Intestinal transport of aminopterin enantiomers in dogs and humans with psoriasis is stereoselective: evidence for a mechanism involving the proton-coupled folate transporter.

PubMed

Menter, Alan; Thrash, Breck; Cherian, Christina; Matherly, Larry H; Wang, Lei; Gangjee, Aleem; Morgan, Joel R; Maeda, Dean Y; Schuler, Aaron D; Kahn, Stuart J; Zebala, John A

2012-09-01

N-[4-[[(2,4-diamino-6-pterdinyl)methyl]amino]benzoyl]-L/D-glutamic acid (L/D-AMT) is an investigational drug in phase 1 clinical development that consists of the L-and D-enantiomers of aminopterin (AMT). L/D-AMT is obtained from a novel process for making the L-enantiomer (L-AMT), a potent oral antiinflammatory agent. The purpose of these studies was to characterize oral uptake and safety in the dog and human of each enantiomer alone and in combination and provide in vitro evidence for a mechanism of intestinal absorption. This is the first report of L /D-AMT in humans. In dogs (n = 40) orally dosed with L-AMT or D-AMT absorption was stereoselective for the L-enantiomer (6- to 12-fold larger peak plasma concentration after oral administration and area under the plasma concentration-time curve at 0-4 h; p < 0.001). D-AMT was not toxic at the maximal dose tested (82.5 mg/kg), which was 100-fold larger than the maximal nonlethal L-AMT dose (0.8 mg/kg). Dogs (n = 10) and humans with psoriasis (n = 21) orally administered L-AMT and L /D-AMT at the same L-enantiomer dose resulted in stereoselective absorption (absent D-enantiomer in plasma), bioequivalent L-enantiomer pharmacokinetics, and equivalent safety. Thus, the D-enantiomer in L/D-AMT did not perturb L-enantiomer absorption or alter the safety of L-AMT. In vitro uptake by the human proton-coupled folate transporter (PCFT) demonstrated minimal transport of D-AMT compared with L-AMT, mirroring the in vivo findings. Enantiomer selectivity by PCFT was attributable almost entirely to decreased binding affinity rather than changes in transport rate. Collectively, our results demonstrate a strong in vitro-in vivo correlation implicating stereoselective transport by PCFT as the mechanism underlying stereoselective absorption observed in vivo.

The AMT1 Arginine Methyltransferase Gene Is Important for Plant Infection and Normal Hyphal Growth in Fusarium graminearum

PubMed Central

Hou, Rui; Zhou, Xiaoying; Li, Guotian; Zhang, Shijie; Xu, Jin-Rong

2012-01-01

Arginine methylation of non-histone proteins by protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) has been shown to be important for various biological processes from yeast to human. Although PRMT genes are well conserved in fungi, none of them have been functionally characterized in plant pathogenic ascomycetes. In this study, we identified and characterized all of the four predicted PRMT genes in Fusarium graminearum, the causal agent of Fusarium head blight of wheat and barley. Whereas deletion of the other three PRMT genes had no obvious phenotypes, the Δamt1 mutant had pleiotropic defects. AMT1 is a predicted type I PRMT gene that is orthologous to HMT1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Δamt1 mutant was slightly reduced in vegetative growth but normal in asexual and sexual reproduction. It had increased sensitivities to oxidative and membrane stresses. DON mycotoxin production and virulence on flowering wheat heads also were reduced in the Δamt1 mutant. The introduction of the wild-type AMT1 allele fully complemented the defects of the Δamt1 mutant and Amt1-GFP fusion proteins mainly localized to the nucleus. Hrp1 and Nab2 are two hnRNPs in yeast that are methylated by Hmt1 for nuclear export. In F. graminearum, AMT1 is required for the nuclear export of FgHrp1 but not FgNab2, indicating that yeast and F. graminearum differ in the methylation and nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of hnRNP components. Because AMT2 also is a predicted type I PRMT with limited homology to yeast HMT1, we generated the Δamt1 Δamt2 double mutants. The Δamt1 single and Δamt1 Δamt2 double mutants had similar defects in all the phenotypes assayed, including reduced vegetative growth and virulence. Overall, data from this systematic analysis of PRMT genes suggest that AMT1, like its ortholog in yeast, is the predominant PRMT gene in F. graminearum and plays a role in hyphal growth, stress responses, and plant infection. PMID:22693618

The ATLAS TAGS database distribution and management - Operational challenges of a multi-terabyte distributed database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viegas, F.; Malon, D.; Cranshaw, J.; Dimitrov, G.; Nowak, M.; Nairz, A.; Goossens, L.; Gallas, E.; Gamboa, C.; Wong, A.; Vinek, E.

2010-04-01

The TAG files store summary event quantities that allow a quick selection of interesting events. This data will be produced at a nominal rate of 200 Hz, and is uploaded into a relational database for access from websites and other tools. The estimated database volume is 6TB per year, making it the largest application running on the ATLAS relational databases, at CERN and at other voluntary sites. The sheer volume and high rate of production makes this application a challenge to data and resource management, in many aspects. This paper will focus on the operational challenges of this system. These include: uploading the data from files to the CERN's and remote sites' databases; distributing the TAG metadata that is essential to guide the user through event selection; controlling resource usage of the database, from the user query load to the strategy of cleaning and archiving of old TAG data.

MpAMT1;2 from Marchantia polymorpha is a High-Affinity, Plasma Membrane Ammonium Transporter.

PubMed

Guo, Hanqing; Wang, Nu; McDonald, Tami R; Reinders, Anke; Ward, John M

2018-05-01

Plant ammonium transporters in the AMT/MEP/Rh (ammonium transporter/methylammonium and ammonium permease/Rhesus factor) superfamily have only been previously characterized in flowering plants (angiosperms). Plant AMT1s are electrogenic, while plant AMT2s are electroneutral, and MEP and Rh transporters in other organisms are electroneutral. We analyzed the transport function of MpAMT1;2 from the basal land plant Marchantia polymorpha, a liverwort. MpAMT1;2 was shown to localize to the plasma membrane in Marchantia gametophyte thallus by stable transformation using a C-terminal citrine fusion. MpAMT1;2 expression was studied using quantitative real-time PCR and shown to be higher when plants were N deficient and lower when plants were grown on media containing ammonium, nitrate or the amino acid glutamine. Expression in Xenopus oocytes and analysis by electrophysiology revealed that MpAMT1;2 is an electrogenic ammonium transporter with a very high affinity for ammonium (7 µM at pH 5.6 and a membrane potential of -137 mV). A conserved inhibitory phosphorylation site identified in angiosperm AMT1s is also present in all AMT1s in Marchantia. Here we show that a phosphomimetic mutation T475D in MpAMT1;2 completely inhibits ammonium transport activity. The results indicate that MpAMT1;2 may be important for ammonium uptake into cells in the Marchantia thallus.

Understanding the relationship between audiomagnetotelluric data and models, and borehole data in a hydrological environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

McPhee, D.K.; Pellerin, L.

2008-01-01

Audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data and resulting models are analyzed with respect to geophysical and geological borehole logs in order to clarify the relationship between the two methodologies of investigation of a hydrological environment. Several profiles of AMT data collected in basins in southwestern United States are being used for groundwater exploration and hydrogeological framework studies. In a systematic manner, the AMT data and models are compared to borehole data by computing the equivalent one-dimensional AMT model and comparing with the two-dimensional (2-D) inverse AMT model. The spatial length is used to determine if the well is near enough to the AMT profile to quantify the relationship between the two datasets, and determine the required resolution of the AMT data and models. The significance of the quality of the borehole data when compared to the AMT data is also examined.

77 FR 61804 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Order Granting Approval of Proposed Rule Change...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-11

... Listing and Trading of iShares 2018 S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series and iShares 2019 S&P AMT- Free Municipal... (``Shares'') of the iShares 2018 S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series (``2018 Fund'') and iShares 2019 S&P AMT-Free...). iShares 2018 S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series The 2018 Fund will seek investment results that...

Fatigue in Younger and Older Drivers: Effectiveness of an Alertness-Maintaining Task.

PubMed

Song, Woojin; Woon, Fu L; Doong, Alice; Persad, Carol; Tijerina, Louis; Pandit, Pooja; Cline, Carol; Giordani, Bruno

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of an alertness-maintaining task (AMT) in older, fatigued drivers. Fatigue during driving increases crash risk, and previous research suggests that alertness and driving in younger adults may be improved using a secondary AMT during boring, fatigue-eliciting drives. However, the potential impact of an AMT on driving has not been investigated in older drivers whose ability to complete dual tasks has been shown to decline and therefore may be negatively affected with an AMT in driving. Younger ( n = 29) and older drivers ( n = 39) participated in a 50-minute simulated drive designed to induce fatigue, followed by four 10-minute sessions alternating between driving with and without an AMT. Younger drivers were significantly more affected by fatigue on driving performance than were older drivers but benefitted significantly from the AMT. Older drivers did not demonstrate increased driver errors with fatigue, and driving did not deteriorate significantly during participation in the AMT condition, although their speed was significantly more variable with the AMT. Consistent with earlier research, an AMT applied during fatiguing driving is effective in improving alertness and reducing driving errors in younger drivers. Importantly, older drivers were relatively unaffected by fatigue, and use of an AMT did not detrimentally affect their driving performance. These results support the potential use of an AMT as a new automotive technology to improve fatigue and promote driver safety, though the benefits of such technology may differ between different age groups.

Effects of Anma therapy (Japanese massage) on health-related quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Donoyama, Nozomi; Satoh, Toyomi; Hamano, Tetsutaro; Ohkoshi, Norio; Onuki, Mamiko

2018-01-01

Anma therapy (Japanese massage therapy, AMT) significantly reduces the severity of physical complaints in survivors of gynecologic cancer. However, whether this reduction of severity is accompanied by improvement in health-related quality of life is unknown. Forty survivors of gynecologic cancer were randomly allocated to either an AMT group that received one 40-min AMT session per week for 8 weeks or a no-AMT group. We prospectively measured quality of life by using the Japanese version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 version 3.0 (EORTC QLQ-C30) at baseline and at 8-week follow-up. The QLQ-C30 response rate was 100%. Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), Profile of Mood States (POMS), and Measure of Adjustment to Cancer were also prespecified and prospectively evaluated. The QLQ-C30 Global Health Status and Quality of Life showed significant improvement at 8 weeks (P = 0.042) in the AMT group compared with the no-AMT group, and the estimated mean difference reached a minimal clinically important difference of 10 points (10.4 points, 95% CI = 1.2 to 19.6). Scores on fatigue and insomnia showed significant improvement in the AMT group compared with the no-AMT group (P = 0.047 and 0.003, respectively). There were no significant between-group improvements in HADS anxiety and depression scales; however, POMS-assessed anger-hostility showed significant improvement in the AMT group compared with the no-AMT group (p = 0.028). AMT improved health-related quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors. AMT can be of potential benefit for applications in oncology.

The ctenidium of the giant clam, Tridacna squamosa, expresses an ammonium transporter 1 that displays light-suppressed gene and protein expression and may be involved in ammonia excretion.

PubMed

Boo, Mel V; Hiong, Kum C; Goh, Enan J K; Choo, Celine Y L; Wong, Wai P; Chew, Shit F; Ip, Yuen K

2018-04-24

Ammonium transporters (AMTs) can participate in ammonia uptake or excretion across the plasma membrane of prokaryotic, plant and invertebrate cells. The giant clam, Tridacna squamosa, harbors nitrogen-deficient symbiotic zooxanthellae, and normally conducts light-enhanced ammonia absorption to benefit the symbionts. Nonetheless, it can excrete ammonia when there is a supply of exogenous nitrogen or exposed to continuous darkness. This study aimed to elucidate the role of AMT1 in the ctenidium of T. squamosa by cloning and characterizing the AMT1/AMT1, determining its subcellular localization, and examining changes in its transcript and protein expression levels in response to light exposure. The cDNA coding sequence of AMT1 from T. squamosa consisted of 1527 bp and encoded 508 amino acids of 54.6 kDa. AMT1-immunofluorescence was detected mainly at the apical epithelium of ctenidial filaments, and it decreased significantly after 12 h of exposure to light. By contrast, the epithelial cells surrounding the tertiary water channels in the ctentidium, which are known to exhibit light-enhanced glutamine synthetase expression and take part in the assimilation of exogenous ammonia in light, did not display any AMT1-immunolabelling. Furthermore, the transcript level and protein abundance of ctenidial AMT1/AMT1 decreased significantly at the 6th and 12th h of light exposure. Taken together, these results indicate that AMT1 might participate in ammonia excretion instead of ammonia absorption and assimilation in T. squamosa. It is probable that the expression levels of AMT1/AMT1 need to be down-regulated during light exposure to achieve light-enhanced ammonia uptake.

Characterizing the binding interaction between antimalarial artemether (AMT) and bovine serum albumin (BSA): Spectroscopic and molecular docking methods.

PubMed

Shi, Jie-Hua; Pan, Dong-Qi; Wang, Xiou-Xiou; Liu, Ting-Ting; Jiang, Min; Wang, Qi

2016-09-01

Artemether (AMT), a peroxide sesquiterpenoides, has been widely used as an antimalarial for the treatment of multiple drug-resistant strains of plasmodium falciparum malaria. In this work, the binding interaction of AMT with bovine serum albumin (BSA) under the imitated physiological conditions (pH7.4) was investigated by UV spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), circular dichroism (CD), three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular docking methods. The experimental results indicated that there was a change in UV absorption of BSA along with a slight red shift of absorption wavelength, indicating that the interaction of AMT with BSA occurred. The intrinsic fluorescence of BSA was quenched by AMT due to the formation of AMT-BSA complex. The number of binding sites (n) and binding constant of AMT-BSA complex were about 1 and 2.63×10(3)M(-1) at 298K, respectively, suggesting that there was stronger binding interaction of AMT with BSA. Based on the analysis of the signs and magnitudes of the free energy change (ΔG(0)), enthalpic change (ΔH(0)) and entropic change (ΔS(0)) in the binding process, it can be concluded that the binding of AMT with BSA was enthalpy-driven process due to |ΔH°|>|TΔS°|. The results of experiment and molecular docking confirmed the main interaction forces between AMT and BSA were van der Waals force. And, there was a slight change in the BSA conformation after binding AMT but BSA still retains its secondary structure α-helicity. However, it had been confirmed that AMT binds on the interface between sub-domain IIA and IIB of BSA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical effects of Anma therapy (Japanese massage) for gynecologic cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Donoyama, Nozomi; Satoh, Toyomi; Hamano, Tetsutaro; Ohkoshi, Norio; Onuki, Mamiko

2016-09-01

Cancer survivors often have physical and psychological complaints after standard cancer treatment. We conducted a randomized control trial to evaluate the physical and psychological/emotional effects of Anma therapy (Japanese massage, AMT) in gynecologic cancer survivors. The primary objective was to verify the effects of 8 consecutive weeks of weekly AMT. The secondary objective was to confirm the immediate effects of single-session AMT. We report here results of the physical effects of AMT. Forty participants were randomly allocated to an AMT group that received one 40-min AMT session per week for 8weeks and a no-AMT group. The primary endpoint was severity of subjective physical complaints assessed using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Secondary endpoints were urine and saliva analyses and psychological/emotional questionnaire scores. In the primary analysis, least-squares means (LSM) estimates of VAS score improvement over the 8weeks were -21.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], -30.1 to -12.8, P=0.0017) in the AMT group (n=20) and 0.8 (95%CI, -7.7 to 9.2, P=0.89) in the no-AMT group (n=20). The difference in the LSM estimates between the groups was -22.2 (95%CI, -34.4 to -10.1, P=0.0007). There were significant differences in VAS score and urinary epinephrine between before and after the intervention session, demonstrating the superiority of AMT. A single AMT session reduces the severity of subjective physical complaints and might inhibit the sympathetic nervous system in gynecologic cancer survivors. Receiving weekly AMT sessions for eight weeks effectively continues to reduce the severity of subjective physical complaints. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Positron emission tomography with α-[11C]methyl-L-tryptophan in tuberous sclerosis complex-related epilepsy.

PubMed

Rubí, Sebastià; Costes, Nicolas; Heckemann, Rolf A; Bouvard, Sandrine; Hammers, Alexander; Martí Fuster, Berta; Ostrowsky, Karine; Montavont, Alexandra; Jung, Julien; Setoain, Xavier; Catenoix, Hélène; Hino, Keiko; Liger, François; Le Bars, Didier; Ryvlin, Philippe

2013-12-01

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is often associated with cerebral tubers and medically intractable epilepsy. We reevaluated whether increased uptake of α-[(11) C]methyl-l-tryptophan (AMT) in cerebral tubers is associated with tuber epileptogenicity. We included 12 patients (six male, 4-53 years old) with TSC and refractory seizures who were evaluated for epilepsy surgery in our center, including video-electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging (FLAIR MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) with α-[(11) C]methyl-l-tryptophan (AMT-PET). Nine of these 12 patients also underwent intracerebral EEG recording. AMT uptake in each tuber was visually evaluated on PET coregistered with MRI. An AMT uptake index based on lesional/healthy cortex ratio was also calculated. Sensitivity and specificity values of AMT-PET in the detection of epileptogenic lesions were obtained, using the available electroclinical and neuroimaging evidence as the gold standard for epileptogenicity. A total of 126 tubers were identified. Two of 12 patients demonstrated a tuber with clearly increased AMT uptake, one of whom also showed a subtle increased AMT uptake in another contralateral tuber. Four other patients showed only subtle increased AMT uptake. The only two tubers with clearly increased AMT uptake proved to be epileptogenic based on intracerebral EEG data, whereas none of the tubers associated with subtle increased AMT uptake were involved at ictal onset. In a per-patient approach, this yielded a sensitivity of clearly increased AMT uptake in detecting tuber epileptogenicity of 17% (2/12 patients), whereas the per-lesion sensitivity and specificity were 12% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3-34%) and 100% (95% CI: 97-100%), respectively. AMT-PET is a specific neuroimaging technique in the identification of epileptogenic tubers in TSC. Despite its low sensitivity, the clinical usefulness of AMT-PET still deserves to be considered according to the challenging complexity of epilepsy surgery in tuberous sclerosis. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2013 International League Against Epilepsy.

47 CFR 80.54 - Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing. 80.54 Section 80.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... § 80.54 Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)—System Licensing. AMTS licensees will be...

47 CFR 80.54 - Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing. 80.54 Section 80.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... § 80.54 Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)—System Licensing. AMTS licensees will be...

47 CFR 80.54 - Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing. 80.54 Section 80.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... § 80.54 Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)—System Licensing. AMTS licensees will be...

47 CFR 80.54 - Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing. 80.54 Section 80.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... § 80.54 Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)—System Licensing. AMTS licensees will be...

47 CFR 80.54 - Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)-System Licensing. 80.54 Section 80.54 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... § 80.54 Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS)—System Licensing. AMTS licensees will be...

(Methyl)ammonium Transport in the Nitrogen-Fixing Bacterium Azospirillum brasilense

PubMed Central

Van Dommelen, Anne; Keijers, Veerle; Vanderleyden, Jos; de Zamaroczy, Miklos

1998-01-01

An ammonium transporter of Azospirillum brasilense was characterized. In contrast to most previously reported putative prokaryotic NH4+ transporter genes, A. brasilense amtB is not part of an operon with glnB or glnZ which, in A. brasilense, encode nitrogen regulatory proteins PII and PZ, respectively. Sequence analysis predicts the presence of 12 transmembrane domains in the deduced AmtB protein and classifies AmtB as an integral membrane protein. Nitrogen regulates the transcription of the amtB gene in A. brasilense by the Ntr system. amtB is the first gene identified in A. brasilense whose expression is regulated by NtrC. The observation that ammonium uptake is still possible in mutants lacking the AmtB protein suggests the presence of a second NH4+ transport mechanism. Growth of amtB mutants at low ammonium concentrations is reduced compared to that of the wild type. This suggests that AmtB has a role in scavenging ammonium at low concentrations. PMID:9573149

Anterior Myocardial Territory May Replace the Heart as Organ at Risk in Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Left-Sided Breast Cancer

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

Tan Wenyong; Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan; Liu Dong

Purpose: We investigated whether the heart could be replaced by the anterior myocardial territory (AMT) as the organ at risk (OAR) in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) of the breast for patients with left-sided breast cancer. Methods and Materials: Twenty-three patients with left-sided breast cancer who received postoperative radiation after breast-conserving surgery were studied. For each patient, we generated five IMRT plans including heart (H), left ventricle (LV), AMT, LV+AMT, and H+LV as the primary OARs, respectively, except both lungs and right breast, which corresponded to IMRT(H), IMRT(LV), IMRT(AMT), IMRT(LV+AMT), and IMRT(H+LV). For the planning target volumes and OARs, the parameters ofmore » dose-volume histograms were compared. Results: The homogeneity index, conformity index, and coverage index were not compromised significantly in IMRT(AMT), IMRT(LV) and IMRT(LV+ AMT), respectively, when compared with IMRT(H). The mean dose to the heart, LV, and AMT decreased 5.3-21.5% (p < 0.05), 19.9-29.5% (p < 0.05), and 13.3-24.5% (p < 0.05), respectively. Similarly, the low (e.g., V5%), middle (e.g., V20%), and high (e.g., V30%) dose-volume of the heart, LV, and AMT decreased with different levels. The mean dose and V10% of the right lung increased by 9.2% (p < 0.05) and 27.6% (p < 0.05), respectively, in IMRT(LV), and the mean dose and V5% of the right breast decreased significantly in IMRT(AMT) and IMRT(LV+AMT). IMRT(AMT) was the preferred plan and was then compared with IMRT(H+LV); the majority of dose-volume histogram parameters of OARs including the heart, LV, AMT, both lungs, and the right breast were not statistically different. However, the low dose-volume of LV increased and the middle dose-volume decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in IMRT(AMT). Also, those of the right lung (V10%, V15%) and right breast (V5%, V10%) decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The AMT may replace the heart as the OAR in left-sided breast IMRT after breast-conserving surgery to decrease the radiation dose to the heart.« less

47 CFR 80.477 - AMTS points of communication.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with ship stations, and with land units in accordance with § 80.123. (b) AMTS licensees in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico may use AMTS coast and ship station... use AMTS coast and ship frequencies on a secondary basis for fixed service communications to support...

47 CFR 80.477 - AMTS points of communication.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with ship stations, and with land units in accordance with § 80.123. (b) AMTS licensees in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico may use AMTS coast and ship station... use AMTS coast and ship frequencies on a secondary basis for fixed service communications to support...

47 CFR 80.477 - AMTS points of communication.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with ship stations, and with land units in accordance with § 80.123. (b) AMTS licensees in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico may use AMTS coast and ship station... use AMTS coast and ship frequencies on a secondary basis for fixed service communications to support...

47 CFR 80.477 - AMTS points of communication.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with ship stations, and with land units in accordance with § 80.123. (b) AMTS licensees in the offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico may use AMTS coast and ship station... use AMTS coast and ship frequencies on a secondary basis for fixed service communications to support...

Isolation and functional characterization of an ammonium transporter gene, PyAMT1, related to nitrogen assimilation in the marine macroalga Pyropia yezoensis (Rhodophyta).

PubMed

Kakinuma, Makoto; Nakamoto, Chika; Kishi, Kazuki; Coury, Daniel A; Amano, Hideomi

2017-07-01

Ammonium and nitrate are the primary nitrogen sources in natural environments, and are essential for growth and development in photosynthetic eukaryotes. In this study, we report on the isolation and characterization of an ammonium transporter gene (PyAMT1) which performs a key function in nitrogen (N) metabolism of Pyropia yezoensis thalli. The predicted length of PyAMT1 was 483 amino acids (AAs). The AA sequence included 11 putative transmembrane domains and showed approximately 33-44% identity to algal and plant AMT1 AA sequences. Functional complementation in an AMT-defective yeast mutant indicated that PyAMT1 mediated ammonium transport across the plasma membrane. Expression analysis showed that the PyAMT1 mRNA level was strongly induced by N-deficiency, and was more highly suppressed by resupply of inorganic-N than organic-N. These results suggest that PyAMT1 plays important roles in the ammonium transport system, and is highly regulated in response to external/internal N-status. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overexpressing of OsAMT1-3, a High Affinity Ammonium Transporter Gene, Modifies Rice Growth and Carbon-Nitrogen Metabolic Status

PubMed Central

Bao, Aili; Liang, Zhijun; Zhao, Zhuqing; Cai, Hongmei

2015-01-01

AMT1-3 encodes the high affinity NH4+ transporter in rice roots and is predominantly expressed under nitrogen starvation. In order to evaluate the effect of AMT1-3 gene on rice growth, nitrogen absorption and metabolism, we generated AMT1-3-overexpressing plants and analyzed the growth phenotype, yield, carbon and nitrogen metabolic status, and gene expression profiles. Although AMT1-3 mRNA accumulated in transgenic plants, these plants displayed significant decreases in growth when compared to the wild-type plants. The nitrogen uptake assay using a 15N tracer revealed poor nitrogen uptake ability in AMT1-3-overexpressing plants. We found significant decreases in AMT1-3-overexpressing plant leaf carbon and nitrogen content accompanied with a higher leaf C/N ratio. Significant changes in soluble proteins and carbohydrates were also observed in AMT1-3-overexpressing plants. In addition, metabolite profile analysis demonstrated significant changes in individual sugars, organic acids and free amino acids. Gene expression analysis revealed distinct expression patterns of genes that participate in carbon and nitrogen metabolism. Additionally, the correlation between the metabolites and gene expression patterns was consistent in AMT1-3-overexpressing plants under both low and high nitrogen growth conditions. Therefore, we hypothesized that the carbon and nitrogen metabolic imbalance caused by AMT1-3 overexpressing attributed to the poor growth and yield of transgenic plants. PMID:25915023

Comparing the Similarity of Responses Received from Studies in Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to Studies Conducted Online and with Direct Recruitment

PubMed Central

Bartneck, Christoph; Duenser, Andreas; Moltchanova, Elena; Zawieska, Karolina

2015-01-01

Computer and internet based questionnaires have become a standard tool in Human-Computer Interaction research and other related fields, such as psychology and sociology. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (AMT) service is a new method of recruiting participants and conducting certain types of experiments. This study compares whether participants recruited through AMT give different responses than participants recruited through an online forum or recruited directly on a university campus. Moreover, we compare whether a study conducted within AMT results in different responses compared to a study for which participants are recruited through AMT but which is conducted using an external online questionnaire service. The results of this study show that there is a statistical difference between results obtained from participants recruited through AMT compared to the results from the participant recruited on campus or through online forums. We do, however, argue that this difference is so small that it has no practical consequence. There was no significant difference between running the study within AMT compared to running it with an online questionnaire service. There was no significant difference between results obtained directly from within AMT compared to results obtained in the campus and online forum condition. This may suggest that AMT is a viable and economical option for recruiting participants and for conducting studies as setting up and running a study with AMT generally requires less effort and time compared to other frequently used methods. We discuss our findings as well as limitations of using AMT for empirical studies. PMID:25876027

Comparing the similarity of responses received from studies in Amazon's Mechanical Turk to studies conducted online and with direct recruitment.

PubMed

Bartneck, Christoph; Duenser, Andreas; Moltchanova, Elena; Zawieska, Karolina

2015-01-01

Computer and internet based questionnaires have become a standard tool in Human-Computer Interaction research and other related fields, such as psychology and sociology. Amazon's Mechanical Turk (AMT) service is a new method of recruiting participants and conducting certain types of experiments. This study compares whether participants recruited through AMT give different responses than participants recruited through an online forum or recruited directly on a university campus. Moreover, we compare whether a study conducted within AMT results in different responses compared to a study for which participants are recruited through AMT but which is conducted using an external online questionnaire service. The results of this study show that there is a statistical difference between results obtained from participants recruited through AMT compared to the results from the participant recruited on campus or through online forums. We do, however, argue that this difference is so small that it has no practical consequence. There was no significant difference between running the study within AMT compared to running it with an online questionnaire service. There was no significant difference between results obtained directly from within AMT compared to results obtained in the campus and online forum condition. This may suggest that AMT is a viable and economical option for recruiting participants and for conducting studies as setting up and running a study with AMT generally requires less effort and time compared to other frequently used methods. We discuss our findings as well as limitations of using AMT for empirical studies.

Coding-Sequence Identification and Transcriptional Profiling of Nine AMTs and Four NRTs From Tobacco Revealed Their Differential Regulation by Developmental Stages, Nitrogen Nutrition, and Photoperiod

PubMed Central

Liu, Lai-Hua; Fan, Teng-Fei; Shi, Dong-Xue; Li, Chang-Jun; He, Ming-Jie; Chen, Yi-Yin; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Chao; Cheng, Xiao-Yuan; Chen, Xu; Li, Di-Qin; Sun, Yi-Chen

2018-01-01

Although many members encoding different ammonium- and nitrate-transporters (AMTs, NRTs) were identified and functionally characterized from several plant species, little is known about molecular components for NH4+- and NO3- acquisition/transport in tobacco, which is often used as a plant model for biological studies besides its agricultural and industrial interest. We reported here the first molecular identification in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) of nine AMTs and four NRTs, which are respectively divided into four (AMT1/2/3/4) and two (NRT1/2) clusters and whose functionalities were preliminarily evidenced by heterologous functional-complementation in yeast or Arabidopsis. Tissue-specific transcriptional profiling by qPCR revealed that NtAMT1.1/NRT1.1 mRNA occurred widely in leaves, flower organs and roots; only NtAMT1.1/1.3/2.1NRT1.2/2.2 were strongly transcribed in the aged leaves, implying their dominant roles in N-remobilization from source/senescent tissues. N-dependent expression analysis showed a marked upregulation of NtAMT1.1 in the roots by N-starvation and resupply with N including NH4+, suggesting a predominant action of NtAMT1.1 in NH4+ uptake/transport whenever required. The obvious leaf-expression of other NtAMTs e.g., AMT1.2 responsive to N indicates a major place, where they may play transport roles associated with plant N-status and (NH4+-)N movement within aerial-parts. The preferentially root-specific transcription of NtNRT1.1/1.2/2.1 responsive to N argues their importance for root NO3- uptake and even sensing in root systems. Moreover, of all NtAMTs/NRTs, only NtAMT1.1/NRT1.1/1.2 showed their root-expression alteration in a typical diurnal-oscillation pattern, reflecting likely their significant roles in root N-acquisition regulated by internal N-demand influenced by diurnal-dependent assimilation and translocation of carbohydrates from shoots. This suggestion could be supported at least in part by sucrose- and MSX-affected transcriptional-regulation of NtNRT1.1/1.2. Thus, present data provide valuable molecular bases for the existence of AMTs/NRTs in tobacco, promoting a deeper understanding of their biological functions. PMID:29563921

Formula for the Removal and Remediation of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Painted Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quinn, Jacqueline; Loftin, Kathleen; Geiger, Cherie

2010-01-01

An activated metal treatment system (AMTS) removes and destroys polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) found in painted structures or within the binding or caulking material on structures. It may be applied using a "paint-on and wipe-off" process that leaves the structure PCB-free and virtually unaltered in physical form. AMTS is used in conjunction with a solvent solution capable of donating hydrogen atoms. AMTS as a treatment technology has two functions: first, to extract PCBs from the material, and second, to degrade the extracted PCBs. The process for removing PCBs from structures is accomplished as an independent step to the degradation process. The goal is to extract the PCBs out of the paint, without destroying the paint, and to partition the PCBs into an environmentally friendly solvent. The research to date indicates this can be accomplished within the first 24 hours of AMTS contact with the paint. PCBs are extremely hydrophobic and prefer to be in the AMTS over the hardened paint or binder material. The solvent selected must be used to open, but not to destroy, the paint s polymeric lattice structure, allowing pathways for PCB movement out of the paint and into the solvent. A number of solvent systems were tested and are available for use within the AMTS. The second process of the AMTS is the degradation or dehalogenation of the PCBs. The solvent selection for this process is limited to solvents that are capable of donating a hydrogen atom to the PCB structure. Additional AMTS formulation properties that must be addressed for each site-specific application include viscosity and stability. The AMTS must be thick enough to remain where it is applied. Several thickening agents have been tested. Adding a stabilizing agent ensures that the AMTS will not evaporate and leave unprotected, activated metal exposed. During AMTS formulation testing, a number of reagents were evaluated to ensure the rate of dehalogenation was not inhibited by its addition to the system.

α-[¹¹C]-methyl-L-tryptophan PET for tracer localization of epileptogenic brain regions: clinical studies.

PubMed

Kumar, Ajay; Asano, Eishi; Chugani, Harry T

2011-10-01

Of several molecular probes used in PET, only α-[(11)C]-methyl-L-tryptophan (AMT) is able to pinpoint the epileptic focus itself in the interictal state, by revealing a focus of increased AMT uptake, even when an MRI or glucose metabolism PET demonstrates normal findings. AMT PET appears to be particularly useful in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex and in patients with cortical developmental malformations. Although the sensitivity of AMT PET in finding the epileptic focus is about 70%, its specificity is almost 100%, indicating that if AMT PET identifies an area of increased uptake, it likely represents the epileptic focus which needs to be resected for better surgical outcome. In nontuberous sclerosis complex patients with cortical dysplasia, increased AMT uptake is usually associated with cortical dysplasia type IIB and a very good surgical outcome. Previously, no imaging modality has been able to predict the exact pathology subtype or differentiate between epileptogenic and nonepileptogenic lesions interictally. The neuropathological similarities between tubers and type IIB cortical dysplasia suggest a common mechanism of epilepsy, for which AMT PET is a biomarker. Due to the limited access to AMT PET, as presently it is labeled with (11)C, which has a half-life of only 20 min and therefore has to be synthesized on site using a cyclotron, most of the AMT experience has originated primarily from only two centers. Therefore, there is a need for more clinical studies from other centers and this can be greatly facilitated if AMT can be labeled with (18)F, a PET radionuclide widely available with a half-life of 110 min.

Ammonia Excretion in an Osmoregulatory Syncytium Is Facilitated by AeAmt2, a Novel Ammonia Transporter in Aedes aegypti Larvae

PubMed Central

Durant, Andrea C.; Donini, Andrew

2018-01-01

The larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti inhabit ammonia rich septic tanks in tropical regions of the world that make extensive use of these systems, explaining the prevalence of disease during dry seasons. Since ammonia (NH3/NH4+) is toxic to animals, an understanding of the physiological mechanisms of ammonia excretion permitting the survival of A. aegypti larvae in high ammonia environments is important. We have characterized a novel ammonia transporter, AeAmt2, belonging to the Amt/MEP/Rh family of ammonia transporters. Based on the amino acid sequence, the predicted topology of AeAmt2 consists of 11 transmembrane helices with an extracellular N-terminus and a cytoplasmic C-terminus region. Alignment of the predicted AeAmt2 amino acid sequence with other Amt/MEP proteins from plants, bacteria, and yeast highlights the presence of conserved residues characteristic of ammonia conducting channels in this protein. AeAmt2 is expressed in the ionoregulatory anal papillae of A. aegypti larvae where it is localized to the apical membrane of the epithelium. dsRNA-mediated knockdown of AeAmt2 results in a significant decrease in NH4+ efflux from the anal papillae, suggesting a key role in facilitating ammonia excretion. The effect of high environmental ammonia (HEA) on expression of AeAmt2, along with previously characterized AeAmt1, AeRh50-1, and AeRh50-2 in the anal papillae was investigated. We show that changes in expression of ammonia transporters occur in response to acute and chronic exposure to HEA, which reflects the importance of these transporters in the physiology of life in high ammonia habitats. PMID:29695971

The Dionaea muscipula ammonium channel DmAMT1 provides NH₄⁺ uptake associated with Venus flytrap's prey digestion.

PubMed

Scherzer, Sönke; Krol, Elzbieta; Kreuzer, Ines; Kruse, Jörg; Karl, Franziska; von Rüden, Martin; Escalante-Perez, Maria; Müller, Thomas; Rennenberg, Heinz; Al-Rasheid, Khaled A S; Neher, Erwin; Hedrich, Rainer

2013-09-09

Ammonium transporter (AMT/MEP/Rh) superfamily members mediate ammonium uptake and retrieval. This pivotal transport system is conserved among all living organisms. For plants, nitrogen represents a macronutrient available in the soil as ammonium, nitrate, and organic nitrogen compounds. Plants living on extremely nutrient-poor soils have developed a number of adaptation mechanisms, including a carnivorous lifestyle. This study addresses the molecular nature, function, and regulation of prey-derived ammonium uptake in the Venus flytrap, Dionaea muscipula, one of the fastest active carnivores. The Dionaea muscipula ammonium transporter DmAMT1 was localized in gland complexes where its expression was upregulated upon secretion. These clusters of cells decorating the inner trap surface are engaged in (1) secretion of an acidic digestive enzyme cocktail and (2) uptake of prey-derived nutrients. Voltage clamp of Xenopus oocytes expressing DmAMT1 and membrane potential recordings with DmAMT1-expressing Dionaea glands were used to monitor and compare electrophysiological properties of DmAMT1 in vitro and in planta. DmAMT1 exhibited the hallmark biophysical properties of a NH4(+)-selective channel. At depolarized membrane potentials (Vm = 0), the Km (3.2 ± 0.3 mM) indicated a low affinity of DmAMT1 for ammonium that increased systematically with negative going voltages. Upon hyperpolarization to, e.g., -200 mV, a Km of 0.14 ± 0.015 mM documents the voltage-dependent shift of DmAMT1 into a NH4(+) transport system of high affinity. We suggest that regulation of glandular DmAMT1 and membrane potential readjustments of the endocrine cells provide for effective adaptation to varying, prey-derived ammonium sources. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and in silico evaluation of large-scale metabolite identification methods using functional group detection for metabolomics

PubMed Central

Mitchell, Joshua M.; Fan, Teresa W.-M.; Lane, Andrew N.; Moseley, Hunter N. B.

2014-01-01

Large-scale identification of metabolites is key to elucidating and modeling metabolism at the systems level. Advances in metabolomics technologies, particularly ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (MS) enable comprehensive and rapid analysis of metabolites. However, a significant barrier to meaningful data interpretation is the identification of a wide range of metabolites including unknowns and the determination of their role(s) in various metabolic networks. Chemoselective (CS) probes to tag metabolite functional groups combined with high mass accuracy provide additional structural constraints for metabolite identification and quantification. We have developed a novel algorithm, Chemically Aware Substructure Search (CASS) that efficiently detects functional groups within existing metabolite databases, allowing for combined molecular formula and functional group (from CS tagging) queries to aid in metabolite identification without a priori knowledge. Analysis of the isomeric compounds in both Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) and KEGG Ligand demonstrated a high percentage of isomeric molecular formulae (43 and 28%, respectively), indicating the necessity for techniques such as CS-tagging. Furthermore, these two databases have only moderate overlap in molecular formulae. Thus, it is prudent to use multiple databases in metabolite assignment, since each major metabolite database represents different portions of metabolism within the biosphere. In silico analysis of various CS-tagging strategies under different conditions for adduct formation demonstrate that combined FT-MS derived molecular formulae and CS-tagging can uniquely identify up to 71% of KEGG and 37% of the combined KEGG/HMDB database vs. 41 and 17%, respectively without adduct formation. This difference between database isomer disambiguation highlights the strength of CS-tagging for non-lipid metabolite identification. However, unique identification of complex lipids still needs additional information. PMID:25120557

Measurement of overgeneral autobiographical memory: Psychometric properties of the autobiographical memory test in young and older populations

PubMed Central

Romero, Dulce; Ricarte, Jorge J.; Serrano, Juan P.; Nieto, Marta; Latorre, Jose M.

