Optical pumping of electron and nuclear spin in a negatively-charged quantum dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bracker, Allan; Gershoni, David; Korenev, Vladimir

2005-03-01

We report optical pumping of electron and nuclear spins in an individual negatively-charged quantum dot. With a bias-controlled heterostructure, we inject one electron into the quantum dot. Intense laser excitation produces negative photoluminescence polarization, which is easily erased by the Hanle effect, demonstrating optical pumping of a long-lived resident electron. The electron spin lifetime is consistent with the influence of nuclear spin fluctuations. Measuring the Overhauser effect in high magnetic fields, we observe a high degree of nuclear spin polarization, which is closely correlated to electron spin pumping.

Self-regulated Learning Behavior of College Students of Art and Their Academic Achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Cuixin

This study focuses on the relationship between self-regulated learning behavior and their academic achievement of college students of art. The results show that for students of art, the involvements in self-efficacy, intrinsic value and cognitive strategies are closely tied to their performance in the examination. However, test anxiety, as a negative emotional factor is negatively correlated with academic performance. And among the five variables, self-efficacy has the strongest influence on students of art's academic performance.

Elevated Serum Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Alteration of Thyroid Hormones in Children from Guiyu, China

PubMed Central

Xu, Xijin; Liu, Junxiao; Zeng, Xiang; Lu, Fangfang; Chen, Aimin; Huo, Xia

2014-01-01

Informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling results in serious environmental pollution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and heavy metals. This study explored whether there is an association between PBDEs, heavy metal and key growth- and development-related hormones in children from Guiyu, an e-waste area in southern China. We quantified eight PBDE congeners using gas chromatographic mass spectrometry, lead and cadmium utilizing graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, three thyroids with radioimmunoassay and two types of growth hormones by an enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) in 162 children, 4 to 6 years old, from Guiyu. In blood, median total PBDE was 189.99 ng/g lipid. Lead and cadmium concentrations in blood averaged 14.53±4.85 µg dL−1 and 0.77±0.35 µg L−1, respectively. Spearman partial correlation analysis illustrated that lead was positively correlated with BDE153 and BDE183. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was positively correlated with almost all PBDE congeners and negatively correlated with insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), whereas free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4) were negatively correlated with BDE154. However, no correlation between the hormones and blood lead or cadmium levels was found in this study. Adjusted multiple linear regression analysis showed that total PBDEs was negatively associated with FT3 and positively associated with TSH. Notably, FT4 was positively correlated with FT3, house functions as a workshop, and father's work involved in e-waste recycling and negatively correlated with vitamin consumptions. TSH was negatively related with FT4, paternal residence time in Guiyu, working hours of mother, and child bean products intake. IGFBP-3 was positively correlated with IGF-1 and house close to an e-waste dump. These results suggest that elevated PBDEs and heavy metals related to e-waste in Guiyu may be important risk factors for hormone alterations in children. PMID:25415336

Antisocial boys and their friends in early adolescence: relationship characteristics, quality, and interactional process.

PubMed

Dishion, T J; Andrews, D W; Crosby, L

1995-02-01

This study examines the close friendships of early adolescent boys in relation to antisocial behavior. 186 13-14-year-old boys and their close friends were interviewed, assessed at school, and videotaped in a problem-solving task. Similarity was observed between the demographic characteristics and antisocial behavior of the boys and their close friends. There was a tendency for the close friends of antisocial boys to live within the same neighborhood block and to have met in unstructured, unsupervised activities. Direct observations of interactions with close friends revealed a reliable correlation between antisocial behavior, directives, and negative reciprocity. Positive interactions within the friendship were uncorrelated with antisocial behavior and relationship quality. Implications of these findings for clinical and developmental theory are discussed.

Characterizing the interaction of groundwater and surface water in the karst aquifer of Fangshan, Beijing (China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Haibo; Wei, Jiahua; Wang, Rong; Xin, Baodong

2017-03-01

Correct understanding of groundwater/surface-water (GW-SW) interaction in karst systems is of greatest importance for managing the water resources. A typical karst region, Fangshan in northern China, was selected as a case study. Groundwater levels and hydrochemistry analyses, together with isotope data based on hydrogeological field investigations, were used to assess the GW-SW interaction. Chemistry data reveal that water type and the concentration of cations in the groundwater are consistent with those of the surface water. Stable isotope ratios of all samples are close to the local meteoric water line, and the 3H concentrations of surface water and groundwater samples are close to that of rainfall, so isotopes also confirm that karst groundwater is recharged by rainfall. Cross-correlation analysis reveals that rainfall leads to a rise in groundwater level with a lag time of 2 months and groundwater exploitation leads to a fall within 1 month. Spectral analysis also reveals that groundwater level, groundwater exploitation and rainfall have significantly similar response periods, indicating their possible inter-relationship. Furthermore, a multiple nonlinear regression model indicates that groundwater level can be negatively correlated with groundwater exploitation, and positively correlated with rainfall. The overall results revealed that groundwater level has a close correlation with groundwater exploitation and rainfall, and they are indicative of a close hydraulic connection and interaction between surface water and groundwater in this karst system.

Negative Aspects of Close Relationships are More Strongly Associated than Supportive Personal Relationships with Illness Burden of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

PubMed Central

Lackner, Jeffrey M.; Gudleski, Gregory D.; Firth, Rebecca; Keefer, Laurie A.; Brenner, Darren M.; Guy, Katie; Simonetti, Camille; Radziwon, Christopher; Quinton, Sarah; Krasner, Susan S.; Katz, Leonard; Garbarino, Guido; Iacobucci, Gary; Sitrin, Michael D.

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE This study assessed the relative magnitude of associations between IBS outcomes and different aspects of social relationships (social support, negative interactions). METHOD Subjects included 235 Rome III diagnosed IBS patients (M age = 41 yrs, F=78%) without comorbid GI disease. Subjects completed a testing battery that included the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (Social support or SS), Negative Interaction (NI) Scale, IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS), IBS-QOL, BSI Depression, STAI Trait Anxiety, SOMS-7 (somatization), Perceived Stress Scale, and a medical comorbidity checklist. RESULTS After controlling for demographic variables, both SS and NI were significantly correlated with all of the clinical variables (SS r’s = .20 to .36; NI r’s = .17 to .53, respectively; ps < .05) save for IBS symptom severity (IBS-SSS). NI, but not SS, was positively correlated with IBS-SSS. After performing r-to-z transformations on the correlation coefficients and then comparing z-scores, the correlation between, perceived stress, and NI was significantly stronger than with SS. There was no significant difference between the strength of correlations between NI and SS for depression, somatization, trait anxiety, and IBSQOL. A hierarchical linear regression identified both SS and NI as significant predictors of IBS-QOL. CONCLUSIONS Different aspects of social relationships -- support and negative interactions -- are associated with multiple aspects of IBS experience (e.g. stress, QOL impairment). Negative social relationships marked by conflict and adverse exchanges are more consistently and strongly related to IBS outcomes than social support. PMID:23731746

Social Network Analysis Reveals the Negative Effects of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms on Friend-Based Student Networks.

