Exercise is an effective treatment for positive valence symptoms in major depression.

PubMed

Toups, Marisa; Carmody, Thomas; Greer, Tracy; Rethorst, Chad; Grannemann, Bruce; Trivedi, Madhukar H

2017-02-01

Measurement of symptoms domains and their response to treatment in relative isolation from diagnosed mental disorders has gained new urgency, as reflected by the National Institute of Mental Health's introduction of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). The Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) and the Motivation and Energy Inventory (MEI) are two scales measuring positive valence symptoms. We evaluated the effect of exercise on positive valence symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Subjects in the Treatment with Exercise Augmentation for Depression (TREAD) study completed self-reported SHAPS and MEI during 12 weeks of exercise augmentation for depression. We evaluated the effect of exercise on SHAPS and MEI scores, and whether the changes were related to overall MDD severity measured with the Quick Inventory of Depression Symptomatology (QIDS). SHAPS and MEI scores significantly improved with exercise. MEI score change had larger effect size and greater correlation with change in QIDS score. MEI also showed significant moderator and mediator effects of exercise in MDD. Generalizability to other treatments is limited. This study lacked other bio-behavioral markers that would enhance understanding of the relationship of RDoC and the measures used. Positive valence symptoms improve with exercise treatment for depression, and this change correlates well with overall outcome. Motivation and energy may be more clinically relevant to outcome of exercise treatment than anhedonia. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Anhedonia in depressed patients on treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor anti-depressant--A two-centered study in Malaysia.

PubMed

Yee, Anne; Chin, Soo Cheng; Hashim, Aili Hanim bt; Harbajan Singh, Manveen Kaur A P; Loh, Huai Seng; Sulaiman, Ahmad Hatim; Ng, Chong Guan

2015-01-01

Anhedonia is the reduced ability to experience pleasure. It is a core symptom of depression and is particularly difficult to treat. This study aims to compare the level of anhedonia between depressed patients on anti-depressants and healthy subjects. A total of 111 depressed patients on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and 82 healthy subjects were recruited from the outpatient psychiatric services at two major general hospitals in a cross-sectional study. Subjects were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0.0 or MINI, Beck's Depression Index (BDI), and Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). Relevant personal and sociodemographic information were also collected. There was a significant association between educational level and SHAPS-M scores (P < 0.01) among the participants. Most items in the SHAPS scores were significantly different (P < 0.01) in the depressed subjects treated with anti-depressant compared with the healthy subjects, after adjusting the confounding factors, BDI score, and educational level. Anhedonia often persists in depressed patients despite on SSRI anti-depressant treatment.

Functional Assessment of the Vanderbilt Multigrasp Myoelectric Hand: A Continuing Case Study

PubMed Central

Dalley, Skyler A.; Bennett, Daniel A.; Goldfarb, Michael

2015-01-01

This paper presents a case study involving the functional assessment of the Vanderbilt Multigrasp (VMG) hand prosthesis on a single transradial amputee subject. In particular, a transradial amputee subject performed the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) using the hand prosthesis and multigrasp myoelectric controller in a series of experimental sessions occurring over a multi-week time span. The subject’s index of function (IoF) improved with each session, although essentially plateaued after the fourth session, resulting in a IoF score of 87, which compares favorably to SHAP scores published in previous studies. PMID:25571412

Broadband MAS NMR spectroscopy in the low-power limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders, Kevin J.; Pell, Andrew J.; Wegner, Sebastian; Grey, Clare P.; Pintacuda, Guido

2018-04-01

We investigate the performance of broadband adiabatic inversion pulses in the high-power (short high-powered adiabatic pulse, SHAP) and low-power (single-sideband-selective adiabatic pulse, S3AP) RF regimes on a spin system subjected to large anisotropic interactions. We show by combined experimental results and spin dynamics simulations that when the magic-angle spinning rate exceeds 100 kHz S3APs begin outperforming SHAPs. This is especially true for low-gamma nuclei, such as 6 Li in paramagnetic Li-ion battery materials. Finally, we show how S3APs can be improved by combining multiple waveforms sweeping over multiple sidebands simultaneously, in order to produce inverted sideband profiles free from intensity biasing.

Reward Capacity Predicts Leptin Dynamics During Laboratory-Controlled Eating in Women as a Function of Body Mass Index

PubMed Central

Holsen, Laura M.; Jackson, Benita

2017-01-01

Objective The role of leptin in mesolimbic signaling non-food-related reward has been well established at the pre-clinical level, yet studies in humans are lacking. The present investigation explored the association between hedonic capacity and leptin dynamics, and whether this association differed by BMI class. Methods In this cross-sectional study of 75 women (42 with lean BMIs, 33 with obese BMIs), we measured serum leptin before/after meal consumption. Reward capacity was assessed using the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). Multiple regression tested whether reward capacity was associated with leptin AUC, with an interaction term to test differences between lean (LN) and obese (OB) groups. Results The interaction of SHAPS by BMI group was robust (β=−.40, p=.005); among women with obesity, greater SHAPS score was associated with lower leptin AUC (β=−.35, p=.002, adjusted R-squared=.66). Among the lean group, the association was not statistically significant (β=−.16, p=.252, adjusted R-squared=.22). Findings were above and beyond BMI and age. Conclusions In this sample a robust, negative association between reward capacity and circulating leptin was stronger in women with obesity compared to lean counterparts. These findings suggest that despite likely leptin resistance, inhibitory leptin functioning related to non-food reward may be spared in women with obesity. PMID:28722317

Histological Comparison in Rats between Carbonate Apatite Fabricated from Gypsum and Sintered Hydroxyapatite on Bone Remodeling

PubMed Central

Ayukawa, Yasunori; Suzuki, Yumiko; Tsuru, Kanji; Koyano, Kiyoshi; Ishikawa, Kunio

2015-01-01

Carbonate apatite (CO3Ap), the form of apatite found in bone, has recently attracted attention. The purpose of the present study was to histologically evaluate the tissue/cellular response toward the low-crystalline CO3Ap fabricated using a dissolution-precipitation reaction with set gypsum as a precursor. When set gypsum was immersed in a 100°C 1 mol/L Na3PO4 aqueous solution for 24 h, the set gypsum transformed into CO3Ap. Both CO3Ap and sintered hydroxyapatite (s-HAp), which was used as a control, were implanted into surgically created tibial bone defects of rats for histological evaluation. Two and 4 weeks after the implantation, histological sections were created and observed using light microscopy. The CO3Ap granules revealed both direct apposition of the bone matrix by osteoblasts and osteoclastic resorption. In contrast, the s-HAp granules maintained their contour even after 4 weeks following implantation which implied that there was a lack of replacement into the bone. The s-HAp granules were sometimes encapsulated with fibrous tissue, and macrophage polykaryon was occasionally observed directly apposed to the implanted granules. From the viewpoint of bone remodeling, the CO3Ap granules mimicked the bone matrix, suggesting that CO3Ap may be an appropriate bone substitute. PMID:26504813

Changes in performance over time while learning to use a myoelectric prosthesis

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Training increases the functional use of an upper limb prosthesis, but little is known about how people learn to use their prosthesis. The aim of this study was to describe the changes in performance with an upper limb myoelectric prosthesis during practice. The results provide a basis to develop an evidence-based training program. Methods Thirty-one able-bodied participants took part in an experiment as well as thirty-one age- and gender-matched controls. Participants in the experimental condition, randomly assigned to one of four groups, practiced with a myoelectric simulator for five sessions in a two-weeks period. Group 1 practiced direct grasping, Group 2 practiced indirect grasping, Group 3 practiced fixating, and Group 4 practiced a combination of all three tasks. The Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) was assessed in a pretest, posttest, and two retention tests. Participants in the control condition performed SHAP two times, two weeks apart with no practice in between. Compressible objects were used in the grasping tasks. Changes in end-point kinematics, joint angles, and grip force control, the latter measured by magnitude of object compression, were examined. Results The experimental groups improved more on SHAP than the control group. Interestingly, the fixation group improved comparable to the other training groups on the SHAP. Improvement in global position of the prosthesis leveled off after three practice sessions, whereas learning to control grip force required more time. The indirect grasping group had the smallest object compression in the beginning and this did not change over time, whereas the direct grasping and the combination group had a decrease in compression over time. Moreover, the indirect grasping group had the smallest grasping time that did not vary over object rigidity, while for the other two groups the grasping time decreased with an increase in object rigidity. Conclusions A training program should spend more

Anhedonia as a clinical correlate of suicidal thoughts in clinical ketamine trials.

PubMed

Ballard, Elizabeth D; Wills, Kathleen; Lally, Níall; Richards, Erica M; Luckenbaugh, David A; Walls, Tessa; Ameli, Rezvan; Niciu, Mark J; Brutsche, Nancy E; Park, Lawrence; Zarate, Carlos A

2017-08-15

Identifying clinical correlates associated with reduced suicidal ideation may highlight new avenues for the treatment of suicidal thoughts. Anhedonia occurs across psychiatric diagnoses and has been associated with specific neural circuits in response to rapid-acting treatments, such as ketamine. This analysis sought to evaluate whether reductions in suicidal ideation after ketamine administration were related to reduced levels of anhedonia, independent of depressive symptoms. This post-hoc analysis included treatment-resistant patients with either major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD) from several clinical trials of ketamine. Anhedonia was assessed using a subscale of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). The outcome of interest was suicidal ideation, as measured by a subscale of the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI5), one day post-ketamine administration. Anhedonia, as measured by the SHAPS, was associated with suicidal thoughts independent of depressive symptoms both before and after ketamine administration. One day post-ketamine administration, improvements on the SHAPS accounted for an additional 13% of the variance in suicidal thought reduction, beyond the influence of depressive symptoms. The BDI anhedonia subscale was not significantly associated with suicidal thoughts after adjusting for depressive symptoms. Data were limited to patients experiencing a major depressive episode and may not be generalizable to patients experiencing an active suicidal crisis. Suicidal thoughts may be related to symptoms of anhedonia independent of other depressive symptoms. These results have implications for the potential mechanisms of action of ketamine on suicidal thoughts. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Anhedonia among patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A comparison between patients on escitalopram and healthy controls.

PubMed

Ng, C G; Wong, S K; Loh, H S; Yee, A

Escitalopram has widely been recognized as one of the most frequently used antidepressants, with superior tolerability and great efficacy in preventing major depressive disorder (MDD) relapse and recurrence. However, anhedonia, which is a core symptom of MDD, remains difficult to treat. This study investigates the hedonic levels of MDD patients treated with Escitalopram. A total of 108 participants, 26 of whom with MDD on Escitalopram, were recruited in this cross sectional study. They were evaluated using the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaires to assess their hedonic state, general mental health condition and level of depression. Our study shows that most items in the SHAPS scores are significantly different between MDD patients on Escitalopram and the controls. The hedonic capacity remains different between the two groups despite patients with MDD are put on Escitalopram treatment. Escitalopram fails to alleviate the hedonic state of MDD patients. Antidepressants that improve both depressive symptoms and hedonic states should be considered when treating MDD patients in clinical settings.