2018-01-01

The Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) is the most widely used measure of overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM). The AMT appears to have good psychometric properties, but more research is needed on the influence and applicability of individual cue words in different languages and populations. To date, no studies have evaluated its usefulness as a measure of OMG in Spanish or older populations. This work aims to analyze the applicability of the AMT in young and older Spanish samples. We administered a Spanish version of the AMT to samples of young (N = 520) and older adults (N = 155). We conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item response theory-based analysis (IRT) and differential item functioning (DIF). Results confirm the one-factor structure for the AMT. IRT analysis suggests that both groups find the AMT easy given that they generally perform well, and that it is more precise in individuals who score low on memory specificity. DIF analysis finds three items differ in their functioning depending on age group. This differential functioning of these items affects the overall AMT scores and, thus, they should be excluded from the AMT in studies comparing young and older samples. We discuss the possible implications of the samples and cue words used. PMID:29672583

Measurement of overgeneral autobiographical memory: Psychometric properties of the autobiographical memory test in young and older populations.

PubMed

Ros, Laura; Romero, Dulce; Ricarte, Jorge J; Serrano, Juan P; Nieto, Marta; Latorre, Jose M

2018-01-01

The Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) is the most widely used measure of overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM). The AMT appears to have good psychometric properties, but more research is needed on the influence and applicability of individual cue words in different languages and populations. To date, no studies have evaluated its usefulness as a measure of OMG in Spanish or older populations. This work aims to analyze the applicability of the AMT in young and older Spanish samples. We administered a Spanish version of the AMT to samples of young (N = 520) and older adults (N = 155). We conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item response theory-based analysis (IRT) and differential item functioning (DIF). Results confirm the one-factor structure for the AMT. IRT analysis suggests that both groups find the AMT easy given that they generally perform well, and that it is more precise in individuals who score low on memory specificity. DIF analysis finds three items differ in their functioning depending on age group. This differential functioning of these items affects the overall AMT scores and, thus, they should be excluded from the AMT in studies comparing young and older samples. We discuss the possible implications of the samples and cue words used.

Methoxy-modified kaolinite as a novel carrier for high-capacity loading and controlled-release of the herbicide amitrole

PubMed Central

Tan, Daoyong; Yuan, Peng; Annabi-Bergaya, Faïza; Liu, Dong; He, Hongping

2015-01-01

Methoxy-modified kaolinite was used as a novel carrier for loading and release of the herbicide 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, known as amitrole (abbreviated here as AMT). The methoxy modification made the interlayer space of the kaolinite available for AMT intercalation. The AMT loading content in methoxy-modified kaolinite reached up to 20.8 mass% (twice the loading content by unmodified kaolinite). About 48% of this amount is located in the interlayer space. The release profiles of the AMT fit with the modified Korsmeyer-Peppas model. Due to the diffusional restriction of the intercalated AMT by the lamellar structure of the kaolinite and the strong electrostatic attraction between the intercalated AMT and the kaolinite, a slow release of AMT from the methoxy-modified kaolinite was achieved. These results show that the methoxy-modification is a facile method to make the interlayer space of kaolinite available for hosting other guest molecules. The methoxy-modified kaolinite is a promising candidate for high-capacity loading and controlled-release of other molecules such as drugs, agrochemicals, and biochemicals. PMID:25747124

Methoxy-modified kaolinite as a novel carrier for high-capacity loading and controlled-release of the herbicide amitrole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Daoyong; Yuan, Peng; Annabi-Bergaya, Faïza; Liu, Dong; He, Hongping

2015-03-01

Methoxy-modified kaolinite was used as a novel carrier for loading and release of the herbicide 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole, known as amitrole (abbreviated here as AMT). The methoxy modification made the interlayer space of the kaolinite available for AMT intercalation. The AMT loading content in methoxy-modified kaolinite reached up to 20.8 mass% (twice the loading content by unmodified kaolinite). About 48% of this amount is located in the interlayer space. The release profiles of the AMT fit with the modified Korsmeyer-Peppas model. Due to the diffusional restriction of the intercalated AMT by the lamellar structure of the kaolinite and the strong electrostatic attraction between the intercalated AMT and the kaolinite, a slow release of AMT from the methoxy-modified kaolinite was achieved. These results show that the methoxy-modification is a facile method to make the interlayer space of kaolinite available for hosting other guest molecules. The methoxy-modified kaolinite is a promising candidate for high-capacity loading and controlled-release of other molecules such as drugs, agrochemicals, and biochemicals.

Amniotic membrane transplantation with conjunctival autograft for recurrent pterygium.

PubMed

Shimazaki, Jun; Kosaka, Koichi; Shimmura, Shigeto; Tsubota, Kazuo

2003-01-01

To study the effect of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) combined with either limbal autograft transplantation (LAT) or conjunctival autograft transplantation (CAT) in recurrent pterygium. Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Twenty-seven eyes of 27 patients with recurrent pterygium. The mean number of prior surgeries was 3.1 (range, 1-10). Fifteen eyes each had restriction of ocular movement and symblepharon before surgery. Patients were treated by AMT with either LAT (n = 15) or CAT (n = 12). Recurrence of pterygium, improvement in ocular movement, and symblepharon formation. Twenty-three (85.2%) of 27 eyes showed no recurrence with a mean observation period of 67.0 weeks. Fourteen eyes (93.3%) each showed improvement in ocular movement restriction and symblepharon after AMT. In four eyes that developed recurrence, three had LAT and one had CAT combined with AMT, suggesting that there was no difference in surgical outcome between LAT and CAT. AMT with CAT is a safe and effective method for recurrent pterygium, especially that associated with ocular movement restriction and symblepharon. Considering the potential adverse effects associated with limbal excision, AMT plus CAT may be preferred over AMT plus LAT.

A Tool for Conditions Tag Management in ATLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharmazanashvili, A.; Batiashvili, G.; Gvaberidze, G.; Shekriladze, L.; Formica, A.; Atlas Collaboration

2014-06-01

ATLAS Conditions data include about 2 TB in a relational database and 400 GB of files referenced from the database. Conditions data is entered and retrieved using COOL, the API for accessing data in the LCG Conditions Database infrastructure. It is managed using an ATLAS-customized python based tool set. Conditions data are required for every reconstruction and simulation job, so access to them is crucial for all aspects of ATLAS data taking and analysis, as well as by preceding tasks to derive optimal corrections to reconstruction. Optimized sets of conditions for processing are accomplished using strict version control on those conditions: a process which assigns COOL Tags to sets of conditions, and then unifies those conditions over data-taking intervals into a COOL Global Tag. This Global Tag identifies the set of conditions used to process data so that the underlying conditions can be uniquely identified with 100% reproducibility should the processing be executed again. Understanding shifts in the underlying conditions from one tag to another and ensuring interval completeness for all detectors for a set of runs to be processed is a complex task, requiring tools beyond the above mentioned python utilities. Therefore, a JavaScript /PHP based utility called the Conditions Tag Browser (CTB) has been developed. CTB gives detector and conditions experts the possibility to navigate through the different databases and COOL folders; explore the content of given tags and the differences between them, as well as their extent in time; visualize the content of channels associated with leaf tags. This report describes the structure and PHP/ JavaScript classes of functions of the CTB.

Channel and terminal description of the ACTS mobile terminal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbe, B. S.; Agan, M. J.; Girardey, C. C.; Jedrey, T. C.

1994-01-01

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Mobile Terminal (AMT) is a proof-of-concept K/Ka-band mobile satellite communications terminal under development by NASA at JPL. Currently the AMT is undergoing systems integration and testing in preparation for a July 1993 ACTS launch and the subsequent commencement of mobile experiments in the fall of 1993. The AMT objectives are presented, followed by a discussion of the AMT communications channel and the mobile terminal's design and performance.

Channel and terminal description of the ACTS mobile terminal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbe, B. S.; Agan, M. J.; Girardey, C. C.; Jedrey, T. C.

1993-01-01

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Mobile Terminal (AMT) is a proof-of-concept K/Ka-band mobile satellite communications terminal under development by NASA at JPL. Currently the AMT is undergoing system integration and test in preparation for a July 1993 ACTS launch and the subsequent commencement of mobile experiments in the fall of 1993. The AMT objectives are presented followed by a discussion of the AMT communications channel and mobile terminal design and performance.

Insights into the availability and distribution of oral artemisinin monotherapy in Myanmar: evidence from a nationally representative outlet survey.

PubMed

Thein, Si Thu; Khin, Hnin Su Su; Thi, Aung

2017-04-25

The containment of artemisinin resistance in Myanmar, historically an important probable origin and route of anti-malarial resistance to the India sub-continent and beyond, is crucial to global malaria control and elimination. This paper describes what is currently known about the sale and distribution of oral artemisinin monotherapy (AMT) across Myanmar, where this medicine is commonly found. A nationally representative 2015 outlet survey was conducted in the private sector, and among community health workers across four geographical domains. A national sample of outlets was screened for availability of malaria testing and treatment, and an audit was completed for all anti-malarials. A total of 3859 outlets across Myanmar had an anti-malarial in stock on the day of survey. Of the 3859 anti-malarial stocking outlets, 988 outlets stocked oral AMT. Availability of oral AMT was highest among outlets in the Western border (36.8%) versus other domains (Eastern, 15.0%; Central, 19.3% Coastal, 10.7%). Over 90% of the oral AMT service delivery points were private sector outlets: general retailers (49.4%), pharmacies (23.5%), and itinerant drug vendors (14.2%). Eleven unique oral AMT products were audited. The most common product audited was Artesunate ® , manufactured by Mediplantex in Vietnam, which accounted for 79.9% of the oral AMT market share. Other oral AMT products were manufactured in China and in Myanmar. Over 60% of oral AMT products had a shelf life at purchase of greater than 2 years and only 14.7% were expired. The median number of oral AMT tablets typically dispensed to treat malaria was two tablets, approximately one tenth of a full adult course. The median price of a 50 mg tablet was $0.16. Given the high availability and distribution of oral AMT, it is possible that Myanmar has become the last remaining viable market for any oral AMT in the region for manufacturers. National and international organizations need to act quickly and effectively to stop the production and distribution to both improve malaria control within Myanmar and reduce risk of artemisinin resistance spreading to India and Africa.

Interactions of ( sup 3 H)amphetamine with rat brain synaptosomes. II. Active transport

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

Zaczek, R.; Culp, S.; De Souza, E.B.

1991-05-01

The accumulation of 5 nM d-({sup 3}H)amphetamine (d-({sup 3}H)AMPH) into rat brain synaptosomes was examined using physiological buffer conditions. The accumulation of d-({sup 3}H)AMPH into striatal synaptosomes was saturable, of high affinity, ouabain-sensitive and temperature-dependent, suggesting an active transport phenomenon. Eadee-Hofstee analysis of striatal d-({sup 3}H)AMPH transport (AMT) saturation isotherms indicated an apparent Km of 97 nM and a Vmax of 3.0 fmol/mg tissue/min. Lesion of the striatal dopaminergic innervation led to equivalent decreases of ({sup 3}H) dopamine (DA) transport and AMT, indicating that AMT occurs in DA terminals. Furthermore, AMT was not evident in cerebral cortex, a brain regionmore » with a paucity of DA terminals. In competition studies, AMT was stereospecific; d-AMPH (IC50 = 60 nM) was an 8-fold more potent inhibitor of the transport than its I-isomer (IC50 = 466 nM). DA(IC50 = 257 nM), DA uptake blockers and substrates were found to be potent inhibitors of AMT: GBR12909 IC50 = 5 nM; methamphetamine IC50 = 48 nM; methylphenidate IC50 = 53 nM; and cocaine IC50 = 172 nM. In contrast, serotonin was relatively weak in inhibiting AMT (IC50 = 7.9 microM). There was a highly significant (P less than .001; slope = 1.2) linear correlation between the AMT-inhibiting potencies of AMPH analogs and their potencies in stimulating locomotor activity in rodents. AMT may be important in the low dose effects of AMPH such as increased locomotor activity in rodents and stimulant activity in man. Differences between AMT and d-({sup 3}H)AMPH sequestration described earlier, as well as their possible relevance to behavioral and neurochemical sequelae of AMPH administration are also discussed.« less

Reduced Specificity of Autobiographical Memory and Depression

PubMed Central

Dalgleish, Tim; Williams, J. Mark G.; Golden, Ann-Marie J.; Perkins, Nicola; Barrett, Lisa Feldman; Barnard, Phillip J.; Yeung, Cecilia Au; Murphy, Victoria; Elward, Rachael; Tchanturia, Kate; Watkins, Edward

2007-01-01

It has been widely established that depressed mood states and clinical depression, as well as a range of other psychiatric disorders, are associated with a relative difficulty in accessing specific autobiographical information in response to emotion-related cue words on an Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; J. M. G. Williams & K. Broadbent, 1986). In 8 studies the authors examined the extent to which this relationship is a function of impaired executive control associated with these mood states and clinical disorders. Studies 1–4 demonstrated that performance on the AMT is associated with performance on measures of executive control, independent of depressed mood. Furthermore, Study 1 showed that executive control (as measured by verbal fluency) mediated the relationship between both depressed mood and a clinical diagnosis of eating disorder and AMT performance. Using a stratified sample in Study 5, the authors confirmed the positive association between depressed mood and impaired performance on the AMT. Studies 6–8 involved experimental manipulations of the parameters of the AMT designed to further indicate that reduced executive control is to a significant extent driving the relationship between depressed mood and AMT performance. The potential role of executive control in accounting for other aspects of the AMT literature is discussed. PMID:17324083

Direct observation of electrogenic NH4(+) transport in ammonium transport (Amt) proteins.

PubMed

Wacker, Tobias; Garcia-Celma, Juan J; Lewe, Philipp; Andrade, Susana L A

2014-07-08

Ammonium transport (Amt) proteins form a ubiquitous family of integral membrane proteins that specifically shuttle ammonium across membranes. In prokaryotes, archaea, and plants, Amts are used as environmental NH4(+) scavengers for uptake and assimilation of nitrogen. In the eukaryotic homologs, the Rhesus proteins, NH4(+)/NH3 transport is used instead in acid-base and pH homeostasis in kidney or NH4(+)/NH3 (and eventually CO2) detoxification in erythrocytes. Crystal structures and variant proteins are available, but the inherent challenges associated with the unambiguous identification of substrate and monitoring of transport events severely inhibit further progress in the field. Here we report a reliable in vitro assay that allows us to quantify the electrogenic capacity of Amt proteins. Using solid-supported membrane (SSM)-based electrophysiology, we have investigated the three Amt orthologs from the euryarchaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Af-Amt1 and Af-Amt3 are electrogenic and transport the ammonium and methylammonium cation with high specificity. Transport is pH-dependent, with a steep decline at pH values of ∼5.0. Despite significant sequence homologies, functional differences between the three proteins became apparent. SSM electrophysiology provides a long-sought-after functional assay for the ubiquitous ammonium transporters.

JSATS Detector Field Manual

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

Choi, Eric Y.; Flory, Adam E.; Lamarche, Brian L.

2014-06-01

The Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) Detector is a software and hardware system that captures JSATS Acoustic Micro Transmitter (AMT) signals. The system uses hydrophones to capture acoustic signals in the water. This analog signal is then amplified and processed by the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and Digital Signal Processor (DSP) board in the computer. This board digitizes and processes the acoustic signal to determine if a possible JSATS tag is present. With this detection, the data will be saved to the computer for further analysis. This document details the features and functionality of the JSATS Detector software.more » The document covers how to install the software, setup and run the detector software. The document will also go over the raw binary waveform file format and CSV files containing RMS values« less

Transcriptional regulation of host NH₄⁺ transporters and GS/GOGAT pathway in arbuscular mycorrhizal rice roots.

PubMed

Pérez-Tienda, Jacob; Corrêa, Ana; Azcón-Aguilar, Concepción; Ferrol, Nuria

2014-02-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a key role in the nutrition of many land plants. AM roots have two pathways for nutrient uptake, directly through the root epidermis and root hairs and via AM fungal hyphae into root cortical cells, where arbuscules or hyphal coils provide symbiotic interfaces. Recent studies demonstrated that the AM symbiosis modifies the expression of plant transporter genes and that NH₄⁺ is the main form of N transported in the symbiosis. The aim of the present work was to get insights into the mycorrhizal N uptake pathway in Oryza sativa by analysing the expression of genes encoding ammonium transporters (AMTs), glutamine synthase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) in roots colonized by the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis and grown under two N regimes. We found that the AM symbiosis down-regulated OsAMT1;1 and OsAMT1;3 expression at low-N, but not at high-N conditions, and induced, independently of the N status of the plant, a strong up-regulation of OsAMT3;1 expression. The AM-inducible NH₄⁺ transporter OsAMT3;1 belongs to the family 2 of plant AMTs and is phylogenetically related to the AM-inducible AMTs of other plant species. Moreover, for the first time we provide evidence of the specific induction of a GOGAT gene upon colonization with an AM fungus. These data suggest that OsAMT3;1 is likely involved in the mycorrhizal N uptake pathway in rice roots and that OsGOGAT2 plays a role in the assimilation of the NH₄⁺ supplied via the OsAMT3;1 AM-inducible transporter. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Identification and Characterization of a PutAMT1;1 Gene from Puccinellia tenuiflora

PubMed Central

Bu, Yuanyuan; Sun, Bo; Zhou, Aimin; Zhang, Xinxin; Lee, Imshik; Liu, Shenkui

2013-01-01

Nitrogen is one of the most important limiting factors for plant growth. However, as ammonium is readily converted into ammonia (NH3) when soil pH rises above 8.0, this activity depletes the availability of ammonium (NH4 +) in alkaline soils, consequently preventing the growth of most plant species. The perennial wild grass Puccinellia tenuiflora is one of a few plants able to grow in soils with extremely high salt and alkaline pH (>9.0) levels. Here, we assessed how this species responds to ammonium under such conditions by isolating and analyzing the functions of a putative ammonium transporter (PutAMT1;1). PutAMT1;1 is the first member of the AMT1 (ammonium transporter) family that has been identified in P. tenuiflora. This gene (1) functionally complemented a yeast mutant deficient in ammonium uptake (2), is preferentially expressed in the anther of P. tenuiflora, and (3) is significantly upregulated by ammonium ions in both the shoot and roots. The PutAMT1;1 protein is localized in the plasma membrane and around the nuclear periphery in yeast cells and P. tenuiflora suspension cells. Immunoelectron microscopy analysis also indicated that PutAMT1;1 is localized in the endomembrane. The overexpression of PutAMT1;1 in A. thaliana enhanced plant growth, and increased plant susceptibility to toxic methylammonium (MeA). Here, we confirmed that PutAMT1;1 is an ammonium-inducible ammonium transporter in P. tenuiflora. On the basis of the results of PutAMT1;1 overexpression in A. thaliana, this gene might be useful for improving the root to shoot mobilization of MeA (or NH4 +). PMID:24340088

Using Internet Snapshot Surveys to Enhance Our Understanding of the Availability of the Novel Psychoactive Substance Alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT).

PubMed

Wood, David Michael; Dargan, Paul Ivor

2013-07-02

Alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT) is a novel psychoactive substance available over the Internet. This study used European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) Internet snapshot methodology to investigate the availability and cost of AMT in March/October 2012. From March to October 2012, there was a decrease in the number of Internet sites selling AMT (44 to 31). AMT powder was cheaper in "bulk" (100 g) than in "recreational-user" (100 mg) quantities, and there was a decrease in price. Data from Internet snapshot surveys complement and allow triangulation of data from other sources to build a more detailed picture on availability and use of novel psychoactive substances.

Synthetic Modeling of A Geothermal System Using Audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) and Magnetotelluric (MT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mega Saputra, Rifki; Widodo

2017-04-01

Indonesia has 40% of the world’s potential geothermal resources with estimated capacity of 28,910 MW. Generally, the characteristic of the geothermal system in Indonesia is liquid-dominated systems, which driven by volcanic activities. In geothermal exploration, electromagnetic methods are used to map structures that could host potential reservoirs and source rocks. We want to know the responses of a geothermal system using synthetic data of Audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) and Magnetotelluric (MT). Due to frequency range, AMT and MT data can resolve the shallow and deeper structure, respectively. 1-D models have been performed using AMT and MT data. The results indicate that AMT and MT data give detailed conductivity distribution of geothermal structure.

47 CFR 80.477 - AMTS points of communication.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false AMTS points of communication. 80.477 Section 80.477 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Public Coast Stations Automated Systems § 80.477 AMTS points of...

Active music therapy approach in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized-controlled trial.

PubMed

Raglio, Alfredo; Giovanazzi, Elena; Pain, Debora; Baiardi, Paola; Imbriani, Chiara; Imbriani, Marcello; Mora, Gabriele

2016-12-01

This randomized controlled study assessed the efficacy of active music therapy (AMT) on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Communication and relationship during AMT treatment were also evaluated. Thirty patients were assigned randomly to experimental [AMT plus standard of care (SC)] or control (SC) groups. AMT consisted of 12 sessions (three times a week), whereas the SC treatment was based on physical and speech rehabilitation sessions, occupational therapy, and psychological support. ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Music Therapy Rating Scale were administered to assess functional, psychological, and music therapy outcomes. The AMT group improved significantly in McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire global scores (P=0.035) and showed a positive trend in nonverbal and sonorous-music relationship during the treatment. Further studies involving larger samples in a longer AMT intervention are needed to confirm the effectiveness of this approach in ALS.

Pseudohyphal growth of Cryptococcus neoformans is a reversible dimorphic transition in response to ammonium that requires Amt1 and Amt2 ammonium permeases.

PubMed

Lee, Soo Chan; Phadke, Sujal; Sun, Sheng; Heitman, Joseph

2012-11-01

Cryptococcus neoformans is a human-pathogenic basidiomycete that commonly infects HIV/AIDS patients to cause meningoencephalitis (7, 19). C. neoformans grows as a budding yeast during vegetative growth or as hyphae during sexual reproduction. Pseudohyphal growth of C. neoformans has been observed rarely during murine and human infections but frequently during coculture with amoeba; however, the genetics underlying pseudohyphal growth are largely unknown. Our studies found that C. neoformans displays pseudohyphal growth under nitrogen-limiting conditions, especially when a small amount of ammonium is available as a sole nitrogen source. Pseudohyphal growth was observed with Cryptococcus neoformans serotypes A and D and Cryptococcus gattii. C. neoformans pseudohyphae bud to produce yeast cells and normal smooth hemispherical colonies when transferred to complete media, indicating that pseudohyphal growth is a conditional developmental stage. Subsequent analysis revealed that two ammonium permeases encoded by the AMT1 and AMT2 genes are required for pseudohyphal growth. Both amt1 and amt2 mutants are capable of forming pseudohyphae; however, amt1 amt2 double mutants do not form pseudohyphae. Interestingly, C. gattii pseudohypha formation is irreversible and involves a RAM pathway mutation that drives pseudohyphal development. We also found that pseudohyphal growth is related to the invasive growth into the medium. These results demonstrate that pseudohyphal growth is a common reversible growth pattern in C. neoformans but a mutational genetic event in C. gattii and provide new insights into understanding pseudohyphal growth of Cryptococcus.

47 CFR 80.475 - Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). 80.475 Section 80.475 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Automated Systems § 80.475 Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). (a...

47 CFR 80.475 - Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). 80.475 Section 80.475 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Automated Systems § 80.475 Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). (a...

47 CFR 80.475 - Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). 80.475 Section 80.475 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Automated Systems § 80.475 Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). (a...

47 CFR 80.475 - Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). 80.475 Section 80.475 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Automated Systems § 80.475 Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). (a...

47 CFR 80.475 - Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). 80.475 Section 80.475 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... Automated Systems § 80.475 Scope of service of the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System (AMTS). (a...

Evolution of Electrogenic Ammonium Transporters (AMTs)

DOE PAGES

McDonald, Tami R.; Ward, John M.

2016-03-31

The ammonium transporter gene family consists of three main clades, AMT, MEP, and Rh. The evolutionary history of the AMT/MEP/Rh gene family is characterized by multiple horizontal gene transfer events, gene family expansion and contraction, and gene loss; thus the gene tree for this family of transporters is unlike the organismal tree. The genomes of angiosperms contain genes for both electrogenic and electroneutral ammonium transporters, but it is not clear how far back in the land plant lineage electrogenic ammonium transporters occur. Here, we place Marchantia polymorpha ammonium transporters in the AMT/MEP/Rh phylogeny and we show that AMTs from themore » liverwort M. polymorpha are electrogenic. This information suggests that electrogenic ammonium transport evolved at least as early as the divergence of bryophytes in the land plant lineage.« less

Evolution of Electrogenic Ammonium Transporters (AMTs)

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

McDonald, Tami R.; Ward, John M.

The ammonium transporter gene family consists of three main clades, AMT, MEP, and Rh. The evolutionary history of the AMT/MEP/Rh gene family is characterized by multiple horizontal gene transfer events, gene family expansion and contraction, and gene loss; thus the gene tree for this family of transporters is unlike the organismal tree. The genomes of angiosperms contain genes for both electrogenic and electroneutral ammonium transporters, but it is not clear how far back in the land plant lineage electrogenic ammonium transporters occur. Here, we place Marchantia polymorpha ammonium transporters in the AMT/MEP/Rh phylogeny and we show that AMTs from themore » liverwort M. polymorpha are electrogenic. This information suggests that electrogenic ammonium transport evolved at least as early as the divergence of bryophytes in the land plant lineage.« less

Multidisciplinary Research Program in Atmospheric Science. [remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, O. E.

1982-01-01

A theoretical analysis of the vertical resolving power of the High resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) and the Advanced Meteorological Temperature Sounder (AMTS) is carried out. The infrared transmittance weighting functions and associated radiative transfer kernels are analyzed through singular value decomposition. The AMTS was found to contain several more pieces of independent information than HIRS when the transmittances were considered, but the two instruments appeared to be much more similar when the temperature sensitive radiative transfer kernels were analyzed. The HIRS and AMTS instruments were also subjected to a thorough analysis. It was found that the two instruments should have very similar vertical resolving power below 500 mb but that AMTS should have superior resolving power above 200 mb. In the layer 200 to 500 mb the AMTS showed badly degraded spread function.

Collecting Response Times using Amazon Mechanical Turk and Adobe Flash

PubMed Central

Simcox, Travis; Fiez, Julie A.

2017-01-01

Crowdsourcing systems like Amazon's Mechanical Turk (AMT) allow data to be collected from a large sample of people in a short amount of time. This use has garnered considerable interest from behavioral scientists. So far, most experiments conducted on AMT have focused on survey-type instruments because of difficulties inherent in running many experimental paradigms over the Internet. This article investigated the viability of presenting stimuli and collecting response times using Adobe Flash to run ActionScript 3 code in conjunction with AMT. First, the timing properties of Adobe Flash were investigated using a phototransistor and two desktop computers running under several conditions mimicking those that may be present in research using AMT. This experiment revealed some strengths and weaknesses of the timing capabilities of this method. Next, a flanker task and a lexical decision task implemented in Adobe Flash were administered to participants recruited with AMT. The expected effects in these tasks were replicated. Power analyses were conducted to describe the number of participants needed to replicate these effects. A questionnaire was used to investigate previously undescribed computer use habits of 100 participants on AMT. We conclude that a Flash program in conjunction with AMT can be successfully used for running many experimental paradigms that rely on response times, although experimenters must understand the limitations of the method. PMID:23670340

Direct observation of electrogenic NH4+ transport in ammonium transport (Amt) proteins

PubMed Central

Wacker, Tobias; Garcia-Celma, Juan J.; Lewe, Philipp; Andrade, Susana L. A.

2014-01-01

Ammonium transport (Amt) proteins form a ubiquitous family of integral membrane proteins that specifically shuttle ammonium across membranes. In prokaryotes, archaea, and plants, Amts are used as environmental NH4+ scavengers for uptake and assimilation of nitrogen. In the eukaryotic homologs, the Rhesus proteins, NH4+/NH3 transport is used instead in acid–base and pH homeostasis in kidney or NH4+/NH3 (and eventually CO2) detoxification in erythrocytes. Crystal structures and variant proteins are available, but the inherent challenges associated with the unambiguous identification of substrate and monitoring of transport events severely inhibit further progress in the field. Here we report a reliable in vitro assay that allows us to quantify the electrogenic capacity of Amt proteins. Using solid-supported membrane (SSM)-based electrophysiology, we have investigated the three Amt orthologs from the euryarchaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus. Af-Amt1 and Af-Amt3 are electrogenic and transport the ammonium and methylammonium cation with high specificity. Transport is pH-dependent, with a steep decline at pH values of ∼5.0. Despite significant sequence homologies, functional differences between the three proteins became apparent. SSM electrophysiology provides a long-sought-after functional assay for the ubiquitous ammonium transporters. PMID:24958855

Sequence tagging reveals unexpected modifications in toxicoproteomics

PubMed Central

Dasari, Surendra; Chambers, Matthew C.; Codreanu, Simona G.; Liebler, Daniel C.; Collins, Ben C.; Pennington, Stephen R.; Gallagher, William M.; Tabb, David L.

2010-01-01

Toxicoproteomic samples are rich in posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of proteins. Identifying these modifications via standard database searching can incur significant performance penalties. Here we describe the latest developments in TagRecon, an algorithm that leverages inferred sequence tags to identify modified peptides in toxicoproteomic data sets. TagRecon identifies known modifications more effectively than the MyriMatch database search engine. TagRecon outperformed state of the art software in recognizing unanticipated modifications from LTQ, Orbitrap, and QTOF data sets. We developed user-friendly software for detecting persistent mass shifts from samples. We follow a three-step strategy for detecting unanticipated PTMs in samples. First, we identify the proteins present in the sample with a standard database search. Next, identified proteins are interrogated for unexpected PTMs with a sequence tag-based search. Finally, additional evidence is gathered for the detected mass shifts with a refinement search. Application of this technology on toxicoproteomic data sets revealed unintended cross-reactions between proteins and sample processing reagents. Twenty five proteins in rat liver showed signs of oxidative stress when exposed to potentially toxic drugs. These results demonstrate the value of mining toxicoproteomic data sets for modifications. PMID:21214251

Large-scale high density 3D AMT for mineral exploration — A case history from volcanic massive sulfide Pb-Zn deposit with 2000 AMT sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, R.; Chen, S.; He, L.; Yao, H.; Li, H.; Xi, X.; Zhao, X.

2017-12-01

EM method plays a key role in volcanic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit which is with high grade and high economic value. However, the performance of high density 3D AMT in detecting deep concealed VMS targets is not clear. The size of a typical VMS target is less than 100 m x 100 m x 50 m, it's a challenge task to find it with large depth. We carried a test in a VMS Pb-Zn deposit using high density 3D AMT with site spacing as 20 m and profile spacing as 40 - 80 m. About 2000 AMT sites were acquired in an area as 2000 m x 1500 m. Then we used a sever with 8 CPUs (Intel Xeon E7-8880 v3, 2.3 GHz, 144 cores), 2048 GB RAM, and 40 TB disk array to invert above 3D AMT sites using integral equation forward modeling and re-weighted conjugated-gradient inversion. The depth of VMS ore body is about 600 m and the size of the ore body is about 100 x 100 x 20m with dip angle about 45 degree. We finds that it's very hard to recover the location and shape of the ore body by 3D AMT inversion even using the data of all AMT sites and frequencies. However, it's possible to recover the location and shape of the deep concealed ore body if we adjust the inversion parameters carefully. A new set of inversion parameter needs to be find for high density 3D AMT data set and the inversion parameters working good for Dublin Secret Model II (DSM 2) is not suitable for our real data. This problem may be caused by different data density and different number of frequency. We find a set of good inversion parameter by comparing the shape and location of ore body with inversion result and trying different inversion parameters. And the application of new inversion parameter in nearby area with high density AMT sites shows that the inversion result is improved greatly.

Association between exposure to rotating night shift versus day shift using levels of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin and cortisol and other sex hormones in women.

PubMed

Gómez-Acebo, Inés; Dierssen-Sotos, Trinidad; Papantoniou, Kyriaki; García-Unzueta, María Teresa; Santos-Benito, María Francisca; Llorca, Javier

2015-02-01

The present study aims to compare 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) secretion patterns and levels of cortisol and sex hormones (estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, DHEAS, and testosterone) among rotating night-shift workers and day-shift workers. We performed a cross-sectional study in Cantabria (northern Spain) including 136 women (73 day-shift workers and 63 rotating night-shift workers). Blood and urine samples were obtained after two consecutive working days. Differences in means were estimated using ANCOVA, stratified by menopausal status, ovulation phase, and adjusted for season, age, body mass index, consumption of cigarettes in the last 24 h. aMT6s circadian rhythm was analyzed using the cosinor analysis. The present study showed that rotating night-shift workers had lower excretion of aMT6s than day-shift workers (mesor = 50.26 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in women with rotating night shift versus 88.79 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in women with day shift), lower fluctuation (amplitude = 45.24 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in rotating night-shift workers versus 79.71 ng aMT6s/mg creatinine in day-shift workers), and a later acrophase (aMT6s peak time: 08:31 in rotating night-shift workers versus 07:13 h in day-shift workers). Additionally, women with rotating night shift had higher estradiol and progesterone levels, compared to day workers, especially in the follicular phase on the menstrual cycle.

Adsorption Mechanism of 4-Amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole as Flotation Reagent on Chalcopyrite.

PubMed

Yin, Zhigang; Hu, Yuehua; Sun, Wei; Zhang, Chenyang; He, Jianyong; Xu, Zhijie; Zou, Jingxiang; Guan, Changping; Zhang, Chenhu; Guan, Qingjun; Lin, Shangyong; Khoso, Sultan Ahmed

2018-04-03

A novel compound 4-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole was first synthesized, and its selective adsorption mechanism on the surface of chalcopyrite was comprehensively investigated using UV-vis spectra, zeta-potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), and first principles calculations. The experimental and computational results consistently demonstrated that AMT would chemisorb onto the chalcopyrite surface by the formation of a five-membered chelate ring. The first principles periodic calculations further indicated that AMT would prefer to adsorb onto Cu rather than Fe due to the more negative adsorption energy of AMT on Cu in the chalcopyrite (001) surface, which was further confirmed by the coordination reaction energies of AMT-Cu and AMT-Fe based on the simplified cluster models at a higher accuracy level (UB3LYP/Def2-TZVP). The bench-scale results indicated that the selective index improved significantly when using AMT as a chalcopyrite depressant in Cu-Mo flotation separation.

Semantic Annotation of Complex Text Structures in Problem Reports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.; Throop, David R.; Fleming, Land D.

2011-01-01

Text analysis is important for effective information retrieval from databases where the critical information is embedded in text fields. Aerospace safety depends on effective retrieval of relevant and related problem reports for the purpose of trend analysis. The complex text syntax in problem descriptions has limited statistical text mining of problem reports. The presentation describes an intelligent tagging approach that applies syntactic and then semantic analysis to overcome this problem. The tags identify types of problems and equipment that are embedded in the text descriptions. The power of these tags is illustrated in a faceted searching and browsing interface for problem report trending that combines automatically generated tags with database code fields and temporal information.

AMT1;1 transgenic rice plants with enhanced NH4(+) permeability show superior growth and higher yield under optimal and suboptimal NH4(+) conditions.

PubMed

Ranathunge, Kosala; El-Kereamy, Ashraf; Gidda, Satinder; Bi, Yong-Mei; Rothstein, Steven J

2014-03-01

The major source of nitrogen for rice (Oryza sativa L.) is ammonium (NH4(+)). The NH4(+) uptake of roots is mainly governed by membrane transporters, with OsAMT1;1 being a prominent member of the OsAMT1 gene family that is known to be involved in NH4(+) transport in rice plants. However, little is known about its involvement in NH4(+) uptake in rice roots and subsequent effects on NH4(+) assimilation. This study shows that OsAMT1;1 is a constitutively expressed, nitrogen-responsive gene, and its protein product is localized in the plasma membrane. Its expression level is under the control of circadian rhythm. Transgenic rice lines (L-2 and L-3) overexpressing the OsAMT1;1 gene had the same root structure as the wild type (WT). However, they had 2-fold greater NH4(+) permeability than the WT, whereas OsAMT1;1 gene expression was 20-fold higher than in the WT. Analogous to the expression, transgenic lines had a higher NH4(+) content in the shoots and roots than the WT. Direct NH4(+) fluxes in the xylem showed that the transgenic lines had significantly greater uptake rates than the WT. Higher NH4(+) contents also promoted higher expression levels of genes in the nitrogen assimilation pathway, resulting in greater nitrogen assimilates, chlorophyll, starch, sugars, and grain yield in transgenic lines than in the WT under suboptimal and optimal nitrogen conditions. OsAMT1;1 also enhanced overall plant growth, especially under suboptimal NH4(+) levels. These results suggest that OsAMT1;1 has the potential for improving nitrogen use efficiency, plant growth, and grain yield under both suboptimal and optimal nitrogen fertilizer conditions.

Clinical outcome of combined conjunctival autograft transplantation and amniotic membrane transplantation in pterygium surgery

PubMed Central

Malla, Tejsu; Jiang, Jing; Hu, Kai

2018-01-01

AIM To compare long-term outcome of primary and recurrent pterygium surgery with three different techniques: combined conjunctival autograft and overlay amniotic membrane transplantation (CAT with AMT), conjunctival autograft transplantation (CAT) alone and amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) alone. METHODS In this retrospective study, 142 eyes of 142 pterygium patients (104 primary, 38 recurrent) who underwent CAT (group A), AMT (group B) or CAT with AMT (group C) respectively following surgical excision were reviewed and compared based on the recurrences and post-operative complications. RESULTS The number of recurrence post-surgery were 17 (9 from primary, 8 from recurrent; the same description below), 18 (10, 8) and 2 (1, 1) in groups A, B, and C respectively; dry eyes were 22 (16, 6), 27 (18, 9) and 7 (3, 4); conjunctival inflammations were 30 (17, 13), 27 (16, 11) and 11 (6, 5). Patients in group C (either primary or recurrent or both) mainly showed significantly better results than those in group A or B (P<0.05) regarding above-mentioned clinical effects. CONCLUSION Combined CAT and overly AMT have significantly lower rates of recurrence and postoperative complications for primary and recurrent pterygium surgery than CAT or AMT alone. PMID:29600172

A sentence completion procedure as an alternative to the Autobiographical Memory Test for assessing overgeneral memory in non-clinical populations

PubMed Central

Raes, Filip; Hermans, Dirk; Williams, J. Mark G.; Eelen, Paul

2007-01-01

Overgeneral memory (OGM) has been proposed as a vulnerability factor for depression (Williams et al., 2007) or depressive reactivity to stressful life-events (e.g., Gibbs & Rude, 2004). Traditionally, a cue word procedure known as the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986) is used to assess OGM. Although frequently and validly used in clinical populations, there is evidence suggesting that the AMT is insufficiently sensitive to measure OGM in non-clinical groups. Study 1 evaluated the usefulness of a sentence completion method to assess OGM in non-clinical groups, as an alternative to the AMT. Participants were 197 students who completed the AMT, the Sentence Completion for Events from the Past Test (SCEPT), a depression measure, and visual analogue scales assessing ruminative thinking. Results showed that the mean proportion of overgeneral responses was markedly higher for the SCEPT than for the standard AMT. Also, overgeneral responding on the SCEPT was positively associated to depression scores and depressive rumination scores, whereas overgeneral responding on the AMT was not. Results suggest that the SCEPT, relative to the AMT, is a more sensitive instrument to measure OGM, at least in non-clinical populations. Study 2 further showed that this enhanced sensitivity is most likely due to the omission of the instruction to be specific rather than to the SCEPT's sentence completion format (as opposed to free recall to cue words). PMID:17613793

A sentence completion procedure as an alternative to the Autobiographical Memory Test for assessing overgeneral memory in non-clinical populations.