PubMed

Kim, Jun Won; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Johanna Inhyang; Lee, Young Sik; Min, Kyung Joon; Kim, Hyun-Jin; Lee, Jaewon

2015-01-01

Social network analysis has emerged as a promising tool in modern social psychology. This method can be used to examine friend-based social relationships in terms of network theory, with nodes representing individual students and ties representing relationships between students (e.g., friendships and kinships). Using social network analysis, we investigated whether greater severity of ADHD symptoms is correlated with weaker peer relationships among elementary school students. A total of 562 sixth-graders from two elementary schools (300 males) provided the names of their best friends (maximum 10 names). Their teachers rated each student's ADHD symptoms using an ADHD rating scale. The results showed that 10.2% of the students were at high risk for ADHD. Significant group differences were observed between the high-risk students and other students in two of the three network parameters (degree, centrality and closeness) used to assess friendship quality, with the high-risk group showing significantly lower values of degree and closeness compared to the other students. Moreover, negative correlations were found between the ADHD rating and two social network analysis parameters. Our findings suggest that the severity of ADHD symptoms is strongly correlated with the quality of social and interpersonal relationships in students with ADHD symptoms.

Social Network Analysis Reveals the Negative Effects of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms on Friend-Based Student Networks

PubMed Central

Kim, Jun Won; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Kim, Johanna Inhyang; Lee, Young Sik; Min, Kyung Joon; Kim, Hyun-Jin; Lee, Jaewon

2015-01-01

Introduction Social network analysis has emerged as a promising tool in modern social psychology. This method can be used to examine friend-based social relationships in terms of network theory, with nodes representing individual students and ties representing relationships between students (e.g., friendships and kinships). Using social network analysis, we investigated whether greater severity of ADHD symptoms is correlated with weaker peer relationships among elementary school students. Methods A total of 562 sixth-graders from two elementary schools (300 males) provided the names of their best friends (maximum 10 names). Their teachers rated each student’s ADHD symptoms using an ADHD rating scale. Results The results showed that 10.2% of the students were at high risk for ADHD. Significant group differences were observed between the high-risk students and other students in two of the three network parameters (degree, centrality and closeness) used to assess friendship quality, with the high-risk group showing significantly lower values of degree and closeness compared to the other students. Moreover, negative correlations were found between the ADHD rating and two social network analysis parameters. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the severity of ADHD symptoms is strongly correlated with the quality of social and interpersonal relationships in students with ADHD symptoms. PMID:26562777

A Two-Factor Model Better Explains Heterogeneity in Negative Symptoms: Evidence from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale.

PubMed

Jang, Seon-Kyeong; Choi, Hye-Im; Park, Soohyun; Jaekal, Eunju; Lee, Ga-Young; Cho, Young Il; Choi, Kee-Hong

2016-01-01

Acknowledging separable factors underlying negative symptoms may lead to better understanding and treatment of negative symptoms in individuals with schizophrenia. The current study aimed to test whether the negative symptoms factor (NSF) of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) would be better represented by expressive and experiential deficit factors, rather than by a single factor model, using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Two hundred and twenty individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders completed the PANSS; subsamples additionally completed the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and the Motivation and Pleasure Scale-Self-Report (MAP-SR). CFA results indicated that the two-factor model fit the data better than the one-factor model; however, latent variables were closely correlated. The two-factor model's fit was significantly improved by accounting for correlated residuals between N2 (emotional withdrawal) and N6 (lack of spontaneity and flow of conversation), and between N4 (passive social withdrawal) and G16 (active social avoidance), possibly reflecting common method variance. The two NSF factors exhibited differential patterns of correlation with subdomains of the BNSS and MAP-SR. These results suggest that the PANSS NSF would be better represented by a two-factor model than by a single-factor one, and support the two-factor model's adequate criterion-related validity. Common method variance among several items may be a potential source of measurement error under a two-factor model of the PANSS NSF.

Relationship between body composition and postural control in prepubertal overweight/obese children: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Villarrasa-Sapiña, Israel; Álvarez-Pitti, Julio; Cabeza-Ruiz, Ruth; Redón, Pau; Lurbe, Empar; García-Massó, Xavier

2018-02-01

Excess body weight during childhood causes reduced motor functionality and problems in postural control, a negative influence which has been reported in the literature. Nevertheless, no information regarding the effect of body composition on the postural control of overweight and obese children is available. The objective of this study was therefore to establish these relationships. A cross-sectional design was used to establish relationships between body composition and postural control variables obtained in bipedal eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions in twenty-two children. Centre of pressure signals were analysed in the temporal and frequency domains. Pearson correlations were applied to establish relationships between variables. Principal component analysis was applied to the body composition variables to avoid potential multicollinearity in the regression models. These principal components were used to perform a multiple linear regression analysis, from which regression models were obtained to predict postural control. Height and leg mass were the body composition variables that showed the highest correlation with postural control. Multiple regression models were also obtained and several of these models showed a higher correlation coefficient in predicting postural control than simple correlations. These models revealed that leg and trunk mass were good predictors of postural control. More equations were found in the eyes-open than eyes-closed condition. Body weight and height are negatively correlated with postural control. However, leg and trunk mass are better postural control predictors than arm or body mass. Finally, body composition variables are more useful in predicting postural control when the eyes are open. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emodin via colonic irrigation modulates gut microbiota and reduces uremic toxins in rats with chronic kidney disease

PubMed Central

Lu, Fuhua; Lu, Zhaoyu; Liu, Xusheng; Chen, Cha; Qu, Pinghua; Li, Dingcheng; Hua, Zhengshuang; Qu, Yanni; Zou, Chuan

2016-01-01

Gut microbiota plays a dual role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is closely linked to production of uremic toxins. Strategies of reducing uremic toxins by targeting gut microbiota are emerging. It is known that Chinese medicine rhubarb enema can reduce uremic toxins and improve renal function. However, it remains unknown which ingredient or mechanism mediates its effect. Here we utilized a rat CKD model of 5/6 nephrectomy to evaluate the effect of emodin, a main ingredient of rhubarb, on gut microbiota and uremic toxins in CKD. Emodin was administered via colonic irrigation at 5ml (1mg/day) for four weeks. We found that emodin via colonic irrigation (ECI) altered levels of two important uremic toxins, urea and indoxyl sulfate (IS), and changed gut microbiota in rats with CKD. ECI remarkably reduced urea and IS and improved renal function. Pyrosequencing and Real-Time qPCR analyses revealed that ECI resumed the microbial balance from an abnormal status in CKD. We also demonstrated that ten genera were positively correlated with Urea while four genera exhibited the negative correlation. Moreover, three genera were positively correlated with IS. Therefore, emodin altered the gut microbiota structure. It reduced the number of harmful bacteria, such as Clostridium spp. that is positively correlated with both urea and IS, but augmented the number of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp. that is negatively correlated with urea. Thus, changes in gut microbiota induced by emodin via colonic irrigation are closely associated with reduction in uremic toxins and mitigation of renal injury. PMID:27003359

Emodin via colonic irrigation modulates gut microbiota and reduces uremic toxins in rats with chronic kidney disease.

PubMed

Zeng, Yu-Qun; Dai, Zhenhua; Lu, Fuhua; Lu, Zhaoyu; Liu, Xusheng; Chen, Cha; Qu, Pinghua; Li, Dingcheng; Hua, Zhengshuang; Qu, Yanni; Zou, Chuan

2016-04-05

Gut microbiota plays a dual role in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and is closely linked to production of uremic toxins. Strategies of reducing uremic toxins by targeting gut microbiota are emerging. It is known that Chinese medicine rhubarb enema can reduce uremic toxins and improve renal function. However, it remains unknown which ingredient or mechanism mediates its effect. Here we utilized a rat CKD model of 5/6 nephrectomy to evaluate the effect of emodin, a main ingredient of rhubarb, on gut microbiota and uremic toxins in CKD. Emodin was administered via colonic irrigation at 5ml (1mg/day) for four weeks. We found that emodin via colonic irrigation (ECI) altered levels of two important uremic toxins, urea and indoxyl sulfate (IS), and changed gut microbiota in rats with CKD. ECI remarkably reduced urea and IS and improved renal function. Pyrosequencing and Real-Time qPCR analyses revealed that ECI resumed the microbial balance from an abnormal status in CKD. We also demonstrated that ten genera were positively correlated with Urea while four genera exhibited the negative correlation. Moreover, three genera were positively correlated with IS. Therefore, emodin altered the gut microbiota structure. It reduced the number of harmful bacteria, such as Clostridium spp. that is positively correlated with both urea and IS, but augmented the number of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus spp. that is negatively correlated with urea. Thus, changes in gut microbiota induced by emodin via colonic irrigation are closely associated with reduction in uremic toxins and mitigation of renal injury.