Graded core/shell semiconductor nanorods and nanorod barcodes

DOEpatents

Alivisatos, A. Paul; Scher, Erik C.; Manna, Liberato

2013-03-26

Graded core/shell semiconductor nanorods and shapped nanorods are disclosed comprising Group II-VI, Group III-V and Group IV semiconductors and methods of making the same. Also disclosed are nanorod barcodes using core/shell nanorods where the core is a semiconductor or metal material, and with or without a shell. Methods of labeling analytes using the nanorod barcodes are also disclosed.

Kant, Immanuel (1724-1804)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

German philosopher, born in Königsberg, published his view of the universe in General History of Nature and Theory of the Heavens (1755) in which he presented his nebular hypothesis of the formation of the solar system. It was much like the present theory that the Sun and planets formed from the condensation of a rotating disc of interstellar material. Kant identified the Milky Way as a lens-shap...

Veiled Normalization: The Implications of Japanese Missile Defense

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

phasizing defensive principles . Si milarly, a s tate that is intent on reg ional hegemony or aggressive expansion will shap e its forces and...1 Mindy Kotler and Daisuke Okuyama. “Japan’s Global Ambivalence.” Foreign Policy, no. 130, (2002): 96-97. 19...the use of nuclear warheads on defensive weapons would be constitutional.23 It bears mention that Japan’s three Non-Nuclear Principles , stating that

Impact of Michelangelo prosthetic hand: Findings from a crossover longitudinal study.

PubMed

Luchetti, Martina; Cutti, Andrea G; Verni, Gennaro; Sacchetti, Rinaldo; Rossi, Nicolino

2015-01-01

This work explores the functional and psychosocial impact of the multigrip Michelangelo (M) prosthetic hand. Transradial myoelectric prosthesis users (6 men, median age: 47 y) participated in a crossover longitudinal study. A multifactorial assessment protocol was applied before the application of M and after 3 mo (functional assessment) and 6 mo (psychosocial assessment) of home use. Functional assessment included both practical tests (i.e., Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure [SHAP], Box and Blocks Test [BBT], and Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test [MMDT]) and self-report functional scales. Psychosocial assessment consisted of a clinical interview and a battery of self-report questionnaires concerning current anxious-depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life, body image concerns, adjustment and satisfaction with prosthesis, social support, coping style, and personality. Increased manual dexterity was observed after 3 mo based on improvements in the SHAP, BBT, and MMDT. Two important themes emerged from the clinical interviews at the 6 mo follow-up: (1) the enhanced functionality and (2) the "like a real hand" aspect of the M, which further increased prosthesis integration to the Self. A few patients expressed concerns about M dimension, noise, and weight. The M appeared to restore hand function and natural appearance. The present findings provide preliminary evidence, and additional studies are needed.

Comparative study of state-of-the-art myoelectric controllers for multigrasp prosthetic hands.

PubMed

Segil, Jacob L; Controzzi, Marco; Weir, Richard F ff; Cipriani, Christian

2014-01-01

A myoelectric controller should provide an intuitive and effective human-machine interface that deciphers user intent in real-time and is robust enough to operate in daily life. Many myoelectric control architectures have been developed, including pattern recognition systems, finite state machines, and more recently, postural control schemes. Here, we present a comparative study of two types of finite state machines and a postural control scheme using both virtual and physical assessment procedures with seven nondisabled subjects. The Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) was used in order to compare the effectiveness of the controllers during activities of daily living using a multigrasp artificial hand. Also, a virtual hand posture matching task was used to compare the controllers when reproducing six target postures. The performance when using the postural control scheme was significantly better (p < 0.05) than the finite state machines during the physical assessment when comparing within-subject averages using the SHAP percent difference metric. The virtual assessment results described significantly greater completion rates (97% and 99%) for the finite state machines, but the movement time tended to be faster (2.7 s) for the postural control scheme. Our results substantiate that postural control schemes rival other state-of-the-art myoelectric controllers.

Nutritive value of some herbages for dromedary camel in Iran.

PubMed

Towhidi, A

2007-01-01

To prepare standard tables of chemical composition of feedstuffs and to determine digestibility and palatability of different plant species in dromedary camel, this research was carried out by considering the most consuming herbages of Iranian desert rages. The plant species were included Atriplex lentiformis, Alhagi persarum, Seidlitzia rosmarinus, Saueda fruticosa, Haloxylon ammodendron, Tamarix kotschyi, Hammada salicornica, Salsola yazdiana, Salsola tomentosa, Tamarix aphylla and Artemisia sieberi. Thirty samples of the browsing parts were collected from the rangelands of Yazd province in autumn. Chemical composition of samples including Dry Matter (DM), Crude Protein (CP), Crude Fiber (CF), Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF), Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF), Ether Extract (EE), Total Ash (TA), macro elements (Ca, P, Mg, K), micro elements (Fe, Mg, Cu, Zn)and gross energy (GE) were analyzed. The in vitro digestibility was determined by camel rumen liquor in Tilley and Terry method. Palatability of the plants were measured by three mature camels in cafeteria trials. The camels voluntarily fed 11 plant species during one hour for six days. Data were analyzed by GLM method in SAS software. The highest CP (18.3%) and the lowest NDF (40.4%) and ADF (35.4%) were related to Tamarix aphylla. The lowest CP (5.5%) and the highest NDF (72.8%) and ADF (59.6%) were related to Artemisia sieberi. The highest organic matter digestibility in dry matter was related to Haloxylon ammodendron. The results also indicated that Atriplex lentiformis, Alhagi persarum, Seidlitzia rosmarinus, Saueda fruticosa, Haloxylon ammodendron, Salsola tomentosa, Hammada salicornica, Tamarix kotschyi, Salsola yazdiana, Tamarix aphylla and Artemisia sieberi were more pleasure feed, respectively. It was not observed any correlation between %DOMD and chemical composition. Moreover, There was not a consistent relationship between the palatability of herbages with %DOMD or chemical composition.

Temporal and Spatial Shaping of X-Ray Free-Electron Lasers

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

Guo, G; Marinelli, AGOSTINO

The x-ray free-elec­tron laser is the bright­est source of x-rays, with a peak bright­ness ten or­ders of mag­ni­tude higher than con­ven­tional syn­chro­tron ra­di­a­tion sources. Much like con­ven­tional lasers, XFELs are ex­tremely flex­i­ble ma­chines and the prop­er­ties of the x-rays can be con­trolled by ac­cu­rately ma­nip­u­lat­ing the las­ing medium, i.e. the elec­tron beam. In my talk I will dis­cuss past and pre­sent re­search on shap­ing the tem­po­ral prop­er­ties of the x-rays at the Linac Co­her­ent Light Source (LCLS). I will dis­cuss the two-color FEL modes and their ap­pli­ca­tions in user ex­per­i­ments. Fi­nally I will pre­sent our re­sults on laser-shap­ing of x-raymore » pulses and our plans for at­tosec­ond op­er­a­tion in the soft x-ray regime.« less

Effect of agomelatine treatment on C-reactive protein levels in patients with major depressive disorder: an exploratory study in "real-world," everyday clinical practice.

PubMed

De Berardis, Domenico; Fornaro, Michele; Orsolini, Laura; Iasevoli, Felice; Tomasetti, Carmine; de Bartolomeis, Andrea; Serroni, Nicola; De Lauretis, Ida; Girinelli, Gabriella; Mazza, Monica; Valchera, Alessandro; Carano, Alessandro; Vellante, Federica; Matarazzo, Ilaria; Perna, Giampaolo; Martinotti, Giovanni; Di Giannantonio, Massimo

2017-08-01

Agomelatine is a newer antidepressant but, to date, no studies have been carried out investigating its effects on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in major depressive disorder (MDD) before and after treatment. The present study aimed (i) to investigate the effects of agomelatine treatment on CRP levels in a sample of patients with MDD and (ii) to investigate if CRP variations were correlated with clinical improvement in such patients. 30 adult outpatients (12 males, 18 females) with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) diagnosis of MDD were recruited in "real-world," everyday clinical practice and treated with a flexible dose of agomelatine for 12 weeks. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) were used to evaluate depressive symptoms and anhedonia, respectively. Moreover, serum CRP was measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. Agomelatine was effective in the treatment of MDD, with a significant reduction in HAM-D and SHAPS scores from baseline to endpoint. CRP levels were reduced in the whole sample, with remitters showing a significant difference in CRP levels after 12 weeks of agomelatine. A multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed that higher CRP level variation was associated with higher baseline HAM-D scores, controlling for age, gender, smoking, BMI, and agomelatine dose. Agomelatine's antidepressant properties were associated with a reduction in circulating CRP levels in MDD patients who achieved remission after 12 weeks of treatment. Moreover, more prominent CRP level variation was associated with more severe depressive symptoms at baseline.

News

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2004-03-01

Italy’s Physics Olympiad creates greater interest and motivation House of Experiments: 'humour helps in the teaching of science' Science takes stage in Germany PPARC news: guide and awards Schools newspaper competition focuses on Venus Website offers practical advice SHAP workshop will sharpen up teachers' skills Students will soon use Faulkes Telescope North to see the stars Talk takes a tour of the universe ASE 2004 Welsh physicists share secrets Switch students on to physics Teachers Awards 2004 recognize quality of teaching AAPT spends winter in Miami sun Schools Physics Group meeting will take place at Rugby School

Bringing physics to life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-01-01

`I'm doing a physics that is pulling me towards it.' `I like the course being more up to date.' `You learn the physics but you also think ``well I actually see a point in knowing this physics''.' `This course presents physics in a more interesting way as it focuses on practical activity and applications of physics.' `The industrial visit gives students the opportunity to look for science in action.' These are just some of the comments from students and teachers piloting the new Salters Horners Advanced Physics course (SHAP). Contexts and applications drive the course, providing interest and motivation for students and alerting them to some of the many career areas that involve physics. For example, the operation of a CD player leads to a study of waves and superposition; archaeological surveying and analysis brings in d.c. circuitry and x-ray diffraction; consideration of safety in rail transport involves learning about mechanics and electromagnetism. The course is produced by a team directed from the University of York and funded by a consortium of industrial and charitable sponsors. It is examined by Edexcel and support materials are published by Heinemann. The pilot, involving some 50 centres, began in September 1998 with the new subject core and the AS qualification intermediate between GCSE and the full A-level standard. The course has been fully approved by QCA, and from September 2000 it will be open to all. For comprehensive information about SHAP, visit the project's website: www.york.ac.uk/org/seg/salters/physics . Pilot materials for students, teachers and technicians are available from Heinemann. They will be re-edited and published in full colour for September 2000. Members of the team will attend the annual ASE meeting in Leeds this month; there will be a talk and a hands-on workshop where student activities can be sampled. Materials will be on view at the University of York stand. In addition, Edexcel and the York team are running a series of

Nitrogen fixation and metabolism by groundwater-dependent perennial plants in a hyperarid desert.