PubMed

Raes, Filip; Hermans, Dirk; Williams, J Mark G; Eelen, Paul

2007-07-01

Overgeneral memory (OGM) has been proposed as a vulnerability factor for depression (Williams et al., 2007) or depressive reactivity to stressful life-events (e.g., Gibbs & Rude, 2004). Traditionally, a cue word procedure known as the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986) is used to assess OGM. Although frequently and validly used in clinical populations, there is evidence suggesting that the AMT is insufficiently sensitive to measure OGM in non-clinical groups. Study 1 evaluated the usefulness of a sentence completion method to assess OGM in non-clinical groups, as an alternative to the AMT. Participants were 197 students who completed the AMT, the Sentence Completion for Events from the Past Test (SCEPT), a depression measure, and visual analogue scales assessing ruminative thinking. Results showed that the mean proportion of overgeneral responses was markedly higher for the SCEPT than for the standard AMT. Also, overgeneral responding on the SCEPT was positively associated to depression scores and depressive rumination scores, whereas overgeneral responding on the AMT was not. Results suggest that the SCEPT, relative to the AMT, is a more sensitive instrument to measure OGM, at least in non-clinical populations. Study 2 further showed that this enhanced sensitivity is most likely due to the omission of the instruction to be specific rather than to the SCEPT's sentence completion format (as opposed to free recall to cue words).

Accessory mammary tissue associated with congenital and hereditary nephrourinary malformations.

PubMed

Urbani, C E; Betti, R

1996-05-01

The association between polythelia (supernumerary nipple) and kidney and urinary tract malformations (KUTM) is controversial. Some authors reported this association in newborns and infants. Case-control studies dealing with adult subjects are not found in the literature. The purpose of this study is to determine the frequency of the association between accessory mammary tissue (AMT) and congenital and hereditary nephrourinary defects in an adult population compared to a control group. The study was performed in 146 white patients (123 men, 23 women) with AMT out of 2645 subjects consecutively referred to us for physical examination. The following investigations were undertaken: ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and the kidneys, ECG, echocardiogram, roentgenogram of the vertebral column, urinalysis, and other laboratory tests. A sex- and age-matched control group without any evidence of AMT or lateral displacement of the nipples underwent the same examinations. Kidney and urinary tract malformations were detected in 11 patients with AMT (nine men, two women) and in one control. These data indicate a significantly higher frequency of KUTM in the AMT-affected patients compared to controls (7.53% vs. 0.68%, P < 0.001). A broad spectrum of KUTM was discovered in association with AMT: adult dominant polycystic kidney disease, unilateral renal agenesis, cystic renal dysplasia, familial renal cysts, and congenital stenosis of the pyeloureteral joint. Accessory mammary tissue offers an important clue for congenital and hereditary anomalies of the kidneys and urinary collecting systems. Patients with AMT should, therefore, be extensively examined for the presence of occult nephrouropathies.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) root under waterlogging stress by digital gene expression profile.

PubMed

Qi, Xiao-Hua; Xu, Xue-Wen; Lin, Xiao-Jian; Zhang, Wen-Jie; Chen, Xue-Hao

2012-03-01

High-throughput tag-sequencing (Tag-seq) analysis based on the Solexa Genome Analyzer platform was applied to analyze the gene expression profiling of cucumber plant at 5 time points over a 24h period of waterlogging treatment. Approximately 5.8 million total clean sequence tags per library were obtained with 143013 distinct clean tag sequences. Approximately 23.69%-29.61% of the distinct clean tags were mapped unambiguously to the unigene database, and 53.78%-60.66% of the distinct clean tags were mapped to the cucumber genome database. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes revealed that most of the genes were down-regulated in the waterlogging stages, and the differentially expressed genes mainly linked to carbon metabolism, photosynthesis, reactive oxygen species generation/scavenging, and hormone synthesis/signaling. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction using nine genes independently verified the tag-mapped results. This present study reveals the comprehensive mechanisms of waterlogging-responsive transcription in cucumber. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

47 CFR 27.73 - WCS, AMT, and Goldstone coordination requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... protect AMT receive systems consistent with Recommendation ITU-R M.1459. The locations of the current and...) within 145 kilometers of the Goldstone, CA earth station site (35°25′33″ N, 116°53′23″ W). (c) After base...) receiving the complaint, no matter the distance from the NASA Goldstone, CA earth station or from an AMT...

Who continues to stock oral artemisinin monotherapy? Results of a provider survey in Myanmar.

PubMed

Thein, Si Thu; Sudhinaraset, May; Khin, Hnin Su Su; McFarland, Willi; Aung, Tin

2016-06-22

Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is a key strategy for global malaria elimination efforts. However, the development of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites threatens progress and continued usage of oral artemisinin monotherapies (AMT) predisposes the selection of drug resistant strains. This is particularly a problem along the Myanmar/Thailand border. The artemisinin monotherapy replacement programme (AMTR) was established in 2012 to remove oral AMT from stocks in Myanmar, specifically by replacing oral AMT with quality-assured ACT and conducting behavioural change communication activities to the outlets dispensing anti-malarial medications. This study attempts to quantify the characteristics of outlet providers who continue to stock oral AMT despite these concerted efforts. A cross-sectional survey of all types of private sector outlets that were stocking anti-malarial drugs in 13 townships of Eastern Myanmar was implemented from July to August 2014. A total of 573 outlets were included. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to assess outlet and provider-level characteristics associated with stocking oral AMT. In total, 2939 outlets in Eastern Myanmar were screened for presence of any anti-malarial drugs in August 2014. The study found that 573 (19.5 %) had some kind of oral anti-malarial drug in stock at the time of survey and among them, 96 (16.8 %) stocked oral AMT. In bivariate analyses, compared to health care facilities, itinerant drug vendors, retailers and health workers were less likely to stock oral AMT (33.3 vs 12.9, 10.0, 8.1 %, OR = 0.30, 0.22, 0.18, respectively). Providers who cut blister pack or sell partial courses (40.6 vs 11.7 %, OR 5.18, CI 3.18-8.44) and those who based their stock decision on consumer demand (32.8 vs 12.1 %, OR 3.54, CI 2.21-5.63) were more likely to stock oAMT. Multivariate logistic regressions produced similar significant associations. Private healthcare facilities and drug shops and providers who prioritize consumers' demand instead of recommended practices were more likely to stock oral AMT. Malaria elimination strategies should include targeted interventions to effectively reach those outlets.

Significance of screening electrocardiogram before the initiation of amitriptyline therapy in children with functional abdominal pain.

PubMed

Patra, Kamakshya P; Sankararaman, Senthilkumar; Jackson, Robert; Hussain, Sunny Z

2012-09-01

Amitriptyline (AMT) is commonly used in the management of children with irritable bowel syndrome. AMT is pro-arrhythmogenic and increases the risk of sudden cardiac death. However, there is not enough data regarding the cardiac toxicity in therapeutic doses of AMT in children and the need for screening electrocardiogram (EKG). Errors in computer EKG interpretation are not uncommon. In a risk-prevention study, the authors sought to identify the true incidence of prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval and other arrhythmias in children with irritable bowel syndrome before the initiation of AMT. Out of the 760 EKGs screened, 3 EKGs demonstrated a true prolonged QTc after the careful manual reading by a pediatric cardiologist and they were not picked by computer-generated reading. The authors conclude that screening EKG should always be performed on children before initiating AMT therapy. Also, the computer-generated EKG needs to be verified by a pediatric cardiologist to avoid serious misinterpretations.

An Auditory-Masking-Threshold-Based Noise Suppression Algorithm GMMSE-AMT[ERB] for Listeners with Sensorineural Hearing Loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Natarajan, Ajay; Hansen, John H. L.; Arehart, Kathryn Hoberg; Rossi-Katz, Jessica

2005-12-01

This study describes a new noise suppression scheme for hearing aid applications based on the auditory masking threshold (AMT) in conjunction with a modified generalized minimum mean square error estimator (GMMSE) for individual subjects with hearing loss. The representation of cochlear frequency resolution is achieved in terms of auditory filter equivalent rectangular bandwidths (ERBs). Estimation of AMT and spreading functions for masking are implemented in two ways: with normal auditory thresholds and normal auditory filter bandwidths (GMMSE-AMT[ERB]-NH) and with elevated thresholds and broader auditory filters characteristic of cochlear hearing loss (GMMSE-AMT[ERB]-HI). Evaluation is performed using speech corpora with objective quality measures (segmental SNR, Itakura-Saito), along with formal listener evaluations of speech quality rating and intelligibility. While no measurable changes in intelligibility occurred, evaluations showed quality improvement with both algorithm implementations. However, the customized formulation based on individual hearing losses was similar in performance to the formulation based on the normal auditory system.

Thermodynamics of transport through the ammonium transporter Amt-1 investigated with free energy calculations.

PubMed

Ullmann, R Thomas; Andrade, Susana L A; Ullmann, G Matthias

2012-08-16

Amt-1 from Archaeoglobus fulgidus (AfAmt-1) belongs to the Amt/Rh family of ammonium/ammonia transporting membrane proteins. The transport mode and the precise microscopic permeation mechanism utilized by these proteins are intensely debated. Open questions concern the identity of the transported substrate (ammonia and/or ammonium) and whether the transport is passive or active. To address these questions, we studied the overall thermodynamics of the different transport modes as a function of the environmental conditions. Then, we investigated the thermodynamics of the underlying microscopic transport mechanisms with free energy calculations within a continuum electrostatics model. The formalism developed for this purpose is of general utility in the calculation of binding free energies for ligands with multiple protonation forms or other binding forms. The results of our calculations are compared to the available experimental and theoretical data on Amt/Rh proteins and discussed in light of the current knowledge on the physiological conditions experienced by microorganisms and plants. We found that microscopic models of electroneutral and electrogenic transport modes are in principle thermodynamically viable. However, only the electrogenic variants have a net thermodynamic driving force under the physiological conditions experienced by microorganisms and plants. Thus, the transport mechanism of AfAmt-1 is most likely electrogenic.

A low-pungency S3212 genotype of Capsicum frutescens caused by a mutation in the putative aminotransferase (p-AMT) gene.

PubMed

Park, Young-Jun; Nishikawa, Tomotaro; Minami, Mineo; Nemoto, Kazuhiro; Iwasaki, Tomohiro; Matsushima, Kenichi

2015-12-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the genetic mechanism underlying capsinoid biosynthesis in S3212, a low-pungency genotype of Capsicum frutescens. Screening of C. frutescens accessions for capsaicinoid and capsiate contents by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that low-pungency S3212 contained high levels of capsiate but no capsaicin. Comparison of DNA coding sequences of pungent (T1 and Bird Eye) and low-pungency (S3212) genotypes uncovered a significant 12-bp deletion mutation in exon 7 of the p-AMT gene of S3212. In addition, p-AMT gene transcript levels in placental tissue were positively correlated with the degree of pungency. S3212, the low-pungency genotype, exhibited no significant p-AMT transcript levels, whereas T1, one of the pungent genotypes, displayed high transcript levels of this gene. We therefore conclude that the deletion mutation in the p-AMT gene is related to the loss of pungency in placental tissue and has given rise to the low-pungency S3212 C. frutescens genotype. C. frutescens S3212 represents a good natural source of capsinoids. Finally, our basic characterization of the uncovered p-AMT gene mutation should contribute to future studies of capsinoid biosynthesis in Capsicum.

Novel loss-of-function putative aminotransferase alleles cause biosynthesis of capsinoids, nonpungent capsaicinoid analogues, in mildly pungent chili peppers (Capsicum chinense).

PubMed

Tanaka, Yoshiyuki; Hosokawa, Munetaka; Miwa, Tetsuya; Watanabe, Tatsuo; Yazawa, Susumu

2010-11-24

Capsinoids are a group of nonpungent capsaicinoid analogues produced in Capsicum fruits. They have similar bioactivities to capsaicinoids such as suppression of fat accumulation and antioxidant activity. They are more palatable ingredients in dietary supplements than capsaicinoids because of their low pungency. Previous studies on nonpungent Capsicum annuum cultivars showed that capsinoid biosynthesis is caused by loss-of-function putative aminotransferase (p-amt) alleles. This study showed that three mildly pungent cultivars of Capsicum chinense (Zavory Hot, Aji Dulce strain 2, and Belize Sweet) contain high levels of capsinoid. It was shown that these cultivars have novel p-amt alleles, which contain mutations that differ from those of C. annuum. Sequence analysis of p-amt in Belize Sweet revealed that a 5 bp insertion (TGGGC) results in a frameshift mutation. A transposable element (Tcc) was found in the p-amt of Zavory Hot and Aji Dulce strain 2. Tcc has features similar to those of the hAT transposon family. This was inserted in the fifth intron of Zavory Hot and in third intron of Aji Dulce strain 2. The p-amt alleles harboring Tcc cannot produce an active p-AMT. These mildly pungent cultivars will provide a new natural source of capsinoids.

Nightshift work job exposure matrices and urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels among healthy Chinese women.

PubMed

Ji, Bu-Tian; Gao, Yu-Tang; Shu, Xiao-Ou; Yang, Gong; Yu, Kai; Xue, Shou-Zheng; Li, Hong-Lan; Liao, Linda M; Blair, Aaron; Rothman, Nathaniel; Zheng, Wei; Chow, Wong-Ho

2012-11-01

Six-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) is a primary urinary metabolite of melatonin. We examined the association between aMT6s levels and shift work estimated by a job exposure matrix (JEM) among healthy participants of the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Creatinine-adjusted aMT6s levels were measured in the urine samples of 300 women and related to JEM shift work categories. Adjusted geometric means of aMT6s levels from urine samples collected before 08:00 hours were lower among persons holding nighttime shift work jobs. The adjusted aMT6s levels (ng/mg creatinine) were 8.36 [95% confidence intervals (95% CI) 4.47-15.6], 6.37 (95% CI 3.53-11.5), 6.20 (95% CI 3.33-11.5), 3.81 (95% CI 2.02-7.19), and 3.70 (95% CI 1.92-7.11) from the lowest (never held a shift work job) to the highest (current job likely involved all-night shift work) shift work JEM scores (P=0.05). Our results indicate that nightshift work JEM scores were significantly and inversely associated with aMT6s levels in early morning spot urine samples collected between 07:00-08:00 hours.

Cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease: a controlled randomized study.

PubMed

Giovagnoli, A R; Manfredi, V; Parente, A; Schifano, L; Oliveri, S; Avanzini, G

2017-08-01

This controlled randomized single-blind study evaluated the effects of cognitive training (CT), compared to active music therapy (AMT) and neuroeducation (NE), on initiative in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). Secondarily, we explored the effects of CT on episodic memory, mood, and social relationships. Thirty-nine AD patients were randomly assigned to CT, AMT, or NE. Each treatment lasted 3 months. Before, at the end, and 3 months after treatment, neuropsychological tests and self-rated scales assessed initiative, episodic memory, depression, anxiety, and social relationships. At the end of the CT, initiative significantly improved, whereas, at the end of AMT and NE, it was unchanged. Episodic memory showed no changes at the end of CT or AMT and a worsening after NE. The rates of the patients with clinically significant improvement of initiative were greater after CT (about 62%) than after AMT (about 8%) or NE (none). At the 3-month follow-up, initiative and episodic memory declined in all patients. Mood and social relationships improved in the three groups, with greater changes after AMT or NE. In patients with mild to moderate AD, CT can improve initiative and stabilize memory, while the non-cognitive treatments can ameliorate the psychosocial aspects. The combining of CT and non-cognitive treatments may have useful clinical implications.

Role of extratropical cyclones in the recently observed increase in poleward moisture transport into the Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villamil-Otero, Gian A.; Zhang, Jing; He, Juanxiong; Zhang, Xiangdong

2018-01-01

Poleward atmospheric moisture transport (AMT) into the Arctic Ocean can change atmospheric moisture or water vapor content and cause cloud formation and redistribution, which may change downward longwave radiation and, in turn, surface energy budgets, air temperatures, and sea-ice production and melt. In this study, we found a consistently enhanced poleward AMT across 60°N since 1959 based on the NCAR-NCEP reanalysis. Regional analysis demonstrates that the poleward AMT predominantly occurs over the North Atlantic and North Pacific regions, contributing about 57% and 32%, respectively, to the total transport. To improve our understanding of the driving force for this enhanced poleward AMT, we explored the role that extratropical cyclone activity may play. Climatologically, about 207 extratropical cyclones move across 60°N into the Arctic Ocean each year, among which about 66 (32% of the total) and 47 (23%) originate from the North Atlantic and North Pacific Ocean, respectively. When analyzing the linear trends of the time series constructed by using a 20-year running window, we found a positive correlation of 0.70 between poleward yearly AMT and the integrated cyclone activity index (measurement of cyclone intensity, number, and duration). This shows the consistent multidecadal changes between these two parameters and may suggest cyclone activity plays a driving role in the enhanced poleward AMT. Furthermore, a composite analysis indicates that intensification and poleward extension of the Icelandic low and accompanying strengthened cyclone activity play an important role in enhancing poleward AMT over the North Atlantic region.

AMT1;1 transgenic rice plants with enhanced NH4 + permeability show superior growth and higher yield under optimal and suboptimal NH4 + conditions

PubMed Central

Rothstein, Steven J.

2014-01-01

The major source of nitrogen for rice (Oryza sativa L.) is ammonium (NH4 +). The NH4 + uptake of roots is mainly governed by membrane transporters, with OsAMT1;1 being a prominent member of the OsAMT1 gene family that is known to be involved in NH4 + transport in rice plants. However, little is known about its involvement in NH4 + uptake in rice roots and subsequent effects on NH4 + assimilation. This study shows that OsAMT1;1 is a constitutively expressed, nitrogen-responsive gene, and its protein product is localized in the plasma membrane. Its expression level is under the control of circadian rhythm. Transgenic rice lines (L-2 and L-3) overexpressing the OsAMT1;1 gene had the same root structure as the wild type (WT). However, they had 2-fold greater NH4 + permeability than the WT, whereas OsAMT1;1 gene expression was 20-fold higher than in the WT. Analogous to the expression, transgenic lines had a higher NH4 + content in the shoots and roots than the WT. Direct NH4 + fluxes in the xylem showed that the transgenic lines had significantly greater uptake rates than the WT. Higher NH4 + contents also promoted higher expression levels of genes in the nitrogen assimilation pathway, resulting in greater nitrogen assimilates, chlorophyll, starch, sugars, and grain yield in transgenic lines than in the WT under suboptimal and optimal nitrogen conditions. OsAMT1;1 also enhanced overall plant growth, especially under suboptimal NH4 + levels. These results suggest that OsAMT1;1 has the potential for improving nitrogen use efficiency, plant growth, and grain yield under both suboptimal and optimal nitrogen fertilizer conditions. PMID:24420570

Using a Mobile Application in the Treatment of Dysregulated Anger Among Veterans.

PubMed

Mackintosh, Margaret-Anne; Niehaus, James; Taft, Casey T; Marx, Brian P; Grubbs, Kathleen; Morland, Leslie A

2017-11-01

Anger is a symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with a range of clinical and functional impairments, and may be especially prevalent among veterans with PTSD. Effective anger management therapies exist but may be undermined by poor engagement or lack of treatment availability. Finding ways to engage veterans in anger management therapy or to improve access can be helpful in improving clinical outcomes. This randomized controlled trial compared anger management treatment (AMT) with AMT augmented by a mobile application (app) system, Remote Exercises for Learning Anger and Excitation Management (RELAX). Participants were 58 veterans enrolled in 12 sessions of either AMT alone or AMT with the RELAX system (AMT + RELAX). The RELAX system includes the RELAX app, a wearable heart rate monitor, a remote server, and a web-based therapist interface. RELAX allows the user to practice skills, monitor symptoms, and record physiological data. The server collects data on app use. A web-based interface allows the therapist to access data on between-session practice, and skills use. Measures administered at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-and 6-month follow-up include state and trait anger, dimensions of anger, PTSD, depression, interpersonal functioning, and satisfaction. We used multilevel modeling to account for the nesting of time points within participants and participants within treatment groups. Predictors were Treatment Condition (AMT + RELAX and AMT), Linear Time (baseline, post-treatment, 3-and 6-month follow-up), and Quadratic Time and Treatment Condition × Linear Time interaction. All analyses were conducted using SPSS 21 (Armonk, New York). Approval was obtained from the institutional review board. Across groups, the treatment dropout rate was 13.8%; of those who remained in treatment, 90% received an adequate dose of treatment (10 or more sessions). There were no significant differences between groups on attendance or treatment completion. Participants in both treatments demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in anger severity and significant post-treatment reductions in PTSD. Veterans did not report significant changes in depression or interpersonal functioning. Veterans in the AMT + RELAX group reported spending significantly less time on homework assignments, and they rated the AMT + RELAX app as helpful and easy to use, with these ratings improving over time. Findings suggest that AMT + RELAX was beneficial in reducing anger symptoms and promoting efficient use of the between-session practice; however, AMT + RELAX did not outperform AMT. This study is an important contribution as it is one of the first randomized controlled trials to study the efficacy of a technology-enhanced, evidence-based psychotherapy for anger management. Findings are limited because of small sample size and modifications to the technology during the trial. However, the results highlight the possible benefits of mobile app-supported treatment, including increasing the accessibility of treatment, lowering therapist workload, reducing costs of treatment, reducing practice time, and enabling new activities and types of treatments. This study presents preliminary evidence that mobile apps can be a valuable addition to treatment for patients with anger difficulties. Future research should evaluate how much therapist involvement is needed to support anger management. Reprint & Copyright © 2017 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Multiplexed Activity-based Protein Profiling of the Human Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus Reveals Large Functional Changes upon Exposure to Human Serum

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

Wiedner, Susan D.; Burnum, Kristin E.; Pederson, Leeanna M.

2012-08-03

Environmental and metabolic adaptability is critical for survival of the fungal human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus in the immunocompromised lung. We employed an activity-based protein profiling (ABPP) approach utilizing a new aryl vinyl sulfonate probe and a serine hydrolase probe combined with quantitative LC-MS based accurate mass and time (AMT) tag proteomics for the identification of functional pathway adaptation of A. fumigatus to environmental variability relevant to pulmonary Invasive Aspergillosis. When the fungal pathogen was grown with human serum, metabolism and energy processes were markedly decreased compared to no serum culture. Additionally, functional pathways associated with amino acid and protein biosynthesismore » were limited as the fungus scavenged from the serum to obtain essential nutrients. Our approach revealed significant metabolic adaptation by A. fumigatus, and provides direct insight into this pathogen’s ability to survive and proliferate.« less

Tags Help Make Libraries Del.icio.us: Social Bookmarking and Tagging Boost Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rethlefsen, Melissa L.

2007-01-01

Traditional library web products, whether online public access catalogs, library databases, or even library web sites, have long been rigidly controlled and difficult to use. Patrons regularly prefer Google's simple interface. Now social bookmarking and tagging tools help librarians bridge the gap between the library's need to offer authoritative,…

Measurement of tag confidence in user generated contents retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sihyoung; Min, Hyun-Seok; Lee, Young Bok; Ro, Yong Man

2009-01-01

As online image sharing services are becoming popular, the importance of correctly annotated tags is being emphasized for precise search and retrieval. Tags created by user along with user-generated contents (UGC) are often ambiguous due to the fact that some tags are highly subjective and visually unrelated to the image. They cause unwanted results to users when image search engines rely on tags. In this paper, we propose a method of measuring tag confidence so that one can differentiate confidence tags from noisy tags. The proposed tag confidence is measured from visual semantics of the image. To verify the usefulness of the proposed method, experiments were performed with UGC database from social network sites. Experimental results showed that the image retrieval performance with confidence tags was increased.

In vitro monoamine oxidase inhibition potential of alpha-methyltryptamine analog new psychoactive substances for assessing possible toxic risks.

PubMed

Wagmann, Lea; Brandt, Simon D; Kavanagh, Pierce V; Maurer, Hans H; Meyer, Markus R

2017-04-15

Tryptamines have emerged as new psychoactive substances (NPS), which are distributed and consumed recreationally without preclinical studies or safety tests. Within the alpha-methylated tryptamines, some of the psychoactive effects of the prototypical alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT) have been described decades ago and a contributing factor of its acute toxicity appears to involve the inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO). However, detailed information about analogs is scarce. Therefore, thirteen AMT analogs were investigated for their potential to inhibit MAO. An in vitro assay analyzed using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-high resolution-tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. The AMT analogs were incubated with recombinant human MAO-A or B and kynuramine, a non-selective MAO substrate to determine the IC 50 values. The known MAO-A inhibitors 5-(2-aminopropyl)indole (5-IT), harmine, harmaline, yohimbine, and the MAO-B inhibitor selegiline were tested for comparison. AMT and all analogs showed MAO-A inhibition properties with IC 50 values between 0.049 and 166μM, whereas four analogs inhibited also MAO-B with IC 50 values between 82 and 376μM. 7-Me-AMT provided the lowest IC 50 value against MAO-A comparable to harmine and harmaline and was identified as a competitive MAO-A inhibitor. Furthermore, AMT, 7-Me-AMT, and nine further analogs inhibited MAO activity in human hepatic S9 fraction used as model for the human liver which expresses both isoforms. The obtained results suggested that MAO inhibition induced by alpha-methylated tryptamines might be clinically relevant concerning possible serotonergic and adrenergic effects and interactions with drugs (of abuse) particularly acting as monoamine reuptake inhibitors. However, as in vitro assays have only limited conclusiveness, further studies are needed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The association of body size in early to mid-life with adult urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels among night shift health care workers.

PubMed

Ramin, Cody A; Massa, Jennifer; Wegrzyn, Lani R; Brown, Susan B; Pierre-Paul, Jeffrey; Devore, Elizabeth E; Hankinson, Susan E; Schernhammer, Eva S

2015-05-06

Adult body mass index (BMI) has been associated with urinary melatonin levels in humans; however, whether earlier-life body size is associated with melatonin, particularly among night shift workers, remains unknown. We evaluated associations of birth weight, body shape (or somatotype) at ages 5 and 10, BMI at age 18 and adulthood, weight change since age 18, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, and height with creatinine-adjusted morning urinary melatonin (6-sulfatoxymelatonin, aMT6s) levels among 1,343 healthy women (aged 32-53 at urine collection, 1996-1999) in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) II cohort. Using multivariable linear regression, we computed least-square mean aMT6s levels across categories of body size, and evaluated whether these associations were modified by night shift work. Adult BMI was inversely associated with aMT6s levels (mean aMT6s levels = 34 vs. 50 ng/mg creatinine, comparing adult BMI ≥ 30 vs. <20 kg/m(2); P trend < 0.0001); however, other measures of body size were not related to aMT6s levels after accounting for adult BMI. Night shifts worked prior to urine collection, whether recent or cumulatively over time, did not modify the association between adult BMI and aMT6s levels (e.g., P interaction = 0.72 for night shifts worked within two weeks of urine collection). Our results suggest that adult BMI, but not earlier measures of body size, is associated with urinary aMT6s levels in adulthood. These observations did not vary by night shift work status, and suggest that adult BMI may be an important mechanism by which melatonin levels are altered and subsequently influence chronic disease risk.

Tryptophan PET Imaging of the Kynurenine Pathway in Patient-Derived Xenograft Models of Glioblastoma.

PubMed

Guastella, Anthony R; Michelhaugh, Sharon K; Klinger, Neil V; Kupsky, William J; Polin, Lisa A; Muzik, Otto; Juhász, Csaba; Mittal, Sandeep

2016-01-01

Increasing evidence demonstrates the immunosuppressive kynurenine pathway's (KP) role in the pathophysiology of human gliomas. To study the KP in vivo, we used the noninvasive molecular imaging tracer α-[(11)C]-methyl-l-tryptophan (AMT). The AMT-positron emission tomography (PET) has shown high uptake in high-grade gliomas and predicted survival in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). We generated patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models from dissociated cells, or tumor fragments, from 5 patients with GBM. Mice bearing subcutaneous tumors were imaged with AMT-PET, and tumors were analyzed to detect the KP enzymes indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) 1, IDO2, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, kynureninase, and kynurenine 3-monooxygenase. Overall, PET imaging showed robust tumoral AMT uptake in PDX mice with prolonged tracer accumulation over 60 minutes, consistent with AMT trapping seen in humans. Immunostained tumor tissues demonstrated positive detection of multiple KP enzymes. Furthermore, intracranial implantation of GBM cells was performed with imaging at both 9 and 14 days postimplant, with a marked increase in AMT uptake at 14 days and a corresponding high level of tissue immunostaining for KP enzymes. These results indicate that our PDX mouse models recapitulate human GBM, including aberrant tryptophan metabolism, and offer an in vivo system for development of targeted therapeutics for patients with GBM. © The Author(s) 2016.

Combining drug and music therapy in patients with moderate Alzheimer's disease: a randomized study.

PubMed

Giovagnoli, Anna Rita; Manfredi, Valentina; Schifano, Letizia; Paterlini, Chiara; Parente, Annalisa; Tagliavini, Fabrizio

2018-06-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) can impair language, but active music therapy (AMT) and memantine (M) can improve communication. This study aimed to clarify whether adding AMT to M may improve language in comparison with drugs alone in patients with moderate AD on stable therapy with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEI). Forty-five AD patients treated with stable dose of AchEI were randomized to receive AMT plus M 20 mg/day or M 20 mg/day for 24 weeks. The Severe Impairment Battery-Language (SIB-l), SIB, Mini Mental State Examination, Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Lubben Social Network Scale, Activities of Daily Living, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scores at baseline and 12 and 24 weeks assessed language (primary variable) and overall cognitive, psycho-behavior, social, and functional aspects (secondary variables). The SIB-l showed a stabilization of the baseline condition in both groups, in the absence of between-group differences. The NPI depression and appetite scores significantly improved in the M-AMT group. Moreover, significantly less patients in the M-AMT group than those in the M group showed worsening of the NPI total score. Daily activities, social relationships, and overall cognitive performance did not deteriorate. In patients with moderate AD, AMT added to pharmacotherapy has no further benefits for language in comparison with pharmacotherapy alone. However, this integrated treatment can improve the psycho-behavioral profile.

Investigation of the solid state properties of amoxicillin trihydrate and the effect of powder pH.

PubMed

Ghassempour, Alireza; Rafati, Hasan; Adlnasab, Laleh; Bashour, Yosef; Ebrahimzadeh, Homeira; Erfan, Mohammad

2007-11-09

The purpose of this research was to investigate some physicochemical and solid-state properties of amoxicillin trihydrate (AMT) with different powder pH within the pharmacopoeia-specified range. AMT batches prepared using Dane salt method with the pH values from 4.39 to 4.97 were subjected to further characterization studies. Optical and scanning electron microscopy showed that different batches of AMT powders were similar in crystal habit, but the length of the crystals increased as the pH increased. Further solid-state investigations using powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) demonstrated the same PXRD pattern, but the intensity of the peaks raised by the powder pH, indicated increased crystallinity. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies further confirmed that as the powder pH increased, the crystallinity and, hence, thermal stability of AMT powders increased. Searching for the possible cause of the variations in the solid state properties, HPLC analysis showed that despite possessing the requirements of the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) for purity/impurity profile, there was a direct relationship between the increase of the powder pH and the purity of AMT, and also decrease in the impurity I (alpha-Hydroxyphenylglycine) concentration in AMT powder. Recrystallization studies confirmed that the powder pH could be controlled by adjusting the pH of the crystallization.

Tag Content Access Control with Identity-based Key Exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Liang; Rong, Chunming

2010-09-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology that used to identify objects and users has been applied to many applications such retail and supply chain recently. How to prevent tag content from unauthorized readout is a core problem of RFID privacy issues. Hash-lock access control protocol can make tag to release its content only to reader who knows the secret key shared between them. However, in order to get this shared secret key required by this protocol, reader needs to communicate with a back end database. In this paper, we propose to use identity-based secret key exchange approach to generate the secret key required for hash-lock access control protocol. With this approach, not only back end database connection is not needed anymore, but also tag cloning problem can be eliminated at the same time.

Effect of admission fascia iliaca compartment blocks on post-operative abbreviated mental test scores in elderly fractured neck of femur patients: a retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Odor, Peter M; Chis Ster, Irina; Wilkinson, Iain; Sage, Frederic

2017-01-05

Post-operative cognitive impairment is common in elderly patients following surgery for hip fracture, with undertreated pain being an important etiological factor. Non-opioid based analgesic techniques, such as nerve blocks, may help reduce the risk of cognitive complications. The aim of this study was to investigate whether receiving a fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) as part of a pre-operative analgesic regime increased the odds of high post-operative abbreviated mental test scores (AMTS) when compared with conventional analgesia without a nerve block. A retrospective data analysis of a cohort of 959 patients, aged ≥ 65 years with a diagnosis of hip fracture and admitted to a single hospital over a two-year period was performed. A standardized analgesic regime was used on all patients, and 541/959 (56.4%) of included patients received a FICB. Provision of the FICB was primarily determined by availability of an anesthetist, rather than by patient status and condition. Post-operative cognitive ordinal outcomes were defined by AMTS severity as high (score of ≥9/10), moderate, (score of 7-8) and low (score of ≤6). A multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed on patient status and clinical care factors, including admission AMTS, age, gender, source of admission, time to surgery, type of anesthesia and ASA score. Admission FICB was associated with higher adjusted odds for a high AMTS (score of ≥9) relative to lower AMTS (score of ≤8) than conventional analgesia only (OR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.27-2.54; p = 0.001). Increasing age, lower AMTS on admission to hospital, and being admitted from a residential or nursing home were associated with worse cognitive outcomes. Mode of anesthesia or surgery did not significantly influence post-operative AMTS. Post-operative AMTS is influenced by pre-operative analgesic regimes in elderly patients with hip fracture. Provision of a FICB to patients on arrival to hospital may improve early post-operative cognitive performance in this population.

Identification of triacylglycerol using automated annotation of high resolution multistage mass spectral trees.

PubMed

Wang, Xiupin; Peng, Qingzhi; Li, Peiwu; Zhang, Qi; Ding, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Wen; Zhang, Liangxiao

2016-10-12

High complexity of identification for non-target triacylglycerols (TAGs) is a major challenge in lipidomics analysis. To identify non-target TAGs, a powerful tool named accurate MS(n) spectrometry generating so-called ion trees is used. In this paper, we presented a technique for efficient structural elucidation of TAGs on MS(n) spectral trees produced by LTQ Orbitrap MS(n), which was implemented as an open source software package, or TIT. The TIT software was used to support automatic annotation of non-target TAGs on MS(n) ion trees from a self-built fragment ion database. This database includes 19108 simulate TAG molecules from a random combination of fatty acids and corresponding 500582 self-built multistage fragment ions (MS ≤ 3). Our software can identify TAGs using a "stage-by-stage elimination" strategy. By utilizing the MS(1) accurate mass and referenced RKMD, the TIT software can discriminate unique elemental composition candidates. The regiospecific isomers of fatty acyl chains will be distinguished using MS(2) and MS(3) fragment spectra. We applied the algorithm to the selection of 45 TAG standards and demonstrated that the molecular ions could be 100% correctly assigned. Therefore, the TIT software could be applied to TAG identification in complex biological samples such as mouse plasma extracts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validity and reliability of Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) among older Iranian.

PubMed

Foroughan, Mahshid; Wahlund, Lars-Olof; Jafari, Zahra; Rahgozar, Mehdi; Farahani, Ida G; Rashedi, Vahid

2017-11-01

Cognitive impairment is common among older people and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Persian version of the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) as a screening tool for dementia. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study. One hundred and one older adults who were members of Iranian Alzheimer Association and 101 of their siblings were entered into this study by convenient sampling. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, criteria for diagnosing dementia and the Mini-Mental State Examination were used as the study tools. The gathered data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U-test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, and the receiver-operating characteristic. The AMTS could successfully differentiate the dementia group from the non-dementia group. Scores were significantly correlated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnosis for dementia and Mini-Mental State Examination scores (P < 0.001). Educational level (P < 0.001) and male sex (P = 0.015) were positively associated with AMTS, whereas (P < 0.001) was negatively associated with AMTS. Total Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.90. The scores 6 and 7 showed the optimum balance between sensitivity (99% and 94%, respectively) and specificity (85% and 86%, respectively). The Persian version of the AMTS is a valid cognitive assessment tool for older Iranian adults and can be used for dementia screening in Iran. © 2017 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

Using population mixtures to optimize the utility of genomic databases: linkage disequilibrium and association study design in India.

PubMed

Pemberton, T J; Jakobsson, M; Conrad, D F; Coop, G; Wall, J D; Pritchard, J K; Patel, P I; Rosenberg, N A

2008-07-01

When performing association studies in populations that have not been the focus of large-scale investigations of haplotype variation, it is often helpful to rely on genomic databases in other populations for study design and analysis - such as in the selection of tag SNPs and in the imputation of missing genotypes. One way of improving the use of these databases is to rely on a mixture of database samples that is similar to the population of interest, rather than using the single most similar database sample. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the mixture approach in the application of African, European, and East Asian HapMap samples for tag SNP selection in populations from India, a genetically intermediate region underrepresented in genomic studies of haplotype variation.

Knowledge, attitude and use of alternative medical therapy amongst urban residents of Osun State, southwestern Nigeria.

