillance video recording is becoming ubiquitous in daily life for public areas such as supermarkets, banks, and airports. The rate at which surveillance video is being generated has accelerated demand for machine understanding to enable better content-based search capabilities. Analyzing human activity is one of the key tasks to understand and…

Development of a Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson-Wilson, Jennifer; Levesque, Lucie; Holden, Ronald R.

2007-01-01

This study was designed to develop the Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment (Q--SPACE) based on student perceptions. Twenty-eight items rated on 4-point Likert scales were administered to 244 middle school students in 9 schools. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the underlying structure of the items and 2…

Provider ambivalence about using forensic medical evaluation to respond to child abuse: A content and discourse analysis.

PubMed

Morris, Marian; Rivaux, Stephanie; Faulkner, Monica

2017-03-01

Forensic medical evaluation rates for child abuse victims in Texas are low relative to national rates. In exploring reasons, researchers collected quantitative and qualitative interview and focus group data from multidisciplinary child abuse response team members across the state. This paper presents results of a secondary analysis of (N=19) health care providers' interview and focus group transcripts, looking specifically at experiences with conducting forensic evaluations - thoughts, struggles, and ethical issues. The analysis was conducted from a critical realist perspective using content and discourse analysis. A theme of ambivalence was identified and explored. Three discursive themes were identified: ambivalence about the legal role, the health care role, and about unintended outcomes of evaluations. Extra-discursive elements related to the physical body, resource distribution, and funding policy were examined for their interaction with discursive patterns. Implications of findings include addressing issues in the current approach to responding to child abuse (e.g., uniting around common definitions of abuse; refining parameters for when FME is helpful; shoring up material resources for the abuse response infrastructure) and considering modification of providers' roles and activities relative to forensic work (e.g., deploying providers for prevention activities versus reactive activities). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Facial Vibrotactile Stimulation Activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System: Study of Salivary Secretion, Heart Rate, Pupillary Reflex, and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Activity

PubMed Central

Hiraba, Hisao; Inoue, Motoharu; Gora, Kanako; Sato, Takako; Nishimura, Satoshi; Yamaoka, Masaru; Kumakura, Ayano; Ono, Shinya; Wakasa, Hirotugu; Nakayama, Enri; Abe, Kimiko; Ueda, Koichiro

2014-01-01

We previously found that the greatest salivation response in healthy human subjects is produced by facial vibrotactile stimulation of 89 Hz frequency with 1.9 μm amplitude (89 Hz-S), as reported by Hiraba et al. (2012, 20011, and 2008). We assessed relationships between the blood flow to brain via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in the frontal cortex and autonomic parameters. We used the heart rate (HRV: heart rate variability analysis in RR intervals), pupil reflex, and salivation as parameters, but the interrelation between each parameter and fNIRS measures remains unknown. We were to investigate the relationship in response to established paradigms using simultaneously each parameter-fNIRS recording in healthy human subjects. Analysis of fNIRS was examined by a comparison of various values between before and after various stimuli (89 Hz-S, 114 Hz-S, listen to classic music, and “Ahh” vocalization). We confirmed that vibrotactile stimulation (89 Hz) of the parotid glands led to the greatest salivation, greatest increase in heart rate variability, and the most constricted pupils. Furthermore, there were almost no detectable differences between fNIRS during 89 Hz-S and fNIRS during listening to classical music of fans. Thus, vibrotactile stimulation of 89 Hz seems to evoke parasympathetic activity. PMID:24511550

Music Attenuated a Decrease in Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity after Exercise.

PubMed

Jia, Tiantian; Ogawa, Yoshiko; Miura, Misa; Ito, Osamu; Kohzuki, Masahiro

2016-01-01

Music and exercise can both affect autonomic nervous system activity. However, the effects of the combination of music and exercise on autonomic activity are poorly understood. Additionally, it remains unknown whether music affects post-exercise orthostatic tolerance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of music on autonomic nervous system activity in orthostatic tolerance after exercise. Twenty-six healthy graduate students participated in four sessions in a random order on four separate days: a sedentary session, a music session, a bicycling session, and a bicycling with music session. Participants were asked to listen to their favorite music and to exercise on a cycle ergometer. We evaluated autonomic nervous system activity before and after each session using frequency analysis of heart rate variability. High frequency power, an index of parasympathetic nervous system activity, was significantly increased in the music session. Heart rate was increased, and high frequency power was decreased, in the bicycling session. There was no significant difference in high frequency power before and after the bicycling with music session, although heart rate was significantly increased. Additionally, both music and exercise did not significantly affect heart rate, systolic blood pressure or also heart rate variability indices in the orthostatic test. These data suggest that music increased parasympathetic activity and attenuated the exercise-induced decrease in parasympathetic activity without altering the orthostatic tolerance after exercise. Therefore, music may be an effective approach for improving post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation, resulting in a faster recovery and a reduction in cardiac stress after exercise.

Regulation of intramembranous absorption and amniotic fluid volume by constituents in fetal sheep urine

PubMed Central

Jonker, Sonnet S.; Louey, Samantha; Cheung, Cecilia Y.; Brace, Robert A.

2013-01-01

Our objective was to test the hypothesis that fetal urine contains a substance(s) that regulates amniotic fluid volume by altering the rate of intramembranous absorption of amniotic fluid. In late gestation ovine fetuses, amniotic fluid volumes, urine, and lung liquid production rates, swallowed volumes and intramembranous volume and solute absorption rates were measured over 2-day periods under control conditions and when urine was removed and continuously replaced at an equal rate with exogenous fluid. Intramembranous volume absorption rate decreased by 40% when urine was replaced with lactated Ringer solution or lactated Ringer solution diluted 50% with water. Amniotic fluid volume doubled under both conditions. Analysis of the intramembranous sodium and chloride fluxes suggests that the active but not passive component of intramembranous volume absorption was altered by urine replacement, whereas both active and passive components of solute fluxes were altered. We conclude that fetal urine contains an unidentified substance(s) that stimulates active intramembranous transport of amniotic fluid across the amnion into the underlying fetal vasculature and thereby functions as a regulator of amniotic fluid volume. PMID:23824958

Enhanced hydrological extremes in the western United States under global warming through the lens of water vapor wave activity

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

Lu, Jian; Xue, Daokai; Gao, Yang

Understanding how regional hydrological extremes would respond to warming is a grand challenge to the community of climate change research. To address this challenge, we construct an analysis framework based on column integrated water vapor (CWV) wave activity to diagnose the wave component of the hydrological cycle that contributes to hydrological extremes. By applying the analysis to the historical and future climate projections from the CMIP5 models, we found that the wet-versus-dry disparity of daily net precipitation along a zonal band can increase at a super Clausius-Clapeyron rate due to the enhanced stirring length of wave activity at the polewardmore » flank of the mean storm track. The local variant of CWV wave activity reveals the unique characteristics of atmospheric rivers (ARs) in terms of their transport function, enhanced mixing and hydrological cycling rate (HC). Under RCP8.5, the local moist wave activity increases by ~40% over the northeastern Pacific by the end of the 21st century, indicating more ARs hitting the west coast, giving rise to a ~20% increase in the related hydrological extremes - $ despite a weakening of the local HC.« less

How to estimate green house gas (GHG) emissions from an excavator by using CAT's performance chart

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hajji, Apif M.; Lewis, Michael P.

2017-09-01

Construction equipment activities are a major part of many infrastructure projects. This type of equipment typically releases large quantities of green house gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions may come from fuel consumption. Furthermore, equipment productivity affects the fuel consumption. Thus, an estimating tool based on the construction equipment productivity rate is able to accurately assess the GHG emissions resulted from the equipment activities. This paper proposes a methodology to estimate the environmental impact for a common construction activity. This paper delivers sensitivity analysis and a case study for an excavator based on trench excavation activity. The methodology delivered in this study can be applied to a stand-alone model, or a module that is integrated with other emissions estimators. The GHG emissions are highly correlated to diesel fuel use, which is approximately 10.15 kilograms (kg) of CO2 per gallon of diesel fuel. The results showed that the productivity rate model as the result from multiple regression analysis can be used as the basis for estimating GHG emissions, and also as the framework for developing emissions footprint and understanding the environmental impact from construction equipment activities introduction.

Advanced analysis techniques for uranium assay

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

Geist, W. H.; Ensslin, Norbert; Carrillo, L. A.

2001-01-01

Uranium has a negligible passive neutron emission rate making its assay practicable only with an active interrogation method. The active interrogation uses external neutron sources to induce fission events in the uranium in order to determine the mass. This technique requires careful calibration with standards that are representative of the items to be assayed. The samples to be measured are not always well represented by the available standards which often leads to large biases. A technique of active multiplicity counting is being developed to reduce some of these assay difficulties. Active multiplicity counting uses the measured doubles and triples countmore » rates to determine the neutron multiplication (f4) and the product of the source-sample coupling ( C ) and the 235U mass (m). Since the 35U mass always appears in the multiplicity equations as the product of Cm, the coupling needs to be determined before the mass can be known. A relationship has been developed that relates the coupling to the neutron multiplication. The relationship is based on both an analytical derivation and also on empirical observations. To determine a scaling constant present in this relationship, known standards must be used. Evaluation of experimental data revealed an improvement over the traditional calibration curve analysis method of fitting the doubles count rate to the 235Um ass. Active multiplicity assay appears to relax the requirement that the calibration standards and unknown items have the same chemical form and geometry.« less

The effects of sustained manual pressure stimulation according to Vojta Therapy on heart rate variability.

PubMed

Opavsky, Jaroslav; Slachtova, Martina; Kutin, Miroslav; Hok, Pavel; Uhlir, Petr; Opavska, Hana; Hlustik, Petr

2018-05-23

The physiotherapeutic technique of Vojta reflex locomotion is often accompanied by various autonomic activity changes and unpleasant sensations. It is unknown whether these effects are specific to Vojta Therapy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare changes in cardiac autonomic control after Vojta reflex locomotion stimulation and after an appropriate sham stimulation. A total of 28 young healthy adults (20.4 - 25.7 years) were enrolled in this single-blind randomized cross-over study. Participants underwent two modes of 20-minute sustained manual pressure stimulation on the surface of the foot on two separate visits. One mode used manual pressure on the lateral heel, i.e., in a zone employed in the Vojta Therapy (active stimulation). The other mode used pressure on the lateral ankle (control), in an area not included among the active zones used by Vojta Therapy and whose activation does not evoke manifestations of reflex locomotion. Autonomic nervous system activity was evaluated using spectral analysis of heart rate variability before and after the intervention. The active stimulation was perceived as more unpleasant than the control stimulation. Heart rate variability parameters demonstrated almost identical autonomic responses after both stimulation types, showing either modest increase in parasympathetic activity, or increased heart rate variability with similar contribution of parasympathetic and sympathetic activity. The results demonstrate changes of cardiac autonomic control in both active and control stimulation, without evidence for a significant difference between the two.

Assessment of heart rate variability based on mobile device for planning physical activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svirin, I. S.; Epishina, E. V.; Voronin, V. V.; Semenishchev, E. A.; Solodova, E. N.; Nabilskaya, N. V.

2015-05-01

In this paper we present a method for the functional analysis of human heart based on electrocardiography (ECG) signals. The approach using the apparatus of analytical and differential geometry and correlation and regression analysis. ECG contains information on the current condition of the cardiovascular system as well as on the pathological changes in the heart. Mathematical processing of the heart rate variability allows to obtain a great set of mathematical and statistical characteristics. These characteristics of the heart rate are used when solving research problems to study physiological changes that determine functional changes of an individual. The proposed method implemented for up-to-date mobile Android and iOS based devices.

Effects of biology teachers' professional knowledge and cognitive activation on students' achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Förtsch, Christian; Werner, Sonja; von Kotzebue, Lena; Neuhaus, Birgit J.

2016-11-01

This study examined the effects of teachers' biology-specific dimensions of professional knowledge - pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and content knowledge (CK) - and cognitively activating biology instruction, as a feature of instructional quality, on students' learning. The sample comprised 39 German secondary school teachers whose lessons on the topic neurobiology were videotaped twice. Teachers' instruction was coded with regard to cognitive activation using a rating manual. Multilevel path analysis results showed a positive significant effect of cognitive activation on students' learning and an indirect effect of teachers' PCK on students' learning mediated through cognitive activation. These findings highlight the importance of PCK in preservice biology teachers' education. Items of the rating manual may be used to provide exemplars of concrete teaching situations during university seminars for preservice teacher education or professional development initiatives for in-service teachers.

Harvesting and replenishment policies for renewable natural resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Douglas, Aaron J.; Johnson, Richard L.

1993-01-01

The current paper links the optimal intertemporal use of renewable natural resources to the harvesting activities of various economic agents. Previous contributions cite market forces as a causative factor inducing the extirpation of renewable natural resources. The analysis given here discusses investment in the stock of renewable resources and cites important examples of this activity. By introducing joint harvesting and replenishment strategies into a model of renewable resource use, the analysis adds descriptive reality and relevance to positive and normative discussions of renewable natural resource use. A high price for the yield or a high discount rate tend to diminish the size of the optimum stationary stock of the resource with a non-replenishment harvesting strategy. Optimal non-replenishment harvesting strategies for renewable natural resources will exhaustion or extirpation of the resource if the price of the yield or the discount rate are sufficiently large. However, the availability of a replenishment technology and the use of replenishment activities tends to buffer the resource against exhaustion or extirpation.

The Pierre Auger Observatory scaler mode for the study of solar activity modulation of galactic cosmic rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierre Auger Collaboration; Abreu, P.; Aglietta, M.; Ahn, E. J.; Allard, D.; Allekotte, I.; Allen, J.; Alvarez Castillo, J.; Alvarez-Muñiz, J.; Ambrosio, M.; Aminaei, A.; Anchordoqui, L.; Andringa, S.; Antičić, T.; Anzalone, A.; Aramo, C.; Arganda, E.; Arisaka, K.; Arqueros, F.; Asorey, H.; Assis, P.; Aublin, J.; Ave, M.; Avenier, M.; Avila, G.; Bäcker, T.; Badagnani, D.; Balzer, M.; Barber, K. B.; Barbosa, A. F.; Bardenet, R.; Barroso, S. L. C.; Baughman, B.; Beatty, J. J.; Becker, B. R.; Becker, K. H.; Bellétoile, A.; Bellido, J. A.; BenZvi, S.; Berat, C.; Bergmann, T.; Bertou, X.; Biermann, P. L.; Billoir, P.; Blanco, F.; Blanco, M.; Bleve, C.; Blümer, H.; Boháčová, M.; Boncioli, D.; Bonifazi, C.; Bonino, R.; Borodai, N.; Brack, J.; Brogueira, P.; Brown, W. C.; Bruijn, R.; Buchholz, P.; Bueno, A.; Burton, R. E.; Busca, N. G.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Caramete, L.; Caruso, R.; Castellina, A.; Catalano, O.; Cataldi, G.; Cazon, L.; Cester, R.; Chauvin, J.; Chiavassa, A.; Chinellato, J. A.; Chou, A.; Chudoba, J.; Clay, R. W.; Colombo, E.; Coluccia, M. R.; Conceição, R.; Contreras, F.; Cook, H.; Cooper, M. J.; Coppens, J.; Cordier, A.; Cotti, U.; Coutu, S.; Covault, C. E.; Creusot, A.; Criss, A.; Cronin, J.; Curutiu, A.; Dagoret-Campagne, S.; Dallier, R.; Dasso, S.; Daumiller, K.; Dawson, B. R.; de Almeida, R. M.; De Domenico, M.; De Donato, C.; de Jong, S. J.; De La Vega, G.; de Mello Junior, W. J. M.; de Mello Neto, J. R. T.; De Mitri, I.; de Souza, V.; de Vries, K. D.; Decerprit, G.; del Peral, L.; Deligny, O.; Della Selva, A.; Dembinski, H.; Denkiewicz, A.; Di Giulio, C.; Diaz, J. C.; Díaz Castro, M. L.; Diep, P. N.; Dobrigkeit, C.; D'Olivo, J. C.; Dong, P. N.; Dorofeev, A.; dos Anjos, J. C.; Dova, M. T.; D'Urso, D.; Dutan, I.; Ebr, J.; Engel, R.; Erdmann, M.; Escobar, C. O.; Etchegoyen, A.; Facal San Luis, P.; Falcke, H.; Farrar, G.; Fauth, A. C.; Fazzini, N.; Ferguson, A. P.; Ferrero, A.; Fick, B.; Filevich, A.; Filipčič, A.; Fleck, I.; Fliescher, S.; Fracchiolla, C. E.; Fraenkel, E. D.; Fröhlich, U.; Fuchs, B.; Fulgione, W.; Gamarra, R. F.; Gambetta, S.; García, B.; García Gámez, D.; Garcia-Pinto, D.; Garrido, X.; Gascon, A.; Gelmini, G.; Gemmeke, H.; Gesterling, K.; Ghia, P. L.; Giaccari, U.; Giller, M.; Glass, H.; Gold, M. S.; Golup, G.; Gomez Albarracin, F.; Gómez Berisso, M.; Gonçalves, P.; Gonzalez, D.; Gonzalez, J. G.; Gookin, B.; Góra, D.; Gorgi, A.; Gouffon, P.; Gozzini, S. R.; Grashorn, E.; Grebe, S.; Grigat, M.; Grillo, A. F.; Guardincerri, Y.; Guarino, F.; Guedes, G. P.; Hague, J. D.; Hansen, P.; Harari, D.; Harmsma, S.; Harton, J. L.; Haungs, A.; Hebbeker, T.; Heck, D.; Herve, A. E.; Hojvat, C.; Holmes, V. C.; Homola, P.; Hórandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Hrabovský, M.; Huege, T.; Insolia, A.; Ionita, F.; Italiano, A.; Jiraskova, S.; Kadija, K.; Kaducak, M.; Kampert, K. H.; Karhan, P.; Karova, T.; Kasper, P.; Kégl, B.; Keilhauer, B.; Keivani, A.; Kelley, J. L.; Kemp, E.; Kieckhafer, R. M.; Klages, H. O.; Kleifges, M.; Kleinfeller, J.; Knapp, J.; Koang, D.-H.; Kotera, K.; Krohm, N.; Krömer, O.; Kruppke-Hansen, D.; Kuehn, F.; Kuempel, D.; Kulbartz, J. K.; Kunka, N.; La Rosa, G.; Lachaud, C.; Lautridou, P.; Leão, M. S. A. B.; Lebrun, D.; Lebrun, P.; Leigui de Oliveira, M. A.; Lemiere, A.; Letessier-Selvon, A.; Lhenry-Yvon, I.; Link, K.; López, R.; Lopez Agüera, A.; Louedec, K.; Lozano Bahilo, J.; Lucero, A.; Ludwig, M.; Lyberis, H.; Maccarone, M. C.; Macolino, C.; Maldera, S.; Mandat, D.; Mantsch, P.; Mariazzi, A. G.; Marin, V.; Maris, I. C.; Marquez Falcon, H. R.; Marsella, G.; Martello, D.; Martin, L.; Martínez Bravo, O.; Mathes, H. J.; Matthews, J.; Matthews, J. A. J.; Matthiae, G.; Maurizio, D.; Mazur, P. O.; Medina-Tanco, G.; Melissas, M.; Melo, D.; Menichetti, E.; Menshikov, A.; Meurer, C.; Mičanović, S.; Micheletti, M. I.; Miller, W.; Miramonti, L.; Mollerach, S.; Monasor, M.; Monnier Ragaigne, D.; Montanet, F.; Morales, B.; Morello, C.; Moreno, E.; Moreno, J. C.; Morris, C.; Mostafá, M.; Mueller, S.; Muller, M. A.; Müller, G.; Münchmeyer, M.; Mussa, R.; Navarra, G.; Navarro, J. L.; Navas, S.; Necesal, P.; Nellen, L.; Nhung, P. T.; Nierstenhoefer, N.; Nitz, D.; Nosek, D.; Nožka, L.; Nyklicek, M.; Oehlschläger, J.; Olinto, A.; Oliva, P.; Olmos-Gilbaja, V. M.; Ortiz, M.; Pacheco, N.; Pakk Selmi-Dei, D.; Palatka, M.; Pallotta, J.; Palmieri, N.; Parente, G.; Parizot, E.; Parra, A.; Parrisius, J.; Parsons, R. D.; Pastor, S.; Paul, T.; Pavlidou c, V.; Payet, K.; Pech, M.; Pękala, J.; Pelayo, R.; Pepe, I. M.; Perrone, L.; Pesce, R.; Petermann, E.; Petrera, S.; Petrinca, P.; Petrolini, A.; Petrov, Y.; Petrovic, J.; Pfendner, C.; Phan, N.; Piegaia, R.; Pierog, T.; Pieroni, P.; Pimenta, M.; Pirronello, V.; Platino, M.; Ponce, V. H.; Pontz, M.; Privitera, P.; Prouza, M.; Quel, E. J.; Rautenberg, J.; Ravel, O.; Ravignani, D.; Revenu, B.; Ridky, J.; Riggi, S.; Risse, M.; Ristori, P.; Rivera, H.; Rivière, C.; Rizi, V.; Robledo, C.; Rodriguez, G.; Rodriguez Martino, J.; Rodriguez Rojo, J.; Rodriguez-Cabo, I.; Rodríguez-Frías, M. D.; Ros, G.; Rosado, J.; Rossler, T.; Roth, M.; Rouillé-d'Orfeuil, B.; Roulet, E.; Rovero, A. C.; Salamida, F.; Salazar, H.; Salina, G.; Sánchez, F.; Santander, M.; Santo, C. E.; Santos, E.; Santos, E. M.; Sarazin, F.; Sarkar, S.; Sato, R.; Scharf, N.; Scherini, V.; Schieler, H.; Schiffer, P.; Schmidt, A.; Schmidt, F.; Schmidt, T.; Scholten, O.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Schovancova, J.; Schovánek, P.; Schroeder, F.; Schulte, S.; Schüssler, F.; Schuster, D.; Sciutto, S. J.; Scuderi, M.; Segreto, A.; Semikoz, D.; Settimo, M.; Shadkam, A.; Shellard, R. C.; Sidelnik, I.; Sigl, G.; Śmiałkowski, A.; Šmída, R.; Snow, G. R.; Sommers, P.; Sorokin, J.; Spinka, H.; Squartini, R.; Stapleton, J.; Stasielak, J.; Stephan, M.; Strazzeri, E.; Stutz, A.; Suarez, F.; Suomijärvi, T.; Supanitsky, A. D.; Šuša, T.; Sutherland, M. S.; Swain, J.; Szadkowski, Z.; Tamashiro, A.; Tapia, A.; Tarutina, T.; Taşcǎu, O.; Tcaciuc, R.; Tcherniakhovski, D.; Tegolo, D.; Thao, N. T.; Thomas, D.; Tiffenberg, J.; Timmermans, C.; Tiwari, D. K.; Tkaczyk, W.; Todero Peixoto, C. J.; Tomé, B.; Tonachini, A.; Travnicek, P.; Tridapalli, D. B.; Tristram, G.; Trovato, E.; Tueros, M.; Ulrich, R.; Unger, M.; Urban, M.; Valdés Galicia, J. F.; Valiño, I.; Valore, L.; van den Berg, A. M.; Vargas Cárdenas, B.; Vázquez, J. R.; Vázquez, R. A.; Veberič, D.; Venters, T.; Verzi, V.; Videla, M.; Villaseñor, L.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrlich, P.; Wainberg, O.; Warner, D.; Watson, A. A.; Weber, M.; Weidenhaupt, K.; Weindl, A.; Westerhoff, S.; Whelan, B. J.; Wieczorek, G.; Wiencke, L.; Wilczyńska, B.; Wilczyński, H.; Will, M.; Williams, C.; Winchen, T.; Winders, L.; Winnick, M. G.; Wommer, M.; Wundheiler, B.; Yamamoto a, T.; Younk, P.; Yuan, G.; Yushkov, A.; Zamorano, B.; Zas, E.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zaw, I.; Zepeda, A.; Ziolkowski, M.

2011-01-01

Since data-taking began in January 2004, the Pierre Auger Observatory has been recording the count rates of low energy secondary cosmic ray particles for the self-calibration of the ground detectors of its surface detector array. After correcting for atmospheric effects, modulations of galactic cosmic rays due to solar activity and transient events are observed. Temporal variations related with the activity of the heliosphere can be determined with high accuracy due to the high total count rates. In this study, the available data are presented together with an analysis focused on the observation of Forbush decreases, where a strong correlation with neutron monitor data is found.

The Study of an Integrated Rating System for Supplier Quality Performance in the Semiconductor Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Yu-Cheng; Yen, Tieh-Min; Tsai, Chih-Hung

This study provides an integrated model of Supplier Quality Performance Assesment (SQPA) activity for the semiconductor industry through introducing the ISO 9001 management framework, Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) Supplier Quality Performance Assesment and Taguchi`s Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N) techniques. This integrated model provides a SQPA methodology to create value for all members under mutual cooperation and trust in the supply chain. This method helps organizations build a complete SQPA framework, linking organizational objectives and SQPA activities to optimize rating techniques to promote supplier quality improvement. The techniques used in SQPA activities are easily understood. A case involving a design house is illustrated to show our model.

Risk of Secondary Injury in Younger Athletes After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

PubMed Central

Wiggins, Amelia J.; Grandhi, Ravi K.; Schneider, Daniel K.; Stanfield, Denver; Webster, Kate E.; Myer, Gregory D.

2017-01-01

Background Injury to the ipsilateral graft used for reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or a new injury to the contralateral ACL are disastrous outcomes after successful ACL reconstruction (ACLR), rehabilitation, and return to activity. Studies reporting ACL reinjury rates in younger active populations are emerging in the literature, but these data have not yet been comprehensively synthesized. Purpose To provide a current review of the literature to evaluate age and activity level as the primary risk factors in reinjury after ACLR. Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted via searches in PubMed (1966 to July 2015) and EBSCO host (CINAHL, Medline, SPORTDiscus [1987 to July 2015]). After the search and consultation with experts and rating of study quality, 19 articles met inclusion for review and aggregation. Population demographic data and total reinjury (ipsilateral and contralateral) rate data were recorded from each individual study and combined using random-effects meta-analyses. Separate meta-analyses were conducted for the total population data as well as the following subsets: young age, return to sport, and young age + return to sport. Results Overall, the total second ACL reinjury rate was 15%, with an ipsilateral reinjury rate of 7% and contralateral injury rate of 8%. The secondary ACL injury rate (ipsilateral + contralateral) for patients younger than 25 years was 21%. The secondary ACL injury rate for athletes who return to a sport was also 20%. Combining these risk factors, athletes younger than 25 years who return to sport have a secondary ACL injury rate of 23%. Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrates that younger age and a return to high level of activity are salient factors associated with secondary ACL injury. These combined data indicate that nearly 1 in 4 young athletic patients who sustain an ACL injury and return to high-risk sport will go on to sustain another ACL injury at some point in their career, and they will likely sustain it early in the return-to-play period. The high rate of secondary injury in young athletes who return to sport after ACLR equates to a 30 to 40 times greater risk of an ACL injury compared with uninjured adolescents. These data indicate that activity modification, improved rehabilitation and return-to-play guidelines, and the use of integrative neuromuscular training may help athletes more safely reintegrate into sport and reduce second injury in this at-risk population. PMID:26772611

Meta-Analysis of Dropout in Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imel, Zac E.; Laska, Kevin; Jakupcak, Matthew; Simpson, Tracy L.

2013-01-01

Objective: Many patients drop out of treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); some clinicians believe that trauma-focused treatments increase dropout. Method: We conducted a meta-analysis of dropout among active treatments in clinical trials for PTSD (42 studies; 17 direct comparisons). Results: The average dropout rate was 18%, but it…

Energy expenditure, heart rate response, and metabolic equivalents (METs) of adults taking part in children's games.

PubMed

Fischer, S L; Watts, P B; Jensen, R L; Nelson, J

2004-12-01

The needs of physical activity can be seen through the lack of numbers participating in regular physical activity as well as the increase in prevalence of certain diseases such as Type II diabetes (especially in children), cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. With the increase in preventable diseases that are caused in part by a sedentary lifestyle, a closer look needs to be taken into the role of family interaction as a means of increasing physical activity for both adults and children. Because of the many benefits of physical activity in relation to health, a family approach to achieving recommended levels of physical activity may be quite applicable. Forty volunteers were recruited from the community (20 subjects and 20 children). The volunteers played 2 games: soccer and nerfball. Data was collected over 10 minutes (5 min per game). Expired air analysis was used to calculate energy expenditure and metabolic equivalents (METs). Descriptive statistics were calculated along with a regression analysis to determine differences between the 2 games, and an ACOVA to determine any significant effects of age, child age, gender, and physical activity level on the results. For both games, average heart rate measured approximately 88%max; average METs measured approximately 6, average energy expenditure measured approximately 40 kcal. S: This study showed that adults can achieve recommended physical activity levels through these specific activities if sustained for approximately 20 min.

Specificity and kinetics of haloalkane dehalogenase.

PubMed

Schanstra, J P; Kingma, J; Janssen, D B

1996-06-21

Haloalkane dehalogenase converts halogenated alkanes to their corresponding alcohols. The active site is buried inside the protein and lined with hydrophobic residues. The reaction proceeds via a covalent substrate-enzyme complex. This paper describes a steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetic analysis of the conversion of a number of substrates of the dehalogenase. The kinetic mechanism for the "natural" substrate 1,2-dichloroethane and for the brominated analog and nematocide 1,2-dibromoethane are given. In general, brominated substrates had a lower Km, but a similar kcat than the chlorinated analogs. The rate of C-Br bond cleavage was higher than the rate of C-Cl bond cleavage, which is in agreement with the leaving group abilities of these halogens. The lower Km for brominated compounds therefore originates both from the higher rate of C-Br bond cleavage and from a lower Ks for bromo-compounds. However, the rate-determining step in the conversion (kcat) of 1, 2-dibromoethane and 1,2-dichloroethane was found to be release of the charged halide ion out of the active site cavity, explaining the different Km but similar kcat values for these compounds. The study provides a basis for the analysis of rate-determining steps in the hydrolysis of various environmentally important substrates.

Oxidative vaporization kinetics of chromium (III) oxide in oxygen from 1270 to 1570 K

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stearns, C. A.; Kohl, F. J.; Fryburg, G. C.

1974-01-01

Rates of oxidative vaporization of Cr2O3 on preoxidized resistively heated chromium were determined in flowing oxygen at 0.115 torr for temperatures from 1270 to 1570 K. Reaction controlled rates were obtained from experimental rates by a gold calibration technique. These rates were shown to agree with those predicted by thermochemical analysis. The activation energy obtained for the oxidative vaporation reaction corresponded numerically with the thermochemical enthalpy of the reaction. A theoretical equation is given for calculating the rate from thermodynamic data by using boundary layer theory.

Oxidative vaporization kinetics of Cr2O3 in oxygen from 1000 to 1300 C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stearns, C. A.; Kohl, F. J.; Fryburg, G. C.

1974-01-01

Rates of oxidative vaporization of Cr2O3 on preoxidized resistively heated chromium were determined in flowing oxygen at a pressure of 0.115 Torr for temperatures from 1000 to 1300 C. Reaction controlled rates were obtained from experimental rates by a gold calibration technique, and these rates were shown to agree with those predicted by thermochemical analysis. The activation energy obtained for the oxidative vaporization reaction corresponded numerically with the thermochemical enthalpy of the reaction. A theoretical equation is given for calculating the rate from thermodynamic data using boundary-layer theory.

Sweat collection capsule

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delaplaine, R. W.; Greenleaf, J. E.

1979-01-01

Capsule, with filter paper insert, is used to collect sweat for rate monitoring, chromatographic analysis, or active sweat gland location within specified area. Construction of capsule allows change of inserts while device remains strapped in place.

Computerized system for assessing heart rate variability.

PubMed

Frigy, A; Incze, A; Brânzaniuc, E; Cotoi, S

1996-01-01

The principal theoretical, methodological and clinical aspects of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis are reviewed. This method has been developed over the last 10 years as a useful noninvasive method of measuring the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The main components and the functioning of the computerized rhythm-analyzer system developed by our team are presented. The system is able to perform short-term (maximum 20 minutes) time domain HRV analysis and statistical analysis of the ventricular rate in any rhythm, particularly in atrial fibrillation. The performances of our system are demonstrated by using the graphics (RR histograms, delta RR histograms, RR scattergrams) and the statistical parameters resulted from the processing of three ECG recordings. These recordings are obtained from a normal subject, from a patient with advanced heart failure, and from a patient with atrial fibrillation.

Direct water decomposition on transition metal surfaces: Structural dependence and catalytic screening

DOE PAGES

Tsai, Charlie; Lee, Kyoungjin; Yoo, Jong Suk; ...

2016-02-16

Density functional theory calculations are used to investigate thermal water decomposition over the close-packed (111), stepped (211), and open (100) facets of transition metal surfaces. A descriptor-based approach is used to determine that the (211) facet leads to the highest possible rates. As a result, a range of 96 binary alloys were screened for their potential activity and a rate control analysis was performed to assess how the overall rate could be improved.

A survey of stakeholder perspectives on exoskeleton technology.

PubMed

Wolff, Jamie; Parker, Claire; Borisoff, Jaimie; Mortenson, W Ben; Mattie, Johanne

2014-12-19

Exoskeleton technology has potential benefits for wheelchair users' health and mobility. However, there are practical barriers to their everyday use as a mobility device. To further understand potential exoskeleton use, and facilitate the development of new technologies, a study was undertaken to explore perspectives of wheelchair users and healthcare professionals on reasons for use of exoskeleton technology, and the importance of a variety of device characteristics. An online survey with quantitative and qualitative components was conducted with wheelchair users and healthcare professionals working directly with individuals with mobility impairments. Respondents rated whether they would use or recommend an exoskeleton for four potential reasons. Seventeen design features were rated and compared in terms of their importance. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to categorize the 17 design features into meaningful groupings. Content analysis was used to identify themes for the open ended questions regarding reasons for use of an exoskeleton. 481 survey responses were analyzed, 354 from wheelchair users and 127 from healthcare professionals. The most highly rated reason for potential use or recommendation of an exoskeleton was health benefits. Of the design features, 4 had a median rating of very important: minimization of falls risk, comfort, putting on/taking off the device, and purchase cost. Factor analysis identified two main categories of design features: Functional Activities and Technology Characteristics. Qualitative findings indicated that health and physical benefits, use for activity and access reasons, and psychosocial benefits were important considerations in whether to use or recommend an exoskeleton. This study emphasizes the importance of developing future exoskeletons that are comfortable, affordable, minimize fall risk, and enable functional activities. Findings from this study can be utilized to inform the priorities for future development of this technology.

Self-rated health and standard risk factors for myocardial infarction: a cohort study.

PubMed

Waller, Göran; Janlert, Urban; Norberg, Margareta; Lundqvist, Robert; Forssén, Annika

2015-02-13

To investigate the relationship between self-rated health, adjusted for standard risk factors, and myocardial infarction. Population-based prospective cohort study. Enrolment took place between 1990 and 2004 in Västerbotten County, Sweden Every year, persons in the total population, aged 40, 50 or 60 were invited. Participation rate was 60%. The cohort consisted of 75 386 men and women. After exclusion for stroke or myocardial infarction before, or within 12 months after enrolment or death within 12 months after enrolment, 72 530 persons remained for analysis. Mean follow-up time was 13.2 years. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate HRs for the end point of first non-fatal or fatal myocardial infarction. HR were adjusted for age, sex, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, body mass index, education, physical activity and self-rated health in the categories very good; pretty good; somewhat good; pretty poor or poor. In the cohort, 2062 persons were diagnosed with fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction. Poor self-rated health adjusted for sex and age was associated with the outcome with HR 2.03 (95% CI 1.45 to 2.84). All categories of self-rated health worse than very good were statistically significant and showed a dose-response relationship. In a multivariable analysis with standard risk factors (not including physical activity and education) HR was attenuated to 1.61 (95% CI 1.13 to 2.31) for poor self-rated health. All categories of self-rated health remained statistically significant. We found no interaction between self-rated health and standard risk factors except for poor self-rated health and diabetes. This study supports the use of self-rated health as a standard risk factor among others for myocardial infarction. It remains to demonstrate whether self-rated health adds predictive value for myocardial infarction in combined algorithms with standard risk factors. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Performance evaluation of hospitals that provide care in the public health system, Brazil.

PubMed

Ramos, Marcelo Cristiano de Azevedo; da Cruz, Lucila Pedroso; Kishima, Vanessa Chaer; Pollara, Wilson Modesto; de Lira, Antônio Carlos Onofre; Couttolenc, Bernard François

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze if size, administrative level, legal status, type of unit and educational activity influence the hospital network performance in providing services to the Brazilian Unified Health System. METHODS This cross-sectional study evaluated data from the Hospital Information System and the Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde (National Registry of Health Facilities), 2012, in Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. We calculated performance indicators, such as: the ratio of hospital employees per bed; mean amount paid for admission; bed occupancy rate; average length of stay; bed turnover index and hospital mortality rate. Data were expressed as mean and standard deviation. The groups were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni correction. RESULTS The hospital occupancy rate in small hospitals was lower than in medium, big and special-sized hospitals. Higher hospital occupancy rate and bed turnover index were observed in hospitals that include education in their activities. The hospital mortality rate was lower in specialized hospitals compared to general ones, despite their higher proportion of highly complex admissions. We found no differences between hospitals in the direct and indirect administration for most of the indicators analyzed. CONCLUSIONS The study indicated the importance of the scale effect on efficiency, and larger hospitals had a higher performance. Hospitals that include education in their activities had a higher operating performance, albeit with associated importance of using human resources and highly complex structures. Specialized hospitals had a significantly lower rate of mortality than general hospitals, indicating the positive effect of the volume of procedures and technology used on clinical outcomes. The analysis related to the administrative level and legal status did not show any significant performance differences between the categories of public hospitals.

Performance evaluation of hospitals that provide care in the public health system, Brazil

PubMed Central

Ramos, Marcelo Cristiano de Azevedo; da Cruz, Lucila Pedroso; Kishima, Vanessa Chaer; Pollara, Wilson Modesto; de Lira, Antônio Carlos Onofre; Couttolenc, Bernard François

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE To analyze if size, administrative level, legal status, type of unit and educational activity influence the hospital network performance in providing services to the Brazilian Unified Health System. METHODS This cross-sectional study evaluated data from the Hospital Information System and the Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimento s de Saúde (National Registry of Health Facilities), 2012, in Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil. We calculated performance indicators, such as: the ratio of hospital employees per bed; mean amount paid for admission; bed occupancy rate; average length of stay; bed turnover index and hospital mortality rate. Data were expressed as mean and standard deviation. The groups were compared using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni correction. RESULTS The hospital occupancy rate in small hospitals was lower than in medium, big and special-sized hospitals. Higher hospital occupancy rate and bed turnover index were observed in hospitals that include education in their activities. The hospital mortality rate was lower in specialized hospitals compared to general ones, despite their higher proportion of highly complex admissions. We found no differences between hospitals in the direct and indirect administration for most of the indicators analyzed. CONCLUSIONS The study indicated the importance of the scale effect on efficiency, and larger hospitals had a higher performance. Hospitals that include education in their activities had a higher operating performance, albeit with associated importance of using human resources and highly complex structures. Specialized hospitals had a significantly lower rate of mortality than general hospitals, indicating the positive effect of the volume of procedures and technology used on clinical outcomes. The analysis related to the administrative level and legal status did not show any significant performance differences between the categories of public hospitals. PMID:26247385

The neural bases underlying social risk perception in purchase decisions.

PubMed

Yokoyama, Ryoichi; Nozawa, Takayuki; Sugiura, Motoaki; Yomogida, Yukihito; Takeuchi, Hikaru; Akimoto, Yoritaka; Shibuya, Satoru; Kawashima, Ryuta

2014-05-01

Social considerations significantly influence daily purchase decisions, and the perception of social risk (i.e., the anticipated disapproval of others) is crucial in dissuading consumers from making purchases. However, the neural basis for consumers' perception of social risk remains undiscovered, and this novel study clarifies the relevant neural processes. A total of 26 volunteers were scanned while they evaluated purchase intention of products (purchase intention task) and their anticipation of others' disapproval for possessing a product (social risk task), using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI data from the purchase intention task was used to identify the brain region associated with perception of social risk during purchase decision making by using subjective social risk ratings for a parametric modulation analysis. Furthermore, we aimed to explore if there was a difference between participants' purchase decisions and their explicit evaluations of social risk, with reference to the neural activity associated with social risk perception. For this, subjective social risk ratings were used for a parametric modulation analysis on fMRI data from the social risk task. Analysis of the purchase intention task revealed a significant positive correlation between ratings of social risk and activity in the anterior insula, an area of the brain that is known as part of the emotion-related network. Analysis of the social risk task revealed a significant positive correlation between ratings of social risk and activity in the temporal parietal junction and the medial prefrontal cortex, which are known as theory-of-mind regions. Our results suggest that the anterior insula processes consumers' social risk implicitly to prompt consumers not to buy socially unacceptable products, whereas ToM-related regions process such risk explicitly in considering the anticipated disapproval of others. These findings may prove helpful in understanding the mental processes involved in purchase decisions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance on Its Credit Ratings

PubMed Central

Kim, Dong-young

2014-01-01

This study reviews the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate governance on its credit rating. The result of regression analysis to credit ratings with relevant primary independent variables shows that both factors have significant effects on it. As we have predicted, the signs of both regression coefficients have a positive sign (+) proving that corporates with excellent CSR and governance index (CGI) scores have higher credit ratings and vice versa. The results show nonfinancial information also may have effects on corporate credit rating. The investment on personal data protection could be an example of CSR/CGI activities which have positive effects on corporate credit ratings. PMID:25401134

Effects of corporate social responsibility and governance on its credit ratings.

PubMed

Kim, Dong-young; Kim, JeongYeon

2014-01-01

This study reviews the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate governance on its credit rating. The result of regression analysis to credit ratings with relevant primary independent variables shows that both factors have significant effects on it. As we have predicted, the signs of both regression coefficients have a positive sign (+) proving that corporates with excellent CSR and governance index (CGI) scores have higher credit ratings and vice versa. The results show nonfinancial information also may have effects on corporate credit rating. The investment on personal data protection could be an example of CSR/CGI activities which have positive effects on corporate credit ratings.

Sensitivity of human auditory cortex to rapid frequency modulation revealed by multivariate representational similarity analysis.

PubMed

Joanisse, Marc F; DeSouza, Diedre D

2014-01-01

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate the extent, magnitude, and pattern of brain activity in response to rapid frequency-modulated sounds. We examined this by manipulating the direction (rise vs. fall) and the rate (fast vs. slow) of the apparent pitch of iterated rippled noise (IRN) bursts. Acoustic parameters were selected to capture features used in phoneme contrasts, however the stimuli themselves were not perceived as speech per se. Participants were scanned as they passively listened to sounds in an event-related paradigm. Univariate analyses revealed a greater level and extent of activation in bilateral auditory cortex in response to frequency-modulated sweeps compared to steady-state sounds. This effect was stronger in the left hemisphere. However, no regions showed selectivity for either rate or direction of frequency modulation. In contrast, multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) revealed feature-specific encoding for direction of modulation in auditory cortex bilaterally. Moreover, this effect was strongest when analyses were restricted to anatomical regions lying outside Heschl's gyrus. We found no support for feature-specific encoding of frequency modulation rate. Differential findings of modulation rate and direction of modulation are discussed with respect to their relevance to phonetic discrimination.

Shutdown Dose Rate Analysis for the long-pulse D-D Operation Phase in KSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jin Hun; Han, Jung-Hoon; Kim, D. H.; Joo, K. S.; Hwang, Y. S.

2017-09-01

KSTAR is a medium size fully superconducting tokamak. The deuterium-deuterium (D-D) reaction in the KSTAR tokamak generates neutrons with a peak yield of 3.5x1016 per second through a pulse operation of 100 seconds. The effect of neutron generation from full D-D high power KSTAR operation mode to the machine, such as activation, shutdown dose rate, and nuclear heating, are estimated for an assurance of safety during operation, maintenance, and machine upgrade. The nuclear heating of the in-vessel components, and neutron activation of the surrounding materials have been investigated. The dose rates during operation and after shutdown of KSTAR have been calculated by a 3D CAD model of KSTAR with the Monte Carlo code MCNP5 (neutron flux and decay photon), the inventory code FISPACT (activation and decay photon) and the FENDL 2.1 nuclear data library.

Quantitative data analysis of perceived barriers and motivators to physical activity in stroke survivors.

PubMed

Nicholson, S L; Greig, C A; Sniehotta, F; Johnston, M; Lewis, S J; McMurdo, M E; Johnston, D; Scopes, J; Mead, G E

2017-09-01

Levels of physical activity after stroke are low, despite multiple health benefits. We explored stroke survivors' perceived barriers, motivators, self-efficacy and intention to physical activity. Fifty independently mobile stroke survivors were recruited prior to hospital discharge. Participants rated nine possible motivators and four possible barriers based on the Mutrie Scale, as having 'no influence', 'some influence' or 'a major influence' on physical activity. Participants also rated their self-efficacy and intention to increasing walking. The most common motivator was 'physical activity is good for health' [34 (68%)]. The most common barrier was 'feeling too tired' [24 (48%)]. Intention and self-efficacy were high. Self-efficacy was graded as either 4 or 5 (highly confident) on a five-point scale by [34 (68%)] participants, while 42 (84%) 'strongly agreed' or 'agreed' that they intended to increase their walking. Participants felt capable of increasing physical activity but fatigue was often perceived as a barrier to physical activity. This needs to be considered when encouraging stroke survivors to be more active.

[The effect of the ventilation rate on air particle and air microbe concentration in operating rooms with conventional ventilation. 1. Measurement without surgical activity].

PubMed

Kruppa, B; Rüden, H

1993-05-01

The question was if a reduction of airborne particles and bacteria in conventionally (turbulently), ventilated operating theatres in comparison to Laminar-Airflow (LAF) operating theatres does occur at high air-exchange-rates. Within the framework of energy consumption measures the influence of air-exchange-rates on airborne particle and bacteria concentrations was determined in two identical operating theatres with conventional ventilation (wall diffusor panel) at the air-exchange-rates 7.5, 10, 15 and 20/h without surgical activity. This was established by means of the statistical procedure of analysis of variance. Especially for the comparison of the air-exchange-rates 7.5 and 15/h statistical differences were found for airborne particle concentrations in supply and ambient air. Concerning airborne bacteria concentrations no differences were found among the various air-exchange-rates. Explanation of variance is quite high for non-viable particles (supply air: 37%, ambient air: 81%) but negligible for viable particles (bacteria) with values below 15%.

Cyclic strain rate effects in fatigued face-centred and body-centred cubic metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mughrabi, Haël

2013-09-01

The present work deals mainly with the effect and the use of strain rate and temperature changes during cyclic deformation as a means to obtain valuable information on the thermally activated dislocation glide processes, based on the assessment of reversible changes of the thermal effective stress and of transient changes of the athermal stress. The importance of closed-loop testing in true plastic strain control with constant cyclic plastic strain rate throughout the cycle is explained and emphasized, especially with respect to the case of strain rate sensitive materials. Stress responses of face-centred cubic and body-centred cubic (bcc) metals to cyclic strain rate changes are presented to illustrate that the deformation modes of these two classes of materials differ characteristically at temperatures below that the so-called knee temperature of bcc metals. When such tests are performed in cyclic saturation, the temperature and strain rate dependence of bcc metals can be measured very accurately on one and the same specimen, permitting a thorough analysis of thermal activation.

Investigation of pyrolysis kinetics of humic acids from low rank Anatolian coal by thermal analysis

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

Tonbul, Y.; Erdogan, S.

2007-07-01

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of humic acid samples from low rank Anatolian (east of Turkey, Bingol) coal were investigated under atmospheric pressure. The samples were subjected for the decomposition of organic matter ambient to 800{sup o} C at four different heating rates (5, 10, 15, and 20 degrees C min{sup -1}). The humic acid samples were started at decomposition between 170 - 206{sup o}C and amount of residues varied 55-60% according to heating rate. Each of samples showed a single step mass loss. TG/DTG data of samples were analyzed to determine activation energy values by Coats and Redfern method and Arrheniusmore » method. Activation energy values are similar obtained from Coats and Redfern method and Arrhenius method and varied from 25 to 29 kJ mol{sup -1}.« less

Very high pressure combustion; Reaction propagation rates of nitromethane within a diamond anvil cell

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

Rice, S.F.; Foltz, M.F.

1991-11-01

This paper reports on the combustion-front propagation rate of nitromethane that has been examined to pressures of 40 GPa. A new and general technique involving pulsed laser ignition of an energetic material within a diamond anvil cell and a method for monitoring the rapid decomposition of nitromethane and other explosives to more stable chemical products is described in detail. Nitromethane is shown to exhibit a flame propagation rate that increases smoothly to 100 m/s at 30 GPa as a function of pressure. Above 30 GPa, the final solid-state combustion products change dramatically and the flame propagation rate begins to decrease.more » The combustion-front propagation rate is analyzed in terms of an existing condensed-phase model that predicts a relationship between the front propagation rate, U, and the pressure derivative of the chemical kinetic activation energy, dE{sub a}/dP, such that a plot of logU{sup 2} vs. P should be linear. The activation energy is analyzed to yield an effective volume of activation, {Delta}V, of {minus}3.4 ml/mol. The chemical kinetic parameters determined from the combustion-front propagation rate analysis of solid high-pressure nitromethane is compared with results from other thermal decomposition studies of this prototypic molecular explosive.« less

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay for rapid diagnosis of suspected tuberculosis in an intermediate burden area.

PubMed

You, Joyce H S; Lui, Grace; Kam, Kai Man; Lee, Nelson L S

2015-04-01

We examined, from a Hong Kong healthcare providers' perspective, the cost-effectiveness of rapid diagnosis with Xpert in patients hospitalized for suspected active pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). A decision tree was designed to simulate outcomes of three diagnostic assessment strategies in adult patients hospitalized for suspected active PTB: conventional approach, sputum smear plus Xpert for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear-negative, and a single sputum Xpert test. Model inputs were derived from the literature. Outcome measures were direct medical cost, one-year mortality rate, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost per QALY (ICER). In the base-case analysis, Xpert was more effective with higher QALYs gained and a lower mortality rate when compared with smear plus Xpert by an ICER of USD99. A conventional diagnostic approach was the least preferred option with the highest cost, lowest QALYs gained and highest mortality rate. Sensitivity analysis showed that Xpert would be the most cost-effective option if the sensitivity of sputum AFB smear microscopy was ≤74%. The probabilities of Xpert, smear plus Xpert and a conventional approach to be cost-effective were 94.5%, 5.5% and 0%, respectively, in 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations. The Xpert sputum test appears to be a highly cost-effective diagnostic strategy for patients with suspected active PTB in an intermediate burden area like Hong Kong. Copyright © 2015 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single-cell vs. bulk activity properties of coastal bacterioplankton over an annual cycle in a temperate ecosystem.

PubMed

Morán, Xosé Anxelu G; Calvo-Díaz, Alejandra

2009-01-01

The connections between single-cell activity properties of heterotrophic planktonic bacteria and whole community metabolism are still poorly understood. Here, we show flow cytometry single-cell analysis of membrane-intact (live), high nucleic acid (HNA) content and actively respiring (CTC+) bacteria with samples collected monthly during 2006 in northern Spain coastal waters. Bulk activity was assessed by measuring 3H-Leucine incorporation and specific growth rates. Consistently, different single-cell relative abundances were found, with 60-100% for live, 30-84% for HNA and 0.2-12% for CTC+ cells. Leucine incorporation rates (2-153 pmol L(-1) h(-1)), specific growth rates (0.01-0.29 day(-1)) and the total and relative abundances of the three single-cell groups showed marked seasonal patterns. Distinct depth distributions during summer stratification and different relations with temperature, chlorophyll and bacterial biovolume suggest the existence of different controlling factors on each single-cell property. Pooled leucine incorporation rates were similarly correlated with the abundance of all physiological groups, while specific growth rates were only substantially explained by the percentage of CTC+ cells. However, the ability to reduce CTC proved notably better than the other two single-cell properties at predicting bacterial bulk rates within seasons, suggesting a tight linkage between bacterial individual respiration and biomass production at the community level.