PubMed

Arndt, Stefan K; Kahmen, Ansgar; Arampatsis, Christina; Popp, Marianne; Adams, Mark

2004-11-01

The Central Asian Taklamakan desert is characterized by a hyperarid climate with less than 50 mm annual precipitation but a permanent shallow groundwater table. The perched groundwater (2-16 m) could present a reliable and constant source of nitrogen throughout the growing season and help overcome temporal nitrogen limitations that are common in arid environments. We investigated the importance of groundwater and nitrogen fixation in the nitrogen metabolism of desert plants by assessing the possible forms and availability of soil N and atmospheric N and the seasonal variation in concentration as well as isotopic composition of plant N. Water availability was experimentally modified in the desert foreland through simulated flooding to estimate the contribution of surface water and temporally increased soil moisture for nutrient uptake and plant-water relations. The natural vegetation of the Taklamakan desert is dominated by plants with high foliar nitrogen concentrations (2-3% DM) and leaf nitrate reductase activity (NRA) (0.2-1 micromol NO2- g(-1) FW h(-1)). There is little evidence that nitrogen is a limiting resource as all perennial plants exhibited fast rates of growth. The extremely dry soil conditions preclude all but minor contributions of soil N to total plant N so that groundwater is suggested as the dominant source of N with concentrations of 100 microM NO3-. Flood irrigation had little beneficial effect on nitrogen metabolism and growth, further confirming the dependence on groundwater. Nitrogen fixation was determined by the 15N natural abundance method and was a significant component of the N-requirement of the legume Alhagi, the average contribution of biologically fixed nitrogen in Alhagi was 54.8%. But nitrogen fixing plants had little ecological advantage owing to the more or less constant supply of N available from groundwater. From our data we conclude that the perennial species investigated have adapted to the environmental conditions through

Sensory feedback by peripheral nerve stimulation improves task performance in individuals with upper limb loss using a myoelectric prosthesis.

PubMed

Schiefer, Matthew; Tan, Daniel; Sidek, Steven M; Tyler, Dustin J

2016-02-01

Tactile feedback is critical to grip and object manipulation. Its absence results in reliance on visual and auditory cues. Our objective was to assess the effect of sensory feedback on task performance in individuals with limb loss. Stimulation of the peripheral nerves using implanted cuff electrodes provided two subjects with sensory feedback with intensity proportional to forces on the thumb, index, and middle fingers of their prosthetic hand during object manipulation. Both subjects perceived the sensation on their phantom hand at locations corresponding to the locations of the forces on the prosthetic hand. A bend sensor measured prosthetic hand span. Hand span modulated the intensity of sensory feedback perceived on the thenar eminence for subject 1 and the middle finger for subject 2. We performed three functional tests with the blindfolded subjects. First, the subject tried to determine whether or not a wooden block had been placed in his prosthetic hand. Second, the subject had to locate and remove magnetic blocks from a metal table. Third, the subject performed the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP). We also measured the subject's sense of embodiment with a survey and his self-confidence. Blindfolded performance with sensory feedback was similar to sighted performance in the wooden block and magnetic block tasks. Performance on the SHAP, a measure of hand mechanical function and control, was similar with and without sensory feedback. An embodiment survey showed an improved sense of integration of the prosthesis in self body image with sensory feedback. Sensory feedback by peripheral nerve stimulation improved object discrimination and manipulation, embodiment, and confidence. With both forms of feedback, the blindfolded subjects tended toward results obtained with visual feedback.

New materials systems for advanced tribological and environmental applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Wei

In this study, two different materials systems were developed to address current industrial problems of wear. The first system consisted of sterically hindered aliphatic polyester (SHAP) lubricants for use in hard disk magnetic recording applications. Specific goals included improved adhesion, durability and tribochemical stability compared to commercial perfluoropolyethers. While commercial perfluoropolyether lubricants are subject to catalytic degradation and mechanical scission, or suffer from severe stiction and dewetting problems, SHAP lubricants manifest greatly reduced stiction, superb thermal and oxidation stability, and excellent friction property, and make good candidates for broader applications, such as lubricants for MEMs or general purpose lubricants. The second material system involved a blend of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and an Aromatic Thermosetting Polyester (ATSP) to achieve greatly improved mechanical properties and wear resistance compared to currently available blends of PTFE. The unique solid bonding capability and liquid crystalline nature of ATSP help form high aspect ratio microstructures, which allows fabrication of PTFE/ATSP composites across the entire composition range with greatly improved performance under greatly simplified conditions. A third project involved the design of new wide-spectrum antibacterial filters for point-of-use systems that are robust and can be easily regenerated and maintained. Silver coated fiberglass with colloidal sized silver particles was developed. Systems made of silver coated fiberglass are highly effective, have high capacity and can be regenerated easily. These disinfection units do not leach silver ions, or add taste or disinfection by-products into the treated water. Protozoa such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia can be held by the filter and destroyed during regeneration. They are an inexpensive, cleaner alternative to current point-of-use systems.

Mindfulness Is Associated with Increased Hedonic Capacity Among Chronic Pain Patients Receiving Extended Opioid Pharmacotherapy

PubMed Central

Thomas, Elizabeth A.; Garland, Eric L.

2016-01-01

Objectives Chronic pain and long-term opioid use may lead to a persistent deficit in hedonic capacity, characterized by increased sensitivity to aversive states and insensitivity to natural rewards. Dispositional mindfulness has been linked with improved emotion regulation and pain coping. The aim of the current study was to examine associations between dispositional mindfulness, hedonic capacity, and pain-related interference in an opioid-using chronic pain sample. Methods Data were obtained from a sample of 115 chronic pain patients on long-term opioid therapy (68% females, M age=48.3, SD=13.6) who completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Snaith Hamilton Anhedonia and Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and a psychiatric assessment of major depression. Bivariate correlations, hierarchical multiple regression, and path analysis were used to determine if dispositional mindfulness scores (FFMQ) predicted variance in hedonic capacity (SHAPS), and if hedonic capacity mediated the association between mindfulness and pain interference. Results We observed a significant positive correlation between dispositional mindfulness and hedonic capacity scores, r=.33, p<.001. Hierarchical regression indicated that after controlling for pain interference and major depressive disorder diagnosis, dispositional mindfulness explained a significant portion of variance in hedonic capacity (Beta = .30, p< .01). The association between dispositional mindfulness and pain interference was mediated by hedonic capacity (b = −.011, SE=.005, 95% C.I. = −.004 to −.024, full model R2=.39). Discussion Findings indicate that dispositional mindfulness was associated with hedonic capacity among this chronic pain sample. In light of this association, it is plausible that interventions that increase mindfulness may reduce pain-related impairment among opioid-using patients by enhancing hedonic capacity. PMID:28060783

Patterns of change in withdrawal symptoms, desire to smoke, reward motivation and response inhibition across 3 months of smoking abstinence.

PubMed

Dawkins, Lynne; Powell, Jane H; Pickering, Alan; Powell, John; West, Robert

2009-05-01

We have demonstrated previously that acute smoking abstinence is associated with lowered reward motivation and impaired response inhibition. This prospective study explores whether these impairments, along with withdrawal-related symptoms, recover over 3 months of sustained abstinence. Participants completed a 12-hour abstinent baseline assessment and were then allocated randomly to quit unaided or continue smoking. All were re-tested after 7 days, 1 month and 3 months. Successful quitters' scores were compared with those of continuing smokers, who were tested after ad libitum smoking. Goldsmiths, University of London. A total of 33 smokers who maintained abstinence to 3 months, and 31 continuing smokers. Indices demonstrated previously in this cohort of smokers to be sensitive to the effect of nicotine versus acute abstinence: reward motivation [Snaith-Hamilton pleasure scale (SHAPS), Card Arranging Reward Responsivity Objective Test (CARROT), Stroop], tasks of response inhibition [anti-saccade task; Continuous Performance Task (CPT)], clinical indices of mood [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)], withdrawal symptoms [Mood and Physical Symptoms Scale (MPSS)] and desire to smoke. SHAPS anhedonia and reward responsivity (CARROT) showed significant improvement and plateaued after a month of abstinence, not differing from the scores of continuing smokers tested in a satiated state. Mood, other withdrawal symptoms and desire to smoke all declined from acute abstinence to 1 month of cessation and were equivalent to, or lower than, the levels reported by continuing, satiated smokers. Neither group showed a change in CPT errors over time while continuing smokers, but not abstainers, showed improved accuracy on the anti-saccade task at 3 months. Appetitive processes and related affective states appear to improve in smokers who remain nicotine-free for 3 months, whereas response inhibition does not. Although in need of replication, the results suggest tentatively

Patterns of change in withdrawal symptoms, desire to smoke, reward motivation, and response inhibition across three months of smoking abstinence

PubMed Central

Dawkins, Lynne; Powell, Jane H.; Pickering, Alan; Powell, John; West, Robert

2009-01-01

Aims We have previously demonstrated that acute smoking abstinence is associated with lowered reward motivation and impaired response inhibition. This prospective study explores whether these impairments, along with withdrawal-related symptoms, recover over three months of sustained abstinence. Design Participants completed a 12-hour abstinent baseline assessment and were then randomly allocated to quit unaided or continue smoking. All were re-tested after 7 days, 1 month and 3 months. Successful quitters’ scores were compared with those of continuing smokers, who were tested after ad libitum smoking. Setting Goldsmiths, University of London. Participants 33 smokers who maintained abstinence to 3 months, and 31 continuing smokers. Measurements Indices previously demonstrated in this cohort of smokers to be sensitive to the effect of nicotine vs. acute abstinence: reward motivation (SHAPS, CARROT, Stroop); tasks of response inhibition (antisaccade task; CPT) and clinical indices of mood (HADS), withdrawal symptoms (MPSS) and desire to smoke. Findings SHAPS anhedonia and reward responsivity (CARROT) showed significant improvement and plateaued after a month of abstinence, not differing from the scores of continuing smokers tested in a satiated state. Mood, other withdrawal symptoms and desire to smoke all declined from acute abstinence to 1 month of cessation and were equivalent, or lower than, the levels reported by continuing, satiated smokers. Neither group showed a change in CPT errors over time whilst continuing smokers, but not abstainers, showed improved accuracy on the antisaccade task at 3 months. Conclusion Appetitive processes and related affective states appear to improve in smokers who remain nicotine-free for 3 months whereas response inhibition does not. Although in need of replication, the results tentatively suggest that poor inhibitory control may constitute a long-term risk factor for relapse and could be a target for intervention. PMID:19344444

Electron Beam Pattern Rotation as a Method of Tunable Bunch Train Generation

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

Halavanau, A.; Piot, P.