PubMed

Bamidele, James Olusegun; Adebimpe, Wasiu Olalekan; Oladele, Edward Adekola

2009-05-07

Alternate medicine which has a long history has been relegated to the background by the evolution of modern medicine. In recent times, however, alternative medical therapy has been growing in popularity and getting increasing attention and interest. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and use by urban dwellers of alternative medical therapies. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study which used a semi-structured questionnaire to gather information from 812 randomly selected urban respondents. Majority 734 (90.4%) of the respondents were aware of an alternative way of getting treatment for their ailments apart from the orthodox medicine. The forms of alternative medical therapy (AMT) respondents were aware of include: concoction (herbal preparations) 683 (94.2%); herbalists/traditionalists 616 (85.0%); traditional bone setters therapy 434 (59.9%); among others. The main source of information was through radio 439 (70.9%). About half 403 (54.9%) of the respondents were aware of side effects from AMT and these include diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting which accounts for 69.7%; 42.2% and 40.2% respectively. About 347 (47.3%) think AMT could be injurious to health. About a third 262 (35.7%) of the respondents who were aware of AMT prefers it to orthodox medicine. Reasons given for the preference were that: AMT is cheap 56 (21.4%); accessible 43 (16.4%) and acceptable 35 (13.4%) to them. About half 367 (50.0%) also believed AMT alone could cure their illness without resort to orthodox medical therapy (OMT). Over half 401 (54.6%) of the 734 respondents that were aware of AMT had patronized or taken one form of alternative medical therapy or the other in the last 12 months prior to the study. Of these number, 323 (80.5%) had taken concoction (herbal preparations). However, there was no relationship between respondents' age, sex, educational level or religion and the patronage of AMT as all test of associations were not statistically significant p>0.05. This study has revealed that the use of alternative medical therapies is quite popular among the studied population and a high proportion of the respondents use AMT notwithstanding that they live in the urban communities where they have better access to orthodox medical care and medical practitioners. Regulations should be made concerning the advertisement of alternative medicine and practices as orthodox medicine and practices are usually not advertised.

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

B. Gardiner; L.Graton; J.Longo

Classified removable electronic media (CREM) are tracked in several different ways at the Laboratory. To ensure greater security for CREM, we are creating a single, Laboratory-wide system to track CREM. We are researching technology that can be used to electronically tag and detect CREM, designing a database to track the movement of CREM, and planning to test the system at several locations around the Laboratory. We focus on affixing ''smart tags'' to items we want to track and installing gates at pedestrian portals to detect the entry or exit of tagged items. By means of an enterprise database, the systemmore » will track the entry and exit of tagged items into and from CREM storage vaults, vault-type rooms, access corridors, or boundaries of secure areas, as well as the identity of the person carrying an item. We are considering several options for tracking items that can give greater security, but at greater expense.« less

40,000 memories in young teenagers: Psychometric properties of the Autobiographical Memory Test in a UK cohort study

PubMed Central

Heron, Jon; Crane, Catherine; Gunnell, David; Lewis, Glyn; Evans, Jonathan; Williams, J. Mark G.

2012-01-01

Although the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) is widely used its psychometric properties have rarely been investigated. This paper utilises data gathered from a 10-item written version of the AMT, completed by 5792 adolescents participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, to examine the psychometric properties of the measure. The results show that the scale derived from responses to the AMT operates well over a wide range of scores, consistent with the aim of deriving a continuous measure of over-general memory. There was strong evidence of group differences in terms of gender, low negative mood, and IQ, and these were in agreement when comparing an item response theory (IRT) approach with that based on a sum score. One advantage of the IRT model is the ability to assess and consequently allow for differential item functioning. This additional analysis showed evidence of response bias for both gender and mood, resulting in attenuation in the mean differences in AMT across these groups. Implications of the findings for the use of the AMT measure in different samples are discussed. PMID:22348421

Gapped Spectral Dictionaries and Their Applications for Database Searches of Tandem Mass Spectra*

PubMed Central

Jeong, Kyowon; Kim, Sangtae; Bandeira, Nuno; Pevzner, Pavel A.

2011-01-01

Generating all plausible de novo interpretations of a peptide tandem mass (MS/MS) spectrum (Spectral Dictionary) and quickly matching them against the database represent a recently emerged alternative approach to peptide identification. However, the sizes of the Spectral Dictionaries quickly grow with the peptide length making their generation impractical for long peptides. We introduce Gapped Spectral Dictionaries (all plausible de novo interpretations with gaps) that can be easily generated for any peptide length thus addressing the limitation of the Spectral Dictionary approach. We show that Gapped Spectral Dictionaries are small thus opening a possibility of using them to speed-up MS/MS searches. Our MS-GappedDictionary algorithm (based on Gapped Spectral Dictionaries) enables proteogenomics applications (such as searches in the six-frame translation of the human genome) that are prohibitively time consuming with existing approaches. MS-GappedDictionary generates gapped peptides that occupy a niche between accurate but short peptide sequence tags and long but inaccurate full length peptide reconstructions. We show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, some high-quality spectra do not have good peptide sequence tags and introduce gapped tags that have advantages over the conventional peptide sequence tags in MS/MS database searches. PMID:21444829

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase abrogates lipopolysaccharides-induced up-regulation of L-arginine uptake in rat alveolar macrophages

PubMed Central

Hammermann, Rainer; Stichnote, Christina; Closs, Ellen Ildicho; Nawrath, Hermann; Racké, Kurt

2001-01-01

It was tested whether the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) pathway might be involved in lipopolysaccharides-(LPS)-induced up-regulation of L-arginine transport in rat alveolar macrophages (AMΦ). AMΦ were cultured in absence or presence of LPS. Nitrite accumulation was determined in culture media and cells were used to study [3H]-L-arginine uptake or to isolate RNA for RT – PCR. Culture in presence of LPS (1 μg ml−1, 20 h) caused 11 fold increase of nitrite accumulation and 2.5 fold increase of [3H]-L-arginine uptake. The inducible NO synthase (iNOS) inhibitor 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,3-thiazine (AMT) present alone during culture had only marginal effects on [3H]-L-arginine uptake. However, AMT present during culture additionally to LPS, suppressed LPS-induced nitrite accumulation and LPS-stimulated [3H]-L-arginine uptake in the same concentration-dependent manner. AMT present only for the last 30 min of the culture period had similar effects on [3H]-L-arginine uptake. AMT present only during the uptake period also inhibited LPS-stimulated [3H]-L-arginine uptake, but with lower potency. The inhibitory effect of AMT could not be opposed by the NO releasing compound DETA NONOate. LPS caused an up-regulation of the mRNA for the cationic amino acid transporter CAT-2B, and this effect was not affected by AMT. AMT (100 μM) did not affect L-arginine transport studied by electrophysiological techniques in Xenopus laevis oocytes expressing either the human cationic amino acid transporter hCAT-1 or hCAT-2B. In conclusion, iNOS inhibition in rat AMΦ abolished LPS-activated L-arginine uptake. This effect appears to be caused by reduced flow of L-arginine through the iNOS pathway. PMID:11375254

Synergy and mechanism of action of α-mangostin and ceftazidime against ceftazidime-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

PubMed

Pimchan, T; Maensiri, D; Eumkeb, G

2017-10-01

To address the resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii to β-lactam antibiotics, combination therapy between different antibiotic classes is increasingly used. The antibacterial activity of α-mangostin (AMT) alone or in combination with ceftazidime (CTZ) was investigated against ceftazidime-resistant A. baumannii DMST 45378 (CRAB). Initial screening showed that A. baumannii strains possessed AmpC β-lactamase (AmpC), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and metallo-β-lactamases (MBL). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of all test agents were >800 μg ml -1 against CRAB. The combination of AMT/CTZ exhibited a fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) of <0·35 suggestive of synergy. Time-kill curves showed that the AMT/CTZ combination was significantly more efficient (P < 0·01) at reducing CRAB than the individual components. Structural analysis revealed that AMT/CTZ-treated cells exhibited increased cell volume, increased cytoplasmic and outer membrane permeability and a decrease in outer membrane peptidoglycan-associated protein (OMPG) bands. In addition, it was shown that Type IV β-lactamase was inhibited by AMT. The data suggest that AMT in combination with CTZ is synergistic and efficient against CRAB. The data also indicate that the AMT/CTZ combination may target multiple structures on the bacterial cell surface. This represents the first report of this effect on CRAB and could potentially be expanded into in vivo studies. Significance and Impact of the Study: Acinetobacter baumannii strains cause serious infections, patient mortality, and have been reported to rise of multidrug resistance. This article represents the first report of using α-mangostin plus ceftazidime against these resistant strains and its mechanism of action. α-mangostin has no cytotoxic effects. Therefore, α-mangostin has strong potential for development as a useful, novel adjunct phytopharmaceutical to ceftazidime synergistically for the treatment of these strains. The synergy approach could potentially be a novel tool to combat the resistant strains. © 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Near-source noise suppression of AMT by compressive sensing and mathematical morphology filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guang; Xiao, Xiao; Tang, Jing-Tian; Li, Jin; Zhu, Hui-Jie; Zhou, Cong; Yan, Fa-Bao

2017-12-01

In deep mineral exploration, the acquisition of audio magnetotelluric (AMT) data is severely affected by ambient noise near the observation sites; This near-field noise restricts investigation depths. Mathematical morphological filtering (MMF) proved effective in suppressing large-scale strong and variably shaped noise, typically low-frequency noise, but can not deal with pulse noise of AMT data. We combine compressive sensing and MMF. First, we use MMF to suppress the large-scale strong ambient noise; second, we use the improved orthogonal match pursuit (IOMP) algorithm to remove the residual pulse noise. To remove the noise and protect the useful AMT signal, a redundant dictionary that matches with spikes and is insensitive to the useful signal is designed. Synthetic and field data from the Luzong field suggest that the proposed method suppresses the near-source noise and preserves the signal well; thus, better results are obtained that improve the output of either MMF or IOMP.

The mineral phase evolution behaviour in the production of glass-ceramics from municipal solid waste incineration fly ash by melting technology.

PubMed

Luan, Jingde; Chai, Meiyun; Li, Rundong; Yao, Pengfei; Khan, Agha Saood

2016-01-01

High energy consumption was the major obstacle to the widespread application of melting technology in the treatment of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash. Aiming to lower the ash-melting temperature (AMT) for energy-saving, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and the scanning electron microscope were used to investigate the relations between AMT and the mineral evolution. The results indicated that the change of AMT was determined by the types and the contents of mineral crystals. The transition from refractory minerals to fluxing minerals was the key. The transition of the main crystalline phase from pseudowollastonite (Ca3(Si3O9)) to wollastonite (CaSiO3) played a significant role in AMT reduction. A quantum chemistry calculation was carried out to investigate the effect of crystal reaction activity on AMT. In the chemical reaction, the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital played a more important role than any other orbits. Cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Na(+), K(+)) were apt to enter into the crystal lattice of wollastonite and gehlenite mainly through Si (3), O (1), Si (6), O (10) and Al (2), O (10), and broke the covalent bonds of Si (3)-O (7), Al (1)-O (9) and Al (1)-O (15), respectively. This deconstruction behaviour provided convenient conditions for restructuring and promoted the formation of fluxing minerals. In melts, the excess SiO2 monomers which existed in the form of cristobalite and quartz caused AMT increase.

Hypnotic relaxation vs amitriptyline for tension-type headache: let the patient choose.

PubMed

Ezra, Yacov; Gotkine, Marc; Goldman, Sylvie; Adahan, Haim Moshe; Ben-Hur, Tamir

2012-05-01

Although both pharmacological and behavioral interventions may relieve tension-type headache, data are lacking regarding treatment preference, long-term patient compliance, and feasibility of behavioral intervention in a standard neurological outpatient clinic setting. To describe patient choice, long-term compliance, and clinical outcome in a neurological clinic setting where patients are given the choice of the approach they wish to pursue. Patients presenting to the headache clinic with a diagnosis of tension-type headache that justified prophylactic therapy (frequent episodic tension-type headache or chronic tension-type headache) were given the choice of amitriptyline (AMT) treatment or hypnotic relaxation (HR), and were treated accordingly. Patients were given the option to cross-over to the other treatment group at each visit. HR was performed during standard length neurology clinic appointments by a neurologist trained to perform hypnosis (Y.E.). Follow-up interviews were performed between 6 and 12 months following treatment initiation to evaluate patient compliance, changes in headache frequency or severity, and quality-of-life parameters. Ninety-eight patients were enrolled, 92 agreed to receive prophylactic therapy of some kind. Fifty-three (57.6%) patients chose HR of which 36 (67.9%) actually initiated this treatment, while 39 (42.4%) chose pharmacological therapy with AMT of which 25 (64.1%) patients actually initiated therapy. Patients with greater analgesic use were more likely to opt for AMT (P= .0002). Eleven of the patients initially choosing AMT and 2 of the patients initially choosing HR crossed over to the other group. Seventy-four percent of the patients in the HR group and 58% of patients in the AMT group had a 50% reduction in the frequency of headaches (P= .16). Long-term adherence to treatment with HR exceeded that of AMT. At the end of the study period, 26 of 47 patients who tried HR compared with 10 of 27 who tried AMT continued receiving their initial treatment. HR treatment was a more popular choice among patients. Patients choosing HR reported greater symptom relief than those choosing AMT and were found to have greater treatment compliance. Patients receiving HR were less likely to change treatments. HR practiced by a neurologist is feasible in a standard neurological outpatient clinic setting; HR training should be considered for neurologists involved in headache treatment. © 2011 American Headache Society.

Proteome Analysis of Liver Cells Expressing a Full- Length Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Replicon and Biopsy Specimens of Posttransplantation Liver from HCV-Infected Patients

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

Jacobs, Jon M.; Diamond, Deborah L.; Chan, Eric Y.

2005-06-01

The development of a reproducible model system for the study of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has the potential to significantly enhance the study of virus-host interactions and provide future direction for modeling the pathogenesis of HCV. While there are studies describing global gene expression changes associated with HCV infection, changes in the proteome have not been characterized. We report the first large scale proteome analysis of the highly permissive Huh-7.5 cell line containing a full length HCV replicon. We detected > 4,400 proteins in this cell line, including HCV replicon proteins, using multidimensional liquid chromatographic (LC) separations coupled tomore » mass spectrometry (MS). The set of Huh-7.5 proteins confidently identified is, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive yet reported for a human cell line. Consistent with the literature, a comparison of Huh-7.5 cells (+) and (-) the HCV replicon identified expression changes of proteins involved in lipid metabolism. We extended these analyses to liver biopsy material from HCV-infected patients where > 1,500 proteins were detected from 2 {micro}g protein lysate using the Huh-7.5 protein database and the accurate mass and time (AMT) tag strategy. These findings demonstrate the utility of multidimensional proteome analysis of the HCV replicon model system for assisting the determination of proteins/pathways affected by HCV infection. Our ability to extend these analyses to the highly complex proteome of small liver biopsies with limiting protein yields offers the unique opportunity to begin evaluating the clinical significance of protein expression changes associated with HCV infection.« less

Wet-Bulb-Globe Temperature Data Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

Hour Min Pressure Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Wind Cld amt Cld type Obscuration Quest RH Kestrel RH VPSc RH S1 WBGT Q WBGT...Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Wind Cld amt Cld type Obscuration Quest RH Kestrel RH VPSc RH S1 WBGT Q WBGT K2 WBGT GMT millibars deg F...Dry Nat Wet Globe Dry Nat Wet Globe Wind Cld amt Cld type Obscuration Quest RH Kestrel RH VPSc RH S1 WBGT Q WBGT K2 WBGT GMT millibars deg F deg F deg

Specificity in autobiographical memory narratives correlates with performance on the Autobiographical Memory Test and prospectively predicts depressive symptoms

PubMed Central

Sumner, Jennifer A.; Mineka, Susan; McAdams, Dan P.

2012-01-01

Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) is an important cognitive marker in depression that is typically measured with the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986). The AMT is widely used, but the overreliance on a single methodology for assessing AMS is a limitation in the field. The current study investigated memory narratives as an alternative measure of AMS in an undergraduate student sample selected for being high or low on a measure of depressive symptoms (N = 55). We employed a multi-method design to compare narrative- and AMT-based measures of AMS. Participants generated personally significant self-defining memory narratives, and also completed two versions of the AMT (with and without instructions to retrieve specific memories). Greater AMS in self-defining memory narratives correlated with greater AMS in performance on both versions of the AMT in the full sample, and the patterns of relationships between the different AMS measures were generally similar in low and high dysphoric participants. Furthermore, AMS in self-defining memory narratives was prospectively associated with depressive symptom levels. Specifically, greater AMS in self-defining memory narratives predicted fewer depressive symptoms at a 10-week follow-up over and above baseline symptom levels. Implications for future research and clinical applications are discussed. PMID:23240988

AMT measurements compared with gravimetry and magnetometry for structural study of a sedimentary basin: Letlhakeng-Botlhapatlou groundwater project, Botswana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgeois, B.; Mathieu, F.; Vachette, C.; Vaubourg, P.

1994-02-01

Within the framework of hydrogeological studies for additional water supply to the main towns of Botswana, the BRGM company has carried out a multimethod geophysical survey of a large sedimentary basin in the Kalahari desert, for the purpose of assessing its water resources. On a regional scale, gravimetry, magnetometry and audio-magnetotellurics (AMT) were used to determine the structure of the basin, which is intensely faulted into horsts and grabens. Next, a number of favourable areas were selected for detailed profiling with horizontal portable loop EM (HLEM) and DC electrical arrays to locate accurately the fractured zones at the edges of grabens, the targets for exploratory drillholes. The AMT method proved to be the most effective for mapping the basement of the basin, thanks to the good resistivity contrast between the resistive basement and its conductive cover, and to the regional constancy of sedimentary organisation of the cover. The presence of the uniformly resistive Kalahari Sands at the top of the cover was also very favourable, protecting AMT data from troublesome "static" effects. These good conditions enabled a fast and innovative quantitative interpretation of AMT soundings, determined by borehole calibration and based on the reading of the apparent resistivity at a single frequency (10 Hz).

A SERS-based pH sensor utilizing 3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole functionalized Ag nanoparticles.

PubMed

Piotrowski, Piotr; Wrzosek, Beata; Królikowska, Agata; Bukowska, Jolanta

2014-03-07

We report the first use of 3-amino-5-mercapto-1,2,4-triazole (AMT) to construct a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based pH nano- and microsensor, utilizing silver nanoparticles. We optimize the procedure of homogenous attachment of colloidal silver to micrometer-sized silica beads via an aminosilane linker. Such micro-carriers are potential optically trappable SERS microprobes. It is demonstrated that the SERS spectrum of AMT is strongly dependent on the pH of the surroundings, as the transformation between two different adsorption modes, upright (A form) and lying flat (B form) orientation, is provoked by pH variation. The possibility of tuning the nanosensor working range by changing the concentration of AMT in the surrounding solution is demonstrated. A strong correlation between the pH response of the nanosensor and the AMT concentration in solution is found to be controlled by the interactions between the surface and solution molecules. In the absence of the AMT monomer, the performance of both the nano- and microsensor is shifted substantially to the strongly acidic pH range, from 1.5 to 2.5 and from 1.0 to 2.0, respectively, which is quite unique even for SERS-based sensors.

Effects of active music therapy on the normal brain: fMRI based evidence.

PubMed

Raglio, Alfredo; Galandra, Caterina; Sibilla, Luisella; Esposito, Fabrizio; Gaeta, Francesca; Di Salle, Francesco; Moro, Luca; Carne, Irene; Bastianello, Stefano; Baldi, Maurizia; Imbriani, Marcello

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the neurophysiological bases of Active Music Therapy (AMT) and its effects on the normal brain. Twelve right-handed, healthy, non-musician volunteers were recruited. The subjects underwent 2 AMT sessions based on the free sonorous-music improvisation using rhythmic and melodic instruments. After these sessions, each subject underwent 2 fMRI scan acquisitions while listening to a Syntonic (SP) and an A-Syntonic (AP) Production from the AMT sessions. A 3 T Discovery MR750 scanner with a 16-channel phased array head coil was used, and the image analysis was performed with Brain Voyager QX 2.8. The listening to SP vs AP excerpts mainly activated: (1) the right middle temporal gyrus and right superior temporal sulcus, (2) the right middle frontal gyrus and in particular the right precentral gyrus, (3) the bilateral precuneus, (4) the left superior temporal sulcus and (5) the left middle temporal gyrus. These results are consistent with the psychological bases of the AMT approach and with the activation of brain areas involved in memory and autobiographical processes, and also in personal or interpersonal significant experiences. Further studies are required to confirm these findings and to explain possible effects of AMT in clinical settings.

Specificity in autobiographical memory narratives correlates with performance on the autobiographical memory test and prospectively predicts depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Sumner, Jennifer A; Mineka, Susan; McAdams, Dan P

2013-01-01

Reduced autobiographical memory specificity (AMS) is an important cognitive marker in depression that is typically measured with the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT; Williams & Broadbent, 1986). The AMT is widely used, but the over-reliance on a single methodology for assessing AMS is a limitation in the field. The current study investigated memory narratives as an alternative measure of AMS in an undergraduate student sample selected for being high or low on a measure of depressive symptoms (N=55). We employed a multi-method design to compare narrative- and AMT-based measures of AMS. Participants generated personally significant self-defining memory narratives, and also completed two versions of the AMT (with and without instructions to retrieve specific memories). Greater AMS in self-defining memory narratives correlated with greater AMS in performance on both versions of the AMT in the full sample, and the patterns of relationships between the different AMS measures were generally similar in low and high dysphoric participants. Furthermore, AMS in self-defining memory narratives was prospectively associated with depressive symptom levels. Specifically, greater AMS in self-defining memory narratives predicted fewer depressive symptoms at a 10-week follow-up over and above baseline symptom levels. Implications for future research and clinical applications are discussed.

Clinical and impression cytology findings of amniotic membrane and oral mucosal membrane transplantation for the management of socket contracture.

PubMed

Kurtul, Bengi Ece; Erdener, Ugur; Mocan, Mehmet Cem; Irkec, Murat; Orhan, Mehmet

2014-01-01

To investigate and compare the cytopathological and clinical effects of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) and oral mucosal membrane transplantation (OMMT) in socket contraction. Twelve patients who could not be fitted with ocular prosthesis due to socket contracture were included in this study. Seven patients underwent AMT and 5 patients underwent OMMT. Thirteen patients who had healthy sockets were included as control group. Depth of inferior fornix, degree of inflammation, extent of the socket contracture and socket volume were measured in the preoperative period and at sixth and twelfth weeks postoperatively. Impression cytology of conjunctival fornices and tear transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFβ1) levels were determined. In the AMT group, socket volume and lower fornix depth values were significantly higher (P=0.030 and P=0.004 respectively) and inflammation levels and impression cytology stages (P=0.037 and P=0.022 respectively) were significantly lower in postoperative period compared to preoperative period. In the OMMT group, no statistical differences were found in terms of clinical parameters, inflammation levels and impression cytology stages of preoperative versus postoperative values. Preoperative tear TGFβ1 levels were higher in AMT and OMMT groups compared to the control group (25.5 ng/mL, 26.3 ng/mL and 21.7 ng/mL respectively). Decreased tear TGFβ1 levels were observed in both the AMT and OMMT groups postoperatively (median decrease value=2.1 ng/mL and 2.7 ng/mL respectively). AMT is associated with postoperative improvement in inferior fornix depth, socket volume, inflammation and impression cytology levels and may be a more proper alternative method than OMMT in the management of socket contracture.

Air transport of patients with pneumothorax: is tube thoracostomy required before flight?

PubMed

Braude, Darren; Tutera, Dominic; Tawil, Issac; Pirkl, Gregory

2014-01-01

It is conventionally thought that patients with pneumothorax (PTX) require tube thoracostomy (TT) before air medical transport (AMT), especially in unpressurized rotor-wing (RW) aircraft, to prevent deterioration from expansion of the PTX or development of tension PTX. We hypothesize that patients with PTX transported without TT tolerate RW AMT without serious deterioration, as defined by hypotension, hypoxemia, respiratory distress, intubation, bag valve mask ventilation, needle thoracostomy (NT), or cardiac arrest during transport. We conducted a retrospective review of a case-series of trauma patients transported to a single Level 1 trauma center via RW with confirmed PTX and no TT. Using standardized abstraction forms, we reviewed charts for signs of deterioration. Those patients identified as having clinical deterioration were independently reviewed for the likelihood that the clinical deterioration was a direct consequence of PTX. During the study period, 66 patients with confirmed PTX underwent RW AMT with an average altitude gain of 1890 feet, an average barometric pressure 586-600 mmHg, and average flight duration of 28 minutes. All patients received oxygen therapy; 14/66 patients (21%) were supported with positive pressure ventilation. Eleven of 66 patients (17%) had NT placed before flight and 4/66 (6%) had NT placed during flight. Four of 66 patients (6% CI0.3-11.7) may have deteriorated during AMT as a result of PTX; all were successfully managed with NT. In this series, 6% of patients with PTX deteriorated as result of AMT without TT, yet all patients were managed successfully with NT. Routine placement of TT in patients with PTX before RW AMT may not be necessary. Further prospective evaluation is warranted. Copyright © 2014 Air Medical Journal Associates. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A stochastic model with a low-frequency amplification feedback for the stratospheric northern annular mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Yueyue; Cai, Ming; Ren, Rongcai

2017-08-01

We consider three indices to measure the polar stratospheric mass and stratospheric meridional mass circulation variability: anomalies of (1) total mass in the polar stratospheric cap (60-90°N, above the isentropic surface 400 K, PSM), (2) total adiabatic mass transport across 60°N into the polar stratosphere cap (AMT), (3) and total diabetic mass transport across 400 K from the polar stratosphere into the troposphere below (DMT). It is confirmed that the negative stratospheric Northern Annular Mode (NAM) and PSM indices have a nearly indistinguishable temporal evolution and a similar red-noise-like spectrum with a de-correlation timescale of 4 weeks. This enables us to examine the low-frequency nature of the NAM in the framework of mass circulation, namely, d/{dt}{PSM}={AMT} - {DMT} . The DMT index tends to be positively correlated with the PSM with a red-noise-like spectrum, representing slow radiative cooling processes giving rise to a de-correlation timescale of 3-4 weeks. The AMT is nearly perfectly correlated with the day-to-day tendency of PSM, reflecting a robust quasi 90° out-of-phase relation between the AMT and PSM at all frequency bands. Variations of vertically westward tilting of planetary waves contribute mainly to the high-frequency portion of AMT. It is the wave amplitude's slow vacillation that plays the leading role in the quasi 90° out-of-phase relation between the AMT and PSM. Based on this, we put forward a linear stochastic model with a low-frequency amplification feedback from low-frequency amplitude vacillations of planetary waves to explain the amplified low-frequency response of PSM/NAM to a stochastic forcing from the westward tilting variability.

Applying a Targeted Label-free Approach using LC-MS AMT Tags to Evaluate Changes in Protein Phosphorylation Following Phosphatase Inhibition

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

Yang, Feng; Jaitly, Navdeep; Jayachandran, Hemalatha

2007-10-12

To identify phosphoproteins regulated by the phosphoprotein phosphatase (PPP) family of S/T phosphatases, we performed a large-scale characterization of changes in protein phosphorylation on extracts from HeLa cells treated with or without calyculin A, a potent PPP enzyme inhibitor. A label-free comparative Phosphoproteomics approach using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography and targeted tandem mass spectrometry was employed to discover and identify signatures based upon distinctive changes in abundance. Overall, 232 proteins were identified as either direct or indirect targets for PPP enzyme regulation. Most of the present identifications represent novel PPP enzyme targets at the level of both phosphorylation sitemore » and protein. These include phosphorylation sites within signaling proteins such as p120 Catenin, A Kinase Anchoring Protein 8, JunB, and Type II Phosphatidyl Inositol 4 Kinase. These data can be used to define underlying signaling pathways and events regulated by the PPP family of S/T phosphatases.« less

Comparing the hierarchy of author given tags and repository given tags in a large document archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibély, Gergely; Pollner, Péter; Palla, Gergely

2016-10-01

Folksonomies - large databases arising from collaborative tagging of items by independent users - are becoming an increasingly important way of categorizing information. In these systems users can tag items with free words, resulting in a tripartite item-tag-user network. Although there are no prescribed relations between tags, the way users think about the different categories presumably has some built in hierarchy, in which more special concepts are descendants of some more general categories. Several applications would benefit from the knowledge of this hierarchy. Here we apply a recent method to check the differences and similarities of hierarchies resulting from tags given by independent individuals and from tags given by a centrally managed repository system. The results from our method showed substantial differences between the lower part of the hierarchies, and in contrast, a relatively high similarity at the top of the hierarchies.

Cue self-relevance affects autobiographical memory specificity in individuals with a history of major depression

PubMed Central

Crane, Catherine; Barnhofer, Thorsten; Williams, J. Mark G.

2007-01-01

Previously depressed and never-depressed individuals identified personal characteristics (self-guides) defining their ideal, ought, and feared selves. One week later they completed the autobiographical memory test (AMT). For each participant the number of AMT cues that reflected self-guide content was determined to produce an index of AMT cue self-relevance. Individuals who had never been depressed showed no significant relationship between cue self-relevance and specificity. In contrast, in previously depressed participants there was a highly significant negative correlation between cue self-relevance and specificity—the greater the number of AMT cues that reflected self-guide content, the fewer specific memories participants recalled. It is suggested that in individuals with a history of depression, cues reflecting self-guide content are more likely to prompt a shift to processing of information within the long-term self (Conway, Singer, & Tagini, 2004), increasing the likelihood that self-related semantic information will be provided in response to cues on the autobiographical memory test. PMID:17454667

Audio-magnetotelluric methods in reconnaissance geothermal exploration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoover, D.B.; Long, C.L.

1976-01-01

and 18 600 Hz where artificial VLF sources are available. As a reconnaissance technique we use AMT surveys in conjunction with regional gravity, magnetic, and telluric surveys. The exploration depth is a function of the resistivities of the lithologic section, but typically ranges from the surface to 0.2 km in low-resistivity areas and to greater than 2 km in high-resistivity regions. Results of the initial reconnaissance AMT surveys provide a rational basis for deciding on the extent of costlier follow-up surveys. As part of the U.S. Geological Survey geothermal program, surveys were conducted in Long Valley and Surprise Valley, California; the Vale, Ore-Weiser, Idaho region; and Bruneau-Grand View, Raft River, and Island Park regions of Idaho. AMT surveys in five additional known geothermal resource areas (KGRA's) have been scheduled for completion by May 1975. In the Raft River and Bruneau-Grand View regions and Long Valley, follow-up electrical surveys substantiated the effectiveness of the AMT technique for reconnaissance surveying.

Cue self-relevance affects autobiographical memory specificity in individuals with a history of major depression.

PubMed

Crane, Catherine; Barnhofer, Thorsten; Mark, J; Williams, G

2007-04-01

Previously depressed and never-depressed individuals identified personal characteristics (self-guides) defining their ideal, ought, and feared selves. One week later they completed the autobiographical memory test (AMT). For each participant the number of AMT cues that reflected self-guide content was determined to produce an index of AMT cue self-relevance. Individuals who had never been depressed showed no significant relationship between cue self-relevance and specificity. In contrast, in previously depressed participants there was a highly significant negative correlation between cue self-relevance and specificity--the greater the number of AMT cues that reflected self-guide content, the fewer specific memories participants recalled. It is suggested that in individuals with a history of depression, cues reflecting self-guide content are more likely to prompt a shift to processing of information within the long-term self (Conway, Singer, & Tagini, 2004), increasing the likelihood that self-related semantic information will be provided in response to cues on the autobiographical memory test.

Automicroneedle therapy system combined with topical tretinoin shows better regenerative effects compared with each individual treatment.

PubMed

Kim, J H; Park, H Y; Jung, M; Choi, E H

2013-01-01

Regenerative therapy is a relatively new dermatological field. However, the currently available topical agents are unsuitable for transdermal drug delivery because of their high molecular weight and low liposolubility. Therefore, a more effective transdermal drug delivery system is needed in order to achieve better therapeutic effects with these agents. A recently introduced microneedle therapy system (MTS), which is a mechanical method for making minute holes in the skin, improves transdermal delivery. A recently developed refinement of this technique, the automicroneedle therapy system (AMTS), has several advantages over the traditional MTS, as it can achieve consistent results because of its automatic punching method. To evaluate the cutaneous effects of an AMTS in combination with topical tretinoin. Twelve hairless mice were divided into two groups, and the dorsal skin of each mouse was marked down the centre. The first group was treated with the AMTS plus 0.025% tretinoin on one side of the back, and with 0.025% tretinoin only on the other side. The other group was treated with the AMTS and vehicle on one side, while the other side was left untreated. The effects on cutaneous regeneration and the treatment side-effects were evaluated by functional assessment including transepidermal water loss and skin hydration, and by histopathology including epidermal and dermal thickness, and density of collagen fibres. Western blotting and real-time reverse transcriptase PCR were also performed to determine protein and mRNA expression of procollagen type 1 and matrix metalloproteinase-13. Compared with the individual treatments (the AMTS alone or tretinoin alone) the combination of tretinoin plus the AMTS produced greater dermal regeneration as a result of increased proliferation of collagen fibres. This combination therapy did not result in treatment-related adverse effects. An AMTS combined with topical tretinoin is a safe and effective method for skin regeneration, which works by increasing collagen production, and might be a new therapeutic option for regenerative therapy. © The Author(s). CED © 2012 British Association of Dermatologists.

Evidence that alpha-methyl-p-tyramine is implicated in behavioural augmentation to amphetamine.

PubMed

Dougan, D F; Labrie, S L; Paull, P D; Duffield, P H; Wade, D N

1986-01-01

Behavioural studies showed that administration of alpha-methyl-p-tyramine (AMT; 10 mg/kg i.p.) to rats 24 hr before treatment with d-amphetamine (AMPHET; 4 mg/kg i.p.) resulted in augmentation of AMPHET-induced stereotype activity. Parallel experiments involving electro-chemical estimation of dopamine metabolites in the striatum showed that the decrease in the concentration of homovanillic acid (HVA) produced by AMPHET (4 mg/kg) was enhanced in AMT (10 mg/kg) pretreated animals. These findings suggest that AMT derived from previous doses of AMPHET may play a role in the phenomena of behavioural augmentation observed after chronic administration of AMPHET.

47 CFR 80.481 - Alternative technical parameters for AMTS transmitters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Alternative technical parameters for AMTS transmitters. 80.481 Section 80.481 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Public Coast Stations Automated Systems § 80.481...

Random T-DNA mutagenesis identifies a Cu-Zn-superoxide dismutase gene as a virulence factor of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT) was used to identify potential virulence factors in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Screening AMT transformants identified two mutants showing significantly reduced virulence. The mutants showed similar growth rate, colony morphology, and sclerotial and oxalate ...

A Hybrid Probabilistic Model for Unified Collaborative and Content-Based Image Tagging.

PubMed

Zhou, Ning; Cheung, William K; Qiu, Guoping; Xue, Xiangyang

2011-07-01

The increasing availability of large quantities of user contributed images with labels has provided opportunities to develop automatic tools to tag images to facilitate image search and retrieval. In this paper, we present a novel hybrid probabilistic model (HPM) which integrates low-level image features and high-level user provided tags to automatically tag images. For images without any tags, HPM predicts new tags based solely on the low-level image features. For images with user provided tags, HPM jointly exploits both the image features and the tags in a unified probabilistic framework to recommend additional tags to label the images. The HPM framework makes use of the tag-image association matrix (TIAM). However, since the number of images is usually very large and user-provided tags are diverse, TIAM is very sparse, thus making it difficult to reliably estimate tag-to-tag co-occurrence probabilities. We developed a collaborative filtering method based on nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) for tackling this data sparsity issue. Also, an L1 norm kernel method is used to estimate the correlations between image features and semantic concepts. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been evaluated using three databases containing 5,000 images with 371 tags, 31,695 images with 5,587 tags, and 269,648 images with 5,018 tags, respectively.

Abdominal Manual Therapy Repairs Interstitial Cells of Cajal and Increases Colonic c-Kit Expression When Treating Bowel Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wenyi; Zhu, Zhaojin; Xie, Bin; Yu, Jun

2017-01-01

Background This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects of abdominal manual therapy (AMT) on bowel dysfunction after spinal cord injury (SCI), investigating interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) and related c-kit expression. Methods Model rats were divided as SCI and SCI with drug treatment (intragastric mosapride), low-intensity (SCI + LMT; 50 g, 50 times/min), and high-intensity AMT (SCI + HMT; 100 g, 150 times/min). After 14 days of treatment, weight, improved Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor score, and intestinal movement were evaluated. Morphological structure of spinal cord and colon tissues were examined. Immunostaining, RT-PCR, and western blot were used to assess c-kit expression. Results In SCI rats, AMT could not restore BBB, but it significantly increased weight, shortened time to defecation, increased feces amounts, and improved fecal pellet traits and colon histology. AMT improved the number, distribution, and ultrastructure of colonic ICCs, increasing colonic c-kit mRNA and protein levels. Compared with the SCI + Drug and SCI + LMT groups, the SCI + HMT group showed better therapeutic effect in improving intestinal transmission function and promoting c-kit expression. Conclusions AMT is an effective therapy for recovery of intestinal transmission function. It could repair ICCs and increase c-kit expression in colon tissues after SCI, in a frequency-dependent and pressure-dependent manner. PMID:29349063

Mechanism of Disruption of the Amt-GlnK Complex by PII-Mediated Sensing of 2-Oxoglutarate

PubMed Central

Maier, Sarah; Schleberger, Paula; Lü, Wei; Wacker, Tobias; Pflüger, Tobias; Litz, Claudia; Andrade, Susana L. A.

2011-01-01

GlnK proteins regulate the active uptake of ammonium by Amt transport proteins by inserting their regulatory T-loops into the transport channels of the Amt trimer and physically blocking substrate passage. They sense the cellular nitrogen status through 2-oxoglutarate, and the energy level of the cell by binding both ATP and ADP with different affinities. The hyperthermophilic euryarchaeon Archaeoglobus fulgidus possesses three Amt proteins, each encoded in an operon with a GlnK ortholog. One of these proteins, GlnK2 was recently found to be incapable of binding 2-OG, and in order to understand the implications of this finding we conducted a detailed structural and functional analysis of a second GlnK protein from A. fulgidus, GlnK3. Contrary to Af-GlnK2 this protein was able to bind both ATP/2-OG and ADP to yield inactive and functional states, respectively. Due to the thermostable nature of the protein we could observe the exact positioning of the notoriously flexible T-loops and explain the binding behavior of GlnK proteins to their interaction partner, the Amt proteins. A thermodynamic analysis of these binding events using microcalorimetry evaluated by microstate modeling revealed significant differences in binding cooperativity compared to other characterized PII proteins, underlining the diversity and adaptability of this class of regulatory signaling proteins. PMID:22039461

47 CFR 80.479 - Assignment and use of frequencies for AMTS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Assignment and use of frequencies for AMTS. 80.479 Section 80.479 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES STATIONS IN THE MARITIME SERVICES Public Coast Stations Automated Systems § 80.479...