Alertness Modulates Conflict Adaptation and Feature Integration in an Opposite Way

PubMed Central

Chen, Jia; Huang, Xiting; Chen, Antao

2013-01-01

Previous studies show that the congruency sequence effect can result from both the conflict adaptation effect (CAE) and feature integration effect which can be observed as the repetition priming effect (RPE) and feature overlap effect (FOE) depending on different experimental conditions. Evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that a close correlation exists between the neural mechanisms of alertness-related modulations and the congruency sequence effect. However, little is known about whether and how alertness mediates the congruency sequence effect. In Experiment 1, the Attentional Networks Test (ANT) and a modified flanker task were used to evaluate whether the alertness of the attentional functions had a correlation with the CAE and RPE. In Experimental 2, the ANT and another modified flanker task were used to investigate whether alertness of the attentional functions correlate with the CAE and FOE. In Experiment 1, through the correlative analysis, we found a significant positive correlation between alertness and the CAE, and a negative correlation between the alertness and the RPE. Moreover, a significant negative correlation existed between CAE and RPE. In Experiment 2, we found a marginally significant negative correlation between the CAE and the RPE, but the correlation between alertness and FOE, CAE and FOE was not significant. These results suggest that alertness can modulate conflict adaptation and feature integration in an opposite way. Participants at the high alerting level group may tend to use the top-down cognitive processing strategy, whereas participants at the low alerting level group tend to use the bottom-up processing strategy. PMID:24250824

The relation between self-reported worry and annoyance from air and road traffic.

PubMed

van den Berg, Frits; Verhagen, Claudia; Uitenbroek, Daan

2015-02-25

Negative perceptions such as fear or worry are known to be an important determinant of annoyance. Annoyance caused by noise and odour has been analysed in relation to worry about safety or health due to environmental hazards, using responses to a health survey. In the survey area high environmental impacts come from air and road traffic. The survey results show a correlation between worry due to the airport or passing aircraft and noise and odour annoyance from aircraft (correlation coefficient (c.c.) close to 0.6). For the relation between worry about a busy street and annoyance from road traffic the correlation is lower (c.c. 0.4-0.5). Worries about different situations, such as living below sea level, close to an airport, busy street or chemical industry, are highly correlated (c.c. 0.5-0.9), also for situations that are not obviously related. Personal factors can also lead to more worry: being female, above 35 years of age, having a high risk for anxiety/depression and being in bad health increase the odds for being worried. The results thus suggest that worry about safety or health is correlated to both personal and environmental factors.

The Relation between Self-Reported Worry and Annoyance from Air and Road Traffic

PubMed Central

van den Berg, Frits; Verhagen, Claudia; Uitenbroek, Daan

2015-01-01

Negative perceptions such as fear or worry are known to be an important determinant of annoyance. Annoyance caused by noise and odour has been analysed in relation to worry about safety or health due to environmental hazards, using responses to a health survey. In the survey area high environmental impacts come from air and road traffic. The survey results show a correlation between worry due to the airport or passing aircraft and noise and odour annoyance from aircraft (correlation coefficient (c.c.) close to 0.6). For the relation between worry about a busy street and annoyance from road traffic the correlation is lower (c.c. 0.4–0.5). Worries about different situations, such as living below sea level, close to an airport, busy street or chemical industry, are highly correlated (c.c. 0.5–0.9), also for situations that are not obviously related. Personal factors can also lead to more worry: being female, above 35 years of age, having a high risk for anxiety/depression and being in bad health increase the odds for being worried. The results thus suggest that worry about safety or health is correlated to both personal and environmental factors. PMID:25723645

Use of Landsat data to evaluate lesser prairie chicken habitats in western Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cannon, R. W.; Knopf, Fritz L.; Pettinger, Lawrence R.

1982-01-01

Landsat digital data were used to evaluate lesser prairie chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) habitats in western Oklahoma. Data for 7 (4,144 ha) study areas, 4 in shinnery oak (Quercus havardii), and 3 in sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) rangeland, were analyzed using the Interactive Digital Image Manipulation System at the EROS Center. In shinnery oak rangeland, density of displaying males was correlated positively with percentage of area in grassland classes and negatively correlated with the percentage in brushland classes. In sand sagebrush rangeland, density of displaying males was negatively, but not significantly correlated with percentage of area in bare soil and grassland classes, and positively, but not significantly correlated with percentage of area in brushland classes. The trends found between density of displaying males and the Landsat-generated resource classes closely parallel similar relationships found with field sampling techniques. Analysis of the Landsat digital data for this study cost 13.8 cents/ha. Because larger areas could have been analyzed with the same digital data, the unit cost for analysis would decline with increasingly larger areas.

Monogamy relations of nonclassical correlations for multi-qubit states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Shuming; Liu, Lijun

2018-07-01

Nonclassical correlations have been found useful in many quantum information processing tasks, and various measures have been proposed to quantify these correlations. In this work, we mainly study one of nonclassical correlations, called measurement-induced nonlocality (MIN). First, we establish a close connection between this nonlocal effect and the Bell nonlocality for two-qubit states. Then, we derive a tight monogamy relation of MIN for any pure three-qubit state and provide an alternative way to obtain similar monogamy relations for other nonclassical correlation measures, including squared negativity, quantum discord, and geometric quantum discord. Finally, we find that the tight monogamy relation of MIN is violated by some mixed three-qubit states, however, a weaker monogamy relation of MIN for mixed states and even multi-qubit states is still obtained.

Physical activity measured by physical activity monitoring system correlates with glucose trends reconstructed from continuous glucose monitoring.

PubMed

Zecchin, Chiara; Facchinetti, Andrea; Sparacino, Giovanni; Dalla Man, Chiara; Manohar, Chinmay; Levine, James A; Basu, Ananda; Kudva, Yogish C; Cobelli, Claudio

2013-10-01

In type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), physical activity (PA) lowers the risk of cardiovascular complications but hinders the achievement of optimal glycemic control, transiently boosting insulin action and increasing hypoglycemia risk. Quantitative investigation of relationships between PA-related signals and glucose dynamics, tracked using, for example, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors, have been barely explored. In the clinic, 20 control and 19 T1DM subjects were studied for 4 consecutive days. They underwent low-intensity PA sessions daily. PA was tracked by the PA monitoring system (PAMS), a system comprising accelerometers and inclinometers. Variations on glucose dynamics were tracked estimating first- and second-order time derivatives of glucose concentration from CGM via Bayesian smoothing. Short-time effects of PA on glucose dynamics were quantified through the partial correlation function in the interval (0, 60 min) after starting PA. Correlation of PA with glucose time derivatives is evident. In T1DM, the negative correlation with the first-order glucose time derivative is maximal (absolute value) after 15 min of PA, whereas the positive correlation is maximal after 40-45 min. The negative correlation between the second-order time derivative and PA is maximal after 5 min, whereas the positive correlation is maximal after 35-40 min. Control subjects provided similar results but with positive and negative correlation peaks anticipated of 5 min. Quantitative information on correlation between mild PA and short-term glucose dynamics was obtained. This represents a preliminary important step toward incorporation of PA information in more realistic physiological models of the glucose-insulin system usable in T1DM simulators, in development of closed-loop artificial pancreas control algorithms, and in CGM-based prediction algorithms for generation of hypoglycemic alerts.