Transversely modulated electron beams can be formed in photo injectors via microlens array (MLA) UV laser shap- ing technique. Microlenses can be arranged in polygonal lattices, with resulting transverse electron beam modula- tion mimicking the lenses pattern. Conventionally, square MLAs are used for UV laser beam shaping, and generated electron beam patterns form square beamlet arrays. The MLA setup can be placed on a rotational mount, thereby rotating electron beam distribution. In combination with transverse-to-longitudinal emittance exchange (EEX) beam line, it allows to vary beamlets horizontal projection and tune electron bunch train. In this paper, we extend the technique tomore » the case of different MLA lattice arrangements and explore the benefits of its rotational symmetries.« less

News

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-03-01

UK Awards: Teacher of Physics Awards Institute Matters: Institute of Physics Education Conference UK Awards: Top SHAP students win prizes Competition: International creative essay competition UK Awards: Kelvin Medal Particle Physics Resources: New poster from PPARC Australia: Physics Students's Day at Adventure World UK Awards: Bragg Medal winners in a FLAP ASE Annual Meeting: Particle Physics at ASE 2002 UK Grants: PPARC Awards AAPT Winter Meeting: Physics First - but do you need maths? UK In-Service Training: The Particle Physics Institutes for A-level teachers Physics on Stage 2: Not too entertaining this time, please! Scotland: A reasoned approach wins reasonable funding Institute Matters: New education manager Germany: Physics gets real: curriculum change for better teaching Research Frontiers: Let there be light - if you hang on a minute

Development of an IgY Antibody-Based Immunoassay for the Screening of the CYP2E1 Inhibitor/Enhancer from Herbal Medicines.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhihui; Jiang, Xuemei; Li, Cui; Xue, Huiting; Zhang, Xiaoying

2016-01-01

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 is an important enzyme involved in the metabolism of many endogenous and exogenous compounds. It is essential to evaluate the expression of CYP2E1 in the studies of drug-drug interactions and the screening of drugs, natural products, and foodstuffs. The present work is a feasibility study on the development of immunoassays using a specific and sensitive chicken-sourced anti-CYP2E1 IgY antibody. Cloning, expression, and purification of a recombinant CYP2E1 (mice origin) protein were carried out. Anti-CYP2E1 IgY antibodies were generated by immunizing white Leghorn chickens with purified recombinant CYP2E1 protein and were purified by immune affinity chromatography. The IgY titer attained a peak level (≥1:128,000) after the fifth booster injection. For evaluation of the expression of CYP2E1 in different herbal treatment samples, the mice were treated by oral gavage for 3 days with alcohol (50% 15 mL/kg), acetaminophen (APAP, 300 mg/kg), Cornus officinalis extract (100 mg/kg), Alhagi-honey extract (100 mg/kg), Apocynum venetum extract (100 mg/kg), hyperoside (50 mg/kg), isoquercetin (50 mg/kg), 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (50 mg/kg), 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (50 mg/kg), and 3,4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (50 mg/kg). The expression of CYP2E1 was determined by Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, and immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) using anti-CYP2E1 IgY in liver tissue. The results showed that C. officinalis extract, Alhagi-honey extract, A. venetum extract, hyperoside, isoquercetin, and their xenobiotics 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3,4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid significantly decreased CYP2E1 levels. Alcohol and APAP treatments significantly increased CYP2E1 levels as analyzed with Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA. The IMB method is suitable for large-scale screening, and it is a rapid screening (20 min) that uses a portable magnet and has no professional requirements for the

Development of an IgY Antibody-Based Immunoassay for the Screening of the CYP2E1 Inhibitor/Enhancer from Herbal Medicines

PubMed Central

Jiang, Zhihui; Jiang, Xuemei; Li, Cui; Xue, Huiting; Zhang, Xiaoying

2016-01-01

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 is an important enzyme involved in the metabolism of many endogenous and exogenous compounds. It is essential to evaluate the expression of CYP2E1 in the studies of drug–drug interactions and the screening of drugs, natural products, and foodstuffs. The present work is a feasibility study on the development of immunoassays using a specific and sensitive chicken-sourced anti-CYP2E1 IgY antibody. Cloning, expression, and purification of a recombinant CYP2E1 (mice origin) protein were carried out. Anti-CYP2E1 IgY antibodies were generated by immunizing white Leghorn chickens with purified recombinant CYP2E1 protein and were purified by immune affinity chromatography. The IgY titer attained a peak level (≥1:128,000) after the fifth booster injection. For evaluation of the expression of CYP2E1 in different herbal treatment samples, the mice were treated by oral gavage for 3 days with alcohol (50% 15 mL/kg), acetaminophen (APAP, 300 mg/kg), Cornus officinalis extract (100 mg/kg), Alhagi-honey extract (100 mg/kg), Apocynum venetum extract (100 mg/kg), hyperoside (50 mg/kg), isoquercetin (50 mg/kg), 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (50 mg/kg), 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (50 mg/kg), and 3,4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (50 mg/kg). The expression of CYP2E1 was determined by Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, and immunomagnetic beads (IMBs) using anti-CYP2E1 IgY in liver tissue. The results showed that C. officinalis extract, Alhagi-honey extract, A. venetum extract, hyperoside, isoquercetin, and their xenobiotics 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and 3,4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid significantly decreased CYP2E1 levels. Alcohol and APAP treatments significantly increased CYP2E1 levels as analyzed with Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and ELISA. The IMB method is suitable for large-scale screening, and it is a rapid screening (20 min) that uses a portable magnet and has no professional requirements for the

Rehand: Realistic electric prosthetic hand created with a 3D printer.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, Masahiro; Sato, Ryo; Higashihara, Takanori; Ogasawara, Tsukasa; Kawashima, Noritaka

2015-01-01

Myoelectric prosthetic hands provide an appearance with five fingers and a grasping function to forearm amputees. However, they have problems in weight, appearance, and cost. This paper reports on the Rehand, a realistic electric prosthetic hand created with a 3D printer. It provides a realistic appearance that is same as the cosmetic prosthetic hand and a grasping function. A simple link mechanism with one linear actuator for grasping and 3D printed parts achieve low cost, light weight, and ease of maintenance. An operating system based on a distance sensor provides a natural operability equivalent to the myoelectric control system. A supporter socket allows them to wear the prosthetic hand easily. An evaluation using the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) demonstrated that an amputee was able to operate various objects and do everyday activities with the Rehand.

The Measurement and Interpretation of Transformation Temperatures in Nitinol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duerig, T. W.; Pelton, A. R.; Bhattacharya, K.

2017-12-01

A previous paper (Duerig and Bhattacharya in Shap Mem Superelasticity 1:153-161, 2015) introduced several engineering considerations surrounding the R-phase in Nitinol and highlighted a common, if not pervasive, misconception regarding the use of the term Af by the medical device industry. This paper brings additional data to bear on the issue and proposes more accurate terminology. Moreover, a variety of tools are used to establish the forward and reverse stress-temperature phase diagrams for a superelastic wire typical of that used in medical devices. Once established, the two most common methods of measuring transformation temperatures, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Bend Free Recovery, are tested against the observed behavior. Light is also shed upon the origin of the Clausius-Clapeyron ratio (d σ/d T), the triple point, and why such large variations are reported in superelastic alloys.

Four-fluid MHD Simulations of the Plasma and Neutral Gas Environment of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Near Perihelion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhenguang; Toth, Gabor; Gombosi, Tamas; Jia, Xianzhe; Rubin, Martin; Fougere, Nicolas; Tenishev, Valeriy; Combi, Michael; Bieler, Andre; Hansen, Kenneth; Shou, Yinsi; Altwegg, Kathrin

2016-04-01

The neutral and plasma environment is critical in understanding the interaction of the solar wind and comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (CG), the target of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission. In this study, we have developed a 3-D four-fluid model, which is based on BATS-R-US (Block-Adaptive Tree Solarwind Roe-type Upwind Scheme) within SWMF (Space Weather Modeling Framework) that solves the governing multi-fluid MHD equations and the Euler equations for the neutral gas fluid. These equations describe the behavior and interactions of the cometary heavy ions, the solar wind protons, the electrons, and the neutrals. We simulated the plasma and neutral gas environment of comet CG with SHAP5 model near perihelion and we showed that the plasma environment in the inner coma region have some new features: magnetic reconnection in the tail region, a magnetic pile-up region on the nightside, and nucleus directed plasma flow inside the nightside reconnection region.

Aerothermal Performance Constraint Analysis of Sharp Nosecaps and Leading Edges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rizk, Yehia; Gee, Ken

2004-01-01

The main objective of this work is to predict the Aerothermal Performance Constraint (APC) for a class of Crew Transfer Vehicles (CTV) with shap noses and wing leading edges made out of UHTC which is a family of Ultra High Temperature Ceramics materials developed at NASA Ames. The APC is based on the theoretical temperature limit of the material which is usually encountered at the CTV nose or wing leading edge. The APC places a lower limit on the trajectory of the CTV in the altitude velocity space. The APC is used as one of the constraints in developing reentry and abort trajectories for the CTV. The trajectories are then used to generate transient thermal response of the nosecaps and wing leading edges which are represented as either a one piece of UHTC or two piece (UHTC + RCC) with perfect axial contact. The final paper will include more details about the analysis procedure and will also include results for reentry and abort design trajectories.

A recent time of minimum for and atmospheric-eclipse in the ultraviolet spectrum of the Wolf-Rayet eclipsing binary V444 Cygni

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eaton, J. E.; Cherepashchuk, A. M.; Khaliullin, K. F.

1982-01-01

The 1200-1900 angstrom region and fine error sensor observations in the optical for V444 Cyg were continuously observed. More than half of a primary minimum and almost a complete secondary minimum were observed. It is found that the time of minimum for the secondary eclipse is consistent with that for primary eclipse, and the ultraviolet times of minimum are consistent with the optical ones. The spectrum shows a considerable amount of phase dependence. The general shaps and depths of the light curves for the FES signal and the 1565-1900 angstrom continuum are similar to those for the blue continuum. The FES, however, detected an atmospheric eclipse in line absorption at about the phase the NIV absorption was strongest. It is suggested that there is a source of continuum absorption shortward of 1460 angstrom which exists throughout a large part of the extended atmosphere and which, by implication, must redden considerably the ultraviolet continuua of WN stars. A fairly high degree of ionization for the inner part of the WN star a atmosphere is implied.

Ethno-Medicinal Plants Used to Cure Jaundice by Traditional Healers of Mashhad, Iran

PubMed Central

Amiri, Mohammad Sadegh; Joharchi, Mohammad Reza; TaghavizadehYazdi, Mohammad Ehsan

2014-01-01

Jaundice is the commonest ailments affecting the citizens of both developed and poor Asians countries including Iran. An ethnobotanical survey of plants used by the traditional healers for the treatment of jaundice was conducted in the Mashhad city, Northeastern Iran. A total of 37 plants belonging to 32 genera and 26 families have been documented for their therapeutic use against jaundice. The plant families which contained the most commonly used species for their effects are: Fabaceae (5 species), Polygonaceae (4 sp.), Asteraceae (3 sp.), Plantaginaceae (2 sp.) and Salicaceae (2 sp.). The plants were arranged with correct nomenclature along with their common name, family, the part used and their medicinal value. The use of decoction is the most preferred method of herbal preparation. In all cases, the treatment involved oral administration of the extracts 2 to 3 times daily from a week to month till the problem disappears. Cichorium intybus, Salix alba, Cotoneaster nummularius, Descurainia sophia, Malva sylvestris, Berberis integrrima, Rumex acetosella, Phyllanthus emblica and Alhagi maurorum were repeatedly mentioned by the traditional healers as the most widely used for the treatment of jaundice in the study area. The study indicates that the local inhabitants rely on medicinal plants for treatment. This paper suggested that further clinical experimentation is needed to scientifically evaluate these widely used herbal remedies for possible bioactive effects. PMID:24734067

Ethno-medicinal plants used to cure jaundice by traditional healers of mashhad, iran.