Affix Meaning Knowledge in First through Third Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Apel, Kenn; Henbest, Victoria Suzanne

2016-01-01

Purpose: We examined grade-level differences in 1st- through 3rd-grade students' performance on an experimenter-developed affix meaning task (AMT) and determined whether AMT performance explained unique variance in word-level reading and reading comprehension, beyond other known contributors to reading development. Method: Forty students at each…

Analysis of archaeological triacylglycerols by high resolution nanoESI, FT-ICR MS and IRMPD MS/MS: Application to 5th century BC-4th century AD oil lamps from Olbia (Ukraine)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garnier, Nicolas; Rolando, Christian; Høtje, Jakob Munk; Tokarski, Caroline

2009-07-01

This work presents the precise identification of triacylglycerols (TAGs) extracted from archaeological samples using a methodology based on nanoelectrospray and Fourier transform mass spectrometry. The archaeological TAG identification needs adapted sample preparation protocols to trace samples in advanced degradation state. More precisely, the proposed preparation procedure includes extraction of the lipid components from finely grinded ceramic using dichloromethane/methanol mixture with additional ultrasonication treatment, and TAG purification by solid phase extraction on a diol cartridge. Focusing on the analytical approach, the implementation of "in-house" species-dependent TAG database was investigated using MS and InfraRed Multiphoton Dissociation (IRMPD) MS/MS spectra; several vegetal oils, dairy products and animal fats were studied. The high mass accuracy of the Fourier transform analyzer ([Delta]m below 2.5 ppm) provides easier data interpretation, and allows distinction between products of different origins. In details, the IRMPD spectra of the lithiated TAGs reveal fragmentation reactions including loss of free neutral fatty acid and loss of fatty acid as [alpha],[beta]-unsaturated moieties. Based on the developed preparation procedure and on the constituted database, TAG extracts from 5th century BC to 4th century AD Olbia lamps were analyzed. The structural information obtained succeeds in identifying that bovine/ovine fats were used as fuel used in these archaeological Olbia lamps.

[Heterogeneity of costs and performance for penetrating eye injuries and suturing amniotic membranes under DRG conditions : Analysis of case constellations of the G-DRG C01B of the Regensburg University eye clinic].

PubMed

Franz, D; Mrosek, M; Mrosek, S; Helbig, H; Framme, C

2012-01-01

Patients with penetrating eye injuries are a very heterogeneous group both medically and economically. Since 2009, treatment involving sutures for open eye injuries and cases requiring amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) were allocated to DRG C01B of the German diagnosis-related group system. However, given the significant clinical differences between these treatments, an inhomogeneity of costs to performance is postulated. This analysis describes case allocation problems within the G-DRG C01B category and presents solutions. A retrospective analysis was conducted from the standardized G-DRG data of 277 patients with open eye injuries and AMT between 2007 and 2008, grouped under the 2008 G-DRG system version to the G-DRG C01Z category. This data was provided by the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Hospital Regensburg. Additionally case-based data of the following were supplemented: length of surgery, time of anesthesia and intensity of patient care. Fixed and variable costs were determined for surgery and other inpatient treatment. Finally, an analysis of the heterogeneity of costs within the G-DRG C01B of the G-DRG system 2009 was implemented. Inhomogeneity was evident within the G-DRG C01B of the G-DRG system 2009 for the two groups suture of open eye injuries and AMT concerning the parameters length of stay, proportion of high outliers and cost per case. Multiple surgeries during an inpatient stay lead to an extended length of stay and increasing costs, especially within the AMT group. Intensity of patient care and the consideration of patient comorbidity did not yield relevant differences. The quality of the G-DRG system is measured by its ability to obtain adequate funding for highly complex and heterogeneous cases. Specific modifications of the G-DRG structures could increase the appropriateness of case allocation for patients with open eye injuries within the G-DRG C01B of the German DRG system 2009. As a result of the present study, cases with amniotic membrane transplantation should not be allocated to the G-DRG C01B. A petition has been presented by the German Association of Ophthalmology (DOG) to the German DRG Institute to restructure the G-DRG C01B. Data-based analysis is an essential prerequisite for a constructive development of the G-DRG system and a necessary tool for the active participation of medical societies in this process.

Martin Karplus and Computer Modeling for Chemical Systems

Science.gov Websites

&D Nuggets Database dropdown arrow Search Tag Cloud Browse Reports Database Help Finding Aids with two-time Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, whom Karplus described as an important early influence. He

Yuan T. Lee and Molecular Beam Studies

Science.gov Websites

&D Nuggets Database dropdown arrow Search Tag Cloud Browse Reports Database Help Finding Aids : The Influence of Yuan T. Lee, Journal of Chemical Physics, Volume 125, Issue 13, pp. 132302-132302-19

Commercial applications of the ACTS mobile terminal millimeter-wave antennas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Densmore, Arthur C.; Crist, Rick A.; Jamnejad, Vahraz; Tulintseff, Ann N.

1991-01-01

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is currently developing the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Mobile Terminal (AMT), which will provide voice, data, and video communications to and from a vehicle (van, truck, or car) via NASA's geostationary ACTS satellite using the K- and K(sub a)-band frequency bands. The AMT is already planned to demonstrate a variety of communications from within the mobile vehicular environment, and within this paper a summary of foreseen commercial application opportunities is given. A critical component of the AMT is its antenna system, which must establish and maintain the basic RF link with the satellite. Two versions of the antenna are under development, each incorporating different technologies and offering different commercial applications.

Advanced manufacturing technology effectiveness: A review of literature and some issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goyal, Sanjeev; Grover, Sandeep

2012-09-01

Advanced manufacturing technology (AMT) provides advantages to manufacturing managers in terms of flexibility, quality, reduced delivery times, and global competitiveness. Although a large number of publications had presented the importance of this technology, only a few had delved into related literature review. Considering the importance of this technology and the recent contributions by various authors, the present paper conducts a more comprehensive review. Literature was reviewed in a way that will help researchers, academicians, and practitioners to take a closer look at the implementation, evaluation, and justification of the AMT. The authors reviewed various papers, proposed a different classification scheme, and identified certain gaps that will provide hints for further research in AMT management.

Anxiety Management Training and Relaxation as Self-Control in the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety in Medical Outpatients.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cragan, Mary K.; Deffenbacher, Jerry L.

1984-01-01

Compared Anxiety Management Training (AMT) and Relaxation as Self-Control (RSC) in reducing stress in 55 anxious medical outpatients. At posttreatment and follow-up assessments, both AMT and RSC groups reported significantly less anxiety, stress reactivity, general physiological arousal, depression, and anger than controls. (JAC)

47 CFR 27.73 - WCS, AMT, and Goldstone coordination requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www/archives.gov/federal_ register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr... Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) within 145 kilometers of the Goldstone, CA earth station site (35... the NASA Goldstone, CA earth station or from an AMT site, operating in the 2305-2320 or 2345-2360 MHz...

47 CFR 27.73 - WCS, AMT, and Goldstone coordination requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www/archives.gov/federal_ register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr... Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) within 145 kilometers of the Goldstone, CA earth station site (35... the NASA Goldstone, CA earth station or from an AMT site, operating in the 2305-2320 or 2345-2360 MHz...

The administration of endocannabinoid uptake inhibitors OMDM-2 or VDM-11 promotes sleep and decreases extracellular levels of dopamine in rats.

PubMed

Murillo-Rodríguez, Eric; Palomero-Rivero, Marcela; Millán-Aldaco, Diana; Di Marzo, Vincenzo

2013-01-17

The family of the endocannabinoid system comprises endogenous lipids (such as anandamide [ANA]), receptors (CB(1)/CB(2) cannabinoid receptors), metabolic enzymes (fatty acid amide hydrolase [FAAH]) and a putative membrane transporter (anandamide membrane transporter [AMT]). Although the role of ANA, FAAH or the CB(1) cannabinoid receptor in sleep modulation has been reported, the effects of the inhibition of AMT on sleep remain unclear. In the present study, we show that microdialysis perfusion in rats of AMT inhibitors, (9Z)-N-[1-((R)-4-hydroxbenzyl)-2-hydroxyethyl]-9-octadecenamide (OMDM-2) or N-(4-hydroxy-2-methylphenyl)-5Z,8Z,11Z,14Z-eicosatetraenamide (VDM-11; 10, 20 or 30 μM; each compound) delivered into the paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVA) increased sleep and decreased waking. In addition, the infusion of compounds reduced the extracellular levels of dopamine collected from nucleus accumbens. Taken together, these findings illustrate a critical role of AMT in sleep modulation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Exploratory Analysis for the Selection and Implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technology by Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision Making Methods: A Comparative Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, Surajit; Sarkar, Bijan

2017-08-01

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMTs) offer opportunities for the manufacturing organizations to excel their competitiveness and in turn their effectiveness in manufacturing. Proper selection and evaluation of AMTs is the most significant task in today's modern world. But this involves a lot of uncertainty and vagueness as it requires many conflicting criteria to deal with. So the task of selection and evaluation of AMTs becomes very tedious for the evaluators as they are not able to provide crisp data for the criteria. Different Fuzzy Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods help greatly in dealing with this problem. This paper focuses on the application of two very much potential Fuzzy MCDM methods namely COPRAS-G, EVAMIX and a comparative study between them on some rarely mentioned criteria. Each of the two methods is very powerful evaluation tool and has beauty in its own. Although, performance wise these two methods are almost at same level, but, the approach of each one of them are quite unique. This uniqueness is revealed by introducing a numerical example of selection of AMT.

Analytical condition inspection and extension of time between overhaul of F3-30 engine

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

Nakao, M.; Ikeyama, M.; Abe, S.

1992-04-01

F3-30 is the low-bypass-ratio turbofan engine developed to power the T-4 intermediate trainer for the Japan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF). The actual field service was started in Sept., 1988. This paper reports on the program to extend time between overhaul (TBO) of the F3-30 which has been running. Analytical condition inspection (ACI) and accelerated mission testing (AMT) were conducted to confirm sufficient durability to extend TBO. Most deteriorations of parts and performance due to AMT were also found by ACI after field operation with approximately the same deterioration rate. On the other hand, some deteriorations were found by ACImore » only. These results show that ACI after field operation is also necessary to confirm the TBO extension, although AMT simulates the deterioration in field operations very well. The deteriorations that would be caused by the field operation during one extended-TBO were estimated with the results of ACI and AMT, and it was concluded that the F3-30 has sufficient durability for TBO extension to the next step.« less

Significance of abnormalities in developmental trajectory and asymmetry of cortical serotonin synthesis in autism.

PubMed

Chandana, Sreenivasa R; Behen, Michael E; Juhász, Csaba; Muzik, Otto; Rothermel, Robert D; Mangner, Thomas J; Chakraborty, Pulak K; Chugani, Harry T; Chugani, Diane C

2005-01-01

The role of serotonin in prenatal and postnatal brain development is well documented in the animal literature. In earlier studies using positron emission tomography (PET) with the tracer alpha[(11)C]methyl-l-tryptophan (AMT), we reported global and focal abnormalities of serotonin synthesis in children with autism. In the present study, we measured brain serotonin synthesis in a large group of autistic children (n = 117) with AMT PET and related these neuroimaging data to handedness and language function. Cortical AMT uptake abnormalities were objectively derived from small homotopic cortical regions using a predefined cutoff asymmetry threshold (>2 S.D. of normal asymmetry). Autistic children demonstrated several patterns of abnormal cortical involvement, including right cortical, left cortical, and absence of abnormal asymmetry. Global brain values for serotonin synthesis capacity (unidirectional uptake rate constant, K-complex) values were plotted as a function of age. K-complex values of autistic children with asymmetry or no asymmetry in cortical AMT uptake followed different developmental patterns, compared to that of a control group of non-autistic children. The autism groups, defined by presence or absence and side of cortical asymmetry, differed on a measure of language as well as handedness. Autistic children with left cortical AMT decreases showed a higher prevalence of severe language impairment, whereas those with right cortical decreases showed a higher prevalence of left and mixed handedness. Global as well as focal abnormally asymmetric development in the serotonergic system could lead to miswiring of the neural circuits specifying hemispheric specialization.

Survivors Perceptions of Recovery following Air Medical Transport Accidents.

PubMed

Jaynes, Cathy L; Valdez, Anna; Hamilton, Megan; Haugen, Krista; Henry, Colin; Jones, Pat; Werman, Howard A; White, Lynn J

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: Air medical transport (AMT) teams play an essential role in the care of the critically ill and injured. Their work, however, is not without risk. Since the inception of the industry numerous AMT accidents have been reported. The objective of this research is to gain a better understanding of the post-accident sequelae for professionals who have survived AMT accidents. The hope is that this understanding will empower the industry to better support survivors and plan for the contingencies of post-accident recovery. Methods: Qualitative methods were used to explore the experience of flight crew members who have survived an AMT accident. "Accident" was defined using criteria established by the National Transportation Safety Board. Traditional focus group methodology explored the survivors' experiences following the accident. Results: Seven survivors participated in the focus group. Content analysis revealed themes in four major domains that described the experience of survivors: Physical, Psychological, Relational and Financial. Across the themes survivors reported that industry and company response varied greatly, ranging from generous support, understanding and action to make safety improvements, to little response or action and lack of attention to survivor needs. Conclusion: Planning for AMT post-accident response was identified to be lacking in scope and quality. More focused efforts are needed to assist and support the survivors as they regain both their personal and professional lives following the accident. This planning should include all stakeholders in safe transport; the individual crewmember, air medical transport companies, and the industry at large.

The Abbreviated Mental Test 4 for cognitive screening of older adults presenting to the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Dyer, Adam H; Briggs, Robert; Nabeel, Shamis; O'Neill, Desmond; Kennelly, Sean P

2017-12-01

A commonly cited reason for the infrequent detection of cognitive impairment in the Emergency Department (ED) is the lack of an appropriate screening tool. The Abbreviated Mental Test 4 (AMT4) is a brief instrument recommended for cognitive screening of older adults in the ED. However, its exact utility in the detection of altered mental status in the ED is yet to be fully determined. The present study evaluated the ability of the AMT4 to identify impaired mental status in the ED, defined as positive scores on either the Confusion Assessment Method-ICU for delirium, the standardized Mini Mental State Examination as a general cognitive screener or the Eight-item Interview to Differentiate Aging and Dementia for dementia. Of 196 adults at least 70 years of age (mean: 78.5±5.9), the AMT4 had a sensitivity of 0.53 (0.42-0.63) and a specificity of 0.96 (0.89-0.99) for impaired mental status in the ED. The AMT4 was positive in almost all patients (92%; 24/26) screening positive for delirium, but less than half (47.8%; 22/46) of those screening positive for probable dementia, and less than a quarter (22.2%; 6/27) of those screening positive for probable cognitive impairment. The present study found that the limited sensitivity of the AMT4 in identifying the majority of cognitively impaired persons restricts its use in isolation as a general cognitive screener in the ED.

Development of Active Microwave Thermography for Structural Health Monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foudazi, Ali

Active Microwave Thermography (AMT) is an integrated nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT&E) method that incorporates aspects of microwave NDT and thermography techniques. AMT uses a microwave excitation to generate heat and the surface thermal profile of the material or structure under test is subsequently measured using a thermal camera (or IR camera). Utilizing a microwave heat excitation provides advantages over traditional thermal excitations (heat lamps, etc.) including the potential for non-contact, selective and focused heating. During an AMT inspection, two heating mechanisms are possible, referred to as dielectric and induction heating. Dielectric heating occurs as a result of the interaction of microwave energy with lossy dielectric materials which results in dissipated microwave energy and a subsequent increase in temperature. Induction heating is a result of induced surface current on conductive materials with finite conductivity under microwave illumination and subsequently ohmic loss. Due to the unique properties of microwave signals including frequency of operation, power level, and polarization, as well as their interaction with different materials, AMT has strong potential for application in various industries including infrastructure, transportation, aerospace, etc. As such, this Dissertation explores the application of AMT to NDT&E needs in these important industries, including detection and evaluation of defects in single- or multi-layered fiber-reinforced polymer-strengthened cement-based materials, evaluation of steel fiber percentage and distributions in steel fiber reinforced structures, characterization of corrosion ratio on corroded reinforcing steel bars (rebar), and evaluation of covered surface cracks orientation and size in metal structures.

Management of a neurotrophic deep corneal ulcer with amniotic membrane transplantation in a patient with functional monocular vision

PubMed Central

Röck, Tobias; Bartz-Schmidt, Karl Ulrich; Röck, Daniel

2017-01-01

Abstract Rationale: Amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) has been performed therapeutically in humans for over 100 years. In recent 2 decades AMTs have been used increasingly and successfully to treat various types of ophthalmic indications. Patient concerns: An 83-year-old man was referred to our eye hospital with a refractory neurotrophic deep corneal ulcer of the left eye. Diagnoses: The best-corrected visual acuity of the left eye was 0.5 (0.3 logMAR) and of the right eye was 0.05 (1.3 logMAR), which was caused by a central retinal vein occlusion 5 years previously. In cases of binocular vision, a large amniotic membrane patch can cover the whole cornea, including the optical axis. However, in cases with functional monocular vision, as in the case reported here, the AMT has to be performed without the involvement of the optical axis to ensure vision for the patient. Otherwise the patient would have a massively restricted view like looking through waxed paper for at least 2–4 weeks until the overlay dissolved. Interventions: For this case, an AMT using a modified sandwich technique was applied without involvement of the optic axis to ensure vision for the patient. This case report illustrates this eye's course of healing over time. Outcomes: A reduction in the inflammation and healing of the corneal ulcer could be seen. In addition, the corneal vascularization decreased. Six months after the AMT, a slit-lamp examination revealed stable findings. The best-corrected visual acuity of the left eye had increased to 0.8 (0.1 logMAR). Lessons: To the best of our knowledge, a case report on the management of a neurotrophic deep corneal ulcer with AMT in a patient with functional monocular vision has never been undertaken before. PMID:29390295

Ocular Measures of Sleepiness Are Increased in Night Shift Workers Undergoing a Simulated Night Shift Near the Peak Time of the 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin Rhythm

PubMed Central

Ftouni, Suzanne; Sletten, Tracey L.; Nicholas, Christian L.; Kennaway, David J.; Lockley, Steven W.; Rajaratnam, Shantha M.W.

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: The study examined the relationship between the circadian rhythm of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) and ocular measures of sleepiness and neurobehavioral performance in shift workers undergoing a simulated night shift. Methods: Twenty-two shift workers (mean age 33.4, SD 11.8 years) were tested at approximately the beginning (20:00) and the end (05:55) of a simulated night shift in the laboratory. At the time point corresponding to the end of the simulated shift, 14 participants were classified as being within range of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) acrophase— defined as 3 hours before or after aMT6s peak—and 8 were classified as outside aMT6s acrophase range. Participants completed the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and the auditory psychomotor vigilance task (aPVT). Waking electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded and infrared reflectance oculography was used to collect ocular measures of sleepiness: positive and negative amplitude/velocity ratio (PosAVR, NegAVR), mean blink total duration (BTD), the percentage of eye closure (%TEC), and a composite score of sleepiness levels (Johns Drowsiness Scale; JDS). Results: Participants who were tested within aMT6s acrophase range displayed higher levels of sleepiness on ocular measures (%TEC, BTD, PosAVR, JDS), objective sleepiness (EEG delta power frequency band), subjective ratings of sleepiness, and neurobehavioral performance, compared to those who were outside aMT6s acrophase range. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that objective ocular measures of sleepiness are sensitive to circadian rhythm misalignment in shift workers. Citation: Ftouni S, Sletten TL, Nicholas CL, Kennaway DJ, Lockley SW, Rajaratnam SM. Ocular measures of sleepiness are increased in night shift workers undergoing a simulated night shift near the peak time of the 6-sulfatoxymelatonin rhythm. J Clin Sleep Med 2015;11(10):1131–1141. PMID:26094925

Mechanism of the Pseudoirreversible Binding of Amantadine to the M2 Proton Channel.

PubMed

Llabrés, Salomé; Juárez-Jiménez, Jordi; Masetti, Matteo; Leiva, Rosana; Vázquez, Santiago; Gazzarrini, Sabrina; Moroni, Anna; Cavalli, Andrea; Luque, F Javier

2016-11-30

The M2 proton channel of influenza A virus is an integral membrane protein involved in the acidification of the viral interior, a step necessary for the release of the viral genetic material and replication of new virions. The aim of this study is to explore the mechanism of drug (un)binding to the M2 channel in order to gain insight into the structural and energetic features relevant for the development of novel inhibitors. To this end, we have investigated the binding of amantadine (Amt) to the wild type (wt) M2 channel and its V27A variant using multiple independent molecular dynamics simulations, exploratory conventional metadynamics, and multiple-walkers well-tempered metadynamics calculations. The results allow us to propose a sequential mechanism for the (un)binding of Amt to the wt M2 channel, which involves the adoption of a transiently populated intermediate (up state) leading to the thermodynamically favored down binding mode in the channel pore. Furthermore, they suggest that chloride anions play a relevant role in stabilizing the down binding mode of Amt to the wt channel, giving rise to a kinetic trapping that explains the experimentally observed pseudoirreversible inhibition of the wt channel by Amt. We propose that this trapping mechanism underlies the inhibitory activity of potent M2 channel blockers, as supported by the experimental confirmation of the irreversible binding of a pyrrolidine analogue from electrophysiological current assays. Finally, the results reveal that the thermodynamics and kinetics of Amt (un)binding is very sensitive to the V27A mutation, providing a quantitative rationale to the drastic decrease in inhibitory potency against the V27A variant. Overall, these findings pave the way to explore the inhibitory activity of Amt-related analogues in mutated M2 channel variants, providing guidelines for the design of novel inhibitors against resistant virus strains.

Assessment of decisions in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori-related duodenal ulcer: a cost-effectiveness study.

PubMed

Chen, S Y; Wang, J Y; Chen, J; Zhang, X D; Zhang, S S

1999-10-01

Many treatment trials for Helicobacter pylori have been reported but few have evaluated treatment in terms of both cost and effectiveness. It is important to find a therapy with a high eradication rate and low cost, especially in China. The aim of the study is to assess the efficiency of therapy for duodenal ulcers, including ulcer healing, H. pylori eradication and ulcer recurrence. Ninety-six consecutive patients with duodenal ulcers and H. pylori infection were randomly allocated into two groups: AMT group (amoxycillin + metronidazole + tagamet); OA group (omeprazole + amoxycillin). Side-effects were recorded during the treatment period. Endoscopic examinations were repeated at the 7th or 8th week to assess ulcer healing. Patients were followed up for 6 months and repeat endoscopy was performed. Ulcer healing rate, H. pylori eradication rate and ulcer recurrence rate were compared. All costs were recorded and a cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted. In the AMT and OA groups, the ulcer healing rate was 83.7 and 93.5%, respectively (P = 0.27). The eradication rate of H. pylori was 65.1 and 69.6%, respectively and was significantly higher in patients with an ulcer diameter < or = 1 cm compared with those with an ulcer diameter > 1 cm, irrespective of treatment group. There was no difference in recurrence rate, duration of pain or the time lost because of the disease. Moderate or severe side-effects were found in 8.9% in AMT group and 6.5% in OA group. The cost of treatment for ulcer healing, H. pylori eradication and reduction in ulcer recurrence were all lower in the AMT group than in the OA group. Sensitivity analysis supported the result that AMT was more cost effective than OA. The AMT therapy was more effective and less costly than the OA therapy, especially in patients with H. pylori-related duodenal ulcers < 1 cm diameter.

Volume 35, AMT-1 Cruise Report and Preliminary Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor); Robins, David B.; Bale, Anthony J.; Moore, Gerald F.; Rees, Nigel W.; Gallienne, Christopher P.; Westbrooke, Anthony G.; Maranon, Emilio; Spooner, William H.;

Application of the advanced communications technology satellite for teleradiology and telemedicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Brent K.; Carter, Stephen J.; Rowberg, Alan H.

1995-05-01

The authors have an in-kind grant from NASA to investigate the application of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) to teleradiology and telemedicine using the JPL developed ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT) uplink. This experiment involves the transmission of medical imagery (CT, MR, CR, US and digitized radiographs including mammograms), between the ACTS/AMT and the University of Washington. This is accomplished by locating the AMT experiment van in various locations throughout Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Hawaii. The medical images are transmitted from the ACTS to the downlink at the NASA Lewis Research Center (LeRC) in Cleveland, Ohio, consisting of AMT equipment and the high burst rate-link evaluation terminal (HBR-LET). These images are then routed from LeRC to the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSoM) through the Internet and public switched Integrated Serviced Digital Network (ISDN). Once images arrive in the UW Radiology Department, they are reviewed using both video monitor softcopy and laser-printed hardcopy. Compressed video teleconferencing and transmission of real-time ultrasound video between the AMT van and the UWSoM are also tested. Image quality comparisons are made using both subjective diagnostic criteria and quantitative engineering analysis. Evaluation is performed during various weather conditions (including rain to assess rain fade compensation algorithms). Compression techniques also are tested to evaluate their effects on image quality, allowing further evaluation of portable teleradiology/telemedicine at lower data rates and providing useful information for additional applications (e.g., smaller remote units, shipboard, emergency disaster, etc.). The medical images received at the UWSoM over the ACTS are directly evaluated against the original digital images. The project demonstrates that a portable satellite-land connection can provide subspecialty consultation and education for rural and remote areas. The experiment is divided into three phases. Using the ACTS fixed-hopping beam, phase one involves testing connection of the AMT to medical imaging equipment and image transmission in various climates in western and eastern Washington state. The second phase involves satellite relay transmissions between the Inmarsat satellite and the ACTS/AMT through a ground station in Hawaii for medical imagery originating from either Okinawa, Japan or Kwajalein, in the Pacific. The third phase involves extended use of the ACTS steerable beam in Washington state, Idaho, Montanan and Oregon.

U.S. residential consumer product information: Validation of methods for post-stratification weighting of Amazon Mechanical Turk surveys

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

Greenblatt, Jeffery B.; Yang, Hung-Chia; Desroches, Louis-Benoit

2013-04-01

We present two post-stratification weighting methods to validate survey data collected using Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). Two surveys focused on appliance and consumer electronics devices were administered in the spring and summer of 2012 to each of approximately 3,000 U.S. households. Specifically, the surveys asked questions about residential refrigeration products, televisions (TVs) and set-top boxes (STBs). Filtered data were assigned weights using each of two weighting methods, termed “sequential” and “simultaneous,” by examining up to eight demographic variables (income, education, gender, race, Hispanic origin, number of occupants, ages of occupants, and geographic region) in comparison to reference U.S. demographic datamore » from the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). Five key questions from the surveys (number of refrigerators, number of freezers, number of TVs, number of STBs and primary service provider) were evaluated with a set of statistical tests to determine whether either method improved the agreement of AMT with reference data, and if so, which method was better. The statistical tests used were: differences in proportions, distributions of proportions (using Pearson’s chi-squared test), and differences in average numbers of devices as functions of all demographic variables. The results indicated that both methods generally improved the agreement between AMT and reference data, sometimes greatly, but that the simultaneous method was usually superior to the sequential method. Some differences in sample populations were found between the AMT and reference data. Differences in the proportion of STBs reflected large changes in the STB market since the time our reference data was acquired in 2009. Differences in the proportions of some primary service providers suggested real sample bias, with the possible explanation that AMT user are more likely to subscribe to providers who also provide home internet service. Differences in other variables, while statistically significant in some cases, were nonetheless considered to be minor. Depending on the intended purpose of the data collected using AMT, these biases may or may not be important; to correct them, additional questions and/or further post-survey adjustments could be employed. In general, based on the analysis methods and the sample datasets used in this study, AMT surveys appeared to provide useful data on appliance and consumer electronics devices.« less

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fikes, John

2016-01-01

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies (AMT) is developing and maturing innovative and advanced manufacturing technologies that will enable more capable and lower-cost spacecraft, launch vehicles and infrastructure to enable exploration missions. The technologies will utilize cutting edge materials and emerging capabilities including metallic processes, additive manufacturing, composites, and digital manufacturing. The AMT project supports the National Manufacturing Initiative involving collaboration with other government agencies.

The effectiveness of AMT investment in UK metal component manufacture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamblin, David; Nugent, Edward

1991-11-01

The aim of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of capital investment, particularly investment in Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT). AMT encompasses not only production, but also design and administration areas. The intention was to make recommendations for the future direction of investment in the industry. The structure of the industry which comprises 54 companies is outlined. In order to obtain sufficiently detailed and accurate data, each company was visited. Discussions were held with managers covering the areas of production, engineering, finance, design, sales and marketing, quality and other strategic issues affecting investment decision making. The study conclusions and recommendations are presented. An overview of the industry and the survey sample are given. Company performance, practice relationships which link practice, and performance are discussed.

DICOM Data Warehouse: Part 2.

PubMed

Langer, Steve G

2016-06-01

In 2010, the DICOM Data Warehouse (DDW) was launched as a data warehouse for DICOM meta-data. Its chief design goals were to have a flexible database schema that enabled it to index standard patient and study information, modality specific tags (public and private), and create a framework to derive computable information (derived tags) from the former items. Furthermore, it was to map the above information to an internally standard lexicon that enables a non-DICOM savvy programmer to write standard SQL queries and retrieve the equivalent data from a cohort of scanners, regardless of what tag that data element was found in over the changing epochs of DICOM and ensuing migration of elements from private to public tags. After 5 years, the original design has scaled astonishingly well. Very little has changed in the database schema. The knowledge base is now fluent in over 90 device types. Also, additional stored procedures have been written to compute data that is derivable from standard or mapped tags. Finally, an early concern is that the system would not be able to address the variability DICOM-SR objects has been addressed. As of this writing the system is indexing 300 MR, 600 CT, and 2000 other (XA, DR, CR, MG) imaging studies per day. The only remaining issue to be solved is the case for tags that were not prospectively indexed-and indeed, this final challenge may lead to a noSQL, big data, approach in a subsequent version.

Active music therapy improves cognition and behaviour in chronic vascular encephalopathy: a case report.

PubMed

Giovagnoli, Anna Rita; Oliveri, Serena; Schifano, Letizia; Raglio, Alfredo

2014-02-01

This study describes the effects of active music therapy (AMT) on cognition and behaviour in chronic vascular encephalopathy. A single case study investigated different cognitive and psycho-behavioural changes after AMT. An adult patient with memory, attention, and verbal fluency deficits associated with Vascular Cognitive Impairment-No Dementia (VCI-ND) was treated. A four-months AMT course was based on creative and interactive music playing. Sixteen sessions were conducted simultaneously to the pharmacological therapy. Cognitive performances, mood, interpersonal interactions, and perceived abilities were assessed using standardized neuropsychological and psycho-behavioural measurements. At baseline, the patient reported a tendency to feel tense, nervous, and angry and difficulties in memory and visuospatial performances, frequently accompanied by attention drops. The social network was a habitual component of the patient's life, but not a source of sharing of personal experiences, safety or comfort. Neuropsychological tests showed deficits in object and figure naming, verbal fluency, short and long-term verbal memory, short-term spatial memory, selective attention, and visuomotor coordination. After AMT, the cognitive profile significantly improved in attention, visuomotor coordination, and verbal and spatial memory. Such positive changes were confirmed at the three-months follow-up. An increase of the interpersonal interactions and consistent reduction of anxiety were also observed. In selected patients with VCI-ND, a well-structured AMT intervention added to standard therapy may contribute in determining a stable improvement of cognitive and psycho-behavioural aspects. Controlled studies are needed to confirm these promising results. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Delphi Study of Aviation Maintenance Experts' Recommendations for a Model School Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyen, Fred D.

2017-01-01

The program described in this paper is the essential first step in reviving and reinitiating the delivery of aviation maintenance technology instruction. The demand for aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) is rapidly increasing and there is a need to provide as many as 679,000 AMTs over the next 20 years (Boeing, 2016). Given the high cost of…

Laboratory Study of Polychlorinated Biphenyl Contamination and Mitigation in Buildings -- Part 4. Evaluation of the Activated Metal Treatment System (AMTS) for On-site Destruction of PCBs

EPA Science Inventory

This is the fourth, also the last, report of the report series entitled “Laboratory Study of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Contamination and Mitigation in Buildings.” This report evaluates the performance of an on-site PCB destruction method, known as the AMTS method...

Laboratory Study of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Contamination and Mitigation in Buildings -- Part 4. Evaluation of the Activated Metal Treatment System (AMTS) for On-site Destruction of PCBs

EPA Science Inventory

This is the fourth, also the last, report of the report series entitled “Laboratory Study of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Contamination and Mitigation in Buildings.” This report evaluates the performance of an on-site PCB destruction method, known as the AMTS method, developed ...

Propagation-related AMT design aspects and supporting experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dessouky, Khaled; Estabrook, Polly

1991-01-01

The ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT) is presently being developed with the goal of significantly extending commercial satellite applications and their user base. A thorough knowledge of the Ka-band channel characteristics is essential to the proper design of a commercially viable system that efficiently utilizes the valuable resources. To date, only limited tests have been performed to characterize the Ka-band channel, and they have focused on the needs of fixed terminals. As part of the value of the AMT as a Ka-band test bed is its function as a vehicle through which tests specifically applicable to the mobile satellite communications can be performed. The exact propagation environment with the proper set of elevation angles, vehicle antenna gains and patterns, roadside shadowing, rain, and Doppler is encountered. The ability to measure all of the above, as well as correlate their effects with observed communication system performance, creates an invaluable opportunity to understand in depth Ka-band's potential in supporting mobile and personal communications. This paper discusses the propagation information required for system design, the setup with ACTS that will enable obtaining this information, and finally the types of experiments to be performed and data to be gathered by the AMT to meet this objective.

SeaWiFS Postlaunch Technical Report Series. Volume 2; AMT-5 Cruise Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hooker, Stanford B. (Editor); Firestone, Elaine R. (Editor); Aiken, James; Cummings, Denise G.; Gibb, Stuart W.; Rees, Nigel W.; Woodd-Walker, Rachel; Woodward, E. Malcolm S.; Woolfenden, James; Berthon, Jean-Francois;

Nitrogen metabolism and nitrogen control in corynebacteria: variations of a common theme.

PubMed

Walter, Britta; Hänssler, Eva; Kalinowski, Jörn; Burkovski, Andreas

2007-01-01

The published genome sequences of Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium efficiens, Corynebacterium glutamicum and Corynebacterium jeikeium were screened for genes encoding central components of nitrogen source uptake, nitrogen assimilation and nitrogen control systems. Interestingly, the soil-living species C. efficiens and C. glutamicum exhibit a broader spectrum of genes for nitrogen transport and metabolism than the pathogenic species C. diphtheriae and C. jeikeium. The latter are characterized by gene decay and loss of functions like urea metabolism and nitrogen-dependent transcription control. The global regulator of nitrogen regulation AmtR and its DNA-binding motif are conserved in C. diphtheriae, C. efficiens and C. glutamicum, while in C. jeikeium, an AmtR-encoding gene as well as putative AmtR-binding motifs are missing. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Therapist adherence to manualized cognitive-behavioral therapy for anger management delivered to veterans with PTSD via videoconferencing.

PubMed

Morland, Leslie A; Greene, Carolyn J; Grubbs, Kathleen; Kloezeman, Karen; Mackintosh, Margaret-Anne; Rosen, Craig; Frueh, B Christopher

2011-06-01

Therapist adherence to a manualized cognitive-behavioral anger management group treatment (AMT) was compared between therapy delivered via videoconference (VC) and the traditional in-person modality, using data from a large, randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of AMT for veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder. Therapist adherence was rated for the presence or absence of process and content treatment elements. Secondary analyses were conducted using a repeated measures ANOVA. Overall adherence to the protocol was excellent (M = 96%, SD = 1%). Findings indicate that therapist adherence to AMT is similar across delivery modalities and VC is a viable service delivery strategy that does not compromise a therapist's ability to effectively structure sessions and manage patient care. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing a fully online course for senior medical students

PubMed Central

Chapman, Chris; White, Casey B.; Engleberg, Cary; Fantone, Joseph C.; Cinti, Sandro K.

2011-01-01

In 2002 the University of Michigan Medical School created a one-month course in advanced medical therapeutics (AMT). All senior medical students were required to complete the course. To provide some flexibility for students who were interviewing for residency positions the AMT course was created using a distance-learning model, and in the 2008–2009 academic year it was offered in a fully online format. The components of the course are weekly case-based modules, a weekly online seminar, quizzes based on modules and seminars, and a research project based on a therapeutic question. The paper discusses the development and components of the AMT course, a survey of fourth-year medical students who participated in the course between 2007 and 2010, and how the course evolved over three years. PMID:21566733

Minimally Invasive Pterygium Surgery: Sutureless Excision with Amniotic Membrane and Hydrogel Sealant.

PubMed

Bondalapati, Sailaja; Ambati, Balamurali

2016-01-01

To describe a novel technique for sutureless pterygium surgery using ReSure(®) tissue sealant. In this retrospective observational case series, we describe a modified procedure for pterygium excision followed by amniotic membrane transplant (AMT) adhered to the corneal and conjunctival defects using ReSure tissue sealant. Nine eyes of seven patients (age range: 28-80 years, 4 females and 3 males) underwent pterygium removal with AMT followed by adherence of tissue to the conjunctival edges with ReSure. No issues with transplant dislocation or failure and no intra- or postoperative complications were noted. No recurrences were noted during the follow-up period. ReSure may be considered as a potential sealant to adhere AMT to defective corneal and conjunctival tissues in sutureless pterygium surgery.

Characterization of the orf1glnKamtB operon of Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

PubMed

Noindorf, Lilian; Rego, Fabiane G M; Baura, Valter A; Monteiro, Rose A; Wassem, Roseli; Cruz, Leonardo M; Rigo, Liu U; Souza, Emanuel M; Steffens, Maria B R; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Chubatsu, Leda S

2006-03-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is an endophytic nitrogen-fixing bacterium that colonizes economically important grasses. In this organism, the amtB gene is co-transcribed with two other genes: glnK that codes for a PII-like protein and orf1 that codes for a probable periplasmatic protein of unknown function. The expression of the orf1glnKamtB operon is increased under nitrogen-limiting conditions and is dependent on NtrC. An amtB mutant failed to transport methylammonium. Post-translational control of nitrogenase was also partially impaired in this mutant, since a complete switch-off of nitrogenase after ammonium addition was not observed. This result suggests that the AmtB protein is involved in the signaling pathway for the reversible inactivation of nitrogenase in H. seropedicae.

Wearable Tracking Tags Test Privacy Boundaries at the U. of Washington

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dotinga, Randy

2008-01-01

Tags such as the radio-frequency identifications or RFIDs are devices that make it possible for individuals to be tracked and their location reported back to a database. The devices--chips with radio antennas--emit signals, and tracking them reveals the movement of people or things. Many stores use the technology to catch shoplifters at exits. To…

Mass spectrometry-based protein identification by integrating de novo sequencing with database searching.

PubMed

Wang, Penghao; Wilson, Susan R

2013-01-01

Mass spectrometry-based protein identification is a very challenging task. The main identification approaches include de novo sequencing and database searching. Both approaches have shortcomings, so an integrative approach has been developed. The integrative approach firstly infers partial peptide sequences, known as tags, directly from tandem spectra through de novo sequencing, and then puts these sequences into a database search to see if a close peptide match can be found. However the current implementation of this integrative approach has several limitations. Firstly, simplistic de novo sequencing is applied and only very short sequence tags are used. Secondly, most integrative methods apply an algorithm similar to BLAST to search for exact sequence matches and do not accommodate sequence errors well. Thirdly, by applying these methods the integrated de novo sequencing makes a limited contribution to the scoring model which is still largely based on database searching. We have developed a new integrative protein identification method which can integrate de novo sequencing more efficiently into database searching. Evaluated on large real datasets, our method outperforms popular identification methods.