Long-term fluctuations in intertidal communities in an Irish sea-lough: Limpet-fucoid cycles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Little, Colin; Trowbridge, Cynthia D.; Pilling, Graham M.; Stirling, Penny; Morritt, David; Williams, Gray A.

2017-09-01

Long-term cyclical changes in rocky shore community structure were documented over two decades at sheltered shores in Lough Hyne Marine Reserve, County Cork, Ireland. Three peaks of abundance were recorded for the limpet, Patella vulgata (1990-5, 2002-6 and 2010-14) with oscillations that varied in amplitude and frequency among sites. The cover of the fucoid Fucus vesiculosus varied inversely with limpet abundance and showed the strongest negative correlation with a lag time of 0-2 years. The species complex Fucus spiralis/guiryi showed a weaker correlation with a lag time of 1-2 years. Two other fucoid species showed no such negative correlations despite their close proximity to limpets within the lough's compressed tidal range. There was no relationship between overall barnacle cover (dominated by Austrominius modestus) and the limpet-fucoid cycles, suggesting that the shelter provided by A. modestus for algae to escape from limpet grazing pressure may not be necessary for these cycles to occur on wave-sheltered shores.

Fecal Calprotectin Levels Are Closely Correlated with the Absence of Relevant Mucosal Lesions in Postoperative Crohn's Disease.

PubMed

Garcia-Planella, Esther; Mañosa, Míriam; Cabré, Eduard; Marín, Laura; Gordillo, Jordi; Zabana, Yamile; Boix, Jaume; Sáinz, Sergio; Domènech, Eugeni

2016-12-01

Fecal calprotectin (FC) is the best noninvasive biomarker of disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease. Its correlation with endoscopic mucosal lesions could save inconvenient, expensive, and repeated endoscopic examinations in particular clinical settings. To assess the correlation between FC and the existence and severity of endoscopic postoperative recurrence (POR), a group of clinically stable outpatients with Crohn's disease for whom an ileocolonoscopy was routinely planned to assess POR were invited to collect a stool sample before starting bowel cleansing to measure FC. POR was graded by means of Rutgeerts endoscopic score. One hundred nineteen ileocolonoscopies were included, 42% with endoscopic POR. FC was significantly lower in the absence of endoscopic POR and in the absence of any endoscopic lesion. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.76 (95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.85) for the diagnosis of the absence of lesions and 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.66-0.84) for endoscopic POR. Better sensitivity and negative predictive value were observed when combining FC and serum C-reactive protein (CRP), leading to a sensitivity of 82%, a specificity of 53%, and negative and positive predictive values of 81% and 54%, respectively, for the prediction of endoscopic POR with a combination of FC 100 μg/g and CRP 5 mg/L cutoff values. FC correlates closely with endoscopic POR in clinically stable postoperative patients with Crohn's disease and, when used in combination with CRP, might save endoscopic examinations and allow for a high-grade suspicion of endoscopic POR in the long-term monitoring of these patients.

The Economic Impact of Closed-Incision Negative-Pressure Therapy in High-Risk Abdominal Incisions: A Cost-Utility Analysis.

PubMed

Chopra, Karan; Gowda, Arvind U; Morrow, Chris; Holton, Luther; Singh, Devinder P

2016-04-01

Complex abdominal wall reconstruction is beset by postoperative complications. A recent meta-analysis comparing the use of closed-incision negative-pressure therapy to standard dressings found a statistically significant reduction in surgical-site infection. The use of closed-incision negative-pressure therapy is gaining acceptance in this population; however, the economic impact of this innovative dressing remains unknown. In this study, a cost-utility analysis was performed assessing closed-incision negative-pressure therapy and standard dressings following closure of abdominal incisions in high-risk patients. Cost-utility methodology involved reviewing literature related to closed-incision negative-pressure therapy in abdominal wall surgery, obtaining utility estimates to calculate quality-adjusted life-year scores for successful surgery and surgery complicated by surgical-site infection, summing costs using Medicare Current Procedural Terminology codes, and creating a decision tree illuminating the most cost-effective dressing strategy. One-way sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of the results. The aforementioned meta-analysis comparing closed-incision negative-pressure therapy to standard dressings included a subset of five studies assessing abdominal wall surgery in 829 patients (260 closed-incision negative-pressure therapy and 569 standard dressings). Decision tree analysis revealed an estimated savings of $1546.52 and a gain of 0.0024 quality-adjusted life-year with closed-incision negative-pressure therapy compared with standard dressings; therefore, closed-incision negative-pressure therapy is a dominant treatment strategy. One-way sensitivity analysis revealed that closed-incision negative-pressure therapy is a cost-effective option when the surgical-site infection rate is greater than 16.39 percent. The use of closed-incision negative-pressure therapy is cost-saving following closure of abdominal incisions in high-risk patients.

Market impact and structure dynamics of the Chinese stock market based on partial correlation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xing; Qiu, Tian; Chen, Guang; Zhong, Li-Xin; Wu, Xiao-Run

2017-04-01

Partial correlation analysis is employed to study the market impact on the Chinese stock market from both the native and external markets. Whereas the native market index is observed to have a great impact on the market correlations for both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets, some external stock indices of the United States, European and Asian stock markets show a slight influence on the Chinese market. The individual stock can be affected by different economic sectors, but the dominant influence is from the sector the stock itself belongs to or closely related to, and the finance and insurance sector shows a weaker correlation with other economic sectors. Moreover, the market structure similarity exhibits a negative correlation with the price return in most time, and the structure similarity decays with the time interval.

Identifying Meteorological Controls on Open and Closed Mesoscale Cellular Convection Associated with Marine Cold Air Outbreaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Isabel L.; Wood, Robert; Fletcher, Jennifer K.

2017-11-01

Mesoscale cellular convective (MCC) clouds occur in large-scale patterns over the ocean and have important radiative effects on the climate system. An examination of time-varying meteorological conditions associated with satellite-observed open and closed MCC clouds is conducted to illustrate the influence of large-scale meteorological conditions. Marine cold air outbreaks (MCAO) influence the development of open MCC clouds and the transition from closed to open MCC clouds. MCC neural network classifications on Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data for 2008 are collocated with Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) data and ERA-Interim reanalysis to determine the radiative effects of MCC clouds and their thermodynamic environments. Closed MCC clouds are found to have much higher albedo on average than open MCC clouds for the same cloud fraction. Three meteorological control metrics are tested: sea-air temperature difference (ΔT), estimated inversion strength (EIS), and a MCAO index (M). These predictive metrics illustrate the importance of atmospheric surface forcing and static stability for open and closed MCC cloud formation. Predictive sigmoidal relations are found between M and MCC cloud frequency globally and regionally: negative for closed MCC cloud and positive for open MCC cloud. The open MCC cloud seasonal cycle is well correlated with M, while the seasonality of closed MCC clouds is well correlated with M in the midlatitudes and EIS in the tropics and subtropics. M is found to best distinguish open and closed MCC clouds on average over shorter time scales. The possibility of a MCC cloud feedback is discussed.

Symptom reporting in cancer patients: the role of negative affect and experienced social stigma.