PubMed

Amiri, Mohammad Sadegh; Joharchi, Mohammad Reza; Taghavizadehyazdi, Mohammad Ehsan

2014-01-01

Jaundice is the commonest ailments affecting the citizens of both developed and poor Asians countries including Iran. An ethnobotanical survey of plants used by the traditional healers for the treatment of jaundice was conducted in the Mashhad city, Northeastern Iran. A total of 37 plants belonging to 32 genera and 26 families have been documented for their therapeutic use against jaundice. The plant families which contained the most commonly used species for their effects are: Fabaceae (5 species), Polygonaceae (4 sp.), Asteraceae (3 sp.), Plantaginaceae (2 sp.) and Salicaceae (2 sp.). The plants were arranged with correct nomenclature along with their common name, family, the part used and their medicinal value. The use of decoction is the most preferred method of herbal preparation. In all cases, the treatment involved oral administration of the extracts 2 to 3 times daily from a week to month till the problem disappears. Cichorium intybus, Salix alba, Cotoneaster nummularius, Descurainia sophia, Malva sylvestris, Berberis integrrima, Rumex acetosella, Phyllanthus emblica and Alhagi maurorum were repeatedly mentioned by the traditional healers as the most widely used for the treatment of jaundice in the study area. The study indicates that the local inhabitants rely on medicinal plants for treatment. This paper suggested that further clinical experimentation is needed to scientifically evaluate these widely used herbal remedies for possible bioactive effects.

Camera on Vessel: A Camera-Based System to Measure Change in Water Volume in a Drinking Glass.

PubMed

Ayoola, Idowu; Chen, Wei; Feijs, Loe

2015-09-18

A major problem related to chronic health is patients' "compliance" with new lifestyle changes, medical prescriptions, recommendations, or restrictions. Heart-failure and hemodialysis patients are usually placed on fluid restrictions due to their hemodynamic status. A holistic approach to managing fluid imbalance will incorporate the monitoring of salt-water intake, body-fluid retention, and fluid excretion in order to provide effective intervention at an early stage. Such an approach creates a need to develop a smart device that can monitor the drinking activities of the patient. This paper employs an empirical approach to infer the real water level in a conically shapped glass and the volume difference due to changes in water level. The method uses a low-resolution miniaturized camera to obtain images using an Arduino microcontroller. The images are processed in MATLAB. Conventional segmentation techniques (such as a Sobel filter to obtain a binary image) are applied to extract the level gradient, and an ellipsoidal fitting helps to estimate the size of the cup. The fitting (using least-squares criterion) between derived measurements in pixel and the real measurements shows a low covariance between the estimated measurement and the mean. The correlation between the estimated results to ground truth produced a variation of 3% from the mean.

Camera on Vessel: A Camera-Based System to Measure Change in Water Volume in a Drinking Glass

PubMed Central

Ayoola, Idowu; Chen, Wei; Feijs, Loe

2015-01-01

A major problem related to chronic health is patients’ “compliance” with new lifestyle changes, medical prescriptions, recommendations, or restrictions. Heart-failure and hemodialysis patients are usually placed on fluid restrictions due to their hemodynamic status. A holistic approach to managing fluid imbalance will incorporate the monitoring of salt-water intake, body-fluid retention, and fluid excretion in order to provide effective intervention at an early stage. Such an approach creates a need to develop a smart device that can monitor the drinking activities of the patient. This paper employs an empirical approach to infer the real water level in a conically shapped glass and the volume difference due to changes in water level. The method uses a low-resolution miniaturized camera to obtain images using an Arduino microcontroller. The images are processed in MATLAB. Conventional segmentation techniques (such as a Sobel filter to obtain a binary image) are applied to extract the level gradient, and an ellipsoidal fitting helps to estimate the size of the cup. The fitting (using least-squares criterion) between derived measurements in pixel and the real measurements shows a low covariance between the estimated measurement and the mean. The correlation between the estimated results to ground truth produced a variation of 3% from the mean. PMID:26393600

Erratum: The Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. XXVIII. Combining the Constraints on the Hubble Constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mould, Jeremy R.; Huchra, John P.; Freedman, Wendy L.; Kennicutt, Robert C., Jr.; Ferrarese, Laura; Ford, Holland C.; Gibson, Brad K.; Graham, John A.; Hughes, Shaun M. G.; Illingworth, Garth D.; Kelson, Daniel D.; Macri, Lucas M.; Madore, Barry F.; Sakai, Shoko; Sebo, Kim M.; Silbermann, Nancy A.; Stetson, Peter B.

2000-12-01

In the article ``The Hubble Space Telescope Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale. XXVIII. Combining the Constraints on the Hubble Constant'' (ApJ, 529, 786 [2000]), by Jeremy R. Mould, John P. Huchra, Wendy L. Freedman, Robert C. Kennicutt, Jr., Laura Ferrarese, Holland C. Ford, Brad K. Gibson, John A. Graham, Shaun M. G. Hughes, Garth D. Illingworth, Daniel D. Kelson, Lucas M. Macri, Barry F. Madore, Shoko Sakai, Kim M. Sebo, Nancy A. Silbermann, and Peter B. Stetson, some sign errors need to be corrected. 1. In equation (A2) the minus signs should be plus signs. The correct version is Vcosmic=VH+Vc,LG+Vin,Virgo+Vin,GA+Vin,Shap+... 2. In Table A1 the declination of the Great Attractor (GA) is -44°, and that of the Shapley supercluster is -31°, i.e., south declination, not north, as implied in the table. The first error is the authors' and the second occurred in the publication process. In both cases the computer code was correct, and the errors are in the published representation. None of the results presented in the paper are therefore affected in any way. The authors thank Dr. Jim Condon for pointing out the error in equation (A2)

An in vitro evaluation of some unconventional ruminant feeds in terms of the organic matter digestibility, energy and microbial biomass.

PubMed

Al-Masri, M R

2003-04-01

In vitro organic matter apparent digestibility (IVOMAD), true digestibility (IVOMTD), metabolizable energy (ME), net energy lactation (NEL), microbial nitrogen (MN) and synthesis of microbial biomass (MBM) were estimated to predict the nutritive values of some agricultural by-products, drought-tolerant range plants and browses. The relationships between in vitro gas production (GP), and true or apparent digestibility. MN and MBM were studied utilizing an in vitro incubation technique. The values of IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME, NEL, GP, MBM and MN varied with the studied experimental materials. The true fermentation of the outside part of Atriplex leucoclada produced a higher volume of gas than the middle or the inside parts, and this was associated with an increase in the values of IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME and NEL. However, screening off the wood from olive cake to obtain olive cake pulp increased the IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME, NEL and the volume of gas production from the true fermented material. One ml of gas was generated from the true degradation of 5 mg of wheat straw, Moringa oleifera, Alhagi camelorum, Eucaliptus camaldulensis and A. leucoclada, from 11 mg of Prosopsis stephaniana and olive cake pulp, and from 20 mg of olive cake or olive cake wood. The amount of MN or MBM produced from 100 mg of truly fermented organic matter depended on the kind of the fermented material and amounted to 0.7-2.9 mg or 8-34 mg, respectively. Crude fibre was negatively correlated to IVOMAD, IVOMTD, ME and NEL. Gas production was positively correlated to IVOMAD and IVOMTD but negatively correlated to MBM and MN.

Development and validation of the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) in a community sample and individuals with major depression.

PubMed

Rizvi, Sakina J; Quilty, Lena C; Sproule, Beth A; Cyriac, Anna; Michael Bagby, R; Kennedy, Sidney H

2015-09-30

Anhedonia, a core symptom of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is predictive of antidepressant non-response. In contrast to the definition of anhedonia as a "loss of pleasure", neuropsychological studies provide evidence for multiple facets of hedonic function. The aim of the current study was to develop and validate the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS), a dynamic scale that measures desire, motivation, effort and consummatory pleasure across hedonic domains. Following item selection procedures and reliability testing using data from community participants (N=229) (Study 1), the 17-item scale was validated in an online study with community participants (N=150) (Study 2). The DARS was also validated in unipolar or bipolar depressed patients (n=52) and controls (n=50) (Study 3). Principal components analysis of the 17-item DARS revealed a 4-component structure mapping onto the domains of anhedonia: hobbies, food/drink, social activities, and sensory experience. Reliability of the DARS subscales was high across studies (Cronbach's α=0.75-0.92). The DARS also demonstrated good convergent and divergent validity. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed the DARS showed additional utility over the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) in predicting reward function and distinguishing MDD subgroups. These studies provide support for the reliability and validity of the DARS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and validation of an high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector method for the simultaneous determination of six phenolic compounds in abnormal savda munziq decoction

PubMed Central

Tian, Shuge; Liu, Wenxian; Liu, Feng; Zhang, Xuejia; Upur, Halmuart

2015-01-01

Aims: Given the high-effectiveness and low-toxicity of abnormal savda munziq (ASMQ), its herbal formulation has long been used in traditional Uyghur medicine to treat complex diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Settings and Design: ASMQ decoction by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a diode array detector was successfully developed for the simultaneous quality assessment of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, rutin, rosmarinic acid, and luteolin. The six phenolic compounds were separated on an Agilent TC-C18 reversed-phase analytical column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm) by gradient elution using 0.3% aqueous formic acid (v/v) and 0.3% methanol formic acid (v/v) at 1.0 mL/min. Materials and Methods: The plant material was separately ground and mixed at the following ratios (10): Cordia dichotoma (10.6), Anchusa italic (10.6), Euphorbia humifusa (4.9), Adiantum capillus-veneris (4.9), Ziziphus jujube (4.9), Glycyrrhiza uralensis (7.1), Foeniculum vulgare (4.9), Lavandula angustifolia (4.9), Dracocephalum moldavica L. (4.9), and Alhagi pseudoalhagi (42.3). Statistical Analysis Used: The precisions of all six compounds were <0.60%, and the average recoveries ranged from 99.39% to 104.85%. Highly significant linear correlations were found between component concentrations and specific chromatographic peak areas (R2 > 0.999). Results: The proposed method was successfully applied to determine the levels of six active components in ASMQ. Conclusions: Given the simplicity, precision, specificity, and sensitivity of the method, it can be utilized as a quality control approach to simultaneously determining the six phenolic compounds in AMSQ. PMID:25709227

Ethnomedicine for neonatal jaundice: A cross-sectional survey in Qom, Iran.