Visual feature extraction and establishment of visual tags in the intelligent visual internet of things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yiqun; Wang, Zhihui

2015-12-01

The Internet of things (IOT) is a kind of intelligent networks which can be used to locate, track, identify and supervise people and objects. One of important core technologies of intelligent visual internet of things ( IVIOT) is the intelligent visual tag system. In this paper, a research is done into visual feature extraction and establishment of visual tags of the human face based on ORL face database. Firstly, we use the principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm for face feature extraction, then adopt the support vector machine (SVM) for classifying and face recognition, finally establish a visual tag for face which is already classified. We conducted a experiment focused on a group of people face images, the result show that the proposed algorithm have good performance, and can show the visual tag of objects conveniently.

A SAGE based approach to human glomerular endothelium: defining the transcriptome, finding a novel molecule and highlighting endothelial diversity.

PubMed

Sengoelge, Guerkan; Winnicki, Wolfgang; Kupczok, Anne; von Haeseler, Arndt; Schuster, Michael; Pfaller, Walter; Jennings, Paul; Weltermann, Ansgar; Blake, Sophia; Sunder-Plassmann, Gere

2014-08-27

Large scale transcript analysis of human glomerular microvascular endothelial cells (HGMEC) has never been accomplished. We designed this study to define the transcriptome of HGMEC and facilitate a better characterization of these endothelial cells with unique features. Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was used for its unbiased approach to quantitative acquisition of transcripts. We generated a HGMEC SAGE library consisting of 68,987 transcript tags. Then taking advantage of large public databases and advanced bioinformatics we compared the HGMEC SAGE library with a SAGE library of non-cultured ex vivo human glomeruli (44,334 tags) which contained endothelial cells. The 823 tags common to both which would have the potential to be expressed in vivo were subsequently checked against 822,008 tags from 16 non-glomerular endothelial SAGE libraries. This resulted in 268 transcript tags differentially overexpressed in HGMEC compared to non-glomerular endothelia. These tags were filtered using a set of criteria: never before shown in kidney or any type of endothelial cell, absent in all nephron regions except the glomerulus, more highly expressed than statistically expected in HGMEC. Neurogranin, a direct target of thyroid hormone action which had been thought to be brain specific and never shown in endothelial cells before, fulfilled these criteria. Its expression in glomerular endothelium in vitro and in vivo was then verified by real-time-PCR, sequencing and immunohistochemistry. Our results represent an extensive molecular characterization of HGMEC beyond a mere database, underline the endothelial heterogeneity, and propose neurogranin as a potential link in the kidney-thyroid axis.

Introduction to the DISRUPT postprandial database: subjects, studies and methodologies.

PubMed

Jackson, Kim G; Clarke, Dave T; Murray, Peter; Lovegrove, Julie A; O'Malley, Brendan; Minihane, Anne M; Williams, Christine M

2010-03-01

Dysregulation of lipid and glucose metabolism in the postprandial state are recognised as important risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Our objective was to create a comprehensive, standardised database of postprandial studies to provide insights into the physiological factors that influence postprandial lipid and glucose responses. Data were collated from subjects (n = 467) taking part in single and sequential meal postprandial studies conducted by researchers at the University of Reading, to form the DISRUPT (DIetary Studies: Reading Unilever Postprandial Trials) database. Subject attributes including age, gender, genotype, menopausal status, body mass index, blood pressure and a fasting biochemical profile, together with postprandial measurements of triacylglycerol (TAG), non-esterified fatty acids, glucose, insulin and TAG-rich lipoprotein composition are recorded. A particular strength of the studies is the frequency of blood sampling, with on average 10-13 blood samples taken during each postprandial assessment, and the fact that identical test meal protocols were used in a number of studies, allowing pooling of data to increase statistical power. The DISRUPT database is the most comprehensive postprandial metabolism database that exists worldwide and preliminary analysis of the pooled sequential meal postprandial dataset has revealed both confirmatory and novel observations with respect to the impact of gender and age on the postprandial TAG response. Further analysis of the dataset using conventional statistical techniques along with integrated mathematical models and clustering analysis will provide a unique opportunity to greatly expand current knowledge of the aetiology of inter-individual variability in postprandial lipid and glucose responses.

Tri-Clustered Tensor Completion for Social-Aware Image Tag Refinement.

PubMed

Tang, Jinhui; Shu, Xiangbo; Qi, Guo-Jun; Li, Zechao; Wang, Meng; Yan, Shuicheng; Jain, Ramesh

2017-08-01

Social image tag refinement, which aims to improve tag quality by automatically completing the missing tags and rectifying the noise-corrupted ones, is an essential component for social image search. Conventional approaches mainly focus on exploring the visual and tag information, without considering the user information, which often reveals important hints on the (in)correct tags of social images. Towards this end, we propose a novel tri-clustered tensor completion framework to collaboratively explore these three kinds of information to improve the performance of social image tag refinement. Specifically, the inter-relations among users, images and tags are modeled by a tensor, and the intra-relations between users, images and tags are explored by three regularizations respectively. To address the challenges of the super-sparse and large-scale tensor factorization that demands expensive computing and memory cost, we propose a novel tri-clustering method to divide the tensor into a certain number of sub-tensors by simultaneously clustering users, images and tags into a bunch of tri-clusters. And then we investigate two strategies to complete these sub-tensors by considering (in)dependence between the sub-tensors. Experimental results on a real-world social image database demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

Different 2-Aminothiazole Therapeutics Produce Distinct Patterns of Scrapie Prion Neuropathology in Mouse Brains.

PubMed

Giles, Kurt; Berry, David B; Condello, Carlo; Hawley, Ronald C; Gallardo-Godoy, Alejandra; Bryant, Clifford; Oehler, Abby; Elepano, Manuel; Bhardwaj, Sumita; Patel, Smita; Silber, B Michael; Guan, Shenheng; DeArmond, Stephen J; Renslo, Adam R; Prusiner, Stanley B

2015-10-01

Because no drug exists that halts or even slows any neurodegenerative disease, developing effective therapeutics for any prion disorder is urgent. We recently reported two compounds (IND24 and IND81) with the 2-aminothiazole (2-AMT) chemical scaffold that almost doubled the incubation times in scrapie prion-infected, wild-type (wt) FVB mice when given in a liquid diet. Remarkably, oral prophylactic treatment with IND24 beginning 14 days prior to intracerebral prion inoculation extended survival from ∼120 days to over 450 days. In addition to IND24, we evaluated the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of five additional 2-AMTs; one was not followed further because its brain penetration was poor. Of the remaining four new 2-AMTs, IND114338 doubled and IND125 tripled the incubation times of RML-inoculated wt and Tg4053 mice overexpressing wt mouse prion protein (PrP), respectively. Neuropathological examination of the brains from untreated controls showed a widespread deposition of self-propagating, β-sheet-rich "scrapie" isoform (PrP(Sc)) prions accompanied by a profound astrocytic gliosis. In contrast, mice treated with 2-AMTs had lower levels of PrP(Sc) and associated astrocytic gliosis, with each compound resulting in a distinct pattern of deposition. Notably, IND125 prevented both PrP(Sc) accumulation and astrocytic gliosis in the cerebrum. Progressive central nervous system dysfunction in the IND125-treated mice was presumably due to the PrP(Sc) that accumulated in their brainstems. Disappointingly, none of the four new 2-AMTs prolonged the lives of mice expressing a chimeric human/mouse PrP transgene inoculated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions. Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Hydrogeological bedrock inferred from electrical resistivity model in Taichung Basin, Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, C. W.; Chang, P. Y.; Chang, L. C.

2015-12-01

The four-year project of the study of groundwater hydrogeology and recharge model was indicated by Central Geological Survey, MOEA, Taiwan (R.O.C.) to evaluate recharge groundwater areas in Taiwan where included Taipei, Taichung Basins, Lanyang and Chianan Plains. The groundwater recharge models of Lanyang Plain and Taipei Basin have successfully been estimated in two years ago (2013-2014). The third year of the project integrates with geophysical, geochemistry, and hydrogeology models to estimate the groundwater recharge model in Taichung Basin region. Taichung Basin is mainly covered by Pre-Pleistocene of thick gravel, sandy and muddy sediment rocks within a joint alluvial fan, whereas the depth of the hydrological bedrock remains uncertain. Two electrical resistivity geophysical tools were carried out utilizing direct current resistivity and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) explorations, which could ideally provide the depth resolutions from shallow to depth for evaluating the groundwater resources. The study has carried out 21 AMT stations in the southern Taichung Basin in order to delineate hydrological bedrock in the region. All the AMT stations were deployed about 24 hours and processed with remote reference technique to reduce culture noises. The quality of most stations shows acceptable in the area which two stations were excluded due to near-field source effect in the southwestern basin. The best depth resolution is identified in 500 meters for the model. The preliminary result shows that the depths of the bedrock gradually changes from southern ~20 m toward to ~400 m in central, and eastern ~20 m to 180 m in the western basin inferred from the AMT model. The investigation shows that AMT method could be a useful geophysical tool to enhance the groundwater recharge model estimation without dense loggings in the region.

A mutation spectrum that includes GNAS, KRAS and TP53 may be shared by mucinous neoplasms of the appendix.

PubMed

Hara, Kieko; Saito, Tsuyoshi; Hayashi, Takuo; Yimit, Alkam; Takahashi, Michiko; Mitani, Keiko; Takahashi, Makoto; Yao, Takashi

2015-09-01

Appendiceal mucinous tumors (AMTs) are classified as low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms (LAMNs) or mucinous adenocarcinomas (MACs), although their carcinogenesis is not well understood. As somatic activating mutations of GNAS are considered to be characteristic of LAMNs while TP53 mutations have been shown to be specific to MACs, MACs are unlikely to result from transformation of LAMNs. However, emerging evidence also shows the presence of GNAS mutations in MACs. We examined 16 AMTs (11 LAMNs and 5 MACs) for genetic alterations of GNAS, KRAS, BRAF, TP53, CTNNB1, and TERT promoter in order to elucidate the possibility of a shared genetic background in the two tumor types. Extensive histological examination revealed the presence of a low-grade component in all cases of MAC. GNAS mutations were detected in two LAMNs and in one MAC, although the GNAS mutation in this MAC was a nonsense mutation (Q227X) expected not to be activating mutation. TP53 mutations were detected in three LAMNs; they were frequently detected in MACs. KRAS mutations were detected in three LAMNs and three MACs, and CTNNB1 mutations were detected in two LAMNs. KRAS mutation and activating mutation of GNAS occurred exclusively in AMTs. BRAF and TERT mutations were not detected. Overexpression of p53 was observed in only two MACs, and p53 immunostaining clearly discriminated the high-grade lesion from a low-grade component in one. These findings suggest that p53 overexpression plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of AMTs and that, in addition to mutations of GNAS, KRAS and TP53 alterations might be shared by AMTs, thus providing evidence for the possible progression of LAMNs to MAC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

A Mass Circulation View of the Low Frequency Nature of the Stratospheric Northern Annular Mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Y.; Cai, M.

2016-12-01

We consider three indices to measure polar stratospheric mass and stratospheric meridional mass circulation variability: anomalies of (i) total mass in the polar stratospheric cap (60-90°N, above the isentropic surface 400 K, PSM), (ii) total adiabatic mass transport across 60°N into the polar stratosphere cap (AMT), (iii) and total diabatic mass transport across 400 K into the polar stratosphere (DMT). It is confirmed that the negative stratospheric Northern Annular Mode (NAM) and normalized PSM indices have a nearly indistinguishable temporal evolution and both indices have the same red-noise-like spectrum with the de-correlation timescale of 4 weeks. In this sense, these two indices are synonymous with each other. This enables us to examine the low-frequency nature of the PSM (or NAM) index in the framework of the mass conservation, namely, dPSM/dt=AMT+DMT . Results indicate that the DMT index tends to be negatively correlated with the PSM index and also has a red-noise-like spectrum with the de-correlation timescale of 3-4 weeks. The AMT index, however, has a large positive correlation with the tendency of the PSM rather than the PSM itself. The temporal variability of the AMT has otherwise white-noise-like spectrum except with a pronounced peak at the 2-week timescale. Therefore, the conservation equation of the PSM behaves like a linear stochastic differential equation with the DMT serving as the thermal damping term and the AMT as the high-frequency white noise source term. It follows that the low-frequency nature of the stratospheric NAM (or PSM) index can be viewed as the red-noise response to a white noise in a fluctuation-dissipation system.

An active K/Ka-band antenna array for the NASA ACTS mobile terminal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tulintseff, A.; Crist, R.; Densmore, Art; Sukamto, L.

1993-01-01

An active K/Ka-band antenna array is currently under development for NASA's ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT). The AMT task will demonstrate voice, data, and video communications to and from the AMT vehicle in Los Angeles, California, and a base station in Cleveland, Ohio, via the ACTS satellite at 30 and 20 GHz. Satellite tracking for the land-mobile vehicular antenna system involves 'mechanical dithering' of the antenna, where the antenna radiates a fixed beam 46 deg. above the horizon. The antenna is to transmit horizontal polarization and receive vertical polarization at 29.634 plus or minus 0.15 GHz and 19.914 plus or minus 0.15 GHz, respectively. The active array will provide a minimum of 22 dBW EIRP transmit power density and a -8 dB/K deg. receive sensitivity.

K- and Ka-band mobile-vehicular satellite-tracking reflector antenna system for the NASA ACTS mobile terminal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Densmore, Art; Jamnejad, Vahraz; Wu, T. K.; Woo, Ken

1993-01-01

This paper describes the development of the K- and Ka-band mobile-vehicular satellite-tracking reflector antenna system for NASA's ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT) project. ACTS is NASA's Advanced Communications Technology Satellites. The AMT project will make the first experimental use of ACTS soon after the satellite is operational, to demonstrate mobile communications via the satellite from a van on the road. The AMT antenna system consists of a mechanically steered small reflector antenna, using a shared aperture for both frequency bands and fitting under a radome of 23 cm diameter and 10 cm height, and a microprocessor controlled antenna controller that tracks the satellite as the vehicle moves about. The RF and mechanical characteristics of the antenna and the antenna tracking control system are discussed. Measurements of the antenna performance are presented.

Current psychometric and methodological issues in the measurement of overgeneral autobiographical memory.

PubMed

Griffith, James W; Sumner, Jennifer A; Raes, Filip; Barnhofer, Thorsten; Debeer, Elise; Hermans, Dirk

2012-12-01

Autobiographical memory is a multifaceted construct that is related to psychopathology and other difficulties in functioning. Across many studies, a variety of methods have been used to study autobiographical memory. The relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM) and psychopathology has been of particular interest, and many studies of this cognitive phenomenon rely on the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) to assess it. In this paper, we examine several methodological approaches to studying autobiographical memory, and focus primarily on methodological and psychometric considerations in OGM research. We pay particular attention to what is known about the reliability, validity, and methodological variations of the AMT. The AMT has adequate psychometric properties, but there is great variability in methodology across studies that use it. Methodological recommendations and suggestions for future studies are presented. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Advanced communication satellites worldwide - Satellites of opportunity for the ACTS mobile terminal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Girardey, Catherine C.

1993-01-01

Space agencies worldwide are involved in advanced satellite communication systems. This paper presents an overview of these satellites and related technologies in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. They are geostationary satellites using high frequency bands such as K/Ka (20/30 GHz) and O-band (millimeter wave), as well as optical frequencies. The similarity of these programs demonstrate a common interest to develop large capacity satellite communication systems, and shows that closer international cooperation could be set up. The ACTS Mobile Terminal (AMT) project discussed here is such an example. The AMT's compatibility with satellites other than ACTS has been studied, and a proposed common experiment is presented here. The Japanese Engineering Test Satellite ETS-VI has been identified as the best initial 'satellite of opportunity' for AMT in this preliminary assessment.

77 FR 52776 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change Relating...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-30

... vendors at least once per day. Information regarding market price and trading volume of the Shares will be... and Trading of iShares 2018 S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series and iShares 2019 S&P AMT-Free Municipal... Equities Rule 5.2(j)(3), Commentary .02, the shares of the following two series of iShares Trust: iShares...

The potential of audiomagnetotellurics in the study of geothermal fields: A case study from the northern segment of the La Candelaria Range, northwestern Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barcelona, Hernan; Favetto, Alicia; Peri, Veronica Gisel; Pomposiello, Cristina; Ungarelli, Carlo

2013-01-01

Despite its reduced penetration depth, audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) studies can be used to determine a broad range of features related to little studied geothermal fields. This technique requires a stepwise interpretation of results taking into consideration diverse information (e.g. topographic, hydrological, geological and/or structural data) to constrain the characteristics of the study area. In this work, an AMT study was performed at the hot springs in the northern segment of the La Candelaria Range in order to characterize the area at depth. Geometric aspects of the shallow subsurface were determined based on the dimensional and distortion analysis of the impedance tensors. Also, the correlation between structural features and regional strikes allowed us to define two geoelectric domains, useful to determine the controls on fluid circulation. The subsurface resistivity distribution was determined through 1D and 2D models. The patterns of the 1D models were compared with the morpho-structure of the range. Shallow and deep conductive zones were defined and a possible shallow geothermal system scheme proposed. A strong correlation was found between the AMT results and the geological framework of the region, showing the relevance of using AMT in geothermal areas during the early stages of subsurface prospecting.

Audiomagnetotelluric Data and Preliminary Two-Dimensional Models from Spring, Dry Lake, and Delamar Valleys, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

McPhee, Darcy K.; Chuchel, Bruce A.; Pellerin, Louise

2008-01-01

This report presents audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data along fourteen profiles in Spring, Delamar, and Dry Lake Valleys, and the corresponding preliminary two-dimensional (2-D) inverse models. The AMT method is a valuable tool for estimating the electrical resistivity of the Earth over depth ranges from a few meters to less than one kilometer, and it is important for revealing subsurface structure and stratigraphy within the Basin and Range province of eastern Nevada, which can be used to define the geohydrologic framework of the region. We collected AMT data by using the Geometrics StrataGem EH4 system. Profiles were 0.7 - 3.2 km in length with station spacing of 50-400 m. Data were recorded in a coordinate system parallel to and perpendicular to the regional geologic-strike direction with Z positive down. We show AMT station locations, sounding curves of apparent resistivity, phase, and coherency, and 2-D models of subsurface resistivity along the profiles. The 2-D inverse models are computed from the transverse electric (TE), transverse magnetic (TM), and TE+TM mode data by using a conjugate gradient, finite-difference method. Preliminary interpretation of the 2-D models defines the structural framework of the basins and the resistivity contrasts between alluvial basin-fill, volcanic units, and carbonate basement rocks.

2D joint inversion of dc and scalar audio-magnetotelluric data in the evaluation of low enthalpy geothermal fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteiro Santos, Fernando A.; Afonso, António R. Andrade; Dupis, André

2007-03-01

Audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) and resistivity (dc) surveys are often used in environmental, hydrological and geothermal evaluation. The separate interpretation of those geophysical data sets assuming two-dimensional models frequently produces ambiguous results. The joint inversion of AMT and dc data is advocated by several authors as an efficient method for reducing the ambiguity inherent to each of those methods. This paper presents results obtained from the two-dimensional joint inversion of dipole-dipole and scalar AMT data acquired in a low enthalpy geothermal field situated in a graben. The joint inverted models show a better definition of shallow and deep structures. The results show that the extension of the benefits using joint inversion depends on the number and spacing of the AMT sites. The models obtained from experimental data display a low resistivity zone (<20 Ω m) in the central part of the graben that was correlated with the geothermal reservoir. The resistivity distribution models were used to estimate the distribution of the porosity in the geothermal reservoir applying two different approaches and considering the clay minerals effect. The results suggest that the maximum porosity of the reservoir is not uniform and might be in the range of 12% to 24%.

Construction of a survey to assess workload and fatigue among AMT operators in Mexico.

PubMed

Hernández Arellano, Juan Luis; Ibarra Mejía, Gabriel; Serratos Pérez, J Nieves; García Alcaraz, Jorge Luis; Brunette, María Julia

2012-01-01

Operators of machinery classified as Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) are exposed to high levels of workload and fatigue. However, only few studies have been conducted on this topic in Hispanic-American countries workers. Several instruments be used to assess workload and fatigue; however, only few of them have been adapted to Spanish language. This paper reports on the development and validity testing of a survey instrument in Spanish, aiming to subjectively assess workload and fatigue among AMT operators in Mexico. After an exhaustive literature review in search of already available measurement instruments, they were adapted for content and later translated into Spanish; a pilot test was conducted to evaluate validity and reliability; afterwards appropriate modifications were made to the testing instruments. Final version of the instrument was applied to a group of 121 operators of CNC lathes. Reliability was analyzed using KMO and Cronbach alpha indices. For the assessment of workload, both NASA-TLX and ISTAS 21 methods were incorporated to the survey instrument. As for fatigue assessment tools, these were SOFI-S, FAS and OFER questionnaires. RESULTS show KMO value and Cronbach alpha above 0.6.Conclusions. The survey instrument as designed, allows the collection of reliable and valid data regarding workload and fatigue among AMT operators in Mexico.

Bio-Optical and Geochemical Properties of the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Signorini, S. R.; Hooker, Stanford B.; McClain, Charles R.

2003-01-01

An investigation of the bio-optical properties of the South Atlantic subtropical gyre (SASG) was conducted using data primarily from the UK Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) program and SeaWiFS. The AMT cruises extend from the UK to the Falklands Islands (sailing on the RRS James Clark Ross) with the purpose of improving our knowledge of surface layer hydrography, biogeochemical processes, ecosystem dynamics and food webs across basin scales in the Atlantic Ocean. Two objectives of the AMT program relevant to this study are the characterization of biogeochemical provinces and the analysis of optical and pigment parameters in connection with remote sensing ocean color data. The primary focus of this NASA Technical Memorandum is on the variability of the vertical distribution of phytoplankton pigments and associated absorption properties across the SASG, and their relevance to remote sensing algorithms. Therefore, a subset of the AMT data within the SASG from all available cruises was used in the analyses. One of the challenges addressed here is the determination of the SASG geographic boundaries. One of the major problems is to reconcile the properties of biogeochemical provinces. We use water mass analysis, dynamics of ocean currents, and meridional gradients of bio-optical properties, to identify the SASG boundaries.

Affix Meaning Knowledge in First Through Third Grade Students.

PubMed

Apel, Kenn; Henbest, Victoria Suzanne

2016-04-01

We examined grade-level differences in 1st- through 3rd-grade students' performance on an experimenter-developed affix meaning task (AMT) and determined whether AMT performance explained unique variance in word-level reading and reading comprehension, beyond other known contributors to reading development. Forty students at each grade level completed an assessment battery that included measures of phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary, word-level reading, reading comprehension, and affix meaning knowledge. On the AMT, 1st-grade students were significantly less accurate than 2nd- and 3rd-grade students; there was no significant difference in performance between the 2nd- and 3rd-grade students. Regression analyses revealed that the AMT accounted for 8% unique variance of students' performance on word-level reading measures and 6% unique variance of students' performance on the reading comprehension measure, after age, phonological awareness, and receptive vocabulary were explained. These results provide initial information on the development of affix meaning knowledge via an explicit measure in 1st- through 3rd-grade students and demonstrate that affix meaning knowledge uniquely contributes to the development of reading abilities above other known literacy predictors. These findings provide empirical support for how students might use morphological problem solving to read unknown multimorphemic words successfully.

Improving data management and dissemination in web based information systems by semantic enrichment of descriptive data aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebhardt, Steffen; Wehrmann, Thilo; Klinger, Verena; Schettler, Ingo; Huth, Juliane; Künzer, Claudia; Dech, Stefan

2010-10-01

The German-Vietnamese water-related information system for the Mekong Delta (WISDOM) project supports business processes in Integrated Water Resources Management in Vietnam. Multiple disciplines bring together earth and ground based observation themes, such as environmental monitoring, water management, demographics, economy, information technology, and infrastructural systems. This paper introduces the components of the web-based WISDOM system including data, logic and presentation tier. It focuses on the data models upon which the database management system is built, including techniques for tagging or linking metadata with the stored information. The model also uses ordered groupings of spatial, thematic and temporal reference objects to semantically tag datasets to enable fast data retrieval, such as finding all data in a specific administrative unit belonging to a specific theme. A spatial database extension is employed by the PostgreSQL database. This object-oriented database was chosen over a relational database to tag spatial objects to tabular data, improving the retrieval of census and observational data at regional, provincial, and local areas. While the spatial database hinders processing raster data, a "work-around" was built into WISDOM to permit efficient management of both raster and vector data. The data model also incorporates styling aspects of the spatial datasets through styled layer descriptions (SLD) and web mapping service (WMS) layer specifications, allowing retrieval of rendered maps. Metadata elements of the spatial data are based on the ISO19115 standard. XML structured information of the SLD and metadata are stored in an XML database. The data models and the data management system are robust for managing the large quantity of spatial objects, sensor observations, census and document data. The operational WISDOM information system prototype contains modules for data management, automatic data integration, and web services for data retrieval, analysis, and distribution. The graphical user interfaces facilitate metadata cataloguing, data warehousing, web sensor data analysis and thematic mapping.

Extracting tag hierarchies.

PubMed

Tibély, Gergely; Pollner, Péter; Vicsek, Tamás; Palla, Gergely

2013-01-01

Tagging items with descriptive annotations or keywords is a very natural way to compress and highlight information about the properties of the given entity. Over the years several methods have been proposed for extracting a hierarchy between the tags for systems with a "flat", egalitarian organization of the tags, which is very common when the tags correspond to free words given by numerous independent people. Here we present a complete framework for automated tag hierarchy extraction based on tag occurrence statistics. Along with proposing new algorithms, we are also introducing different quality measures enabling the detailed comparison of competing approaches from different aspects. Furthermore, we set up a synthetic, computer generated benchmark providing a versatile tool for testing, with a couple of tunable parameters capable of generating a wide range of test beds. Beside the computer generated input we also use real data in our studies, including a biological example with a pre-defined hierarchy between the tags. The encouraging similarity between the pre-defined and reconstructed hierarchy, as well as the seemingly meaningful hierarchies obtained for other real systems indicate that tag hierarchy extraction is a very promising direction for further research with a great potential for practical applications. Tags have become very prevalent nowadays in various online platforms ranging from blogs through scientific publications to protein databases. Furthermore, tagging systems dedicated for voluntary tagging of photos, films, books, etc. with free words are also becoming popular. The emerging large collections of tags associated with different objects are often referred to as folksonomies, highlighting their collaborative origin and the "flat" organization of the tags opposed to traditional hierarchical categorization. Adding a tag hierarchy corresponding to a given folksonomy can very effectively help narrowing or broadening the scope of search. Moreover, recommendation systems could also benefit from a tag hierarchy.

Extracting Tag Hierarchies

PubMed Central

Tibély, Gergely; Pollner, Péter; Vicsek, Tamás; Palla, Gergely

2013-01-01

Tagging items with descriptive annotations or keywords is a very natural way to compress and highlight information about the properties of the given entity. Over the years several methods have been proposed for extracting a hierarchy between the tags for systems with a "flat", egalitarian organization of the tags, which is very common when the tags correspond to free words given by numerous independent people. Here we present a complete framework for automated tag hierarchy extraction based on tag occurrence statistics. Along with proposing new algorithms, we are also introducing different quality measures enabling the detailed comparison of competing approaches from different aspects. Furthermore, we set up a synthetic, computer generated benchmark providing a versatile tool for testing, with a couple of tunable parameters capable of generating a wide range of test beds. Beside the computer generated input we also use real data in our studies, including a biological example with a pre-defined hierarchy between the tags. The encouraging similarity between the pre-defined and reconstructed hierarchy, as well as the seemingly meaningful hierarchies obtained for other real systems indicate that tag hierarchy extraction is a very promising direction for further research with a great potential for practical applications. Tags have become very prevalent nowadays in various online platforms ranging from blogs through scientific publications to protein databases. Furthermore, tagging systems dedicated for voluntary tagging of photos, films, books, etc. with free words are also becoming popular. The emerging large collections of tags associated with different objects are often referred to as folksonomies, highlighting their collaborative origin and the “flat” organization of the tags opposed to traditional hierarchical categorization. Adding a tag hierarchy corresponding to a given folksonomy can very effectively help narrowing or broadening the scope of search. Moreover, recommendation systems could also benefit from a tag hierarchy. PMID:24391901

Hermann Muller and Mutations in Drosophila

Science.gov Websites

&D Nuggets Database dropdown arrow Search Tag Cloud Browse Reports Database Help Finding Aids Studies on Drosophila; DOE Technical Report; 1958 The Influence of Radiation in Altering the Incidence of September 15, 1960 to September 14, 1961; DOE Technical Report; 1960 The Influence of Radiation in Altering

A "shotgun" method for tracing the birth locations of sheep from flock tags, applied to scrapie surveillance in Great Britain.

PubMed

Birch, Colin P D; Del Rio Vilas, Victor J; Chikukwa, Ambrose C

2010-09-01

Movement records are often used to identify animal sample provenance by retracing the movements of individuals. Here we present an alternative method, which uses the same identity tags and movement records as are used to retrace movements, but ignores individual movement paths. The first step uses a simple query to identify the most likely birth holding for every identity tag included in a database recording departures from agricultural holdings. The second step rejects a proportion of the birth holding locations to leave a list of birth holding locations that are relatively reliable. The method was used to trace the birth locations of sheep sampled for scrapie in abattoirs, or on farm as fallen stock. Over 82% of the sheep sampled in the fallen stock survey died at the holding of birth. This lack of movement may be an important constraint on scrapie transmission. These static sheep provided relatively reliable birth locations, which were used to define criteria for selecting reliable traces. The criteria rejected 16.8% of fallen stock traces and 11.9% of abattoir survey traces. Two tests provided estimates that selection reduced error in fallen stock traces from 11.3% to 3.2%, and in abattoir survey traces from 8.1% to 1.8%. This method generated 14,591 accepted traces of fallen stock from samples taken during 2002-2005 and 83,136 accepted traces from abattoir samples. The absence or ambiguity of flock tag records at the time of slaughter prevented the tracing of 16-24% of abattoir samples during 2002-2004, although flock tag records improved in 2005. The use of internal scoring to generate and evaluate results from the database query, and the confirmation of results by comparison with other database fields, are analogous to methods used in web search engines. Such methods may have wide application in tracing samples and in adding value to biological datasets. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CBO’s 2011 Long-Term Budget Outlook

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

asteroid strike. Other possibilities include an epidemic (whether on the scale of the 1918 pandemic flu, which killed roughly one out of every 150...AMT and the regular income tax and then pay the higher amount.7 The parameters that deter- mine the amount owed under the AMT are not indexed for...Compare with deficit. sustainable growth rate (SGR): The formula that deter- mines updates to payment rates for physicians under the Medicare program

Audiomagnetotelluric investigation of Snake Valley, eastern Nevada and western Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

McPhee, Darcy K.; Pari, Keith; Baird, Frank

2009-01-01

As support for an exploratory well-drilling and hydraulic-testing program, AMT data were collected using a Geometrics Stratagem EH4 system along four profiles that extend roughly east-west from the southern Snake Range into Snake Valley. The profiles range from 3 to 5 kilometers in length, and station spacing was 200 to 400 meters. Two-dimensional inverse models were computed using the data from the transverse-electric (TE), transverse-magnetic (TM), and combined (TE+TM) mode using a conjugate gradient, finite-difference method. Interpretation of the 2-D AMT models defines several faults, some of which may influence ground-water flow in the basins, as well as identify underlying Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks and the thickness of basin-fill sediments. These AMT data and models, coupled with the geologic mapping and other surface geophysical methods, form the basis for identifying potential well sites and defining the subsurface structures and stratigraphy within Snake Valley.

AMT (3-(2-aminopropyl)indole) and 5-IT (5-(2-aminopropyl)indole): an analytical challenge and implications for forensic analysis.

PubMed

Elliott, Simon P; Brandt, Simon D; Freeman, Sally; Archer, Roland P

2013-03-01

5-(2-Aminopropyl)indole (5-IT) and 3-(2-aminopropyl)indole (α-methyltryptamine, AMT) are isomeric substances and their differentiation can be a challenge under routine analytical conditions, especially when reference material is unavailable. 5-IT represents a very recent addition to the battery of new psychoactive substances that are commercially available from online retailers. This report illustrates how subtle differences observed under mass spectral and UV conditions can help to facilitate the differentiation between the two isomers. Analyses included (1)  H and (13) C NMR, GC-EI/CI ion trap MS, applications of several U/HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS methods. Investigations currently underway also highlight the confirmation that AMT was detected in a number of fatal intoxications. These findings also demonstrate that there is a potential risk of misidentification when dealing with both substances. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hydrogen bonding-assisted interaction between amitriptyline hydrochloride and hemoglobin: spectroscopic and molecular dynamics studies.

PubMed

Maurya, Neha; Maurya, Jitendra Kumar; Kumari, Meena; Khan, Abbul Bashar; Dohare, Ravins; Patel, Rajan

2017-05-01

Herein, we have explored the interaction between amitriptyline hydrochloride (AMT) and hemoglobin (Hb), using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and circular dichroism spectroscopy, in combination with molecular docking and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation methods. The steady-state fluorescence reveals the static quenching mechanism in the interaction system, which was further confirmed by UV-visible and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The binding constant, number of binding sites, and thermodynamic parameters viz. ΔG, ΔH, ΔS are also considered; result confirms that the binding of the AMT with Hb is a spontaneous process, involving hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions with a single binding site, as also confirmed by molecular docking study. Synchronous fluorescence, CD data, and MD simulation results contribute toward understanding the effect of AMT on Hb to interpret the conformational change in Hb upon binding in aqueous solution.

Is aberrant mammary tissue a marker for chronic alcoholism or kidney-urinary tract malformations?

PubMed

Camacho, F M; Moreno-Giménez, J C; García-Hernández, M J

1998-01-01

Numerous publications describe the relationship between aberrant mammary tissue (AMT) and kidney-urinary tract malformations, individual/ familial alcoholism and sense organ disorders. We investigated these possible associations and reviewed 72 cases observed in our Department during the past 3 years: 30 men and 42 women, 17 of them with bilateral AMT (7 men and 10 women) and 25 patients from 9 families. Diagnosis was made according to Kajawa's classification. A detailed family history was performed asking for individual or familial alcoholism, especially in the mother, in addition to blood tests and ultrasonographic examination of the abdomen and the kidneys. We only found 1 family history of alcoholism in 3 families, but in the father, never in the mother or the affected subject. No congenital/ hereditary nephrourinary defects or sense organ disorders were found. We believe that in our population AMT is not a marker for alcoholism, kidney-urinary malformations nor sense organ disorders.

Fault Zone Resistivity Structure and Monitoring at the Taiwan Chelungpu Drilling Project from AMT data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, C.-W.; Unsworth, M. J.; Chen, C.-S.; Chen, C.-C.; Lin, A.-T.; Hsu, H.-L.

2009-04-01

The Chi-Chi earthquake occurred on September 21st, 1999 in the Western Foothills of central Taiwan. This Mw=7.6 earthquake produced a 90 km long surface rupture and caused severe damage across Taiwan. The coseismic displacement on the Chelungpu fault was one of the largest ever observed. The Taiwan Chelungpu drilling project (TCDP) began in 2003 and resulted in a 2,000 m well that recovered cores from the fault zone at A-hole and finished in 2005 with two boreholes (A-hole and B-hole) being completed. The Chelungpu fault that caused the Chi-Chi earthquake was observed in the core at a depth of 1,111 m (FAZ1111). Another fault zone (Sanyi Fault - FAZ1710) was observed at depths of 1,500~1,710 m. Since the electrical resistivity of rocks is sensitive to the presence of fluids, geophysical methods that remotely sense sub-surface resistivity, such as Magnetotellurics (MT), can be a powerful tool in investigating the fluid distribution in the shallow crust. The effectiveness of MT in imaging fault zones has been demonstrated by studies of the San Andreas Fault zone in California, the U.S. and elsewhere. In magnetotellurics, the depth of exploration increases as the signal frequency decreases. Thus for imaging shallow fault zone structure at the TCDP site, the higher frequency audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) method is the most suitable. In this paper, AMT data collected at the TCDP site from 2004 to 2006 are presented. Spatial and temporal variations are described and interpreted in terms of the tectonic setting. Audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) measurements were used to investigate electrical resistivity structure at the TCDP site from 2004~2006. These data show a geoelectric strike direction of N15°E to N30°E. Inversion and forward modeling of the AMT data were used to generate a 1-D resistivity model that has a prominent low resistivity zone (< 10 ohm-m) between depths of 1,100 and 1,500 m. When combined with porosity measurements, the AMT measurements imply that the ground water has a resistivity of 0.55 ohm-m at the depth of the fault zone. Time variations in the measured AMT data were observed from 2004~2005 with maximum changes of 43% in apparent resistivity and 18° in phase. The change in apparent resistivity is greatest in the 1,000~100 Hz frequency band. These frequencies are sensitive to the resistivity structure of the upper 500 m of the hanging wall of the Chelungpu Fault. The decrease in resistivity over time appears to be robust and could be caused by an increase in porosity and a re-distribution of the groundwater.

Portable audio magnetotellurics - experimental measurements and joint inversion with radiomagnetotelluric data from Gotland, Sweden

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Chunling; Kalscheuer, Thomas; Pedersen, Laust B.; Erlström, Mikael; Persson, Lena

2017-08-01

Field setup of an audio magnetotelluric (AMT) station is a very time consuming and heavy work load. In contrast, radio magnetotelluric (RMT) equipment is more portable and faster to deploy but has shallower investigation depth owing to its higher signal frequencies. To increase the efficiency in the acquisition of AMT data from 10 to 300 Hz, we introduce a modification of the AMT method, called portable audio magnetotellurics (PAMT), that uses a lighter AMT field system and (owing to the disregard of signals at frequencies of less than 10 Hz) shortened data acquisition time. PAMT uses three magnetometers pre-mounted on a rigid frame to measure magnetic fields and steel electrodes to measure electric fields. Field tests proved that the system is stable enough to measure AMT fields in the given frequency range. A PAMT test measurement was carried out on Gotland, Sweden along a 3.5 km profile to study the ground conductivity and to map shallow Silurian marlstone and limestone formations, deeper Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian sedimentary structures and crystalline basement. RMT data collected along a coincident profile and regional airborne very low frequency (VLF) data support the interpretation of our PAMT data. While only the RMT and VLF data constrain a shallow ( 20-50 m deep) transition between Silurian conductive (< 30 Ωm resistivity) marlstone and resistive (> 1000 Ωm resistivity) limestone, the single-method inversion models of both the PAMT and the RMT data show a transition into a conductive layer of 3 to 30 Ωm resistivity at 80 m depth suggesting the compatibility of the two data sets. This conductive layer is interpreted as saltwater saturated succession of Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian sedimentary units. Towards the lower boundary of this succession (at 600 m depth according to boreholes), only the PAMT data constrain the structure. As supported by modelling tests and sensitivity analysis, the PAMT data only contain a vague indication of the underlying crystalline basement. A PAMT and RMT joint inversion model reveals all the aforementioned units including the less than 80 m deep limestone and marlstone formations and the conductive sedimentary succession of Silurian, Ordovician and Cambrian units. Our test measurements have proven the PAMT modification to be time saving and easy to set up. However, PAMT data suffer from the same noise disturbances as regular AMT data. Since man-made EM noise can propagate over great distances through resistive underground, PAMT measurements are recommended to be carried out in areas with low resistivity. The PAMT method is proven to be applicable in shallow depth studies, especially in areas where normal AMT measurements are inconvenient and/or too expensive to carry out.