PubMed

Koller, M; Kussman, J; Lorenz, W; Jenkins, M; Voss, M; Arens, E; Richter, E; Rothmund, M

1996-03-01

Recent research suggests that patients' appraisal of somatic symptoms is more closely related to emotional variables (particularly negative affect) than to their actual health as determined by external criteria. Sixty surgical cancer patients who at the time of a routine follow-up examination filled out the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire-C30, which included a positive/negative affect scale and a scale tapping into experienced social stigma. Patients' health status was determined in two ways: the examining physician gave a global judgement on a standardized scale at the end of the examination, and an additional two external physicians later rated the patients based on the findings listed in the medical record. Patients' reports of somatic symptoms were strongly correlated with two measures of negative affect (r = 0.75 and r = 0.65, respectively) and with experienced social stigma (r = 0.51). In contrast, the correlations between reported symptoms and the examining or external physicians' ratings were considerably weaker (r = 0.31 and r = 0.19). According to a multiple linear regression with 6 predictors, negative affect was the best single predictor of symptom reporting (beta = 0.68; P < 0.001) and global quality of life (beta = 0.48; P < 0.001). Factor analysis yielded a dimension of somatopsychosocial distress that accounted for 44.1% of the variance and is comprised of reported symptoms (factor loading = 0.86), negative affect (0.90 and 0.82), experienced social stigma (0.74), and global quality of life (0.70). Physicians' ratings and positive affect constituted two additional separate factors. Cancer patients' reporting of somatic symptoms by means of a standardized quality of life questionnaire is closely related to emotional and social distress and is not equivalent to health status as determined from a clinical perspective. Researchers and practitioners have to be aware of this fact when interpreting quality of life data. Furthermore, negative affect deserves attention as an important signal for intervention in tumor follow-up programs.

Impaired coupling of local and global functional feedbacks underlies abnormal synchronization and negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Noh, Kyungchul; Shin, Kyung Soon; Shin, Dongkwan; Hwang, Jae Yeon; Kim, June Sic; Jang, Joon Hwan; Chung, Chun Kee; Kwon, Jun Soo; Cho, Kwang-Hyun

2013-04-10

Abnormal synchronization of brain oscillations is found to be associated with various core symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the underlying mechanism of this association remains yet to be elucidated. In this study, we found that coupled local and global feedback (CLGF) circuits in the cortical functional network are related to the abnormal synchronization and also correlated to the negative symptom of schizophrenia. Analysis of the magnetoencephalography data obtained from patients with chronic schizophrenia during rest revealed an increase in beta band synchronization and a reduction in gamma band power compared to healthy controls. Using a feedback identification method based on non-causal impulse responses, we constructed functional feedback networks and found that CLGF circuits were significantly reduced in schizophrenia. From computational analysis on the basis of the Wilson-Cowan model, we unraveled that the CLGF circuits are critically involved in the abnormal synchronization and the dynamical switching between beta and gamma bands power in schizophrenia. Moreover, we found that the abundance of CLGF circuits was negatively correlated with the development of negative symptoms of schizophrenia, suggesting that the negative symptom is closely related to the impairment of this circuit. Our study implicates that patients with schizophrenia might have the impaired coupling of inter- and intra-regional functional feedbacks and that the CLGF circuit might serve as a critical bridge between abnormal synchronization and the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Correlations among Psychological Resilience, Self-Efficacy, and Negative Emotion in Acute Myocardial Infarction Patients after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

PubMed

Liu, Neng; Liu, Shaohui; Yu, Nan; Peng, Yunhua; Wen, Yumei; Tang, Jie; Kong, Lingyu

2018-01-01

We investigated the influencing factors of the psychological resilience and self-efficacy of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and the relationships of psychological resilience and self-efficacy with negative emotion. Eighty-eight participants were enrolled. Psychological resilience, self-efficacy, and negative emotion were assessed with the Psychological Resilience Scale, Self-Efficacy Scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), respectively. Furthermore, the relationships of psychological resilience and self-efficacy with negative emotion were investigated. The average scores of psychological resilience, self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression were 70.08 ± 13.26, 21.56 ± 9.66, 53.68 ± 13.10, and 56.12 ± 12.37, respectively. The incidences of anxiety and depression were 23.90% (21/88) and 28.40% (25/88), respectively. The psychological resilience and self-efficacy scores of AMI patients after PCI varied significantly with age and economic status. SAS scores and SDS scores were significantly negatively correlated with psychological resilience and self-efficacy. Negative emotions in AMI patients after PCI are closely related to psychological resilience and self-efficacy. Therefore, anxiety and depression could be alleviated by improving the psychological resilience and self-efficacy of patients undergoing PCI, thus improving patients' quality of life.

Are corporations people too? The neural correlates of moral judgments about companies and individuals.

PubMed

Plitt, Mark; Savjani, Ricky R; Eagleman, David M

2015-04-01

To investigate whether the legal concept of "corporate personhood" mirrors an inherent similarity in the neural processing of the actions of corporations and people, we measured brain responses to vignettes about corporations and people while participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found that anti-social actions of corporations elicited more intense negative emotions and that pro-social actions of people elicited more intense positive emotions. However, the networks underlying the moral decisions about corporations and people are strikingly similar, including regions of the canonical theory of mind network. In analyzing the activity in these networks, we found differences in the emotional processing of these two types of vignettes: neutral actions of corporations showed neural correlates that more closely resembled negative actions than positive actions. Collectively, these findings indicate that our brains understand and analyze the actions of corporations and people very similarly, with a small emotional bias against corporations.

[Translation and validation initiatives of the German version of the Teenage Inventory of Social Skills].

PubMed

Pössel, P; Häussler, B

2004-02-01

A lot of studies show the close connection between low social competence and psychological disturbances of adolescents. To record the social behavior of adolescents among each other the "Teenage Inventory of Social Skills" (TISS) was translated into German and evaluated. The factorial created scales "positive behaviour", and "negative behaviour" show an internal constistuency of alpha = .86 and .85. The 13 to 18 days test-retest reliability amounts to r = .89 for both scales. While there is no substantial correlation between the scale "positive behaviour" and the syndrome scales of the "Youth Self-Report", the scale "negative behaviour" shows the expected correlations with the YSR scales "aggressive behaviour" and "dissocial behaviour". The "Teenage Inventory of Social Skills--German" (TISS-D) seems to be a self-rated, economical and reliable instrument for the recording of sympathy and antipathy generating behavior of adolescents.

Factors controlling peat chemistry and vegetation composition in Sudbury peatlands after 30 years of pollution emission reductions.

PubMed

Barrett, Sophie E; Watmough, Shaun A

2015-11-01

The objective of this research was to assess factors controlling peat and plant chemistry, and vegetation composition in 18 peatlands surrounding Sudbury after more than 30 years of large (>95%) pollution emission reductions. Sites closer to the main Copper Cliff smelter had more humified peat and the surface horizons were greatly enriched in copper (Cu) and nickel (Ni). Copper and Ni concentrations in peat were significantly correlated with that in the plant tissue of Chamaedaphne calyculata. The pH of peat was the strongest determining factor for species richness, diversity, and community composition, although percent vascular plant cover was strongly negatively correlated with surface Cu and Ni concentrations in peat. Sphagnum frequency was also negatively related to peat Cu and Ni concentrations indicating sites close to Copper Cliff smelter remain adversely impacted by industrial activities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk Factors for Hypogonadism in Male Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

PubMed Central

Zheng, Rendong; Cao, Lin; Cao, Wen; Chu, Xiaoqiu; Hu, Yongxin; Zhang, Huifeng; Xu, Juan; Sun, Hongping; Bao, Weiping; Liu, Kemian; Liu, Chao

2016-01-01

Background. Male hypogonadism is an endocrine disease characterized by low levels of serum testosterone and is closely related to the development of diabetes. The purpose of the present study was to observe the risk factors for hypogonadism in male patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods. A total of 213 patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled and divided into a low total testosterone (TT) group (=75) and a normal TT group (=138). The patients' blood glucose, blood lipids, serum insulin, and sex hormones were measured. The correlations between the patients' metabolic index and sex hormone levels were analyzed. Results. Compared with the normal TT group, body mass index (BMI), fasting insulin (FINS), and HOMA insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) levels were significantly higher, but the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were significantly lower in the low TT group (p < 0.05). Correlation analyses found that TT was negatively correlated with BMI, waist circumference (WC), FINS, and HOMA-IR. TT was positively correlated with LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Conclusions. Several risk factors of diabetes associated closely with hypogonadism. BMI, metabolic syndrome (MS), HOMA-IR, and LH are independent risk factors for hypogonadism in male patients with type 2 diabetes. PMID:27006953

Contrasting biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships in phylogenetic and functional diversity.