PubMed

Heydari, Mojtaba; Heydari, Hosein; Saadati, Alireza; Gharehbeglou, Mohammad; Tafaroji, Javad; Akbari, Abolfazl

2016-12-04

Traditional Medicine (TM) is popularly used for neonatal jaundice in Iran. to provides evidence for characteristics of traditional medicine use in the treatment of neonatal jaundice in Qom, Iran. Field surveys were carried out during July 2015 - August 2015 in Qom through structured questionnaire in Persian from 212 parents of children with neonatal jaundice. All plant species recorded for the treatment of neonatal jaundice were sampled. Samples were identified by a botanist and obtained a voucher specimens number and deposited in the Shiraz School of Pharmacy Herbarium. The information such as scientific name, family, local name, parts used and preparation method were provided. The Use Value (UV), Frequency of Citation (FC), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and Relative Family Importance Value (FIV) are also calculated. In total, 165 (78%) of participants reported the use of traditional methods for their neonates. The use of herbal remedies was the most popular form of these traditional interventions. A total of 8 plant species belonging to 7 families were identified. Cotoneaster nummularioides Pojark. Cichorium intybus L. Alhagi maurorum Medik. Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl were most frequent herbs used by neonates and their feeding mother to treat jaundice. Manna was the most popular plant part and distillation and soaking were most frequent preparation methods in these patients. The use of TM in these patients is associated with their previous experience on TM use and their view on its potential risk. This study provided information on the prevalence, associated factors and characteristics of traditional medicine use along with ethnomedicinal knowledge from Qom in Iran on neonatal jaundice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Investigation of the Growth Inhibitory Capacity of Several Medicinal Plants From Iran on Tumor Cell Lines

PubMed Central

Esmaeilbeig, Maryam; Kouhpayeh, Seyed Amin; Amirghofran, Zahra

2015-01-01

Background: Traditional herbal medicine is a valuable resource that provides new drugs for cancer treatment. Objectives: In this study we aim to screen and investigate the in vitro anti-tumor activities of ten species of plants commonly grown in Southern Iran. Materials and Methods: We used the MTT colorimetric assay to evaluate the cytotoxic activities of the methanol extracts of these plants on various tumor cell lines. The IC50 was calculated as a scale for this evaluation. Results: Satureja bachtiarica, Satureja hortensis, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus daenensis and Mentha lonigfolia showed the inhibitoriest effects on Jurkat cells with > 80% inhibition at 200 µg/mL. Satureja hortensis (IC50: 66.7 µg/mL) was the most effective. These plants also strongly inhibited K562 cell growth; Satureja bachtiarica (IC50: 28.3 µg/mL), Satureja hortensis (IC50: 52 µg/mL) and Thymus vulgaris (IC50: 87 µg/mL) were the most effective extracts. Cichorium intybus, Rheum ribes, Alhagi pseudalhagi and Glycyrrihza glabra also showed notable effects on the leukemia cell lines. The Raji cell line was mostly inhibited by Satureja bachtiarica and Thymus vulgaris with approximately 40% inhibition at 200µg/ml. The influence of these extracts on solid tumor cell lines was not strong. Fen cells were mostly affected by Glycyrrihza glabra (IC50: 182 µg/mL) and HeLa cells by Satureja hortensis (31.6% growth inhibitory effect at 200 µg/mL). Conclusions: Leukemic cell lines were more sensitive to the extracts than the solid tumor cell lines; Satureja hortensis, Satureja bachtiarica, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus daenensis and Mentha lonigfolia showed remarkable inhibitory potential. PMID:26634114

Implicit and explicit learning in schizophrenics treated with olanzapine and with classic neuroleptics.

PubMed

Stevens, Andreas; Schwarz, Jürgen; Schwarz, Benedikt; Ruf, Ilona; Kolter, Thomas; Czekalla, Joerg

2002-03-01

Novel and classic neuroleptics differ in their effects on limbic striatal/nucleus accumbens (NA) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) dopamine turnover, suggesting differential effects on implicit and explicit learning as well as on anhedonia. The present study investigates whether such differences can be demonstrated in a naturalistic sample of schizophrenic patients. Twenty-five inpatients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenic psychosis and treated for at least 14 days with the novel neuroleptic olanzapine were compared with 25 schizophrenics taking classic neuroleptics and with 25 healthy controls, matched by age and education level. PFC/NA-dependent implicit learning was assessed by a serial reaction time task (SRTT) and compared with cerebellum-mediated classical eye-blink conditioning and explicit visuospatial memory. Anhedonia was measured with the Snaith-Hamilton-Pleasure Scale (SHAPS). Implicit (SRTT) and psychomotor speed, but not explicit (visuospatial) learning were superior in the olanzapine-treated group as compared to the patients on classic neuroleptics. Compared to healthy controls, olanzapine-treated schizophrenics showed similar implicit learning, but reduced explicit (visuospatial) memory performance. Acquisition of eyeblink conditioning was not different between the three groups. There was no difference with regard to anhedonia and SANS scores between the patients. Olanzapine seems to interfere less with unattended learning and motor speed than classical neuroleptics. In daily life, this may translate into better adaptation to a rapidly changing environment. The effects seem specific, as in explicit learning and eyeblink conditioning no difference to classic NL was found.

Biochemical evolution III: Polymerization on organophilic silica-rich surfaces, crystal–chemical modeling, formation of first cells, and geological clues

PubMed Central

Smith, Joseph V.; Arnold, Frederick P.; Parsons, Ian; Lee, Martin R.

1999-01-01

Catalysis at organophilic silica-rich surfaces of zeolites and feldspars might generate replicating biopolymers from simple chemicals supplied by meteorites, volcanic gases, and other geological sources. Crystal–chemical modeling yielded packings for amino acids neatly encapsulated in 10-ring channels of the molecular sieve silicalite-ZSM-5-(mutinaite). Calculation of binding and activation energies for catalytic assembly into polymers is progressing for a chemical composition with one catalytic Al–OH site per 25 neutral Si tetrahedral sites. Internal channel intersections and external terminations provide special stereochemical features suitable for complex organic species. Polymer migration along nano/micrometer channels of ancient weathered feldspars, plus exploitation of phosphorus and various transition metals in entrapped apatite and other microminerals, might have generated complexes of replicating catalytic biomolecules, leading to primitive cellular organisms. The first cell wall might have been an internal mineral surface, from which the cell developed a protective biological cap emerging into a nutrient-rich “soup.” Ultimately, the biological cap might have expanded into a complete cell wall, allowing mobility and colonization of energy-rich challenging environments. Electron microscopy of honeycomb channels inside weathered feldspars of the Shap granite (northwest England) has revealed modern bacteria, perhaps indicative of Archean ones. All known early rocks were metamorphosed too highly during geologic time to permit simple survival of large-pore zeolites, honeycombed feldspar, and encapsulated species. Possible microscopic clues to the proposed mineral adsorbents/catalysts are discussed for planning of systematic study of black cherts from weakly metamorphosed Archaean sediments. PMID:10097060

Parsing the heterogeneity of depression: An exploratory factor analysis across commonly used depression rating scales.

PubMed

Ballard, Elizabeth D; Yarrington, Julia S; Farmer, Cristan A; Lener, Marc S; Kadriu, Bashkim; Lally, Níall; Williams, Deonte; Machado-Vieira, Rodrigo; Niciu, Mark J; Park, Lawrence; Zarate, Carlos A

2018-04-15

Due to the heterogeneity of depressive symptoms-which can include depressed mood, anhedonia, negative cognitive biases, and altered activity levels-researchers often use a combination of depression rating scales to assess symptoms. This study sought to identify unidimensional constructs measured across rating scales for depression and to evaluate these constructs across clinical trials of a rapid-acting antidepressant (ketamine). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on baseline ratings from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Rating Scale (SHAPS). Inpatients with major depressive disorder (n = 76) or bipolar depression (n = 43) were participating in clinical ketamine trials. The trajectories of the resulting unidimensional scores were evaluated in 41 subjects with bipolar depression who participated in clinical ketamine trials. The best solution, which exhibited excellent fit to the data, comprised eight factors: Depressed Mood, Tension, Negative Cognition, Impaired Sleep, Suicidal Thoughts, Reduced Appetite, Anhedonia, and Amotivation. Various response patterns were observed across the clinical trial data, both in treatment effect (ketamine versus placebo) and in degree of placebo response, suggesting that use of these unidimensional constructs may reveal patterns not observed with traditional scoring of individual instruments. Limitations include: 1) small sample (and related inability to confirm measurement invariance); 2) absence of an independent sample for confirmation of factor structure; and 3) the treatment-resistant nature of the population, which may limit generalizability. The empirical identification of unidimensional constructs creates more refined scores that may elucidate the connection between specific symptoms and underlying pathophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Time-temperature evolution of microtextures and contained fluids in a plutonic alkali feldspar during heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsons, Ian; Fitz Gerald, John D.; Lee, James K. W.; Ivanic, Tim; Golla-Schindler, Ute

2010-08-01

Microtextural changes brought about by heating alkali feldspar crystals from the Shap granite, northern England, at atmospheric pressure, have been studied using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. A typical unheated phenocryst from Shap is composed of about 70 vol% of tweed orthoclase with strain-controlled coherent or semicoherent micro- and crypto-perthitic albite lamellae, with maximum lamellar thicknesses <1 μm. Semicoherent lamellae are encircled by nanotunnel loops in two orientations and cut by pull-apart cracks. The average bulk composition of this microtexture is Ab27.6Or71.8An0.6. The remaining 30 vol% is deuterically coarsened, microporous patch and vein perthite composed of incoherent subgrains of oligoclase, albite and irregular microcline. The largest subgrains are ~3 μm in diameter. Heating times in the laboratory were 12 to 6,792 h and T from 300°C into the melting interval at 1,100°C. Most samples were annealed at constant T but two were heated to simulate an 40Ar/39Ar step-heating schedule. Homogenisation of strain-controlled lamellae by Na↔K inter-diffusion was rapid, so that in all run products at >700°C, and after >48 h at 700°C, all such regions were essentially compositionally homogeneous, as indicated by X-ray analyses at fine scale in the transmission electron microscope. Changes in lamellar thickness with time at different T point to an activation energy of ~350 kJmol-1. A lamella which homogenised after 6,800 h at 600°C, therefore, would have required only 0.6 s to do so in the melting interval at 1,100°C. Subgrains in patch perthite homogenised more slowly than coherent lamellae and chemical gradients in patches persisted for >5,000 h at 700°C. Homogenisation T is in agreement with experimentally determined solvi for coherent ordered intergrowths, when a 50-100°C increase in T for An1 is applied. Homogenisation of lamellae appears to proceed in an unexpected manner: two smooth interfaces, microstructurally sharp

Categorization of Cathartic (Purgative) Medicines Mentioned in TPM Resources According to Their Specific Function.