Probiotic mix VSL#3 is effective adjunctive therapy for mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Mardini, Houssam E; Grigorian, Alla Y

2014-09-01

VSL#3 is a probiotic mix preparation reported to be effective in the treatment of mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis. We aimed to perform a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of studies on its efficacy. The searched databases included PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to pool the effect- ize across studies, and the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of experiencing a specific outcome were calculated. Five studies with 441 patients were identified. The pooled remission rate was 49.4% (95% CI, 42.7-56.1). Only 3 low risk of bias studies with 319 patients met the inclusion criteria for further analysis. A total of 162 patients received 3.6 × 10 CFU/d VSL#3, and 157 patients received placebo. A total of 95% of patients received concomitant therapies with 5-ASA and/or immunomodulators. The Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index was used to define response and remission. A >50% decrease in the Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index was achieved in 44.6% of the VSL#3-treated patients versus 25.1% of the patients given placebo (P = 0008; OR, 2.793; 95% CI, 1.375-5.676; number needed to treat = 4-5). The response rate was 53.4% in VSL#3-treated patients versus 29.3% in patients given placebo (P < 0001; OR, 3.03; 95% CI, 1.89-4.83; number needed to treat = 3-4). The remission rate was 43.8% in VSL#3-treated patients versus 24.8% in patients given placebo (P = 0007; OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.48-3.88; number needed to treat = 4-5). No serious side effects were reported. VSL#3, when added to conventional therapy at a daily dose of 3.6 × 10 CFU/d, is safe and more effective than conventional therapy alone in achieving higher response and remission rates in mild to moderately active ulcerative colitis.

Participation in Activities outside of School Hours in Relation to Problem Behavior and Social Skills in Middle Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howie, LaJeana D.; Lukacs, Susan L.; Pastor, Patricia N.; Reuben, Cynthia A.; Mendola, Pauline

2010-01-01

Background: Research has shown that participating in activities outside of school hours is associated with lower dropout rates, enhanced school performance, improved social skills, and reduced problem behaviors. However, most prior studies have been limited to small populations of older children (greater than 12 years). This analysis focuses on…

Active Citizenship and the Secondary School Experience: Community Participation Rates of Australian Youth. Research Report Number.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Kevin; Lipsig-Mumme, Carla; Zajdow, Grazyna

Volunteering is often seen as an essential element in active citizenship and community participation, and existing literature suggests that those who volunteer young are more likely to volunteer through later stages of life. Analysis of Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY), which identified factors that contribute to volunteering for…

Antihypertensive use and the effect of a physical activity intervention in the prevention of major mobility disability among older adults: The LIFE study

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

BACKGROUND: This subgroup analysis of the Lifestyle Intervention and Independence for Elders trial evaluates the impact of a long-term physical activity (PA) intervention on rates of major mobility disability (MMD) among older adults according to their antihypertensive medication use. METHODS: Lifes...

[Differences in the recognition of occupational diseases by sex, occupation and business activity in Spain (1990-2009)].

PubMed

García Gómez, Montserrat; Castañeda López, Rosario; Herrador Ortiz, Zaida; Simón Soria, Fernando

2017-01-09

According to official statistics, men suffer more occupational diseases (OD) than women. Nevertheless, the unequal distribution and participation in the labor markets between men and women should be kept in mind. The purpose was to assess the gender impact in the recognition of OD in Spain, examining interaction and confounding factors. An incidence study of the occupational diseases declared through the official OD reporting forms from 1999 to 2009, provided by the General Subdirectorate of Social and Labor Statistics of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, was conducted. The variables included were: reporting year, sex, age, occupation and economic activity of the company. Rates and crude relative risks (cRR) by these variables were calculated. Adjusted RR were also computed by using multivariate Poisson regression. During the study period a total of 243,310 OD were reported in Spain, with a sex ratio of men to women of 1.07. Correlation existed between occupation and business activity, thus the OD rates and RR were computed by these variables separately. By occupation, men had a crude RR of 1.067 (95%CI:1.058 to 1.076) versus women, while wen the analysis was adjusted by all the variables, the RR was 0.507 (95%CI:0.502 to 0.512). By economic activity of the company, the sense of risk was reversed too in the adjusted analysis (cRR=1.065, 95%CI:1.056 to 1.074 versus 0.632, 95%CI:0.626 to 0.638). Although crude OD rates were lower in women than in men during the period 1999-2009 in Spain, when these rates were adjusted by company activity or worker occupation, age and year of OD declaration, RRs become almost 50% higher in women than in men for the majority of occupations and types of company activity.

The N253F mutant structure of trehalose synthase from Deinococcus radiodurans reveals an open active-site topology.

PubMed

Chow, Sih Yao; Wang, Yung Lin; Hsieh, Yu Chiao; Lee, Guan Chiun; Liaw, Shwu Huey

2017-11-01

Trehalose synthase (TS) catalyzes the reversible conversion of maltose to trehalose and belongs to glycoside hydrolase family 13 (GH13). Previous mechanistic analysis suggested a rate-limiting protein conformational change, which is probably the opening and closing of the active site. Consistently, crystal structures of Deinococcus radiodurans TS (DrTS) in complex with the inhibitor Tris displayed an enclosed active site for catalysis of the intramoleular isomerization. In this study, the apo structure of the DrTS N253F mutant displays a new open conformation with an empty active site. Analysis of these structures suggests that substrate binding induces a domain rotation to close the active site. Such a substrate-induced domain rotation has also been observed in some other GH13 enzymes.

Transmutation approximations for the application of hybrid Monte Carlo/deterministic neutron transport to shutdown dose rate analysis

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

Biondo, Elliott D.; Wilson, Paul P. H.

In fusion energy systems (FES) neutrons born from burning plasma activate system components. The photon dose rate after shutdown from resulting radionuclides must be quantified. This shutdown dose rate (SDR) is calculated by coupling neutron transport, activation analysis, and photon transport. The size, complexity, and attenuating configuration of FES motivate the use of hybrid Monte Carlo (MC)/deterministic neutron transport. The Multi-Step Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (MS-CADIS) method can be used to optimize MC neutron transport for coupled multiphysics problems, including SDR analysis, using deterministic estimates of adjoint flux distributions. When used for SDR analysis, MS-CADIS requires the formulation ofmore » an adjoint neutron source that approximates the transmutation process. In this work, transmutation approximations are used to derive a solution for this adjoint neutron source. It is shown that these approximations are reasonably met for typical FES neutron spectra and materials over a range of irradiation scenarios. When these approximations are met, the Groupwise Transmutation (GT)-CADIS method, proposed here, can be used effectively. GT-CADIS is an implementation of the MS-CADIS method for SDR analysis that uses a series of single-energy-group irradiations to calculate the adjoint neutron source. For a simple SDR problem, GT-CADIS provides speedups of 200 100 relative to global variance reduction with the Forward-Weighted (FW)-CADIS method and 9 ± 5 • 104 relative to analog. As a result, this work shows that GT-CADIS is broadly applicable to FES problems and will significantly reduce the computational resources necessary for SDR analysis.« less

Transmutation approximations for the application of hybrid Monte Carlo/deterministic neutron transport to shutdown dose rate analysis

DOE PAGES

Biondo, Elliott D.; Wilson, Paul P. H.

2017-05-08

In fusion energy systems (FES) neutrons born from burning plasma activate system components. The photon dose rate after shutdown from resulting radionuclides must be quantified. This shutdown dose rate (SDR) is calculated by coupling neutron transport, activation analysis, and photon transport. The size, complexity, and attenuating configuration of FES motivate the use of hybrid Monte Carlo (MC)/deterministic neutron transport. The Multi-Step Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (MS-CADIS) method can be used to optimize MC neutron transport for coupled multiphysics problems, including SDR analysis, using deterministic estimates of adjoint flux distributions. When used for SDR analysis, MS-CADIS requires the formulation ofmore » an adjoint neutron source that approximates the transmutation process. In this work, transmutation approximations are used to derive a solution for this adjoint neutron source. It is shown that these approximations are reasonably met for typical FES neutron spectra and materials over a range of irradiation scenarios. When these approximations are met, the Groupwise Transmutation (GT)-CADIS method, proposed here, can be used effectively. GT-CADIS is an implementation of the MS-CADIS method for SDR analysis that uses a series of single-energy-group irradiations to calculate the adjoint neutron source. For a simple SDR problem, GT-CADIS provides speedups of 200 100 relative to global variance reduction with the Forward-Weighted (FW)-CADIS method and 9 ± 5 • 104 relative to analog. As a result, this work shows that GT-CADIS is broadly applicable to FES problems and will significantly reduce the computational resources necessary for SDR analysis.« less

An approach to functionally relevant clustering of the protein universe: Active site profile‐based clustering of protein structures and sequences

PubMed Central

Knutson, Stacy T.; Westwood, Brian M.; Leuthaeuser, Janelle B.; Turner, Brandon E.; Nguyendac, Don; Shea, Gabrielle; Kumar, Kiran; Hayden, Julia D.; Harper, Angela F.; Brown, Shoshana D.; Morris, John H.; Ferrin, Thomas E.; Babbitt, Patricia C.

2017-01-01

Abstract Protein function identification remains a significant problem. Solving this problem at the molecular functional level would allow mechanistic determinant identification—amino acids that distinguish details between functional families within a superfamily. Active site profiling was developed to identify mechanistic determinants. DASP and DASP2 were developed as tools to search sequence databases using active site profiling. Here, TuLIP (Two‐Level Iterative clustering Process) is introduced as an iterative, divisive clustering process that utilizes active site profiling to separate structurally characterized superfamily members into functionally relevant clusters. Underlying TuLIP is the observation that functionally relevant families (curated by Structure‐Function Linkage Database, SFLD) self‐identify in DASP2 searches; clusters containing multiple functional families do not. Each TuLIP iteration produces candidate clusters, each evaluated to determine if it self‐identifies using DASP2. If so, it is deemed a functionally relevant group. Divisive clustering continues until each structure is either a functionally relevant group member or a singlet. TuLIP is validated on enolase and glutathione transferase structures, superfamilies well‐curated by SFLD. Correlation is strong; small numbers of structures prevent statistically significant analysis. TuLIP‐identified enolase clusters are used in DASP2 GenBank searches to identify sequences sharing functional site features. Analysis shows a true positive rate of 96%, false negative rate of 4%, and maximum false positive rate of 4%. F‐measure and performance analysis on the enolase search results and comparison to GEMMA and SCI‐PHY demonstrate that TuLIP avoids the over‐division problem of these methods. Mechanistic determinants for enolase families are evaluated and shown to correlate well with literature results. PMID:28054422

An approach to functionally relevant clustering of the protein universe: Active site profile-based clustering of protein structures and sequences.

PubMed

Knutson, Stacy T; Westwood, Brian M; Leuthaeuser, Janelle B; Turner, Brandon E; Nguyendac, Don; Shea, Gabrielle; Kumar, Kiran; Hayden, Julia D; Harper, Angela F; Brown, Shoshana D; Morris, John H; Ferrin, Thomas E; Babbitt, Patricia C; Fetrow, Jacquelyn S

2017-04-01

Protein function identification remains a significant problem. Solving this problem at the molecular functional level would allow mechanistic determinant identification-amino acids that distinguish details between functional families within a superfamily. Active site profiling was developed to identify mechanistic determinants. DASP and DASP2 were developed as tools to search sequence databases using active site profiling. Here, TuLIP (Two-Level Iterative clustering Process) is introduced as an iterative, divisive clustering process that utilizes active site profiling to separate structurally characterized superfamily members into functionally relevant clusters. Underlying TuLIP is the observation that functionally relevant families (curated by Structure-Function Linkage Database, SFLD) self-identify in DASP2 searches; clusters containing multiple functional families do not. Each TuLIP iteration produces candidate clusters, each evaluated to determine if it self-identifies using DASP2. If so, it is deemed a functionally relevant group. Divisive clustering continues until each structure is either a functionally relevant group member or a singlet. TuLIP is validated on enolase and glutathione transferase structures, superfamilies well-curated by SFLD. Correlation is strong; small numbers of structures prevent statistically significant analysis. TuLIP-identified enolase clusters are used in DASP2 GenBank searches to identify sequences sharing functional site features. Analysis shows a true positive rate of 96%, false negative rate of 4%, and maximum false positive rate of 4%. F-measure and performance analysis on the enolase search results and comparison to GEMMA and SCI-PHY demonstrate that TuLIP avoids the over-division problem of these methods. Mechanistic determinants for enolase families are evaluated and shown to correlate well with literature results. © 2017 The Authors Protein Science published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Protein Society.

Potential clinical and economic outcomes of active beta-D-glucan surveillance with preemptive therapy for invasive candidiasis at intensive care units: a decision model analysis.

PubMed

Pang, Y-K; Ip, M; You, J H S

2017-01-01

Early initiation of antifungal treatment for invasive candidiasis is associated with change in mortality. Beta-D-glucan (BDG) is a fungal cell wall component and a serum diagnostic biomarker of fungal infection. Clinical findings suggested an association between reduced invasive candidiasis incidence in intensive care units (ICUs) and BDG-guided preemptive antifungal therapy. We evaluated the potential cost-effectiveness of active BDG surveillance with preemptive antifungal therapy in patients admitted to adult ICUs from the perspective of Hong Kong healthcare providers. A Markov model was designed to simulate the outcomes of active BDG surveillance with preemptive therapy (surveillance group) and no surveillance (standard care group). Candidiasis-associated outcome measures included mortality rate, quality-adjusted life year (QALY) loss, and direct medical cost. Model inputs were derived from the literature. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the robustness of model results. In base-case analysis, the surveillance group was more costly (1387 USD versus 664 USD) (1 USD = 7.8 HKD), with lower candidiasis-associated mortality rate (0.653 versus 1.426 per 100 ICU admissions) and QALY loss (0.116 versus 0.254) than the standard care group. The incremental cost per QALY saved by the surveillance group was 5239 USD/QALY. One-way sensitivity analyses found base-case results to be robust to variations of all model inputs. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the surveillance group was cost-effective in 50 % and 100 % of 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations at willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds of 7200 USD/QALY and ≥27,800 USD/QALY, respectively. Active BDG surveillance with preemptive therapy appears to be highly cost-effective to reduce the candidiasis-associated mortality rate and save QALYs in the ICU setting.

Performance of Crohn's disease Clinical Trial Endpoints based upon Different Cutoffs for Patient Reported Outcomes or Endoscopic Activity: Analysis of EXTEND Data.

PubMed

Feagan, Brian; Sandborn, William J; Rutgeerts, Paul; Levesque, Barrett G; Khanna, Reena; Huang, Bidan; Zhou, Qian; Maa, Jen-Fue; Wallace, Kori; Lacerda, Ana; Thakkar, Roopal B; Robinson, Anne M

2018-04-23

Clinical trial endpoints for Crohn's disease (CD) activity correlate poorly with mucosal inflammation; to assess treatment efficacy, patient-reported outcomes and endoscopic assessments are preferred. This study assessed the impact on treatment efficacy estimations of using different definitions of clinical and endoscopic remission and endoscopic response, and of using site- or central-based endoscopy evaluation. This post hoc analysis of data fromEXTEND (extend the safety and efficacy of adalimumab through endoscopic healing), a placebo (PBO)-controlled, randomized trial of adalimumab (ADA) for mucosal healing, included adults with moderate-to-severe CD. Subsets of patients meeting specified Simplified Endoscopic Score for CD (SES-CD) inclusion criteria, according to site or central reading, and baseline stool frequency (SF) and/or abdominal pain score (AP) thresholds were evaluated. Various endpoint definitions based on the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI), its SF and AP components, SES-CD, and composite endpoints were compared between treatment groups. Increased stringency of Week 12 clinical endpoints compared to CDAI<150 to SF≤3.0/1.5&AP≤1.0 reduced PBO response rates by ≥12% and increased treatment effects by ≤10%. Amending the SES-CD endpoint from ≤4 to ≤2 reduced the treatment effect from 24% to 8%. Composite endpoints further diminished response rates and effect sizes. Site-based evaluation was associated with lower remission rates versus central reading in the PBO group and, thus, greater ADA-related treatment effects. This analysis is the first to demonstrate that increasing the stringency of clinical and endoscopic endpoint definitions in CD trials, especially lowering SF or SES-CD definitions, reduces the ability to detect treatment-related change in CD activity; focus on endpoints that reflect clinical change is warranted.

Effect of clinical response to active drugs and placebo on antipsychotics and mood stabilizers relative efficacy for bipolar depression and mania: A meta-regression analysis.

PubMed

Bartoli, Francesco; Clerici, Massimo; Di Brita, Carmen; Riboldi, Ilaria; Crocamo, Cristina; Carrà, Giuseppe

2018-04-01

Randomised placebo-controlled trials investigating treatments for bipolar disorder have been hampered by wide variations of active drugs and placebo clinical response rates. It is important to estimate whether the active drug or placebo response has a greater influence in determining the relative efficacy of drugs for psychosis (antipsychotics) and relapse prevention (mood stabilisers) for bipolar depression and mania. We identified 53 randomised, placebo-controlled trials assessing antipsychotic or mood stabiliser monotherapy ('active drugs') for bipolar depression or mania. We carried out random-effects meta-regressions, estimating the influence of active drugs and placebo response rates on treatment relative efficacy. Meta-regressions showed that treatment relative efficacy for bipolar mania was influenced by the magnitude of clinical response to active drugs ( p=0.002), but not to placebo ( p=0.60). On the other hand, treatment relative efficacy for bipolar depression was influenced by response to placebo ( p=0.047), but not to active drugs ( p=0.98). Despite several limitations, our unexpected findings showed that antipsychotics / mood stabilisers relative efficacy for bipolar depression seems unrelated to active drugs response rates, depending only on clinical response to placebo. Future research should explore strategies to reduce placebo-related issues in randomised, placebo-controlled trials for bipolar depression.

Intrinsic Connectivity Provides the Baseline Framework for Variability in Motor Performance: A Multivariate Fusion Analysis of Low- and High-Frequency Resting-State Oscillations and Antisaccade Performance.

PubMed

Jamadar, Sharna D; Egan, Gary F; Calhoun, Vince D; Johnson, Beth; Fielding, Joanne

2016-07-01

Intrinsic brain activity provides the functional framework for the brain's full repertoire of behavioral responses; that is, a common mechanism underlies intrinsic and extrinsic neural activity, with extrinsic activity building upon the underlying baseline intrinsic activity. The generation of a motor movement in response to sensory stimulation is one of the most fundamental functions of the central nervous system. Since saccadic eye movements are among our most stereotyped motor responses, we hypothesized that individual variability in the ability to inhibit a prepotent saccade and make a voluntary antisaccade would be related to individual variability in intrinsic connectivity. Twenty-three individuals completed the antisaccade task and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A multivariate analysis of covariance identified relationships between fMRI oscillations (0.01-0.2 Hz) of resting-state networks determined using high-dimensional independent component analysis and antisaccade performance (latency, error rate). Significant multivariate relationships between antisaccade latency and directional error rate were obtained in independent components across the entire brain. Some of the relationships were obtained in components that overlapped substantially with the task; however, many were obtained in components that showed little overlap with the task. The current results demonstrate that even in the absence of a task, spectral power in regions showing little overlap with task activity predicts an individual's performance on a saccade task.

Decadal strain along creeping faults in the Needles District, Paradox Basin Utah determined with InSAR Time Series Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kravitz, K.; Furuya, M.; Mueller, K. J.

2013-12-01

The Needles District, in Canyonlands National Park in Utah exposes an array of actively creeping normal faults that accommodate gravity-driven extension above a plastically deforming substrate of evaporite deposits. Previous interferogram stacking and InSAR analysis of faults in the Needles District using 35 ERS satellite scenes from 1992 to 2002 showed line-of-sight deformation rates of ~1-2 mm/yr along active normal faults, with a wide strain gradient along the eastern margin of the deforming region. More rapid subsidence of ~2-2.5 mm/yr was also evident south of the main fault array across a broad platform bounded by the Colorado River and a single fault scarp to the south. In this study, time series analysis was performed on SAR scenes from Envisat, PALSAR, and ERS satellites ranging from 1992 to 2010 to expand upon previous results. Both persistent scatterer and small baseline methods were implemented using StaMPS. Preliminary results from Envisat data indicate equally distributed slip rates along the length of faults within the Needles District and very little subsidence in the broad region further southwest identified in previous work. A phase ramp that appears to be present within the initial interferograms creates uncertainty in the current analysis and future work is aimed at removing this artifact. Our new results suggest, however that a clear deformation signal is present along a number of large grabens in the northern part of the region at higher rates of up to 3-4 mm/yr. Little to no creep is evident along the single fault zone that bounds the southern Needles, in spite of the presence of a large and apparently active fault. This includes a segment of this fault that is instrumented by a creepmeter that yields slip rates on the order of ~1mm/yr. Further work using time series analysis and a larger sampling of SAR scenes will be used in an effort to determine why differences exist between previous and current work and to test mechanics-based modeling of extension in the region.

Tofacitinib Versus Biologic Treatments in Patients With Active Rheumatoid Arthritis Who Have Had an Inadequate Response to Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors: Results From a Network Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Vieira, Maria-Cecilia; Zwillich, Samuel H; Jansen, Jeroen P; Smiechowski, Brielan; Spurden, Dean; Wallenstein, Gene V

2016-12-01

Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This analysis compared the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with RA and a prior inadequate response (IR) to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi). A systematic literature review identified 5 randomized placebo-controlled trials that evaluated tofacitinib or biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) against placebo in patient populations with RA with a prior IR to TNFi. The definition of TNFi-IR varied across studies, and included patients with an IR or who had failed treatment with TNFi for any reason. A network meta-analysis was conducted comparing study data with regard to American College of Rheumatology response rates and Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index improvement at weeks 12 and 24, rates of treatment withdrawal due to all causes; adverse events (AEs) and lack of efficacy; and rates of AEs, serious AEs, and serious infections. The 5 trials included a total of 2136 patients. Tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily combined with methotrexate was found to have relative risk estimates of American College of Rheumatology responses and change from baseline in Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index score comparable with abatacept, golimumab, rituximab, and tocilizumab combined with conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Withdrawal rates from trials due to all causes and AEs were comparable between treatments, and tofacitinib had a lower rate of withdrawals due to lack of efficacy. Rates of AEs and HAQ-DI were comparable between tofacitinib, other active treatments, and placebo. No serious infections were reported with tofacitinib during the placebo-controlled period (up to week 12) in this study population; rates of serious infection with other active treatments were generally low and similar to placebo. During a 24-week period, tofacitinib had efficacy and rates of AEs comparable with currently available bDMARDs in the treatment of patients with RA who had a prior IR to TNFi. ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: ORAL Step, NCT00960440; ATTAIN, NCT00124982; GO-AFTER, NCT00299546; RADIATE, NCT00106522; REFLEX, NCT00462345. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

A theoretical model to determine the capacity performance of shape-specific electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Yuan; Liang, Hong

2018-06-01

A theory is proposed to explain and predict the electrochemical process during reaction between lithium ions and electrode materials. In the model, the process of reaction is proceeded into two steps, surface adsorption and diffusion of lithium ions. The surface adsorption is an instantaneous process for lithium ions to adsorb onto the surface sites of active materials. The diffusion of lithium ions into particles is determined by the charge-discharge condition. A formula to determine the maximum specific capacity of active materials at different charging rates (C-rates) is derived. The maximum specific capacity is correlated to characteristic parameters of materials and cycling - such as size, aspect ratio, surface area, and C-rate. Analysis indicates that larger particle size or greater aspect ratio of active materials and faster C-rates can reduce maximum specific capacity. This suggests that reducing particle size of active materials and slowing the charge-discharge speed can provide enhanced electrochemical performance of a battery cell. Furthermore, the model is validated by published experimental results. This model brings new understanding in quantification of electrochemical kinetics and capacity performance. It enables development of design strategies for novel electrodes and future generation of energy storage devices.

Flare rates and the McIntosh active-region classifications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bornmann, P. L.; Shaw, D.

1994-01-01

Multiple linear regression analysis was used to derive the effective solar flare contributions of each of the McIntosh classification parameters. The best fits to the combined average number of M- and X-class X-ray flares per day were found when the flare contributions were assumed to be multiplicative rather than additive. This suggests that nonlinear processes may amplify the effects of the following different active-region properties encoded in the McIntosh classifications: the length of the sunspot group, the size and shape of the largest spot, and the distribution of spots within the group. Since many of these active-region properties are correlated with magnetic field strengths and fluxes, we suggest that the derived correlations reflect a more fundamental relationship between flare production and the magnetic properties of the region. The derived flare contributions for the individual McIntosh parameters can be used to derive a flare rate for each of the three-parameter McIntosh classes. These derived flare rates can be interpreted as smoothed values that may provide better estimates of an active region's expected flare rate when rare classes are reported or when the multiple observing sites report slightly different classifications.

Total body nitrogen analysis. [neutron activation analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, H. E.

1975-01-01

Studies of two potential in vivo neutron activation methods for determining total and partial body nitrogen in animals and humans are described. A method using the CO-11 in the expired air as a measure of nitrogen content was found to be adequate for small animals such as rats, but inadequate for human measurements due to a slow excretion rate. Studies on the method of measuring the induced N-13 in the body show that with further development, this method should be adequate for measuring muscle mass changes occurring in animals or humans during space flight.

Practical Weathering for Geology Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodder, A. Peter

1990-01-01

The design and data management of an activity to study weathering by increasing the rate of mineral dissolution in a microwave oven is described. Data analysis in terms of parabolic and first-order kinetics is discussed. (CW)

Estimates of increased black carbon emissions from electrostatic precipitators during powdered activated carbon injection for mercury emissions control.

PubMed

Clack, Herek L

2012-07-03

The behavior of mercury sorbents within electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) is not well-understood, despite a decade or more of full-scale testing. Recent laboratory results suggest that powdered activated carbon exhibits somewhat different collection behavior than fly ash in an ESP and particulate filters located at the outlet of ESPs have shown evidence of powdered activated carbon penetration during full-scale tests of sorbent injection for mercury emissions control. The present analysis considers a range of assumed differential ESP collection efficiencies for powdered activated carbon as compared to fly ash. Estimated emission rates of submicrometer powdered activated carbon are compared to estimated emission rates of particulate carbon on submicrometer fly ash, each corresponding to its respective collection efficiency. To the extent that any emitted powdered activated carbon exhibits size and optical characteristics similar to black carbon, such emissions could effectively constitute an increase in black carbon emissions from coal-based stationary power generation. The results reveal that even for the low injection rates associated with chemically impregnated carbons, submicrometer particulate carbon emissions can easily double if the submicrometer fraction of the native fly ash has a low carbon content. Increasing sorbent injection rates, larger collection efficiency differentials as compared to fly ash, and decreasing sorbent particle size all lead to increases in the estimated submicrometer particulate carbon emissions.

[Active tuberculosis in a cohort of HIV-infected inmates in a prison in Mexico City: clinical and epidemiological characteristics].

PubMed

Hernández-León, Christian; Badial-Hernández, Florentino; Ponce-de-León, Alfredo; Sierra-Madero, Juan G; Martínez-Gamboa, Areli; Crabtree-Ramírez, Brenda; Bautista-Arredondo, Sergio; González-Aguirre, Adrián; Guerrero-Almeida, María de Lourdes; del Valle, J Miriam Bobadilla; González-Rodríguez, Andrea; Sifuentes-Osornio, José

2012-01-01

To determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of prison inmates with active tuberculosis in HIV-positive prison populations. We conducted a cohort study in HIV-infected subjects in a prison in Mexico City, with the aim of determining clinical and epidemiological characteristics of cases with active TB. We detected 172 HIV infected inmates and TB in 28 of them (16.3%) - 21 (12.2) with pulmonary TB--with an incidence rate of 7.7/100 persons/year for active TB and 4.7/100 persons/year for pulmonary TB. No drug resistance was found. Two clusters (4 and 2 subjects) were observed after RFLP-typing of 18 isolates, with a transmission rate of 11% by molecular and clinical analysis. The prevalence of active TB was found to be a thousand times greater than in the general population. Evidence of transmission inside the prison was also found.

The Importance of Outdoor Activity and Place Attachment to Adolescent Development in Coös County, New Hampshire. Paper 208. New Hampshire and New England Issue Brief No. 37

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seaman, Jayson; McLaughlin, Sean

2013-01-01

This brief discusses the rates of participation in structured and unstructured outdoor activities as Coös County youth age, along with the relationship between outdoor activity involvement and indicators of place attachment throughout this period. The analysis is based on data collected between 2008 and 2013 as part of the Carsey Institute's Panel…

Weld analysis and control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, Larry Z. (Inventor); Rodgers, Michael H. (Inventor); Powell, Bradley W. (Inventor); Burroughs, Ivan A. (Inventor); Goode, K. Wayne (Inventor)

1994-01-01

The invention is a Weld Analysis and Control System developed for active weld system control through real time weld data acquisition. Closed-loop control is based on analysis of weld system parameters and weld geometry. The system is adapted for use with automated welding apparatus having a weld controller which is capable of active electronic control of all aspects of a welding operation. Enhanced graphics and data displays are provided for post-weld analysis. The system provides parameter acquisition, including seam location which is acquired for active torch cross-seam positioning. Torch stand-off is also monitored for control. Weld bead and parent surface geometrical parameters are acquired as an indication of weld quality. These parameters include mismatch, peaking, undercut, underfill, crown height, weld width, puddle diameter, and other measurable information about the weld puddle regions, such as puddle symmetry, etc. These parameters provide a basis for active control as well as post-weld quality analysis and verification. Weld system parameters, such as voltage, current and wire feed rate, are also monitored and archived for correlation with quality parameters.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity sector in major countries: a decomposition analysis.

PubMed

Li, Xiangzheng; Liao, Hua; Du, Yun-Fei; Wang, Ce; Wang, Jin-Wei; Liu, Yanan

2018-03-01

The electric power sector is one of the primary sources of CO 2 emissions. Analyzing the influential factors that result in CO 2 emissions from the power sector would provide valuable information to reduce the world's CO 2 emissions. Herein, we applied the Divisia decomposition method to analyze the influential factors for CO 2 emissions from the power sector from 11 countries, which account for 67% of the world's emissions from 1990 to 2013. We decompose the influential factors for CO 2 emissions into seven areas: the emission coefficient, energy intensity, the share of electricity generation, the share of thermal power generation, electricity intensity, economic activity, and population. The decomposition analysis results show that economic activity, population, and the emission coefficient have positive roles in increasing CO 2 emissions, and their contribution rates are 119, 23.9, and 0.5%, respectively. Energy intensity, electricity intensity, the share of electricity generation, and the share of thermal power generation curb CO 2 emissions and their contribution rates are 17.2, 15.7, 7.7, and 2.8%, respectively. Through decomposition analysis for each country, economic activity and population are the major factors responsible for increasing CO 2 emissions from the power sector. However, the other factors from developed countries can offset the growth in CO 2 emissions due to economic activities.

Attrition in trials evaluating complex interventions for schizophrenia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Szymczynska, P; Walsh, S; Greenberg, L; Priebe, S

2017-07-01

Essential criteria for the methodological quality and validity of randomized controlled trials are the drop-out rates from both the experimental intervention and the study as a whole. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed these drop-out rates in non-pharmacological schizophrenia trials. A systematic literature search was used to identify relevant trials with ≥100 sample size and to extract the drop-out data. The rates of drop-out from the experimental intervention and study were calculated with meta-analysis of proportions. Meta-regression was applied to explore the association between the study and sample characteristics and the drop-out rates. 43 RCTs were found, with drop-out from intervention ranging from 0% to 63% and study drop-out ranging from 4% to 71%. Meta-analyses of proportions showed an overall drop-out rate of 14% (95% CI: 13-15%) at the experimental intervention level and 20% (95% CI: 17-24%) at the study level. Meta-regression showed that the active intervention drop-out rates were predicted by the number of intervention sessions. In non-pharmacological schizophrenia trials, drop-out rates of less than 20% can be achieved for both the study and the experimental intervention. A high heterogeneity of drop-out rates across studies shows that even lower rates are achievable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The functional state classification and evaluation of the stability level in mental loads based on the factor structure of heart rate variability parameters].

PubMed

Mashin, V A; Mashina, M N

2004-12-01

In the paper, outcomes of the researches devoted to factor analysis of heart rate variability parameters and definition of the most informative parameters for diagnostics of functional states and an evaluation of level of stability to mental loads, are presented. The factor structure of parameters, which unclude integral level of heart rate variability (1), balance between activity of vagus and brain cortical-limbic systems (2), integrated level of cardiovascular system functioning (3), is substantiated. Factor analysis outcomes have been used for construction of functional state classification, for their differential diagnostics, and for development and check of algorithm for evaluation of the stability level in mental loads.

An Analysis of the Space Transportation System Launch Rate Capability Utilizing Q-GERT Simulation Techniques.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

VAPE was modeled to determine this launch rate and to determine the processing times for an Orbiter at VAPe . This informa- 21 tion was then used in the...year (node 79 and activity ?1). ETa are then selected to be sent to either KSC or VAPE (node 80). This decision is made (using Ur 8) on the basis of

The Pierre Auger Observatory scaler mode for the study of solar activity modulation of galactic cosmic rays

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

Abreu, P.; /Lisbon, LIFEP /Lisbon, IST; Aglietta, M.

2011-01-01

Since data-taking began in January 2004, the Pierre Auger Observatory has been recording the count rates of low energy secondary cosmic ray particles for the self-calibration of the ground detectors of its surface detector array. After correcting for atmospheric effects, modulations of galactic cosmic rays due to solar activity and transient events are observed. Temporal variations related with the activity of the heliosphere can be determined with high accuracy due to the high total count rates. In this study, the available data are presented together with an analysis focused on the observation of Forbush decreases, where a strong correlation withmore » neutron monitor data is found.« less

Increasing seismic activity at 9deg50'N on the East Pacific Rise RIDGE 2000 Integrated Studies Site from October 2003 through April 2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weekly, R. T.; Tolstoy, M.; Waldhauser, F.; Bohnenstiehl, D. R.; Kim, W.

2005-12-01

Monitoring of micro-seismicity within the bull's-eye region of the R2K ISS at 9deg49'N - 9deg51'N on the East Pacific Rise has been ongoing since October 2003. Results from the first deployment (October 2003 - April 2004) will be presented with hypocenters determined using relative-relocation techniques. Analysis shows that there is a gradual and ongoing increase in the rate of activity over the 7 months of the deployment. Mean event rates increase from 31 events/day for the first quarter of the deployment period, to 55, 105, and 131 events per day for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters, respectively. This gradual increase in activity suggests long-term changes in the magma body or changes in the hydrothermal cracking front. Preliminary analysis and event counts for the 2004-2005 deployment will be presented to assess whether or not the build up in activity seen in 2003-2004 continued. Numerous brief swarms are observed throughout the deployment and their locations will be studied relative to temporal changes in the vent temperature monitoring as well as variations in the fluid chemistry (see Von Damm et al., same session). Early analysis suggests two dominant areas of recurrent activity, between M-vent and Bio-9 and between Bio-9 and Tube-worm pillar. The exceptionally well-characterized and monitored seafloor at this site allows for unprecedented correlation of observed seismic activity with local biology, geology, geochemical and hydrothermal monitoring. As results from different monitoring activities continue to come in, a detailed understanding of the linkages should emerge.

The Effects of Requiring Parental Consent for Research on Adolescents' Risk Behaviors: A Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Chao; Cox, Ronald B; Washburn, Isaac J; Croff, Julie M; Crethar, Hugh C

2017-07-01

Requiring parental consent may result in sampling biases that confound scientific conclusions and stifle the representation of children most at risk for adverse outcomes. This study aims to investigate whether active parental consent, compared with passive parental consent, creates a bias in response rate, demographic makeup, and adverse outcomes in adolescent samples. A meta-analysis was performed on peer-reviewed articles and unpublished dissertations from 1975 to 2016 in five computerized databases ERIC, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, PubMed and ProQuest. Quantitative studies were retained if they included the following keywords: active consent (or informed consent or parental consent), passive consent (or waiver of consent), risk behavior, adolescen*. Fifteen studies were identified with a total number of 104,074 children. Results showed (1) response rates were significantly lower for studies using active consent procedure than those using passive consent procedure (Z = 3.05, p = .002); (2) more females, younger participants, and less African-Americans were included in studies using active consent procedures than studies using passive procedures (Z = -2.73, p = .006; Z = -12.06, p < .00001; Z = 2.19, p = .03, respectively); (3) studies with passive consent procedures showed higher rates of self-reported substance use than studies using active consent procedures (Z = 3.07, p = .002). Requiring active parental consent can lead to a systematic bias in the sample where the population under study is misrepresented. Institutional review board committees should collaborate with researchers to find solutions that protect minors without silencing the voice of high-risk youth in the literature. Copyright © 2017 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Disproportionate Participation of Males and Females in Academic Pediatric Orthopaedics: An Analysis of Abstract Authorship at POSNA 2009-2013.

PubMed

Sharkey, Melinda S; Feinn, Richard S; Tate, Victoria V; Carter, Cordelia W; Cassese, Todd T

2016-06-01

Despite increasing numbers of female orthopaedic surgeons, we hypothesized that women were not actively participating at national and international meetings in numbers proportional to their membership. A retrospective review of the 2009-2013 POSNA Annual Meeting Final Programs was performed. The following information was recorded for all members: name, sex, membership level, years of membership, and if the individual was an author on at least 1 abstract. To compare proportion of abstract authorship between sexes across years, while controlling for years of membership, general estimating equations with a binomial model and logit link were used. The study population was limited to candidate and active POSNA members only, as this group represents the most active practicing pediatric orthopaedic surgeons. Over the 5-year period studied, females comprised 16.6% (204/1227) of the total POSNA membership and 20.9% (184/880) of members at candidate and active status. The percentage of females with candidate or active member status in POSNA who had at least 1 abstract presentation during the 5 years was 37% and this was significantly lower (P=0.003) than the percentage of men (49%) who presented at least 1 abstract. Analysis across the 5 years showed a consistent difference between the sexes with no trend of convergence in abstract rates (P=0.65). Controlling for years membership, female members still presented abstracts at lower rates than their male colleagues (P=0.002). Female members of POSNA, in the most active part of their careers, participated at significantly lower rates than their male peers as accepted abstract authors for the 2009-2013 POSNA meetings than would be expected for their proportional size of total membership.

Global changes alter soil fungal communities and alter rates of organic matter decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, J.; Frey, S. D.

2016-12-01

Global changes - such as warming, more frequent and severe droughts, increasing atmospheric CO2, and increasing nitrogen (N) deposition rates - are altering ecosystem processes. The balance between soil carbon (C) accumulation and decomposition is determined in large part by the activity and biomass of detrital organisms, namely soil fungi, and yet their sensitivity to global changes remains unresolved. We present results from a meta-analysis of 200+ studies spanning manipulative and observational field experiments to quantify fungal responses to global change and expected consequences for ecosystem C dynamics. Warming altered the functional soil microbial community by reducing the ratio of fungi to bacteria (f:b) total fungal biomass. Additionally, warming reduced lignolytic enzyme activity generally by one-third. Simulated N deposition affected f:b differently than warming, but the effect on fungal biomass and activity was similar. The effect of N-enrichment on f:b was contingent upon ecosystem type; f:b increased in alpine meadows and heathlands but decreased in temperate forests following N-enrichment. Across ecosystems, fungal biomass marginally declined by 8% in N-enriched soils. In general, N-enrichment reduced fungal lignolytic enzyme activity, which could explain why soil C accumulates in some ecosystems following warming and N-enrichment. Several global change experiments have reported the surprising result that soil C builds up following increases in temperature and N deposition rates. While site-specific studies have examined the role of soil fungi in ecosystem responses to global change, we present the first meta-analysis documenting general patterns of global change impacts on soil fungal communities, biomass, and activity. In sum, we provide evidence that soil microbial community shifts and activity plays a large part in ecosystem responses to global changes, and have the potential to alter the magnitude of the C-climate feedback.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study with alprazolam and extended-release alprazolam in the treatment of panic disorder.

PubMed

Pecknold, J; Luthe, L; Munjack, D; Alexander, P

1994-10-01

This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose, multicenter, 6-week study comparing regular alprazolam (compressed tablet, CT), given four times per day, and extended release alprazolam (XR), given once in the morning. The aim of the XR preparation is to offer less frequent dosing and to reduce interdose anxiety. Of the intent-to-treat group of 209 patients, 184 completed 3 weeks of medication and were evaluated according to protocol. There was a completer rate for the 6 weeks of 94% (CT), 97% (XR), and 87% (placebo). On global measures, Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, phobia rating, and work disability measures, both active treatment groups were equally effective and significantly more efficacious than the placebo cell on endpoint MANOVA analysis. On analysis of the panic factor with endpoint data, both active treatment groups were equally effective throughout the 6-week trial and significantly more efficacious than the placebo group. Drowsiness occurred more frequently with CT alprazolam (86% of patients) than with the XR preparation (79%) or placebo (49%).

Safety of strength training in premenopausal women: musculoskeletal injuries from a two-year randomized trial.

PubMed

Warren, Meghan; Schmitz, Kathryn H

2009-01-01

The health benefits of strength training must be weighed against risks, including injuries. A prior study observed 4.2 injuries that limited usual activities for a day per 1000 strength training sessions among men and women. The analysis herein explores the incidence rates of musculoskeletal injuries from strength training in women. Randomized controlled trial. SETTING; Free-living community. A total of 163 injury-free, overweight, sedentary, premenopausal women aged 25 to 44 years. Two years of strength training (n = 81) or standard care (n = 82). The intervention followed published guidelines (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) with hypothesized injury prevention strategies. An injury survey was administered at years 1 and 2. Injury was defined as physical activity or strength training associated injuries that limited daily activities for 1 week or more. Denominators for rate calculation were accelerometer-measured physical activity and strength training attendance (strength training only). The between-group probability of injuries was assessed using generalized estimating equations. Injury incidence rates were higher in strength training compared with standard care. In strength training, the injury rates were 3.6 per 1000 strength training sessions (95% confidence interval: 2.5-4.8 per 1000) for physical activity-related injuries, and 2.6 per 1000 (95% confidence interval: 1.5-3.6 per 1000) for strength training-related injuries. Injury rates varied by definition and denominator. Strength training had lower injury rates than previously reported, providing preliminary support for the prevention strategies. The finding of strength training injuries underscores the need for balancing the benefits against the potential risks of this exercise modality.

Long-term solar activity explored with wavelet methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lundstedt, H.; Liszka, L.; Lundin, R.; Muscheler, R.

2006-03-01

Long-term solar activity has been studied with a set of wavelet methods. The following indicators of long-term solar activity were used; the group sunspot number, the sunspot number, and the 14C production rate. Scalograms showed the very long-term scales of 2300 years (Hallstat cycle), 900-1000 years, 400-500 years, and 200 years (de Vries cycle). Scalograms of a newly-constructed 14C production rate showed interesting solar modulation during the Maunder minimum. Multi-Resolution Analysis (MRA) revealed the modulation in detail, as well as peaks of solar activity not seen in the sunspot number. In both the group sunspot number scalogram and the 14C production rate scalogram, a process appeared, starting or ending in late 1700. This process has not been discussed before. Its solar origin is unclear.

The group sunspot number ampligram and the sunspot number ampligram showed the Maunder and the Dalton minima, and the period of high solar activity, which already started about 1900 and then decreased again after mid 1990. The decrease starts earlier for weaker components. Also, weak semiperiodic activity was found.

Time Scale Spectra (TSS) showed both deterministic and stochastic processes behind the variability of the long-term solar activity. TSS of the 14C production rate, group sunspot number and Mt. Wilson sunspot index and plage index were compared in an attempt to interpret the features and processes behind the long-term variability.

Temporal and inter-task consistency of heart rate reactivity during active psychological challenge: a twin study.

PubMed

Turner, J R; Carroll, D; Sims, J; Hewitt, J K; Kelly, K A

1986-01-01

Heart rate was monitored while 22 pairs of young male monozygotic and 29 pairs of young male dizygotic twins were exposed to a video game and a mental arithmetic task. The heart rate reactions of the monozygotic twins showed much greater concordance than those of the dizygotic twins. Analysis of the data for the 102 individuals demonstrated reliable inter-task consistency of heart rate reaction. In addition, comparison of the heart rate reactions of ten pairs of monozygotic and ten pairs of dizygotic twins who had been tested more than a year earlier and their present reactivities revealed impressive temporal consistency.

Quantitative analysis of geomorphic processes using satellite image data at different scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, R. S., Jr.

1985-01-01

When aerial and satellite photographs and images are used in the quantitative analysis of geomorphic processes, either through direct observation of active processes or by analysis of landforms resulting from inferred active or dormant processes, a number of limitations in the use of such data must be considered. Active geomorphic processes work at different scales and rates. Therefore, the capability of imaging an active or dormant process depends primarily on the scale of the process and the spatial-resolution characteristic of the imaging system. Scale is an important factor in recording continuous and discontinuous active geomorphic processes, because what is not recorded will not be considered or even suspected in the analysis of orbital images. If the geomorphic process of landform change caused by the process is less than 200 m in x to y dimension, then it will not be recorded. Although the scale factor is critical, in the recording of discontinuous active geomorphic processes, the repeat interval of orbital-image acquisition of a planetary surface also is a consideration in order to capture a recurring short-lived geomorphic process or to record changes caused by either a continuous or a discontinuous geomorphic process.

The effect of low frequency stimulation of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus on basal ganglia in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Park, Eunkyoung; Song, Inho; Jang, Dong Pyo; Kim, In Young

2014-08-08

The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) has recently been introduced as an alternative target to the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or globus pallidus internus (GPi) for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease with severe and medically intractable axial symptoms such as gait and postural impairment. However, it is little known about how electrical stimulation of the PPN affects control of neuronal activities between the PPN and basal ganglia. We examined how low frequency stimulation of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) affects control of neuronal activities between the PPN and basal ganglia in 6-OHDA lesioned rats. In order to identify the effect of low frequency stimulation on the PPTg, neuronal activity in both the STN and substantia nigra par reticulata (SNr) were recorded and subjected to quantitative analysis, including analysis of firing rates and firing patterns. In this study, we found that the firing rates of the STN and SNr were suppressed during low frequency stimulation of the PPTg. However, the firing pattern, in contrast to the firing rate, did not exhibit significant changes in either the STN or SNr of 6-OHDA lesioned rats during low frequency stimulation of the PPTg. In addition, we also found that the firing rate of STN and SNr neurons displaying burst and random pattern were decreased by low frequency stimulation of PPTg, while the neurons displaying regular pattern were not affected. These results indicate that low frequency stimulation of the PPTg affects neuronal activity in both the STN and SNr, and may represent electrophysiological efficacy of low frequency PPN stimulation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and rate of oxygen consumption, in the tegu lizard (Tupinambis merianae) at various levels of activity.

PubMed

Piercy, Joanna; Rogers, Kip; Reichert, Michelle; Andrade, Denis V; Abe, Augusto S; Tattersall, Glenn J; Milsom, William K

2015-12-01

The present study determined whether EEG and/or EMG recordings could be used to reliably define activity states in the Brazilian black and white tegu lizard (Tupinambis merianae) and then examined the interactive effects of temperature and activity states on strategies for matching O2 supply and demand. In a first series of experiments, the rate of oxygen consumption (VO2), breathing frequency (fR), heart rate (fH), and EEG and EMG (neck muscle) activity were measured in different sleep/wake states (sleeping, awake but quiet, alert, or moving). In general, metabolic and cardio-respiratory changes were better indictors of the transition from sleep to wake than were changes in the EEG and EMG. In a second series of experiments, the interactive effects of temperature (17, 27 and 37 °C) and activity states on fR, tidal volume (VT), the fraction of oxygen extracted from the lung per breath (FIO2-FEO2), fH, and the cardiac O2 pulse were quantified to determine the relative roles of each of these variables in accommodating changes in VO2. The increases in oxygen supply to meet temperature- and activity-induced increases in oxygen demand were produced almost exclusively by increases in fH and fR. Regression analysis showed that the effects of temperature and activity state on the relationships between fH, fR and VO2 was to extend a common relationship along a single curve, rather than separate relationships for each metabolic state. For these lizards, the predictive powers of fR and fH were maximized when the effects of changes in temperature, digestive state and activity were pooled. However, the best r(2) values obtained were 0.63 and 0.74 using fR and fH as predictors of metabolic rate, respectively.

Evaluating sedimentation problems in activated sludge treatment plants operating at complete sludge retention time.

PubMed

Amanatidou, Elisavet; Samiotis, Georgios; Trikoilidou, Eleni; Pekridis, George; Taousanidis, Nikolaos

2015-02-01

Zero net sludge growth can be achieved by complete retention of solids in activated sludge wastewater treatment, especially in high strength and biodegradable wastewaters. When increasing the solids retention time, MLSS and MLVSS concentrations reach a plateau phase and observed growth yields values tend to zero (Yobs ≈ 0). In this work, in order to evaluate sedimentation problems arised due to high MLSS concentrations and complete sludge retention operational conditions, two identical innovative slaughterhouse wastewater treatment plants were studied. Measurements of wastewaters' quality characteristics, treatment plant's operational conditions, sludge microscopic analysis and state point analysis were conducted. Results have shown that low COD/Nitrogen ratios increase sludge bulking and flotation phenomena due to accidental denitrification in clarifiers. High return activated sludge rate is essential in complete retention systems as it reduces sludge condensation and hydraulic retention time in the clarifiers. Under certain operational conditions sludge loading rates can greatly exceed literature limit values. The presented methodology is a useful tool for estimation of sedimentation problems encountered in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants with complete retention time. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fracture analysis for a penny-shaped crack problem of a superconducting cylinder in a parallel magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, S. W.; Feng, W. J.; Fang, X. Q.; Zhang, G. L.

2014-11-01

In this work, the penny-shaped crack problem is investigated for an infinite long superconducting cylinder under electromagnetic forces. The distributions of magnetic flux density in the superconducting cylinder are obtained analytically for both the zero-field cooling (ZFC) and the field cooling (FC) activation processes, where the magnetically impermeable crack surface condition and the Bean model outside the crack region are adopted. Based on the finite element method (FEM), the stress intensity factor (SIF) and energy release rate (ERR) at the crack tips in the process of field descent are further numerically calculated. Numerical results obtained show that according to the maximal energy release rate criterion, the FC process is generally easier to enhance crack initiation and propagation than the ZFC activation process. On the other hand, for the FC activation process, the larger the maximal applied magnetic field, more likely the crack propagates. Additionally, crack size has important and slightly different effects on the crack extension forces for the ZFC and FC cases. Thus, all of the activation processes, the applied field and the diameter of the penny-shaped crack have significant effects on the intensity analysis and design of superconducting materials.

Identification and modification of dynamical regions in proteins for alteration of enzyme catalytic effect

DOEpatents

Agarwal, Pratul K.