PubMed

Steudel, Bastian; Hallmann, Christine; Lorenz, Maike; Abrahamczyk, Stefan; Prinz, Kathleen; Herrfurth, Cornelia; Feussner, Ivo; Martini, Johannes W R; Kessler, Michael

2016-10-01

It is well known that ecosystem functioning is positively influenced by biodiversity. Most biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiments have measured biodiversity based on species richness or phylogenetic relationships. However, theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that ecosystem functioning should be more closely related to functional diversity than to species richness. We applied different metrics of biodiversity in an artificial biodiversity-ecosystem functioning experiment using 64 species of green microalgae in combinations of two to 16 species. We found that phylogenetic and functional diversity were positively correlated with biomass overyield, driven by their strong correlation with species richness. At low species richness, no significant correlation between overyield and functional and phylogenetic diversity was found. However, at high species richness (16 species), we found a positive relationship of overyield with functional diversity and a negative relationship with phylogenetic diversity. We show that negative phylogenetic diversity-ecosystem functioning relationships can result from interspecific growth inhibition. The opposing performances of facilitation (functional diversity) and inhibition (phylogenetic diversity) we observed at the 16 species level suggest that phylogenetic diversity is not always a good proxy for functional diversity and that results from experiments with low species numbers may underestimate negative species interactions. © 2016 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2016 New Phytologist Trust.

Numerical simulation of haemodynamics and low-density lipoprotein transport in the rabbit aorta and their correlation with atherosclerotic plaque thickness

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiao; Zhang, Peng; Feng, Chenglong; Sun, Anqiang; Kang, Hongyan; Deng, Xiaoyan; Fan, Yubo

2017-01-01

Two mechanisms of shear stress and mass transport have been recognized to play an important role in the development of localized atherosclerosis. However, their relationship and roles in atherogenesis are still obscure. It is necessary to investigate quantitatively the correlation among low-density lipoproteins (LDL) transport, haemodynamic parameters and plaque thickness. We simulated blood flow and LDL transport in rabbit aorta using computational fluid dynamics and evaluated plaque thickness in the aorta of a high-fat-diet rabbit. The numerical results show that regions with high luminal LDL concentration tend to have severely negative haemodynamic environments (HEs). However, for regions with moderately and slightly high luminal LDL concentration, the relationship between LDL concentration and the above haemodynamic indicators is not clear cut. Point-by-point correlation with experimental results indicates that severe atherosclerotic plaque corresponds to high LDL concentration and seriously negative HEs, less severe atherosclerotic plaque is related to either moderately high LDL concentration or moderately negative HEs, and there is almost no atherosclerotic plaque in regions with both low LDL concentration and positive HEs. In conclusion, LDL distribution is closely linked to blood flow transport, and the synergetic effects of luminal surface LDL concentration and wall shear stress-based haemodynamic indicators may determine plaque thickness. PMID:28424305

Correlations and Functional Connections in a Population of Grid Cells

PubMed Central

Roudi, Yasser

2015-01-01

We study the statistics of spike trains of simultaneously recorded grid cells in freely behaving rats. We evaluate pairwise correlations between these cells and, using a maximum entropy kinetic pairwise model (kinetic Ising model), study their functional connectivity. Even when we account for the covariations in firing rates due to overlapping fields, both the pairwise correlations and functional connections decay as a function of the shortest distance between the vertices of the spatial firing pattern of pairs of grid cells, i.e. their phase difference. They take positive values between cells with nearby phases and approach zero or negative values for larger phase differences. We find similar results also when, in addition to correlations due to overlapping fields, we account for correlations due to theta oscillations and head directional inputs. The inferred connections between neurons in the same module and those from different modules can be both negative and positive, with a mean close to zero, but with the strongest inferred connections found between cells of the same module. Taken together, our results suggest that grid cells in the same module do indeed form a local network of interconnected neurons with a functional connectivity that supports a role for attractor dynamics in the generation of grid pattern. PMID:25714908

Relationships between Dietary Intake and Cognitive Function in Healthy Korean Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Kim, Jin Young; Kang, Seung Wan

2017-01-01

Background It has long been theorized that a relatively robust dietary intake impacts cognitive function. The aim of the study was to explore dietary intake and cognitive function in healthy Korean children and adolescents. Methods Three hundred and seventeen healthy children with no previous diagnosis of neurologic or psychiatric disorders were evaluated (167 girls and 150 boys with a mean age of 11.8 ± 3.3 years). Analysis indicators including food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) consisting of 76 items and neurocognitive tests including symbol digit modalities (SDMT), verbal memory, visual memory, shift attention, reasoning, and digit span (forward and backward) tests were observed and recorded. Results The standard deviation in reaction time was significantly shorter in girls than in boys (p < 0.05). Verbal memory and SDMT percentile results were significantly higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.05). Vitamin C and potassium intake showed positive correlation with SDMT results (p < 0.05). Vitamin B1 intake showed positive correlation with the results of digit span forward tasks and SDMT (p < 0.01). Vitamin B6 intake showed positive correlation with the results of digit span forward tasks (p < 0.01). The consumption of noodles showed negative correlation with verbal memory, SDMT, shift attention, and reasoning test results (p < 0.05). The consumption of fast food showed negative correlation with SDMT and reasoning test results (p < 0.05). The consumption of Coca-Cola showed negative correlation with the results of verbal memory tests (p < 0.05). The consumption of mushrooms showed positive correlation with visual memory and reasoning test results (p < 0.05). The consumption of nuts showed positive correlation with SDMT results (p < 0.01). Omission errors were negatively correlated with the intake of protein, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin B6 (p < 0.05), as well as with vitamin D and zinc intake (p < 0.01). Reaction time showed positive correlation with caffeine intake (p < 0.05). Omission errors were positively correlated with the consumption of rice and ramyeon (p < 0.01). Reaction time showed positive correlation with the consumption of snacks (p < 0.05). Standard deviations in reaction times showed positive correlation with the consumption of rice (p < 0.01), snacks, and chocolate (p < 0.05). Omission errors were negatively correlated with the consumption of rice with mixed grains (p < 0.01) and eggs (p < 0.05). Conclusion The relationship between dietary intake and cognitive function is generally better observed in girls than in boys. The consumption of healthy foods is correlated with good cognitive function. These results suggest that diet is closely related to cognitive function, even in healthy children and adolescents. PMID:28261556

Relationships between Dietary Intake and Cognitive Function in Healthy Korean Children and Adolescents.