PubMed

Abolghasemi, Jafar

2016-05-01

According to traditional Persian medicine (TPM) resources, the human digestive system includes four steps. In the first step, gastric digestion, the ingested food pours into the stomach and changes into the leachate called chylous due to the heat produced in the stomach. In the second step, hepatic digestion, the chylous enters in the liver through mesenteric vessels and transforms into the quadruple humors, sanguine, phlegm, bile and black bile due to the liver heat. In the case of humor predominance, using moshel or cathartic medicines is considered as a strategic medical plan. In this study, we introduce cathartic (purgative) medicines mentioned in TPM resources according to their specific function. Literature review of TPM resources, including Canon of Medicine and Aghili's Makhzan-ul-Adwiah was performed in order to find cathartics cited in the aforementioned books, prescribed specifically for different humor's predominance in the body. The survey found that the cathartics are categorized into eight groups: Cathartic of "balgham" such as "Citrullus colocynthis and Colchicum autumnale"Cathartic of bile such as "Prunus domestica and Alhagi Camelorum A. maurorum"Cathartic of "sovda" such as "lajward stone and Armenian stone"Cathartic of "Ma'a-e-asfar" such as "Marrubium vulgarre and Rivand extract"Cathartic of melancholy and phlegm such as "Cuscuta epithymum and Adiantum capillus venerisCathartic of bile and phlegm such as "Nepeta menthoides and Fumaria parviflora"Cathartic of "Ma'a-e-asfar and phlegm such as Urtica dioica and Qsa'alhmarCathartic of all mucus such as "Cassia acutifolia" and "kharbaghe Aswad". Medical students of traditional Persian medicine should be familiar with cathartics and purgatives specific for each humor. In this study, cathartics has classified into main cathartics of phlegm, bile, black bile, Ma'a-e-asfar, black bile and phlegm, Ma'a-e-asfar and phlegm, as well as cathartic of all triple humors for a better memorization and feasibility

System training and assessment in simultaneous proportional myoelectric prosthesis control

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Pattern recognition control of prosthetic hands take inputs from one or more myoelectric sensors and controls one or more degrees of freedom. However, most systems created allow only sequential control of one motion class at a time. Additionally, only recently have researchers demonstrated proportional myoelectric control in such systems, an option that is believed to make fine control easier for the user. Recent developments suggest improved reliability if the user follows a so-called prosthesis guided training (PGT) scheme. Methods In this study, a system for simultaneous proportional myoelectric control has been developed for a hand prosthesis with two motor functions (hand open/close, and wrist pro-/supination). The prosthesis has been used with a prosthesis socket equivalent designed for normally-limbed subjects. An extended version of PGT was developed for use with proportional control. The control system’s performance was tested for two subjects in the Clothespin Relocation Task and the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP). Simultaneous proportional control was compared with three other control strategies implemented on the same prosthesis: mutex proportional control (the same system but with simultaneous control disabled), mutex on-off control, and a more traditional, sequential proportional control system with co-contractions for state switching. Results The practical tests indicate that the simultaneous proportional control strategy and the two mutex-based pattern recognition strategies performed equally well, and superiorly to the more traditional sequential strategy according to the chosen outcome measures. Conclusions This is the first simultaneous proportional myoelectric control system demonstrated on a prosthesis affixed to the forearm of a subject. The study illustrates that PGT is a promising system training method for proportional control. Due to the limited number of subjects in this study, no definite conclusions can be

The Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 on Irreversible Pulpitis of Mature Erupted Teeth

PubMed Central

Eba, Hisanori; Murasawa, Yusuke; Iohara, Koichiro; Isogai, Zenzo; Nakamura, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Hiroyuki; Nakashima, Misako

2012-01-01

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in extracellular matrix degradation and the modulation of cell behavior. These proteinases have also been implicated in tissue repair and regeneration. Our previous studies have demonstrated that MMP-3 elicits stimulatory effects on the proliferation and the migration of endothelial cells as well as anti-apoptotic effects on these cells in vitro. In addition, we found that MMP-3 enhanced the regeneration of lost pulp tissue in a rat incisor pulp injury model. However, continuously erupting rodent incisors exhibit significantly different pulp organization compared with mature erupted teeth. Therefore, we have further extended these studies using a canine irreversible pulpitis model to investigate the effects of MMP-3. In this study, the crowns of the canine mature premolars were removed and the pulp tissues were amputated. The amputated pulp tissues remained exposed for 24 or 72 hours to induce mild or severe irreversible pulpitis, respectively, followed by sealing of the cavities. In both models, the whole pulp tissues became necrotic by day 14. In this mild pulpitis model, the regeneration of pulp tissue with vasculature and nerves was observed until 14 days after sealing with MMP-3, followed by extracellular matrix formation in the regenerated pulp tissues until day 28. The treatment with MMP-3 resulted in a decrease in the number of macrophage and antigen-presenting cells and a significant inhibition of IL-6 expression on day 3. The inhibition of MMP-3 activity abolished these anti-inflammatory effects. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that MMP-3 was involved in the modification of serum-derived hyaluronan-associated proteins and hyaluronan (SHAP-HA) complexes possibly through the degradation of versican. These results demonstrate that MMP-3 can act as an anti-inflammatory agent and suggest that MMP-3 might represent a useful therapy for the treatment of mild irreversible pulpitis. PMID:23285075

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, is the pristine material present anywhere close to the surface?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kossacki, Konrad

2016-10-01

Observations of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko indicate high complexity of the topography (Thomas et al., 2015). Presence of numerous pits, and depressions, as well as scarps suggests complex evolution of the nucleus. This in turn makes uncertain presence of the pristine material anywhere close to the surface. However, non-uniformity of the mechanical strength of the nucleus suggests, that in some locations material can retain initial structure. This should be expected neither in the final Philae landing site Abydos, where the compressive strength of the material is about 2 MPa (Spohn et al., 2015), neither in the location of the first touch down, where beneath a layer of unconsolidated material possibly is a hard material (Biele et al., 2015). Both locations are at low latitudes, where the flux of solar energy is much higher than northern parts of the lobes, illuminated when the comet is far form perihelion. Groussin et al. (2015) investigated what inclination of slopes corresponds to the presence of falling-out boulders and have found, that the average strength is probably lower than 1.5 kPa.I attempted to answer the question, whether in poorly illuminated regions of the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are possible thermal conditions suitable for preservation of a pristine unconsolidated ice-dust material. For this purpose I calculated evolution of the temperature and structure of the material versus depth in selected locations in region Ma'at. This region is in general smooth (El-Maary et al., 2015), which may indicate presence of a loose dust mantle on the surface. The applied shape model is SHAP4s v1.0 (Preuskner et al., 2015). The performed simulations indicate, that in Scenario A preservation of low uni-axial compressive strength is possible, but only in shadowed locations, beneath a dust mantle of low thermal conductivity, at least few centimeters thick.

Modeling of the VIRTIS-M Observations of the Coma of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fougere, Nicolas; Combi, Michael R.; Tenishev, Valeriy; Bieler, Andre; Migliorini, Alessandra; Piccioni, Giuseppe; Capaccioni, Fabrizio; Filacchione, Gianrico; Toth, Gabor; Huang, Zhenguang; Gombosi, Tamas; Hansen, Kenneth; Bockelee-Morvan, Dominique; Debout, Vincent; Erard, Stephane; Leyrat, Cedric; Fink, Uwe; Rubin, Martin; Altwegg, Kathrin; Tzou, Chia-Yu; Le Roy, Lena; Calmonte, Ursina; Berthelier, Jean-Jacques; Reme, Henri; Hassig, Myrtha; Fuselier, Stephen; Fiethe, Bjorn; De Keyser, Johan

2015-11-01

The recent images of the inner coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (CG) made by the infrared channel of the VIRTIS-M instrument on board the Rosetta spacecraft show the gas distribution as it expands in the coma (Migliorini et al. 2015, DPS abstract).Since VIRTIS is a remote sensing instrument, a proper modeling of these observations requires the computation of the full coma of comet CG, which necessitates the use of a kinetic approach due to the rather low gas densities. Hence, we apply a Direct Simulation Monde Carlo (DSMC) method to solve the Boltzmann equation and describe CG’s coma from the nucleus surface up to a few hundreds of kilometers. The model uses the SHAP5 nucleus shape model from the OSIRIS team. The gas flux distribution takes into account solar illumination, including self-shadowing. The local activity at the surface of the nucleus is given by spherical harmonics expansion reproducing best the ROSINA-DFMS data. The densities from the DSMC model outputs are then integrated along the line-of-sight to create synthetic images that are directly comparable with the VIRTIS-M column density measurements.The good agreement between the observations and the model illustrates our continuously improving understanding of the physics of the coma of comet CG.AcknowledgementsWork at UofM was supported by contracts JPL#1266313, JPL#1266314 and NASA grant NNX09AB59G. Work at UoB was funded by the State of Bern, the Swiss National Science Foundation and by the European Space Agency PRODEX Program. Work at Southwest Research institute was supported by subcontract #1496541 from the JPL. Work at BIRA-IASB was supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office via PRODEX/ROSINA PEA 90020. The authors would like to thank ASI, CNES, DLR, NASA for supporting this research. VIRTIS was built by a consortium formed by Italy, France and Germany, under the scientific responsibility of the IAPS of INAF, which guides also the scientific operations. The consortium includes also the

3-D Simulations of the Inner Dust Comae for Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, Raphael; Liao, Ying; Su, Cheng-Chin; Wu, Jong-Shinn; Thomas, Nicolas; Rubin, Martin; Lai, Ian Lin; Ip, Wing-Huen; Keller, Horst Uwe; Knollenberg, Jörg; Kührt, Ekkehard; Skorov, Yuri; Altwegg, Kathrin; Vincent, Jean-Baptiste; Gicquel, Adeline; Shi, Xian; Sierks, Holger; Naletto, Giampiero

2015-04-01

The aims of this study are to (1) model the gas flow-field in the innermost coma for a plausible activity distributions of ROSETTA's target comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) using the SHAP2 model, (2) compare this with the ROSINA/COPS gas density (3) investigate the acceleration of dust by gas drag and the resulting dust distribution, (4) produce artificial images of the dust coma brightness as seen from different viewing geometries for a range of heliocentric distances and (5) compare the artificial images quantitatively with observations by the OSIRIS imaging system. We calculate the dust distribution in the coma within the first ten kilometers of the nucleus by assuming the dust to be spherical test particles in the gas field without any back coupling. The motion of the dust is driven by the drag force resulting from the gas flow. We assume a quadratic drag force with a velocity and temperature-dependent drag coefficient. The gravitational force of a point nucleus on the dust is also taken into account which will e.g. determine the maximal liftable size of the dust. Surface cohesion is not included. 40 dust sizes in the range between 8 nm and 0.3 mm are considered. For every dust size the dust densities and velocities are calculated by tracking around one million simulation particles in the gas field. We assume the distribution of dust according to size follows a power law, specifically the number of particles n or a particular radius r is specified by n ~ r-β with usual values of 3 ≤ β ≤ 4 where β = 3 corresponds to the case of equal mass per size and β = 4 to a shift of the mass towards the small particles. For the comparison with images of the high resolution camera OSIRIS on board ESAs ROSETTA spacecraft the viewing geometry of the camera can be specified and a line of sight integration through the dust density is performed. By means of Mie scattering on the particles the dust brightness can be determined. A variety of dust size distributions

End-of-mission ROSINA/COPS measurements as a probe of the innermost coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tenishev, V.; Fougere, N.; Rubin, M.; Tzou, C. Y.; Combi, M. R.; Altwegg, K.; Gombosi, T. I.; Shou, Y.; Huang, Z.; Hansen, K. C.; Toth, G.