2015-11-24

A method for analysis, control, and manipulation for improvement of the chemical reaction rate of a protein-mediated reaction is provided. Enzymes, which typically comprise protein molecules, are very efficient catalysts that enhance chemical reaction rates by many orders of magnitude. Enzymes are widely used for a number of functions in chemical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, and other purposes. The method identifies key protein vibration modes that control the chemical reaction rate of the protein-mediated reaction, providing identification of the factors that enable the enzymes to achieve the high rate of reaction enhancement. By controlling these factors, the function of enzymes may be modulated, i.e., the activity can either be increased for faster enzyme reaction or it can be decreased when a slower enzyme is desired. This method provides an inexpensive and efficient solution by utilizing computer simulations, in combination with available experimental data, to build suitable models and investigate the enzyme activity.

Identification and modification of dynamical regions in proteins for alteration of enzyme catalytic effect

DOEpatents

Agarwal, Pratul K.

2013-04-09

A method for analysis, control, and manipulation for improvement of the chemical reaction rate of a protein-mediated reaction is provided. Enzymes, which typically comprise protein molecules, are very efficient catalysts that enhance chemical reaction rates by many orders of magnitude. Enzymes are widely used for a number of functions in chemical, biochemical, pharmaceutical, and other purposes. The method identifies key protein vibration modes that control the chemical reaction rate of the protein-mediated reaction, providing identification of the factors that enable the enzymes to achieve the high rate of reaction enhancement. By controlling these factors, the function of enzymes may be modulated, i.e., the activity can either be increased for faster enzyme reaction or it can be decreased when a slower enzyme is desired. This method provides an inexpensive and efficient solution by utilizing computer simulations, in combination with available experimental data, to build suitable models and investigate the enzyme activity.

Sex differences in brain activation during stress imagery in abstinent cocaine users: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Li, Chiang-Shan Ray; Kosten, Thomas R; Sinha, Rajita

2005-03-01

Because stress mediates drug seeking and relapse, and sex differences have been observed in stress and in the development of cocaine addiction, in this study we used functional neuroimaging to examine the effect of sex on stress responses in abstinent cocaine users. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging session, 17 male and 10 female cocaine-dependent subjects participated in script-guided imagery of neutral or stress situations. Subjects rated imagery vividness, anxiety, and cocaine craving for each trial. Brain activation during the stress and neutral imagery periods relative to their own baseline was examined in individual subjects. Sex contrast was obtained in second-level group analysis. Female subjects demonstrated more activation, compared with male subjects, in left middle frontal, anterior cingulate, and inferior frontal cortices and insula, and right cingulate cortex during stress imagery. Region of interest analysis showed that the change of activity in left anterior cingulate and right posterior cingulate cortices both correlated inversely with the change of craving rating during stress imagery. The greater left frontolimbic activity in women suggests that women might use more verbal coping strategies than do men while experiencing stress. The results also suggest a distinct role of the cingulate cortices in modulating stress-induced cocaine craving.

Linear and non-linear regression analysis for the sorption kinetics of methylene blue onto activated carbon.

PubMed

Kumar, K Vasanth

2006-10-11

Batch kinetic experiments were carried out for the sorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon. The experimental kinetics were fitted to the pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order kinetics by linear and a non-linear method. The five different types of Ho pseudo second-order expression have been discussed. A comparison of linear least-squares method and a trial and error non-linear method of estimating the pseudo second-order rate kinetic parameters were examined. The sorption process was found to follow a both pseudo first-order kinetic and pseudo second-order kinetic model. Present investigation showed that it is inappropriate to use a type 1 and type pseudo second-order expressions as proposed by Ho and Blanachard et al. respectively for predicting the kinetic rate constants and the initial sorption rate for the studied system. Three correct possible alternate linear expressions (type 2 to type 4) to better predict the initial sorption rate and kinetic rate constants for the studied system (methylene blue/activated carbon) was proposed. Linear method was found to check only the hypothesis instead of verifying the kinetic model. Non-linear regression method was found to be the more appropriate method to determine the rate kinetic parameters.

An Analysis Framework for Understanding the Origin of Nuclear Activity in Low-power Radio Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yen-Ting; Huang, Hung-Jin; Chen, Yen-Chi

2018-05-01

Using large samples containing nearly 2300 active galaxies of low radio luminosity (1.4 GHz luminosity between 2 × 1023 and 3 × 1025 W Hz‑1, essentially low-excitation radio galaxies) at z ≲ 0.3, we present a self-contained analysis of the dependence of the nuclear radio activity on both intrinsic and extrinsic properties of galaxies, with the goal of identifying the best predictors of the nuclear radio activity. While confirming the established result that stellar mass must play a key role on the triggering of radio activities, we point out that for the central, most massive galaxies, the radio activity also shows a strong dependence on halo mass, which is not likely due to enhanced interaction rates in denser regions in massive, cluster-scale halos. We thus further investigate the effects of various properties of the intracluster medium (ICM) in massive clusters on the radio activities, employing two standard statistical tools, principle component analysis and logistic regression. It is found that ICM entropy, local cooling time, and pressure are the most effective in predicting the radio activity, pointing to the accretion of gas cooling out of a hot atmosphere to be the likely origin in triggering such activities in galaxies residing in massive dark matter halos. Our analysis framework enables us to logically discern the mechanisms responsible for the radio activity separately for central and satellite galaxies.

An Effective Technique for Enhancing an Intrauterine Catheter Fetal Electrocardiogram

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horner, Steven L.; Holls, William M.

2003-12-01

Physician can obtain fetal heart rate, electrophysiological information, and uterine contraction activity for determining fetal status from an intrauterine catheters electrocardiogram with the maternal electrocardiogram canceled. In addition, the intrauterine catheter would allow physicians to acquire fetal status with one non-invasive to the fetus biosensor as compared to invasive to the fetus scalp electrode and intrauterine pressure catheter used currently. A real-time maternal electrocardiogram cancellation technique of the intrauterine catheters electrocardiogram will be discussed along with an analysis for the methods effectiveness with synthesized and clinical data. The positive results from an original detailed subjective and objective analysis of synthesized and clinical data clearly indicate that the maternal electrocardiogram cancellation method was found to be effective. The resulting intrauterine catheters electrocardiogram from effectively canceling the maternal electrocardiogram could be used for determining fetal heart rate, fetal electrocardiogram electrophysiological information, and uterine contraction activity.

Negative ratings play a positive role in information filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Wei; Zhu, Yu-Xiao; Lü, Linyuan; Zhou, Tao

2011-11-01

The explosive growth of information asks for advanced information filtering techniques to solve the so-called information overload problem. A promising way is the recommender system which analyzes the historical records of users’ activities and accordingly provides personalized recommendations. Most recommender systems can be represented by user-object bipartite networks where users can evaluate and vote for objects, and ratings such as “dislike” and “I hate it” are treated straightforwardly as negative factors or are completely ignored in traditional approaches. Applying a local diffusion algorithm on three benchmark data sets, MovieLens, Netflix and Amazon, our study arrives at a very surprising result, namely the negative ratings may play a positive role especially for very sparse data sets. In-depth analysis at the microscopic level indicates that the negative ratings from less active users to less popular objects could probably have positive impacts on the recommendations, while the ones connecting active users and popular objects mostly should be treated negatively. We finally outline the significant relevance of our results to the two long-term challenges in information filtering: the sparsity problem and the cold-start problem.

Combined Effects of Working Hours, Income, and Leisure Time on Suicide in All 47 Prefectures of Japan

PubMed Central

TAKEUCHI, Akito; SAKANO, Noriko; MIYATAKE, Nobuyuki

2014-01-01

This study describes an ecological study that evaluated the combined effects of working hours, income, and leisure time on suicide in all 47 prefectures of Japan. In men, the age-adjusted rate of suicide (per 100,000 population) was significantly correlated with working hours (r=0.587, p<0.0001) as well as significantly and negatively correlated with income (r=−0.517, p=0.0002) and times for the leisure activities of self-education (r=−0.447, p=0.0016) and hobbies (r=−0.511, p=0.0002). In addition, a stepwise multiple regression analysis identified time for leisure social activities as a determining factor in suicide rate, even after adjusting for working hours and income. However, the impact of time for leisure social activities on suicide rate was smaller than that of working hours and income. In contrast, none of these factors affected suicide rate in women. These results suggest that increasing leisure time may be useful for preventing suicide among men in Japan. PMID:24464025

Effects of controlled breathing, mental activity and mental stress with or without verbalization on heart rate variability.

PubMed

Bernardi, L; Wdowczyk-Szulc, J; Valenti, C; Castoldi, S; Passino, C; Spadacini, G; Sleight, P

2000-05-01

To assess whether talking or reading (silently or aloud) could affect heart rate variability (HRV) and to what extent these changes require a simultaneous recording of respiratory activity to be correctly interpreted. Sympathetic predominance in the power spectrum obtained from short- and long-term HRV recordings predicts a poor prognosis in a number of cardiac diseases. Heart rate variability is often recorded without measuring respiration; slow breaths might artefactually increase low frequency power in RR interval (RR) and falsely mimic sympathetic activation. In 12 healthy volunteers we evaluated the effect of free talking and reading, silently and aloud, on respiration, RR and blood pressure (BP). We also compared spontaneous breathing to controlled breathing and mental arithmetic, silent or aloud. The power in the so called low- (LF) and high-frequency (HF) bands in RR and BP was obtained from autoregressive power spectrum analysis. Compared with spontaneous breathing, reading silently increased the speed of breathing (p < 0.05), decreased mean RR and RR variability and increased BP. Reading aloud, free talking and mental arithmetic aloud shifted the respiratory frequency into the LF band, thus increasing LF% and decreasing HF% to a similar degree in both RR and respiration, with decrease in mean RR but with minor differences in crude RR variability. Simple mental and verbal activities markedly affect HRV through changes in respiratory frequency. This possibility should be taken into account when analyzing HRV without simultaneous acquisition and analysis of respiration.

Ivabradine, a novel heart rate slower: is it a sword of double blades in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy?

PubMed

Rayan, Mona; Tawfik, Mazen; Alabd, Ali; Gamal, Amr

2011-08-01

To prospectively assess the safety and efficacy of ivabradine in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We included 35 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy with an ejection fraction (EF) <40% and heart rate >70 beats/min despite optimal medical therapy, according to the international guidelines in this prospective, non-randomized, single-arm, open-label safety study. Ivabradine was used as an add-on therapy to the maximally tolerated b-blocker in an increasing titrated dose till a target dose of 15 mg/day or resting heart rate of 60 beats/min for 3 months. During follow-up period the safety, patient tolerance and efficacy of this drug were assessed. All patients underwent 12-lead resting electrocardiography and Holter monitoring at inclusion and after 3 months. Statistical analysis was accomplished using paired t-test and Pearson correlation analysis. We found a significant reduction in the resting heart rate by a mean of 25.9 ± 9.4%, without a significant change of blood pressure. There was no prolongation of PR, QTc or QRS durations. Ventricular ectopic activity showed significant reduction (p<0.001). There was a significant correlation between the resting heart rate, NYHA and left ventricular ejection fraction (p<0.001 for both). One patient developed photopsia and decompensation was observed in another patient. Ivabradine is a safe and effective drug in reducing resting heart rate, improving NYHA functional class without undesirable effects on conduction parameters or ectopic activity.

The facial massage reduced anxiety and negative mood status, and increased sympathetic nervous activity.

PubMed

Hatayama, Tomoko; Kitamura, Shingo; Tamura, Chihiro; Nagano, Mayumi; Ohnuki, Koichiro

2008-12-01

The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of 45 min of facial massage on the activity of autonomic nervous system, anxiety and mood in 32 healthy women. Autonomic nervous activity was assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) with spectral analysis. In the spectral analysis of HRV, we evaluated the high-frequency components (HF) and the low- to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF ratio), reflecting parasympathetic nervous activity and sympathetic nervous activity, respectively. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Profile of Mood Status (POMS) were administered to evaluate psychological status. The score of STAI and negative scale of POMS were significantly reduced following the massage, and only the LF/HF ratio was significantly enhanced after the massage. It was concluded that the facial massage might refresh the subjects by reducing their psychological distress and activating the sympathetic nervous system.

On the validity of the Arrhenius equation for electron attachment rate coefficients.

PubMed

Fabrikant, Ilya I; Hotop, Hartmut

2008-03-28

The validity of the Arrhenius equation for dissociative electron attachment rate coefficients is investigated. A general analysis allows us to obtain estimates of the upper temperature bound for the range of validity of the Arrhenius equation in the endothermic case and both lower and upper bounds in the exothermic case with a reaction barrier. The results of the general discussion are illustrated by numerical examples whereby the rate coefficient, as a function of temperature for dissociative electron attachment, is calculated using the resonance R-matrix theory. In the endothermic case, the activation energy in the Arrhenius equation is close to the threshold energy, whereas in the case of exothermic reactions with an intermediate barrier, the activation energy is found to be substantially lower than the barrier height.

High active nitrogen flux growth of GaN by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

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

McSkimming, Brian M., E-mail: mcskimming@engineering.ucsb.edu; Speck, James S.; Chaix, Catherine

2015-09-15

In the present study, the authors report on a modified Riber radio frequency (RF) nitrogen plasma source that provides active nitrogen fluxes more than 30 times higher than those commonly used for plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) growth of gallium nitride (GaN) and thus a significantly higher growth rate than has been previously reported. GaN films were grown using N{sub 2} gas flow rates between 5 and 25 sccm while varying the plasma source's RF forward power from 200 to 600 W. The highest growth rate, and therefore the highest active nitrogen flux, achieved was ∼7.6 μm/h. For optimized growth conditions,more » the surfaces displayed a clear step-terrace structure with an average RMS roughness (3 × 3 μm) on the order of 1 nm. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy impurity analysis demonstrates oxygen and hydrogen incorporation of 1 × 10{sup 16} and ∼5 × 10{sup 17}, respectively. In addition, the authors have achieved PAMBE growth of GaN at a substrate temperature more than 150 °C greater than our standard Ga rich GaN growth regime and ∼100 °C greater than any previously reported PAMBE growth of GaN. This growth temperature corresponds to GaN decomposition in vacuum of more than 20 nm/min; a regime previously unattainable with conventional nitrogen plasma sources. Arrhenius analysis of the decomposition rate shows that samples with a flux ratio below stoichiometry have an activation energy greater than decomposition of GaN in vacuum while samples grown at or above stoichiometry have decreased activation energy. The activation energy of decomposition for GaN in vacuum was previously determined to be ∼3.1 eV. For a Ga/N flux ratio of ∼1.5, this activation energy was found to be ∼2.8 eV, while for a Ga/N flux ratio of ∼0.5, it was found to be ∼7.9 eV.« less

Production of palm kernel shell-based activated carbon by direct physical activation for carbon dioxide adsorption.

PubMed

Rashidi, Nor Adilla; Yusup, Suzana

2018-05-09

The feasibility of biomass-based activated carbons has received a huge attention due to their excellent characteristics such as inexpensiveness, good adsorption behaviour and potential to reduce a strong dependency towards non-renewable precursors. Therefore, in this research work, eco-friendly activated carbon from palm kernel shell that has been produced from one-stage physical activation by using the Box-Behnken design of Response Surface Methodology is highlighted. The effect of three input parameters-temperature, dwell time and gas flow rate-towards product yield and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) uptake at room temperature and atmospheric pressure are studied. Model accuracy has been evaluated through the ANOVA analysis and lack-of-fit test. Accordingly, the optimum condition in synthesising the activated carbon with adequate CO 2 adsorption capacity of 2.13 mmol/g and product yield of 25.15 wt% is found at a temperature of 850 °C, holding time of 60 min and CO 2 flow rate of 450 cm 3 /min. The synthesised activated carbon has been characterised by diverse analytical instruments including thermogravimetric analyser, scanning electron microscope, as well as N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The characterisation analysis indicates that the synthesised activated carbon has higher textural characteristics and porosity, together with better thermal stability and carbon content as compared to pristine palm kernel shell. Activated carbon production via one-step activation approach is economical since its carbon yield is within the industrial target, whereas CO 2 uptake is comparable to the synthesised activated carbon from conventional dual-stage activation, commercial activated carbon and other published data from literature.

Changes in muscle activity and stature recovery after active rehabilitation for chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Lewis, Sandra; Holmes, Paul; Woby, Steve; Hindle, Jackie; Fowler, Neil

2014-06-01

Patients with low back pain often demonstrate elevated paraspinal muscle activity compared to asymptomatic controls. This hyperactivity has been associated with a delayed rate of stature recovery following spinal loading tasks. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in muscle activity and stature recovery in patients with chronic low back pain following an active rehabilitation programme. The body height recovery over a 40-min unloading period was assessed via stadiometry and surface electromyograms were recorded from the paraspinal muscles during standing. The measurements were repeated after patients had attended the rehabilitation programme and again at a six-month follow-up. Analysis was based on 17 patients who completed the post-treatment analysis and 12 of these who also participated in the follow-up. By the end of the six months, patients recovered significantly more height during the unloading session than at their initial visit (ES = 1.18; P < 0.01). Greater stature recovery immediately following the programme was associated with decreased pain (r = -0.55; P = 0.01). The increased height gain after six months suggests that delayed rates of recovery are not primarily caused by disc degeneration. Muscle activity did not decrease after treatment, perhaps reflecting a period of adaptation or altered patterns of motor control. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Challenges of Data Rate and Data Accuracy in the Analysis of Volcanic Systems: An Assessment Using Multi-Parameter Data from the 2012-2013 Eruption Sequence at White Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolly, A. D.; Christenson, B. W.; Neuberg, J. W.; Fournier, N.; Mazot, A.; Kilgour, G.; Jolly, G. E.

2014-12-01

Volcano monitoring is usually undertaken with the collection of both automated and manual data that form a multi-parameter time-series having a wide range of sampling rates and measurement accuracies. Assessments of hazards and risks ultimately rely on incorporating this information into usable form, first for the scientists to interpret, and then for the public and relevant stakeholders. One important challenge is in building appropriate and efficient strategies to compare and interpret data from these exceptionally different datasets. The White Island volcanic system entered a new eruptive state beginning in mid-2012 and continuing through the present time. Eruptive activity during this period comprised small phreatic and phreato-magmatic events in August 2012, August 2013 and October 2013 and the intrusion of a small dome that was first observed in November 2012. We examine the chemical and geophysical dataset to assess the effects of small magma batches on the shallow hydrothermal system. The analysis incorporates high data rate (100 Hz) seismic, and infrasound data, lower data rate (1 Hz to 5 min sampling interval) GPS, tilt-meter, and gravity data and very low data rate geochemical time series (sampling intervals from days to months). The analysis is further informed by visual observations of lake level changes, geysering activity through crater lake vents, and changes in fumarolic discharges. We first focus on the problems of incorporating the range of observables into coherent time frame dependant conceptual models. We then show examples where high data rate information may be improved through new processing methods and where low data rate information may be collected more frequently without loss of fidelity. By this approach we hope to improve the accuracy and efficiency of interpretations of volcano unrest and thereby improve hazard assessments.

Evaluating death and activity decay of Anammox bacteria during anaerobic and aerobic starvation.

PubMed

Wang, Qilin; Song, Kang; Hao, Xiaodi; Wei, Jing; Pijuan, Maite; van Loosdrecht, Mark C M; Zhao, Huijun

2018-06-01

The decreased activity (i.e. decay) of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) bacteria during starvation can be attributed to death (i.e. decrease in the amount of viable bacteria) and activity decay (i.e. decrease in the specific activity of viable bacteria). Although they are crucial for the operation of the Anammox process, they have never been comprehensively investigated. This study for the first time experimentally assessed death and activity decay of the Anammox bacteria during 84 days' starvation stress based on ammonium removal rate, Live/Dead staining and fluorescence in-situ hybridization. The anaerobic and aerobic decay rates of Anammox bacteria were determined as 0.015 ± 0.001 d -1 and 0.028 ± 0.001 d -1 , respectively, indicating Anammox bacteria would lose their activity more quickly in the aerobic starvation than in the anaerobic starvation. The anaerobic and aerobic death rates of Anammox bacteria were measured at 0.011 ± 0.001 d -1 and 0.025 ± 0.001 d -1 , respectively, while their anaerobic and aerobic activity decay rates were determined at 0.004 ± 0.001 d -1 and 0.003 ± 0.001 d -1 , respectively. Further analysis revealed that death accounted for 73 ± 4% and 89 ± 5% of the decreased activity of Anammox bacteria during anaerobic and aerobic starvations, and activity decay was only responsible for 27 ± 4% and 11 ± 5% of the decreased Anammox activity, respectively, over the same starvation periods. These deeply shed light on the response of Anammox bacteria to the starvation stress, which would facilitate operation and optimization of the Anammox process. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Failure to activate the in-hospital emergency team: causes and outcomes.

PubMed

Barbosa, Vera; Gomes, Ernestina; Vaz, Senio; Azevedo, Gustavo; Fernandes, Gonçalo; Ferreira, Amélia; Araujo, Rui

2016-01-01

To determine the incidence of afferent limb failure of the in-hospital Medical Emergency Team, characterizing it and comparing the mortality between the population experiencing afferent limb failure and the population not experiencing afferent limb failure. A total of 478 activations of the Medical Emergency Team of Hospital Pedro Hispano occurred from January 2013 to July 2015. A sample of 285 activations was obtained after excluding incomplete records and activations for patients with less than 6 hours of hospitalization. The sample was divided into two groups: the group experiencing afferent limb failure and the group not experiencing afferent limb failure of the Medical Emergency Team. Both populations were characterized and compared. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Afferent limb failure was observed in 22.1% of activations. The causal analysis revealed significant differences in Medical Emergency Team activation criteria (p = 0.003) in the group experiencing afferent limb failure, with higher rates of Medical Emergency Team activation for cardiac arrest and cardiovascular dysfunction. Regarding patient outcomes, the group experiencing afferent limb failure had higher immediate mortality rates and higher mortality rates at hospital discharge, with no significant differences. No significant differences were found for the other parameters. The incidence of cardiac arrest and the mortality rate were higher in patients experiencing failure of the afferent limb of the Medical Emergency Team. This study highlights the need for health units to invest in the training of all healthcare professionals regarding the Medical Emergency Team activation criteria and emergency medical response system operations.

Dutch Young Adults Ratings of Behavior Change Techniques Applied in Mobile Phone Apps to Promote Physical Activity: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

PubMed

Belmon, Laura S; Middelweerd, Anouk; Te Velde, Saskia J; Brug, Johannes

2015-11-12

Interventions delivered through new device technology, including mobile phone apps, appear to be an effective method to reach young adults. Previous research indicates that self-efficacy and social support for physical activity and self-regulation behavior change techniques (BCT), such as goal setting, feedback, and self-monitoring, are important for promoting physical activity; however, little is known about evaluations by the target population of BCTs applied to physical activity apps and whether these preferences are associated with individual personality characteristics. This study aimed to explore young adults' opinions regarding BCTs (including self-regulation techniques) applied in mobile phone physical activity apps, and to examine associations between personality characteristics and ratings of BCTs applied in physical activity apps. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among healthy 18 to 30-year-old adults (N=179). Data on participants' gender, age, height, weight, current education level, living situation, mobile phone use, personality traits, exercise self-efficacy, exercise self-identity, total physical activity level, and whether participants met Dutch physical activity guidelines were collected. Items for rating BCTs applied in physical activity apps were selected from a hierarchical taxonomy for BCTs, and were clustered into three BCT categories according to factor analysis: "goal setting and goal reviewing," "feedback and self-monitoring," and "social support and social comparison." Most participants were female (n=146), highly educated (n=169), physically active, and had high levels of self-efficacy. In general, we observed high ratings of BCTs aimed to increase "goal setting and goal reviewing" and "feedback and self-monitoring," but not for BCTs addressing "social support and social comparison." Only 3 (out of 16 tested) significant associations between personality characteristics and BCTs were observed: "agreeableness" was related to more positive ratings of BCTs addressing "goal setting and goal reviewing" (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.06-2.41), "neuroticism" was related to BCTs addressing "feedback and self-monitoring" (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.58-1.00), and "exercise self-efficacy" was related to a high rating of BCTs addressing "feedback and self-monitoring" (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.11). No associations were observed between personality characteristics (ie, personality, exercise self-efficacy, exercise self-identity) and participants' ratings of BCTs addressing "social support and social comparison." Young Dutch physically active adults rate self-regulation techniques as most positive and techniques addressing social support as less positive among mobile phone apps that aim to promote physical activity. Such ratings of BCTs differ according to personality traits and exercise self-efficacy. Future research should focus on which behavior change techniques in app-based interventions are most effective to increase physical activity.

Unusual features of a recombinant apple alpha-farnesene synthase.

PubMed

Green, Sol; Friel, Ellen N; Matich, Adam; Beuning, Lesley L; Cooney, Janine M; Rowan, Daryl D; MacRae, Elspeth

2007-01-01

A recombinant alpha-farnesene synthase from apple (Malus x domestica), expressed in Escherichia coli, showed features not previously reported. Activity was enhanced 5-fold by K(+) and all four isomers of alpha-farnesene, as well as beta-farnesene, were produced from an isomeric mixture of farnesyl diphosphate (FDP). Monoterpenes, linalool, (Z)- and (E)-beta-ocimene and beta-myrcene, were synthesised from geranyl diphosphate (GDP), but at 18% of the optimised rate for alpha-farnesene synthesis from FDP. Addition of K(+) reduced monoterpene synthase activity. The enzyme also produced alpha-farnesene by a reaction involving coupling of GDP and isoprenyl diphosphate but at <1% of the rate with FDP. Mutagenesis of active site aspartate residues removed sesquiterpene, monoterpene and prenyltransferase activities suggesting catalysis through the same active site. Phylogenetic analysis clusters this enzyme with isoprene synthases rather than with other sesquiterpene synthases, suggesting that it has evolved differently from other plant sesquiterpene synthases. This is the first demonstration of a sesquiterpene synthase possessing prenyltransferase activity.

Brain activity in adults who stutter: Similarities across speaking tasks and correlations with stuttering frequency and speaking rate

PubMed Central

Ingham, Roger J.; Grafton, Scott T.; Bothe, Anne K.; Ingham, Janis C.

2012-01-01

Many differences in brain activity have been reported between persons who stutter (PWS) and typically fluent controls during oral reading tasks. An earlier meta-analysis of imaging studies identified stutter-related regions, but recent studies report less agreement with those regions. A PET study on adult dextral PWS (n = 18) and matched fluent controls (CONT, n = 12) is reported that used both oral reading and monologue tasks. After correcting for speech rate differences between the groups the task-activation differences were surprisingly small. For both analyses only some regions previously considered stutter-related were more activated in the PWS group than in the CONT group, and these were also activated during eyes-closed rest (ECR). In the PWS group, stuttering frequency was correlated with cortico-striatal-thalamic circuit activity in both speaking tasks. The neuroimaging findings for the PWS group, relative to the CONT group, appear consistent with neuroanatomic abnormalities being increasingly reported among PWS. PMID:22564749

INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF THE COPING ANALYSIS SCHEDULE FOR EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS (CASES) AND THE SPAULDING TEACHER ACTIVITY RATING SCHEDULE (STARS).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SPAULDING, ROBERT L.

THIS BOOKLET INTRODUCES TWO MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENTS FOCUSING ON CLASS MANAGEMENT. THE COPING ANALYSIS SCHEDULE FOR EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS PERMITS THE CODIFICATION OF ALL OPERANT BEHAVIOR OBSERVED IN THE CLASSROOM, INTO ONE OF THIRTEEN CATEGORIES. ALL BUT ONE OF THE THIRTEEN CATEGORIES ARE DESIGNED TO CHARACTERIZE THE CHILD'S ECONOMY WITH THE…

Acoustic activation of water-in-oil microemulsions for controlled salt dissolution.

PubMed

Baxamusa, Salmaan; Ehrmann, Paul; Ong, Jemi

2018-06-18

The dynamic nature of the oil-water interface allows for sequestration of material within the dispersed domains of a microemulsion. Microstructural changes should therefore change the dissolution rate of a solid surface in a microemulsion. We hypothesize that microstructural changes due to formulation and cavitation in an acoustic field will enable control over solid dissolution rates. Water-in-oil microemulsions were formulated using cyclohexane, water, Triton X-100, and hexanol. The microstructure and solvation properties of Winsor Type IV formulations were characterized. Dissolution rates of KH 2 PO 4 (KDP), were measured. A kinetic analysis isolated the effect of the microstructure, and rate enhancements due to cavitation effects on the microstructure were characterized by measuring dissolution rates in an ultrasonic field. Dispersed aqueous domains of 2-6 nm radius dissolve a solid block of KDP at 0-10 nm/min. Dissolution rate is governed not by the domain-surface collision frequency but rather by a dissolution probability per domain-surface encounter. Higher probabilities are correlated with larger domains. Rapid and reversible dissolution rate increases of up to 270× were observed under ultrasonic conditions, with <20% of the increase due to bulk heating effects. The rest is attributed to cavitation-induced changes to the domain microstructure, providing a simple method for remotely activating and de-activating dissolution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A New Seismic Hazard Model for Mainland China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rong, Y.; Xu, X.; Chen, G.; Cheng, J.; Magistrale, H.; Shen, Z. K.

2017-12-01

We are developing a new seismic hazard model for Mainland China by integrating historical earthquake catalogs, geological faults, geodetic GPS data, and geology maps. To build the model, we construct an Mw-based homogeneous historical earthquake catalog spanning from 780 B.C. to present, create fault models from active fault data, and derive a strain rate model based on the most complete GPS measurements and a new strain derivation algorithm. We divide China and the surrounding regions into about 20 large seismic source zones. For each zone, a tapered Gutenberg-Richter (TGR) magnitude-frequency distribution is used to model the seismic activity rates. The a- and b-values of the TGR distribution are calculated using observed earthquake data, while the corner magnitude is constrained independently using the seismic moment rate inferred from the geodetically-based strain rate model. Small and medium sized earthquakes are distributed within the source zones following the location and magnitude patterns of historical earthquakes. Some of the larger earthquakes are distributed onto active faults, based on their geological characteristics such as slip rate, fault length, down-dip width, and various paleoseismic data. The remaining larger earthquakes are then placed into the background. A new set of magnitude-rupture scaling relationships is developed based on earthquake data from China and vicinity. We evaluate and select appropriate ground motion prediction equations by comparing them with observed ground motion data and performing residual analysis. To implement the modeling workflow, we develop a tool that builds upon the functionalities of GEM's Hazard Modeler's Toolkit. The GEM OpenQuake software is used to calculate seismic hazard at various ground motion periods and various return periods. To account for site amplification, we construct a site condition map based on geology. The resulting new seismic hazard maps can be used for seismic risk analysis and management.

Facebook Facts: Breast Reconstruction Patient-Reported Outcomes Using Social Media.

PubMed

Tang, Sherry Y Q; Israel, Jacqueline S; Poore, Samuel O; Afifi, Ahmed M

2018-05-01

Social media are used for information sharing among patients with similar health conditions, and analysis of social media activity could inform clinical decision-making. The aim of this study was to use Facebook to evaluate a cohort of individuals' perceptions of and satisfaction with breast reconstruction. In this observational study, the authors collected and analyzed posts pertaining to autologous and implant-based breast reconstruction from active Facebook groups. Patient satisfaction data were categorized, and a thematic analysis of posts was conducted. Qualitative posts were grouped based on common themes and quantitatively compared using frequency and chi-square analysis. The authors evaluated 500 posts from two Facebook groups. Two hundred sixty-four posts referenced deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction and 117 were related to implant-based reconstruction. Among individuals referencing DIEP flap reconstruction, 52 percent were satisfied, compared with 20 percent of individuals who referenced satisfaction with implant-based reconstruction (p < 0.0001). Individuals posting about DIEP flaps reported a higher rate of unexpected side effects (p < 0.001) and numbness (p = 0.004). When referencing implant-based reconstruction, individuals reported significantly higher rates of infection, contracture, and implant failure (p < 0.001). Based on the authors' review of social media activity, individuals undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction expressed relatively high individual satisfaction despite difficult postoperative recovery. Individuals who referenced implant-based reconstruction mentioned infection and implant failure, leading to high rates of dissatisfaction. Social media appear to provide informational and emotional support to patients. Plastic surgeons can use social media to gather unbiased information of patients' experience to inform clinical conversation and guide clinical practice.

Evaluating the influence of process parameters on soluble microbial products formation using response surface methodology coupled with grey relational analysis.

PubMed

Xu, Juan; Sheng, Guo-Ping; Luo, Hong-Wei; Fang, Fang; Li, Wen-Wei; Zeng, Raymond J; Tong, Zhong-Hua; Yu, Han-Qing

2011-01-01

Soluble microbial products (SMPs) present a major part of residual chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the effluents from biological wastewater treatment systems, and the SMP formation is greatly influenced by a variety of process parameters. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with grey relational analysis (GRA) method was used to evaluate the effects of substrate concentration, temperature, NH(4)(+)-N concentration and aeration rate on the SMP production in batch activated sludge reactors. Carbohydrates were found to be the major component of SMP, and the influential priorities of these factors were: temperature>substrate concentration > aeration rate > NH(4)(+)-N concentration. On the basis of the RSM results, the interactive effects of these factors on the SMP formation were evaluated, and the optimal operating conditions for a minimum SMP production in such a batch activated sludge system also were identified. These results provide useful information about how to control the SMP formation of activated sludge and ensure the bioreactor high-quality effluent. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combination Therapy with Cholinesterase Inhibitors and Memantine for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Kishi, Taro; Iwata, Nakao

2015-01-01

Background: We performed an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of combination therapy with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: We reviewed cognitive function, activities of daily living, behavioral disturbance, global assessment, discontinuation rate, and individual side effects. Results: Seven studies (total n=2182) were identified. Combination therapy significantly affected behavioral disturbance scores (standardized mean difference=−0.13), activity of daily living scores (standardized mean difference=−0.10), and global assessment scores (standardized mean difference=−0.15). In addition, cognitive function scores (standardized mean difference=−0.13, P=.06) exhibited favorable trends with combination therapy. The effects of combination therapy were more significant in the moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease subgroup in terms of all efficacy outcome scores. The discontinuation rate was similar in both groups, and there were no significant differences in individual side effects. Conclusions: Combination therapy was beneficial for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease in terms of cognition, behavioral disturbances, activities of daily living, and global assessment was well tolerated. PMID:25548104

Combination therapy with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine for Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Matsunaga, Shinji; Kishi, Taro; Iwata, Nakao

2014-12-28

We performed an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of combination therapy with cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine in patients with Alzheimer's disease. We reviewed cognitive function, activities of daily living, behavioral disturbance, global assessment, discontinuation rate, and individual side effects. Seven studies (total n=2182) were identified. Combination therapy significantly affected behavioral disturbance scores (standardized mean difference=-0.13), activity of daily living scores (standardized mean difference=-0.10), and global assessment scores (standardized mean difference=-0.15). In addition, cognitive function scores (standardized mean difference=-0.13, P=.06) exhibited favorable trends with combination therapy. The effects of combination therapy were more significant in the moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease subgroup in terms of all efficacy outcome scores. The discontinuation rate was similar in both groups, and there were no significant differences in individual side effects. Combination therapy was beneficial for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease in terms of cognition, behavioral disturbances, activities of daily living, and global assessment was well tolerated. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

Synchronized arousal between performers and related spectators in a fire-walking ritual

PubMed Central

Konvalinka, Ivana; Xygalatas, Dimitris; Bulbulia, Joseph; Schjødt, Uffe; Jegindø, Else-Marie; Wallot, Sebastian; Van Orden, Guy; Roepstorff, Andreas

2011-01-01

Collective rituals are present in all known societies, but their function is a matter of long-standing debates. Field observations suggest that they may enhance social cohesion and that their effects are not limited to those actively performing but affect the audience as well. Here we show physiological effects of synchronized arousal in a Spanish fire-walking ritual, between active participants and related spectators, but not participants and other members of the audience. We assessed arousal by heart rate dynamics and applied nonlinear mathematical analysis to heart rate data obtained from 38 participants. We compared synchronized arousal between fire-walkers and spectators. For this comparison, we used recurrence quantification analysis on individual data and cross-recurrence quantification analysis on pairs of participants' data. These methods identified fine-grained commonalities of arousal during the 30-min ritual between fire-walkers and related spectators but not unrelated spectators. This indicates that the mediating mechanism may be informational, because participants and related observers had very different bodily behavior. This study demonstrates that a collective ritual may evoke synchronized arousal over time between active participants and bystanders. It links field observations to a physiological basis and offers a unique approach for the quantification of social effects on human physiology during real-world interactions. PMID:21536887

Package of care for active management in labour for reducing caesarean section rates in low-risk women

PubMed Central

Brown, Heather C; Paranjothy, Shantini; Dowswell, Therese; Thomas, Jane

2014-01-01

Background Approximately 15% of women have caesarean sections (CS) and while the rate varies, the number is increasing in many countries. This is of concern because higher CS rates do not confer additional health gain but may adversely affect maternal health and have implications for future pregnancies. Active management of labour has been proposed as a means of reducing CS rates. This refers to a package of care including strict diagnosis of labour, routine amniotomy, oxytocin for slow progress and one to one support in labour. Objectives To determine whether active management of labour reduces CS rates in low-risk women and improves satisfaction. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group’s Trials Register (February 2008), MEDLINE (1966 to December 2007), EMBASE (1980 to 2007), MIDIRS (1985 to 2007) and CINAHL (1982 to 2007). Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials comparing low-risk women receiving a predefined package of care (active management) with women receiving routine (variable) care. Trials where slow progress had been diagnosed before entry into the trial were excluded. Data collection and analysis At least two review authors extracted data. We assessed included studies for risk of bias. Main results We included seven trials, with a total of 5390 women. The quality of studies was mixed. The CS rate was slightly lower in the active management group compared to the group that received routine care, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.01). However, in one study there was a large number of post-randomisation exclusions. On excluding this study, CS rates in the active management group were statistically significantly lower than in the routine care group (RR 0.77 95% CI 0.63 to 0.94). More women in the active management group had labours lasting less than twelve hours, but there was wide variation in length of labour within and between trials. There were no differences between groups in use of analgesia, rates of assisted vaginal deliveries or maternal or neonatal complications. Only one trial examined maternal satisfaction; the majority of women (over 75%) in both groups were very satisfied with care. Authors’ conclusions Active management is associated with small reductions in the CS rate, but it is highly prescriptive and interventional. It is possible that some components of the active management package are more effective than others. Further work is required to determine the acceptability of active management to women in labour. PMID:18843671

Characterization of cathode keeper wear by surface layer activation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polk, James E.

2003-01-01

In this study, the erosion rates of the discharge cathode keeper in a 30 cm NSTAR configuration ion thruster were measured using a technique known as Surface Layer Activation (SLA). This diagnostic technique involves producing a radioactive tracer in a given surface by bombardment with high energy ions. The decrease in activity of the tracer material may be monitored as the surface is subjected to wear processes and correlated to a depth calibration curve, yielding the eroded depth. Analysis of the activities was achieved through a gamma spectroscopy system. The primary objectives of this investigation were to reproduce erosion data observed in previous wear studies in order to validate the technique, and to determine the effect of different engine operating parameters on erosion rate. The erosion profile at the TH 15 (23 kw) setting observed during the 8200 hour Life Demonstration Test (LDT) was reproduced. The maximum keeper erosion rate at this setting was determined to be 0.085 pm/hr. Testing at the TH 8 (1.4 kw) setting demonstrated lower erosion rates than TH 15, along with a different wear profile. Varying the keeper voltage was shown to have a significant effect on the erosion, with a positive bias with respect to cathode potential decreasing the erosion rate significantly. Accurate measurements were achieved after operating times of only 40 to 70 hours, a significant improvement over other erosion diagnostic methods.

Design and prototyping of a wristband-type wireless photoplethysmographic device for heart rate variability signal analysis.

PubMed

Ghamari, M; Soltanpur, C; Cabrera, S; Romero, R; Martinek, R; Nazeran, H

2016-08-01

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) signal analysis provides a quantitative marker of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) function. A wristband-type wireless photoplethysmographic (PPG) device was custom-designed to collect and analyze the arterial pulse in the wrist. The proposed device is comprised of an optical sensor to monitor arterial pulse, a signal conditioning unit to filter and amplify the analog PPG signal, a microcontroller to digitize the analog PPG signal, and a Bluetooth module to transfer the data to a smart device. This paper proposes a novel model to represent the PPG signal as the summation of two Gaussian functions. The paper concludes with a verification procedure for HRV signal analysis during sedentary activities.

Effect of Slag Composition on the Crystallization Kinetics of Synthetic CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO Slags

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esfahani, Shaghayegh; Barati, Mansoor

2018-04-01

The crystallization kinetics of CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO (CSAM) slags was studied with the aid of single hot thermocouple technique (SHTT). Kinetic parameters such as the Avrami exponent ( n), rate coefficient ( K), and effective activation energy of crystallization ( E A ) were obtained by kinetic analysis of data obtained from in situ observation of glassy to crystalline transformation and image analysis. Also, the dependence of nucleation and growth rates of crystalline phases were quantified as a function of time, temperature, and slag basicity. Together with the observations of crystallization front, they facilitated establishing the dominant mechanisms of crystallization. In an attempt to predict crystallization rate under non-isothermal conditions, a mathematical model was developed that employs the rate data of isothermal transformation. The model was validated by reproducing an experimental continuous cooling transformation diagram purely from isothermal data.

[Cost-effectiveness of drotrecogin alpha [activated] in the treatment of severe sepsis in Spain].

PubMed

Sacristán, José A; Prieto, Luis; Huete, Teresa; Artigas, Antonio; Badia, Xavier; Chinn, Christopher; Hudson, Peter

2004-01-01

The PROWESS clinical trial has shown that treatment with drotrecogin alpha (activated) in patients with severe sepsis is associated with a reduction in the absolute risk of death compared with standard treatment. The aim of the present study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of drotrecogin alpha (activated) versus that of standard care in the treatment of severe sepsis in Spain. A decision analysis model was drawn up to compare costs to hospital discharge and the long-term efficacy of drotrecogin alpha (activated) versus those of standard care in the treatment of severe sepsis in Spain from the perspective of the health care payer. Most of the information for creating the model was obtained from the PROWESS clinical trial. A two-fold baseline analysis was performed: a) for all patients included in the PROWESS clinical trial and b) for the patients with two or more organ failures. The major variables for clinical assessment were the reduction in mortality and years of life gained (YLG). Cost-effectiveness was expressed as cost per YLG. A sensitivity analysis was applied using 3% and 5% discount rates for YLG and by modifying the patterns of health care, intensive care unit costs, and life expectancy by initial co-morbidity and therapeutic efficacy of drotrecogin alpha (activated). Treatment with drotrecogin alfa (activated) was associated with a 6.0% drop in the absolute risk of death (p = 0.005) when all of the patients from the PROWESS trial were included and with a 7.3% reduction (p = 0.005) when the analysis was restricted to patients with two or more organ failures. The cost-effectiveness of drotrecogin alfa (activated) was 13,550 euros per YLG with respect to standard care after analysing all of the patients and 9,800 euros per YLG in the group of patients with two or more organ failures. In the sensitivity analysis, the results ranged from 7,322 to 16,493 euros per YLG. The factors with the greatest impact on the results were the change in the efficacy of drotrecogin alfa (activated), adjustment of survival by initial co-morbidity and the application of discount rates to YLG. Treatment with drotrecogin alfa (activated) presents a favorable cost-effectiveness ratio compared with other health care interventions commonly used in Spain.

Readers' opinions of romantic poetry are consistent with emotional measures based on the Dictionary of Affect in Language.

PubMed

Whissell, Cynthia

2003-06-01

A principal components analysis of 68 volunteers' subjective ratings of 20 excerpts of Romantic poetry and of Dictionary of Affect scores for the same excerpts produced four components representing Pleasantness, Activation, Romanticism, and Nature. Dictionary measures and subjective ratings of the same constructs loaded on the same factor. Results are interpreted as providing construct validity for the Dictionary of Affect.

Ten-Year Incidence of Sport and Recreation Injuries Resulting in Major Trauma or Death in Victoria, Australia, 2005-2015.

PubMed

Ekegren, Christina L; Beck, Ben; Simpson, Pamela M; Gabbe, Belinda J

2018-03-01

Sports injuries that result in major trauma or death are associated with significant health care burden and societal costs. An understanding of changes in injury trends, and their drivers, is needed to implement policy aimed at risk reduction and injury prevention. To date, population-level reporting has not been available regarding trends in serious sport and recreation injuries anywhere in Australia over such an extended period, nor have any studies of this length captured comprehensive, long-term data on all sports-related major trauma internationally. To describe the incidence of sport and active recreation injuries resulting in major trauma or death over a 10-year period (July 2005 to June 2015) in the state of Victoria, Australia. Descriptive epidemiological study. All sport and active recreation-related major trauma cases and deaths in Victoria, Australia, over a 10-year period were extracted from the population-level Victorian State Trauma Registry and the National Coroners Information System. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine trends in the incidence of sport and active recreation-related major trauma and death. The 10-year study period entailed 2847 nonfatal major trauma cases and 614 deaths (including 96 in-hospital deaths). The highest frequencies of major trauma cases and deaths were in cycling, motor sports, and equestrian activities. The participation-adjusted major trauma and death rate was 12.2 per 100,000 participants per year over the study period. An 8% increase was noted in the rate of nonfatal major trauma (incident rate ratio [IRR], 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.10; P < .001) and a 7% decrease in the death rate (IRR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.97; P < .001). Significant increases were found in the rates of major trauma (including deaths) in equestrian activities, motor sports, and cycling. The death rate from sport and active recreation decreased by more than half over the course of 10 years in Victoria, while the rate of nonfatal major trauma almost doubled. This increase is largely attributable to equestrian activities, motor sports, and cycling. Study findings highlight the need to prioritize investments in the prevention of trauma in these activities.

Altering lipase activity and enantioselectivity in organic media using organo-soluble bases: Implication for rate-limiting proton transfer in acylation step.

PubMed

Chen, Chun-Chi; Chen, Teh-Liang; Tsai, Shau-Wei

2006-06-05

With the hydrolytic resolution of (R,S)-naproxen 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl esters via a partially purified papaya lipase (PCPL) in water-saturated isooctane as the model system, the enzyme activity, and enantioselectivty is altered by adding a variety of organo-soluble bases that act as either enzyme activators (i.e., TEA, MP, TOA, DPA, PY, and DMA) or enzyme inhibitors (i.e., PDP, DMAP, and PP). Triethylamine (TEA) is selected as the best enzyme activator as 2.24-fold increase of the initial rate for the (S)-ester is obtained when adding 120 mM of the base. By using an expanded Michaelis-Menten mechanism for the acylation step, the kinetic analysis indicates that the proton transfer for the breakdown of tetrahedral intermediates to acyl-enzyme intermediates is the rate-limiting step, or more sensitive than that for the formation of tetrahedral intermediates when the enzyme activators of different pKa are added. However, no correlation for the proton transfers in the acylation step is found when adding the bases acting as enzyme deactivators. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Deep sub-seafloor prokaryotes stimulated at interfaces over geological time.

PubMed

Parkes, R John; Webster, Gordon; Cragg, Barry A; Weightman, Andrew J; Newberry, Carole J; Ferdelman, Timothy G; Kallmeyer, Jens; Jørgensen, Bo B; Aiello, Ivano W; Fry, John C

2005-07-21

The sub-seafloor biosphere is the largest prokaryotic habitat on Earth but also a habitat with the lowest metabolic rates. Modelled activity rates are very low, indicating that most prokaryotes may be inactive or have extraordinarily slow metabolism. Here we present results from two Pacific Ocean sites, margin and open ocean, both of which have deep, subsurface stimulation of prokaryotic processes associated with geochemical and/or sedimentary interfaces. At 90 m depth in the margin site, stimulation was such that prokaryote numbers were higher (about 13-fold) and activity rates higher than or similar to near-surface values. Analysis of high-molecular-mass DNA confirmed the presence of viable prokaryotes and showed changes in biodiversity with depth that were coupled to geochemistry, including a marked community change at the 90-m interface. At the open ocean site, increases in numbers of prokaryotes at depth were more restricted but also corresponded to increased activity; however, this time they were associated with repeating layers of diatom-rich sediments (about 9 Myr old). These results show that deep sedimentary prokaryotes can have high activity, have changing diversity associated with interfaces and are active over geological timescales.

Parasympathetic tone variations according to umbilical cord pH at birth: a computerized fetal heart rate variability analysis.

PubMed

Butruille, Laura; De Jonckheere, Julien; Flocteil, Mathilde; Garabedian, Charles; Houfflin-Debarge, Véronique; Storme, Laurent; Deruelle, Philippe; Logier, Régis

2017-12-01

Non-reassuring fetal heart rate tracings reflect an imbalance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. In this situation, fetal asphyxia can be suspected and may be confirmed by metabolic measurements at birth like low pH or high base deficit values. The objective of this study was to determine whether fetal asphyxia during labor is related to parasympathetic nervous system activity. This is a retrospective study of a database collected in 5 centers. Two hundred and ninety-nine fetal heart rate tracings collected during labor were analyzed. Autonomic nervous system, especially the parasympathetic nervous system, was analyzed using an original index: the FSI (Fetal Stress Index). The FSI is a parasympathetic activity evaluation based on fetal heart rate variability analysis. Infants were grouped based on normal or low pH value at birth. FSI was measured during the last 30 min of labor before birth and compared between groups. The minimum value of the FSI during the last 30 min before delivery was significantly lower in the group with the lower umbilical cord arterial pH value. In this pilot study during labor, FSI was lower in the group of infants with low arterial pH at birth.

Analysis of cardiac signals using spatial filling index and time-frequency domain

PubMed Central

Faust, Oliver; Acharya U, Rajendra; Krishnan, SM; Min, Lim Choo

2004-01-01

Background Analysis of heart rate variation (HRV) has become a popular noninvasive tool for assessing the activities of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). HRV analysis is based on the concept that fast fluctuations may specifically reflect changes of sympathetic and vagal activity. It shows that the structure generating the signal is not simply linear, but also involves nonlinear contributions. These signals are essentially non-stationary; may contain indicators of current disease, or even warnings about impending diseases. The indicators may be present at all times or may occur at random in the time scale. However, to study and pinpoint abnormalities in voluminous data collected over several hours is strenuous and time consuming. Methods This paper presents the spatial filling index and time-frequency analysis of heart rate variability signal for disease identification. Renyi's entropy is evaluated for the signal in the Wigner-Ville and Continuous Wavelet Transformation (CWT) domain. Results This Renyi's entropy gives lower 'p' value for scalogram than Wigner-Ville distribution and also, the contours of scalogram visually show the features of the diseases. And in the time-frequency analysis, the Renyi's entropy gives better result for scalogram than the Wigner-Ville distribution. Conclusion Spatial filling index and Renyi's entropy has distinct regions for various diseases with an accuracy of more than 95%. PMID:15361254

Quantification of atmospheric methane oxidation in glacier forefields: Initial survey results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nauer, Philipp A.; Schroth, Martin H.; Pinto, Eric A.; Zeyer, Josef

2010-05-01

The oxidation of CH4 by methanotrophic bacteria is the only known terrestrial sink for atmospheric CH4. Aerobic methanotrophs are active in soils and sediments under various environmental conditions. However, little is known about the activity and abundance of methanotrophs in pioneering ecosystems and their role in succession. In alpine environments, receding glaciers pose a unique opportunity to investigate soil development and ecosystem succession. In an initial survey during summer and autumn 2009 we probed several locations in the forefields of four glaciers in the Swiss Alps to quantify the turnover of atmospheric methane in recently exposed soils. Three glacier forefields (the Stein, Steinlimi and Tiefen) are situated on siliceous bedrock, while one (the Griessen) is situated on calcareous bedrock. We sampled soil air from different depths to generate CH4 concentration profiles for qualitative analysis. At selected locations we applied surface Gas Push-Pull Tests (GPPT) to estimate first-order rate coefficients of CH4 oxidation. The test consists of a controlled injection of the reactants CH4 and O2 and the tracer Ar into and out of the soil at the same location. A top-closed steel cylinder previously emplaced in the soil encloses the injected gas mixture to ensure sufficient reaction times. Rate coefficients can be derived from differences of reactant and tracer breakthrough curves. In one GPPT we employed 13C-CH4 and measured the evolution of δ13C of extracted CO2. To confirm rate coefficients obtained by GPPTs we estimated effective soil diffusivity from soil core samples and fitted a diffusion-consumption model to our profile data. A qualitative analysis of the concentration profiles showed little activity in the forefields on siliceous bedrock, with only one out of fifteen locations exhibiting substantially lower CH4 concentrations in the soil compared to the atmosphere. The surface GPPTs with conventional CH4 at the active location were not sensitive enough to derive meaningful first-order rate coefficients of CH4 oxidation. The more sensitive GPPT with 13C-CH4 resulted in a coefficient of 0.025 h-1, close to the value of 0.011 h-1 estimated from the corresponding concentration profile. Activities in the forefield on calcareous bedrock were substantially higher, with decreased CH4 concentrations in the soil at three out of five locations. Estimated first-order rate coefficients from GPPT and profile at one selected location were 0.6 h-1 and 1.3 h-1, respectively, one to two orders of magnitude higher than values from the siliceous forefield. Additional analysis by quantitative PCR revealed substantially lower numbers of pmoA gene copies per g soil at the active location in the siliceous forefield compared to the selected location in the calcareous forefield. Reasons for these differences in activity and abundance are still unknown and will be subject of further investigations in an upcoming field campaign. The GPPT in combination with δ13C analysis of extracted CO2 appeared to be a functioning approach to sensitively quantify low CH4 turnover.