Focused Logistics, Joint Vision 2010: A Joint Logistics Roadmap

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

AIS). AIT devices include bar codes for individual items, optical memory cards for multipacks and containers, radio frequency tags for containers and...Fortezza Card and Firewall technologies are being developed to prevent unau- thorized access. As for infrastructure, DISA has already made significant in...radio frequency tags and optical memory cards , to continuously update the JTAV database. By September 1998, DSS will be deployed in all wholesale

Integrated Management and Visualization of Electronic Tag Data with Tagbase

PubMed Central

Lam, Chi Hin; Tsontos, Vardis M.

2011-01-01

Electronic tags have been used widely for more than a decade in studies of diverse marine species. However, despite significant investment in tagging programs and hardware, data management aspects have received insufficient attention, leaving researchers without a comprehensive toolset to manage their data easily. The growing volume of these data holdings, the large diversity of tag types and data formats, and the general lack of data management resources are not only complicating integration and synthesis of electronic tagging data in support of resource management applications but potentially threatening the integrity and longer-term access to these valuable datasets. To address this critical gap, Tagbase has been developed as a well-rounded, yet accessible data management solution for electronic tagging applications. It is based on a unified relational model that accommodates a suite of manufacturer tag data formats in addition to deployment metadata and reprocessed geopositions. Tagbase includes an integrated set of tools for importing tag datasets into the system effortlessly, and provides reporting utilities to interactively view standard outputs in graphical and tabular form. Data from the system can also be easily exported or dynamically coupled to GIS and other analysis packages. Tagbase is scalable and has been ported to a range of database management systems to support the needs of the tagging community, from individual investigators to large scale tagging programs. Tagbase represents a mature initiative with users at several institutions involved in marine electronic tagging research. PMID:21750734

Antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and antidiabetic activity of Apis mellifera bee tea.

PubMed

Melo da Cunha, Janielle da Silva; Alfredo, Tamaeh Monteiro; Dos Santos, Jéssica Maurino; Alves Junior, Valter Vieira; Rabelo, Luiza Antas; Lima, Emerson Silva; Boleti, Ana Paula de Araújo; Carollo, Carlos Alexandre; Dos Santos, Edson Lucas; de Picoli Souza, Kely

2018-01-01

Diabetes has emerged as one of the largest global epidemics; it is estimated that by 2035, there will be 592 million diabetic people in the world. Brazilian biodiversity and the knowledge of traditional peoples have contributed to the treatment of several diseases, including diabetes. Apis mellifera bee tea is used by indigenous Brazilians to treat diabetes, and this traditional knowledge needs to be recorded and studied.The objective of this study was to record the use and to evaluate the antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and antidiabetic activity of Apis mellifera bee tea, which is used by the Guarani and Kaiowá indigenous people for the treatment of diabetes. Semi-structured interviews were performed with Guarani and Kaiowá ethnic indigenous people from the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, seeking to identify the animal species used for medicinal purposes. For the experimental procedures, tea prepared with macerated Apis mellifera bees was used. In vitro assays were performed to evaluate antioxidant activity; direct free radical scavenging, protection against oxidative hemolysis, lipid peroxidation were evaluated in human erythrocytes and potential in inhibiting the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). In vivo, normoglycemic Swiss male mice treated with Apis mellifera tea (AmT) were subjected to the oral glucose tolerance test and compared with control and metformin-treated groups. Diet-induced diabetic mice were treated for 21 days with AmT and evaluated for glycemia and malondialdehyde levels in the blood, liver, nervous system, and eyes. During interviews, the indigenous people described the use of Apis mellifera bee tea for the treatment of diabetes. In in vitro assays, AmT showed direct antioxidant activity and reduced oxidative hemolysis and malondialdehyde generation in human erythrocytes. The AmT inhibited the formation of AGEs by albumin-fructose pathways and methylglyoxal products. In vivo, after oral glucose overload, normoglycemic mice treated with AmT had reduced hyperglycemia at all times evaluated up to 180 min. AmT also reduced hyperglycemia and malondialdehyde levels in the blood, liver, nervous system, and eyes of diabetic mice to similar levels as those in metformin-treated mice and normoglycemic controls. In summary, Apis mellifera bee tea showed antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and antidiabetic activity, which provides support for the therapeutic application of Guarani and Kaiowá indigenous knowledge.

Geophysical Studies of Irish Granites Using Magnetotelluric and Gravity Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, T. F.; Muller, M. R.; Rath, V.; Feely, M.; Hogg, C.

2014-12-01

We present results of on-going geophysical studies of Caledonian radiothermal granite bodies in Ireland, which are being undertaken to investigate the volumetric depth extent and structural features of these granites. During three field seasons, magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) data were acquired at 156 sites targeting three separate granite bodies. These studies will contribute to a crustal-scale investigation of the geothermal energy potential of the granites and their contribution to the thermal field of the Irish crust. Across the calc-alkaline Galway granite, located on the Irish west coast, MT and AMT data were acquired at 75 sites distributed in a grid. Preliminary 3D inversion reveals the presence of a resistor, thickest beneath the central block of the granite where it extends to depths of 11 - 12 km. The greater depth of the resistor beneath the central block is in contrast to previous thinking that proposed the central block granites to have shallower depth extent than those of the western block, based on Bouguer anomaly maps of the area in which the western block exhibited a more pronounced negative Bouguer anomaly than the central block. At the S-type Leinster granite, in eastern Ireland and to the south of Dublin, MT and AMT data were acquired along two profiles (LGN - 27 sites and LGS - 32 sites). Preliminary 1D inversions of AMT data along profile LGN show the Northern Units of the Leinster granite to extend to a depth of 4.5 km and the Lugnaquilla pluton extending to 2.5 km depth. MT and AMT data were acquired at 22 sites along a profile across the buried Kentstown granite, 35 km to the NW of Dublin. The Kentstown granite was intersected by two mineral exploration boreholes at depths of 492 m and 663 m. Preliminary 2D inversions do not yet satisfactorily resolve the top of the buried granite. Inversion of MT and AMT data is continuing, with the electrical conductivity structures revealed by these inversions being used to constrain inversions of gravity data. The integration of MT and gravity data will provide an insight into the potential density distribution within the resistors associated with the granites and whether the granites, likely to have elevated heat-production (HP), are underlain by electrically resistive but denser, more mafic bodies, likely to be associated with lower HP.

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Science.gov Websites

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Detecting Taiwan's Shanchiao Active Fault Using AMT and Gravity Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, H.-C.; Yang, C.-H.

2009-04-01

Taiwan's Shanchiao normal fault runs in a northeast-southwest direction and is located on the western edge of the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan. The overburden of the fault is late Quaternary sediment with a thickness of approximately a few tenth of a meter to several hundred meters. No detailed studies of the western side of the Shanchiao fault are available. As Taiwan is located on the Neotectonic Belt in the western Pacific, detecting active faults near the Taipei metropolitan area will provide necessary information for further disaster prevention. It is the responsibility of geologists and geophysicists in Taiwan to perform this task. Examination of the resistivity and density contrasts of subsurface layers permits a mapping of the Shanchiao fault and the deformed Tertiary strata of the Taipei Basin. The audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) method and gravity method were chosen for this study. Significant resistivity and gravity anomalies were observed in the suspected fault zone. The interpretation reveals a good correlation between the features of the Shanchiao fault and resistivity and density distribution at depth. In this observation, AMT and gravity methods provides a viable means for mapping the Shanchiao fault position and studying its features associated with the subsidence of the western side of the Taipei Basin. This study indicates the AMT and gravity methods' considerable potential for accurately mapping an active fault.

Ultrasound biomicroscopy after palliative surgical procedures for bullous keratopathy: a descriptive comparative study.

PubMed

Paris, Fabiana dos Santos; Gonçalves, Eliana Domingues; Morales, Maira Saad Ávila; Kanecadan, Liliane Andrade Almeida; Campos, Mauro Silveira de Queiroz; Gomes, José Álvaro Pereira; Allemann, Norma; Sato, Elcio Hideo

2014-01-01

To describe quantitative and qualitative features of eyes with advanced bullous keratopathy assessed using ultrasound biomicroscopy, before and after anterior stromal puncture (ASP) or amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) procedures to relieve chronic pain. The present descriptive comparative study included 40 eyes of 40 patients with chronic intermittent pain due to bullous keratopathy who were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments (AMT or ASP). Ultrasound biomicroscopy (Humphrey, UBM 840, 50 MHz transducer, immersion technique) was used, and a questionnaire about pain intensity was completed preoperatively and postoperatively at days 90 and 180, respectively. Exclusion criteria were age<18 years, presence of concurrent infection, ocular hypertension, and absence of pain. In a 180-day follow-up, the AMT group exhibited mean central corneal thickness (CCT), 899.4 µm preoperatively and 1122.5 µm postoperatively (p<0.001); mean epithelial thickness (ET), 156.4 µm preoperatively and 247.8 µm postoperatively (p<0.001); and mean stromal thickness (ST), 742.9 µm preoperatively and 826.3 µm postoperatively (p=0.005). The ASP group exhibited mean CCT, 756.7 µm preoperatively and 914.8 µm postoperatively (p<0.001); mean ET, 102.1 µm preoperatively and 245.2 µm postoperatively (p<0.001); and mean ST, 654.6 µm preoperatively and 681.5 µm postoperatively (p<0.999). Correlations between CCT and pain intensity in the AMT group (p=0.209 pre- and postoperatively) and the ASP group (p=0.157 preoperatively and p=0.426 at the 180-day follow-up) were not statistically significant. Epithelial and stromal edema, Descemet's membrane folds, epithelial bullae, and the presence of interface fluid were frequently observed qualitative features. CCT increased over time in both groups. The magnitude of CCT did not correlate with pain intensity in the sample studied. The presence of interface fluid was a qualitative feature specifically found in some patients who underwent AMT.

Circadian variation of melatonin, light exposure, and diurnal preference in day and night shift workers of both sexes.

PubMed

Papantoniou, Kyriaki; Pozo, Oscar J; Espinosa, Ana; Marcos, Josep; Castaño-Vinyals, Gemma; Basagaña, Xavier; Ribas, Ferran Calduch; Mirabent, Joan; Martín, Jordi; Carenys, Gemma; Martín, Celia Reyes; Middleton, Benita; Skene, Debra J; Kogevinas, Manolis

2014-07-01

Light-at-night has been shown in experimental studies to disrupt melatonin production but this has only partly been confirmed in studies of night shift workers. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the circadian variation of melatonin in relation to shift status, individual levels of light-at-night exposure, and diurnal preference, an attribute reflecting personal preference for activity in the morning or evening. One hundred and seventeen workers (75 night and 42 day) of both sexes, ages 22 to 64 years, were recruited from four companies. Participants collected urine samples from all voids over 24 hours and wore a data logger continuously recording their light exposure. Sociodemographic, occupational, lifestyle, and diurnal preference information were collected by interview. Concentrations of urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s), the main melatonin metabolite, were measured. Mean aMT6s levels were lower in night [10.9 ng/mg creatinine/hour; 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.5-12.6] compared with day workers (15.4; 95% CI, 12.3-19.3). The lowest aMT6s levels were observed in night workers with morning preference (6.4; 95% CI, 3.0-13.6). Peak time of aMT6s production occurred 3 hours later in night (08:42 hour, 95% CI, 07:48-09:42) compared with day workers (05:36 hour, 95% CI, 05:06-06:12). Phase delay was stronger among subjects with higher light-at-night exposure and number of nights worked. Night shift workers had lower levels and a delay in peak time of aMT6s production over a 24-hour period. Differences were modified by diurnal preference and intensity of light-at-night exposure. Night shift work affects levels and timing of melatonin production and both parameters may relate to future cancer risk. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Petaminer: Using ROOT for efficient data storage in MySQL database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranshaw, J.; Malon, D.; Vaniachine, A.; Fine, V.; Lauret, J.; Hamill, P.

2010-04-01

High Energy and Nuclear Physics (HENP) experiments store Petabytes of event data and Terabytes of calibration data in ROOT files. The Petaminer project is developing a custom MySQL storage engine to enable the MySQL query processor to directly access experimental data stored in ROOT files. Our project is addressing the problem of efficient navigation to PetaBytes of HENP experimental data described with event-level TAG metadata, which is required by data intensive physics communities such as the LHC and RHIC experiments. Physicists need to be able to compose a metadata query and rapidly retrieve the set of matching events, where improved efficiency will facilitate the discovery process by permitting rapid iterations of data evaluation and retrieval. Our custom MySQL storage engine enables the MySQL query processor to directly access TAG data stored in ROOT TTrees. As ROOT TTrees are column-oriented, reading them directly provides improved performance over traditional row-oriented TAG databases. Leveraging the flexible and powerful SQL query language to access data stored in ROOT TTrees, the Petaminer approach enables rich MySQL index-building capabilities for further performance optimization.

An expressed sequence tag (EST) data mining strategy succeeding in the discovery of new G-protein coupled receptors.

PubMed

Wittenberger, T; Schaller, H C; Hellebrand, S

2001-03-30

We have developed a comprehensive expressed sequence tag database search method and used it for the identification of new members of the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily. Our approach proved to be especially useful for the detection of expressed sequence tag sequences that do not encode conserved parts of a protein, making it an ideal tool for the identification of members of divergent protein families or of protein parts without conserved domain structures in the expressed sequence tag database. At least 14 of the expressed sequence tags found with this strategy are promising candidates for new putative G-protein coupled receptors. Here, we describe the sequence and expression analysis of five new members of this receptor superfamily, namely GPR84, GPR86, GPR87, GPR90 and GPR91. We also studied the genomic structure and chromosomal localization of the respective genes applying in silico methods. A cluster of six closely related G-protein coupled receptors was found on the human chromosome 3q24-3q25. It consists of four orphan receptors (GPR86, GPR87, GPR91, and H963), the purinergic receptor P2Y1, and the uridine 5'-diphosphoglucose receptor KIAA0001. It seems likely that these receptors evolved from a common ancestor and therefore might have related ligands. In conclusion, we describe a data mining procedure that proved to be useful for the identification and first characterization of new genes and is well applicable for other gene families. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

New Sensitive Serum Melatonin Radioimmunoassay Employing the Kennaway G280 Antibody: Syrian Hamster Morning Adrenergic Response,

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-01

NE- induced aMT secretion into 1111 their pineals in vitro, either to the transmitter the medium was markedly diminished in pineals taken S...al., 1988; Bieck et al., 1988; Khoory and effect of exercise ) but without assessing whether the Stemme, 1988; Tortosa et al., 1989; Soudtre et al...above twice aMT surge) or injected ISO ( inducing a secondary the conservative estimate of the ALD. surge at night after acute inhibition by light) re

The use of sequence-based SSR mining for the development of a vast collection of microsatellites in Aquilegia Formosa

Treesearch

Brandon Schlautman; Vera Pfeiffer; Juan Zalapa; Johanne Brunet

2014-01-01

Numerous microsatellite markers were developed for Aquilegia formosafrom sequences deposited within the Expressed Sequence Tag (EST), Genomic Survey Sequence (GSS), and Nucleotide databases in NCBI. Microsatellites (SSRs) were identified and primers were designed for 9 SSR containing sequences in the Nucleotide database, 3803 sequences in the EST...

Mutation analysis of GLDC, AMT and GCSH in cataract captive-bred vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops).

PubMed

Chauke, Chesa G; Magwebu, Zandisiwe E; Sharma, Jyoti R; Arieff, Zainunisha; Seier, Jürgen V

2016-08-01

Non-ketotic hyperglycinaemia (NKH) is an autosomal recessive inborn error of glycine metabolism characterized by accumulation of glycine in body fluids and various neurological symptoms. This study describes the first screening of NKH in cataract captive-bred vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops). Glycine dehydrogenase (GLDC), aminomethyltransferase (AMT) and glycine cleavage system H protein (GCSH) were prioritized. Mutation analysis of the complete coding sequence of GLDC and AMT revealed six novel single-base substitutions, of which three were non-synonymous missense and three were silent nucleotide changes. Although deleterious effects of the three amino acid substitutions were not evaluated, one substitution of GLDC gene (S44R) could be disease-causing because of its drastic amino acid change, affecting amino acids conserved in different primate species. This study confirms the diagnosis of NKH for the first time in vervet monkeys with cataracts. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Optimization of separation and online sample concentration of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and related compounds using MEKC.

PubMed

Wang, Man-Juing; Tsai, Chih-Hsin; Hsu, Wei-Ya; Liu, Ju-Tsung; Lin, Cheng-Huang

2009-02-01

The optimal separation conditions and online sample concentration for N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and related compounds, including alpha-methyltryptamine (AMT), 5-methoxy-AMT (5-MeO-AMT), N,N-diethyltryptamine (DET), N,N-dipropyltryptamine (DPT), N,N-dibutyltryptamine (DBT), N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT), 5-methoxy-DMT (5-MeO-DMT), and 5-methoxy-N,N-DiPT (5-MeO-DiPT), using micellar EKC (MEKC) with UV-absorbance detection are described. The LODs (S/N = 3) for MEKC ranged from 1.0 1.8 microg/mL. Use of online sample concentration methods, including sweeping-MEKC and cation-selective exhaustive injection-sweep-MEKC (CSEI-sweep-MEKC) improved the LODs to 2.2 8.0 ng/mL and 1.3 2.7 ng/mL, respectively. In addition, the order of migration of the nine tryptamines was investigated. A urine sample, obtained by spiking urine collected from a human volunteer with DMT, was also successfully examined.

Collecting Psycholinguistic Response Time Data Using Amazon Mechanical Turk

PubMed Central

Enochson, Kelly; Culbertson, Jennifer

2015-01-01

Researchers in linguistics and related fields have recently begun exploiting online crowd-sourcing tools, like Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT), to gather behavioral data. While this method has been successfully validated for various offline measures—grammaticality judgment or other forced-choice tasks—its use for mainstream psycholinguistic research remains limited. This is because psycholinguistic effects are often dependent on relatively small differences in response times, and there remains some doubt as to whether precise timing measurements can be gathered over the web. Here we show that three classic psycholinguistic effects can in fact be replicated using AMT in combination with open-source software for gathering response times client-side. Specifically, we find reliable effects of subject definiteness, filler-gap dependency processing, and agreement attraction in self-paced reading tasks using approximately the same numbers of participants and/or trials as similar laboratory studies. Our results suggest that psycholinguists can and should be taking advantage of AMT and similar online crowd-sourcing marketplaces as a fast, low-resource alternative to traditional laboratory research. PMID:25822348

AMT experiment results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbe, Brian S.; Pinck, Deborah S.

1995-01-01

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Mobile Terminal (AMT) experiments have provided a terminal technology testbed for the evaluation of K- and Ka-band mobile satellite communications (satcom). Such a system could prove to be highly beneficial for many different commercial and government mobile satcom users. Combining ACTS' highly concentrated spotbeams with the smaller, higher-gain Ka-band antenna technology, results in a system design that can support a much higher throughput capacity than today's commercial configurations. To date, experiments in such diverse areas as emergency medical applications, enhanced Personal Communication Services (PCS), disaster recovery assistance, military applications, and general voice and data services have already been evaluated. Other applications that will be evaluated over the next year include telemedicine, ISDN, and television network return feed. Baseline AMT performance results will be presented, including Bit Error Rate (BER) curves and mobile propagation data characterizing the K- and Ka-band mobile satcom channel. In addition, observations from many of the application-specific experiments will also be provided.

[Magnetotherapy of initial manifestations of cerebrovascular disorders in hypertension].

PubMed

Miasnikov, I G

1992-01-01

The paper is concerned with the data on 147 subjects who underwent magnetotherapy with the unit "Magniter-AMT-01" applied to the cervical area. The main group included 102 subjects, 45 person served as control. The purpose of the work was to base the application of MT under inpatient and home conditions with the use of the above-indicated unit. In view of this fact, a study was made of cerebral hemo- and thermodynamics with the aid of rheoencephalography and encephaloradiothermography under the action of different modes of the functioning of the unit "Magniter-AMT-01" (pulse and variable magnet induction fields 12-15 mTl and 30-35 mTl). A method of measuring magnetosensitivity of patients depending on the temperature reaction of the brain to a single MT session was elaborated. The greatest clinical effect was attained with the use of pulse magnetic field 15 mTl. Magnetotherapy with the use of the unit "Magniter-AMT-01" provided good results under inpatient and home conditions. The magnetosensitive patients demonstrated the highest effect.

Working memory capacity and overgeneral autobiographical memory in young and older adults.

PubMed

Ros, Laura; Latorre, José Miguel; Serrano, Juan Pedro

2010-01-01

The objectives of this study are to compare the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) performance of two healthy samples of younger and older adults and to analyse the relationship between overgeneral memory (OGM) and working memory executive processes (WMEP) using a structural equation modelling with latent variables. The AMT and sustained attention, short-term memory and working memory tasks were administered to a group of young adults (N = 50) and a group of older adults (N = 46). On the AMT, the older adults recalled a greater number of categorical memories (p = .000) and fewer specific memories (p = .000) than the young adults, confirming that OGM occurs in the normal population and increases with age. WMEP was measured by reading span and a working memory with sustained attention load task. Structural equation modelling reflects that WMEP shows a strong relationship with OGM: lower scores on WMEP reflect an OGM phenomenon characterized by higher categorical and lower specific memories.

Rapid in silico cloning of genes using expressed sequence tags (ESTs).

PubMed

Gill, R W; Sanseau, P

2000-01-01

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) are short single-pass DNA sequences obtained from either end of cDNA clones. These ESTs are derived from a vast number of cDNA libraries obtained from different species. Human ESTs are the bulk of the data and have been widely used to identify new members of gene families, as markers on the human chromosomes, to discover polymorphism sites and to compare expression patterns in different tissues or pathologies states. Information strategies have been devised to query EST databases. Since most of the analysis is performed with a computer, the term "in silico" strategy has been coined. In this chapter we will review the current status of EST databases, the pros and cons of EST-type data and describe possible strategies to retrieve meaningful information.

A diary-based modification of symptom attributions in pathological health anxiety: effects on symptom report and cognitive biases.

PubMed

Kerstner, Tobias; Witthöft, Michael; Mier, Daniela; Diener, Carsten; Rist, Fred; Bailer, Josef

2015-06-01

To examine whether a 2-week attribution modification training (AMT) changes symptom severity, emotional evaluation of health-threatening stimuli, and cognitive biases in pathological health anxiety. We randomized 85 patients with pathological health anxiety into an electronic diary-based AMT group (AMTG; n = 42) and a control group without AMT (CG; n = 43). Self-report symptom measures, emotional evaluation, attentional bias, and memory bias toward symptom and illness words were assessed with an emotional Stroop task, a recognition task, and an emotional rating task for valence and arousal. After the 2-week period, the AMTG compared with the CG reported lower symptoms of pathological health anxiety, F(1, 82) = 10.94, p < .01, η2p = .12, rated symptom, F(1, 82) = 5.56, p = .02, η2p = .06, and illness words, F(1, 82) = 4.13, p = .045, η2p = .05, as less arousing, and revealed a smaller memory response bias toward symptom words in the recognition task F(1, 82) = 12.32, p < .01, η2p = .13. However, no specific AMT effect was observed for the attentional bias. The results support the efficacy of a comparatively short cognitive intervention in pathological health anxiety as a possible add-on intervention to existing treatment approaches to reduce symptom severity, as well as abnormalities in health-related emotional evaluation and memory processes. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Randomized Trial Comparing Amniotic Membrane Transplantation with Lamellar Corneal Graft for the Treatment of Corneal Thinning.

PubMed

de Farias, Charles C; Allemann, Norma; Gomes, José Á P

2016-04-01

There are few studies comparing different surgical procedures for the treatment of corneal thinning. Lamellar corneal transplantation (LCT) has been reported to be efficient, but its results can be jeopardized by allograft rejection, opacification, or high astigmatism. Amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) has been considered a good alternative, but it is not as resistant as LCT and the tissue can be reabsorbed after surgery. A prospective, randomized, interventional, and comparative study of consecutive patients with corneal thinning over 6 months was performed. Ophthalmological examination was performed before transplant surgery and then repeated 1, 7, 15, 30, 90, and 180 days after surgery and ultrasound biomicroscopy was performed before and then 30, 90, and 180 days after surgery to assess corneal thinning. Herpes simplex infection was the main cause of corneal thinning (9 eyes), followed by surgery (cataract, glaucoma, 5 cases), rheumatoid arthritis (1), chemical burn (1), perforating trauma (1), previous band keratopathy treatment (1), and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (1). Although all patients showed significant increase in final thickness in the area of thinning, it was higher in those submitted to LCT at 180 days postoperatively. Regardless of the surgical technique, all patients showed epithelialization. Patients undergoing AMT showed an 89% decrease in neovascularization. Final corrected distance visual acuity was better in patients submitted to AMT. LCT proved to be the best option for treating corneal thinning. AMT represents an alternative that allows good visual recovery but does not restore corneal thickness as efficiently as LCT.

Establishment of a simple and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for Phytophthora palmivora.

PubMed

Wu, Dongliang; Navet, Natasha; Liu, Yingchao; Uchida, Janice; Tian, Miaoying

2016-09-06

As an agriculturally important oomycete genus, Phytophthora contains a large number of destructive plant pathogens that severely threaten agricultural production and natural ecosystems. Among them is the broad host range pathogen P. palmivora, which infects many economically important plant species. An essential way to dissect their pathogenesis mechanisms is genetic modification of candidate genes, which requires effective transformation systems. Four methods were developed for transformation of Phytophthora spp., including PEG(polyethylene glycol)/CaCl2 mediated protoplast transformation, electroporation of zoospores, microprojectile bombardment and Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (AMT). Among them, AMT has many advantages over the other methods such as easy handling and mainly generating single-copy integration in the genome. An AMT method previously reported for P. infestans and P. palmivora has barely been used in oomycete research due to low success and low reproducibility. In this study, we report a simple and efficient AMT system for P. palmivora. Using this system, we were able to reproducibly generate over 40 transformants using zoospores collected from culture grown in a single 100 mm-diameter petri dish. The generated GFP transformants constitutively expressed GFP readily detectable using a fluorescence microscope. All of the transformants tested using Southern blot analysis contained a single-copy T-DNA insertion. This system is highly effective and reproducible for transformation of P. palmivora and expected to be adaptable for transformation of additional Phytophthora spp. and other oomycetes. Its establishment will greatly accelerate their functional genomic studies.

Preferential expression of an ammonium transporter and of two putative nitrate transporters in root hairs of tomato.

PubMed Central

Lauter, F R; Ninnemann, O; Bucher, M; Riesmeier, J W; Frommer, W B

1996-01-01

Root hairs as specialized epidermal cells represent part of the outermost interface between a plant and its soil environment. They make up to 70% of the root surface and, therefore, are likely to contribute significantly to nutrient uptake. To study uptake systems for mineral nitrogen, three genes homologous to Arabidopsis nitrate and ammonium transporters (AtNrt1 and AtAmt1) were isolated from a root hair-specific tomato cDNA library. Accumulation of LeNrt1-1, LeNrt1-2, and LeAmt1 transcripts was root-specific, with no detectable transcripts in stems or leaves. Expression was root cell type-specific and regulated by nitrogen availability. LeNrt1-2 mRNA accumulation was restricted to root hairs that had been exposed to nitrate. In contrast, LeNrt1-1 transcripts were detected in root hairs as well as other root tissues under all nitrogen treatments applied. Analogous to LeNrt1-1, the gene LeAmt1 was expressed under all nitrogen conditions tested, and root hair-specific mRNA accumulation was highest following exposure to ammonium. Expression of LeAMT1 in an ammonium uptake-deficient yeast strain restored growth on low ammonium medium, confirming its involvement in ammonium transport. Root hair specificity and characteristics of substrate regulation suggest an important role of the three genes in uptake of mineral nitrogen. Images Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7 PMID:8755617

Hormone levels of world class cyclists during the Tour of Spain stage race

PubMed Central

Lucia, A; Diaz, B; Hoyos, J; Fernandez, C; Villa, G; Bandres, F; Chicharro, J

2001-01-01

Objectives—To evaluate the hormonal response to strenuous endurance exercise performed by elite athletes. Methods—Nine professional cyclists (mean (SD) age 28 (1) years; mean (SD) VO2MAX 75.3 (2.3) ml/kg/min) who participated in a three week tour race (Vuelta a España 1999) were selected as subjects. Morning urinary levels of 6-sulphatoxymelatonin (aMT6s) and morning serum levels of testosterone, follicle stimulating (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), and cortisol were measured in each subject at t0 (before the competition), t1 (end of first week), t2 (end of second week), and t3 (end of third week). Urine samples of aMT6s were also evaluated in the evening at t0, t1, t2, and t3. Results—Mean urinary aMT6s levels had increased significantly (p<0.01) during the day after each stage (1091 (33) v 683 (68) ng/ml at t1; 955 (19) v 473 (53) ng/ml at t2; 647 (61) v 337 (47) ng/ml at t3). Both morning and evening aMT6s levels decreased significantly during the study. A similar pattern was observed for morning serum levels of cortisol and testosterone. Conclusions—The results suggest that the basal activity of the pineal gland, adrenal glands, and testis may be decreased after consecutive days of intense, long term exercise. Key Words: melatonin; gonadotrophins; testosterone; cortisol; endurance exercise PMID:11726480

A role for the anandamide membrane transporter in TRPV1-mediated neurosecretion from trigeminal sensory neurons

PubMed Central

Price, Theodore J.; Patwardhan, Amol M.; Flores, Christopher M.; Hargreaves, Kenneth M.

2007-01-01

Many n-acylethanolamines utilize the anandamide membrane transporter (AMT) to gain facilitated access to the intracellular compartment, hence, we hypothesized that this mechanism might be important for anandamide (AEA)- and N-arachidonoyl-dopamine (NADA)-evoked CGRP release from cultured trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons. Using [14C]AEA we demonstrated that TG neurons transported AEA in a FAAH- and AMT-inhibitable fashion. Although TRPV1-positive TG neurons were found to express fatty acid amide hydrolase, the application of FAAH inhibitors had no effect on AEA-evoked CGRP release. In contrast, application of the AMT inhibitors OMDM-2 or VDM-11 significantly reduced the potency and efficacy of AEA-, NADA- and capsaicin-evoked CGRP release. Moreover OMDM-2 (IC50 values ranging from 6.4–9.6 μM) and VDM-11 (IC50 values ranging from 5.3–11 μM) inhibited CGRP release evoked by EC80 concentrations of AEA, NADA and CAP and these values were consistent with IC50s obtained for inhibition of uptake. OMDM-2 had no effect on CGRP release per se while VDM-11 evoked CGRP release on its own (EC50 ~35 μM) in a CPZ-insensitive, but ruthenium red (RR)-sensitive fashion. This is the first demonstration that TG sensory neurons possess an AMT-like mechanism suggesting that this mechanism is important for the pharmacological action of AEA and NADA at native TRPV1 channels. PMID:15992578

Database-independent Protein Sequencing (DiPS) Enables Full-length de Novo Protein and Antibody Sequence Determination.

PubMed

Savidor, Alon; Barzilay, Rotem; Elinger, Dalia; Yarden, Yosef; Lindzen, Moshit; Gabashvili, Alexandra; Adiv Tal, Ophir; Levin, Yishai

2017-06-01

Traditional "bottom-up" proteomic approaches use proteolytic digestion, LC-MS/MS, and database searching to elucidate peptide identities and their parent proteins. Protein sequences absent from the database cannot be identified, and even if present in the database, complete sequence coverage is rarely achieved even for the most abundant proteins in the sample. Thus, sequencing of unknown proteins such as antibodies or constituents of metaproteomes remains a challenging problem. To date, there is no available method for full-length protein sequencing, independent of a reference database, in high throughput. Here, we present Database-independent Protein Sequencing, a method for unambiguous, rapid, database-independent, full-length protein sequencing. The method is a novel combination of non-enzymatic, semi-random cleavage of the protein, LC-MS/MS analysis, peptide de novo sequencing, extraction of peptide tags, and their assembly into a consensus sequence using an algorithm named "Peptide Tag Assembler." As proof-of-concept, the method was applied to samples of three known proteins representing three size classes and to a previously un-sequenced, clinically relevant monoclonal antibody. Excluding leucine/isoleucine and glutamic acid/deamidated glutamine ambiguities, end-to-end full-length de novo sequencing was achieved with 99-100% accuracy for all benchmarking proteins and the antibody light chain. Accuracy of the sequenced antibody heavy chain, including the entire variable region, was also 100%, but there was a 23-residue gap in the constant region sequence. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Creating and virtually screening databases of fluorescently-labelled compounds for the discovery of target-specific molecular probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamstra, Rhiannon L.; Dadgar, Saedeh; Wigg, John; Chowdhury, Morshed A.; Phenix, Christopher P.; Floriano, Wely B.

2014-11-01

Our group has recently demonstrated that virtual screening is a useful technique for the identification of target-specific molecular probes. In this paper, we discuss some of our proof-of-concept results involving two biologically relevant target proteins, and report the development of a computational script to generate large databases of fluorescence-labelled compounds for computer-assisted molecular design. The virtual screening of a small library of 1,153 fluorescently-labelled compounds against two targets, and the experimental testing of selected hits reveal that this approach is efficient at identifying molecular probes, and that the screening of a labelled library is preferred over the screening of base compounds followed by conjugation of confirmed hits. The automated script for library generation explores the known reactivity of commercially available dyes, such as NHS-esters, to create large virtual databases of fluorescence-tagged small molecules that can be easily synthesized in a laboratory. A database of 14,862 compounds, each tagged with the ATTO680 fluorophore was generated with the automated script reported here. This library is available for downloading and it is suitable for virtual ligand screening aiming at the identification of target-specific fluorescent molecular probes.

Lower Granite Dam Smolt Monitoring Program, 2003-2004 Annual Report.

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

Mensik, Fred; Rapp, Shawn; Ross, Doug

2004-08-01

The 2003 fish collection season at Lower Granite Dam Juvenile Fish Facility (LGR) was characterized by water temperatures, total flows and spill that were below the five year average, low levels of debris, and increased smolt collection numbers compared to 2002 with the exception of unclipped sockeye/kokanee. There were 6,183,825 juvenile salmonids collected. Of these, 6,054,167 were transported to release sites below Bonneville Dam, 5,957,885 by barge and 96,282 by truck. An additional 102,340 fish were bypassed back to the river, primarily due to research projects with another 62,122 bypassed through the PIT-tag bypass system. According to the PTAGIS database,more » 152,268 PIT-tagged fish were detected at Lower Granite Dam. Of these, Smolt Monitoring Staff recorded 345 PIT-tagged raceway and sample mortalities. Of the 6,183,825 total fish collected, 113,290 were PIT-tagged or radio tagged and 380 were sacrificed by researchers. The collection included 836,885 fish that had hatchery marks other than clipped fins (elastomer, freeze brands or Coded Wire Tags). An estimated 54,857 incidental fish were collected with an additional 8,730 adult salmonids removed from the separator.« less

Serial analysis of gene expression in the silkworm, Bombyx mori.

PubMed

Huang, Jianhua; Miao, Xuexia; Jin, Weirong; Couble, Pierre; Mita, Kasuei; Zhang, Yong; Liu, Wenbin; Zhuang, Leijun; Shen, Yan; Keime, Celine; Gandrillon, Olivier; Brouilly, Patrick; Briolay, Jerome; Zhao, Guoping; Huang, Yongping

2005-08-01

The silkworm Bombyx mori is one of the most economically important insects and serves as a model for Lepidoptera insects. We used serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to derive profiles of expressed genes during the developmental life cycle of the silkworm and to create a reference for understanding silkworm metamorphosis. We generated four SAGE libraries, one from each of the four developmental stages of the silkworm. In total we obtained 257,964 SAGE tags, of which 39,485 were unique tags. Sorted by copy number, 14.1% of the unique tags were detected at a median to high level (five or more copies), 24.2% at lower levels (two to four copies), and 61.7% as single copies. Using a basic local alignment search tool on the EST database, 35% of the tags matched known silkworm expressed sequence tags. SAGE demonstrated that a number of the genes were up- or down-regulated during the four developmental phases of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Furthermore, we found that the generation of longer cDNA fragments from SAGE tags constituted the most efficient method of gene identification, which facilitated the analysis of a large number of unknown genes.

Using kittens to unlock photo-sharing website datasets for environmental applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gascoin, Simon

2016-04-01

Mining photo-sharing websites is a promising approach to complement in situ and satellite observations of the environment, however a challenge is to deal with the large degree of noise inherent to online social datasets. Here I explored the value of the Flickr image hosting website database to monitor the snow cover in the Pyrenees. Using the Flickr application programming interface (API) I queried all the public images metadata tagged at least with one of the following words: "snow", "neige", "nieve", "neu" (snow in French, Spanish and Catalan languages). The search was limited to the geo-tagged pictures taken in the Pyrenees area. However, the number of public pictures available in the Flickr database for a given time interval depends on several factors, including the Flickr website popularity and the development of digital photography. Thus, I also searched for all Flickr images tagged with "chat", "gat" or "gato" (cat in French, Spanish and Catalan languages). The tag "cat" was not considered in order to exclude the results from North America where Flickr got popular earlier than in Europe. The number of "cat" images per month was used to fit a model of the number of images uploaded in Flickr with time. This model was used to remove this trend in the numbers of snow-tagged photographs. The resulting time series was compared to a time series of the snow cover area derived from the MODIS satellite over the same region. Both datasets are well correlated; in particular they exhibit the same seasonal evolution, although the inter-annual variabilities are less similar. I will also discuss which other factors may explain the main discrepancies in order to further decrease the noise in the Flickr dataset.

Review on SAW RFID tags.

PubMed

Plessky, Victor P; Reindl, Leonhard M

2010-03-01

SAW tags were invented more than 30 years ago, but only today are the conditions united for mass application of this technology. The devices in the 2.4-GHz ISM band can be routinely produced with optical lithography, high-resolution radar systems can be built up using highly sophisticated, but low-cost RF-chips, and the Internet is available for global access to the tag databases. The "Internet of Things," or I-o-T, will demand trillions of cheap tags and sensors. The SAW tags can overcome semiconductor-based analogs in many aspects: they can be read at a distance of a few meters with readers radiating power levels 2 to 3 orders lower, they are cheap, and they can operate in robust environments. Passive SAW tags are easily combined with sensors. Even the "anti-collision" problem (i.e., the simultaneous reading of many nearby tags) has adequate solutions for many practical applications. In this paper, we discuss the state-of-the-art in the development of SAW tags. The design approaches will be reviewed and optimal tag designs, as well as encoding methods, will be demonstrated. We discuss ways to reduce the size and cost of these devices. A few practical examples of tags using a time-position coding with 10(6) different codes will be demonstrated. Phase-coded devices can additionally increase the number of codes at the expense of a reduction of reading distance. We also discuss new and exciting perspectives of using ultra wide band (UWB) technology for SAW-tag systems. The wide frequency band available for this standard provides a great opportunity for SAW tags to be radically reduced in size to about 1 x 1 mm(2) while keeping a practically infinite number of possible different codes. Finally, the reader technology will be discussed, as well as detailed comparison made between SAW tags and IC-based semiconductor device.