PubMed

Kim, Jin Young; Kang, Seung Wan

2017-01-01

It has long been theorized that a relatively robust dietary intake impacts cognitive function. The aim of the study was to explore dietary intake and cognitive function in healthy Korean children and adolescents. Three hundred and seventeen healthy children with no previous diagnosis of neurologic or psychiatric disorders were evaluated (167 girls and 150 boys with a mean age of 11.8 ± 3.3 years). Analysis indicators including food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) consisting of 76 items and neurocognitive tests including symbol digit modalities (SDMT), verbal memory, visual memory, shift attention, reasoning, and digit span (forward and backward) tests were observed and recorded. The standard deviation in reaction time was significantly shorter in girls than in boys (p < 0.05). Verbal memory and SDMT percentile results were significantly higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.05). Vitamin C and potassium intake showed positive correlation with SDMT results (p < 0.05). Vitamin B1 intake showed positive correlation with the results of digit span forward tasks and SDMT (p < 0.01). Vitamin B6 intake showed positive correlation with the results of digit span forward tasks (p < 0.01). The consumption of noodles showed negative correlation with verbal memory, SDMT, shift attention, and reasoning test results (p < 0.05). The consumption of fast food showed negative correlation with SDMT and reasoning test results (p < 0.05). The consumption of Coca-Cola showed negative correlation with the results of verbal memory tests (p < 0.05). The consumption of mushrooms showed positive correlation with visual memory and reasoning test results (p < 0.05). The consumption of nuts showed positive correlation with SDMT results (p < 0.01). Omission errors were negatively correlated with the intake of protein, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin, and vitamin B6 (p < 0.05), as well as with vitamin D and zinc intake (p < 0.01). Reaction time showed positive correlation with caffeine intake (p < 0.05). Omission errors were positively correlated with the consumption of rice and ramyeon (p < 0.01). Reaction time showed positive correlation with the consumption of snacks (p < 0.05). Standard deviations in reaction times showed positive correlation with the consumption of rice (p < 0.01), snacks, and chocolate (p < 0.05). Omission errors were negatively correlated with the consumption of rice with mixed grains (p < 0.01) and eggs (p < 0.05). The relationship between dietary intake and cognitive function is generally better observed in girls than in boys. The consumption of healthy foods is correlated with good cognitive function. These results suggest that diet is closely related to cognitive function, even in healthy children and adolescents.

Correlation between Gini index and mobility in a stochastic kinetic model of economic exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertotti, Maria Letizia; Chattopadhyay, Amit K.; Modanese, Giovanni

Starting from a class of stochastically driven kinetic models of economic exchange, here we present results highlighting the correlation of the Gini inequality index with the social mobility rate, close to dynamical equilibrium. Except for the "canonical-additive case", our numerical results consistently indicate negative values of the correlation coefficient, in agreement with empirical evidence. This confirms that growing inequality is not conducive to social mobility which then requires an "external source" to sustain its dynamics. On the other hand, the sign of the correlation between inequality and total income in the canonical ensemble depends on the way wealth enters or leaves the system. At a technical level, the approach involves a generalization of a stochastic dynamical system formulation, that further paves the way for a probabilistic formulation of perturbed economic exchange models.

Social orientation and diabetes-related distress in Japanese and American patients with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Ikeda, Kaori; Fujimoto, Shimpei; Morling, Beth; Ayano-Takahara, Shiho; Carroll, Andrew E; Harashima, Shin-ichi; Uchida, Yukiko; Inagaki, Nobuya

2014-01-01

Recent evidence in cultural and social psychology suggests Eastern cultures' emphasis on harmony and connection with others and Western cultures' emphasis on self-direction and autonomy. In Eastern society, relational harmony is closely linked to people's well-being. The impact of this cultural and social orientation on diabetes-related distress was investigated. Japanese and American patients with type 2 diabetes were surveyed by well-established questionnaire in Japan and in the United States, respectively. The association of personal values for interdependence, perceived emotional support, and the Problem Areas in Diabetes scale (PAID) were analyzed. A positive correlation between interdependence and PAID (r = 0.18; P = 0.025) and a negative correlation between perceived emotional support and PAID (r = - 0.24; P = 0.004) were observed after adjustments for other factors in Japanese data (n = 149), but not in American data (r = 0.00; P = 0.990, r = 0.02; P = 0.917, respectively, n = 50). In Japanese data, the three-factor structure of PAID (negative feelings about total life with diabetes, about living conditions with diabetes, and about treatment of diabetes) was identified, and interdependence showed significant positive correlations with the first and second factors and perceived emotional support showed significant negative correlations with all three factors of PAID. These results suggest that personal values for interdependence may be linked to the level of diabetes-related distress and that the distress may be relieved by perception of emotional support, especially in an interdependent cultural context.

Manganese oxide shuttling in pre-GOE oceans - evidence from molybdenum and iron isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurzweil, Florian; Wille, Martin; Gantert, Niklas; Beukes, Nicolas J.; Schoenberg, Ronny

2016-10-01

The local occurrence of oxygen-rich shallow marine water environments has been suggested to significantly predate atmospheric oxygenation, which occurred during the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) ca. 2.4 billion years ago. However, the potential influence of such 'oxygen oases' on the mobility, distribution and isotopic composition of redox sensitive elements remains poorly understood. Here, we provide new molybdenum and iron isotopic data from shallow marine carbonate and silicate iron formations of the Koegas Subgroup, South Africa, that confirm local ocean redox stratification prior to the GOE. Mn concentrations correlate negatively with both δ98 Mo and δ56 Fe values, which highlights the substantial role of particulate manganese for the cycling of Mo and Fe in the Paleoproterozoic oceans. Based on these trends we propose that pore water molybdate was recharged (1) by the diffusional transport of seawater molybdate with high δ98 Mo and (2) by the re-liberation of adsorbed molybdate with low δ98 Mo during Mn oxide dissolution within the sediment. The relative contribution of isotopically light Mo is highest close to a Mn chemocline, where the flux of Mn oxides is largest, causing the negative correlation of Mn concentrations and δ98 Mo values in the Koegas sediments. The negative correlation between δ56 Fe values and Mn concentrations is likely related to Fe isotope fractionation during Fe(II) oxidation by Mn oxides, resulting in lower δ56 Fe values in the uppermost water column close to a Mn chemocline. We argue that the preservation of these signals within Paleoproterozoic sediments implies the existence of vertically extended chemoclines with a smoother gradient, probably as a result of low atmospheric oxygen concentrations. Furthermore, we suggest that abiotic oxidation of Fe(II) by a Mn oxide particle shuttle might have promoted the deposition of the Koegas iron formations.

Gastropod growth and survival as bioindicators of stress associated with high nutrients in the intertidal of a shallow temperate estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsden, Islay D.; Baharuddin, Nursalwa

2015-04-01

The effects of multiple stressors on estuarine organisms are not well understood. Using cage experiments we measured the survival and growth of the pulmonate gastropod Amphibola crenata at five locations which differed contaminant levels. Water nutrients came from a nearby sewage treatment works and the sediment contained low levels of trace metals. Over 6 weeks of exposure, sediment surface chlorophyll levels varied amongst locations. The Chl a values were positively correlated with sediment N and P and trace metals As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn. Pulmonate survival depended on location, highest mortality was from a site close to the treatment plant and mortality rate of large individuals decreased significantly with distance away from it. For four locations, medium A. crenata had higher survival than small (juveniles) or adults. Growth rates of small individuals exceeded those for medium and large A. crenata. The mean length increment/week for medium gastropods ranged between 0.49 and 1.11 mm and was negatively correlated with the amount of Chl a in the surface sediment, suggesting the negative effects of eutrophication on gastropod growth. Growth rate of the pulmonate was not correlated with nutrient concentration or trace metal concentrations in the sediment. The dry weight condition index (CI) did not correlate with the growth rate, and for medium individuals, was unaffected by any of the environmental variables. The CI of small individuals was negatively affected by increasing water nutrient levels and the CI of large individuals negatively affected by increasing sediment nutrients and trace metal concentrations. The results from this study suggest that gastropod growth and survival could be used as tools to monitor the effects of changing nutrient levels and recovery from eutrophication within temperate estuaries.