Comparative life cycle cost assessment of painted and hot-dip galvanized bridges.

PubMed

Rossi, B; Marquart, S; Rossi, G

2017-07-15

The study addresses the life cycle cost assessment (LCCA) of steel bridges, focusing on the maintenance activities and the maintenance scenario. Firstly, the unit costs of maintenance activities and their durability (i.e. the time between two activities) are evaluated. Pragmatic data are provided for the environment category C4 and for three activities: Patch Up, Overcoating and Remove & Replace. A comparative LCCA for a typical hypothetic steel girder bridge is carried out, either painted or hot-dip galvanized (HDG), in the environmental class C4. The LCC versus the cumulated life is provided for both options. The initial cost of the steel unpainted option is only 50.3% of the HDG option. It is shown that after 'Overcoating' occurring at 18.5 years, the total Net Present Value (NPV) of the painted option surpasses that of the HDG option. A sensitivity analysis of the NPV to the cost and service life parameters, the escalation and discount rates is then performed. The discount and escalation rates, considerably influences the total LCC, following a non-linear trend. The total LCC decreases with the discount rate increasing and, conversely, increases with the escalation rate increasing. Secondly, the influence of the maintenance scenario on the total LCC is assessed based on a probabilistic approach. A permutation of the three independent maintenance activities assumed to occur six times over the life of the bridge is considered and a probability of occurrence is associated to each unique scenario. The most probable scenarios are then classified according to their NPV or achieved service life. This approach leads to the definition of a cost-effective maintenance scenario i.e. the scenario, within all the considered permutations, that has the minimum LCC in a range of lifespan. Besides, the probabilistic analysis also shows that, whatever the scenario, the return on investment period ranges between 18.5 years and 24.2 years. After that period, the HDG option becomes economic. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trachoma and Relative Poverty: A Case-Control Study.

PubMed

Habtamu, Esmael; Wondie, Tariku; Aweke, Sintayehu; Tadesse, Zerihun; Zerihun, Mulat; Zewdie, Zebideru; Callahan, Kelly; Emerson, Paul M; Kuper, Hannah; Bailey, Robin L; Mabey, David C W; Rajak, Saul N; Polack, Sarah; Weiss, Helen A; Burton, Matthew J

2015-11-01

Trachoma is widely considered a disease of poverty. Although there are many epidemiological studies linking trachoma to factors normally associated with poverty, formal quantitative data linking trachoma to household economic poverty within endemic communities is very limited. Two hundred people with trachomatous trichiasis were recruited through community-based screening in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. These were individually matched by age and gender to 200 controls without trichiasis, selected randomly from the same sub-village as the case. Household economic poverty was measured through (a) A broad set of asset-based wealth indicators and relative household economic poverty determined by principal component analysis (PCA, (b) Self-rated wealth, and (c) Peer-rated wealth. Activity participation data were collected using a modified 'Stylised Activity List' developed for the World Bank's Living Standards Measurement Survey. Trichiasis cases were more likely to belong to poorer households by all measures: asset-based analysis (OR = 2.79; 95%CI: 2.06-3.78; p<0.0001), self-rated wealth (OR, 4.41, 95%CI, 2.75-7.07; p<0.0001) and peer-rated wealth (OR, 8.22, 95% CI, 4.59-14.72; p<0.0001). Cases had less access to latrines (57% v 76.5%, p = <0.0001) and higher person-to-room density (4.0 v 3.31; P = 0.0204) than the controls. Compared to controls, cases were significantly less likely to participate in economically productive activities regardless of visual impairment and other health problems, more likely to report difficulty in performing activities and more likely to receive assistance in performing productive activities. This study demonstrated a strong association between trachomatous trichiasis and relative poverty, suggesting a bidirectional causative relationship possibly may exist between poverty and trachoma. Implementation of the full SAFE strategy in the context of general improvements might lead to a virtuous cycle of improving health and wealth. Trachoma is a good proxy of inequality within communities and it could be used to target and evaluate interventions for health and poverty alleviation.

Signatures of criticality arise from random subsampling in simple population models.

PubMed

Nonnenmacher, Marcel; Behrens, Christian; Berens, Philipp; Bethge, Matthias; Macke, Jakob H

2017-10-01

The rise of large-scale recordings of neuronal activity has fueled the hope to gain new insights into the collective activity of neural ensembles. How can one link the statistics of neural population activity to underlying principles and theories? One attempt to interpret such data builds upon analogies to the behaviour of collective systems in statistical physics. Divergence of the specific heat-a measure of population statistics derived from thermodynamics-has been used to suggest that neural populations are optimized to operate at a "critical point". However, these findings have been challenged by theoretical studies which have shown that common inputs can lead to diverging specific heat. Here, we connect "signatures of criticality", and in particular the divergence of specific heat, back to statistics of neural population activity commonly studied in neural coding: firing rates and pairwise correlations. We show that the specific heat diverges whenever the average correlation strength does not depend on population size. This is necessarily true when data with correlations is randomly subsampled during the analysis process, irrespective of the detailed structure or origin of correlations. We also show how the characteristic shape of specific heat capacity curves depends on firing rates and correlations, using both analytically tractable models and numerical simulations of a canonical feed-forward population model. To analyze these simulations, we develop efficient methods for characterizing large-scale neural population activity with maximum entropy models. We find that, consistent with experimental findings, increases in firing rates and correlation directly lead to more pronounced signatures. Thus, previous reports of thermodynamical criticality in neural populations based on the analysis of specific heat can be explained by average firing rates and correlations, and are not indicative of an optimized coding strategy. We conclude that a reliable interpretation of statistical tests for theories of neural coding is possible only in reference to relevant ground-truth models.

Computer Series, 87.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, John W., Ed.

1987-01-01

Included are two articles related to the use of computers. One activity is a computer exercise in chemical reaction engineering and applied kinetics for undergraduate college students. The second article shows how computer-assisted analysis can be used with reaction rate data. (RH)

What is the impact of flexicurity on the chances of entry into employment for people with low education and activity limitations due to health problems? A comparison of 21 European countries using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA).

PubMed

Backhans, Mona C; Mosedale, Sarah; Bruce, Daniel; Whitehead, Margaret; Burström, Bo

2016-08-19

Employment and unemployment are key determinants of health inequalities and should be a priority when discussing policies to reduce such inequalities. Our aim is to investigate how flexicurity policies across European countries impact on the employment chances for people with low education and activity limitations. The longitudinal EU-SILC dataset, pooled 2005-2010, was used to calculate labour market outcomes. The sample consisted of 25 countries and 19,881 individuals. The employment transitions of non-employed people with activity limitations was followed from one year to the next, and the outcomes were rates of return-to work (RTW) among those with low education, and relative equality of RTW between those with low and high education (rate ratio, RR). Data on flexicurity policy and labour market factors were accessed from Eurostat and the OECD. As policy data was only available for OECD countries, the sample was reduced to 21 countries. Fuzzy-set QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis) was used to examine how different combinations of the components of flexicurity were linked to the two outcomes. Where high rates of RTW were achieved, high employment rates were always present. In five countries (the Nordic countries and the Netherlands) these factors coexisted with high expenditure on active labour market policies and social services in old age. In three others (The Czech Republic, UK and Estonia) they were combined with low employment protection and low benefit expenditure. For equality in RTW, low unemployment rates were combined with either high benefit expenditure, or low employment protection. We found two routes that lead to high RTW: we characterise these as the high road and the low road. Taking the low road (relaxing employment protection and limiting benefits) may be a tempting option for poorly performing countries. However, without measures to stimulate female employment it may not be enough as high overall employment is so important in enabling people with activity limitations to access the labour market. To achieve equality in RTW, it seems that as long as unemployment is low, either flexibility or security is sufficient.

Rotigotine transdermal patch in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Zhou, Chang-Qing; Li, Shan-Shan; Chen, Zhong-Mei; Li, Feng-Qun; Lei, Peng; Peng, Guo-Guang

2013-01-01

The efficacy and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch in Parkinson's disease (PD) were studied in some clinical trials. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch versus placebo in PD. Six randomized controlled trials (1789 patients) were included in this meta-analysis. As compared with placebo, the use of rotigotine resulted in greater improvements in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale activities of daily living score (weighted mean difference [WMD] -1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] -2.18 to -1.19), motor score (WMD -3.86, 95% CI -4.86 to -2.86), and the activities of daily living and motor subtotal score (WMD -4.52, 95% CI -5.86 to -3.17). Rotigotine was associated with a significantly higher rate of withdrawals due to adverse events (relative risk [RR] 1.82, 95% CI 1.29-2.59), and higher rates of application site reactions (RR 2.92, 95% CI 2.29-3.72), vomiting (RR 5.18, 95% CI 2.25-11.93), and dyskinesia (RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.47-4.32) compared with placebo. No differences were found in the relative risks of headache, constipation, back pain, diarrhea, or serious adverse events. Our meta-analysis showed that the use of rotigotine can reduce the symptoms of PD. However, rotigotine was also associated with a higher incidence of adverse events, especially application site reactions, compared with placebo.

Do Young People Ever Sit Still? Variations in Accelerometer Counts, Muscle Activity and Heart Rate across Various Sedentary Activities in Youth.

PubMed

van Ekris, Evi; Chinapaw, Mai J M; Rotteveel, Joost; Altenburg, Teatske M

2018-05-17

Evidence of adverse health effects of TV viewing is stronger than for overall sedentary behaviour in youth. One explanation may be that TV viewing involves less body movement than other sedentary activities. Variations in body movement across sedentary activities are currently unknown, as are age differences in such variations. This study examined body movement differences across various sedentary activities in children and adolescents, assessed by hip-, thigh- and wrist-worn accelerometers, muscle activity and heart rate. Body movement differences between sedentary activities and standing were also examined. Fifty-three children (aged 10⁻12 years) and 37 adolescents (aged 16⁻18 years) performed seven different sedentary activities, a standing activity, and a dancing activity (as a control activity) in a controlled setting. Each activity lasted 10 minutes. Participants wore an Actigraph on their hip and both wrists, an activPAL on their thigh and a heart rate monitor. The muscle activity of weight-bearing leg muscles was measured in a subgroup ( n = 38) by surface electromyography. Variations in body movement across activities were examined using general estimation equations analysis. Children showed significantly more body movement during sedentary activities and standing than adolescents. In both age groups, screen-based sedentary activities involved less body movement than non-screen-based sedentary activities. This may explain the stronger evidence for detrimental health effects of TV viewing while evidence for child sedentary behaviour in general is inconsistent. Differences in body movement during standing and sedentary activities were relatively small. Future research should examine the potential health effects of differences in body movement between screen-based versus non-screen based and standing versus sedentary activities.

Analysis of in vitro evolution reveals the underlying distribution of catalytic activity among random sequences.

PubMed

Pressman, Abe; Moretti, Janina E; Campbell, Gregory W; Müller, Ulrich F; Chen, Irene A

2017-08-21

The emergence of catalytic RNA is believed to have been a key event during the origin of life. Understanding how catalytic activity is distributed across random sequences is fundamental to estimating the probability that catalytic sequences would emerge. Here, we analyze the in vitro evolution of triphosphorylating ribozymes and translate their fitnesses into absolute estimates of catalytic activity for hundreds of ribozyme families. The analysis efficiently identified highly active ribozymes and estimated catalytic activity with good accuracy. The evolutionary dynamics follow Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection and a corollary, permitting retrospective inference of the distribution of fitness and activity in the random sequence pool for the first time. The frequency distribution of rate constants appears to be log-normal, with a surprisingly steep dropoff at higher activity, consistent with a mechanism for the emergence of activity as the product of many independent contributions. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

2.4 g Mesalamine (Asacol 400 mg tablet) Once Daily is as Effective as Three Times Daily in Maintenance of Remission in Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized, Noninferiority, Multi-center Trial.

PubMed

Suzuki, Yasuo; Iida, Mitsuo; Ito, Hiroaki; Nishino, Haruo; Ohmori, Toshihide; Arai, Takehiro; Yokoyama, Tadashi; Okubo, Takanori; Hibi, Toshifumi

2017-05-01

The noninferiority of pH-dependent release mesalamine (Asacol) once daily (QD) to 3 times daily (TID) administration was investigated. This was a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, active-control study, with dynamic and stochastic allocation using central registration. Patients with ulcerative colitis in remission (a bloody stool score of 0, and an ulcerative colitis disease activity index of ≤2), received the study drug (Asacol 2.4 g/d) for 48 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint of the nonrecurrence rate was assessed on the full analysis set. The noninferiority margin was 10%. Six hundred and four subjects were eligible and were allocated; 603 subjects received the study drug. The full analysis set comprised 602 subjects (QD: 301, TID: 301). Nonrecurrence rates were 88.4% in the QD and 89.6% in the TID. The difference between nonrecurrence rates was -1.3% (95% confidence interval: -6.2, 3.7), confirming noninferiority. No differences in the safety profile were observed between the two treatment groups. On post hoc analysis by integrating the QD and the TID, nonrecurrence rate with a mucosal appearance score of 0 at determination of eligibility was significantly higher than the score of 1. The mean compliance rates were 97.7% in the QD and 98.1% in the TID. QD dosing with Asacol is as effective and safe as TID for maintenance of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis. Additionally, this study indicated that maintaining a good mucosal state is the key for longer maintenance of remission.

2.4 g Mesalamine (Asacol 400 mg tablet) Once Daily is as Effective as Three Times Daily in Maintenance of Remission in Ulcerative Colitis: A Randomized, Noninferiority, Multi-center Trial

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Yasuo; Iida, Mitsuo; Ito, Hiroaki; Nishino, Haruo; Ohmori, Toshihide; Arai, Takehiro; Yokoyama, Tadashi; Okubo, Takanori

2017-01-01

Background: The noninferiority of pH-dependent release mesalamine (Asacol) once daily (QD) to 3 times daily (TID) administration was investigated. Methods: This was a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, active-control study, with dynamic and stochastic allocation using central registration. Patients with ulcerative colitis in remission (a bloody stool score of 0, and an ulcerative colitis disease activity index of ≤2), received the study drug (Asacol 2.4 g/d) for 48 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint of the nonrecurrence rate was assessed on the full analysis set. The noninferiority margin was 10%. Results: Six hundred and four subjects were eligible and were allocated; 603 subjects received the study drug. The full analysis set comprised 602 subjects (QD: 301, TID: 301). Nonrecurrence rates were 88.4% in the QD and 89.6% in the TID. The difference between nonrecurrence rates was −1.3% (95% confidence interval: −6.2, 3.7), confirming noninferiority. No differences in the safety profile were observed between the two treatment groups. On post hoc analysis by integrating the QD and the TID, nonrecurrence rate with a mucosal appearance score of 0 at determination of eligibility was significantly higher than the score of 1. The mean compliance rates were 97.7% in the QD and 98.1% in the TID. Conclusions: QD dosing with Asacol is as effective and safe as TID for maintenance of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis. Additionally, this study indicated that maintaining a good mucosal state is the key for longer maintenance of remission. PMID:28368909

CE: Original research: hospital system barriers to rapid response team activation: a cognitive work analysis.

PubMed

Braaten, Jane Saucedo

2015-02-01

The goal of rapid response team (RRT) activation in acute care facilities is to decrease mortality from preventable complications, but such efforts have been only moderately successful. Although recent research has shown decreased mortality when RRTs are activated more often, many hospitals have low activation rates. This has been linked to various hospital, team, and nursing factors. Yet there is a dearth of research examining how hospital systems shape nurses' behavior with regard to RRT activation. Making systemic constraints visible and modifying them may be the key to improving RRT activation rates and saving more lives. The purpose of this study was to use cognitive work analysis to describe factors within the hospital system that shape medical-surgical nurses' RRT activation behavior. Cognitive work analysis offers a framework for the study of complex sociotechnical systems. This framework was used as the organizing element of the study. Qualitative descriptive design was used to obtain data to fill the framework's five domains: resources, tasks, strategies, social systems, and worker competency. Data were obtained from interviews with 12 medical-surgical nurses and document review. Directed content analysis was used to place the obtained data into the framework's predefined domains. Many system factors affected participants' decisions to activate or not activate an RRT. Systemic constraints, especially in cases of subtle or gradual clinical changes, included a lack of adequate information, the availability of multiple strategies, the need to justify RRT activation, a scarcity of human resources, and informal hierarchical norms in the hospital culture. The most profound constraint was the need to justify the call. Justification was based on the objective or subjective nature of clinical changes, whether the nurse expected to be able to "handle" these changes, the presence or absence of a physician, and whether there was an expectation of support from the RRT team. The need for justification led to delays in RRT activation. Although it's generally thought that RRTs are activated without hesitation, this study found the opposite was true. All of the aforementioned constraints increase the cognitive processing load on the nurse. The value of the RRT could be increased by modifying these constraints-in particular, by lifting the need to justify calls, improving protocols, and broadening the range of culturally acceptable triggers-and by involving the RRT earlier in patient cases through discussion, consultation, and collaboration.

Higher dose rate Gamma Knife radiosurgery may provide earlier and longer-lasting pain relief for patients with trigeminal neuralgia.

PubMed

Lee, John Y K; Sandhu, Sukhmeet; Miller, Denise; Solberg, Timothy; Dorsey, Jay F; Alonso-Basanta, Michelle

2015-10-01

Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) utilizes cobalt-60 as its radiation source, and thus dose rate varies as the fixed source decays over its half-life of approximately 5.26 years. This natural decay results in increasing treatment times when delivering the same cumulative dose. It is also possible, however, that the biological effective dose may change based on this dose rate even if the total dose is kept constant. Because patients are generally treated in a uniform manner, radiosurgery for trigeminal neuralgia (TN) represents a clinical model whereby biological efficacy can be tested. The authors hypothesized that higher dose rates would result in earlier and more complete pain relief but only if measured with a sensitive pain assessment tool. One hundred thirty-three patients were treated with the Gamma Knife Model 4C unit at a single center by a single neurosurgeon during a single cobalt life cycle from January 2006 to May 2012. All patients were treated with 80 Gy with a single 4-mm isocenter without blocking. Using an output factor of 0.87, dose rates ranged from 1.28 to 2.95 Gy/min. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)-Facial was administered before the procedure and at the first follow-up office visit 1 month from the procedure (mean 1.3 months). Phone calls were made to evaluate patients after their procedures as part of a retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate linear regression was performed on several independent variables, including sex, age in deciles, diagnosis, follow-up duration, prior surgery, and dose rate. In the short-term analysis (mean 1.3 months), patients' self-reported pain intensity at its worst was significantly correlated with dose rate on multivariate analysis (p = 0.028). Similarly, patients' self-reported interference with activities of daily living was closely correlated with dose rate on multivariate analysis (p = 0.067). A 1 Gy/min decrease in dose rate resulted in a 17% decrease in pain intensity at its worst and a 22% decrease in pain interference with activities of daily living. In longer-term follow-up (mean 1.9 years), GKRS with higher dose rates (> 2.0 Gy/min; p = 0.007) and older age in deciles (p = 0.012) were associated with a lower likelihood of recurrence of pain. Prior studies investigating the role of dose rate in Gamma Knife radiosurgical ablation for TN have not used validated outcome tools to measure pain preoperatively. Consequently, differences in pain outcomes have been difficult to measure. By administering pain scales both preoperatively as well as postoperatively, the authors have identified statistically significant differences in pain intensity and pain interference with activities of daily living when comparing higher versus lower dose rates. Radiosurgery with a higher dose rate results in more pain relief at the early follow-up evaluation, and it may result in a lower recurrence rate at later follow-up.

Operation of a sampling train for the analysis of environmental species in coal gasification gas-phase process streams

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

Pochan, M.J.; Massey, M.J.

1979-02-01

This report discusses the results of actual raw product gas sampling efforts and includes: Rationale for raw product gas sampling efforts; design and operation of the CMU gas sampling train; development and analysis of a sampling train data base; and conclusions and future application of results. The results of sampling activities at the CO/sub 2/-Acceptor and Hygas pilot plants proved that: The CMU gas sampling train is a valid instrument for characterization of environmental parameters in coal gasification gas-phase process streams; depending on the particular process configuration, the CMU gas sampling train can reduce gasifier effluent characterization activity to amore » single location in the raw product gas line; and in contrast to the slower operation of the EPA SASS Train, CMU's gas sampling train can collect representative effluent data at a rapid rate (approx. 2 points per hour) consistent with the rate of change of process variables, and thus function as a tool for process engineering-oriented analysis of environmental characteristics.« less

Thermogravimetric analysis of the behavior of sub-bituminous coal and cellulosic ethanol residue during co-combustion.

PubMed

Buratti, C; Barbanera, M; Bartocci, P; Fantozzi, F

2015-06-01

The influence of the addition of cellulosic ethanol residue (CER) on the combustion of Indonesian sub-bituminous coal was analyzed by non isothermal thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of blends ratio (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%), interaction mechanism, and heating rate (5°C/min, 10°C/min, 15°C/min, 20°C/min) on the combustion process was studied. The results show that the increase of the blending ratio allows to achieve the increase of the combustibility index from 7.49E-08 to 5.26E-07 at the blending ratio of 20%. Two types of non-isothermal kinetic analysis methods (Ozawa-Flynn-Wall and Vyazovkin) were also applied. Results indicate that the activation energy of the blends decreases with increasing the conversion rate. In particular, the blending ratio of 20% confirms to have the better combustion performance, with the average value of the activation energy equal to 41.10 kJ/mol obtained by Ozawa-Flynn-Wall model and 31.17 kJ/mol obtained by Vyazovkin model. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural Correlates of Attitude Change Following Positive and Negative Advertisements

PubMed Central

Kato, Junko; Ide, Hiroko; Kabashima, Ikuo; Kadota, Hiroshi; Takano, Kouji; Kansaku, Kenji

2009-01-01

Understanding changes in attitudes towards others is critical to understanding human behaviour. Neuropolitical studies have found that the activation of emotion-related areas in the brain is linked to resilient political preferences, and neuroeconomic research has analysed the neural correlates of social preferences that favour or oppose consideration of intrinsic rewards. This study aims to identify the neural correlates in the prefrontal cortices of changes in political attitudes toward others that are linked to social cognition. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments have presented videos from previous electoral campaigns and television commercials for major cola brands and then used the subjects' self-rated affinity toward political candidates as behavioural indicators. After viewing negative campaign videos, subjects showing stronger fMRI activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex lowered their ratings of the candidate they originally supported more than did those with smaller fMRI signal changes in the same region. Subjects showing stronger activation in the medial prefrontal cortex tended to increase their ratings more than did those with less activation. The same regions were not activated by viewing negative advertisements for cola. Correlations between the self-rated values and the neural signal changes underscore the metric representation of observed decisions (i.e., whether to support or not) in the brain. This indicates that neurometric analysis may contribute to the exploration of the neural correlates of daily social behaviour. PMID:19503749

Understanding the current state of infection preventionists through competency, role, and activity self-assessment.

PubMed

Kalp, Ericka L; Marx, James F; Davis, James

2017-06-01

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) MegaSurvey, administered in 2015, was completed by approximately 4,079 APIC members. The survey sought to gain a better understanding the current state of 4 components of infection prevention practice: demographic characteristics, compensation, organizational structure, and practice and competency. The data for this analysis come from the APIC MegaSurvey Practice and Competency domain. Descriptive statistics and χ 2 analyses were conducted to examine differences in infection preventionist (IP) competency, roles, and activity self-assessments. The majority of IPs self-assessed their competency as Proficient compared with Novice or Expert for each of the 8 IP core competency activities. Forty percent of IPs self-rated their competency as Expert in the Preventing/Controlling the Transmission of Infectious Agents/HAIs component. IPs reported Novice competency in Employee/Occupational Health (29%); Cleaning, Sterilization, Disinfection, and Asepsis (23%); and Education and Research categories (22%). Differences in self-rated competency among IPs by discipline type (public health, nurse, and laboratory) were identified. Differences in self-rated competency were identified for each of the 8 IP core competency activities. IPs report using various resource types to gain competency. Future research is needed to identify opportunities to increase competency levels in the weakest-rated competency activities. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Speech Repetition Rate on Neural Activation in Healthy Adults: Implications for Treatment of Aphasia and Other Fluency Disorders.

PubMed

Marchina, Sarah; Norton, Andrea; Kumar, Sandeep; Schlaug, Gottfried

2018-01-01

Functional imaging studies have provided insight into the effect of rate on production of syllables, pseudowords, and naturalistic speech, but the influence of rate on repetition of commonly-used words/phrases suitable for therapeutic use merits closer examination. Aim: To identify speech-motor regions responsive to rate and test the hypothesis that those regions would provide greater support as rates increase, we used an overt speech repetition task and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to capture rate-modulated activation within speech-motor regions and determine whether modulations occur linearly and/or show hemispheric preference. Methods: Twelve healthy, right-handed adults participated in an fMRI task requiring overt repetition of commonly-used words/phrases at rates of 1, 2, and 3 syllables/second (syll./sec.). Results: Across all rates, bilateral activation was found both in ventral portions of primary sensorimotor cortex and middle and superior temporal regions. A repeated measures analysis of variance with pairwise comparisons revealed an overall difference between rates in temporal lobe regions of interest (ROIs) bilaterally ( p < 0.001); all six comparisons reached significance ( p < 0.05). Five of the six were highly significant ( p < 0.008), while the left-hemisphere 2- vs. 3-syll./sec. comparison, though still significant, was less robust ( p = 0.037). Temporal ROI mean beta-values increased linearly across the three rates bilaterally. Significant rate effects observed in the temporal lobes were slightly more pronounced in the right-hemisphere. No significant overall rate differences were seen in sensorimotor ROIs, nor was there a clear hemispheric effect. Conclusion: Linear effects in superior temporal ROIs suggest that sensory feedback corresponds directly to task demands. The lesser degree of significance in left-hemisphere activation at the faster, closer-to-normal rate may represent an increase in neural efficiency (and therefore, decreased demand) when the task so closely approximates a highly-practiced function. The presence of significant bilateral activation during overt repetition of words/phrases at all three rates suggests that repetition-based speech production may draw support from either or both hemispheres. This bihemispheric redundancy in regions associated with speech-motor control and their sensitivity to changes in rate may play an important role in interventions for nonfluent aphasia and other fluency disorders, particularly when right-hemisphere structures are the sole remaining pathway for production of meaningful speech.

Phytochemical Analysis and Free Radical Scavenging Activity of Medicinal Plants Gnidia glauca and Dioscorea bulbifera

PubMed Central

Ghosh, Sougata; Derle, Abhishek; Ahire, Mehul; More, Piyush; Jagtap, Soham; Phadatare, Suvarna D.; Patil, Ajay B.; Jabgunde, Amit M.; Sharma, Geeta K.; Shinde, Vaishali S.; Pardesi, Karishma; Dhavale, Dilip D.; Chopade, Balu A.

2013-01-01

Gnidia glauca and Dioscorea bulbifera are traditional medicinal plants that can be considered as sources of natural antioxidants. Herein we report the phytochemical analysis and free radical scavenging activity of their sequential extracts. Phenolic and flavonoid content were determined. Scavenging activity was checked against pulse radiolysis generated ABTS•+ and OH radical, in addition to DPPH, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals by biochemical methods followed by principal component analysis. G. glauca leaf extracts were rich in phenolic and flavonoid content. Ethyl acetate extract of D. bulbifera bulbs and methanol extract of G. glauca stem exhibited excellent scavenging of pulse radiolysis generated ABTS•+ radical with a second order rate constant of 2.33×106 and 1.72×106, respectively. Similarly, methanol extract of G. glauca flower and ethyl acetate extract of D. bulbifera bulb with second order rate constants of 4.48×106 and 4.46×106 were found to be potent scavengers of pulse radiolysis generated OH radical. G. glauca leaf and stem showed excellent reducing activity and free radical scavenging activity. HPTLC fingerprinting, carried out in mobile phase, chloroform: toluene: ethanol (4: 4: 1, v/v) showed presence of florescent compound at 366 nm as well as UV active compound at 254 nm. GC-TOF-MS analysis revealed the predominance of diphenyl sulfone as major compound in G. glauca. Significant levels of n-hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid were also present. Diosgenin (C27H42O3) and diosgenin (3á,25R) acetate were present as major phytoconstituents in the extracts of D. bulbifera. G. glauca and D. bulbifera contain significant amounts of phytochemicals with antioxidative properties that can be exploited as a potential source for herbal remedy for oxidative stress induced diseases. These results rationalize further investigation in the potential discovery of new natural bioactive principles from these two important medicinal plants. PMID:24367520

Phytochemical analysis and free radical scavenging activity of medicinal plants Gnidia glauca and Dioscorea bulbifera.

PubMed

Ghosh, Sougata; Derle, Abhishek; Ahire, Mehul; More, Piyush; Jagtap, Soham; Phadatare, Suvarna D; Patil, Ajay B; Jabgunde, Amit M; Sharma, Geeta K; Shinde, Vaishali S; Pardesi, Karishma; Dhavale, Dilip D; Chopade, Balu A

2013-01-01

Gnidia glauca and Dioscorea bulbifera are traditional medicinal plants that can be considered as sources of natural antioxidants. Herein we report the phytochemical analysis and free radical scavenging activity of their sequential extracts. Phenolic and flavonoid content were determined. Scavenging activity was checked against pulse radiolysis generated ABTS(•+) and OH radical, in addition to DPPH, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals by biochemical methods followed by principal component analysis. G. glauca leaf extracts were rich in phenolic and flavonoid content. Ethyl acetate extract of D. bulbifera bulbs and methanol extract of G. glauca stem exhibited excellent scavenging of pulse radiolysis generated ABTS(•+) radical with a second order rate constant of 2.33 × 10(6) and 1.72 × 10(6), respectively. Similarly, methanol extract of G. glauca flower and ethyl acetate extract of D. bulbifera bulb with second order rate constants of 4.48 × 10(6) and 4.46 × 10(6) were found to be potent scavengers of pulse radiolysis generated OH radical. G. glauca leaf and stem showed excellent reducing activity and free radical scavenging activity. HPTLC fingerprinting, carried out in mobile phase, chloroform: toluene: ethanol (4: 4: 1, v/v) showed presence of florescent compound at 366 nm as well as UV active compound at 254 nm. GC-TOF-MS analysis revealed the predominance of diphenyl sulfone as major compound in G. glauca. Significant levels of n-hexadecanoic acid and octadecanoic acid were also present. Diosgenin (C₂₇H₄₂O₃) and diosgenin (3á,25R) acetate were present as major phytoconstituents in the extracts of D. bulbifera. G. glauca and D. bulbifera contain significant amounts of phytochemicals with antioxidative properties that can be exploited as a potential source for herbal remedy for oxidative stress induced diseases. These results rationalize further investigation in the potential discovery of new natural bioactive principles from these two important medicinal plants.

Less is More in Antidepressant Clinical Trials: A Meta-Analysis of the Effect of Visit Frequency on Treatment Response and Drop-out

PubMed Central

Rutherford, Bret R; Cooper, Timothy M.; Persaud, Amanda; Brown, Patrick J.; Sneed, Joel R.; Roose, Steven P.

2014-01-01

Objective We investigated how the number of follow-up visits affects response rates and drop-out among patients in antidepressant trials for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Data Sources Medline, PsycINFO, and PubMed were searched to identify trials contrasting antidepressants to placebo or active comparator in adults with depression. The index terms “depression—drug therapy,” “depressive disorder—drug therapy,” and “antidepressant agents,” in addition to the class and individual generic name of all antidepressants were combined using the ‘or’ operator. Results were limited to 1) English language articles, 2) publication year 1985 or later, 3) age group ≥ 18, and 4) publication types including clinical trials, controlled clinical trials, meta-analysis, multi-center study, randomized controlled trial, or review. Study Selection Included articles reported trials of approved antidepressant medications for MDD in outpatients aged 18–65, were 6–12 weeks in duration, and had response rates specified using a standardized measure. Trials were excluded for enrolling inpatients, pregnant women, psychotic subjects, or those with treatment-resistant depression. These criteria allowed 9,189 articles identified in the literature review to be narrowed to 111 reports. Data extraction Demographic characteristics, the number of study visits planned in each treatment cell, duration of active treatment, attrition rates, and response rates to medication and placebo were entered into a database. Results In a multilevel meta-analysis, active medication vs. placebo (OR 1.96, p < 0.001), active comparator vs. placebo-controlled study design (OR 1.82, p < 0.001), and longer vs. shorter duration (OR 1.87, p < 0.001) were associated with significantly increased odds of treatment response. After controlling for these variables, the number of study visits did not significantly influence response rates (OR 0.97, p = 0.877). The odds of drop-out were significantly decreased for active comparator vs. placebo-controlled trials (OR 0.67, p = 0.002) and longer vs. shorter duration trials (OR 0.54, p = 0.035), while increasing numbers of study visits significantly increased the odds of participant drop-out (OR 2.77, p < 0.001). Conclusion Visit schedules that are much more frequent than are commonly practiced in the community treatment of depression may increase the expense of clinical trials and make them less generalizable to standard clinical treatment. PMID:23945448

Return to Function, Complication, and Reoperation Rates Following Primary Pectoralis Major Tendon Repair in Military Service Members.

PubMed

Nute, Drew W; Kusnezov, Nicholas; Dunn, John C; Waterman, Brian R

2017-01-04

Pectoralis major tendon ruptures have become increasingly common injuries among young, active individuals over the past 30 years; however, there is presently a paucity of reported outcome data. We investigated the ability to return to full preoperative level of function, complications, reoperation rates, and risk factors for failure following surgical repair of the pectoralis major tendon in a cohort of young, highly active individuals. All U.S. active-duty military patients undergoing pectoralis major tendon repair between 2008 and 2013 were identified from the Military Health System using the Management Analysis and Reporting Tool (M2). Demographic characteristics, injury characteristics, and trends in preoperative and postoperative self-reported pain scale (0 to 10) and strength were extracted. The ability to return to the full preoperative level of function and rates of rerupture and reoperation were the primary outcome measures. Univariate analysis followed by multivariate analysis identified significant variables. A total of 257 patients with pectoralis major tendon repair were identified with a mean follow-up (and standard deviation) of 47.8 ± 17 months (range, 24 to 90 months). At the time of the latest follow-up, 242 patients (94%) were able to return to the full preoperative level of military function. Fifteen patients (5.8%) were unable to return to duty because of persistent upper-extremity disability. A total of 15 reruptures occurred in 14 patients (5.4%). Increasing body mass index and active psychiatric conditions were significant predictors of inability to return to function (odds ratio, 1.56 [p = 0.0001] for increasing body mass index; and odds ratio, 6.59 [p = 0.00165] for active psychiatric conditions) and total failure (odds ratio, 1.26 [p = 0.0012] for increasing body mass index; and odds ratio, 2.73 [p = 0.0486] for active psychiatric conditions). We demonstrate that 94% of patients were able to return to the full preoperative level of function within active military duty following surgical repair of pectoralis major tendon rupture and 5.4% of patients experienced rerupture after primary repair. Increasing body mass index and active psychiatric diagnoses are significant risk factors for an inability to return to function and postoperative failures. Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Leisure-time physical activity and psychological well-being in university students.

PubMed

Molina-García, J; Castillo, I; Queralt, A

2011-10-01

An analysis of psychological well-being (self-esteem and subjective vitality) of 639 Spanish university students was performed, while accounting for the amount of leisure-time physical activity. The Spanish versions of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Subjective Vitality Scale were employed. Participants were divided into four groups (Low, Moderate, High, and Very high) depending on estimation of energy expenditure in leisure-time physical activity. Men and women having higher physical activity rated higher mean subjective vitality; however, differences in self-esteem were observed only in men, specifically between Very high and the other physical activity groups.

Factors affecting the HIV/AIDS epidemic: an ecological analysis of global data.

PubMed

Mondal, M N I; Shitan, M

2013-06-01

All over the world the prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has became a stumbling stone in progress of human civilization and is a huge concern for people worldwide. To determine the social and health factors which contribute to increase the size of HIV epidemic globally. The country level indicators of HIV prevalence rates, are contraceptive prevalence rate, physicians density, proportion of Muslim populations, adolescent fertility rate, and mean year of schooling were compiled of 187 countries from the United Nations (UN) agencies. To extract the major factors from those indicators of the later five categories, backward multiple regression analysis was used as the statistical tool. The national HIV prevalence rate was significantly correlated with almost all the predictors. Backward multiple linear regression analysis identified the proportion of Muslims, physicians density, and adolescent fertility rate are as the three most prominent factors linked with the national HIV epidemic. The findings support the hypotheses that a higher adolescent fertility rate in the population is the adverse effect of premarital and extramarital sex that leads to longer period of sexual activity which increases the risk of HIV infection. On the hand, and cultural restrictions of Muslims and sufficient physicians will decelerate the spread of HIV infections in the society.

Determining the rate of forest conversion in Mato Grosso, Brazil, using Landsat MSS and AVHRR data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Ross; Horning, Ned; Stone, Thomas A.

1987-01-01

AVHRR-LAC thermal data and Landsat MSS and TM spectral data were used to estimate the rate of forest clearing in Mato Grosso, Brazil, between 1981 and 1984. The Brazilian state was stratified into forest and nonforest. A list sampling procedure was used in the forest stratum to select Landsat MSS scenes for processing based on estimates of fire activity in the scenes. Fire activity in 1984 was estimated using AVHRR-LAC thermal data. State-wide estimates of forest conversion indicate that between 1981 and 1984, 353,966 ha + or - 77,000 ha (0.4 percent of the state area) were converted per year. No evidence of reforestation was found in this digital sample. The relationship between forest clearing rate (based on MSS-TM analysis) and fire activity (estimated using AVHRR data) was noisy (R-squared = 0.41). The results suggest that AVHRR data may be put to better use as a stratification tool than as a subsidiary variable in list sampling.

Focus: Nucleation kinetics of shear bands in metallic glass.

PubMed

Wang, J Q; Perepezko, J H

2016-12-07

The development of shear bands is recognized as the primary mechanism in controlling the plastic deformability of metallic glasses. However, the kinetics of the nucleation of shear bands has received limited attention. The nucleation of shear bands in metallic glasses (MG) can be investigated using a nanoindentation method to monitor the development of the first pop-in event that is a signature of shear band nucleation. The analysis of a statistically significant number of first pop-in events demonstrates the stochastic behavior that is characteristic of nucleation and reveals a multimodal behavior associated with local spatial heterogeneities. The shear band nucleation rate of the two nucleation modes and the associated activation energy, activation volume, and site density were determined by loading rate experiments. The nucleation activation energy is very close to the value that is characteristic of the β relaxation in metallic glass. The identification of the rate controlling kinetics for shear band nucleation offers guidance for promoting plastic flow in metallic glass.

Sintering activation energy MoSi2-WSi2-Si3N4 ceramic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titov, D. D.; Lysenkov, A. S.; Kargin, Yu F.; Frolova, M. G.; Gorshkov, V. A.; Perevislov, S. N.

2018-04-01

The activation energy of sintering process was calculated based on dilatometric studies of shrinkage processes (Mo,W)Si2 + Si3N4 composite ceramic. (Mo,W)Si2 powders was obtained by solid-phase solutions of 70 wt% MoSi2 and 30 wt% WSi2 by SHS in the ISMAN RAS. The concentration rate Si3N4 was from 1 to 15 wt.%. The sintering was carried out to 1850°C in Ar atmosphere the heating rate of 5, 10, 12 and 15°C/min by the way of dilatometer tests. Based on the differential kinetic analysis method (Friedman’s method), the sintering process activation energy of (Mo,W)Si2 + Si3N4 were calculated. The two-stage sintering process and the dependence of the activation energy on the Si3N4 content was shown. Average value of 370 kJ/mol for Q was obtained.

The Effect of PtRuIr Nanoparticle Crystallinity in Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation

PubMed Central

Ma, Yanjiao; Wang, Rongfang; Wang, Hui; Liao, Shijun; Key, Julian; Linkov, Vladimir; Ji, Shan

2013-01-01

Two structural forms of a ternary alloy PtRuIr/C catalyst, one amorphous and one highly crystalline, were synthesized and compared to determine the effect of their respective structures on their activity and stability as anodic catalysts in methanol oxidation. Characterization techniques included TEM, XRD, and EDX. Electrochemical analysis using a glassy carbon disk electrode for cyclic voltammogram and chronoamperometry were tested in a solution of 0.5 mol L−1 CH3OH and 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4. Amorphous PtRuIr/C catalyst was found to have a larger electrochemical surface area, while the crystalline PtRuIr/C catalyst had both a higher activity in methanol oxidation and increased CO poisoning rate. Crystallinity of the active alloy nanoparticles has a big impact on both methanol oxidation activity and in the CO poisoning rate. PMID:28809233

Modelling and shadowgraph imaging of cocrystal dissolution and assessment of in vitro antimicrobial activity for sulfadimidine/4-aminosalicylic acid cocrystals.

PubMed

Serrano, Dolores R; Persoons, Tim; D'Arcy, Deirdre M; Galiana, Carolina; Dea-Ayuela, Maria Auxiliadora; Healy, Anne Marie

2016-06-30

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of crystal habit on the dissolution and in vitro antibacterial and anitiprotozoal activity of sulfadimidine:4-aminosalicylic acid cocrystals. Cocrystals were produced via milling or solvent mediated processes. In vitro dissolution was carried out in the flow-through apparatus, with shadowgraph imaging and mechanistic mathematical models used to observe and simulate particle dissolution. In vitro activity was tested using agar diffusion assays. Cocrystallisation via milling produced small polyhedral crystals with antimicrobial activity significantly higher than sulfadimidine alone, consistent with a fast dissolution rate which was matched only by cocrystals which were milled following solvent evaporation. Cocrystallisation by solvent evaporation (ethanol, acetone) or spray drying produced flattened, plate-like or quasi-spherical cocrystals, respectively, with more hydrophobic surfaces and greater tendency to form aggregates in aqueous media, limiting both the dissolution rate and in vitro activity. Deviation from predicted dissolution profiles was attributable to aggregation behaviour, supported by observations from shadowgraph imaging. Aggregation behaviour during dissolution of cocrystals with different habits affected the dissolution rate, consistent with in vitro activity. Combining mechanistic models with shadowgraph imaging is a valuable approach for dissolution process analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The relationship between convenience of destinations and walking levels in older women.

PubMed

King, Wendy C; Brach, Jennifer S; Belle, Steven; Killingsworth, Richard; Fenton, Mark; Kriska, Andrea M

2003-01-01

To examine the relationship between physical activity and (1) convenience of destinations, measured by whether destinations (such as a park, trail, businesses, and services) are within walking distance of the home, and (2) participants' perception of the quality of their neighborhood surroundings for walking, captured with a global neighborhood "walkability" rating. Cross-sectional analysis of data obtained in 1999. Community in southwest Pennsylvania. Older Caucasian women (n = 149, mean age = 74.2 years). Response rate = 79%. Walking levels, leisure-time physical activity, and features of the neighborhood environment were measured with interviewer-administered questionnaires. Physical activity was also measured objectively with a pedometer. Living within walking distance (defined as within a 20-minute walk of home) of a park; biking or walking trail; or department, discount, or hardware store was related to higher pedometer readings (p < .01). In addition, there was a positive trend between the sum of destinations within walking distance of home and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire (p < .01). There was also a positive trend between participants' neighborhood "walkability" rating and activity levels measured by pedometer and questionnaire (p < .01). These findings suggest that the ability to make utilitarian walking trips from home and the perception of having favorable neighborhood surroundings for walking are associated with increased physical activity levels in older women.

Fluctuations in Wikipedia access-rate and edit-event data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kämpf, Mirko; Tismer, Sebastian; Kantelhardt, Jan W.; Muchnik, Lev

2012-12-01

Internet-based social networks often reflect extreme events in nature and society by drastic increases in user activity. We study and compare the dynamics of the two major complex processes necessary for information spread via the online encyclopedia ‘Wikipedia’, i.e., article editing (information upload) and article access (information viewing) based on article edit-event time series and (hourly) user access-rate time series for all articles. Daily and weekly activity patterns occur in addition to fluctuations and bursting activity. The bursts (i.e., significant increases in activity for an extended period of time) are characterized by a power-law distribution of durations of increases and decreases. For describing the recurrence and clustering of bursts we investigate the statistics of the return intervals between them. We find stretched exponential distributions of return intervals in access-rate time series, while edit-event time series yield simple exponential distributions. To characterize the fluctuation behavior we apply detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), finding that most article access-rate time series are characterized by strong long-term correlations with fluctuation exponents α≈0.9. The results indicate significant differences in the dynamics of information upload and access and help in understanding the complex process of collecting, processing, validating, and distributing information in self-organized social networks.

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex encodes emotional value.

PubMed

Winecoff, Amy; Clithero, John A; Carter, R McKell; Bergman, Sara R; Wang, Lihong; Huettel, Scott A

2013-07-03

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a critical role in processing appetitive stimuli. Recent investigations have shown that reward value signals in the vmPFC can be altered by emotion regulation processes; however, to what extent the processing of positive emotion relies on neural regions implicated in reward processing is unclear. Here, we investigated the effects of emotion regulation on the valuation of emotionally evocative images. Two independent experimental samples of human participants performed a cognitive reappraisal task while undergoing fMRI. The experience of positive emotions activated the vmPFC, whereas the regulation of positive emotions led to relative decreases in vmPFC activation. During the experience of positive emotions, vmPFC activation tracked participants' own subjective ratings of the valence of stimuli. Furthermore, vmPFC activation also tracked normative valence ratings of the stimuli when participants were asked to experience their emotions, but not when asked to regulate them. A separate analysis of the predictive power of vmPFC on behavior indicated that even after accounting for normative stimulus ratings and condition, increased signal in the vmPFC was associated with more positive valence ratings. These results suggest that the vmPFC encodes a domain-general value signal that tracks the value of not only external rewards, but also emotional stimuli.

Validation of Heart Rate Monitor Polar RS800 for Heart Rate Variability Analysis During Exercise.

PubMed

Hernando, David; Garatachea, Nuria; Almeida, Rute; Casajús, Jose A; Bailón, Raquel

2018-03-01

Hernando, D, Garatachea, N, Almeida, R, Casajús, JA, and Bailón, R. Validation of heart rate monitor Polar RS800 for heart rate variability analysis during exercise. J Strength Cond Res 32(3): 716-725, 2018-Heart rate variability (HRV) analysis during exercise is an interesting noninvasive tool to measure the cardiovascular response to the stress of exercise. Wearable heart rate monitors are a comfortable option to measure interbeat (RR) intervals while doing physical activities. It is necessary to evaluate the agreement between HRV parameters derived from the RR series recorded by wearable devices and those derived from an electrocardiogram (ECG) during dynamic exercise of low to high intensity. Twenty-three male volunteers performed an exercise stress test on a cycle ergometer. Subjects wore a Polar RS800 device, whereas ECG was also recorded simultaneously to extract the reference RR intervals. A time-frequency spectral analysis was performed to extract the instantaneous mean heart rate (HRM), and the power of low-frequency (PLF) and high-frequency (PHF) components, the latter centered on the respiratory frequency. Analysis was done in intervals of different exercise intensity based on oxygen consumption. Linear correlation, reliability, and agreement were computed in each interval. The agreement between the RR series obtained from the Polar device and from the ECG is high throughout the whole test although the shorter the RR is, the more differences there are. Both methods are interchangeable when analyzing HRV at rest. At high exercise intensity, HRM and PLF still presented a high correlation (ρ > 0.8) and excellent reliability and agreement indices (above 0.9). However, the PHF measurements from the Polar showed reliability and agreement coefficients around 0.5 or lower when the level of the exercise increases (for levels of O2 above 60%).

pncA gene expression and prediction factors on pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Sheen, Patricia; Lozano, Katherine; Gilman, Robert H; Valencia, Hugo J; Loli, Sebastian; Fuentes, Patricia; Grandjean, Louis; Zimic, Mirko

2013-09-01

Mutations in the pyrazinamidase (PZAse) coding gene, pncA, have been considered as the main cause of pyrazinamide (PZA) resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, recent studies suggest there is no single mechanism of resistance to PZA. The pyrazinoic acid (POA) efflux rate is the basis of the PZA susceptibility Wayne test, and its quantitative measurement has been found to be a highly sensitive and specific predictor of PZA resistance. Based on biological considerations, the POA efflux rate is directly determined by the PZAse activity, the level of pncA expression, and the efficiency of the POA efflux pump system. This study analyzes the individual and the adjusted contribution of PZAse activity, pncA expression and POA efflux rate on PZA resistance. Thirty M. tuberculosis strains with known microbiological PZA susceptibility or resistance were analyzed. For each strain, PZAse was recombinantly produced and its enzymatic activity measured. The level of pncA mRNA was estimated by quantitative RT-PCR, and the POA efflux rate was determined. Mutations in the pncA promoter were detected by DNA sequencing. All factors were evaluated by multiple regression analysis to determine their adjusted effects on the level of PZA resistance. Low level of pncA expression associated to mutations in the pncA promoter region was observed in pncA wild type resistant strains. POA efflux rate was the best predictor after adjusting for the other factors, followed by PZAse activity. These results suggest that tests which rely on pncA mutations or PZAse activity are likely to be less predictive of real PZA resistance than tests which measure the rate of POA efflux. This should be further analyzed in light of the development of alternate assays to determine PZA resistance. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

pncA gene expression and prediction factors on pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Sheen, Patricia; Lozano, Katherine; Gilman, Robert H.; Valencia, Hugo J.; Loli, Sebastian; Fuentes, Patricia; Grandjean, Louis; Zimic, Mirko

2013-01-01

Summary Background Mutations in the pyrazinamidase (PZAse) coding gene, pncA, have been considered as the main cause of pyrazinamide (PZA) resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, recent studies suggest there is no single mechanism of resistance to PZA. The pyrazinoic acid (POA) efflux rate is the basis of the PZA susceptibility Wayne test, and its quantitative measurement has been found to be a highly sensitive and specific predictor of PZA resistance. Based on biological considerations, the POA efflux rate is directly determined by the PZAse activity, the level of pncA expression, and the efficiency of the POA efflux pump system. Objective This study analyzes the individual and the adjusted contribution of PZAse activity, pncA expression and POA efflux rate on PZA resistance. Methods Thirty M. tuberculosis strains with known microbiological PZA susceptibility or resistance were analyzed. For each strain, PZAse was recombinantly produced and its enzymatic activity measured. The level of pncA mRNA was estimated by quantitative RT-PCR, and the POA efflux rate was determined. Mutations in the pncA promoter were detected by DNA sequencing. All factors were evaluated by multiple regression analysis to determine their adjusted effects on the level of PZA resistance. Findings Low level of pncA expression associated to mutations in the pncA promoter region was observed in pncA wild type resistant strains. POA efflux rate was the best predictor after adjusting for the other factors, followed by PZAse activity. These results suggest that tests which rely on pncA mutations or PZAse activity are likely to be less predictive of real PZA resistance than tests which measure the rate of POA efflux. This should be further analyzed in light of the development of alternate assays to determine PZA resistance. PMID:23867321

Enhanced kappa-Cygnid activity 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rendtel, Jürgen; Molau, Sirko

2015-04-01

The κ-Cygnid (012 KCG) meteor shower produced about 3-4 times the average visual rate and video flux in August 2014 for about four days. We are able to trace the increased activity to one component of the Cygnid complex proposed by Koseki recently. Video data indicate that the population index of all shower components is lower than that of the sporadic meteors, probably r≈ 2.6. Our analysis supports the suggested 7-year periodicity in activity enhancement of the κ-Cygnids

Philosophical origins of the social rate of discount in cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed

Robinson, J C

1990-01-01

The social rate of discount--that is, the way decision makers today evaluate future consequences of collective activity--raises difficult issues of intergenerational justice. When benefits are discounted at the present rate the United States government requires, serious efforts to promote public health over the long term will fail cost-benefit tests. No consensus exists among theorists to establish fair rates; philosophers support discounting with economic arguments that economists reject, while economists no less paradoxically support the concept using philosophical arguments that philosophers disavow. A new emphasis on the role of consumers' and citizens' time preferences, however, will keep open rather than close debates on the social discount rate.