Systematic Analysis of Arabidopsis Organelles and a Protein Localization Database for Facilitating Fluorescent Tagging of Full-Length Arabidopsis Proteins1[W

PubMed Central

Li, Shijun; Ehrhardt, David W.; Rhee, Seung Y.

2006-01-01

Cells are organized into a complex network of subcellular compartments that are specialized for various biological functions. Subcellular location is an important attribute of protein function. To facilitate systematic elucidation of protein subcellular location, we analyzed experimentally verified protein localization data of 1,300 Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) proteins. The 1,300 experimentally verified proteins are distributed among 40 different compartments, with most of the proteins localized to four compartments: mitochondria (36%), nucleus (28%), plastid (17%), and cytosol (13.3%). About 19% of the proteins are found in multiple compartments, in which a high proportion (36.4%) is localized to both cytosol and nucleus. Characterization of the overrepresented Gene Ontology molecular functions and biological processes suggests that the Golgi apparatus and peroxisome may play more diverse functions but are involved in more specialized processes than other compartments. To support systematic empirical determination of protein subcellular localization using a technology called fluorescent tagging of full-length proteins, we developed a database and Web application to provide preselected green fluorescent protein insertion position and primer sequences for all Arabidopsis proteins to study their subcellular localization and to store experimentally verified protein localization images, videos, and their annotations of proteins generated using the fluorescent tagging of full-length proteins technology. The database can be searched, browsed, and downloaded using a Web browser at http://aztec.stanford.edu/gfp/. The software can also be downloaded from the same Web site for local installation. PMID:16617091

IRETHERM: The geothermal energy potential of Irish radiothermal granites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, Thomas; Jones, Alan; Muller, Mark; Feely, Martin; Brock, Andrew; Long, Mike; Waters, Tim

2014-05-01

The IRETHERM project is developing a strategic understanding of Ireland's deep geothermal energy potential through integrated modelling of new and existing geophysical and geological data. One aspect of IRETHERM's research focuses on Ireland's radiothermal granites, where increased concentrations of radioelements provide elevated heat-production (HP), surface heat-flow (SHF) and subsurface temperatures. An understanding of the contribution of granites to the thermal field of Ireland is important to assessing the geothermal energy potential of this low-enthalpy setting. This study focuses on the Galway granite in western Ireland, and the Leinster and the buried Kentstown granites in eastern Ireland. Shallow (<250 m) boreholes were drilled into the exposed Caledonian Leinster and Galway granites as part of a 1980's geothermal project. These studies yielded HP = 2-3 μWm-3 and HF = 80 mWm-2 at the Sally Gap borehole in the Northern Units of the Leinster granite, to the SW of Dublin. In the Galway granite batholith, on the west coast of Ireland, the Costelloe-Murvey granite returned HP = 7 μWm-3 and HF = 77 mWm-2, measured at the Rossaveal borehole. The buried Kentstown granite, 35 km NW of Dublin, has an associated negative Bouguer anomaly and was intersected by two mineral exploration boreholes at depths of 660 m and 490 m. Heat production is measured at 2.4 μWm-3 in core samples taken from the weathered top 30 m of the granite. The core of this study consists of a program of magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) data acquisition across the three granite bodies, over three fieldwork seasons. MT and AMT data were collected at 59 locations along two profiles over the Leinster granite. Preliminary results show that the northern units of the Leinster granite (40 km SW of Dublin) extend to depths of 2-5 km. Preliminary results from the southern profile suggest a greater thickness of granite to a depth of 6-9 km beneath the Tullow pluton, 75 km SW of Dublin. Over the Galway granite, MT and AMT data have been collected at a total of 75 sites (33 consist of only AMT data acquisition, with both MT and AMT recorded at the remaining 42). Preliminary results show a deep resistor extending to depths of 15-20 km beneath the central block, with the resistive upper layer extending to depths of 3.5-7 km west of the Shannawona fault, a major structure that cuts the batholith. MT and AMT data acquired along a profile at 22 locations over the Kentstown granite suggests that this buried granite is at a depth of 400 m beneath the centre of the gravity anomaly. The MT and AMT data will be integrated with gravity and seismic refraction data (in the case of the Leinster granite) to identify deeply penetrating faults, which may provide conduits for hydrothermal fluids, and to produce a robust estimation of the volumetric extent of the granites, which is crucial in defining their geothermal energy potential. Thermal conductivity and geochemical data will be incorporated to constrain the heat contribution of granites to the Irish crust.

IRETHERM: Magnetotelluric studies of Irish radiothermal granites and their geothermal energy potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farrell, T. F.; Jones, A. G.; Muller, M. R.; Feely, M.

2013-12-01

The IRETHERM project seeks to develop a strategic understanding of Ireland's deep geothermal energy potential through integrated modeling of new and existing geophysical and geological data. One aspect of IRETHERM's research focuses on Ireland's radiothermal granites, where increased concentrations of radioelements provide elevated heat-production (HP), heat-flow (HF) and subsurface temperatures. An understanding of the contribution of granites to the thermal field of Ireland is of key importance in assessing the geothermal energy potential of this low-enthalpy setting. This study focuses on the Leinster granite, the Galway granite and the buried Kentstown granite. Shallow (<250 m) boreholes were drilled into the exposed Caledonian Leinster and Galway granites as part of an early 1980's EU-funded geothermal project. These studies yielded HP = 2-3 μWm-3 and HF = 80 mWm-2 at the Sally Gap borehole in the Northern Units of the Leinster granite. In the Galway granite batholith, the Costelloe-Murvey granite returned HP = 7 μWm-3 and HF = 77 mWm-2, measured at the Ros a Mhil borehole. The lower heat-flow encountered at the Ros a Mhil borehole suggests that the associated high heat production does not extend to great depth. The buried Kentstown granite has associated with it a significant negative Bouguer anomaly and was intersected by two mineral exploration boreholes at depths of 660 m and 485 m. Heat production has been measured at 2.4 μWm-3 in core samples taken from the weathered top 30m of the granite. The core of this study consists of an ambitious program of magnetotelluric (MT) and audio-magnetotelluric (AMT) data acquisition across the three granite bodies, extending over three fieldwork seasons. MT and AMT data were collected at 59 locations along two profiles over the Leinster granite. Preliminary results show that the northern units of the Leinster granite extend to depths of 2-5 km. Over the Galway granite, MT and AMT data have been collected at a total of 29 sites, with a further 46 sites to be collected in August 2013 (of these 75 sites, 33 will consist of AMT-only data acquisition, with both MT and AMT recorded at the remaining 42). Preliminary results derived from the 29 sites recorded in 2012 show a deep resistor extending to depths of 15-20 km beneath the central block of the batholith, with the resistive body extending to depths of 3.5-7.0 km west of the Shannawona fault. MT and AMT data acquired along a profile at 22 locations over the Kentstown granite suggests that the top of this buried granite is at a depth of 380m beneath the center of the gravity anomaly. The MT and AMT data will be integrated with gravity data and seismic refraction data (in the case of the Leinster granite) to identify deeply penetrating faults, which may provide pathways for hydrothermal fluids, and to produce a robust estimation of the volumetric extent of the granites. Geochemical data will also be incorporated to ultimately constrain the local and regional thermal contribution and geothermal energy potential of the granites.

Association study of IL10, IL1beta, and IL1RN and schizophrenia using tag SNPs from a comprehensive database: suggestive association with rs16944 at IL1beta.

PubMed

Shirts, Brian H; Wood, Joel; Yolken, Robert H; Nimgaonkar, Vishwajit L

2006-12-01

Genetic association studies of several candidate cytokine genes have been motivated by evidence of immune dysfunction among patients with schizophrenia. Intriguing but inconsistent associations have been reported with polymorphisms of three positional candidate genes, namely IL1beta, IL1RN, and IL10. We used comprehensive sequencing data from the Seattle SNPs database to select tag SNPs that represent all common polymorphisms in the Caucasian population at these loci. Associations with 28 tag SNPs were evaluated in 478 cases and 501 unscreened control individuals, while accounting for population sub-structure using the genomic control method. The samples were also stratified by gender, diagnostic category, and exposure to infectious agents. Significant association was not detected after correcting for multiple comparisons. However, meta-analysis of our data combined with previously published association studies of rs16944 (IL1beta -511) suggests that the C allele confers modest risk for schizophrenia among individuals reporting Caucasian ancestry, but not Asians (Caucasians, n=819 cases, 1292 controls; p=0.0013, OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.09, 1.41).

a Study of Electrical Structures of Shanchiao Fault in Taiwan Using Audio-Frequency Magnetotelluric (amt) Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C.; Liu, H.

2007-12-01

The Shanchiao normal fault is located in the western edge of Taipei basin in an N-E to S-W direction. Since the fault crosses through the Tertiary basement of Taipei basin, it is classified as an active fault. The overburden of the fault is sediments with a thickness around few tenth meters to several hundred meters. No detailed studies related to the Shanchiao fault in the western side of Taipei Basin are reported. In addition, there are no outcrops which have been found on the surface. This part of fault seems to be a potential source of disaster for the development of western Taipei basin. The audio-frequency magnetotelluric (AMT) method is a technique used to find the vertical resistivity distribution of formation and to characterize a fault structure through the ground surface based measurement. Based on the geological investigation and lithogic information from wells, the AMT data from six soundings at Wugu site, nine soundings at XinZhuang site and eight sounding at GuanDu site were collected on a NE-SW profile, approximately perpendicular to the prospective strike of the Shanchiao fault. AMT data were then inverted for two- dimension resistivity models (sections). The features of all resistivity sections are similar; an apparent drop in resistivity was observed at the position correlates to the western edge of Taipei basin. The predicted location of Shanchiao fault matches was verified by the lithologic sections of boreholes nearby. It indicates that the Shanchiao normal fault may associate with the subsidence of Taipei basin. The basement is clearly detected as a geoelectrical unit having resistivity less than 250 . It has a trend of increasing its depth toward S-E. The uplift of layers in the east of resistivity sections may affect by the XinZhuang thrust fault from the east. As with each site, the calculated resistivity may affect by cultural interference. However, the AMT survey still successfully delineates the positions and features of the Shanchiao fault and western edge of Taipei basin. Keywords¡GCSAMT, RIP, Shanchiao fault

Modelling size-fractionated primary production in the Atlantic Ocean from remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brewin, Robert J. W.; Tilstone, Gavin H.; Jackson, Thomas; Cain, Terry; Miller, Peter I.; Lange, Priscila K.; Misra, Ankita; Airs, Ruth L.

2017-11-01

Marine primary production influences the transfer of carbon dioxide between the ocean and atmosphere, and the availability of energy for the pelagic food web. Both the rate and the fate of organic carbon from primary production are dependent on phytoplankton size. A key aim of the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) programme has been to quantify biological carbon cycling in the Atlantic Ocean and measurements of total primary production have been routinely made on AMT cruises, as well as additional measurements of size-fractionated primary production on some cruises. Measurements of total primary production collected on the AMT have been used to evaluate remote-sensing techniques capable of producing basin-scale estimates of primary production. Though models exist to estimate size-fractionated primary production from satellite data, these have not been well validated in the Atlantic Ocean, and have been parameterised using measurements of phytoplankton pigments rather than direct measurements of phytoplankton size structure. Here, we re-tune a remote-sensing primary production model to estimate production in three size fractions of phytoplankton (<2 μm, 2-10 μm and >10 μm) in the Atlantic Ocean, using measurements of size-fractionated chlorophyll and size-fractionated photosynthesis-irradiance experiments conducted on AMT 22 and 23 using sequential filtration-based methods. The performance of the remote-sensing technique was evaluated using: (i) independent estimates of size-fractionated primary production collected on a number of AMT cruises using 14C on-deck incubation experiments and (ii) Monte Carlo simulations. Considering uncertainty in the satellite inputs and model parameters, we estimate an average model error of between 0.27 and 0.63 for log10-transformed size-fractionated production, with lower errors for the small size class (<2 μm), higher errors for the larger size classes (2-10 μm and >10 μm), and errors generally higher in oligotrophic waters. Application to satellite data in 2007 suggests the contribution of cells <2 μm and >2 μm to total primary production is approximately equal in the Atlantic Ocean.

Consequences of snowy winters on male mating strategies and reproduction in a mountain ungulate.

PubMed

Apollonio, Marco; Brivio, Francesca; Rossi, Iva; Bassano, Bruno; Grignolio, Stefano

2013-09-01

Alternative mating tactics (AMTs) are intrasexual variants in mating behaviour of several species ranging from arthropods to mammals. Male AMTs coexist between and within populations. In particular, male ungulates rarely adopt just one tactic throughout their lifetime. Tactics commonly change according to internal factors (age, body size, condition) and external conditions (weather, resources, predation, animal density). However, the influence of weather has not yet been investigated in upper vertebrates. Such influence may be relevant in species whose rutting period occurs late in fall or in winter, when environmental conditions and the snow cover in particular may vary considerably. We detected two AMTs in Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) males: older and full-grown males mainly adopted the tending tactic, while younger males usually pursued an alternative one (coursing tactic). Weather was found to influence the use of AMTs by males: in snowy mating seasons, the coursing tactic was no longer used due to difficulties in moving through deep snow. In snowy rutting periods, males appeared to delay or even avoid mating activities and a decrease of births was reported in the second part of the following birth season. Snow cover may have a negative effect on population dynamics by reducing the recruitment and on population genetic variability, as a consequence of poorer mating opportunities. Studies on factors affecting mating behaviour and leading to a reduced availability of mates and a decrease in female productivity are especially relevant in species, like Alpine ibex, whose genetic variability is low. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Overgeneral autobiographical memory bias in clinical and non-clinical voice hearers.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Pamela; Peters, Emmanuelle; Ward, Thomas; Garety, Philippa A; Jackson, Mike; Chadwick, Paul

2018-03-14

Hearing voices can be a distressing and disabling experience for some, whilst it is a valued experience for others, so-called 'healthy voice-hearers'. Cognitive models of psychosis highlight the role of memory, appraisal and cognitive biases in determining emotional and behavioural responses to voices. A memory bias potentially associated with distressing voices is the overgeneral memory bias (OGM), namely the tendency to recall a summary of events rather than specific occasions. It may limit access to autobiographical information that could be helpful in re-appraising distressing experiences, including voices. We investigated the possible links between OGM and distressing voices in psychosis by comparing three groups: (1) clinical voice-hearers (N = 39), (2) non-clinical voice-hearers (N = 35) and (3) controls without voices (N = 77) on a standard version of the autobiographical memory test (AMT). Clinical and non-clinical voice-hearers also completed a newly adapted version of the task, designed to assess voices-related memories (vAMT). As hypothesised, the clinical group displayed an OGM bias by retrieving fewer specific autobiographical memories on the AMT compared with both the non-clinical and control groups, who did not differ from each other. The clinical group also showed an OGM bias in recall of voice-related memories on the vAMT, compared with the non-clinical group. Clinical voice-hearers display an OGM bias when compared with non-clinical voice-hearers on both general and voices-specific recall tasks. These findings have implications for the refinement and targeting of psychological interventions for psychosis.

Audiomagnetotelluric data from Spring, Cave, and Coyote Spring Valleys, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

McPhee, Darcy K.; Chuchel, Bruce A.; Pellerin, Louise

2006-01-01

Audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data along four profiles in Spring, Cave, and Coyote Spring Valleys are presented here. The AMT method is used to estimate the electrical resistivity of the earth over depth ranges of a few meters to greater than one kilometer. This method is a valuable tool for revealing subsurface structure and stratigraphy within the Basin and Range of eastern Nevada, therefore helping to define the geohydrologic framework in this region. We collected AMT data using the Geometrics StrataGem EH4 system, a four-channel, natural and controlled- source tensor system recording in the range of 10 to 92,000 Hz. To augment the low signal in the natural field, an unpolarized transmitter comprised of two horizontal-magnetic dipoles was used from 1,000 to 70,000 Hz. Profiles were 1.4 - 12.6 km in length with station spacing of 100-400 m. Data were recorded with the electrical (E) field parallel to and perpendicular to the regional geologic strike direction. Station locations and sounding curves, showing apparent resistivity, phase data, and coherency data, are presented here.

Sensor fault-tolerant control for gear-shifting engaging process of automated manual transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Liang; He, Kai; Wang, Xiangyu; Liu, Yahui

2018-01-01

Angular displacement sensor on the actuator of automated manual transmission (AMT) is sensitive to fault, and the sensor fault will disturb its normal control, which affects the entire gear-shifting process of AMT and results in awful riding comfort. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a method of fault-tolerant control for AMT gear-shifting engaging process. By using the measured current of actuator motor and angular displacement of actuator, the gear-shifting engaging load torque table is built and updated before the occurrence of the sensor fault. Meanwhile, residual between estimated and measured angular displacements is used to detect the sensor fault. Once the residual exceeds a determined fault threshold, the sensor fault is detected. Then, switch control is triggered, and the current observer and load torque table estimates an actual gear-shifting position to replace the measured one to continue controlling the gear-shifting process. Numerical and experiment tests are carried out to evaluate the reliability and feasibility of proposed methods, and the results show that the performance of estimation and control is satisfactory.

Design of a data-driven predictive controller for start-up process of AMT vehicles.

PubMed

Lu, Xiaohui; Chen, Hong; Wang, Ping; Gao, Bingzhao

2011-12-01

In this paper, a data-driven predictive controller is designed for the start-up process of vehicles with automated manual transmissions (AMTs). It is obtained directly from the input-output data of a driveline simulation model constructed by the commercial software AMESim. In order to obtain offset-free control for the reference input, the predictor equation is gained with incremental inputs and outputs. Because of the physical characteristics, the input and output constraints are considered explicitly in the problem formulation. The contradictory requirements of less friction losses and less driveline shock are included in the objective function. The designed controller is tested under nominal conditions and changed conditions. The simulation results show that, during the start-up process, the AMT clutch with the proposed controller works very well, and the process meets the control objectives: fast clutch lockup time, small friction losses, and the preservation of driver comfort, i.e., smooth acceleration of the vehicle. At the same time, the closed-loop system has the ability to reject uncertainties, such as the vehicle mass and road grade.

Placental amniotic membrane: the pathway to ocular transplantation.

PubMed

Hill, Sonia June

2008-11-01

Ophthalmology research has identified a relationship between human placenta and eye tissue. Placental amniotic membrane provides structural healing properties that help restore vision in patients with ocular disease that has been unresponsive to medical treatment. The pathway from donor placenta retrieval to amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) involves perioperative nurses from obstetrics and ophthalmology departments who are well versed in federal regulations and eye or tissue bank standards. Perioperative nurses can promote recycling of placentas for preservation and facilitate optimal surgical outcomes for patients undergoing AMT, as well as provide these patients with emotional support and education.

The ASACUSA Micromegas Tracker: A cylindrical, bulk Micromegas detector for antimatter research.

PubMed

Radics, B; Nagata, Y; Yamazaki, Y; Ishikawa, S; Kuroda, N; Matsuda, Y; Anfreville, M; Aune, S; Boyer, M; Chateau, F; Combet, M; Granelli, R; Legou, P; Mandjavidze, I; Procureur, S; Riallot, M; Vallage, B; Vandenbroucke, M

2015-08-01

The ASACUSA Micromegas Tracker (AMT; ASACUSA: Atomic Spectroscopy and Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons) was designed to be able to reconstruct antiproton-nucleon annihilation vertices in three dimensions. The goal of this device is to study antihydrogen formation processes in the ASACUSA cusp trap, which was designed to synthesise a spin-polarised antihydrogen beam for precise tests of Charge, Parity, and Time (CPT) symmetry invariance. This paper discusses the structure and technical details of an AMT detector built into such an environment, its data acquisition system and the first performance with cosmic rays.

The ASACUSA Micromegas Tracker: A cylindrical, bulk Micromegas detector for antimatter research

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

Radics, B., E-mail: balint.radics@riken.jp; Nagata, Y.; Yamazaki, Y.

2015-08-15

The ASACUSA Micromegas Tracker (AMT; ASACUSA: Atomic Spectroscopy and Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons) was designed to be able to reconstruct antiproton-nucleon annihilation vertices in three dimensions. The goal of this device is to study antihydrogen formation processes in the ASACUSA cusp trap, which was designed to synthesise a spin-polarised antihydrogen beam for precise tests of Charge, Parity, and Time (CPT) symmetry invariance. This paper discusses the structure and technical details of an AMT detector built into such an environment, its data acquisition system and the first performance with cosmic rays.

Find the fish: using PROC SQL to build a relational database

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fabrizio, Mary C.; Nelson, Scott N.

1995-01-01

Reliable estimates of abundance and survival, gained through mark-recapture studies, are necessary to better understand how to manage and restore lake trout populations in the Great Lakes. Working with a 24-year data set from a mark-recapture study conducted in Lake Superior, we attempted to disclose information on tag shedding by examining recaptures of double-tagged fish. The data set consisted of 64,288 observations on fish which had been marked with one or more tags; a subset of these fish had been marked with two tags at initial capture. Although DATA and PROC statements could be used to obtain some of the information we sought, these statements could not be used to extract a complete set of results from the double-tagging experiments. We therefore used SQL processing to create three tables representing the same information but in a fully normalized relational structure. In addition, we created indices to efficiently examine complex relationships among the individual capture records. This approach allowed us to obtain all the information necessary to estimate tag retention through subsequent modeling. We believe that our success with SQL was due in large part to its ability to simultaneosly scan the same table more than once and to permit consideration of other tables in sub-queries.

D-Tagatose Is a Promising Sweetener to Control Glycaemia: A New Functional Food.

PubMed

Guerrero-Wyss, Marion; Durán Agüero, Samuel; Angarita Dávila, Lisse

2018-01-01

The objective of the current research was to review and update evidence on the dietary effect of the consumption of tagatose in type 2 diabetes, as well as to elucidate the current approach that exists on its production and biotechnological utility in functional food for diabetics. Articles published before July 1, 2017, were included in the databases PubMed, EBSCO, Google Scholar, and Scielo, including the terms "Tagatose", "Sweeteners", "Diabetes Mellitus type 2", "Sweeteners", "D-Tag". D-Tagatose (D-tag) is an isomer of fructose which is approximately 90% sweeter than sucrose. Preliminary studies in animals and preclinical studies showed that D-tag decreased glucose levels, which generated great interest in the scientific community. Recent studies indicate that tagatose has low glycemic index, a potent hypoglycemic effect, and eventually could be associated with important benefits for the treatment of obesity. The authors concluded that D-tag is promising as a sweetener without major adverse effects observed in these clinical studies.

Development of a High Performance, Low-Profile Translation Table with Wire Feedthrough

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Few, Alex

2016-01-01

NEAScout, a 6U cubesat, will use an 85 sq m solar sail to travel to a near-earth asteroid for observation. Over the course of the 3-year mission, a combination of reaction wheels, cold gas reaction control system, and a slow rotisserie roll about the solar sail's normal axis were expected to handle attitude control and adjust for imperfections in the deployed sail. As the design for NEAScout matured, one of the critical design parameters, the offset in the center of mass and center of pressure (CP/CM offset), proved to be sub-optimal. After significant mission and control analysis, the CP/CM offset was addressed and a new subsystem was introduced to NEAScout. This system, called the Active Mass Translator (AMT), would reside near the geometric center of NEAScout and adjust the CM by moving one portion of the flight system relative to the other. The AMT was given limited design space-about 17 mm of the vehicle's assembly height-and was required to generate +/-10 cm by +/-5 cm translation to sub-millimeter accuracy. Furthermore, the design must accommodate a large wire bundle of small gage, single strand wire and coax cables fed through the center of the mechanism. The bend radius, bend resistance, and the exposure to deep space environment complicates the AMT design and operation and necessitated a unique design to mitigate risks of wire bundle damage, binding, and cold-welding during operation. This paper will outline the design constraints for the AMT, discuss the methods and reasoning for design, and identify the lessons learned through the design downselect process and breadboarding for designing low-profile translation stages with feedthrough capabilities.

Adjunctive Mitomycin C or Amniotic Membrane Transplantation for Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PubMed

Yazdani, Shahin; Mahboobipour, Hassan; Pakravan, Mohammad; Doozandeh, Azadeh; Ghahari, Elham

2016-05-01

To determine whether adjunctive mitomycin C (MMC) or amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) improve the outcomes of Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation. This double-blind, stratified, 3-armed randomized clinical trial includes 75 eyes of 75 patients aged 7 to 75 years with refractory glaucoma. Eligible subjects underwent stratified block randomization; eyes were first stratified to surgery in the superior or inferior quadrants based on feasibility; in each subgroup, eyes were randomly assigned to the study arms using random blocks: conventional AGV implantation (group A, 25 eyes), AGV with MMC (group B, 25 eyes), and AGV with AMT (group C, 25 eyes). The 3 study groups were comparable regarding baseline characteristics and mean follow-up (P=0.288). A total of 68 patients including 23 eyes in group A, 25 eyes in group B, and 20 eyes group C completed the follow-up period and were analyzed. Intraocular pressure was lower in the MMC group only 3 weeks postoperatively (P=0.04) but comparable at other time intervals. Overall success rate was comparable in the 3 groups at 12 months (P=0.217). The number of eyes requiring medications (P=0.30), time to initiation of medications (P=0.13), and number of medications (P=0.22) were comparable. Hypertensive phase was slightly but insignificantly more common with standard surgery (82%) as compared with MMC-augmented (60%) and AMT-augmented (70%) procedures (P=0.23). Complications were comparable over 1 year (P=0.28). Although adjunctive MMC and AMT were safe during AGV implantation, they did not influence success rates or intraocular pressure outcomes. Complications, including hypertensive phase, were also comparable.

Analogues of methotrexate and aminopterin with gamma-methylene and gamma-cyano substitution of the glutamate side chain: synthesis and in vitro biological activity.

PubMed

Rosowsky, A; Bader, H; Freisheim, J H

1991-01-01

Analogues of methotrexate (MTX) and aminopterin (AMT) modified at the gamma-position of the glutamate side chain were synthesized and evaluated as dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitors and tumor cell growth inhibitors. Condesations of 4-amino-4-deoxy-N10-methylpteroic acid (mAPA) with dimethyl DL-4-methyleneglutamate in the presence of diethyl phosphorocyanidate (DEPC) followed by alkaline hydrolysis yielded N-(4-amino-4-deoxy-N10-methylpteroyl)-DL-4-methyleneglutamic acid (gamma-methyleneMTX). Condensation of 4-amino-4-deoxy-N10-formylpteroic acid (fAPA) with dimethyl-DL-4-methyleneglutamate by the mixed carboxylic-carbonic anhydride method yielded N-4-amino-4-deoxypteroyl)-DL-4-methyleneglutamic acid (gamma-methyleneAMT). Also prepared via DEPC coupling was a mixture of the four possible diastereomers of N-(4-amino-4-deoxy-N10-methylpteroyl)-4-cyanoglutamic acid (gamma-cyanoMTX). The requisite intermediate gamma-tert-butyl alpha-methyl 4-cyanoglutamate, as a DL-threo/DL-erythro mixture, was prepared from methyl N alpha-Boc-O-tosyl-L-serinate by reaction with sodium tert-butyl cyanoacetate followed by mild trifluoroacetic treatment to selectively remove the Boc group. The gamma-methylene derivatives of MTX and AMT are attractive because of their potential to act as Michael acceptors within the DHFR active site. gamma-CyanoMTX may be viewed as a congener of the nonpolyglutamated MTX analogue gamma-fluoroMTX. In vitro bioassay data for the gamma-methylene and gamma-cyano compounds support the idea that the active site of DHFR, already known for its ability to tolerate modification of the gamma-carboxyl group of MTX and AMT, can likewise accommodate substitution on the gamma-carbon itself.

Conducting spoken word recognition research online: Validation and a new timing method.

PubMed

Slote, Joseph; Strand, Julia F

2016-06-01

Models of spoken word recognition typically make predictions that are then tested in the laboratory against the word recognition scores of human subjects (e.g., Luce & Pisoni Ear and Hearing, 19, 1-36, 1998). Unfortunately, laboratory collection of large sets of word recognition data can be costly and time-consuming. Due to the numerous advantages of online research in speed, cost, and participant diversity, some labs have begun to explore the use of online platforms such as Amazon's Mechanical Turk (AMT) to source participation and collect data (Buhrmester, Kwang, & Gosling Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3-5, 2011). Many classic findings in cognitive psychology have been successfully replicated online, including the Stroop effect, task-switching costs, and Simon and flanker interference (Crump, McDonnell, & Gureckis PLoS ONE, 8, e57410, 2013). However, tasks requiring auditory stimulus delivery have not typically made use of AMT. In the present study, we evaluated the use of AMT for collecting spoken word identification and auditory lexical decision data. Although online users were faster and less accurate than participants in the lab, the results revealed strong correlations between the online and laboratory measures for both word identification accuracy and lexical decision speed. In addition, the scores obtained in the lab and online were equivalently correlated with factors that have been well established to predict word recognition, including word frequency and phonological neighborhood density. We also present and analyze a method for precise auditory reaction timing that is novel to behavioral research. Taken together, these findings suggest that AMT can be a viable alternative to the traditional laboratory setting as a source of participation for some spoken word recognition research.

Agrobacterium Mediated Transient Gene Silencing (AMTS) in Stevia rebaudiana: Insights into Steviol Glycoside Biosynthesis Pathway

PubMed Central

Guleria, Praveen; Yadav, Sudesh Kumar

2013-01-01

Background Steviol glycoside biosynthesis pathway has emerged as bifurcation from ent-kaurenoic acid, substrate of methyl erythritol phosphate pathway that also leads to gibberellin biosynthesis. However, the genetic regulation of steviol glycoside biosynthesis has not been studied. So, in present study RNA interference (RNAi) based Agrobacterium mediated transient gene silencing (AMTS) approach was followed. SrKA13H and three SrUGTs (SrUGT85C2, SrUGT74G1 and SrUGT76G1) genes encoding ent-kaurenoic acid-13 hydroxylase and three UDP glycosyltransferases of steviol glycoside biosynthesis pathway were silenced in Stevia rebaudiana to understand its molecular mechanism and association with gibberellins. Methodology/Principal Findings RNAi mediated AMTS of SrKA13H and three SrUGTs has significantly reduced the expression of targeted endogenous genes as well as total steviol glycoside accumulation. While gibberellins (GA3) content was significantly enhanced on AMTS of SrUGT85C2 and SrKA13H. Silencing of SrKA13H and SrUGT85C2 was found to block the metabolite flux of steviol glycoside pathway and shifted it towards GA3 biosynthesis. Further, molecular docking of three SrUGT proteins has documented highest affinity of SrUGT76G1 for the substrates of alternate pathways synthesizing steviol glycosides. This could be a plausible reason for maximum reduction in steviol glycoside content on silencing of SrUGT76G1 than other genes. Conclusions SrKA13H and SrUGT85C2 were identified as regulatory genes influencing carbon flux between steviol glycoside and gibberellin biosynthesis. This study has also documented the existence of alternate steviol glycoside biosynthesis route. PMID:24023961

Toxic keratopathy associated with abuse of topical anesthetics and amniotic membrane transplantation for treatment

PubMed Central

Tok, Ozlem Yalcin; Tok, Levent; Atay, Inci Meltem; Argun, Tugba Cakmak; Demirci, Nazire; Gunes, Alime

2015-01-01

AIM To evaluate the clinical findings of toxic keratopathy associated with abuse of topical anesthetics and the treatment efficacy of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT). METHODS Fifteen eyes of 10 patients with abuse of topical anesthetics were included in this study. The data collected included patients' demographic information, initial best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), clinical findings, time to AMT, duration of epithelization, additional treatments, posttreatment BCVA, and the results of psychiatric examination. RESULTS All patients were male, with the mean age of 37.9±5.4y. The patients had received 0.5% proparacaine hydrochloride due to pain resulting from foreign bodies, such as welding flash burns and car battery explosions, for a mean of 18.2±12.4d. The mean initial BCVA of the patients was 0.069±0.100. All patients had persistent epithelial defects, stromal infiltration, ring ulcer, and corneal edema. Initially, medical treatment was attempted in all cases. Because of severe pain, persistent epithelial defects and progressing stromal thinning did not improve with medical treatment, thus, the patients underwent AMT. The mean posttreatment BCVA of the patients was 0.33±0.27. All of them, except for two patients, showed improved visual acuity. One patient underwent evisceration for corneal melting and endophthalmitis in another center, and one patient underwent evisceration for severe pain of unknown origin. All 5 patients who consented to a psychiatric examination had depression, had personality disorder, and used tobacco. CONCLUSION AMT appears to be an effective method for pain relief, rapid epithelial and stromal healing; however, visual prognosis is still poor despite medical and surgical interventions. PMID:26558205

Evolution of allosteric regulation in chorismate mutases from early plants

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

Kroll, Kourtney; Holland, Cynthia K.; Starks, Courtney M.

Plants, fungi, and bacteria synthesize the aromatic amino acids: l-phenylalanine, l-tyrosine, and l-tryptophan. Chorismate mutase catalyzes the branch point reaction of phenylalanine and tyrosine biosynthesis to generate prephenate. In Arabidopsis thaliana, there are two plastid-localized chorismate mutases that are allosterically regulated (AtCM1 and AtCM3) and one cytosolic isoform (AtCM2) that is unregulated. Previous analysis of plant chorismate mutases suggested that the enzymes from early plants (i.e. bryophytes/moss, lycophytes, and basal angiosperms) formed a clade distinct from the isoforms found in flowering plants; however, no biochemical information on these enzymes is available. To understand the evolution of allosteric regulation in plantmore » chorismate mutases, we analyzed a basal lineage of plant enzymes homologous to AtCM1 based on sequence similarity. The chorismate mutases from the moss/bryophyte Physcomitrella patens (PpCM1 and PpCM2), the lycophyte Selaginella moellendorffii (SmCM), and the basal angiosperm Amborella trichopoda (AmtCM1 and AmtCM2) were characterized biochemically. Tryptophan was a positive effector for each of the five enzymes examined. Histidine was a weak positive effector for PpCM1 and AmtCM1. Neither tyrosine nor phenylalanine altered the activity of SmCM; however, tyrosine was a negative regulator of the other four enzymes. Phenylalanine down-regulates both moss enzymes and AmtCM2. The 2.0 Å X-ray crystal structure of PpCM1 in complex with the tryptophan identified the allosteric effector site and reveals structural differences between the R- (more active) and T-state (less active) forms of plant chorismate mutases. Molecular insight into the basal plant chorismate mutases guides our understanding of the evolution of allosteric regulation in these enzymes.« less

Assessment of Subyearling Chinook Salmon Survival through the Federal Hydropower Projects in the Main-Stem Columbia River

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

Skalski, J. R.; Eppard, M. B.; Ploskey, Gene R.

2014-07-11

High survival through hydropower projects is an essential element in the recovery of salmonid populations in the Columbia River. It is also a regulatory requirement under the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) Biological Opinion (BiOp) established under the Endangered Species Act. It requires dam passage survival to be ≥0.96 and ≥0.93 for spring and summer outmigrating juvenile salmonids, respectively, and estimated with a standard error ≤ 0.015. An innovative virtual/paired-release design was used to estimate dam passage survival, defined as survival from the face of a dam to the tailrace mixing zone. A coordinated four-dam study was conductedmore » during the 2012 summer outmigration using 14,026 run-of-river subyearling Chinook salmon surgically implanted with acoustic micro-transmitter (AMT) tags released at 9 different locations, and monitored on 14 different detection arrays. Each of the four estimates of dam passage survival exceeded BiOp requirements with values ranging from 0.9414 to 0.9747 and standard errors, 0.0031 to 0.0114. Two consecutive years of survival estimates must meet BiOp standards in order for a hydropower project to be in compliance with recovery requirements for a fish stock.« less

A Guided Tour of Saada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michel, L.; Motch, C.; Nguyen Ngoc, H.; Pineau, F. X.

2009-09-01

Saada (http://amwdb.u-strasbg.fr/saada) is a tool for helping astronomers build local archives without writing any code (Michel et al. 2004). Databases created by Saada can host collections of heterogeneous data files. These data collections can also be published in the VO. An overview of the main Saada features is presented in this demo: creation of a basic database, creation of relationships, data searches using SaadaQL, metadata tagging, and use of VO services.

Overgeneral memory and suppression of trauma memories in post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Schönfeld, Sabine; Ehlers, Anke; Böllinghaus, Inga; Rief, Winfried

2007-04-01

The study investigated the relationship between the suppression of trauma memories and overgeneral memory in 42 assault survivors with and without PTSD. Overgeneral memory (OGM) was assessed with a standard autobiographical memory test (AMT). Participants completed two further AMTs under the instructions to either suppress or not suppress assault memories, in counterbalanced order. Participants with PTSD retrieved fewer and more general memories when following the suppression instruction than participants without PTSD, but not under the control instruction. OGM correlated with PTSD symptom severity, and measures of cognitive avoidance. The results are discussed with reference to current theories of overgeneral memory and its possible relationship with PTSD.

Audiomagnetotelluric Data and Two-Dimensional Models from Spring, Snake, and Three Lakes Valleys, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

McPhee, Darcy K.; Chuchel, Bruce A.; Pellerin, Louise

2007-01-01

Audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data along thirteen profiles in Spring, Snake, and Three Lakes Valleys, and the corresponding two-dimensional (2-D) inverse models, are presented. The AMT method is a valuable tool for estimating the electrical resistivity of the Earth over depth ranges of a few meters to roughly one kilometer. It is important for revealing subsurface structure and stratigraphy within the Basin and Range province of eastern Nevada that can be used to define the geohydrologic framework of the region. We collected AMT data using the Geometrics StrataGem EH4 system. Profiles were 1.2 to 4.6 km in length with station spacing of 100-400 m. Data were recorded in a coordinate system parallel to and perpendicular to the assumed regional geologic strike direction. We show station locations, sounding curves of apparent resistivity, phase, and coherency, and 2-D models. The 2-D inverse models are computed from the transverse electric (TE), transverse magnetic (TM), and TE+TM mode data using the conjugate gradient, finite-difference method of Rodi and Mackie (2001). Preliminary interpretation of these models defines the structural framework of the basins and the resistivity contrasts between alluvial basin-fill, volcanic units, and carbonate/clastic rocks.

Rolling bearing fault diagnosis and health assessment using EEMD and the adjustment Mahalanobis-Taguchi system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Junxun; Cheng, Longsheng; Yu, Hui; Hu, Shaolin

2018-01-01