2017-12-01

A cometary coma is a unique phenomenon in the Solar system that represents an example of a planetary atmosphere influenced by little or no gravity. Due to the negligible gravity of a comet's nucleus, a coma has a characteristic size that exceeds that of the nucleus itself by many orders of magnitude. An extended dusty gas cloud that forms a coma is affected mainly by molecular collisions, radiative cooling, and photolytic, charge-exchange, and impact-ionization reactions. Such an environment has been extensively observed during the recent Rosetta mission, which was the first mission that escorts a comet along its way through the Solar system for an extended amount of time with the main scientific objectives of characterizing comet's nucleus, determining the surface composition, and studying the comet's activity development. The ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) Comet Pressure Sensor (COPS) onboard the Rosetta spacecraft has performed one of the most exciting observations of the innermost coma during the spacecraft descend maneuver during the last ten hours of the mission when the random and outflow directed pressures in the coma have been measured all the way down to the comet's surface. Performed at such close proximity to the nucleus, these observations can help to characterize effects due to topological features and/or the gas local conditions at the surface of the nucleus. The major focus of the presented study is analyzing of the end-of-mission pressure measurements by the ROSINA/COPS instrument. Because the coma at a heliocentric distance of 3.8 AU was in a collisionless regime, it can be described by solving the Liouville equation, as we have done in our analysis. We have used the SHAP5 nucleus model to account for the topology of the volatile source. Spacecraft trajectory and the instrument pointing with respect to the comet's nucleus have been obtained with the SPICE library. Here, we present results of our analysis and

Analysis of the ROSINA/COPS end-of-mission measurements of the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tenishev, Valeriy; Combi, Michael R.; Fougere, Nicolas; Rubin, Martin; Tzou, Chia-Yu; Shou, Yinsi; Gombosi, T. I.; Altwegg, Kathrin; Huang, Zhenguang; Toth, Gabor; Hansen, Kenneth C.

2017-10-01

A cometary coma is a unique phenomenon in the Solar system that represents an example of a planetary atmosphere influenced by little or no gravity. Due to the negligible gravity of a comet’s nucleus, a coma has a characteristic size that exceeds that of the nucleus itself by many orders of magnitude. An extended dusty gas cloud that forms a coma is affected mainly by molecular collisions, radiative cooling, and photolytic, charge-exchange, and impact-ionization reactions.Such an environment has been extensively observed during the recent Rosetta mission, which was the first mission that escorts a comet along its way through the Solar system for an extended amount of time with the main scientific objectives of characterizing comet’s nucleus, determining the surface composition, and studying the comet’s activity development.The ROSINA (Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis) Comet Pressure Sensor (COPS) onboard the Rosetta spacecraft has performed one of the most exciting observations of the innermost coma during the spacecraft descend maneuver during the last ten hours of the mission when the random and outflow directed pressures in the coma have been measured all the way down to the comet’s surface. Performed at such close proximity to the nucleus, these observations can help to characterize effects due to topological features and/or the gas local conditions at the surface of the nucleus.The major focus of the presented study is analyzing of the end-of-mission pressure measurements by the ROSINA/COPS instrument. Because the coma at a heliocentric distance of 3.8 AU was in a collisionless regime, it can be described by solving the Liouville equation, as we have done in our analysis. We have used the SHAP5 nucleus model to account for the topology of the volatile source. Spacecraft trajectory and the instrument pointing with respect to the comet’s nucleus have been obtained with the SPICE library. Here, we present results of our analysis

[Comporison Sduty of Microstructure by Metallographicalk on the Polarized Light and Texture by XRD of CC 5083 and CC 5182 Aluminium Alloy after Cold Rolling and Recrystallization].

PubMed

Chen, Ming-biao; Li, Yong-wei; Tan, Yuan-biao; Ma, Min; Wang, Xue-min; Liu, Wen-chang

2015-03-01

At present the study of relation between microstructure, texture and performance of CC 5083 aluminium alloy after cold tolling and recrystallization processes is still finitude. So that the use of the CC 5083 aluminium alloy be influenced. Be cased into electrical furnace, hot up with unlimited speed followed the furnace hot up to different temperature and annealed 2h respectively, and be cased into salt-beth furnace, hot up quickly to different temperature and annealed 30 min respectively for CC 5083 and CC 5182 aluminum alloy after cold roling with 91.5% reduction. The microstructure be watched use metallographic microscope, the texture be inspected by XRD. The start temperature of recrystallization and grain grow up temperature within annealing in the electric furnace of CC 5083 aluminum alloy board is 343 degrees C, and the shap of grain after grow up with long strip (the innovation point ); The start temperature of recrystallization within annealling in the salt bath furnace of CC 5083 is 343 degrees C. The start temperature and end temperature of recrystallization within annealling of CC 5083 and CC 5182 aluminum alloy is 371 degrees C. The grain grow up outstanding of cold rooled CC 5152 aluminum alloy after annealed with 454 degrees C in the electric furnace and salt bath furnace. The start temperature of grain grow up of CC 5083 alluminurn alloy annealed in the electric furnace and salt bath furnace respectively is higher than the start temperature of grain grow up of CC 5182 alluminum alloy annealed in the electric furnace and salt bath furnace respectively. The strat temperature of recrystallization grain grow up is higher than which annealled with other three manner annealing process. The recrystallization temperature of CC 5182 annealed in the salt bath furnace is higher than which annealed in the electric furnace. The recrystallization temperature of the surface layer of CC 5083 and CC 5182 aluminum alloy is higher than the inner layer (the innovation

Study of cliff activity dominating the gas and dust comae of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during the early phase of the Rosetta mission using ROSINA/COPS and OSIRIS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marschall, Raphael; Su, Cheng-Chin; Liao, Ying; Rubin, Martin; Wu, Jong-Shinn; Thomas, Nicolas; altwegg, kathrin; Sierks, Holger; OSIRIS, ROSINA

2016-10-01

The study by [1] has proposed the idea that the cometary dust jets in the northern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko arise mainly from rough cliff like terrain. Using our 3D gas and dust dynamics coma model [2] we have run simulations targeting the question whether areas with high gravitational slopes alone can indeed account for both the ROSINA/COPS and the OSIRIS data obtained for mid August to end October 2014.The basis of our simulations is the shape model "SHAP4S" of [3]. Surface temperatures have been defined using a simple 1-D thermal model (including insolation, shadowing, thermal emission, sublimation but neglecting conduction) computed for each facet of the shape model allowing a consistent and known description of the gas flux and its initial temperature. In a next step we use the DSMC program PDSC++ [4] to calculate the gas properties in 3D space. The gas solution can be compared with the in situ measurements by ROSINA/COPS. In a subsequent step dust particles are introduced into the gas flow to determine dust densities and with a column integrator and Mie theory dust brightnesses that can be compared to OSIRIS data.To examine cliff activity we have divided the surface into two sets. One with gravitational slopes larger than 30° which we call cliffs and one with slopes less than 30° which we shall call plains. We have set up two models, "cliff only" and "plains only" where the respective set of areas are active and the others inert. The outgassing areas are assumed to be purely insolation driven. The "cliffs only" model is a statistically equally good fit to the ROSINA/COPS data as the global insolation driven model presented in [2]. The "plains only" model on the other hand is statistically inferior to the "cliffs only" model. We found in [2] that increased activity in the Hapi region (called inhomogeneous model) of the comet improves the fit of the gas results significantly. We can show in this study that a "cliffs + Hapi" model fits the

[Application of rapid prototyping technology on nasoalveolar molding for cleft lip and palate].

PubMed

Shen, Congcong; Chai, Gang

2017-12-01

To apply rapid prototyping (RP) technology on pre-fabricating nasoalveolar molding (NAM) appliances, and compare clinical outcomes and complications with traditional NAM appliances. Between June 2014 and September 2016, 39 children with unilateral cleft lip and palate were included in study. Seventeen children (test group) had received novel NAM protocol by pre-fabricating NAM appliances using RP technology, and the other 22 children (control group) had received traditional NAM protocol. There was no significant difference in gender, age, the side of cleft lip and palate, and the width of the alveolar cleft gap before treatment between 2 groups ( P >0.05). The change of width of the alveolar cleft gap, number of clinic visit, treatment time, and complications were compared between 2 groups. The number of clinic visit was less in test group than in control group ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in treatment time between 2 groups ( P >0.05). During treatment, there was 16 children (72.2%) of skin irritation, 3 (13.6%) of mucosal ulceration, 1 (4.5%) of intraoral bleeding, 1 (4.5%) of alveolar arch T-shap asymmetry in control group. And there were 11 children (64.7%) of skin irritation, 3 (17.6%) of mucosal ulceration in test group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of complications between 2 groups ( P >0.05). After treatment, the anterior alveolar cleft width, horizontal cleft width, sagittal cleft width, antero-medial alveolar ridges angle of the healthy side, angle between anterior alveolar and posterior alveolar baseline of the healthy side, perpendicular distance from buccal frenum point to sagittal line were significantly reduced when compared with the values before treatment ( P <0.05). The angle between the anterior segments of two sides, angle between buccal frenum point and posterior baseline were significant increased when compared with the values before treatment ( P <0.05). There was no significant difference in the

Surficial geology of the lower Comb Wash, San Juan County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Longpré, Claire I.

2001-01-01

. Most precipitation is monsoonal, convective storms that bring moisture from the Gulf of Mexico beginning in early July and ending by October. Large frontal storms during December and January are responsible for most winter precipitation (Figure 2). The record from U.S. Geological Survey gauging station number 09379000 operated by the BLM from 1959 through 1968 indicates that Comb Wash flows in direct response to precipitation events. Most daily discharge and peak events occur in late July through September, coinciding with high intensity monsoon thunderstorms. Comb Wash supports a variety of vegetation typical of the Great Basin Desert and the northern desert shrub zone as described by Fowler and Koch (1982). On the lower alluvial terraces, bushes and shrubs dominate the vegetation, including: sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata), rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), fourwing saltbush (Atriplex canescens), winterfat (Eurotia lanata), greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus), and shadscale (Atriplex concertifolia). Juniper trees (Juniperus osteosperma) can be found on the rocky colluvial slopes near Comb Ridge and on the higher terrace near Cedar Mesa. The floodplain contains an abundance of riparian vegetation including cottonwood (Populus fremontii), willow (Salix exigua), and tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima). Tamarisk is one of 7 non-native species present in the lower Comb Wash watershed. At least seven known species of noxious weeds have invaded the watershed, including Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), field bindweed (Convolvulus avensis), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), Russian knapweed (Centaurea repens), tamarisk and camel thorn (Alhagi pseudalhagi). Of these, tamarisk or salt-cedar has most aggressively colonized the southwestern United States, including the San Juan watershed. Graf (1978) estimates that since the late 19th century, tamarisk has spread at a rate of 20 km per year. Tamarisk first appeared in Comb Wash during the mid to early 20th century based on