Development of interest in science and interest in teaching elementary science: Influence of informal, school, and inquiry methods course experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulunuz, Mizrap

Inquiry-based science instruction is a major goal of science education reform. However, there is little research examining how preservice elementary teachers might be motivated to teach through inquiry. This quantitative study was designed to examine the role of background experiences and an inquiry science methods course on interest in science and interest in teaching science. The course included many activities and assignments at varying levels of inquiry, designed to teach content and inquiry methods and to model effective teaching. The study involved analyses of surveys completed by students in the course on their experiences with science before, during, and at the end of the course. The following questions guided the design of this study and analysis of the data: (1) What science background experiences (school, home, and informal education) do participants have and how do those experiences affect initial interest in science? (2) Among the hands-on activities in the methods course, is there a relationship between level of inquiry of the activity and the motivational quality (interesting, fun, and learning) of the activity? (3) Does the course affect participants' interest and attitude toward science? (4) What aspects of the course contribute to participants' interest in teaching science and choice to teach science? Descriptive and inferential analysis of a background survey revealed that participants with high and low initial interest in science differed significantly on remembering about elementary school science and involvement in science related activities in childhood/youth. Analysis of daily ratings of each hands-on activity on motivational qualities (fun, interest, and learning) indicated that there were significant differences in motivational quality of the activities by level of inquiry with higher levels of inquiry rated more positively. Pre/post surveys indicated that participants increased in interest in science and a number of variables reflecting more positive feelings about science and science teaching. Regression analysis found that the best predictors for interest in teaching science were experiencing fun activities in the science methods course followed by the interest participants brought to the course. This study highlights the motivational aspects of the methods course in developing interest in science and interest in teaching science.

Depression and Daydreaming: An Analysis Based on Self-Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giambra, Leonard M.; Traynor, Thomas D.

1978-01-01

Investigated the relationship between depression and daydreaming characteristics in a non-hospitalized sample. Use was made of self-report psychometric instruments that measure depression and aspects of depression and other activity such as mindwandering, boredom, distractibility, and curiosity. (Editor/RK)

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of CO-oxidation catalysts for high repetition rate CO2 TEA lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moser, Thomas P.

1990-01-01

An extremely active class of noble metal catalysts supported on titania was developed and fabricated at Hughes for the recombination of oxygen (O2) and carbon monoxide (CO) in closed-cycle CO2 TEA lasers. The incipient wetness technique was used to impregnate titania and alumina pellets with precious metals including platinum and palladium. In particular, the addition of cerium (used as an oxygen storage promoter) produced an extremely active Pt/Ce/TiO2 catalyst. By comparison, the complementary Pt/Ce/ gamma-Al2O3 catalyst was considerably less active. In general, chloride-free catalyst precursors proved critical in obtaining an active catalyst while also providing uniform metal distributions throughout the support structure. Detailed characterization of the Pt/Ce/TiO2 catalyst demonstrated uniform dendritic crystal growth of the metals throughout the support. Electron spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) analysis was used to characterize the oxidation states of Pt, Ce and Ti. The performance of the catalysts was evaluated with an integral flow reactor system incorporating real time analysis of O2 and CO. With this system, the transient and steady-state behavior of the catalysts were evaluated. The kinetic evaluation was complemented by tests in a compact, closed-cycle Hughes CO2 TEA laser operating at a pulse repetition rate of 100 Hz with a catalyst temperature of 75 to 95 C. The Pt/Ce/TiO2 catalyst was compatible with a C(13)O(16)2 gas fill.

Unconventional mechanisms control cyclic respiratory gas release in flying Drosophila.

PubMed

Lehmann, Fritz-Olaf; Heymann, Nicole

2005-10-01

The high power output of flight muscles places special demands on the respiratory gas exchange system in insects. In small insects, respiration relies on diffusion, and for elevated locomotor performance such as flight, instantaneous gas exchange rates typically co-vary with the animal's metabolic activity. By contrast, under certain conditions, instantaneous release rate of carbon dioxide from the fruit fly Drosophila flying in a virtual-reality flight arena may oscillate distinctly at low frequency (0.37+/-0.055 Hz), even though flight muscle mechanical power output requires constant metabolic activity. Cross-correlation analysis suggests that this uncoupling between respiratory and metabolic rate is not driven by conventional types of convective flow reinforcement such as abdominal pumping, but might result from two unusual mechanisms for tracheal breathing. Simplified analytical modeling of diffusive tracheal gas exchange suggests that cyclic release patterns in the insect occur as a consequence of the stochastically synchronized control of spiracle opening area by the four large thoracic spiracles. Alternatively, in-flight motion analysis of the abdomen and proboscis using infra-red video imaging suggests utilization of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) for tracheal convection. Although the respiratory benefit of synchronized spiracle opening activity in the fruit fly is unclear, proboscis-induced tracheal convection might potentially help to balance the local oxygen supply between different body compartments of the flying animal.

Aerobic biological treatment of low-strength synthetic wastewater in membrane-coupled bioreactors: the structure and function of bacterial enrichment cultures as the net growth rate approaches zero.

PubMed

Chen, Ruoyu; LaPara, Timothy M

2006-01-01

The goal of the current research was to determine if the stringent nutrient limitation imposed by membrane-coupled bioreactors (MBRs) could be used to force mixed bacterial communities to exhibit a zero net growth rate over an extended time period. Mechanistically, this zero net growth rate could be achieved when the amount of energy available for growth is balanced by the maintenance requirements of the bacterial community. Bench-scale MBRs were fed synthetic feed medium containing gelatin as the major organic substrate. Biomass concentrations initially increased rapidly, but subsequently declined until an asymptote was reached. Leucine aminopeptidase activities concomitantly increased by at least 10-fold, suggesting that bacterial catabolic activity remained high even while growth rates became negligible. In contrast, alpha-glucosidase and heptanoate esterase activities decreased, indicating that the bacterial community specifically adapted to the carbon source in the feed medium. Bacterial community analysis by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments (PCR-DGGE) suggested that the bacterial community structure completely changed from the beginning to the end of each MBR. Excision and nucleotide sequence analysis of prominent PCR-DGGE bands suggested that many of the dominant populations were similar to novel bacterial strains that were previously uncultivated or recently cultivated during studies specifically targeting these novel populations. This research demonstrates that MBRs have substantial practical applications for biological wastewater treatment; in addition, MBRs are a useful tool to study the ecology of slow-growing bacteria.

Serum Bilirubin Concentrations in Patients With Takayasu Arteritis.

PubMed

Peng, You-Fan; Deng, Yi-Bin

2017-06-01

- Bilirubin has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidative stress action. Progression of inflammation involving arteries is a crucial activator in pathogenesis of Takayasu arteritis (TA). - To investigate the relationship between serum bilirubin and TA. - Our study involved 115 consecutive TA patients. Patients with active-phase disease were followed and received prednisone therapy. - Lower concentrations of serum bilirubin were detected in TA patients compared with healthy subjects (0.6 ± 0.31 versus 0.7 ± 0.22 mg/dL, P = .02). Serum bilirubin concentrations in active TA patients were lower than those in inactive patients (0.5 ± 0.20 versus 0.8 ± 0.32 mg/dL, P < .001). In all patients with TA, serum bilirubin correlated positively with total protein (r = 0.193, P = .04) and negatively with C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (r = -0.213, P = .03, and r = -0.532, P < .001, respectively). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that each decrease of 1 mg/dL in serum bilirubin was associated with a 1.10 times increase in the odds for TA compared with the controls (odds ratio = 0.913, 95% CI, 0.856-0.974; P = .006). Serum bilirubin was correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (β = -0.170, P < .001) in multiple linear regression analysis. The area under the curve for serum bilirubin in predicting active TA patients was 0.802. Serum bilirubin levels were found to be significantly increased after prednisone treatment (0.5 ± 0.20 versus 0.7 ± 0.15 mg/dL, P = .002). - Lower serum bilirubin levels are associated with TA, and serum bilirubin may be influenced by prednisone therapy in active TA patients. Serum bilirubin levels in TA patients correlate negatively with erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

INVESTIGATION OF SEX-DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF CANNABIS IN DAILY CANNABIS SMOKERS

PubMed Central

Cooper, Ziva D.; Haney, Margaret

2014-01-01

Background Women exhibit an accelerated progression from first cannabis use to cannabis use disorder (CUD) and show pronounced negative clinical issues related to CUD relative to men. Whether sex-dependent differences in cannabis’ direct effects contribute to the heightened risk in women is unknown. This analysis directly compared cannabis’ abuse-related subjective effects in men and women matched for current cannabis use. Methods Data from four double-blind, within-subject studies measuring the effects of active cannabis (3.27–5.50% THC, depending on study) relative to inactive cannabis (0.00% THC) were combined for this analysis. Data from equal numbers of men and women from each study matched for current cannabis use were pooled (total n = 35 men; 35 women); cannabis’ effects were analyzed according to cannabis condition (active versus inactive) and sex. Results Active cannabis produced more robust subjective effects associated with abuse liability (‘Good,’ ‘Liking,’ ‘Take Again’) and intoxication (‘High,’ ‘Stimulated’) relative to inactive cannabis (p • 0.0001). Women reported higher ratings of abuse-related effects [‘Take Again’ and ‘Good’ (p • 0.05)] relative to men under active cannabis conditions but did not differ in ratings of intoxication. Active cannabis increased heart rate (p • 0.0001) equally for both sexes. Conclusions The results from this study suggest that when matched for cannabis use, women are more sensitive to the subjective effects related to cannabis’ abuse liability relative to men, which may contribute to the enhanced vulnerability to developing CUD. Thus, sex is an important variable to consider when assessing the development of CUD. PMID:24440051

Distinguishing defensive characteristics in the phloem of ash species resistant and susceptible to emerald ash borer.

PubMed

Cipollini, Don; Wang, Qin; Whitehill, Justin G A; Powell, Jeff R; Bonello, Pierluigi; Herms, Daniel A

2011-05-01

We examined the extent to which three Fraxinus cultivars and a wild population that vary in their resistance to Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) could be differentiated on the basis of a suite of constitutive chemical defense traits in phloem extracts. The EAB-resistant Manchurian ash (F. mandshurica, cv. Mancana) was characterized by having a rapid rate of wound browning, a high soluble protein concentration, low trypsin inhibitor activities, and intermediate levels of peroxidase activity and total soluble phenolic concentration. The EAB-susceptible white ash (F. americana, cv. Autumn Purple) was characterized by a slow wound browning rate and low levels of peroxidase activity and total soluble phenolic concentrations. An EAB-susceptible green ash cultivar (F. pennsylvanica, cv. Patmore) and a wild accession were similar to each other on the basis of several chemical defense traits, and were characterized by high activities of peroxidase and trypsin inhibitor, a high total soluble phenolic concentration, and an intermediate rate of wound browning. Lignin concentration and polyphenol oxidase activities did not differentiate resistant and susceptible species. Of 33 phenolic compounds separated by HPLC and meeting a minimum criterion for analysis, nine were unique to Manchurian ash, five were shared among all species, and four were found in North American ashes and not in the Manchurian ash. Principal components analysis revealed clear separations between Manchurian, white, and green ashes on the basis of all phenolics, as well as clear separations on the basis of quantities of phenolics that all species shared. Variation in some of these constitutive chemical defense traits may contribute to variation in resistance to EAB in these species.

Regular physical exercise improves cardiac autonomic and muscle vasodilatory responses to isometric exercise in healthy elderly.

PubMed

Sarmento, Adriana de Oliveira; Santos, Amilton da Cruz; Trombetta, Ivani Credidio; Dantas, Marciano Moacir; Oliveira Marques, Ana Cristina; do Nascimento, Leone Severino; Barbosa, Bruno Teixeira; Dos Santos, Marcelo Rodrigues; Andrade, Maria do Amparo; Jaguaribe-Lima, Anna Myrna; Brasileiro-Santos, Maria do Socorro

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic control and muscle vasodilation response during isometric exercise in sedentary and physically active older adults. Twenty healthy participants, 10 sedentary and 10 physically active older adults, were evaluated and paired by gender, age, and body mass index. Sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac activity (spectral and symbolic heart rate analysis) and muscle blood flow (venous occlusion plethysmography) were measured for 10 minutes at rest (baseline) and during 3 minutes of isometric handgrip exercise at 30% of the maximum voluntary contraction (sympathetic excitatory maneuver). Variables were analyzed at baseline and during 3 minutes of isometric exercise. Cardiac autonomic parameters were analyzed by Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests. Muscle vasodilatory response was analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance followed by Tukey's post hoc test. Sedentary older adults had higher cardiac sympathetic activity compared to physically active older adult subjects at baseline (63.13±3.31 vs 50.45±3.55 nu, P =0.02). The variance (heart rate variability index) was increased in active older adults (1,438.64±448.90 vs 1,402.92±385.14 ms, P =0.02), and cardiac sympathetic activity (symbolic analysis) was increased in sedentary older adults (5,660.91±1,626.72 vs 4,381.35±1,852.87, P =0.03) during isometric handgrip exercise. Sedentary older adults showed higher cardiac sympathetic activity (spectral analysis) (71.29±4.40 vs 58.30±3.50 nu, P =0.03) and lower parasympathetic modulation (28.79±4.37 vs 41.77±3.47 nu, P =0.03) compared to physically active older adult subjects during isometric handgrip exercise. Regarding muscle vasodilation response, there was an increase in the skeletal muscle blood flow in the second (4.1±0.5 vs 3.7±0.4 mL/min per 100 mL, P =0.01) and third minute (4.4±0.4 vs 3.9±0.3 mL/min per 100 mL, P =0.03) of handgrip exercise in active older adults. The results indicate that regular physical activity improves neurovascular control of muscle blood flow and cardiac autonomic response during isometric handgrip exercise in healthy older adult subjects.

Regular physical exercise improves cardiac autonomic and muscle vasodilatory responses to isometric exercise in healthy elderly

PubMed Central

Sarmento, Adriana de Oliveira; Santos, Amilton da Cruz; Trombetta, Ivani Credidio; Dantas, Marciano Moacir; Oliveira Marques, Ana Cristina; do Nascimento, Leone Severino; Barbosa, Bruno Teixeira; Dos Santos, Marcelo Rodrigues; Andrade, Maria do Amparo; Jaguaribe-Lima, Anna Myrna; Brasileiro-Santos, Maria do Socorro

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate cardiac autonomic control and muscle vasodilation response during isometric exercise in sedentary and physically active older adults. Twenty healthy participants, 10 sedentary and 10 physically active older adults, were evaluated and paired by gender, age, and body mass index. Sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac activity (spectral and symbolic heart rate analysis) and muscle blood flow (venous occlusion plethysmography) were measured for 10 minutes at rest (baseline) and during 3 minutes of isometric handgrip exercise at 30% of the maximum voluntary contraction (sympathetic excitatory maneuver). Variables were analyzed at baseline and during 3 minutes of isometric exercise. Cardiac autonomic parameters were analyzed by Wilcoxon and Mann–Whitney tests. Muscle vasodilatory response was analyzed by repeated-measures analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s post hoc test. Sedentary older adults had higher cardiac sympathetic activity compared to physically active older adult subjects at baseline (63.13±3.31 vs 50.45±3.55 nu, P=0.02). The variance (heart rate variability index) was increased in active older adults (1,438.64±448.90 vs 1,402.92±385.14 ms, P=0.02), and cardiac sympathetic activity (symbolic analysis) was increased in sedentary older adults (5,660.91±1,626.72 vs 4,381.35±1,852.87, P=0.03) during isometric handgrip exercise. Sedentary older adults showed higher cardiac sympathetic activity (spectral analysis) (71.29±4.40 vs 58.30±3.50 nu, P=0.03) and lower parasympathetic modulation (28.79±4.37 vs 41.77±3.47 nu, P=0.03) compared to physically active older adult subjects during isometric handgrip exercise. Regarding muscle vasodilation response, there was an increase in the skeletal muscle blood flow in the second (4.1±0.5 vs 3.7±0.4 mL/min per 100 mL, P=0.01) and third minute (4.4±0.4 vs 3.9±0.3 mL/min per 100 mL, P=0.03) of handgrip exercise in active older adults. The results indicate that regular physical activity improves neurovascular control of muscle blood flow and cardiac autonomic response during isometric handgrip exercise in healthy older adult subjects. PMID:28721030

Randomized, single-blind, factorial design study of the interaction of food and time on intestinal activity in 99mTc-tetrofosmin stress myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

PubMed

Lyngholm, Ann Marie; Pedersen, Begitte H; Petersen, Lars J

2008-09-01

Intestinal activity at the inferior myocardial wall represents an issue for assessment of myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) with 99mTc-labelled tracers. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of time and food on upper abdominal activity in 99mTc-tetrofosmin MPI. The study population consisted of 152 consecutive patients referred for routine MPI. All patients underwent 2-day stress-rest 99mTc-tetrofosmin single-photon emission computed tomography MPI. Before stress testing, patients were randomized in a factorial design to four different regimens. Group A: early scan (image acquisition initiated within 15 min after injection of the tracer) and no food; group B: early scan and food (two pieces of white bread with butter and a minimum of 450 ml of water); group C: late scan (image acquisition 30-60 min after injection of the tracer) and no food; and group D: late and scan with food. Patients underwent standard bicycle exercise or pharmacological stress test. The degree of upper abdominal activity was evaluated by trained observers blinded to the randomization code. The primary endpoint was the proportion of accepted scans in the intention-to-treat population in stress MPI. The results showed statistical significant impact on both time and food on upper abdominal activity. The primary endpoint showed that the acceptance rate improved from 55% in group A to 100% success rate in group D. An early scan reduced the acceptance rate by 30% versus a late scan [hazard ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.58-0.84; P<0.0001], whereas the addition of food improved the success rate versus no food by 27% (hazard ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.51; P=0.006). No significant interaction between food and time was observed. An analysis of accepted scans according to the actual scan time and food consumption confirmed the findings of the intention-to-treat analysis. In addition, similar findings were seen in 116 of 152 patients with a rest MPI (success rate of 53% in group A vs. 96% in group D). A combination of solid food and water administered after injection of the tracer and delayed image acquisition led to significant and clinically relevant decrease of interfering upper abdominal activity in 99mTc-tetrofosmin MPI.

Apps of Steel: Are Exercise Apps Providing Consumers with Realistic Expectations?: A Content Analysis of Exercise Apps for Presence of Behavior Change Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Logan T.; Van Wagenen, Sarah A.; Brown, Brittany A.; Hedin, Riley J.; Seino-Stephan, Yukiko; Hall, P. Cougar; West, Joshua H.

2013-01-01

Objective. To quantify the presence of health behavior theory constructs in iPhone apps targeting physical activity. Methods. This study used a content analysis of 127 apps from Apple's (App Store) "Health & Fitness" category. Coders downloaded the apps and then used an established theory-based instrument to rate each app's inclusion of…

The Effect of Alcohol and Road Traffic Policies on Crash Rates in Botswana, 2004–2011: A Time-Series Analysis

PubMed Central

Sebego, Miriam; Naumann, Rebecca B.; Rudd, Rose A.; Voetsch, Karen; Dellinger, Ann M.; Ndlovu, Christopher

2015-01-01

In Botswana, increased development and motorization have brought increased road traffic-related death rates. Between 1981 and 2001, the road traffic-related death rate in Botswana more than tripled. The country has taken several steps over the last several years to address the growing burden of road traffic crashes and particularly to address the burden of alcohol-related crashes. This study examines the impact of the implementation of alcohol and road safety-related policies on crash rates, including overall crash rates, fatal crash rates, and single-vehicle nighttime fatal (SVNF) crash rates, in Botswana from 2004 to 2011. The overall crash rate declined significantly in June 2009 and June 2010, such that the overall crash rate from June 2010 to December 2011 was 22% lower than the overall crash rate from January 2004 to May 2009. Additionally, there were significant declines in average fatal crash and SVNF crash rates in early 2010. Botswana’s recent crash rate reductions occurred during a time when aggressive policies and other activities (e.g., education, enforcement) were implemented to reduce alcohol consumption and improve road safety. While it is unclear which of the policies or activities contributed to these declines and to what extent, these reductions are likely the result of several, combined efforts. PMID:24686164

The impact of alcohol and road traffic policies on crash rates in Botswana, 2004-2011: a time-series analysis.

PubMed

Sebego, Miriam; Naumann, Rebecca B; Rudd, Rose A; Voetsch, Karen; Dellinger, Ann M; Ndlovu, Christopher

2014-09-01

In Botswana, increased development and motorization have brought increased road traffic-related death rates. Between 1981 and 2001, the road traffic-related death rate in Botswana more than tripled. The country has taken several steps over the last several years to address the growing burden of road traffic crashes and particularly to address the burden of alcohol-related crashes. This study examines the impact of the implementation of alcohol and road safety-related policies on crash rates, including overall crash rates, fatal crash rates, and single-vehicle nighttime fatal (SVNF) crash rates, in Botswana from 2004 to 2011. The overall crash rate declined significantly in June 2009 and June 2010, such that the overall crash rate from June 2010 to December 2011 was 22% lower than the overall crash rate from January 2004 to May 2009. Additionally, there were significant declines in average fatal crash and SVNF crash rates in early 2010. Botswana's recent crash rate reductions occurred during a time when aggressive policies and other activities (e.g., education, enforcement) were implemented to reduce alcohol consumption and improve road safety. While it is unclear which of the policies or activities contributed to these declines and to what extent, these reductions are likely the result of several, combined efforts. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Independent Prognostic Factors for Acute Organophosphorus Pesticide Poisoning.

PubMed

Tang, Weidong; Ruan, Feng; Chen, Qi; Chen, Suping; Shao, Xuebo; Gao, Jianbo; Zhang, Mao

2016-07-01

Acute organophosphorus pesticide poisoning (AOPP) is becoming a significant problem and a potential cause of human mortality because of the abuse of organophosphate compounds. This study aims to determine the independent prognostic factors of AOPP by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The clinical data for 71 subjects with AOPP admitted to our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. This information included the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates, admission blood cholinesterase levels, 6-h post-admission blood cholinesterase levels, cholinesterase activity, blood pH, and other factors. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify all prognostic factors and independent prognostic factors, respectively. A receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted to analyze the testing power of independent prognostic factors. Twelve of 71 subjects died. Admission blood lactate levels, 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates, blood pH, and APACHE II scores were identified as prognostic factors for AOPP according to the univariate analysis, whereas only 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates, and blood pH were independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver operating characteristic analysis suggested that post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates were of moderate diagnostic value. High 6-h post-admission blood lactate levels, low blood pH, and low post-admission 6-h lactate clearance rates were independent prognostic factors identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Copyright © 2016 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Prevalence rates for depression by industry: a claims database analysis.

PubMed

Wulsin, Lawson; Alterman, Toni; Timothy Bushnell, P; Li, Jia; Shen, Rui

2014-11-01

To estimate and interpret differences in depression prevalence rates among industries, using a large, group medical claims database. Depression cases were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis code in a population of 214,413 individuals employed during 2002-2005 by employers based in western Pennsylvania. Data were provided by Highmark, Inc. (Pittsburgh and Camp Hill, PA). Rates were adjusted for age, gender, and employee share of health care costs. National industry measures of psychological distress, work stress, and physical activity at work were also compiled from other data sources. Rates for clinical depression in 55 industries ranged from 6.9 to 16.2 %, (population rate = 10.45 %). Industries with the highest rates tended to be those which, on the national level, require frequent or difficult interactions with the public or clients, and have high levels of stress and low levels of physical activity. Additional research is needed to help identify industries with relatively high rates of depression in other regions and on the national level, and to determine whether these differences are due in part to specific work stress exposures and physical inactivity at work. Claims database analyses may provide a cost-effective way to identify priorities for depression treatment and prevention in the workplace.

Probabilistic seismic hazard study based on active fault and finite element geodynamic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kastelic, Vanja; Carafa, Michele M. C.; Visini, Francesco

2016-04-01

We present a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) that is exclusively based on active faults and geodynamic finite element input models whereas seismic catalogues were used only in a posterior comparison. We applied the developed model in the External Dinarides, a slow deforming thrust-and-fold belt at the contact between Adria and Eurasia.. is the Our method consists of establishing s two earthquake rupture forecast models: (i) a geological active fault input (GEO) model and, (ii) a finite element (FEM) model. The GEO model is based on active fault database that provides information on fault location and its geometric and kinematic parameters together with estimations on its slip rate. By default in this model all deformation is set to be released along the active faults. The FEM model is based on a numerical geodynamic model developed for the region of study. In this model the deformation is, besides along the active faults, released also in the volumetric continuum elements. From both models we calculated their corresponding activity rates, its earthquake rates and their final expected peak ground accelerations. We investigated both the source model and the earthquake model uncertainties by varying the main active fault and earthquake rate calculation parameters through constructing corresponding branches of the seismic hazard logic tree. Hazard maps and UHS curves have been produced for horizontal ground motion on bedrock conditions VS 30 ≥ 800 m/s), thereby not considering local site amplification effects. The hazard was computed over a 0.2° spaced grid considering 648 branches of the logic tree and the mean value of 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years hazard level, while the 5th and 95th percentiles were also computed to investigate the model limits. We conducted a sensitivity analysis to control which of the input parameters influence the final hazard results in which measure. The results of such comparison evidence the deformation model and with their internal variability together with the choice of the ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) are the most influencing parameter. Both of these parameters have significan affect on the hazard results. Thus having good knowledge of the existence of active faults and their geometric and activity characteristics is of key importance. We also show that PSHA models based exclusively on active faults and geodynamic inputs, which are thus not dependent on past earthquake occurrences, provide a valid method for seismic hazard calculation.

Metabolic Profiling and Flux Analysis of MEL-2 Human Embryonic Stem Cells during Exponential Growth at Physiological and Atmospheric Oxygen Concentrations

PubMed Central

Titmarsh, Drew; Krömer, Jens O.; Kao, Li-Pin; Nielsen, Lars; Wolvetang, Ernst; Cooper-White, Justin

2014-01-01

As human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) steadily progress towards regenerative medicine applications there is an increasing emphasis on the development of bioreactor platforms that enable expansion of these cells to clinically relevant numbers. Surprisingly little is known about the metabolic requirements of hESCs, precluding the rational design and optimisation of such platforms. In this study, we undertook an in-depth characterisation of MEL-2 hESC metabolic behaviour during the exponential growth phase, combining metabolic profiling and flux analysis tools at physiological (hypoxic) and atmospheric (normoxic) oxygen concentrations. To overcome variability in growth profiles and the problem of closing mass balances in a complex environment, we developed protocols to accurately measure uptake and production rates of metabolites, cell density, growth rate and biomass composition, and designed a metabolic flux analysis model for estimating internal rates. hESCs are commonly considered to be highly glycolytic with inactive or immature mitochondria, however, whilst the results of this study confirmed that glycolysis is indeed highly active, we show that at least in MEL-2 hESC, it is supported by the use of oxidative phosphorylation within the mitochondria utilising carbon sources, such as glutamine to maximise ATP production. Under both conditions, glycolysis was disconnected from the mitochondria with all of the glucose being converted to lactate. No difference in the growth rates of cells cultured under physiological or atmospheric oxygen concentrations was observed nor did this cause differences in fluxes through the majority of the internal metabolic pathways associated with biogenesis. These results suggest that hESCs display the conventional Warburg effect, with high aerobic activity despite high lactate production, challenging the idea of an anaerobic metabolism with low mitochondrial activity. The results of this study provide new insight that can be used in rational bioreactor design and in the development of novel culture media for hESC maintenance and expansion. PMID:25412279

Catabolite regulation analysis of Escherichia coli for acetate overflow mechanism and co-consumption of multiple sugars based on systems biology approach using computer simulation.

PubMed

Matsuoka, Yu; Shimizu, Kazuyuki

2013-10-20

It is quite important to understand the basic principle embedded in the main metabolism for the interpretation of the fermentation data. For this, it may be useful to understand the regulation mechanism based on systems biology approach. In the present study, we considered the perturbation analysis together with computer simulation based on the models which include the effects of global regulators on the pathway activation for the main metabolism of Escherichia coli. Main focus is the acetate overflow metabolism and the co-fermentation of multiple carbon sources. The perturbation analysis was first made to understand the nature of the feed-forward loop formed by the activation of Pyk by FDP (F1,6BP), and the feed-back loop formed by the inhibition of Pfk by PEP in the glycolysis. Those together with the effect of transcription factor Cra caused by FDP level affected the glycolysis activity. The PTS (phosphotransferase system) acts as the feed-back system by repressing the glucose uptake rate for the increase in the glucose uptake rate. It was also shown that the increased PTS flux (or glucose consumption rate) causes PEP/PYR ratio to be decreased, and EIIA-P, Cya, cAMP-Crp decreased, where cAMP-Crp in turn repressed TCA cycle and more acetate is formed. This was further verified by the detailed computer simulation. In the case of multiple carbon sources such as glucose and xylose, it was shown that the sequential utilization of carbon sources was observed for wild type, while the co-consumption of multiple carbon sources with slow consumption rates were observed for the ptsG mutant by computer simulation, and this was verified by experiments. Moreover, the effect of a specific gene knockout such as Δpyk on the metabolic characteristics was also investigated based on the computer simulation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterogeneous neuronal firing patterns during interictal epileptiform discharges in the human cortex

PubMed Central

Keller, Corey J.; Truccolo, Wilson; Gale, John T.; Eskandar, Emad; Thesen, Thomas; Carlson, Chad; Devinsky, Orrin; Kuzniecky, Ruben; Doyle, Werner K.; Madsen, Joseph R.; Schomer, Donald L.; Mehta, Ashesh D.; Brown, Emery N.; Hochberg, Leigh R.; Ulbert, István; Halgren, Eric

2010-01-01

Epileptic cortex is characterized by paroxysmal electrical discharges. Analysis of these interictal discharges typically manifests as spike–wave complexes on electroencephalography, and plays a critical role in diagnosing and treating epilepsy. Despite their fundamental importance, little is known about the neurophysiological mechanisms generating these events in human focal epilepsy. Using three different systems of microelectrodes, we recorded local field potentials and single-unit action potentials during interictal discharges in patients with medically intractable focal epilepsy undergoing diagnostic workup for localization of seizure foci. We studied 336 single units in 20 patients. Ten different cortical areas and the hippocampus, including regions both inside and outside the seizure focus, were sampled. In three of these patients, high density microelectrode arrays simultaneously recorded between 43 and 166 single units from a small (4 mm × 4 mm) patch of cortex. We examined how the firing rates of individual neurons changed during interictal discharges by determining whether the firing rate during the event was the same, above or below a median baseline firing rate estimated from interictal discharge-free periods (Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis, P<0.05). Only 48% of the recorded units showed such a modulation in firing rate within 500 ms of the discharge. Units modulated during the discharge exhibited significantly higher baseline firing and bursting rates than unmodulated units. As expected, many units (27% of the modulated population) showed an increase in firing rate during the fast segment of the discharge (±35 ms from the peak of the discharge), while 50% showed a decrease during the slow wave. Notably, in direct contrast to predictions based on models of a pure paroxysmal depolarizing shift, 7.7% of modulated units recorded in or near the seizure focus showed a decrease in activity well ahead (0–300 ms) of the discharge onset, while 12.2% of units increased in activity in this period. No such pre-discharge changes were seen in regions well outside the seizure focus. In many recordings there was also a decrease in broadband field potential activity during this same pre-discharge period. The different patterns of interictal discharge-modulated firing were classified into more than 15 different categories. This heterogeneity in single unit activity was present within small cortical regions as well as inside and outside the seizure onset zone, suggesting that interictal epileptiform activity in patients with epilepsy is not a simple paroxysm of hypersynchronous excitatory activity, but rather represents an interplay of multiple distinct neuronal types within complex neuronal networks. PMID:20511283

Slip Rates of Main Active Fault Zones Through Turkey Inferred From GPS Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozener, H.; Aktug, B.; Dogru, A.; Tasci, L.; Acar, M.; Emre, O.; Yilmaz, O.; Turgut, B.; Halicioglu, K.; Sabuncu, A.; Bal, O.; Eraslan, A.

2015-12-01

Active Fault Map of Turkey was revised and published by General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration in 2012. This map reveals that there are about 500 faults can generate earthquakes.In order to understand the earthquake potential of these faults, it is needed to determine the slip rates. Although many regional and local studies were performed in the past, the slip rates of the active faults in Turkey have not been determined. In this study, the block modelling, which is the most common method to produce slip rates, will be done. GPS velocities required for block modeling is being compiled from the published studies and the raw data provided then velocity field is combined. To form a homogeneous velocity field, different stochastic models will be used and the optimal velocity field will be achieved. In literature, GPS site velocities, which are computed for different purposes and published, are combined globally and this combined velocity field are used in the analysis of strain accumulation. It is also aimed to develop optimal stochastic models to combine the velocity data. Real time, survey mode and published GPS observations is being combined in this study. We also perform new GPS observations. Furthermore, micro blocks and main fault zones from Active Fault Map Turkey will be determined and homogeneous velocity field will be used to infer slip rates of these active faults. Here, we present the result of first year of the study. This study is being supported by THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF TURKEY (TUBITAK)-CAYDAG with grant no. 113Y430.

Effects of reduced carbonic anhydrase activity on CO2 assimilation rates in Setaria viridis: a transgenic analysis.

PubMed

Osborn, Hannah L; Alonso-Cantabrana, Hugo; Sharwood, Robert E; Covshoff, Sarah; Evans, John R; Furbank, Robert T; von Caemmerer, Susanne

2017-01-01

In C 4 species, the major β-carbonic anhydrase (β-CA) localized in the mesophyll cytosol catalyses the hydration of CO 2 to HCO 3 - , which phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase uses in the first step of C 4 photosynthesis. To address the role of CA in C 4 photosynthesis, we generated transgenic Setaria viridis depleted in β-CA. Independent lines were identified with as little as 13% of wild-type CA. No photosynthetic defect was observed in the transformed lines at ambient CO 2 partial pressure (pCO 2 ). At low pCO 2 , a strong correlation between CO 2 assimilation rates and CA hydration rates was observed. C 18 O 16 O isotope discrimination was used to estimate the mesophyll conductance to CO 2 diffusion from the intercellular air space to the mesophyll cytosol (g m ) in control plants, which allowed us to calculate CA activities in the mesophyll cytosol (C m ). This revealed a strong relationship between the initial slope of the response of the CO 2 assimilation rate to cytosolic pCO 2 (AC m ) and cytosolic CA activity. However, the relationship between the initial slope of the response of CO 2 assimilation to intercellular pCO 2 (AC i ) and cytosolic CA activity was curvilinear. This indicated that in S. viridis, mesophyll conductance may be a contributing limiting factor alongside CA activity to CO 2 assimilation rates at low pCO 2 . © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Does bargaining affect Medicare prescription drug plan reimbursements to independent pharmacies?

PubMed

Tang, Yuexin; Xie, Yang; Urmie, Julie M; Doucette, William R

2011-01-01

To examine how pharmacy bargaining activities affect reimbursement rates in Medicare Part D prescription drug plan (PDP) contracts, controlling for pharmacy quality attributes, market structures, and area socioeconomic status. Cross-sectional study. Six Medicare regions throughout the United States between October and December 2009. Random sample of 1,650 independent pharmacies; 321 returned surveys containing sufficient responses for analysis. Pharmacies were surveyed regarding PDP reimbursement rates, costs, and cash prices of two popular prescription drugs (atorvastatin calcium [Lipitor-Pfizer] and lisinopril, 1-month supply of a common strength), as well as pharmacy bargaining activities and quality attributes. Data also were used from the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs pharmacy database, the 2000 U. S. Census, and the 2006 Economic Census on local market structures and area socio-economic status. PDP reimbursement rates. For the brand-name drug atorvastatin calcium, the PDP reimbursement was positively related to a pharmacy's request for a contract change (β = 0.887, P < 0.05), whereas other bargaining activities were not significantly related to PDP reimbursement. However, for the generic drug lisinopril, no bargaining activities were found to be significantly related to the PDP reimbursement. Pharmacy request for a contract change was associated with higher reimbursement rates for the brand-name drug atorvastatin calcium in PDP contracts, after controlling for pharmacy quality attributes, local market structures, and area socioeconomic status; this finding likely applies to other brand-name drugs because of the structure of the contracts. Our results suggest that independent pharmacies are more likely to acquire higher reimbursement rates by engaging in active bargaining with third-party payers.

Drosophila non-muscle myosin II motor activity determines the rate of tissue folding

PubMed Central

Vasquez, Claudia G; Heissler, Sarah M; Billington, Neil; Sellers, James R; Martin, Adam C

2016-01-01

Non-muscle cell contractility is critical for tissues to adopt shape changes. Although, the non-muscle myosin II holoenzyme (myosin) is a molecular motor that powers contraction of actin cytoskeleton networks, recent studies have questioned the importance of myosin motor activity cell and tissue shape changes. Here, combining the biochemical analysis of enzymatic and motile properties for purified myosin mutants with in vivo measurements of apical constriction for the same mutants, we show that in vivo constriction rate scales with myosin motor activity. We show that so-called phosphomimetic mutants of the Drosophila regulatory light chain (RLC) do not mimic the phosphorylated RLC state in vitro. The defect in the myosin motor activity in these mutants is evident in developing Drosophila embryos where tissue recoil following laser ablation is decreased compared to wild-type tissue. Overall, our data highlights that myosin activity is required for rapid cell contraction and tissue folding in developing Drosophila embryos. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20828.001 PMID:28035903

Integrated fixed-biofilm activated sludge reactor as a powerful tool to enrich anammox biofilm and granular sludge.

PubMed

Zhang, Liang; Liu, Miaomiao; Zhang, Shujun; Yang, Yandong; Peng, Yongzhen

2015-12-01

A pilot-scale activated sludge bioreactor was filled with immobile carrier to treat high ammonium wastewater. Autotrophic nitrogen elimination occurred rapidly by inoculating nitrifying activated sludge and anammox biofilm. As the ammonium loading rate increased, nitrogen removal rate of 1.2kgNm(-3)d(-1) was obtained with the removal efficiency of 80%. Activated sludge diameter distribution profiles presented two peak values, indicating simultaneous existence of flocculent and granular sludge. Red granular sludge was observed in the reactor. Furthermore, the results of morphological and molecular analysis showed that the characteristics of granular sludge were similar to that of biofilm, while much different from the flocculent sludge. It was assumed granular sludge was formed through the continuous growth and detachment of anammox biofilm. The mechanism of granular sludge formation was discussed and the procedure model was proposed. According to the experimental results, the integrated fixed-biofilm activated sludge reactor provided an alternative to nitrogen removal based on anammox. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinetic study of solid waste pyrolysis using distributed activation energy model.

PubMed

Bhavanam, Anjireddy; Sastry, R C

2015-02-01

The pyrolysis characteristics of municipal solid waste, agricultural residues such as ground nut shell, cotton husk and their blends are investigated using non-isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) with in a temperature range of 30-900 °C at different heating rates of 10 °C, 30 °C and 50 °C/min in inert atmosphere. From the thermograms obtained from TGA, it is observed that the maximum rate of degradation occurred in the second stage of the pyrolysis process for all the solid wastes. The distributed activation energy model (DAEM) is used to study the pyrolysis kinetics of the solid wastes. The kinetic parameters E (activation energy), k0 (frequency factor) are calculated from this model. It is found that the range of activation energies for agricultural residues are lower than the municipal solid waste. The activation energies for the municipal solid waste pyrolysis process drastically decreased with addition of agricultural residues. The proposed DAEM is successfully validated with TGA experimental data. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Activation mechanism of melB tyrosinase from Aspergillus oryzae by acidic treatment.

PubMed

Fujieda, Nobutaka; Murata, Michiaki; Yabuta, Shintaro; Ikeda, Takuya; Shimokawa, Chizu; Nakamura, Yukihiro; Hata, Yoji; Itoh, Shinobu

2013-01-01

The pro form of recombinant tyrosinase from Aspergillus oryzae (melB) shows no catalytic activity, but acid treatment (around pH 3.5) of protyrosinase activates it to induce tyrosinase activity. Circular dichroism spectra, gel filtration analysis, and colorimetric assay have indicated that acid treatment around pH 3.5 induced the disruption of the conformation of the C-terminal domain covering the enzyme active site. These structural changes induced by the acid treatment may open the entrance to the enzyme active site for substrate incorporation. To compare the mechanism of hydroxylation by the acid-treated tyrosinase with that by trypsin-treated tyrosinase, a detailed steady-state kinetic analysis of the phenolase activity was performed by monitoring the O(2)-consumption rate using a Clark-type oxygen electrode. The results clearly show that the phenolase activity (phenol hydroxylation) of the activated tyrosinase involves an electrophilic aromatic substitution mechanism as in the case of mushroom tyrosinase (Yamazaki and Itoh in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 125:13034-13035, 2003) and activated hemocyanin with urea (Morioka et al. in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 128:6788-6789, 2006).

Dose-response relation between physical activity and cognitive function: guangzhou biobank cohort study.

PubMed

Xu, Lin; Jiang, Chao Qiang; Lam, Tai Hing; Zhang, Wei Sen; Thomas, G Neil; Cheng, Kar Keung

2011-11-01

To examine, via cross-sectional analysis, the dose-response association between physical activity and cognitive function in Chinese subjects. A total of 27,651 participants aged 50 to 85 years were recruited from 2003 to 2008. Information on potential confounders, including demographic and anthropometric characteristics, socioeconomic position, lifestyle, and disease history, was collected by standardized interview and procedures. Cognitive function was assessed by the delayed 10-word recall test (DWRT). When the International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used, we found that most of the participants were classified as physically active (53.1%), with 42.4% moderately active and 4.5% physically inactive. Significant dose-response relations across quintiles of metabolic equivalent value (METs) with DWRT score in participants with or without good self-rated health were found (all p for trend <.001). In participants with poor self-rated heath, compared with the first quintile of METs, those in the fifth quintile (highest METs) had a significantly reduced risk for mild cognitive impairment by 28% (adjusted odds ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval, 0.58-0.89, p < .01; p for trend = .006). After additional adjustment for depression, we found that the association between physical activity and DWRT score remained significant. A significant dose-response relationship between physical activity and cognitive function was found, and the association was more pronounced in participants with poor self-rated health. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Geomorphic Evolution and Slip rate Measurements of the Noushki Segment , Chaman Fault Zone, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abubakar, Y.; Khan, S. D.; Owen, L. A.; Khan, A.

2012-12-01

The Nushki segment of the Chaman fault system is unique in its nature as it records both the imprints of oblique convergence along the western Indian Plate boundary as well as the deformation along the Makran subduction zone. The left-lateral Chaman transform zone has evolved from a subduction zone along the Arabian-Eurasian collision complex to a strike-slip fault system since the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasia. The geodetically and geologically constrained displacement rates along the Chaman fault varies from about 18 mm/yr to about 35 mm/yr respectively throughout its total length of ~ 860 km. Two major hypothesis has been proposed by workers for these variations; i) Variations in rates of elastic strain accumulation along the plate boundary and, ii) strain partitioning along the plate boundary. Morphotectonic analysis is a very useful tool in investigations of spatial variations in tectonic activities both regionally and locally. This work uses morphotectonic analysis to investigate the degree of variations in active tectonic deformation, which can be directly related to elastic strain accumulation and other kinematics in the western boundary of the plate margin. Geomorphic mapping was carried out using remotely sensed data. ASTER and RADAR data were used in establishing Quaternary stratigraphy and measurement of geomorphic indices such as stream length gradient index, valley floor width to height ratio and, river/stream longitudinal profile within the study area. High resolution satellite images (e.g., IKONOS imagery) and 30m ASTER DEMs were employed to measure displacement recorded by landforms along individual strands of the fault. Results from geomorphic analysis shows three distinct levels of tectonic deformation. Areas showing high levels of tectonic deformation are characterized by displaced fan surfaces, deflected streams and beheaded streams. Terrestrial Cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating of the displaced landforms is being carried out to calculate slip-rates. Slip-rates estimation along this segment of this plate boundary will help in understanding of tectonic evolution of this plate boundary and seismic activity in the region.

Detachably assembled microfluidic device for perfusion culture and post-culture analysis of a spheroid array.

PubMed

Sakai, Yusuke; Hattori, Koji; Yanagawa, Fumiki; Sugiura, Shinji; Kanamori, Toshiyuki; Nakazawa, Kohji

2014-07-01

Microfluidic devices permit perfusion culture of three-dimensional (3D) tissue, mimicking the flow of blood in vascularized 3D tissue in our body. Here, we report a microfluidic device composed of a two-part microfluidic chamber chip and multi-microwell array chip able to be disassembled at the culture endpoint. Within the microfluidic chamber, an array of 3D tissue aggregates (spheroids) can be formed and cultured under perfusion. Subsequently, detailed post-culture analysis of the spheroids collected from the disassembled device can be performed. This device facilitates uniform spheroid formation, growth analysis in a high-throughput format, controlled proliferation via perfusion flow rate, and post-culture analysis of spheroids. We used the device to culture spheroids of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells under two controlled perfusion flow rates. HepG2 spheroids exhibited greater cell growth at higher perfusion flow rates than at lower perfusion flow rates, and exhibited different metabolic activity and mRNA and protein expression under the different flow rate conditions. These results show the potential of perfusion culture to precisely control the culture environment in microfluidic devices. The construction of spheroid array chambers allows multiple culture conditions to be tested simultaneously, with potential applications in toxicity and drug screening. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Pallidal neuronal discharge in Huntington's disease: support for selective loss of striatal cells originating the indirect pathway.

PubMed

Starr, Philip A; Kang, Gail A; Heath, Susan; Shimamoto, Shoichi; Turner, Robert S

2008-05-01

Chorea is the predominant motor manifestation in the early symptomatic phase of adult onset Huntington's disease (HD). Pathologically, this stage is marked by differential loss of striatal neurons contributing to the indirect pathway. This pattern of neuronal loss predicts decreased neuronal firing rates in GPi and increased firing rates in GPe, the opposite of the changes in firing rate known to occur in Parkinson's disease (PD). We present single-unit discharge characteristics (33 neurons) observed in an awake patient with HD (41 CAG repeats) undergoing microelectrode guided surgery for pallidal deep brain stimulation. Pallidal single-unit activity at "rest" and during voluntary movement was discriminated off line by principal component analysis and evaluated with respect to discharge rate, bursting, and oscillatory activity in the 0-200 Hz range. 24 GPi and 9 GPe units were studied, and compared with 132 GPi and 50 GPe units from 14 patients with PD. The mean (+/-SEM) spontaneous discharge rate for HD was 58+/-4 for GPi and 73+/-5 for GPe. This contrasted with discharge rates in PD of 95+/-2 for GPi and 57+/-3 for GPe. HD GPi units showed more bursting than PD GPi units but much less oscillatory activity in the 2-35 Hz frequency range at rest. These findings are consistent with selective early loss of striatal cells originating the indirect pathway.

Effects of linear ablation at the isthmus between the tricuspid annulus and inferior vena cava for atrial flutter on autonomic nervous activity: analysis of heart rate variability.

PubMed

Li, Aiyan; Kuga, Keisuke; Suzuki, Akihiro; Endo, Masae; Niho, Bumpei; Enomoto, Mami; Kanemoto, Miyako; Yamaguchi, Iwao

2002-01-01

Heart rate is largely affected by the autonomic nervous system. However, little is known about the anatomic pathway of autonomic nerve fibers innervating the sinus node. The present study: (1) evaluates the effects of cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for common atrial flutter (AFL) on autonomic nervous function by using heart rate variability analysis, and (2) investigates the distribution of autonomic nerve pathways innervating the sinus node. Twelve patients with paroxysmal common atrial flutter who maintained sinus rhythm both before and after radiofrequency ablation were selected for the study. Holter ambulatory recordings were performed before and after (2.3 +/- 1.0 days) radiofrequency ablation of cavotricuspid isthmus. Heart rate and time domain (SDANN, rMSSD, pNN50) and frequency domain (low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), LF/HF) analysis of heart rate variability were compared before and after ablation. Mean heart rate did not change significantly after ablation (59 +/- 6 vs 61 +/- 9 beats/min); parasympathetic indices of heart rate variability (SDANN, rMSSD, pNN50, HF) did not change significantly (110 +/- 37 vs 117 +/- 20 ms; 32 +/- 21 vs 28 +/- 9 ms; 4.8 +/- 0.9 vs 4.7 +/- 0.71n(ms2)); and sympathetic indices of heart rate variability (LF/HF) did not change significantly (1.1 +/- 0.2 vs 1.2 +/- 0.1). Cavotricuspid isthmus ablation for atrial flutter did not significantly change heart rate and heart rate variability because parasympathetic and sympathetic fibers innervating the sinus node are scarce in this region.

Concurrent sympathetic activation and vagal withdrawal in hyperthyroidism: Evidence from detrended fluctuation analysis of heart rate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jin-Long; Shiau, Yuo-Hsien; Tseng, Yin-Jiun; Chiu, Hung-Wen; Hsiao, Tzu-Chien; Wessel, Niels; Kurths, Jürgen; Chu, Woei-Chyn

2010-05-01

Despite many previous studies on the association between hyperthyroidism and the hyperadrenergic state, controversies still exist. Detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is a well recognized method in the nonlinear analysis of heart rate variability (HRV), and it has physiological significance related to the autonomic nervous system. In particular, an increased short-term scaling exponent α1 calculated from DFA is associated with both increased sympathetic activity and decreased vagal activity. No study has investigated the DFA of HRV in hyperthyroidism. This study was designed to assess the sympathovagal balance in hyperthyroidism. We performed the DFA along with the linear analysis of HRV in 36 hyperthyroid Graves’ disease patients (32 females and 4 males; age 30 ± 1 years, means ± SE) and 36 normal controls matched by sex, age and body mass index. Compared with the normal controls, the hyperthyroid patients revealed a significant increase ( P<0.001) in α1 (hyperthyroid 1.28±0.04 versus control 0.91±0.02), long-term scaling exponent α2 (1.05±0.02 versus 0.90±0.01), overall scaling exponent α (1.11±0.02 versus 0.89±0.01), low frequency power in normalized units (LF%) and the ratio of low frequency power to high frequency power (LF/HF); and a significant decrease ( P<0.001) in the standard deviation of the R-R intervals (SDNN) and high frequency power (HF). In conclusion, hyperthyroidism is characterized by concurrent sympathetic activation and vagal withdrawal. This sympathovagal imbalance state in hyperthyroidism helps to explain the higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation and exercise intolerance among hyperthyroid patients.

Devolatilization Characteristics and Kinetic Analysis of Lump Coal from China COREX3000 Under High Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Runsheng; Zhang, Jianliang; Wang, Guangwei; Zuo, Haibin; Liu, Zhengjian; Jiao, Kexin; Liu, Yanxiang; Li, Kejiang

2016-08-01

A devolatilization study of two lump coals used in China COREX3000 was carried out in a self-developed thermo-gravimetry at four temperature conditions [1173 K, 1273 K, 1373 K, and 1473 K (900 °C, 1000 °C, 1100 °C, and 1200 °C)] under N2. This study reveals that the working temperature has a strong impact on the devolatilization rate of the lump coal: the reaction rate increases with the increasing temperature. However, the temperature has little influence on the maximum mass loss. The conversion rate curve shows that the reaction rate of HY lump coal is higher than KG lump coal. The lump coals were analyzed by XRD, FTIR, and optical microscopy to explore the correlation between devolatilization rate and properties of lump coal. The results show that the higher reaction rate of HY lump coal attributes to its more active maceral components, less aromaticity and orientation degree of the crystallite, and more oxygenated functional groups. The random nucleation and nuclei growth model (RNGM), volume model (VM), and unreacted shrinking core model (URCM) were employed to describe the reaction behavior of lump coal. It was concluded from kinetics analysis that RNGM model was the best model for describing the devolatilization of lump coals. The apparent activation energies of isothermal devolatilization of HY lump coal and KG lump coal are 42.35 and 45.83 kJ/mol, respectively. This study has implications for the characteristics and mechanism modeling of devolatilization of lump coal in COREX gasifier.

The active and passive sampling of benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes compounds using the inside needle capillary adsorption trap device.

PubMed

Shojania, S; Oleschuk, R D; McComb, M E; Gesser, H D; Chow, A

1999-08-23

A new and simple method of solventless extraction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air is presented. The sampling device has an adsorbing carbon coating on the interior surface of a hollow needle, and is called the inside needle capillary adsorption trap (INCAT). This paper describes a study of the reproducibility in the preparation and sampling of the INCAT device. In addition, this paper examines the effects of sample volume in active sampling and exposure time in passive sampling on the analyte adsorption. Analysis was achieved by sampling the air from an environmental chamber doped with benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes (BTEX) compounds. Initial rates of adsorption were found to vary among the different compounds, but ranged from 0.0099 to 0.016 nmol h(-1) for passive sampling and from 2.2 to 10 nmol h(-1) for active sampling. Analysis was done by thermal desorption of the adsorbed compounds directly into a gas chromatograph injection port. Quantification of the analysis was done by comparison to actively sampled activated carbon solid phase extraction (SPE) measurements.

Brain Mechanisms Supporting Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation

PubMed Central

Zeidan, F.; Martucci, K.T.; Kraft, R.A.; Gordon, N.S.; McHaffie, J.G.; Coghill, R.C.

2011-01-01

The subjective experience of one’s environment is constructed by interactions among sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. For centuries, meditation has been thought to influence such processes by enabling a non-evaluative representation of sensory events. To better understand how meditation influences the sensory experience, we employed arterial spin labeling (ASL) functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation influences pain in healthy human participants. After four-days of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain-unpleasantness by 57% and pain-intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest. A two factor repeated measures analysis of variance was used to identify interactions between meditation and pain-related brain activation. Meditation reduced pain-related activation of the contra lateral primary somatosensory cortex. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify brain regions associated with individual differences in the magnitude of meditation-related pain reductions. Meditation-induced reductions in pain intensity ratings were associated with increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula, areas involved in the cognitive regulation of nociceptive processing. Reductions in pain unpleasantness ratings were associated with orbitofrontal cortex activation, an area implicated in reframing the contextual evaluation of sensory events. Moreover, reductions in pain unpleasantness also were associated with thalamic deactivation, which may reflect a limbic gating mechanism involved in modifying interactions between afferent in put and executive-order brain areas. Taken together, these data indicate that meditation engages multiple brain mechanisms that alter the construction of the subjectively available pain experience from afferent information. PMID:21471390

Long-chain n-3 PUFA supplementation decreases physical activity during class time in iron-deficient South African school children.

PubMed

Smuts, Cornelius M; Greeff, Jani; Kvalsvig, Jane; Zimmermann, Michael B; Baumgartner, Jeannine

2015-01-28

Both Fe deficiency and poor n-3 fatty acid status have been associated with behavioural changes in children. In the present study, we investigated the effects of Fe and DHA+EPA supplementation, alone or in combination, on physical activity during school days and on teacher-rated behaviour in healthy Fe-deficient school children. In a 2 × 2 factorial design, children (n 98, 6-11 years) were randomly assigned to receive (1) Fe (50 mg) plus DHA (420 mg)+EPA (80 mg), (2) Fe plus placebo, (3) placebo plus DHA+EPA or (4) placebo plus placebo as oral supplements (4 d/week) for 8.5 months. Physical activity was measured during four school days at baseline and endpoint using accelerometers, and data were stratified into morning class time (08.00-10.29 hours), break time (10.30-11.00 hours) and after-break class time (11.01-12.00 hours) for analysis. Classroom behaviour was assessed at endpoint using Conners' Teacher Rating Scales. DHA+EPA supplementation decreased physical activity counts during morning class time, increased sedentary physical activity, and decreased light- and moderate-intensity physical activities. Consistently, DHA+EPA supplementation increased sedentary physical activity and decreased light-intensity physical activity during after-break class time. Even though there were no treatment effects found on teacher-rated behaviour, lower physical activity during morning class time was associated with lower levels of teacher-rated hyperactivity and oppositional behaviour at endpoint. Despite a positive association between Fe status and physical activity during break time at baseline, Fe supplementation did not affect physical activity during break time and class time. Our findings suggest that DHA+EPA supplementation may decrease physical activity levels during class time, and further indicate that accelerometry might be a useful tool to assess classroom behaviour in healthy children.

A laser-induced repetitive fast neutron source applied for gold activation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sungman; Park, Sangsoon; Lee, Kitae; Cha, Hyungki

2012-12-01

A laser-induced repetitively operated fast neutron source was developed for applications in laser-driven nuclear physics research. The developed neutron source, which has a neutron yield of approximately 4 × 105 n/pulse and can be operated up to a pulse repetition rate of 10 Hz, was applied for a gold activation analysis. Relatively strong delayed gamma spectra of the activated gold were measured at 333 keV and 355 keV, and proved the possibility of the neutron source for activation analyses. In addition, the nuclear reactions responsible for the measured gamma spectra of gold were elucidated by the 14 MeV fast neutrons resulting from the D(t,n)He4 nuclear reaction, for which the required tritium originated from the primary fusion reaction, D(d,p)T3.

A laser-induced repetitive fast neutron source applied for gold activation analysis.

PubMed

Lee, Sungman; Park, Sangsoon; Lee, Kitae; Cha, Hyungki

2012-12-01

A laser-induced repetitively operated fast neutron source was developed for applications in laser-driven nuclear physics research. The developed neutron source, which has a neutron yield of approximately 4 × 10(5) n/pulse and can be operated up to a pulse repetition rate of 10 Hz, was applied for a gold activation analysis. Relatively strong delayed gamma spectra of the activated gold were measured at 333 keV and 355 keV, and proved the possibility of the neutron source for activation analyses. In addition, the nuclear reactions responsible for the measured gamma spectra of gold were elucidated by the 14 MeV fast neutrons resulting from the D(t,n)He(4) nuclear reaction, for which the required tritium originated from the primary fusion reaction, D(d,p)T(3).

Comparable efficacy and safety of various topical formulations of terbinafine in tinea pedis irrespective of the treatment regimen: results of a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Korting, Hans Christian; Kiencke, Peter; Nelles, Sandra; Rychlik, Reinhard

2007-01-01

Terbinafine has been widely used with major success as a topical antifungal therapy for tinea pedis (athlete's foot). Its efficacy and safety have been validated in several clinical trials, which have demonstrated clinical efficacy for the drug after only 1 week of treatment when applied once daily, a reflection of the high fungicidal potency of the drug and its ability to form a depot in the upper skin layer. To improve patients' compliance further, a terbinafine-containing film-forming solution has been developed for single-dose therapy of athlete's foot. This novel formulation delivers terbinafine in high amounts and for a prolonged period of time into the skin, making one-shot treatment feasible. Over the past years there have been a variety of trials evaluating use of topical terbinafine addressing different pharmaceutical formulations, treatment durations, and application frequencies, but a detailed meta-analysis of these trials has not been conducted to date. The present study is the first meta-analytic evaluation of the available data on the efficacy (clinical and mycologic cure rates) and safety (adverse events) of all topical forms of terbinafine for the treatment of tinea pedis. An international, systematic literature search of 12 electronic databases (including MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases) using a pre-specified search strategy was conducted in March 2006. This meta-analysis included only randomized controlled trials in which terbinafine had been used for topical treatment of tinea pedis in comparison with placebo or an active control. Studies of all available topical formulations of terbinafine, frequencies of application, and durations of treatment were included. Of 100 identified articles published between 1990 and 2006, 19 met the criteria for analysis. These 19 studies involved 2899 patients with clinical and mycologic diagnoses of tinea pedis (nine placebo-controlled trials and ten active-controlled trials). Efficacy analysis demonstrated that the mycologic cure rate was significantly superior with terbinafine compared with placebo (relative risk [RR] 3.17; p < 0.001). No significant differences in efficacy were found amongst different formulations of terbinafine, treatment durations, or frequencies of application. Comparable results were obtained with respect to clinical cure rate for terbinafine compared with placebo (RR 2.75; p < 0.001). Comparison of the efficacy of terbinafine versus active control indicated a nonsignificant difference in favor of terbinafine with regard to mycologic cure rate (RR 1.03; p = 0.423) and clinical cure rate (RR 1.09; p = 0.11). The median duration of treatment was also shorter with terbinafine (1 week) compared with active controls (2 weeks). Analysis of the placebo-controlled studies showed that there was no significant difference in the risk of adverse events with terbinafine compared with placebo (RR 1.34; p = 0.34). Likewise, no significant differences in adverse events were found between terbinafine and active controls (RR 1.08; p = 0.72). Terbinafine is very well tolerated in any topical pharmaceutical formulation and also has high efficacy as a cure for tinea pedis, irrespective of type of pharmaceutical formulation, treatment duration, and frequency of application, including the recently established one-shot regimen. In addition, terbinafine has an apparently unique advantage over other antifungal agents with respect to the required duration of treatment for tinea pedis.

Metagenomic analysis of a desulphurisation system used to treat biogas from vinasse methanisation.

PubMed

Dias, Marcela França; Colturato, Luis Felipe; de Oliveira, João Paulo; Leite, Laura Rabelo; Oliveira, Guilherme; Chernicharo, Carlos Augusto; de Araújo, Juliana Calabria

2016-04-01

We investigated the response of microbial community to changes in H2S loading rate in a microaerated desulphurisation system treating biogas from vinasse methanisation. H2S removal efficiency was high, and both COD and DO seemed to be important parameters to biomass activity. DGGE analysis retrieved sequences of sulphide-oxidising bacteria (SOB), such as Thioalkalimicrobium sp. Deep sequencing analysis revealed that the microbial community was complex and remained constant throughout the experiment. Most sequences belonged to Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, and, to a lesser extent, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, and Synergistetes. Despite the high sulphide removal efficiency, the abundance of the taxa of SOB was low, and was negatively affected by the high sulphide loading rate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of low force chiropractic adjustments for 4 weeks on body surface electromagnetic field.

PubMed

Zhang, John; Snyder, Brian J

2005-01-01

To study the effects of 4 weeks of low-force chiropractic adjustments on body surface electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Thirty-five chiropractic students randomly assigned into control (17 subjects) and experimental groups (28 subjects). A triaxial fluxgate magnetometer was used for EMF detection. The subjects' body surface EMF was determined in the prone position before and after the chiropractic adjustment. A Toftness low-force chiropractic adjustment was applied to the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral areas as determined by the practitioner. Heart rate variability analysis was recorded once a week to determine autonomic nervous system activity in both the control and experimental groups. The EMF on the subjects' body surface decreased after chiropractic adjustment at the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral regions in all 6 visits during the 4-week treatment period. The EMF showed a downtrend over the 4-week period after the low-force adjustment. The same changes were not observed in the control group. The chiropractic adjustment group had a slight decrease in heart rate over the 4-week treatment period, and no significant change was observed in the control group. Heart rate variability analysis did not show consistent changes before and after the low-force adjustments during the treatment period. Low-force chiropractic adjustment in the cervical and thoracic areas resulted in a consistent reduction of the body surface EMF after 4 weeks of active treatment. No statistically significant differences were found in the heart rate and heart rate variability in the 4-week study.

A comparison of healing rates on two pressure-relieving systems.

PubMed

Russell, L; Reynolds, T; Carr, J; Evans, A; Holmes, M

The authors have previously reported the preliminary results of a randomized-controlled trial comparing the relative efficacy of two pressure-relieving systems: Huntleigh Nimbus 3 and Aura Cushion, and Pegasus Cairwave Therapy System and ProActive Seating Cushion (Russell et al, 2000). Although both the mattresses and cushions were effective treatments for pressure ulcers, the Huntleigh equipment was demonstrated to be statistically more effective for heel ulcers, but no differences were demonstrated for sacral ulcers. This article gives a more detailed analysis of the 141 patients assessed using computerized-image analysis of the digital images of sacral ulcers captured during the trial and specifically discusses the healing rates and other patient characteristics. Ninety-eight per cent of ulcers examined were deemed superficial (Torrance grade 2a, 2b, 3). Precision of image analysis assessed by within- and between-batch coefficients of variation was excellent: calibration CV 0.93-1.84%; area CV 4.61-5.72%. The healing rates on the two mattresses were not shown to be statistically different from each other.

Rasch analysis of the patient-rated wrist evaluation questionnaire.

PubMed

Esakki, Saravanan; MacDermid, Joy C; Vincent, Joshua I; Packham, Tara L; Walton, David; Grewal, Ruby

2018-01-01

The Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) was developed as a wrist joint specific measure of pain and disability and evidence of sound validity has been accumulated through classical psychometric methods. Rasch analysis (RA) has been endorsed as a newer method for analyzing the clinical measurement properties of self-report outcome measures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the PRWE using Rasch modeling. We employed the Rasch model to assess overall fit, response scaling, individual item fit, differential item functioning (DIF), local dependency, unidimensionality and person separation index (PSI). A convenience sample of 382 patients with distal radius fracture was recruited from the hand and upper limb clinic at large academic healthcare organization, London, Ontario, Canada, 6-month post-injury scores of the PRWE was used. RA was conducted on the 3 subscales (pain, specific activities, and usual activities) of the PRWE separately. The pain subscale adequately fit the Rasch model when item 4 "Pain - When it is at its worst" was deleted to eliminate non-uniform DIF by age group, and item 5 "How often do you have pain" was rescored by collapsing into 8 intervals to eliminate disordered thresholds. Uniform DIF for "Use my affected hand to push up from the chair" (by work status) and "Use bathroom tissue with my affected hand" (by injured hand) was addressed by splitting the items for analysis. After background rescoring of 2 items in pain subscale, 2 items in specific activities and 3 items in usual activities, all three subscales of the PRWE were well targeted and had high reliability (PSI = 0.86). These changes provided a unidimensional, interval-level scaled measure. Like a previous analysis of the Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation, this study found the PRWE could be fit to the Rasch model with rescoring of multiple items. However, the modifications required to achieve fit were not the same across studies, our fit statistics also suggested one of the pain items should be deleted. This study adds to the pool of evidence supporting the PRWE, but cannot confidently provide a Rasch-based scoring algorithm.

Assessment of chloroethene degradation rates based on ratios of daughter/parent compounds in groundwater plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höhener, Patrick

2014-05-01

Chlorinated solvent spills at industrial and urban sites create groundwater plumes where tetrachloro- and trichloroethene may degrade to their daughter compounds, dichloroethenes, vinyl chloride and ethane. The assessment of degradation and natural attenuation at such sites may be based on the analysis and inverse modelling of concentration data, on the calculation of mass fluxes in transsects, and/or on the analysis of stable isotope ratios in the ethenes. Relatively few work has investigated the possibility of using ratio of concentrations for gaining information on degradation rates. The use of ratios bears the advantage that dilution of a single sample with contaminant-free water does not matter. It will be shown that molar ratios of daughter to parent compounds measured along a plume streamline are a rapid and robust mean of determining whether degradation rates increase or decrease along the degradation chain, and allow furthermore a quantitation of the relative magnitude of degradation rates compared to the rate of the parent compound. Furthermore, ratios of concentration will become constant in zones where degradation is absent, and this allows to sketching the extension of actively degrading zones. The assessment is possible for pure sources and also for mixed sources. A quantification method is proposed in order to estimate first-order degradation rates in zones of constant degradation activity. This quantification method includes corrections that are needed due to longitudinal and transversal dispersivity. The method was tested on a number of real field sites from literature. At the majority of these sites, the first-order degradation rates were decreasing along the degradation chain from tetrachloroethene to vinyl chloride, meaning that the latter was often reaching important concentrations. This is bad news for site owners due to the increased toxicity of vinyl chloride compared to its parent compounds.

Attrition from emergency medicine clinical practice in the United States.

PubMed

Ginde, Adit A; Sullivan, Ashley F; Camargo, Carlos A

2010-08-01

We estimate the annual attrition from emergency medicine clinical practice. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the American Medical Association's 2008 Physician Masterfile, which includes data on all physicians who have ever obtained a medical license in at least 1 US state. We restricted the analysis to physicians who completed emergency medicine residency training or who obtained emergency medicine board certification. We defined attrition as not being active in emergency medicine clinical practice. Attrition was reported as cumulative and annualized rates, with stratification by years since training graduation. Death rates were estimated from life tables for the US population. Of the 30,864 emergency medicine-trained or emergency medicine board-certified physicians, 26,826 (87%) remain active in emergency medicine clinical practice. Overall, type of attrition was 45% to non-emergency medicine clinical practice, 22% retired, 14% administration, and 10% research/teaching. Immediate attrition (<2 years since training graduation) was 6.5%. The cumulative attrition rates from 2 to 15 years postgraduation were stable (5% to 9%) and thereafter were progressively higher, with 18% having left emergency medicine clinical practice at 20 years postgraduation and 25% at 30 years postgraduation. Annualized attrition rates were highest for the first 5 years postgraduation and after 40 years postgraduation; between 5 and 40 years, the rates remained low (<1%). The overall annual attrition rate from emergency medicine clinical practice, including estimated death rate, was approximately 1.7%. Despite the high stress and demands of emergency medicine, overall attrition remains low and compares favorably with that of other medical specialties. These data have positive implications for the emergency physician workforce and are important for accurate estimation of and planning for emergency physician workforce needs. 2009 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A brain-region-based meta-analysis method utilizing the Apriori algorithm.

PubMed

Niu, Zhendong; Nie, Yaoxin; Zhou, Qian; Zhu, Linlin; Wei, Jieyao

2016-05-18

Brain network connectivity modeling is a crucial method for studying the brain's cognitive functions. Meta-analyses can unearth reliable results from individual studies. Meta-analytic connectivity modeling is a connectivity analysis method based on regions of interest (ROIs) which showed that meta-analyses could be used to discover brain network connectivity. In this paper, we propose a new meta-analysis method that can be used to find network connectivity models based on the Apriori algorithm, which has the potential to derive brain network connectivity models from activation information in the literature, without requiring ROIs. This method first extracts activation information from experimental studies that use cognitive tasks of the same category, and then maps the activation information to corresponding brain areas by using the automatic anatomical label atlas, after which the activation rate of these brain areas is calculated. Finally, using these brain areas, a potential brain network connectivity model is calculated based on the Apriori algorithm. The present study used this method to conduct a mining analysis on the citations in a language review article by Price (Neuroimage 62(2):816-847, 2012). The results showed that the obtained network connectivity model was consistent with that reported by Price. The proposed method is helpful to find brain network connectivity by mining the co-activation relationships among brain regions. Furthermore, results of the co-activation relationship analysis can be used as a priori knowledge for the corresponding dynamic causal modeling analysis, possibly achieving a significant dimension-reducing effect, thus increasing the efficiency of the dynamic causal modeling analysis.

Dutch Young Adults Ratings of Behavior Change Techniques Applied in Mobile Phone Apps to Promote Physical Activity: A Cross-Sectional Survey

PubMed Central

Belmon, Laura S; te Velde, Saskia J; Brug, Johannes

2015-01-01

Background Interventions delivered through new device technology, including mobile phone apps, appear to be an effective method to reach young adults. Previous research indicates that self-efficacy and social support for physical activity and self-regulation behavior change techniques (BCT), such as goal setting, feedback, and self-monitoring, are important for promoting physical activity; however, little is known about evaluations by the target population of BCTs applied to physical activity apps and whether these preferences are associated with individual personality characteristics. Objective This study aimed to explore young adults’ opinions regarding BCTs (including self-regulation techniques) applied in mobile phone physical activity apps, and to examine associations between personality characteristics and ratings of BCTs applied in physical activity apps. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among healthy 18 to 30-year-old adults (N=179). Data on participants’ gender, age, height, weight, current education level, living situation, mobile phone use, personality traits, exercise self-efficacy, exercise self-identity, total physical activity level, and whether participants met Dutch physical activity guidelines were collected. Items for rating BCTs applied in physical activity apps were selected from a hierarchical taxonomy for BCTs, and were clustered into three BCT categories according to factor analysis: “goal setting and goal reviewing,” “feedback and self-monitoring,” and “social support and social comparison.” Results Most participants were female (n=146), highly educated (n=169), physically active, and had high levels of self-efficacy. In general, we observed high ratings of BCTs aimed to increase “goal setting and goal reviewing” and “feedback and self-monitoring,” but not for BCTs addressing “social support and social comparison.” Only 3 (out of 16 tested) significant associations between personality characteristics and BCTs were observed: “agreeableness” was related to more positive ratings of BCTs addressing “goal setting and goal reviewing” (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.06-2.41), “neuroticism” was related to BCTs addressing “feedback and self-monitoring” (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.58-1.00), and “exercise self-efficacy” was related to a high rating of BCTs addressing “feedback and self-monitoring” (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.11). No associations were observed between personality characteristics (ie, personality, exercise self-efficacy, exercise self-identity) and participants’ ratings of BCTs addressing “social support and social comparison.” Conclusions Young Dutch physically active adults rate self-regulation techniques as most positive and techniques addressing social support as less positive among mobile phone apps that aim to promote physical activity. Such ratings of BCTs differ according to personality traits and exercise self-efficacy. Future research should focus on which behavior change techniques in app-based interventions are most effective to increase physical activity. PMID:26563744

Equilibrium, chemical kinetic, and transport limitations to diamond growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Edward Anthony

Because of their extreme properties, diamond films have found some industrial applications, i.e., heat sinks and tool coatings. However, to increase their economic attractiveness, the growth rate must be increased, the deposition temperature must be lowered, and single crystal films must be achieved. We have studied two types of chemical vapor deposition systems, hot-filament and microwave assisted, in order to understand the factors limiting diamond growth rate. From simultaneous microbalance growth rate measurements and mass spectrometer measurements, changes in growth rate are correlated with changes in gas phase composition. Measured reaction orders support the proposal that diamond growth occurs through a single-carbon-atom species, e.g., CHsb3. When a two-carbon atom source gas is used, it is likely that the dissociation to two, single-carbon atom species occurs on the substrate surface (dissociative adsorption). Furthermore, a shift to zero-order suggests that the diamond growth is a surface-site limited process at higher hydrocarbon concentrations. The diamond growth rate maximum with pressure is explained by transport limitations of species within the reaction zone. The reported diamond growth rates in the hot-filament reactor are several times higher than those reported by other research groups. These higher growth rates result from surrounding the substrate with the filament. We have used the measured growth rates, filament temperatures, and thermocouple measurements to calculate activation energies for diamond growth. When the filament temperature is used for the calculation, an activation energy of 73 kcal per mole is obtained; however, based on estimated substrate temperatures, an activation energy of 18 kcal per mole is determined. A dimensional analysis approach was developed to select the most important gas phase reactions occurring during diamond CVD. Steady-state analysis of these reactions and the application of mass transport equations lead to the conclusion that diamond growth, in current hot-filament and microwave assisted CVD processes, is occurring in a partial equilibrium environment in which diffusion of atomic hydrogen controls the overall diamond growth rate. The initial stages of diamond growth on non-diamond substrates correspond to carburization, nucleation and growth. When polycrystalline or single crystal diamond is used as a substrate, the carburization and nucleation stages are not observed and growth begins immediately. The nucleation rate depends sensitively on the radiative heat transfer to the substrate. Adding ozone to the hot-filament CVD charge increases the production of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide; this increase is observed with or without the filament being activated. A consistent effect on the diamond growth rate was not observed when ozone was added to the hot-filament reactor.

CF 6 engine diagnostics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stricklin, R.

1981-01-01

A summary of the activities which led to defining deterioration rates of the CF6 family of engines, a description of what was learned, and an identification of means of conserving fuel based upon the program findings are presented. The program to define the deterioration levels and modes for the CF6 family of engines involved four distinct phases: analysis of inbound engine test results, analysis of airline cruise data, analysis of airline test cell data resulting from testing of refurbished engines, and inspection of engine hardware.

Surgical treatment of chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the leg: failure rates and postoperative disability in an active patient population.

PubMed

Waterman, Brian R; Laughlin, Matthew; Kilcoyne, Kelly; Cameron, Kenneth L; Owens, Brett D

2013-04-03

Chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the leg is a frequent source of lower-extremity pain in military personnel, competitive athletes, and runners. We are not aware of any previous study in which the authors rigorously evaluated the rates of return to full activity, persistent disability, and surgical revision after operative management of chronic exertional compartment syndrome of the leg in a large, physically active population. Individuals who had undergone surgical fasciotomy of the anterior, lateral, and/or posterior compartments (current procedural terminology [CPT] codes 27600, 27601, and 27602) for nontraumatic compartment syndrome of the lower extremity (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9] code 729.72) between 2003 and 2010 were identified from the Military Health System Management Analysis and Reporting Tool (M2). Demographic variables including age, sex, and rank were extracted, and rates of postoperative complications, activity limitations, and revision surgery or medical discharge were obtained from the electronic medical record and U.S. Army Physical Disability Agency database. A total of 611 patients underwent 754 surgical procedures. The average patient age was 28.0 years, and 91.8% of the patients were male. Of the surgical procedures, 77.4% involved only anterior and lateral compartment releases; 19.4% addressed the anterior, lateral, and posterior compartments; and 2.2% addressed the posterior compartments alone. Symptom recurrence was reported by 44.7% of the patients, and 27.7% were unable to return to full activity. Surgical complications were documented for 15.7% of the patients, 5.9% underwent surgical revision, and 17.3% were referred for medical discharge because of chronic exertional compartment syndrome. Univariate analysis of prognostic factors revealed that surgical failure was associated with bilateral involvement (odds ratio [OR], 1.64), perioperative complications (OR, 2.12), activity limitations (OR, 4.41), and persistence of preoperative symptoms (OR, 8.46). Multivariable analysis confirmed significant associations between surgical failure and perioperative complications (OR, 1.72), activity limitations (OR, 2.23), and persistence of preoperative symptoms (OR, 5.47), whereas other factors were not significantly associated with surgical failure. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is a substantial contributor to lower-extremity disability in the military population. Nearly half of all service members undergoing fasciotomy reported persistent symptoms, and one in five individuals had unsuccessful surgical treatment.

Work and family transitions and the self-rated health of young women in South Africa.

PubMed

Bennett, Rachel; Waterhouse, Philippa

2018-04-01

Understanding the transition to adulthood has important implications for supporting young adults and understanding the roots of diversity in wellbeing later in life. In South Africa, the end of Apartheid means today's youth are experiencing their transition to adulthood in a changed social and political context which offers opportunities compared to the past but also threats. This paper presents the first national level analysis of the patterning of key transitions (completion of education, entry into the labour force, motherhood and marriage or cohabitation), and the association between the different pathways and health amongst young women. With the use of longitudinal data from the South African National Income Dynamics Study (2008-2015), this paper employs sequence analysis to identify common pathways to adulthood amongst women aged 15-17 years at baseline (n = 429) and logistic regression modelling to examine the association between these pathways and self-rated health. The sequence analysis identified five pathways: 1. 'Non-activity commonly followed by motherhood', 2. 'Pathway from school, motherhood then work', 3. 'Motherhood combined with schooling', 4. 'Motherhood after schooling', and 5. 'Schooling to non-activity'. After controlling for baseline socio-economic and demographic characteristics and health, the regression results show young women who followed pathways characterised by early motherhood and economic inactivity (1, 3 and 4) had poorer self-rated health compared to women whose pathways were characterised by combining motherhood and economic activity (2) and young women who were yet to become economically active or mothers (5). Therefore, policies should seek to prevent adolescent childbearing, support young mothers to continue their educational careers and enable mothers in work and seeking work to balance their work and care responsibilities. Further, the findings highlight the value of taking a holistic approach to health and provide further evidence for the need to consider work-family balance in the development agenda. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Personality in domestic cats.

PubMed

Lee, Christina M; Ryan, Joseph J; Kreiner, David S

2007-02-01

Personality ratings of 196 cats were made by their owners using a 5-point Likert scale anchored by 1: not at all and 5: a great deal with 12 items: timid, friendly, curious, sociable, obedient, clever, protective, active, independent, aggressive, bad-tempered, and emotional. A principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified three intepretable components. Component I had high loadings by active, clever, curious, and sociable. Component II had high loadings by emotional, friendly, and protective, Component III by aggressive and bad-tempered, and Component IV by timid. Sex was not associated with any component, but age showed a weak negative correlation with Component I. Older animals were rated less social and curious than younger animals.

Quantitative method of medication system interface evaluation.

PubMed

Pingenot, Alleene Anne; Shanteau, James; Pingenot, James D F

2007-01-01

The objective of this study was to develop a quantitative method of evaluating the user interface for medication system software. A detailed task analysis provided a description of user goals and essential activity. A structural fault analysis was used to develop a detailed description of the system interface. Nurses experienced with use of the system under evaluation provided estimates of failure rates for each point in this simplified fault tree. Means of estimated failure rates provided quantitative data for fault analysis. Authors note that, although failures of steps in the program were frequent, participants reported numerous methods of working around these failures so that overall system failure was rare. However, frequent process failure can affect the time required for processing medications, making a system inefficient. This method of interface analysis, called Software Efficiency Evaluation and Fault Identification Method, provides quantitative information with which prototypes can be compared and problems within an interface identified.

Power spectral analysis of R-R interval variability before and during the sinusoidal heart rate pattern in fetal lambs.

PubMed

Suzuki, T; Okamura, K; Kimura, Y; Watanabe, T; Yaegashi, N; Murotsuki, J; Uehara, S; Yajima, A

2000-05-01

The appearance of the sinusoidal heart rate pattern found on fetal cardiotocograms has not been fully explained, either physiologically or clinically. In this study we performed power spectral analysis on the sinusoidal heart rate pattern obtained by administration of arginine vasopressin and atropine sulfate to investigate its frequency components in fetal lambs with long-term instrument implantation. Eleven tests were performed in 4 fetal lambs at 120 to 130 days' gestation. An artificial sinusoidal heart rate pattern was obtained by administration of atropine sulfate and arginine vasopressin in 9 tests. An autoregression model was used to compare the spectral patterns before and during the sinusoidal heart rate pattern. Marked decreases in low-frequency (0.025-0.125 cycles/beat) and high-frequency (0.2-0.5 cycles/beat) areas were observed in the presence of the sinusoidal heart rate pattern. However, there were no significant changes in the very-low-frequency area (0.01-0.025 cycles/beat), which corresponds to the frequency of the sinusoidal heart rate pattern. The sinusoidal heart rate pattern may represent a very low-frequency component inherent in fetal heart rate variability that appears when low- and high-frequency components are reduced as a result of strongly suppressed autonomic nervous activity.

Preliminary Shielding Analysis for HCCB TBM Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Peng; Zhao, Fengchao; Cao, Qixiang; Zhang, Guoshu; Feng, Kaiming

2015-09-01

A preliminary shielding analysis on the transport of the Chinese helium cooled ceramic breeder test blanket module (HCCB TBM) from France back to China after being irradiated in ITER is presented in this contribution. Emphasis was placed on irradiation safety during transport. The dose rate calculated by MCNP/4C for the conceptual package design satisfies the relevant dose limits from IAEA that the dose rate 3 m away from the surface of the package containing low specific activity III materials should be less than 10 mSv/h. The change with location and the time evolution of dose rates after shutdown have also been studied. This will be helpful for devising the detailed transport plan of HCCB TBM back to China in the near future. supported by the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) (No. 2013GB108000)

A program in global biology. [biota-environment interaction important to life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mooneyhan, D. W.

1983-01-01

NASA's Global Biology Research Program and its goals for greater understanding of planetary biological processes are discussed. Consideration is given to assessing major pathways and rates of exchange of elements such as carbon and nitrogen, extrapolating local rates of anaerobic activities, determining exchange rates of ocean nutrients, and developing models for the global cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Satellites and sensors operating today are covered: the Nimbus, NOAA, and Landsat series. Block diagrams of the software and hardware for a typical ground data processing and analysis system are provided. Samples of the surface cover data achieved with the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, the Multispectral Scanner, and the Thematic Mapper are presented, as well as a productive capacity model for coastal wetlands. Finally, attention is given to future goals, their engineering requirements, and the necessary data analysis system.

Reliability of Heart Rate Variability Analysis by Using Electrocardiogram Recorded Unrestrainedly from an Automobile Steering-Wheel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osaka, Motohisa; Murata, Hiroshige; Tateoka, Katsuhiko; Katoh, Takao

2007-07-01

Some cases of traffic accidents are assumed to be due to the occurrences of cardiac events during driving, which are thought to be induced by imbalance of autonomic nervous activities. These can be measured by analyzing heart rate variability. Therefore, we developed a new system of steering-wheel electrocardiogram with a soft-ware to remove noises. We compared the trends of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve activities measured from the steering-wheel electrocardiograms with those recorded simultaneously from chest leads. For each parameter of instantaneous heart rate, low- or high-frequency component of heart rate variability in all the cases, the trend from the steering-wheel electrocardiogram resembled that from the chest-lead electrocardiogram. In 3 of 7 subjects, the trend of LF/HF showed a strong relationship between the steering-wheel electrocardiogram and the chest-lead electrocardiogram. Our system will open doors to a new strategy to keep a driver out of a risk by notifying it while driving.

Aerated biofilters with multiple-level air injection configurations to enhance biological treatment of methane emissions.

PubMed

Farrokhzadeh, Hasti; Hettiaratchi, J Patrick A; Jayasinghe, Poornima; Kumar, Sunil

2017-09-01

Aiming to improve conventional methane biofilter performance, a multiple-level aeration biofilter design is proposed. Laboratory flow-through column experiments were conducted to evaluate three actively-aerated methane biofilter configurations. Columns were aerated at one, two, and three levels of the bed depth, with air introduced at flow rates calculated from methane oxidation reaction stoichiometry. Inlet methane loading rates were increased in five stages between 6 and 18mL/min. The effects of methane feeding rate, levels of aeration, and residence time on methane oxidation rates were determined. Samples collected after completion of flow-through experiments were used to determine methane oxidation kinetic parameters, V max , K m , and methanotrophic community distribution across biofilter columns. Results obtained from mixed variances analysis and response surfaces, as well as methanotrophic activity data, suggested that, biofilter column with two aeration levels has the most even performance over time, maintaining 85.1% average oxidation efficiency over 95days of experiments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinetic characterization of the deproteinization of trabecular and cortical bovine femur bones.

PubMed

Castro-Ceseña, Ana B; Sánchez-Saavedra, M Pilar; Novitskaya, Ekaterina E; Chen, Po-Yu; Hirata, Gustavo A; McKittrick, Joanna

2013-12-01

The present study proposes an interpretation of the mechanism of bone deproteinization. Cortical and trabecular bovine femur bones were deproteinized using 6% NaOCl (37, 50, 60°C). The kinetic parameters (rate constant and activation energy) were calculated, and the surface area of each type of bone was considered. A statistical analysis of the rate constants shows that cortical bone deproteinizes at a lower rate than trabecular. The activation energy is higher for trabecular than cortical bone, and no significant differences are found in the protein concentration values for both bones. Therefore, although trabecular bone deproteinizes at a higher rate than cortical, trabecular bone requires more energy for the deproteinization reaction to take place. Considering that both types of bones are constituted by mineral, protein, and water; the present work shows that the individual inner matrix architecture of trabecular and cortical bones, along with characteristics such as the mineral concentration and its bonding with collagen fibers, may be the responsible factors that control protein depletion. © 2013.

Spent Fuel Assay with an Ultra-High Rate HPGe Spectrometer

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

Fast, James; Fulsom, Bryan; Pitts, Karl

2015-07-01

Traditional verification of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) includes determination of initial enrichment, burnup and cool down time (IE, BU, CT). Along with neutron measurements, passive gamma assay provides important information for determining BU and CT. Other gamma-ray-based assay methods such as passive tomography and active delayed gamma offer the potential to measure the spatial distribution of fission products and the fissile isotopic concentration of the fuel, respectively. All fuel verification methods involving gamma-ray spectroscopy require that the spectrometers manage very high count rates while extracting the signatures of interest. PNNL has developed new digital filtering and analysis techniques to producemore » an ultra-high rate gamma-ray spectrometer from a standard coaxial high-purity germanium (HPGe) crystal. This 37% relative efficiency detector has been operated for SNF measurements at input count rates of 500-1300 kcps and throughput in excess of 150 kcps. Optimized filtering algorithms preserve the spectroscopic capability of the system even at these high rates. This paper will present the results of both passive and active SNF measurement performed with this system at PNNL. (authors)« less

Practical aspects of estimating energy components in rodents

PubMed Central

van Klinken, Jan B.; van den Berg, Sjoerd A. A.; van Dijk, Ko Willems

2013-01-01

Recently there has been an increasing interest in exploiting computational and statistical techniques for the purpose of component analysis of indirect calorimetry data. Using these methods it becomes possible to dissect daily energy expenditure into its components and to assess the dynamic response of the resting metabolic rate (RMR) to nutritional and pharmacological manipulations. To perform robust component analysis, however, is not straightforward and typically requires the tuning of parameters and the preprocessing of data. Moreover the degree of accuracy that can be attained by these methods depends on the configuration of the system, which must be properly taken into account when setting up experimental studies. Here, we review the methods of Kalman filtering, linear, and penalized spline regression, and minimal energy expenditure estimation in the context of component analysis and discuss their results on high resolution datasets from mice and rats. In addition, we investigate the effect of the sample time, the accuracy of the activity sensor, and the washout time of the chamber on the estimation accuracy. We found that on the high resolution data there was a strong correlation between the results of Kalman filtering and penalized spline (P-spline) regression, except for the activity respiratory quotient (RQ). For low resolution data the basal metabolic rate (BMR) and resting RQ could still be estimated accurately with P-spline regression, having a strong correlation with the high resolution estimate (R2 > 0.997; sample time of 9 min). In contrast, the thermic effect of food (TEF) and activity related energy expenditure (AEE) were more sensitive to a reduction in the sample rate (R2 > 0.97). In conclusion, for component analysis on data generated by single channel systems with continuous data acquisition both Kalman filtering and P-spline regression can be used, while for low resolution data from multichannel systems P-spline regression gives more robust results. PMID:23641217

The Use of Neutron Analysis Techniques for Detecting The Concentration And Distribution of Chloride Ions in Archaeological Iron

PubMed Central

Watkinson, D; Rimmer, M; Kasztovszky, Z; Kis, Z; Maróti, B; Szentmiklósi, L

2014-01-01

Chloride (Cl) ions diffuse into iron objects during burial and drive corrosion after excavation. Located under corrosion layers, Cl is inaccessible to many analytical techniques. Neutron analysis offers non-destructive avenues for determining Cl content and distribution in objects. A pilot study used prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) and prompt gamma activation imaging (PGAI) to analyse the bulk concentration and longitudinal distribution of Cl in archaeological iron objects. This correlated with the object corrosion rate measured by oxygen consumption, and compared well with Cl measurement using a specific ion meter. High-Cl areas were linked with visible damage to the corrosion layers and attack of the iron core. Neutron techniques have significant advantages in the analysis of archaeological metals, including penetration depth and low detection limits. PMID:26028670

Repair-level analysis for Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chadwick, M.; Yaniec, J.

1992-01-01

To assign repair or discard-at-failure designations for orbital replacement units (ORUs) used on Space Station Freedom Electric Power System (SSFEPS), new algorithms and methods were required. Unique parameters, such as upmass costs, extravehicular activity costs and intravehicular activity (IVA) costs specific to Space Station Freedom's maintenance concept were incorporated into the Repair-Level Analysis (RLA). Additional outputs were also required of the SSFEPS RLA that were not required of previous RLAs. These outputs included recommendations for the number of launches that an ORU should be capable of attaining and an economic basis for condemnation rate. These unique parameters were not addressable using existing RLA models: therefore, a new approach was developed. In addition, it was found that preemptive analysis could be performed using spreadsheet-based Boolean expressions to represent the logical condition of the items under analysis.

A strong pelvic floor is associated with higher rates of sexual activity in women with pelvic floor disorders

PubMed Central

Kanter, Gregg; Rogers, Rebecca G; Pauls, Rachel N; Kammerer-Doak, Dorothy; Thakar, Ranee

2015-01-01

Introduction and Hypothesis We evaluated the associations between pelvic floor muscle strength and tone with sexual activity and sexual function in women with pelvic floor disorders. Methods This was a secondary analysis of a multicenter study of women with pelvic floor disorders from the US and UK performed to validate the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR). Participants were surveyed about whether they were sexually active and completed the PISQ-IR and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaires to assess sexual function. Physical exams included assessment of pelvic floor strength by the Oxford Grading Scale, and assessment of pelvic floor tone per ICS guidelines. Results The cohort of 585 women was middle aged (mean age 54.9 +/−12.1) with 395 (67.5%) reporting sexual activity. Women with a strong pelvic floor (n=275) were more likely to report sexual activity than women with weak strength (n=280) (75.3 vs. 61.8%, p<0.001), but normal or hypoactive pelvic floor tone was not associated with sexual activity (68.8 vs. 60.2%, normal vs. hypoactive, p=0.08). After multivariable analysis, a strong pelvic floor remained predictive of sexual activity (OR 1.89, CI 1.18–3.03, p<0.01). Among sexually active women (n=370), a strong pelvic floor was associated with higher scores on the PISQ-IR domain of condition impact (Parameter Estimate 0.20+/−0.09, P=0.04), and FSFI orgasm domain (PE 0.51+/−0.17, P=0.004). Conclusion A strong pelvic floor is associated with higher rates of sexual activity as well as higher sexual function scores on the condition impact domain of the PISQ-IR and orgasm domain of the FSFI. PMID:25994625

Analysis of dose rates received around the storage pool for irradiated control rods in a BWR nuclear power plant.

PubMed

Ródenas, J; Abarca, A; Gallardo, S

2011-08-01

BWR control rods are activated by neutron reactions in the reactor. The dose produced by this activity can affect workers in the area surrounding the storage pool, where activated rods are stored. Monte Carlo (MC) models for neutron activation and dose assessment around the storage pool have been developed and validated. In this work, the MC models are applied to verify the expected reduction of dose when the irradiated control rod is hanged in an inverted position into the pool. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rotigotine Transdermal Patch in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Zhou, Chang-Qing; Li, Shan-Shan; Chen, Zhong-Mei; Li, Feng-Qun; Lei, Peng; Peng, Guo-Guang

2013-01-01

Background and Methods The efficacy and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch in Parkinson’s disease (PD) were studied in some clinical trials. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of rotigotine transdermal patch versus placebo in PD. Results Six randomized controlled trials (1789 patients) were included in this meta-analysis. As compared with placebo, the use of rotigotine resulted in greater improvements in Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale activities of daily living score (weighted mean difference [WMD] –1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] –2.18 to –1.19), motor score (WMD –3.86, 95% CI –4.86 to –2.86), and the activities of daily living and motor subtotal score (WMD –4.52, 95% CI –5.86 to –3.17). Rotigotine was associated with a significantly higher rate of withdrawals due to adverse events (relative risk [RR] 1.82, 95% CI 1.29–2.59), and higher rates of application site reactions (RR 2.92, 95% CI 2.29–3.72), vomiting (RR 5.18, 95% CI 2.25–11.93), and dyskinesia (RR 2.52, 95% CI 1.47–4.32) compared with placebo. No differences were found in the relative risks of headache, constipation, back pain, diarrhea, or serious adverse events. Conclusions Our meta-analysis showed that the use of rotigotine can reduce the symptoms of PD. However, rotigotine was also associated with a higher incidence of adverse events, especially application site reactions, compared with placebo. PMID:23936090

Analysis of Factors Affecting System Performance in the ASpIRE Challenge

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-13

performance in the ASpIRE (Automatic Speech recognition In Reverberant Environments) challenge. In particular, overall word error rate (WER) of the solver...systems is analyzed as a function of room, distance between talker and microphone, and microphone type. We also analyze speech activity detection...analysis will inform the design of future challenges and provide insight into the efficacy of current solutions addressing noisy reverberant speech

Ventilatory thresholds determined from HRV: comparison of 2 methods in obese adolescents.

PubMed

Quinart, S; Mourot, L; Nègre, V; Simon-Rigaud, M-L; Nicolet-Guénat, M; Bertrand, A-M; Meneveau, N; Mougin, F

2014-03-01

The development of personalised training programmes is crucial in the management of obesity. We evaluated the ability of 2 heart rate variability analyses to determine ventilatory thresholds (VT) in obese adolescents. 20 adolescents (mean age 14.3±1.6 years and body mass index z-score 4.2±0.1) performed an incremental test to exhaustion before and after a 9-month multidisciplinary management programme. The first (VT1) and second (VT2) ventilatory thresholds were identified by the reference method (gas exchanges). We recorded RR intervals to estimate VT1 and VT2 from heart rate variability using time-domain analysis and time-varying spectral-domain analysis. The coefficient correlations between thresholds were higher with spectral-domain analysis compared to time-domain analysis: Heart rate at VT1: r=0.91 vs. =0.66 and VT2: r=0.91 vs. =0.66; power at VT1: r=0.91 vs. =0.74 and VT2: r=0.93 vs. =0.78; spectral-domain vs. time-domain analysis respectively). No systematic bias in heart rate at VT1 and VT2 with standard deviations <6 bpm were found, confirming that spectral-domain analysis could replace the reference method for the detection of ventilatory thresholds. Furthermore, this technique is sensitive to rehabilitation and re-training, which underlines its utility in clinical practice. This inexpensive and non-invasive tool is promising for prescribing physical activity programs in obese adolescents. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Investigation of the dynamic stereochemistry of dimesityl-2,4,6-trimethoxyphenylmethane by complete lineshape analysis and 2D EXSY NMR spectroscopy.

PubMed

Denkova, Pavletta; Vassilev, Nikolay; Van Lokeren, Luk; Willem, Rudolph

2008-04-01

The static and dynamic stereochemistry of dimesityl-2,4,6-trimethoxyphenylmethane in solution was investigated by lineshape analysis of 1D NMR spectra and cross-peak amplitude processing in 2D EXSY spectra, recorded at variable temperatures. Previous studies on this propeller-shaped chiral compound show that the stereomer threshold interconversion is associated with helicity reversal and occurs through [1,2]- and [1,3]-two ring flips of one mesityl and the 2,4,6-trimethoxyphenyl rings. In the present study, the experimental rate constants of the [1,2]- and [1,3]-two ring flips, which are identical, were determined at various temperatures by combining quantitative 2D EXSY spectra processing and complete lineshape analysis (CLSA) of 1D NMR spectra. The latter were subjected to reference deconvolution and linear prediction in order to eliminate the lineshape distortions due to magnetic field inhomogeneity. The activation parameters of these ring flips were determined by an Eyring equation analysis of the temperature dependence of the rate constant. The experimentally determined activation enthalpy and entropy for the two-ring flips, and those obtained from theoretical ab initio calculations at different levels of theory and basis sets, were found to be in good agreement. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A long-term epigenetic memory switch controls bacterial virulence bimodality

PubMed Central

Ronin, Irine; Katsowich, Naama; Rosenshine, Ilan; Balaban, Nathalie Q

2017-01-01

When pathogens enter the host, sensing of environmental cues activates the expression of virulence genes. Opposite transition of pathogens from activating to non-activating conditions is poorly understood. Interestingly, variability in the expression of virulence genes upon infection enhances colonization. In order to systematically detect the role of phenotypic variability in enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), an important human pathogen, both in virulence activating and non-activating conditions, we employed the ScanLag methodology. The analysis revealed a bimodal growth rate. Mathematical modeling combined with experimental analysis showed that this bimodality is mediated by a hysteretic memory-switch that results in the stable co-existence of non-virulent and hyper-virulent subpopulations, even after many generations of growth in non-activating conditions. We identified the per operon as the key component of the hysteretic switch. This unique hysteretic memory switch may result in persistent infection and enhanced host-to-host spreading. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19599.001 PMID:28178445

Long-Term Study of Heart Rate Variability Responses to Changes in the Solar and Geomagnetic Environment.

PubMed

Alabdulgader, Abdullah; McCraty, Rollin; Atkinson, Michael; Dobyns, York; Vainoras, Alfonsas; Ragulskis, Minvydas; Stolc, Viktor

2018-02-08

This long-term study examined relationships between solar and magnetic factors and the time course and lags of autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses to changes in solar and geomagnetic activity. Heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded for 72 consecutive hours each week over a five-month period in 16 participants in order to examine ANS responses during normal background environmental periods. HRV measures were correlated with solar and geomagnetic variables using multivariate linear regression analysis with Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons after removing circadian influences from both datasets. Overall, the study confirms that daily ANS activity responds to changes in geomagnetic and solar activity during periods of normal undisturbed activity and it is initiated at different times after the changes in the various environmental factors and persist over varying time periods. Increase in solar wind intensity was correlated with increases in heart rate, which we interpret as a biological stress response. Increase in cosmic rays, solar radio flux, and Schumann resonance power was all associated with increased HRV and parasympathetic activity. The findings support the hypothesis that energetic environmental phenomena affect psychophysical processes that can affect people in different ways depending on their sensitivity, health status and capacity for self-regulation.

Case-mix adjustment and enabled reporting of the health care experiences of adults with disabilities.

PubMed

Palsbo, Susan E; Diao, Guoqing; Palsbo, Gregory A; Tang, Liansheng; Rosenberger, William F; Mastal, Margaret F

2010-09-01

To develop activity limitation clusters for case-mix adjustment of health care ratings and as a population profiler, and to develop a cognitively accessible report of statistically reliable quality and access measures comparing the health care experiences of adults with and without disabilities, within and across health delivery organizations. Observational study. Three California Medicaid health care organizations. Adults (N = 1086) of working age enrolled for at least 1 year in Medicaid because of disability. Not applicable. Principal components analysis created 4 clusters of activity limitations that we used to characterize case mix. We identified and calculated 28 quality measures using responses from a proposed enabled version of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey. We calculated scores for overall care as the weighted mean of the case-mix adjusted ratings. Disability caused a greater bias on health plan ratings and specialist ratings than did demographic factors. Proxy respondents rated care the same as self-respondents. Telephone and mail administration were equivalent for service reports, but telephone respondents tended to offer more positive global ratings. Plan-level reliability estimates for new composites on shared decision making and advice on healthy living are .79 and .87, respectively. Plan-level reliability estimates for a new composite measure on family planning did not discriminate between health plans because respondents rated all health plans poorly. Approximately 125 respondents per site are necessary to detect group differences. Self-reported activity limitations incorporating standard questions from the American Community Survey can be used to create a disability case-mix index and to construct profiles of a population's activity limitations. The enabled comparative report, which we call the Assessment of Health Plans and Providers by People with Activity Limitations, is more cognitively accessible than typical CAHPS report templates for state Medicaid plans. The CAHPS Medicaid reporting tools may provide misleading ratings of health plan and physician quality by people with disabilities because the mean ratings do not account for systematic biases associated with disability. More testing on larger populations would help to quantify the strength of various reporting biases.

Psychological Analyses of Courageous Performance in Military Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-11-01

schedule HR heart rate IBI inter- beat interval N number of subjects NS not statistically significant P probability PCA principal components analysis RAQ...tones in the range of 400 to 600 Hz, set at a level of 60 dB, transmitted for 1 sec binaurally through earphones from a commercial oscillator. The...because of interference on the recording trace. Cardiac activity was measured in terms of heart rate (HR). The number of beats /minute was estimared by

Life in the sea of plenty: Seasonal and regional comparison of physiological performance of Euphausia hanseni in the northern Benguela upwelling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Werner, Thorsten; Buchholz, Cornelia; Buchholz, Friedrich

2015-09-01

Variability in upwelling events may lead to periods of constrained food availability in the northern Benguela upwelling system (NBUS), thereby affecting the physiological state and metabolic activity of euphausiids. Most attention has so far been paid to seasonal effects but little is known about regional variability. Metabolic activity (expressed by respiration and excretion rates) and physiological state (expressed by reproductive effort and moult activity) in Euphausia hanseni were examined at different stations during austral summer (minimum upwelling) and austral winter (maximum upwelling). Overall, regional differences in physiological state, influencing metabolic activity, were greater than seasonal ones, indicating favourable conditions for growth and reproduction year-round. Higher respiration rates were found for females in more advanced stages of sexual development. Moult stage did not affect oxygen consumption rates, however. The physiological state of E. hanseni at the time of capture may serve as a meaningful indicator of the associated hydrographic conditions in the NBUS, to be further used in eco-system analysis on seasonal or long-term time scales. A latitudinal comparison of species highlights the extraordinary physiological plasticity of euphausiids.

Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Characteristics of a Major Tropical Cyclone Tornado Outbreak

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCaul, Eugene W., Jr.; Buechler, Dennis; Goodman, Steven J.

1999-01-01

A comprehensive analysis has been conducted of the cloud-to-ground lightning activity occurring within a landfalling tropical cyclone that produced an outbreak of strong and damaging tornadoes. Radar data indicate that 12 convective cells were responsible for 29 tornadoes, several of which received an F3 intensity rating, in the southeastern United States on 16 August 1994 within the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl. Of these 12 tornadic storms, the most active cell produced 315 flashes over a 5.5 hour period, while the other storms were less active. Three tornadic storms failed to produce any CG lightning at all. In general, the tornadic storms were more active electrically than other non-tornadic cells within Beryl's remnants, although the flash rates were rather modest by comparison with significant midlatitude severe storm events. Very few positive polarity flashes were found in the Beryl outbreak. During some of the stronger tornadoes, CG flash rates in the parent storms showed sharp transient decreases. Doppler radar data suggest the stronger tornadic storms were small supercells, and the lightning data indicate these storms exhibited lightning characteristics similar to those found in heavy-precipitation supercell storms.

Transmutation and activation of reduced activation ferritic martensitic steel in molten salt cooled fusion power plants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, E. T.

2004-08-01

Neutron activation analysis was conducted for the reduced activation ferritic/martensitic (RAFM) steel used in flibe molten-salt cooled fusion blankets. After 22.4 MW yr/m 2 of neutron exposure, the RAFM steel first wall in a molten salt blanket with 40% lithium-6 enrichment in lithium was found to be within 1 mSv/h in contact dose rate after 100 yr of cooling. The contact dose rate drops to 30 and 20 μSv/h or less, respectively, when the cooling times are 300 and 500 yr after discharge. The RAFM steel discharged from the high-temperature shield component would be allowed for hands-on recycling after 100 yr of cooling, when the contact dose rate is 10 μSv/h or less. The most significant changes found in the RAFM steel first wall due to nuclear transmutation, are 10% decrease in W and 10% increase in Ti. Additionally, there are minor elements produced: Mn - <1.2%, V - <0.26%, Re - <0.2%, Ta - <0.08%, and Os - <0.1%, all in weight percent. The gaseous elements generated are H and He, and the, respectively, accumulated quantities are about 260 and 190 wppm.

Complete solids retention activated sludge process.

PubMed

Amanatidou, E; Samiotis, G; Trikoilidou, E; Pekridis, G; Tsikritzis, L

2016-01-01

In a slaughterhouse's full-scale extended aeration activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), operating under complete solids retention time, the evolution of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentration, food to micro-organisms ratio (F/M) and substrate utilization rate (SUR) were studied for over a year. Biomass growth phases in correlation to sludge biological and morphological characteristics were studied. Three distinguished growth phases were observed during the 425 days of monitoring. The imposed operational conditions led the process to extended biomass starvation conditions, minimum F/M, minimum SUR and predator species growth. MLSS and MLVSS reached a stabilization phase (plateau phase) where almost zero sludge accumulation was observed. The concept of degradation of the considered non-biodegradable particulate compounds in influent and in biomass (cell debris) was also studied. Comparison of evolution of observed sludge yields (Yobs) in the WWTP with Yobs predictions by activated sludge models verified the degradation concept for the considered non-biodegradable compounds. Control of the sedimentation process was achieved, by predicting the solids loading rate critical point using state point analysis and stirred/unstirred settling velocity tests and by applying a high return activated sludge rate. The nitrogen gas related sedimentation problems were taken into consideration.

Analysis of methanogenic activity in a thermophilic-dry anaerobic reactor: use of fluorescent in situ hybridization.

PubMed

Montero, B; García-Morales, J L; Sales, D; Solera, R

2009-03-01

Methanogenic activity in a thermophilic-dry anaerobic reactor was determined by comparing the amount of methane generated for each of the organic loading rates with the size of the total and specific methanogenic population, as determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization. A high correlation was evident between the total methanogenic activity and retention time [-0.6988Ln(x)+2.667] (R(2) 0.8866). The total methanogenic activity increased from 0.04x10(-8) mLCH(4) cell(-1)day(-1) to 0.38x10(-8) mLCH(4) cell(-1)day(-1) while the retention time decreased, augmenting the organic loading rates. The specific methanogenic activities of H(2)-utilizing methanogens and acetate-utilizing methanogens increased until they stabilised at 0.64x10(-8) mLCH(4) cell(-1)day(-1) and 0.33x10(-8) mLCH(4) cell(-1)day(-1), respectively. The methanogenic activity of H(2)-utilizing methanogens was higher than acetate-utilizing methanogens, indicating that maintaining a low partial pressure of hydrogen does not inhibit the acetoclastic methanogenesis or the anaerobic process.

Efficacy and safety of recombinant activated factor vii in major surgical procedures: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

PubMed

Ranucci, Marco; Isgrò, Giuseppe; Soro, Giorgio; Conti, Daniela; De Toffol, Barbara

2008-03-01

To investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) treatment in patients undergoing major surgical procedures. Relevant studies were searched in BioMedCentral, CENTRAL, PubMed, and PubMed Central. Only randomized controlled trials on humans undergoing major surgery were included. Efficacy was determined as the rate of patients receiving allogeneic packed red blood cells; safety was assessed in terms of thromboembolic complications and mortality rate. We followed the Cochrane Collaboration method for data extraction and internal validity procedures, as well as the Quality of Reporting of Meta-analyses statement. Seven randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Treatment with rFVIIa is associated with a reduced risk of receiving allogeneic packed red blood cells (odds ratio, 0.29; 95% confidence interval, 0.10-0.80). In a subgroup analysis, only patients receiving at least 50 mug/kg of rFVIIa had a significant benefit (odds ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.78). No differences in thromboembolic complications and mortality rates were observed. Treatment with rFVIIa is effective in reducing the rate of patients undergoing transfusion with allogeneic packed red blood cells. However, the cost-benefit ratio is favorable only in patients who need a huge number of packed red blood cell units. No safety concerns arise from the present study.

Kinetics and mechanism of hydroxyapatite crystal dissolution in weak acid buffers using the rotating disk method.

PubMed

Wu, M S; Higuchi, W I; Fox, J L; Friedman, M

1976-01-01

The model given in this report and the rotating disk method provide a useful combination in the study of dental enamel and hydroxyapatite dissolution kinetics. The present approach is a significant improvement over earlier studies, and both the ionic activity product that governs the dissolution reaction and the apparent surface dissolution reaction rate constant may be simultaneously obtained. Thus, these investigations have established the baseline for the dissolution rate studies under sink conditions. Concurrent studies, under conditions where the acidic buffer mediums are partially saturated with respect to hydroxyapatite have shown another dissolution site for hydroxyapatite that operates at a higher ionic activity product but has a much smaller apparent surface reaction rate constant. This has raised the question of whether the presence of this second site may interfere with the proper theoretical analysis of the experimental results obtained under sink conditions. A preliminary analysis of the two-site model has shown that the dissolution kinetics of hydroxyapatite under sink conditions is almost completely governed by the sink condition site (KHAP = 10(-124.5), k' = 174) established in this report. The difference between the predicted dissolution rate for the one-site model and the two-site model are generally of the order of 4 to 5% where the experiments are conducted under sink conditions and over the range of variables covered in the present study.

In situ synchrotron XRD analysis of the kinetics of spodumene phase transitions.

PubMed

L Moore, Radhika; Mann, Jason P; Montoya, Alejandro; Haynes, Brian S

2018-04-25

The phase transition by thermal activation of natural α-spodumene was followed by in situ synchrotron XRD in the temperature range 896 to 940 °C. We observed both β- and γ-spodumene as primary products in approximately equal proportions. The rate of the α-spodumene inversion is first order and highly sensitive to temperature (apparent activation energy ∼800 kJ mol-1). The γ-spodumene product is itself metastable, forming β-spodumene, with the total product mass fraction ratio fγ/fβ decreasing as the conversion of α-spodumene continues. We found the relationship between the product yields and the degree of conversion of α-spodumene to be the same at all temperatures in the range studied. A model incorporating first order kinetics of the α- and γ-phase inversions with invariant rate constant ratio describes the results accurately. Theoretical phonon analysis of the three phases indicates that the γ phase contains crystallographic instabilities, whilst the α and β phases do not.

Clinical observation of lymphocyte active immunotherapy in 380 patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion.

PubMed

Chen, Jian-Ling; Yang, Jian-Ming; Huang, Ya-Zhe; Li, Ying

2016-11-01

This study aims to investigate the clinical curative effect of lymphocyte active immunotherapy (LAI) on unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). A total of 749 RSA patients who received medical service in our hospital from October 2009 to June 2013 were enrolled into this study. These patients were randomly divided into two groups: LAI group (treatment group) and routine progesterone for maintenance tocolysis group (control group). A comparative analysis on the pregnancy outcomes in these two groups was conducted. Abortion rate was significantly lower in the LAI group than in the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, pregnancy success rates were 89.7% and 32.2% in patients who received LAI and routine progesterone for maintenance tocolysis, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Our analysis suggested that LAI can treat RSA effectively and has an excellent clinical effect. Furthermore, the detection of blocking antibodies showed a positive prediction on pregnancy outcome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative time-resolved analysis reveals intricate, differential regulation of standard- and immuno-proteasomes

PubMed Central

Liepe, Juliane; Holzhütter, Hermann-Georg; Bellavista, Elena; Kloetzel, Peter M; Stumpf, Michael PH; Mishto, Michele

2015-01-01

Proteasomal protein degradation is a key determinant of protein half-life and hence of cellular processes ranging from basic metabolism to a host of immunological processes. Despite its importance the mechanisms regulating proteasome activity are only incompletely understood. Here we use an iterative and tightly integrated experimental and modelling approach to develop, explore and validate mechanistic models of proteasomal peptide-hydrolysis dynamics. The 20S proteasome is a dynamic enzyme and its activity varies over time because of interactions between substrates and products and the proteolytic and regulatory sites; the locations of these sites and the interactions between them are predicted by the model, and experimentally supported. The analysis suggests that the rate-limiting step of hydrolysis is the transport of the substrates into the proteasome. The transport efficiency varies between human standard- and immuno-proteasomes thereby impinging upon total degradation rate and substrate cleavage-site usage. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07545.001 PMID:26393687

Thermal degradation of Shredded Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches (SOPEFB) embedded with Cobalt catalyst by Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alias, R.; Hamid, N. H.; Jaapar, J.; Musa, M.; Alwi, H.; Halim, K. H. Ku

2018-03-01

Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of shredded oil palm empty fruit bunches (SOPEFB) were investigated in this study by using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The SOPEFB were analyzed under conditions of temperature 30 °C to 900 °C with nitrogen gas flow at 50 ml/min. The SOPEFB were embedded with cobalt (II) nitrate solution with concentration 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The TG/DTG curves shows the degradation behavior of SOPEFB following with char production for each heating rate and each concentration of cobalt catalyst. Thermal degradation occurred in three phases, water drying phase, decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose phase, and lignin decomposition phase. The kinetic equation with relevant parameters described the activation energy required for thermal degradation at the temperature regions of 200 °C to 350 °C. Activation energy (E) for different heating rate with SOPEFB embedded with different concentration of cobalt catalyst showing that the lowest E required was at SOPEFB with 20% concentration of cobalt catalyst..

Effects of mechanical disintegration of activated sludge on the activity of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria and phosphorus accumulating organisms.

PubMed

Zubrowska-Sudol, Monika; Walczak, Justyna

2014-09-15

The purpose of the study was to analyse the impact of hydrodynamic disintegration of thickened excess activated sludge, performed at different levels of energy density (70, 140 and 210 kJ/L), on the activity of microorganisms involved in nutrient removal from wastewater, i.e. nitrifiers, denitrifiers and phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAOs). Ammonium and nitrogen utilisation rates and phosphorus release rates for raw and disintegrated sludge were determined using batch tests. The experiment also included: 1) analysis of organic and nutrient compound release from activated sludge flocs, 2) determination of the sludge disintegration degree (DD), and 3) evaluation of respiratory activity of the biomass by using the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) batch test. It was shown that the activity degree of the examined groups of microorganisms depended on energy density and related sludge disintegration degree, and that inactivation of individual groups of microorganisms occurred at different values of DD. Least resistant to the destruction of activated sludge flocs turned out to be phosphorus accumulating organisms, while the most resistant were denitrifiers. A decrease of 20-40% in PAO activity was noted already at DD equal to 3-5%. The threshold values of DD, after crossing which the inactivation of nitrifiers and denitrifiers occurred, were equal to 8% and 10%, respectively. At lesser DD values an increase in the activity of these groups of microorganisms was observed, averaging 20.2-41.7% for nitrifiers and 9.98-36.3% for denitrifiers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rheumatoid arthritis disease activity measures: American College of Rheumatology recommendations for use in clinical practice.

PubMed

Anderson, Jaclyn; Caplan, Liron; Yazdany, Jinoos; Robbins, Mark L; Neogi, Tuhina; Michaud, Kaleb; Saag, Kenneth G; O'Dell, James R; Kazi, Salahuddin

2012-05-01

Although the systematic measurement of disease activity facilitates clinical decision making in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), no recommendations currently exist on which measures should be applied in clinical practice in the US. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) convened a Working Group (WG) to comprehensively evaluate the validity, feasibility, and acceptability of available RA disease activity measures and derive recommendations for their use in clinical practice. The Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Disease Activity Measures Working Group conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify RA disease activity measures. Using exclusion criteria, input from an Expert Advisory Panel (EAP), and psychometric analysis, a list of potential measures was created. A survey was administered to rheumatologists soliciting input. The WG used these survey results in conjunction with the psychometric analyses to derive final recommendations. Systematic review of the literature resulted in identification of 63 RA disease activity measures. Application of exclusion criteria and ratings by the EAP narrowed the list to 14 measures for further evaluation. Practicing rheumatologists rated 9 of these 14 measures as most useful and feasible. From these 9 measures, the WG selected 6 with the best psychometric properties for inclusion in the final set of ACR-recommended RA disease activity measures. We recommend the Clinical Disease Activity Index, Disease Activity Score with 28-joint counts (erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein), Patient Activity Scale (PAS), PAS-II, Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data with 3 measures, and Simplified Disease Activity Index because they are accurate reflections of disease activity; are sensitive to change; discriminate well between low, moderate, and high disease activity states; have remission criteria; and are feasible to perform in clinical settings. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.

Common multifractality in the heart rate variability and brain activity of healthy humans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, D. C.; Sharif, A.

2010-06-01

The influence from the central nervous system on the human multifractal heart rate variability (HRV) is examined under the autonomic nervous system perturbation induced by the head-up-tilt body maneuver. We conducted the multifractal factorization analysis to factor out the common multifractal factor in the joint fluctuation of the beat-to-beat heart rate and electroencephalography data. Evidence of a central link in the multifractal HRV was found, where the transition towards increased (decreased) HRV multifractal complexity is associated with a stronger (weaker) multifractal correlation between the central and autonomic nervous systems.

Effectiveness of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Without Local Anesthesia in Patients With Recalcitrant Plantar Fasciitis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

PubMed

Lou, Jing; Wang, Shuai; Liu, Shuitao; Xing, Gengyan

2017-08-01

The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the efficacy of extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis without local anesthesia. The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to September 2015 for randomized controlled trials comparing ESWT without local anesthesia versus placebo for treatment of plantar fasciitis in adults. The primary outcome was the 12-week post-intervention success rate of reducing the visual analog scale score by 60% from baseline at the first step in the morning, reducing the VAS score by 60% from baseline during daily activities, reducing the Roles and Maudsley score, reducing overall heel pain, and reducing pain after applying a force meter. Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with placebo, ESWT significantly improved the success rate of reducing overall heel pain, reducing the VAS score by 60% at the first step in the morning and during daily activities, improving the Roles and Maudsley score to excellent or good, and reducing heel pain after application of a pressure meter. ESWT seems to be particularly effective in relieving pain associated with RPF. ESWT should be considered when traditional treatments have failed. Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME CME OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to (1) understand the recovery rates for nonsurgical treatment of plantar fasciitis, (2) understand the role of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis, and (3) understand the indications to incorporate ESWT in the treatment plan of recalcitrant plantar fasciitis. Advanced ACCREDITATION: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.The Association of Academic Physiatrists designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Increased Risk for Falling Associated with Subtle Cognitive Impairment: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Gleason, Carey E.; Gangnon, Ronald E.; Fischer, Barbara L.; Mahoney, Jane E.

2009-01-01

Background/Aims Having dementia increases patients’ risk for accidental falls. However, it is unknown if having mild cognitive deficits also elevates a person's risk for falls. This study sought to clarify the relationship between subtle cognitive impairment, measured with a widely-used, clinic-based assessment, the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE), and risk for falls. Methods In a secondary analysis of the Kenosha County Falls Prevention Study, a randomized controlled trial targeting older adults at risk for falls, we examined the association between baseline MMSE and prospective rate of falls over 12 months in 172 subjects randomized to control group. Results Using univariate analysis, the rate of falls increased with each unit decrease in MMSE score down to at least 22 (rate ratio 1.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09–1.45, p = 0.0026). Using stepwise multivariate regression, controlling for ability to perform activities of daily living, use of assistive device, current exercise, and arthritis, the association between MMSE score and falls rate persisted (rate ratio 1.20, 95% CI 1.03–1.40, p = 0.021). Conclusion Minimal decrements on the MMSE were associated with elevations in rate of falls, suggesting that subtle cognitive deficits reflected in MMSE scores above a cut-off consistent with a diagnosis of dementia, can influence risk for falls. PMID:19602883

SVM-Based Spectral Analysis for Heart Rate from Multi-Channel WPPG Sensor Signals.

PubMed

Xiong, Jiping; Cai, Lisang; Wang, Fei; He, Xiaowei

2017-03-03

Although wrist-type photoplethysmographic (hereafter referred to as WPPG) sensor signals can measure heart rate quite conveniently, the subjects' hand movements can cause strong motion artifacts, and then the motion artifacts will heavily contaminate WPPG signals. Hence, it is challenging for us to accurately estimate heart rate from WPPG signals during intense physical activities. The WWPG method has attracted more attention thanks to the popularity of wrist-worn wearable devices. In this paper, a mixed approach called Mix-SVM is proposed, it can use multi-channel WPPG sensor signals and simultaneous acceleration signals to measurement heart rate. Firstly, we combine the principle component analysis and adaptive filter to remove a part of the motion artifacts. Due to the strong relativity between motion artifacts and acceleration signals, the further denoising problem is regarded as a sparse signals reconstruction problem. Then, we use a spectrum subtraction method to eliminate motion artifacts effectively. Finally, the spectral peak corresponding to heart rate is sought by an SVM-based spectral analysis method. Through the public PPG database in the 2015 IEEE Signal Processing Cup, we acquire the experimental results, i.e., the average absolute error was 1.01 beat per minute, and the Pearson correlation was 0.9972. These results also confirm that the proposed Mix-SVM approach has potential for multi-channel WPPG-based heart rate estimation in the presence of intense physical exercise.

Pulmonary diffusional screening and the scaling laws of mammalian metabolic rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Chen; Mayo, Michael

2011-12-01

Theoretical considerations suggest that the mammalian metabolic rate is linearly proportional to the surface areas of mitochondria, capillary, and alveolar membranes. However, the scaling exponents of these surface areas to the mammals' body mass (approximately 0.9-1) are higher than exponents of the resting metabolic rate (RMR) to body mass (approximately 0.75), although similar to the one of exercise metabolic rate (EMR); the underlying physiological cause of this mismatch remains unclear. The analysis presented here shows that discrepancies between the scaling exponents of RMR and the relevant surface areas may originate from, at least for the system of alveolar membranes in mammalian lungs, the facts that (i) not all of the surface area is involved in the gas exchange and (ii) that larger mammals host a smaller effective surface area that participates in the material exchange rate. A result of these facts is that lung surface areas unused at rest are activated under heavy breathing conditions (e.g., exercise), wherein larger mammals support larger activated surface areas that provide a higher capability to increase the gas-exchange rate, allowing for mammals to meet, for example, the high energetic demands of foraging and predation.

High Resolution Measurement of the Glycolytic Rate

PubMed Central

Bittner, Carla X.; Loaiza, Anitsi; Ruminot, Iván; Larenas, Valeria; Sotelo-Hitschfeld, Tamara; Gutiérrez, Robin; Córdova, Alex; Valdebenito, Rocío; Frommer, Wolf B.; Barros, L. Felipe

2010-01-01

The glycolytic rate is sensitive to physiological activity, hormones, stress, aging, and malignant transformation. Standard techniques to measure the glycolytic rate are based on radioactive isotopes, are not able to resolve single cells and have poor temporal resolution, limitations that hamper the study of energy metabolism in the brain and other organs. A new method is described in this article, which makes use of a recently developed FRET glucose nanosensor to measure the rate of glycolysis in single cells with high temporal resolution. Used in cultured astrocytes, the method showed for the first time that glycolysis can be activated within seconds by a combination of glutamate and K+, supporting a role for astrocytes in neurometabolic and neurovascular coupling in the brain. It was also possible to make a direct comparison of metabolism in neurons and astrocytes lying in close proximity, paving the way to a high-resolution characterization of brain energy metabolism. Single-cell glycolytic rates were also measured in fibroblasts, adipocytes, myoblasts, and tumor cells, showing higher rates for undifferentiated cells and significant metabolic heterogeneity within cell types. This method should facilitate the investigation of tissue metabolism at the single-cell level and is readily adaptable for high-throughput analysis. PMID:20890447

Does your web site draw new patients?

PubMed

Wallin, Wendy S

2009-11-01

The absence of scientific data forces orthodontists to guess at how best to design Internet sites that persuade prospective patients to call for appointments. This study was conducted to identify the Web-site factors that lead prospective patients to make appointments or, conversely, to reject a practice. Ten participants actively looking online for an orthodontist were recruited to participate. They reviewed 64 orthodontic Web sites in their geographic areas and rated their likelihood of calling each practice for an appointment. The sessions were videotaped. Analysis of participant comments, navigation patterns, and ratings suggested 25 distinguishing factors. Statistical analysis showed 10 Web-site characteristics that predict the success of an orthodontic Web site in attracting new patients.

Comparison of speckle-tracking echocardiography with invasive hemodynamics for the detection of characteristic cardiac dysfunction in type-1 and type-2 diabetic rat models.

PubMed

Mátyás, Csaba; Kovács, Attila; Németh, Balázs Tamás; Oláh, Attila; Braun, Szilveszter; Tokodi, Márton; Barta, Bálint András; Benke, Kálmán; Ruppert, Mihály; Lakatos, Bálint Károly; Merkely, Béla; Radovits, Tamás

2018-01-16

Measurement of systolic and diastolic function in animal models is challenging by conventional non-invasive methods. Therefore, we aimed at comparing speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived parameters to the indices of left ventricular (LV) pressure-volume (PV) analysis to detect cardiac dysfunction in rat models of type-1 (T1DM) and type-2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus. Rat models of T1DM (induced by 60 mg/kg streptozotocin, n = 8) and T2DM (32-week-old Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats, n = 7) and corresponding control animals (n = 5 and n = 8, respectively) were compared. Echocardiography and LV PV analysis were performed. LV short-axis recordings were used for STE analysis. Global circumferential strain, peak strain rate values in systole (SrS), isovolumic relaxation (SrIVR) and early diastole (SrE) were measured. LV contractility, active relaxation and stiffness were measured by PV analysis. In T1DM, contractility and active relaxation were deteriorated to a greater extent compared to T2DM. In contrast, diastolic stiffness was impaired in T2DM. Correspondingly, STE described more severe systolic dysfunction in T1DM. Among diastolic STE parameters, SrIVR was more decreased in T1DM, however, SrE was more reduced in T2DM. In T1DM, SrS correlated with contractility, SrIVR with active relaxation, while in T2DM SrE was related to cardiac stiffness, cardiomyocyte diameter and fibrosis. Strain and strain rate parameters can be valuable and feasible measures to describe the dynamic changes in contractility, active relaxation and LV stiffness in animal models of T1DM and T2DM. STE corresponds to PV analysis and also correlates with markers of histological myocardial remodeling.

Rasch analysis of the Patient Rated Elbow Evaluation questionnaire.

PubMed

Vincent, Joshua I; MacDermid, Joy C; King, Graham J W; Grewal, Ruby

2015-06-20

The Patient Rated Elbow Evaluation (PREE) was developed as an elbow joint specific measure of pain and disability and validated with classical psychometric methods. More recently, Rasch analysis has contributed new methods for analyzing the clinical measurement properties of self-report outcome measures. The objective of the study was to determine aspects of validity of the PREE using the Rasch model to assess the overall fit of the PREE data, the response scaling, individual item fit, differential item functioning (DIF), local dependency, unidimensionality and person separation index (PSI). A convenience sample of 236 patients (Age range 21-79 years; M: F- 97:139) with elbow disorders were recruited from the Roth│McFarlane Hand and Upper Limb Centre, London, Ontario, Canada. The baseline scores of the PREE were used. Rasch analysis was conducted using RUMM 2030 software on the 3 sub scales of the PREE separately. The 3 sub scales showed misfit initially with disordered thresholds on17 out of 20 items), uniform DIF was observed for two items ("Carrying a 10lbs object" from specific activities subscale for age group; and "household work" from the usual activities subscale for gender); multidimensionality and local dependency. The Pain subscale satisfied Rasch expectations when item 2 "Pain - At rest" was split for age group, while the usual activities subscale readily stood up to Rasch requirements when the item 2 "household work" was split for gender. The specific activities subscale demonstrated fit to the Rasch model when sub test analysis accounted for local dependency. All three subscales of the PREE were well targeted and had high reliability (PSI >0.80). The three subscales of the PREE appear to be robust when tested against the Rasch model when subject to a few alterations. The value of changing the 0-10 format is questionable given its widespread use; further Rasch-based analysis of whether these findings are stable in other samples is warranted.

Participation in productive activities and health outcomes among older adults in urban China.

PubMed

Li, Yawen; Xu, Ling; Chi, Iris; Guo, Ping

2014-10-01

This study examined whether participating in productive activities was associated with better health outcomes among older adults in urban China, including analysis of potential gender differences. Using a sample of 10,016 urban Chinese adults aged 60 years or older from the 2006 Sample Survey of the Aged Population in Urban/Rural China, we regressed measures of self-rated health, functional health, and depression on productive activities (paid employment, helping with family, and volunteering), controlling for sociodemographic variables. Those who provided assistance to family members or volunteered had significantly lower levels of depression and better functional and self-rated health than their counterparts. Older adults with paid job, providing family assistance, or volunteering reported significantly lower levels of depression and better functional and self-rated health than those without those activities. However, only older men with paid employment reported significantly less depression, and the effect of family assistance on functional health also differed by gender. As research increasingly demonstrates the role of productive activities in maintaining health among older adults, our findings can help practitioners or policy makers strategically select or develop health programs to promote productive activities among older adults in urban China. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Differentiation of specific ripple patterns helps to identify epileptogenic areas for surgical procedures.

PubMed

Kerber, Karolin; Dümpelmann, Matthias; Schelter, Björn; Le Van, Pierre; Korinthenberg, Rudolf; Schulze-Bonhage, Andreas; Jacobs, Julia

2014-07-01

High frequency oscillations (HFOs) at 80-500 Hz are promising markers of epileptic areas. Several retrospective studies reported that surgical removal of areas generating HFOs was associated with a good seizure outcome. Recent reports suggested that ripple (80-200 Hz) HFO patterns co-existed with different background EEG activities. We hypothesized that the coexisting background EEG pattern may distinguish physiological from epileptic ripples. Rates of HFOs were analyzed in intracranial EEG recordings of 22 patients. Additionally, ripple patterns were classified for each channel depending either as coexisting with a flat or oscillatory background activity. A multi-variate analysis was performed to determine whether removal of areas showing the above EEG markers correlated with seizure outcome. Removal of areas generating high rates of 'fast ripples (>200 Hz)' and 'ripples on a flat background activity' showed a significant correlation with a seizure-free outcome. In contrast, removal of high rates of 'ripples' or 'ripple patterns in a continuously oscillating background' was not significantly associated with seizure outcome. Ripples occurring in an oscillatory background activity may be suggestive of physiological activity, while those on a flat background reflect epileptic activity. Consideration of coexisting background patterns may improve the delineation of the epileptogenic areas using ripple oscillations. Copyright © 2013 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasma Source for the Production of Active Nitrogen Species in III-V Nitride Epitaxy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyyappan, Meyya; Arnold, James O. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

A simple analysis is provided to determine the characteristics of an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma source for the generation of active nitrogen species in the molecular beam epitaxy of III-V nitrides. The effects of reactor geometry, pressure, power, and flow rate on the dissociation efficiency and ion flux are presented. Pulsing the input power is proposed to reduce the ion flux.

Vortex movement and magnetization of high Tc superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roytburd, A. L.; Turchinskaya, M. J.

1991-01-01

The basic characteristics of the thermoactivated vortex mobility in Y1Ba2Cu3O7 are determined by measurement of the kinetics of magnetization in two time regimes. The analysis of the kinetics of the approach of the equilibrium results in the activation energy, while the measurement of the log-creep rate allows determination of the activated moment. It is shown that the movement of vortices can be regarded as the diffusion process.

Impact of skin-to-skin contact on the autonomic nervous system in the preterm infant and his mother.

PubMed

Butruille, L; Blouin, A; De Jonckheere, J; Mur, S; Margez, T; Rakza, T; Storme, L

2017-11-01

Before, during and after mother-newborn skin-to-skin contact (SSC), parasympathetic activity was evaluated by heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. SSC had a favorable impact on maternal and premature infant parasympathetic activities with a more pronounced response for neonates when the basal HRV values were lower, without modifications of EDIN scores, temperatures or oxygen saturation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Offered income, salary expectations, and the economic activity of married women: an analytic model].

PubMed

Lollivier, S

1984-06-01

This study uses data from tax declarations for 40,000 French households for 1975 to propose a model that permits quantification of the effects of certain significant factors on the economic activity of married women. The PROBIT model of analysis of variance was used to determine the specific effect of several variables, including age of the woman, number of children under 25 years of age in the household, the age of the youngest child, husband's income and socioprofessional status, wife's level and type of education, size of community of residence and region of residence. The principal factors influencing activity rates were found to be educational level, age, and to those of childless women, but activity rates dropped by about 30% for mothers of 2 and even more for mothers of 3 or more children. Influence of the place of residence and the husband's income were associated with lesser disparities. The reasons for variations in female labor force participation can be viewed as analogous to a balance. Underlying factors can increase or decrease the income the woman hopes to earn (offered income) as well as the minimum income for which she will work (required salary). A TOBIT model was constructed in which income was a function of age, education, geographic location, and number of children, and salary required was a function of the variables related to the husband including income and socioprofessional status. For most of the effects considered, the observed variation in activity rates resulted from variations in offered income. The husband's income influences only the desired salary. The offered income decreases and the required salary increases when the number of children is 2 or more, reducing the rate of activity. More educated women have slightly greater salary expectations, but command much higher salaries, resulting in an increased rate of professional activity.

The extreme solar cosmic ray particle event on 20 January 2005 and its influence on the radiation dose rate at aircraft altitude.

PubMed

Bütikofer, R; Flückiger, E O; Desorgher, L; Moser, M R

2008-03-01

In January 2005 toward the end of solar activity cycle 23 the Sun was very active. Between 15 and 20 January 2005, the solar active region NOAA AR 10720 produced five powerful solar flares. In association with this major solar activity several pronounced variations in the ground-level cosmic ray intensity were observed. The fifth of these flares (X7.1) produced energetic solar cosmic rays that caused a giant increase in the count rates of the ground-based cosmic ray detectors (neutron monitors). At southern polar neutron monitor stations the increase of the count rate reached several thousand percent. From the recordings of the worldwide network of neutron monitors, we determined the characteristics of the solar particle flux near Earth. In the initial phase of the event, the solar cosmic ray flux near Earth was extremely anisotropic. The energy spectrum of the solar cosmic rays was fairly soft during the main and the decay phase. We investigated also the flux of different secondary particle species in the atmosphere and the radiation dosage at flight altitude. Our analysis shows a maximum increment of the effective dose rate due to solar cosmic rays in the south polar region around 70 degrees S and 130 degrees E at flight altitude of almost three orders of magnitude.

[Measures to reduce costs for prescriptions in Vienna--preliminary analysis].

PubMed

Tönies, Hans

2009-01-01

To increase the rate of prescriptions for generic drugs in Vienna an information campaign was started in 2004 and quality circles for prescribing doctors were organized. Since the result of this initiative is not yet known publicly this report aims to present a preliminary analysis. The prescription statements kindly provided by the health insurance fund of Vienna could be analysed. Data from the Chamber of Viennese Physicians were used for compiling a report about the quality circles. A total of 17 quality circles with an average of 15 participants were formed; they met four times yearly. Participants were paid for their attendance. The rate of prescribed generic drugs in Vienna has continuously improved, with the major increase in the first year of the activities. In the year 2006 a rate of over 40% generic prescriptions was reached by 80% of general practitioners. This cooperation between the health insurance fund and doctors apparently resulted in both an increase in the rate of generic drugs prescribed and in a good acceptance among physicians.

Operation Pied Piper: a geographical reappraisal of the impact of wartime evacuation on scarlet fever and diphtheria rates in England and Wales, 1939-1945.

PubMed

Smallman-Raynor, M R; Cliff, A D

2015-10-01

This paper examines the geographical impact of the British Government's wartime evacuation scheme on notified rates of two common acute childhood diseases (scarlet fever and diphtheria) in the 1470 local government districts of England and Wales, 1939-1945. Drawing on the notifications of communicable diseases collated by the General Register Office (GRO), we establish pre-war (baseline) disease rates for the 1470 districts. For the war years, techniques of binary logistic regression analysis are used to assess the associations between (a) above-baseline ('raised') disease rates in evacuation, neutral and reception districts and (b) the major phases of the evacuation scheme. The analysis demonstrates that the evacuation was temporally associated with distinct national and regional effects on notified levels of disease activity. These effects were most pronounced in the early years of the dispersal (1939-1941) and corresponded with initial levels of evacuation-related population change at the regional and district scales.

Action of ethanol low doses on heart rate variability following intravenous administration in rabbits.

PubMed

Khvedelidze, M; Chitanava, E; Nadareishvili, D; Jiqia, G; Gvasalia, M

2007-05-01

Effects of low ethanol doses on the vagosympathetic mechanisms of heart rate regulation were studied in rabbits. Analysis of heart rate variability showed that single intravenous administration of 0.5 mg/kg ethanol caused a higher probability of heart electrophysiological instability in sympathicotonics in contrast to vagotonics. This was associated with activation of the whole complex of regulatory mechanisms. In vagotonics, perturbations in power spectrum indicated on rapidly shunting of regulatory activity from lower to high levels of regulatory mechanisms to realize a "first class" undifferentiated response on stress induction. Sympathicotonics were unready to ethanol intravenous administration that resulted in reduction of all spectral component. Intravenous administration of ethanol caused a higher probability of heart electrophysiological instability in sympathicotonics then in vagotonics. It is important to consider these differences for therapeutic application of ethanol to some acute poisoning (methyl alcohol, ethylene glycol).

Blink activity and task difficulty.

PubMed

Tanaka, Y; Yamaoka, K

1993-08-01

This study investigated the relationship between task difficulty and blink activity, which includes blink rate, blink amplitude, and blink duration. Two kinds of tasks established two levels of difficulty. In Exp. 1, a mental arithmetic task was used to examine the relationship. Analysis showed that blink rate for a difficult task was significantly higher than that for an easier one. In Exp. 2, a letter-search task (hiragana Japanese alphabet) was used while the other conditions were the same as those in Exp. 1; however, the results of this experiment were not influenced by the difficulty of the task. As results indicate that blink rate is related to not only difficulty but also the nature of the task, the nature of the task is probably dependent on a mechanism in information processing. The results for blink amplitude and blink duration showed no systematic change during either experiment.

Tofacitinib in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a phase II, 16-week, randomised, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study.

PubMed

van der Heijde, Désirée; Deodhar, Atul; Wei, James C; Drescher, Edit; Fleishaker, Dona; Hendrikx, Thijs; Li, David; Menon, Sujatha; Kanik, Keith S

2017-08-01

To compare efficacy and safety of various doses of tofacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, with placebo in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS, radiographic axial spondyloarthritis). In this 16-week (12-week treatment, 4-week washout), phase II, multicentre, dose-ranging trial, adult patients with active AS were randomised (N=51, 52, 52, 52, respectively) to placebo or tofacitinib 2, 5 or 10 mg twice daily. The primary efficacy endpoint was Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society 20% improvement (ASAS20) response rate at week 12. Secondary endpoints included objective measures of disease activity, patient-reported outcomes and MRI of sacroiliac joints and spine. Safety was monitored. Emax model analysis of the primary endpoint predicted a tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily ASAS20 response rate of 67.4%, 27.3% higher than placebo. Supportive normal approximation analysis demonstrated tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily ASAS20 response rate significantly higher than placebo (80.8% vs 41.2%; p<0.001); tofacitinib 2 and 10 mg twice daily demonstrated greater response rate than placebo (51.9% and 55.8%, respectively; not significant). Secondary endpoints generally demonstrated greater improvements with tofacitinib 5 and 10 mg twice daily than placebo. Objective (including MRI) endpoints demonstrated clear dose response. Adverse events were similar across treatment groups with no unexpected safety findings. Dose-dependent laboratory outcome changes returned close to baseline by week 16. Tofacitinib 5 and 10 mg twice daily demonstrated greater clinical efficacy versus placebo in reducing signs, symptoms and objective endpoints of active AS in adult patients with a similar 12-week safety profile as reported in other indications. NCT01786668. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Induces Neurological Side Effects Independent on Thrombolysis in Mechanical Animal Models of Focal Cerebral Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Dong, Mei-Xue; Hu, Qing-Chuan; Shen, Peng; Pan, Jun-Xi; Wei, You-Dong; Liu, Yi-Yun; Ren, Yi-Fei; Liang, Zi-Hong; Wang, Hai-Yang; Zhao, Li-Bo; Xie, Peng

2016-01-01

Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is the only effective drug approved by US FDA to treat ischemic stroke, and it contains pleiotropic effects besides thrombolysis. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify effect of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on cerebral infarction besides its thrombolysis property in mechanical animal stroke. Relevant studies were identified by two reviewers after searching online databases, including Pubmed, Embase, and ScienceDirect, from 1979 to 2016. We identified 6, 65, 17, 12, 16, 12 and 13 comparisons reporting effect of endogenous tPA on infarction volume and effects of rtPA on infarction volume, blood-brain barrier, brain edema, intracerebral hemorrhage, neurological function and mortality rate in all 47 included studies. Standardized mean differences for continuous measures and risk ratio for dichotomous measures were calculated to assess the effects of endogenous tPA and rtPA on cerebral infarction in animals. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable score. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were performed to explore sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plot, Trim and Fill method and Egger's test were obtained to detect publication bias. We found that both endogenous tPA and rtPA had not enlarged infarction volume, or deteriorated neurological function. However, rtPA would disrupt blood-brain barrier, aggravate brain edema, induce intracerebral hemorrhage and increase mortality rate. This meta-analysis reveals rtPA can lead to neurological side effects besides thrombolysis in mechanical animal stroke, which may account for clinical exacerbation for stroke patients that do not achieve vascular recanalization with rtPA.

Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Induces Neurological Side Effects Independent on Thrombolysis in Mechanical Animal Models of Focal Cerebral Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Wei, You-Dong; Liu, Yi-Yun; Ren, Yi-Fei; Liang, Zi-Hong; Wang, Hai-Yang; Zhao, Li-Bo; Xie, Peng

2016-01-01

Background and Purpose Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is the only effective drug approved by US FDA to treat ischemic stroke, and it contains pleiotropic effects besides thrombolysis. We performed a meta-analysis to clarify effect of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) on cerebral infarction besides its thrombolysis property in mechanical animal stroke. Methods Relevant studies were identified by two reviewers after searching online databases, including Pubmed, Embase, and ScienceDirect, from 1979 to 2016. We identified 6, 65, 17, 12, 16, 12 and 13 comparisons reporting effect of endogenous tPA on infarction volume and effects of rtPA on infarction volume, blood-brain barrier, brain edema, intracerebral hemorrhage, neurological function and mortality rate in all 47 included studies. Standardized mean differences for continuous measures and risk ratio for dichotomous measures were calculated to assess the effects of endogenous tPA and rtPA on cerebral infarction in animals. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable score. Subgroup analysis, meta-regression and sensitivity analysis were performed to explore sources of heterogeneity. Funnel plot, Trim and Fill method and Egger’s test were obtained to detect publication bias. Results We found that both endogenous tPA and rtPA had not enlarged infarction volume, or deteriorated neurological function. However, rtPA would disrupt blood-brain barrier, aggravate brain edema, induce intracerebral hemorrhage and increase mortality rate. Conclusions This meta-analysis reveals rtPA can lead to neurological side effects besides thrombolysis in mechanical animal stroke, which may account for clinical exacerbation for stroke patients that do not achieve vascular recanalization with rtPA. PMID:27387385

The role of matched controls in building an evidence base for hospital-avoidance schemes: a retrospective evaluation.

PubMed

Steventon, Adam; Bardsley, Martin; Billings, John; Georghiou, Theo; Lewis, Geraint Hywel

2012-08-01

To test whether two hospital-avoidance interventions altered rates of hospital use: "intermediate care" and "integrated care teams." Linked administrative data for England covering the period 2004 to 2009. This study was commissioned after the interventions had been in place for several years. We developed a method based on retrospective analysis of person-level data comparing health care use of participants with that of prognostically matched controls. Individuals were linked to administrative datasets through a trusted intermediary and a unique patient identifier. Participants who received the intermediate care intervention showed higher rates of unscheduled hospital admission than matched controls, whereas recipients of the integrated care team intervention showed no difference. Both intervention groups showed higher rates of mortality than did their matched controls. These are potentially powerful techniques for assessing impacts on hospital activity. Neither intervention reduced admission rates. Although our analysis of hospital utilization controlled for a wide range of observable characteristics, the difference in mortality rates suggests that some residual confounding is likely. Evaluation is constrained when performed retrospectively, and careful interpretation is needed. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

Hyperinsulinemic Normoglycemia does not meaningfully improve Myocardial Performance during Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Trial

PubMed Central

Duncan, Andra E.; Kashy, Babak Kateby; Sarwar, Sheryar; Singh, Akhil; Stenina-Adognravi, Olga; Christoffersen, Steffen; Alfirevic, Andrej; Sale, Shiva; Yang, Dongsheng; Thomas, James D.; Gillinov, Marc; Sessler, Daniel I.

2015-01-01

Background Glucose-insulin-potassium (GIK) administration during cardiac surgery inconsistently improves myocardial function, perhaps because hyperglycemia negates the beneficial effects of GIK. The hyperinsulinemic normoglycemic clamp (HNC) technique may better enhance the myocardial benefits of GIK. We extended previous GIK investigations by: 1) targeting normoglycemia while administering a glucose-insulin-potassium infusion (HNC); 2) using improved echocardiographic measures of myocardial deformation, specifically myocardial longitudinal strain and strain rate; and, 3) assessing activation of glucose metabolic pathways. Methods 100 patients having aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis were randomly assigned to HNC (high-dose insulin with concomitant glucose infusion titrated to normoglycemia) versus standard therapy (insulin treatment if glucose >150 mg/dL). Our primary outcomes were left ventricular longitudinal strain and strain rate, assessed using speckle-tracking echocardiography. Right atrial tissue was analyzed for activation of glycolysis/pyruvate oxidation and alternative metabolic pathways. Results Time-weighted mean glucose concentrations were lower with HNC (127±19 mg/dL) than standard care (177±41 mg/dL; P<0.001). Echocardiographic data were adequate in 72 patients for strain analysis and 67 patients for strain rate analysis. HNC did not improve myocardial strain, with an HNC minus standard therapy difference of −1.2 (97.5%CI: −2.9, 0.5)%; P=0.11. Strain rate was significantly better, but by a clinically unimportant amount: −0.16 (−0.30, −0.03) sec−1, P = 0.007. There was no evidence of increased glycolytic, pyruvate oxidation, or hexosamine biosynthetic pathway activation in right atrial samples (n = 20, HNC; 22, standard therapy). Conclusions Administration of glucose and insulin while targeting normoglycemia during aortic valve replacement did not meaningfully improve myocardial function. PMID:26200180

Sexual and reproductive behaviour among single women aged 15-24 in eight Latin American countries: a comparative analysis.

PubMed

Ali, Mohamed M; Cleland, John

2005-03-01

A comparative analysis of exposure to sexual activity, contraceptive use, conceptions, and pregnancy resolutions among single women aged 15-24 in eight Latin American countries is presented. Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys complete contraceptive and reproductive histories are constructed for single women aged 15-24 during the 5 year period preceding each survey. Pre-marital conception rates and overall and cause-specific life-table probabilities of contraceptive discontinuation are estimated. Pregnancy outcome and intention status of births are summarized. Trends in virginity, contraceptive protection, and conception rates for five sites are documented. In all eight countries, virginity accounts for over half of all single woman-years of exposure between age 15 and 24. The percentage of sexually active time protected by contraception is less than 20% in five countries, is about 30% in Peru and 50% in Brazil and Colombia. The contribution of condoms to contraceptive protection ranges from one-tenth to one-fifth. Pre-marital conception rates among sexually active single women range from 14.1 per 100 woman-years in Nicaragua to 25.8 in Bolivia. Most pre-marital conceptions ended in live birth, and births that are legitimized by marriage or cohabitation are more likely to be wanted. In five settings, virginity has fallen over time, especially in Northeast Brazil and Colombia, and uptake of condoms has increased faster than use of other methods. Because of pervasive declines in the protective effect of virginity, conception rates among single women in Latin America are rising. Contraceptive uptake, particularly of condoms, is increasing but not sufficiently to offset the decline in virginity.

Analysis of subsequent publication of scientific orally presented abstracts of the French National Congress of Radiology. Part II: Focus on the French abstracts.

PubMed

Dangouloff-Ros, V; Ronot, M; Lagadec, M; Vilgrain, V

2015-05-01

To evaluate the publication rate of scientific abstracts that were presented orally at the 2008, 2009, and 2010 annual meetings of the French Society of Radiology by French radiologists, and to perform a French regional analysis. Orally presented abstracts were identified by examining online abstract books of the 2008, 2009, and 2010 annual meetings of the French Society of Radiology, and cross-checked by reviewing the paper version of abstracts for the same period. Only abstracts from French teams were selected. The administrative region of submission was noted for each abstract and for each region the total population, the number of active radiologists, the number of active members of the French Society of Radiology and the number of academic radiologists were noted. Imaging subspecialties were also noted. 625 abstracts were identified resulting in 268 publications (publication rate: 43%). The median number of presentations and publications per region was 18 (range: 1-255) and 7 (range: 0-101), respectively. The ratio per million inhabitants was 7.5 and 3 respectively. The median number of presentations and publications per 100 active radiologists (respectively members of the FSR) was 7 and 3 (respectively 10 and 4). The median number of presentations and publications per academic radiologist were 2.6, and 1.2, respectively. The regional variations for each indicator were high (40-180%). Three subspecialties had a publication rate of more than 50%: thoracic imaging (58%), abdominal imaging (52%), and genitourinary imaging (51%). The publication rate of orally presented French scientific abstracts was high, with important variations according to the regions of origin and imaging subspecialties. Copyright © 2015 Éditions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Crystal structure and electrochemical characteristics of non-AB 5 type La-Ni system alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Siqi; Ouyang, Chuying; Lei, Minsheng

The La-Ni system compounds have been prepared by arc-melting method under Ar atmosphere. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that the as-prepared alloys consist of different phases. The electrochemical properties, including activation, maximum discharge capacity, high rate chargeability (HRC), and high rate dischargeability (HRD) of these alloy electrodes have been studied through the charge-discharge recycle testing at different temperatures and charge (or discharge) currents. Among the La-Ni alloy electrodes studied, LaNi 2.28 alloy has the most excellent high rate charging performance, and La 2Ni 7 alloy exhibit the highest high rate dischargeability, while La 7Ni 3 alloy is capable of discharging at low temperature.

Temperature effect on bacterial azo bond reduction kinetics: an Arrhenius plot analysis.

PubMed

Angelova, Blaga; Avramova, Tatyana; Stefanova, Lilyana; Mutafov, Sava

2008-06-01

Studied was the effect of temperature in the range 12-46 degrees C on the rate of bacterial decolorization of the mono-azo dye Acid Orange 7 by Alcaligenes faecalis 6132 and Rhodococcus erythropolis 24. With both strains the raise of temperature led to a corresponding raise of decolorization rate better manifested by R. erythropolis. The analysis of the Arrhenius plot revealed a break near the middle of the temperature range. The regression analysis showed practically complete identity of the observed break point temperatures (T (BP)): 20.7 degrees C for Alc. faecalis and 20.8 degrees C for R. erythropolis. The values of the activation energy of the decolorization reaction (E (a)) were found to depend on both the organism and the temperature range. In the range below T (BP) the estimated values of E (a) were 138 +/- 7 kJ mol(-1) for Alc. faecalis and 160 +/- 8 kJ mol(-1) for R. erythropolis. In the range above T (BP) they were 54.2 +/- 1.8 kJ mol(-1) for Alc. faecalis and 37.6 +/- 4.1 kJ mol(-1) for R. erythropolis. Discussed are the possible reasons for the observed abrupt change of the activation energy.

Phase transition of the susceptible-infected-susceptible dynamics on time-varying configuration model networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St-Onge, Guillaume; Young, Jean-Gabriel; Laurence, Edward; Murphy, Charles; Dubé, Louis J.

2018-02-01

We present a degree-based theoretical framework to study the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) dynamics on time-varying (rewired) configuration model networks. Using this framework on a given degree distribution, we provide a detailed analysis of the stationary state using the rewiring rate to explore the whole range of the time variation of the structure relative to that of the SIS process. This analysis is suitable for the characterization of the phase transition and leads to three main contributions: (1) We obtain a self-consistent expression for the absorbing-state threshold, able to capture both collective and hub activation. (2) We recover the predictions of a number of existing approaches as limiting cases of our analysis, providing thereby a unifying point of view for the SIS dynamics on random networks. (3) We obtain bounds for the critical exponents of a number of quantities in the stationary state. This allows us to reinterpret the concept of hub-dominated phase transition. Within our framework, it appears as a heterogeneous critical phenomenon: observables for different degree classes have a different scaling with the infection rate. This phenomenon is followed by the successive activation of the degree classes beyond the epidemic threshold.

Bioincompatibility of dialyzer membranes may have a negative impact on outcome of acute renal failure, independent of the dose of dialysis delivered: a retrospective multicenter analysis.

PubMed

Schiffl, H; Lang, S M; Haider, M

1998-01-01

The mortality rate of critically ill patients with acute renal failure (ARF) has remained high. The impact of vigorous intermittent hemodialysis (IHD) on the outcome of ARF has not been validated. In this retrospective multicenter analysis, 154 patients with ARF were treated daily (intensive) or on alternate days (conventional) using complement and cell activating cuprophane (bioincompatible) or high-flux polysulfone dialyzer membranes with insignificant effects on circulating complement or cells (biocompatible). At initiation of IHD, all four groups were similar in patient characteristics and ARF factors. The use of synthetic membranes resulted in a reduced mortality rate (18% vs 45%; p < 0.001) and shorter duration of ARF (8 vs 15 sessions; p < 0.001). Daily IHD with cellulose based membranes tended to increase mortality rates compared with conventional cuprophane dialysis (37% vs 53%). Intensive IHD with polysulfone membranes resulted in a further decrease in overall mortality rates (15% vs 22%). This retrospective analysis shows that bioincompatibility of dialyzer membranes may be more important for the outcome of patients with ARF than the dose of dialysis. Its impact on outcome occurs independently of the dose of dialysis delivered.

Directions for Optimization of Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation: RuBisCO's Efficiency May Not Be So Constrained After All.

PubMed

Cummins, Peter L; Kannappan, Babu; Gready, Jill E

2018-01-01

The ubiquitous enzyme Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RuBisCO) fixes atmospheric carbon dioxide within the Calvin-Benson cycle that is utilized by most photosynthetic organisms. Despite this central role, RuBisCO's efficiency surprisingly struggles, with both a very slow turnover rate to products and also impaired substrate specificity, features that have long been an enigma as it would be assumed that its efficiency was under strong evolutionary pressure. RuBisCO's substrate specificity is compromised as it catalyzes a side-fixation reaction with atmospheric oxygen; empirical kinetic results show a trend to tradeoff between relative specificity and low catalytic turnover rate. Although the dominant hypothesis has been that the active-site chemistry constrains the enzyme's evolution, a more recent study on RuBisCO stability and adaptability has implicated competing selection pressures. Elucidating these constraints is crucial for directing future research on improving photosynthesis, as the current literature casts doubt on the potential effectiveness of site-directed mutagenesis to improve RuBisCO's efficiency. Here we use regression analysis to quantify the relationships between kinetic parameters obtained from empirical data sets spanning a wide evolutionary range of RuBisCOs. Most significantly we found that the rate constant for dissociation of CO 2 from the enzyme complex was much higher than previous estimates and comparable with the corresponding catalytic rate constant. Observed trends between relative specificity and turnover rate can be expressed as the product of negative and positive correlation factors. This provides an explanation in simple kinetic terms of both the natural variation of relative specificity as well as that obtained by reported site-directed mutagenesis results. We demonstrate that the kinetic behaviour shows a lesser rather than more constrained RuBisCO, consistent with growing empirical evidence of higher variability in relative specificity. In summary our analysis supports an explanation for the origin of the tradeoff between specificity and turnover as due to competition between protein stability and activity, rather than constraints between rate constants imposed by the underlying chemistry. Our analysis suggests that simultaneous improvement in both specificity and turnover rate of RuBisCO is possible.

The Difference between Aesthetic Appreciation of Artistic and Popular Music: Evidence from an fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Luo, Qiuling; Mo, Lei

2016-01-01

To test the hypothesis that pleasure from artistic music is intellectual while that from popular music is physiological, this study investigated the different functional mechanisms between aesthetic appreciation of artistic and popular music using fMRI. 18 male non-musicians were scanned while they performed an aesthetic rating task for excerpts of artistic music, popular music and musical notes playing and singing (control). The rating scores of artistic and popular music excerpts were both significantly higher than that of control materials while the scores of them were not different. The fMRI results showed both artistic and popular conditions activated the VS and vmPFC, compared with control condition. When contrasted popular and artistic condition directly, we found popular music activated right putamen, while artistic music activated right mPFC. By parametric analysis, we found the activation of right putamen tracked the aesthetic ratings of popular music, whereas the BOLD signal in right mPFC tracked the aesthetic ratings of artistic music. These results indicate the reward induced by popular music is closer to a primary reward while that induced by artistic music is closer to a secondary reward. We also found artistic music activated ToM areas, including PCC/PC, arMFC and TPJ, when compared with popular music. And these areas also tracked aesthetic ratings of artistic music but not those of popular music. These results imply that the pleasure from former comes from cognitive empathy. In conclusion, this study gives clear neuronal evidences supporting the view that artistic music is of intelligence and social cognition involved while the popular music is of physiology. PMID:27814379

The Difference between Aesthetic Appreciation of Artistic and Popular Music: Evidence from an fMRI Study.

PubMed

Huang, Ping; Huang, Hanhua; Luo, Qiuling; Mo, Lei

2016-01-01

To test the hypothesis that pleasure from artistic music is intellectual while that from popular music is physiological, this study investigated the different functional mechanisms between aesthetic appreciation of artistic and popular music using fMRI. 18 male non-musicians were scanned while they performed an aesthetic rating task for excerpts of artistic music, popular music and musical notes playing and singing (control). The rating scores of artistic and popular music excerpts were both significantly higher than that of control materials while the scores of them were not different. The fMRI results showed both artistic and popular conditions activated the VS and vmPFC, compared with control condition. When contrasted popular and artistic condition directly, we found popular music activated right putamen, while artistic music activated right mPFC. By parametric analysis, we found the activation of right putamen tracked the aesthetic ratings of popular music, whereas the BOLD signal in right mPFC tracked the aesthetic ratings of artistic music. These results indicate the reward induced by popular music is closer to a primary reward while that induced by artistic music is closer to a secondary reward. We also found artistic music activated ToM areas, including PCC/PC, arMFC and TPJ, when compared with popular music. And these areas also tracked aesthetic ratings of artistic music but not those of popular music. These results imply that the pleasure from former comes from cognitive empathy. In conclusion, this study gives clear neuronal evidences supporting the view that artistic music is of intelligence and social cognition involved while the popular music is of physiology.

Using Close White Dwarf + M Dwarf Stellar Pairs to Constrain the Flare Rates in Close Stellar Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morgan, Dylan P.; West, Andrew A.; Becker, Andrew C.

2016-05-01

We present a study of the statistical flare rates of M dwarfs (dMs) with close white dwarf (WD) companions (WD+dM; typical separations <1 au). Our previous analysis demonstrated that dMs with close WD companions are more magnetically active than their field counterparts. One likely implication of having a close binary companion is increased stellar rotation through disk-disruption, tidal effects, and/or angular momentum exchange; increased stellar rotation has long been associated with an increase in stellar activity. Previous studies show a strong correlation between dMs that are magnetically active (showing Hα in emission) and the frequency of stellar flare rates. We examine the difference between the flare rates observed in close WD+dM binary systems and field dMs. Our sample consists of a subset of 181 close WD+dM pairs from Morgan et al. observed in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stripe 82, where we obtain multi-epoch observations in the Sloan ugriz-bands. We find an increase in the overall flaring fraction in the close WD+dM pairs (0.09 ± 0.03%) compared to the field dMs (0.0108 ± 0.0007%) and a lower flaring fraction for active WD+dMs (0.05 ± 0.03%) compared to active dMs (0.28 ± 0.05%). We discuss how our results constrain both the single and binary dM flare rates. Our results also constrain dM multiplicity, our knowledge of the Galactic transient background, and may be important for the habitability of attending planets around dMs with close companions.

The slowly reacting mode of combustion of gaseous mixtures in spherical vessels. Part 1: Transient analysis and explosion limits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liñán, Amable; Moreno-Boza, Daniel; Iglesias, Immaculada; Sánchez, Antonio L.; Williams, Forman A.

2016-11-01

Frank-Kamenetskii's analysis of thermal explosions is revisited, using also a single-reaction model with an Arrhenius rate having a large activation energy, to describe the transient combustion of initially cold gaseous mixtures enclosed in a spherical vessel with a constant wall temperature. The analysis shows two modes of combustion. There is a flameless slowly reacting mode for low wall temperatures or small vessel sizes, when the temperature rise resulting from the heat released by the reaction is kept small by the heat-conduction losses to the wall, so as not to change significantly the order of magnitude of the reaction rate. In the other mode, the slow reaction rates occur only in an initial ignition stage, which ends abruptly when very large reaction rates cause a temperature runaway, or thermal explosion, at a well-defined ignition time and location, thereby triggering a flame that propagates across the vessel to consume the reactant rapidly. Explosion limits are defined, in agreement with Frank-Kamenetskii's analysis, by the limiting conditions for existence of the slowly reacting mode of combustion. In this mode, a quasi-steady temperature distribution is established after a transient reaction stage with small reactant consumption. Most of the reactant is burnt, with nearly uniform mass fraction, in a subsequent long stage during which the temperature follows a quasi-steady balance between the rates of heat conduction to the wall and of chemical heat release. The changes in the explosion limits caused by the enhanced heat-transfer rates associated with buoyant motion are described in an accompanying paper.

Preliminary efficacy of prize-based contingency management to increase activity levels in healthy adults.

PubMed

Washington, Wendy Donlin; Banna, Kelly M; Gibson, Amanda L

2014-01-01

An estimated 30% of Americans meet the criteria for obesity. Effective, low-cost interventions to increase physical activity are needed to prevent and treat obesity. In this study, 11 healthy adults wore Fitbit accelerometers for 3 weeks. During the initial baseline, subjects earned prize draws for wearing the Fitbit. During intervention, percentile schedules were used to calculate individual prize-draw criteria. The final week was a return to baseline. Four subjects increased step counts as a result of the intervention. A bout analysis of interresponse times revealed that subjects increased overall step counts by increasing daily minutes active and within-bout response rates and decreasing pauses between bouts of activity. Strategies to improve effectiveness are suggested, such as modification of reinforcement probability and amount and identification of the function of periods of inactivity. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of secondary prophylaxis for prevention of HIV-related toxoplasmic encephalitis relapse using trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

PubMed

Connolly, Mark P; Haitsma, Gertruud; Hernández, Adrián V; Vidal, José E

2017-09-01

A recent systematic literature and meta-analysis reported relative efficacy of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for the treatment of toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) in HIV-infected adults. Here, we estimated relapse rates during secondary prophylaxis with TMP-SMX, and further explored differences in relapse rates prior to introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and the widespread adoption of HAART. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials yielded 707 studies whereby 663 were excluded after abstract screening, and 38 were excluded after full review leaving 6 studies for extraction. We performed double data extraction with a third-party adjudicator. Study designs varied with only one randomized study, four prospective cohorts and one retrospective cohort. Relapse rates were transformed using the Freeman-Tukey method and pooled using both fixed-effect and random-effects meta-analysis models. The TMP-SMX relapse rate was 16.4% (95% CI = 6.2% to 30.3%) based on random-effects models. When the disaggregated pre-HAART studies (n = 4) were included, the relapse rate was 14.9% (random effects; 95% CI = 3.7% to 31.9%). Analysis of two post-HAART studies indicated a relapse rate of 19.2% (random effects; 95% CI = 2.8% to 45.6%). Comparing the relapse rates between pre- and post-HAART studies were contrary to what might be expected based on known benefits of HAART therapy in this population. Nevertheless, cautious interpretation is necessary considering the heterogeneity of the included studies and a limited number of subjects receiving TMP-SMX reported in the post-HAART era.

Can a single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation targeted to the motor cortex interrupt pain processing?

PubMed Central

Kisler, Lee-Bareket; Gurion, Ilan; Granovsky, Yelena; Sinai, Alon; Sprecher, Elliot; Shamay-Tsoory, Simone

2018-01-01

The modulatory role of the primary motor cortex (M1), reflected by an inhibitory effect of M1-stimulation on clinical pain, motivated us to deepen our understanding of M1’s role in pain modulation. We used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)-induced virtual lesion (VL) to interrupt with M1 activity during noxious heat pain. We hypothesized that TMS-VL will effect experimental pain ratings. Three VL protocols were applied consisting of single-pulse TMS to transiently interfere with right M1 activity: (1) VLM1- TMS applied to 11 subjects, 20 msec before the individual’s first pain-related M1 peak activation, as determined by source analysis (sLORETA), (2) VL-50 (N = 16; TMS applied 50 ms prior to noxious stimulus onset), and (3) VL+150 (N = 16; TMS applied 150 ms after noxious stimulus onset). Each protocol included 3 conditions ('pain-alone', ' TMS-VL', and ‘SHAM-VL’), each consisted of 30 noxious heat stimuli. Pain ratings were compared, in each protocol, for TMS-VL vs. SHAM-VL and vs. pain-alone conditions. Repeated measures analysis of variance, corrected for multiple comparisons revealed no significant differences in the pain ratings between the different conditions within each protocol. Therefore, our results from this exploratory study suggest that a single pulse TMS-induced VL that is targeted to M1 failed to interrupt experimental pain processing in the specific three stimulation timing examined here. PMID:29630681

Can a single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation targeted to the motor cortex interrupt pain processing?

PubMed

Kisler, Lee-Bareket; Gurion, Ilan; Granovsky, Yelena; Sinai, Alon; Sprecher, Elliot; Shamay-Tsoory, Simone; Weissman-Fogel, Irit

2018-01-01

The modulatory role of the primary motor cortex (M1), reflected by an inhibitory effect of M1-stimulation on clinical pain, motivated us to deepen our understanding of M1's role in pain modulation. We used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)-induced virtual lesion (VL) to interrupt with M1 activity during noxious heat pain. We hypothesized that TMS-VL will effect experimental pain ratings. Three VL protocols were applied consisting of single-pulse TMS to transiently interfere with right M1 activity: (1) VLM1- TMS applied to 11 subjects, 20 msec before the individual's first pain-related M1 peak activation, as determined by source analysis (sLORETA), (2) VL-50 (N = 16; TMS applied 50 ms prior to noxious stimulus onset), and (3) VL+150 (N = 16; TMS applied 150 ms after noxious stimulus onset). Each protocol included 3 conditions ('pain-alone', ' TMS-VL', and 'SHAM-VL'), each consisted of 30 noxious heat stimuli. Pain ratings were compared, in each protocol, for TMS-VL vs. SHAM-VL and vs. pain-alone conditions. Repeated measures analysis of variance, corrected for multiple comparisons revealed no significant differences in the pain ratings between the different conditions within each protocol. Therefore, our results from this exploratory study suggest that a single pulse TMS-induced VL that is targeted to M1 failed to interrupt experimental pain processing in the specific three stimulation timing examined here.

Semi-Professional Rugby League Players have Higher Concussion Risk than Professional or Amateur Participants: A Pooled Analysis.

PubMed

King, Doug; Hume, Patria; Gissane, Conor; Clark, Trevor

2017-02-01

A combined estimate of injuries within a specific sport through pooled analysis provides more precise evidence and meaningful information about the sport, whilst controlling for between-study variation due to individual sub-cohort characteristics. The objective of this analysis was to review all published rugby league studies reporting injuries from match and training participation and report the pooled data estimates for rugby league concussion injury epidemiology. A systematic literature analysis of concussion in rugby league was performed on published studies from January 1990 to October 2015. Data were extracted and pooled from 25 studies that reported the number and incidence of concussions in rugby league match and training activities. Amateur rugby league players had the highest incidence of concussive injuries in match activities (19.1 per 1000 match hours) while semi-professional players had the highest incidence of concussive injuries in training activities (3.1 per 1000 training hours). This pooled analysis showed that, during match participation activities, amateur rugby league participants had a higher reported concussion injury rate than professional and semi-professional participants. Semi-professional participants had nearly a threefold greater concussion injury risk than amateur rugby league participants during match participation. They also had nearly a 600-fold greater concussion injury risk than professional rugby league participants during training participation.

The neural correlates of moral decision-making: A systematic review and meta-analysis of moral evaluations and response decision judgements.

PubMed

Garrigan, Beverley; Adlam, Anna L R; Langdon, Peter E

2016-10-01

The aims of this systematic review were to determine: (a) which brain areas are consistently more active when making (i) moral response decisions, defined as choosing a response to a moral dilemma, or deciding whether to accept a proposed solution, or (ii) moral evaluations, defined as judging the appropriateness of another's actions in a moral dilemma, rating moral statements as right or wrong, or identifying important moral issues; and (b) shared and significantly different activation patterns for these two types of moral judgements. A systematic search of the literature returned 28 experiments. Activation likelihood estimate analysis identified the brain areas commonly more active for moral response decisions and for moral evaluations. Conjunction analysis revealed shared activation for both types of moral judgement in the left middle temporal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, and medial frontal gyrus. Contrast analyses found no significant clusters of increased activation for the moral evaluations-moral response decisions contrast, but found that moral response decisions additionally activated the left and right middle temporal gyrus and the right precuneus. Making one's own moral decisions involves different brain areas compared to judging the moral actions of others, implying that these judgements may involve different processes. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Degradation of MDEA in aqueous solution in the thermally activated persulfate system.

PubMed

Li, Yong-Tao; Yue, Dong; Wang, Bing; Ren, Hong-Yang

2017-03-01

The feasibility of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) degradation in thermally activated PS system was evaluated. Effects of the PS concentration, pH, activation temperature and reaction time on MDEA degradation were investigated. Simultaneity, the thermodynamic analysis and degradation process were also performed. Several findings were made in this study including the following: the degradation rates of MDEA in thermally activated PS systems were higher than other systems. MDEA could be readily degraded at 40°C with a PS concentration of 25.2 mM, the process of MDEA degradation was accelerated by higher PS dose and reaction temperature, and MDEA degradation and PS consumption followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic analysis showed that the activation process followed an endothermic path of the positive value of [Formula: see text] and spontaneous with the negative value of [Formula: see text], high temperature was favorable to the degradation of MDEA with the apparent activation energy of 87.11 KJ/mol. Combined FT-IR with GC-MS analysis techniques, MDEA could be oxidative degraded after the C-N bond broken to small molecules of organic acids, alcohols or nitro compounds until oxidized to CO 2 and H 2 O. In conclusion, the thermally activated PS process is a promising option for degrading MDEA effluent liquor.

Generalized activity equations for spiking neural network dynamics.

PubMed

Buice, Michael A; Chow, Carson C

2013-01-01

Much progress has been made in uncovering the computational capabilities of spiking neural networks. However, spiking neurons will always be more expensive to simulate compared to rate neurons because of the inherent disparity in time scales-the spike duration time is much shorter than the inter-spike time, which is much shorter than any learning time scale. In numerical analysis, this is a classic stiff problem. Spiking neurons are also much more difficult to study analytically. One possible approach to making spiking networks more tractable is to augment mean field activity models with some information about spiking correlations. For example, such a generalized activity model could carry information about spiking rates and correlations between spikes self-consistently. Here, we will show how this can be accomplished by constructing a complete formal probabilistic description of the network and then expanding around a small parameter such as the inverse of the number of neurons in the network. The mean field theory of the system gives a rate-like description. The first order terms in the perturbation expansion keep track of covariances.

Historic evidence for a link between riparian vegetation and bank erosion in the context of instream habitat restoration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salant, N.; Baillie, M. B.; Schmidt, J. C.; Intermountain CenterRiver Rehabilitation; Restoration

2010-12-01

An analysis of historic aerial photographs of the upper Strawberry River, Utah, demonstrates that rates of lateral bank erosion peaked with the loss of riparian cover during periods of willow removal for livestock grazing. Erosion rates have declined over the past two decades, concurrent with the removal of livestock grazing, modest increases in riparian cover, and the return of natural flows. Contrary to perception, present-day erosion rates are actually lower than pre-disturbance rates. Recent restoration activities to stabilize stream banks were based on the assumption that high erosion rates were contributing excess sediment to the streambed and degrading spawning gravels. However, our results show that while the historic loss of riparian vegetation contributed to an increase in bank erosion rates, bank erosion rates were not high prior to restoration. Furthermore, streambed samples show that the percentage of fine sediment in the substrate is insufficient to have a significant biological impact, supporting the finding that present-day bank erosion rates are not excessive relative to pre-disturbance rates. Current bank stabilization efforts were therefore motivated by a limited understanding of system conditions and history, suggesting that these restoration activities are unnecessary and misconceived. Our results demonstrate the large influence of riparian vegetation on bank erosion and instream habitat, as well as the importance of incorporating system history into restoration design.

HRV Analysis to Identify Stages of Home-based Telerehabilitation Exercise.

PubMed

Jeong, In Cheol; Finkelstein, Joseph

2014-01-01

Spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely used to investigate activity of autonomous nervous system. Previous studies demonstrated potential of analysis of short-term sequences of heart rate data in a time domain for continuous monitoring of levels of physiological stress however the value of HRV parameters in frequency domain for monitoring cycling exercise has not been established. The goal of this study was to assess whether HRV parameters in frequency domain differ depending on a stage of cycling exercise. We compared major HRV parameters in high, low and very low frequency ranges during rest, height of exercise, and recovery during cycling exercise. Our results indicated responsiveness of frequency-domain indices to different phases of cycling exercise program and their potential in monitoring autonomic balance and stress levels as a part of a tailored home-based telerehabilitation program.

Apu/hydraulic/actuator Subsystem Computer Simulation. Space Shuttle Engineering and Operation Support, Engineering Systems Analysis. [for the space shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

Major developments are examined which have taken place to date in the analysis of the power and energy demands on the APU/Hydraulic/Actuator Subsystem for space shuttle during the entry-to-touchdown (not including rollout) flight regime. These developments are given in the form of two subroutines which were written for use with the Space Shuttle Functional Simulator. The first subroutine calculates the power and energy demand on each of the three hydraulic systems due to control surface (inboard/outboard elevons, rudder, speedbrake, and body flap) activity. The second subroutine incorporates the R. I. priority rate limiting logic which limits control surface deflection rates as a function of the number of failed hydraulic. Typical results of this analysis are included, and listings of the subroutines are presented in appendicies.

Social network types among older Korean adults: Associations with subjective health.

PubMed

Sohn, Sung Yun; Joo, Won-Tak; Kim, Woo Jung; Kim, Se Joo; Youm, Yoosik; Kim, Hyeon Chang; Park, Yeong-Ran; Lee, Eun

2017-01-01

With population aging now a global phenomenon, the health of older adults is becoming an increasingly important issue. Because the Korean population is aging at an unprecedented rate, preparing for public health problems associated with old age is particularly salient in this country. As the physical and mental health of older adults is related to their social relationships, investigating the social networks of older adults and their relationship to health status is important for establishing public health policies. The aims of this study were to identify social network types among older adults in South Korea and to examine the relationship of these social network types with self-rated health and depression. Data from the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project were analyzed. Model-based clustering using finite normal mixture modeling was conducted to identify the social network types based on ten criterion variables of social relationships and activities: marital status, number of children, number of close relatives, number of friends, frequency of attendance at religious services, attendance at organized group meetings, in-degree centrality, out-degree centrality, closeness centrality, and betweenness centrality. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to examine associations between the identified social network types and self-rated health and depression. The model-based clustering analysis revealed that social networks clustered into five types: diverse, family, congregant, congregant-restricted, and restricted. Diverse or family social network types were significantly associated with more favorable subjective mental health, whereas the restricted network type was significantly associated with poorer ratings of mental and physical health. In addition, our analysis identified unique social network types related to religious activities. In summary, we developed a comprehensive social network typology for older Korean adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fluvial bar dynamics in large meandering rivers with different sediment supply in the Amazon River basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monegaglia, Federico; Zolezzi, Guido; Tubino, Marco; Henshaw, Alex

2017-04-01

Sediments in the large meandering rivers of the Amazon basin are known to be supplied by sources providing highly different magnitudes of sediment input and storage, ranging from the sediment-rich Andean region to the sediment-poor Central Trough. Recent observations have highlighted how such differences in sediment supply have an important, net effect on the rates of planform activity of meandering rivers in the basin, in terms of meander migration and frequency of cutoffs. In this work we quantify and discuss the effect of sediment supply on the organization of macroscale sediment bedforms on several large meandering rivers in the Amazon basin, and we link our findings with those regarding the rates of planform activity. Our analysis is conducted through the newly developed software PyRIS, which enables us to perform extensive multitemporal analysis of river morphodynamics from multispectral remotely sensed Landsat imagery in a fully automated fashion. We show that large rivers with low sediment supply tend to develop alternate bars that consistently migrate through long reaches, characterized at the same time by limited planform development. On the contrary, high sediment supply is associated with the development of point bars that are well-attached to the evolving meander bends and that follow temporal oscillations around the bend apexes, which in turn show rapid evlution towards complex meander shapes. Finally, rivers with intermediate rates of sediment supply develop rather steady point bars associated with slowly migrating, regular meanders. We finally discuss the results of the image analysis in the light of the properties of river planform metrics (like channel curvature and width) for the examined classes of river reaches with different sediment supply rates.

Efficacy and tolerability of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials

PubMed Central

Gauthier, Serge; Schlaefke, Sandra

2014-01-01

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate current evidence for the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in dementia. Seven of 15 randomized, placebocontrolled trials in patients with dementia identified by database searches met all our selection criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. In these trials, patients were treated with 120 mg or 240 mg per day of the defined extract EGb 761 or placebo. Efficacy was assessed using validated tests and rating scales for the cognitive domain, the functional domain (activities of daily living), and global assessment. Tolerability was evaluated by risk differences based on incidences of adverse events and premature discontinuation rates. Of 2,684 outpatients randomized to receive treatment for 22–26 weeks, 2,625 represented the full analysis sets (1,396 for EGb 761 and 1,229 for placebo). Standardized mean differences for change in cognition (−0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.98, −0.05; P=0.03), activities of daily living (−0.44; 95% CI −0.68, −0.19; P<0.001), and global rating (−0.52; 95% CI −0.92, −0.12; P=0.01) significantly favored EGb 761 compared with placebo. Statistically significant superiority of EGb 761 over placebo was confirmed by responder analyses as well as for patients suffering from dementia with neuropsychiatric symptoms. Treatment-associated risks in terms of relative risks of adverse events and premature withdrawal rates did not differ noticeably between the two treatment groups. In conclusion, meta-analyses confirmed the efficacy and good tolerability of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in patients with dementia. PMID:25506211

Prevalence rates for depression by industry: a claims database analysis

PubMed Central

Alterman, Toni; Bushnell, P. Timothy; Li, Jia; Shen, Rui

2015-01-01

Purpose To estimate and interpret differences in depression prevalence rates among industries, using a large, group medical claims database. Methods Depression cases were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis code in a population of 214,413 individuals employed during 2002–2005 by employers based in western Pennsylvania. Data were provided by Highmark, Inc. (Pittsburgh and Camp Hill, PA). Rates were adjusted for age, gender, and employee share of health care costs. National industry measures of psychological distress, work stress, and physical activity at work were also compiled from other data sources. Results Rates for clinical depression in 55 industries ranged from 6.9 to 16.2 %, (population rate = 10.45 %). Industries with the highest rates tended to be those which, on the national level, require frequent or difficult interactions with the public or clients, and have high levels of stress and low levels of physical activity. Conclusions Additional research is needed to help identify industries with relatively high rates of depression in other regions and on the national level, and to determine whether these differences are due in part to specific work stress exposures and physical inactivity at work. Clinical significance Claims database analyses may provide a cost-effective way to identify priorities for depression treatment and prevention in the workplace. PMID:24907896

Optimization of L: -methionine feeding strategy for improving S-adenosyl-L: -methionine production by methionine adenosyltransferase overexpressed Pichia pastoris.

PubMed

Hu, Hui; Qian, Jiangchao; Chu, Ju; Wang, Yonghong; Zhuang, Yingping; Zhang, Siliang

2009-07-01

The recombinant Pichia pastoris harboring an improved methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) shuffled gene was employed to biosynthesize S-adenosyl-L: -methionine (SAM). Two L: -methionine (L: -Met) addition strategies were used to supply the precursor: the batch addition strategy (L: -Met was added separately at three time points) and the continuous feeding strategies (L: -Met was fed continuously at the rate of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 g l(-1) h(-1), respectively). SAM accumulation, L: -Met conversion rate, and SAM productivity with the continuous feeding strategies were all improved over the batch addition strategy, which reached 8.46 +/- 0.31 g l(-1), 41.7 +/- 1.4%, and 0.18 +/- 0.01 g l(-1) h(-1) with the best continuous feeding strategy (0.2 g l(-1) h(-1)), respectively. The bottleneck for SAM production with the low L: -Met feeding rate (0.1 g L(-1) h(-1)) was the insufficient L: -Met supply. The analysis of the key enzyme activities indicated that the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glycolytic pathway were reduced with the increasing L: -Met feeding rate, which decreased the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. The MAT activity also decreased as the L: -Met feeding rate rose. The reduced ATP synthesis and MAT activity were probably the reason for the low SAM accumulation when the L: -Met feeding rate reached 0.5 g l(-1) h(-1).

[The relation of the patient's condition and outcome of drug maintainance therapy in schizophrenia (analysis of the curative effect in 324 cases)].

PubMed

Zhang, Z

1989-12-01

Cf, the methodology and diagnostic standard of 12 collaborative units about "Epidemiological investigation" of 1982, we traced to investigate the relation between the patients' condition outcome and drug maintain therapy of 324 cases with schizophrenia in community. The investigative result showed the cure rate of insisting on taking medicine group was 25.21%, the effective rate was 97.48%, the cure rate of irregular taking medicine groups was 6.63%, the effective rate was 68.37%, there was remarkable difference between the cure rate and the effective rate in two groups. Otherwise we also compared the patients, condition of insisting on taking drug groups with during investigation. We found there was no remarkable change that showed insisting a drug maintain therapy out the hospital to the curative effect of the disease to possess on important meaning. The pattern also compared the curative effect of a time onset of disease group and many times. There was no remarkable difference about the statistical analysis of the curative effect among each group. It showed me never lose confidence to the patients. We should treat actively them.

Racial and ethnic disparities in the use of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and outcomes for acute ischemic stroke.

PubMed

Nasr, Deena M; Brinjikji, Waleed; Cloft, Harry J; Rabinstein, Alejandro A

2013-02-01

Racial and ethnic disparities in acute stroke care in the United States have been previously reported. This study investigated possible racial and ethnic disparities in the administration and outcome of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) therapy for acute ischemic stroke in whites, blacks, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Using the National Inpatient Sample for 2001-2008, we selected patients with a primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke who received treatment with rtPA. Patient data were stratified by race (white, black, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander). We analyzed the association of patient race on rtPA utilization rate, in-hospital morbidity (ie, discharge to long-term facility), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) rate, and in-hospital mortality. We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine independent predictors of poor outcomes. White patients had a higher rate of tPA utilization than black and Hispanic patients (2.3% vs 1.8% and 2.0%, respectively; P < .0001 for both groups). There was no difference in the rate of tPA utilization between whites and Asian/Pacific Islanders (2.3% vs 2.2% P = .07). Multivariate analysis of morbidity, mortality, and ICH rates found that Asian/Pacific Islanders had significantly higher rates of mortality (odds ratio, 1.22, 95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.44; P = .02) and ICH (odds ratio, 2.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-2.11; P < .0001) compared with whites. rtPA utilization was greater in white and Asian/Pacific Islander patients than in black and Hispanic patients. Asian/Pacific Islander race was associated with increased risk of ICH and mortality after rtPA administration. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Relationship of long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy on salivary flow rate and CD4 Count among HIV-infected patients.

PubMed

Kumar, J Vijay; Baghirath, P Venkat; Naishadham, P Parameswar; Suneetha, Sujai; Suneetha, Lavanya; Sreedevi, P

2015-01-01

To determine if long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) therapy alters salivary flow rate and also to compare its relation of CD4 count with unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva. A cross-sectional study was performed on 150 individuals divided into three groups. Group I (50 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patients, but not on HAART therapy), Group II (50 HIV-infected subjects and on HAART for less than 3 years called short-term HAART), Group III (50 HIV-infected subjects and on HAART for more than or equal to 3 years called long-term HAART). Spitting method proposed by Navazesh and Kumar was used for the measurement of unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rate. Chi-square test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for statistical analysis. The mean CD4 count was 424.78 ± 187.03, 497.82 ± 206.11 and 537.6 ± 264.00 in the respective groups. Majority of the patients in all the groups had a CD4 count between 401 and 600. Both unstimulated and stimulated whole salivary (UWS and SWS) flow rates in Group I was found to be significantly higher than in Group II (P < 0.05). Unstimulated salivary flow rate between Group II and III subjects were also found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). ANOVA performed between CD4 count and unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva in each group demonstrated a statistically significant relationship in Group II (P < 0.05). There were no significant results found between CD4 count and stimulated whole saliva in each groups. The reduction in CD4 cell counts were significantly associated with salivary flow rates of HIV-infected individuals who are on long-term HAART.

Trachoma and Relative Poverty: A Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Habtamu, Esmael; Wondie, Tariku; Aweke, Sintayehu; Tadesse, Zerihun; Zerihun, Mulat; Zewdie, Zebideru; Callahan, Kelly; Emerson, Paul M.; Kuper, Hannah; Bailey, Robin L.; Mabey, David C. W.; Rajak, Saul N.; Polack, Sarah; Weiss, Helen A.; Burton, Matthew J.

2015-01-01

Background Trachoma is widely considered a disease of poverty. Although there are many epidemiological studies linking trachoma to factors normally associated with poverty, formal quantitative data linking trachoma to household economic poverty within endemic communities is very limited. Methodology/Principal Findings Two hundred people with trachomatous trichiasis were recruited through community-based screening in Amhara Region, Ethiopia. These were individually matched by age and gender to 200 controls without trichiasis, selected randomly from the same sub-village as the case. Household economic poverty was measured through (a) A broad set of asset-based wealth indicators and relative household economic poverty determined by principal component analysis (PCA, (b) Self-rated wealth, and (c) Peer-rated wealth. Activity participation data were collected using a modified ‘Stylised Activity List’ developed for the World Bank’s Living Standards Measurement Survey. Trichiasis cases were more likely to belong to poorer households by all measures: asset-based analysis (OR = 2.79; 95%CI: 2.06–3.78; p<0.0001), self-rated wealth (OR, 4.41, 95%CI, 2.75–7.07; p<0.0001) and peer-rated wealth (OR, 8.22, 95% CI, 4.59–14.72; p<0.0001). Cases had less access to latrines (57% v 76.5%, p = <0.0001) and higher person-to-room density (4.0 v 3.31; P = 0.0204) than the controls. Compared to controls, cases were significantly less likely to participate in economically productive activities regardless of visual impairment and other health problems, more likely to report difficulty in performing activities and more likely to receive assistance in performing productive activities. Conclusions/Significance This study demonstrated a strong association between trachomatous trichiasis and relative poverty, suggesting a bidirectional causative relationship possibly may exist between poverty and trachoma. Implementation of the full SAFE strategy in the context of general improvements might lead to a virtuous cycle of improving health and wealth. Trachoma is a good proxy of inequality within communities and it could be used to target and evaluate interventions for health and poverty alleviation. PMID:26600211

Generation of Vulcanian activity and long-period seismicity at Volcán de Colima, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varley, Nick; Arámbula-Mendoza, Raúl; Reyes-Dávila, Gabriel; Sanderson, Richard; Stevenson, John

2010-12-01

During the current episode, which commenced in 1998, activity at Volcán de Colima has been characterised by daily Vulcanian events, several effusive phases and a number of larger dome destroying explosions. The upper edifice comprises of an intricate array of fractures and within this system, variations in the magma ascent rate, rheology and volatile-contents complete a complexity which controls the style of activity. Subtle variations in one or more of these factors can trigger a transition. A model is presented of the Vulcanian explosion mechanism, which is reflected in the associated seismicity: first the breaching of an impermeable cap and the initial gas loss after the rupture (low-frequency signal), followed by fragmentation (high-frequency signal). In 2005, a series of larger Vulcanian explosions associated with ascending magma, represent the period of activity with the highest production rate in recent years. Pyroclastic flows were produced by column collapse, with the absence of vesicularity amongst the products pointing to a deep source of gas driving the eruption. The appearance of swarms of long-period (LP) events associated with the explosions provided a great opportunity for analysis and an insight into the processes within the fracture system, which control the eruptive style. Cross-correlation of the LP waveforms produced a series of ten families which reappeared in subsequent swarms suggesting a consistent source. Brittle fracture associated with the enhanced stain-rate found along the conduit margins is suggested as the source of this seismicity. This is supported by a linear relationship between log event rate and relative amplitude of the events within each swarm. An analysis of the temporal distribution of LP events revealed a variation in conditions between swarms. For some swarms, the conditions within the fracture system meant that a conflict between the processes associated with magma ascent was revealed, whilst for others, it was a situation of failure and backup, which can be interpreted as the failing and activation of different fractures within the upper edifice.

Participation in community and political life of persons with severe disabilities.

PubMed

Puumalainen, Jouni

2011-12-01

Participation as a citizen, that is, engaging in social, political, and governmental life, has been rarely seen as an important domain when studying social participation of disabled persons. The purpose of this study was to depict the participation in community and political life of persons with severe or multiple disabilities and to determine which individual and social factors were associated with their participation. Altogether, 818 persons, who had participated in rehabilitation for persons with severe disabilities, answered the questionnaire survey. They reported how actively they participated in associations, local congregations, political parties, or public elections. Active participation in community and political life was strongly connected to participation in work, social, and leisure activities, as well as to the use of computers. According to stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis, the strongest predictors for active participation in community and political life were age of disablement, the individual's present age, self-rated income, self-rated quality of life, use of assistive devices, and the ability to communicate.

Antidumping Action in the United States and Around the World: An Analysis of International Data. CBO Paper.

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-06-01

the price of sugar to the point that some processors, such as soft-drink producers, have replaced it with high - fructose corn syrup . That example...United States, both one on one and in the aggregate. Antidumping duty rates are high enough to be significant impediments to trade, especially the duties...the United States, although their rates are still high enough to be significant impediments to trade. Among the most active users, Canada had the next

Evaluation of asymmetries of blood flow rate and of circulation time by intravenous radionuclide cerebral angiography in patients with ischemic completed stroke.

PubMed

Bartolini, A; Primavera, A; Gasparetto, B

1984-12-01

155 patients with ischemic completed stroke of varying severity and outcome have been evaluated by radionuclide cerebral angiography with analysis of regional time-activity curves. Two parameters have been evaluated: area under the upslope of the curve (Aup) reflecting regional blood flow rate and moment of the whole curve reflecting tracer circulation time (rABCT) Combination of these two methods ensured increased detection of perfusion asymmetries.

Use of Synthetic Peptides and Anti-Idiotypes for Controlling Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-08-27

example, studies by others have suggested that Iy-I. isolates which readily form syncytia in vitro may be associated with a more rapid rate of disease ...isolates which readily form syncytia in vitro may be associated with a more rapid rate of disease progression in vivo. Using fluorescent intracellular...will be useful reagents in testing sara for neutralizing activity in vitro. 0. Longitudinal analysis of the humoral inmune response to RIV-I gPi60

Wastewater-Enhanced Microbial Corrosion of Concrete Sewers.

PubMed

Jiang, Guangming; Zhou, Mi; Chiu, Tsz Ho; Sun, Xiaoyan; Keller, Jurg; Bond, Philip L

2016-08-02

Microbial corrosion of concrete in sewers is known to be caused by hydrogen sulfide, although the role of wastewater in regulating the corrosion processes is poorly understood. Flooding and splashing of wastewater in sewers periodically inoculates the concrete surface in sewer pipes. No study has systematically investigated the impacts of wastewater inoculation on the corrosion of concrete in sewers. This study investigated the development of the microbial community, sulfide uptake activity, and the change of the concrete properties for coupons subjected to periodic wastewater inoculation. The concrete coupons were exposed to different levels of hydrogen sulfide under well-controlled conditions in laboratory-scale corrosion chambers simulating real sewers. It was evident that the periodic inoculation induced higher corrosion losses of the concrete in comparison to noninoculated coupons. Instantaneous measurements such as surface pH did not reflect the cumulative corrosion losses caused by long-term microbial activity. Analysis of the long-term profiles of the sulfide uptake rate using a Gompertz model supported the enhanced corrosion activity and greater corrosion loss. The enhanced corrosion rate was due to the higher sulfide uptake rates induced by wastewater inoculation, although the increasing trend of sulfide uptake rates was slower with wastewater. Increased diversity in the corrosion-layer microbial communities was detected when the corrosion rates were higher. This coincided with the environmental conditions of increased levels of gaseous H2S and the concrete type.

Wellbeing, activity and housing satisfaction - comparing residents with psychiatric disabilities in supported housing and ordinary housing with support.

PubMed

Eklund, Mona; Argentzell, Elisabeth; Bejerholm, Ulrika; Tjörnstrand, Carina; Brunt, David

2017-08-30

The home is imperative for the possibilities for meaningful everyday activities among people with psychiatric disabilities. Knowledge of whether such possibilities vary with type of housing and housing support might reveal areas for improved support. We aimed to compare people with psychiatric disabilities living in supported housing (SH) and ordinary housing with support (OHS) regarding perceived well-being, engaging and satisfying everyday activities, and perceived meaning of activity in one's accommodation. The importance of these factors and socio-demographics for satisfaction with housing was also explored. This naturalistic cross-sectional study was conducted in municipalities and city districts (n = 21) in Sweden, and 155 SH residents and 111 OHS residents participated in an interview that included both self-reports and interviewer ratings. T-test and linear regression analysis were used. The SH group expressed more psychological problems, but better health, quality of life and personal recovery compared to the OHS residents. The latter were rated as having less symptom severity, and higher levels of functioning and activity engagement. Both groups rated themselves as under-occupied in the domains of work, leisure, home management and self-care, but the SH residents less so regarding home management and self-care chores. Although the groups reported similar levels of activity, the SH group were more satisfied with everyday activities and rated their housing higher on possibilities for social interaction and personal development. The groups did not differ on access to activity in their homes. The participants generally reported sufficient access to activity, social interaction and personal development, but those who wanted more personal development in the OHS group outnumbered those who stated they received enough. Higher scores on satisfaction with daily occupations, access to organization and information, wanting more social interaction, and personal recovery predicted high satisfaction with housing in the regression model. The fact that health, quality of life and recovery were rated higher by the SH group, despite lower interviewer-ratings on symptoms and level of functioning, might partly be explained by better access to social interaction and personal development in the SH context. This should be acknowledged when planning the support to people who receive OHS.

Thermogravimetric-mass spectrometric analysis on combustion of lignocellulosic biomass.

PubMed

López-González, D; Fernandez-Lopez, M; Valverde, J L; Sanchez-Silva, L

2013-09-01

Combustion characteristics of biomass main components and three lignocellulosic biomass (fir wood, eucalyptus wood and pine bark) were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry. The combustion of biomass was divided into two main steps, devolatilization and char oxidation stage. Heating rate effect was also studied. Generally, the higher the heating rate, the higher the decomposition temperature. Furthermore, the weight loss rate decreased due to particle temperature gradients. Combustion kinetics were studied. Models based on reaction order (Oi), nucleation (Ni) and diffusion (Di) achieved the best fitting to the experimental data. Cellulose oxidation presented the highest activation energies. CO, CO2 and H2O were the main components evolved from combustion. Additionally, light hydrocarbons (CH4 and C2H5) were also present. Finally, nitrogen compounds were in a higher proportion than sulfur compounds being released as primary amines and NOx. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heart Rate Variability and Wavelet-based Studies on ECG Signals from Smokers and Non-smokers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pal, K.; Goel, R.; Champaty, B.; Samantray, S.; Tibarewala, D. N.

2013-12-01

The current study deals with the heart rate variability (HRV) and wavelet-based ECG signal analysis of smokers and non-smokers. The results of HRV indicated dominance towards the sympathetic nervous system activity in smokers. The heart rate was found to be higher in case of smokers as compared to non-smokers ( p < 0.05). The frequency domain analysis showed an increase in the LF and LF/HF components with a subsequent decrease in the HF component. The HRV features were analyzed for classification of the smokers from the non-smokers. The results indicated that when RMSSD, SD1 and RR-mean features were used concurrently a classification efficiency of > 90 % was achieved. The wavelet decomposition of the ECG signal was done using the Daubechies (db 6) wavelet family. No difference was observed between the smokers and non-smokers which apparently suggested that smoking does not affect the conduction pathway of heart.

Belimumab in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus: high disease activity predictors of response.

PubMed

van Vollenhoven, Ronald F; Petri, Michelle A; Cervera, Ricard; Roth, David A; Ji, Beulah N; Kleoudis, Christi S; Zhong, Z John; Freimuth, William

2012-08-01

To identify factors that predict response to belimumab treatment in the phase 3 BLISS trials of autoantibody-positive systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and further analyse clinical efficacy in various patient subsets. The BLISS trials compared belimumab 1 and 10 mg/kg versus placebo, all plus standard SLE therapy, over 52 or 76 weeks. Pooled subgroup analyses of week 52 SLE responder index rates (the primary endpoint in both trials) were performed based on demographic characteristics and baseline disease activity indicators. Pooled multivariate analysis was performed to determine predictors of response and treatment effect. Pooled univariate and multivariate analyses (N=1684) identified baseline factors associated with an increased benefit of belimumab versus placebo. These factors included the Safety Of Estrogens In Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) ≥10, low complement, anti-dsDNA positivity and corticosteroid use. Efficacy outcomes were assessed in the low complement/anti-dsDNA-positive and SELENA-SLEDAI ≥10 subgroups. Week 52 SLE Responder Index rates in the low complement/anti-dsDNA-positive subgroup were 31.7%, 41.5% (p=0.002) and 51.5% (p<0.001) with placebo and belimumab 1 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, respectively; corresponding rates in the SELENA-SLEDAI ≥10 subgroup were 44.3%, 58.0% (p<0.001) and 63.2% (p<0.001). Further analysis of secondary endpoints in the low complement/anti-dsDNA-positive subgroup showed that compared with placebo, belimumab produced greater benefits regarding severe flares, corticosteroid use and health-related quality of life. These findings suggest that belimumab has greater therapeutic benefit than standard therapy alone in patients with higher disease activity, anti-dsDNA positivity, low complement or corticosteroid treatment at baseline. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: identifiers NCT00424476 and NCT00410384.

Measurement properties of the Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation: Rasch analysis of responses from a traumatic hand injury population.

PubMed

Packham, Tara; MacDermid, Joy C

2013-01-01

The Patient-Rated Wrist and Hand Evaluation (PRWHE) is a self-reported assessment of pain and disability to evaluate outcome after hand injuries. Rasch analysis is an alternative strategy for examining the psychometric properties of a measurement scale based in item response theory, rather than classical test theory. This study used Rasch analysis to examine the content, scoring and measurement properties of the PRWHE. PRWHE scores (n = 264) from persons with a traumatic injury or reconstructive surgery to one hand were collected from an outpatient hand rehabilitation facility. Rasch analysis was conducted to assess how the PRWHE fit the Rasch model, confirms the scaling structure of the pain and disability subscales, and identifies any areas of bias from differential item functioning. Rasch analysis of the PRWHE supports internal consistency of the scale (α = 0.96) and reliability (as measured by the person separation index) of 0.95. While gender, age, diagnosis, and duration since injury all systematically influenced how people scored the PRWHE, hand dominance and affected side did not. Rasch analysis supported a 3 subscale structure (pain, specific activities and usual activities) rather than the current divisions of pain and disability. Initial examination of the PRWHE indicates the psychometric properties of consistency, reliability and responsiveness previously tested by classical methods are further supported by Rasch analysis. It also suggests the scale structure may be best considered as 3 subscales rather than simply pain and disability. Copyright © 2013 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SI-traceable calibration-free analysis for the active concentration of G2-EPSPS protein using surface plasmon resonance.

PubMed

Su, Ping; He, Zhangjing; Wu, Liqing; Li, Liang; Zheng, Kangle; Yang, Yi

2018-02-01

Active proteins play important roles in the function regulation of human bodies and attract much interest for use in pharmaceuticals and clinical diagnostics. However, the lack of primary methods to analyze active proteins means there is currently no metrology standard for active protein measurement. In recent years, calibration-free concentration analysis (CFCA), which is based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, has been proposed to determine the active concentration of proteins that have specific binding activity with a binding partner without any higher order standards. The CFCA experiment observes the changes of binding rates at totally different two flow rates and uses the known diffusion coefficient of an analyte to calculate the active concentration of proteins, theoretically required, the binding process have to be under diffusion-limited conditions. Measuring the active concentration of G2-EPSPS protein by CFCA was proposed in this study. This method involves optimization of the regeneration buffer and preparation of chip surfaces for appropriate reaction conditions by immobilizing ligands (G2-EPSPS antibodies) on sensor chips (CM5) via amine coupling. The active concentration of G2-EPSPS was then determined by injection of G2-EPSPS protein samples and running buffer over immobilized and reference chip surfaces at two different flow rates (5 and 100μLmin -1 ). The active concentration of G2-EPSPS was obtained after analyzing these sensorgrams with the 1:1 model. Using the determined active concentration of G2-EPSPS, the association, dissociation, and equilibrium constants of G2-EPSPS and its antibody were determined to be 2.18 ± 0.03 × 10 6 M -1 s -1 , 5.79 ± 0.06 ×10 -3 s -1 , and 2.65 ± 0.06 × 10 -9 M, respectively. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated. The within-day precisions were from 3.26% to 4.59%, and the between-day precision was 8.36%. The recovery rate of the method was from 97.46% to 104.34% in the concentration range of 1.5-8nM. The appropriate concentration range of G2-EPSPS in the proposed method was determined to be 1.5-8nM. The active G2-EPSPS protein concentration determined by our method was only 17.82% of that obtained by isotope dilution mass spectrometry, showing the active protein was only a small part of the total G2-EPSPS protein. The measurement principle of the proposed method can be clearly described by equations and the measurement result can be expressed in SI units. Therefore, the proposed method shows promise to become a primary method for active protein concentration measurement, which can benefit the development of certified reference materials for active proteins. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.