The influence of self-relevant materials on working memory in dysphoric undergraduates.

PubMed

Dai, Qin; Rahman, Shaoon; Lau, Becky; Sook Kim, Hyang; Deldin, Patricia

2015-10-30

Difficulties in updating working memory (WM) may underlie problems with regulating emotions that contribute to depression. To examine the ability of updating affective materials in WM, 33 dysphoric and 34 non-dysphoric participants were asked to evaluate the self-descriptiveness of emotional adjectives and provide answers to self-relevant questions. Within 3-7 days, they completed a two-back task with a series of self-irrelevant or self-relevant emotional words (they had generated previously) and four conditions (match-set, break-set, perseveration-set, and no-set). After the WM task, an unexpected recall task was administered; controls recalled more positive self-relevant words and intrusions while dysphoric participants recalled more negative self-relevant words and intrusions. In break-set trials of the two-back task, dysphoric individuals showed slower response to self-relevant words regardless of valence. In the match-set and perseveration-set trials, dysphoric participants showed delayed response to self-related negative words. Moreover, longer reaction times for self-relevant negative words were correlated with higher rumination and worse depression. The results suggest that dysphoric undergraduates are interfered more by and have a better memory of self-relevant negative stimuli in WM, which is closely correlated with rumination. This study is among the first to confirm the potential mechanism that could underwrite the involvement of self-schema in effectively regulating negative affect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification and management of microbial contaminations in a surface drinking water source.

PubMed

Aström, J; Pettersson, T J R; Stenström, T A

2007-01-01

Microbial contamination of surface waters constitutes a health risk for drinking water consumers which may be lowered by closing the raw water intake. We have evaluated microbial discharge events reported in the river Göta älv, which is used for raw water supply to the city of Göteborg. Elevated levels of faecal indicator bacteria were observed during periods of closed raw water intake. High bacteria levels were, however, also occasionally detected during periods of open intake, probably as a result of microbial discharge far upstream in the river which may be difficult to predict and manage by closing the intake. Accumulated upstream precipitations, resulting in surface runoff and wastewater contaminations in the catchment, correlated positively with the levels of total coliforms, E. coli, intestinal enterococci and sulfite-reducing clostridia. Levels of faecal indicator organisms were negatively correlated to the water temperature due to enhanced survival at lower temperatures. Wastewater discharges from a municipality located just upstream of the water intake resulted in elevated E. coli concentrations downstream at the raw water intake for Göteborg. To improve the prediction of microbial contaminations within the river Göta älv, monitoring data on turbidity and upstream precipitation are of particular importance.

Trehalose 6-phosphate signal is closely related to sorbitol in apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Gala)

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wen; Lunn, John E.; Feil, Regina; Wang, Yufei; Zhao, Jingjing; Tao, Hongxia; Zhao, Zhengyang

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P) is a precursor of trehalose, which is widespread in nature and greatly influences plant growth and development. Tre6P acts as a signal of carbon availability in many plants, but little is known about the function of Tre6P in rosaceous plants, which have specific sorbitol biosynthesis and transportation pathways. In the present study, Tre6P levels and Sorbitol:Tre6P ratios were analyzed in apple (Malus domestica, Borkh. cv. Gala). Tre6P levels were positively correlated with sorbitol content but negatively correlated with sucrose, glucose, and fructose content in developing fruit. However, under sorbitol-limited conditions, Tre6P levels were positively correlated with both sorbitol and sucrose. In the presence of different exogenous sugar supply, Tre6P levels increased corresponding with sorbitol, but this was not the case with sucrose. In addition, Tre6P content and sorbitol:Tre6P ratios were more highly correlated with ADP-glucose levels under sorbitol-limited conditions and fruit development stages, respectively. These results suggest that Tre6P is more closely related to sorbitol than other soluble sugars and has an important role in influencing carbon metabolism in apple. PMID:28069587

Trehalose 6-phosphate signal is closely related to sorbitol in apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Gala).

PubMed

Zhang, Wen; Lunn, John E; Feil, Regina; Wang, Yufei; Zhao, Jingjing; Tao, Hongxia; Guo, Yanping; Zhao, Zhengyang

2017-02-15

Trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P) is a precursor of trehalose, which is widespread in nature and greatly influences plant growth and development. Tre6P acts as a signal of carbon availability in many plants, but little is known about the function of Tre6P in rosaceous plants, which have specific sorbitol biosynthesis and transportation pathways. In the present study, Tre6P levels and Sorbitol:Tre6P ratios were analyzed in apple ( Malus domestica , Borkh. cv. Gala). Tre6P levels were positively correlated with sorbitol content but negatively correlated with sucrose, glucose, and fructose content in developing fruit. However, under sorbitol-limited conditions, Tre6P levels were positively correlated with both sorbitol and sucrose. In the presence of different exogenous sugar supply, Tre6P levels increased corresponding with sorbitol, but this was not the case with sucrose. In addition, Tre6P content and sorbitol:Tre6P ratios were more highly correlated with ADP-glucose levels under sorbitol-limited conditions and fruit development stages, respectively. These results suggest that Tre6P is more closely related to sorbitol than other soluble sugars and has an important role in influencing carbon metabolism in apple. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Morphological integration and pleiotropy in the adaptive body shape of the snail-feeding carabid beetle Damaster blaptoides.

PubMed

Konuma, Junji; Yamamoto, Satoshi; Sota, Teiji

2014-12-01

The snail-feeding carabid beetle Damaster blaptoides exhibits diverse head and thorax morphologies, and these morphotypes are linked with two alternative feeding behaviours. Stout-shaped beetles feed on snails by crushing the shells, whereas slender-shaped beetles consume snails by inserting their heads into the shells. A trade-off exists between these feeding strategies. Because intermediate-shaped beetles are less proficient in these two behaviours, stout-slender morphological divergence occurs between related species feeding on land snails. To examine the genetic basis of these morphotypes, we conducted morphological analyses and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping using backcross offspring between the stout and slender subspecies. The morphological analyses showed that the width and length of the beetle body parts were correlated with each other; in particular, the head width (HW) and thorax length (TL) were strongly negatively correlated. QTL mapping showed that QTLs for HW and TL are located in close proximity to one another on the longest linkage group and that they have positive and negative additive genetic effects. Our results suggest that the adaptive phenotypic sets of a wide head and short thorax and a narrow head and long thorax are based on the closeness of these QTLs. Morphological integration between the head and thorax may play an important role in the adaptive divergence of these beetles. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Analysis of temporal variation in human masticatory cycles during gum chewing.

PubMed

Crane, Elizabeth A; Rothman, Edward D; Childers, David; Gerstner, Geoffrey E

2013-10-01

The study investigated modulation of fast and slow opening (FO, SO) and closing (FC, SC) chewing cycle phases using gum-chewing sequences in humans. Twenty-two healthy adult subjects participated by chewing gum for at least 20s on the right side and at least 20s on the left side while jaw movements were tracked with a 3D motion analysis system. Jaw movement data were digitized, and chewing cycle phases were identified and analysed for all chewing cycles in a complete sequence. All four chewing cycle phase durations were more variant than total cycle durations, a result found in other non-human primates. Significant negative correlations existed between the opening phases, SO and FO, and between the closing phases, SC and FC; however, there was less consistency in terms of which phases were negatively correlated both between subjects, and between chewing sides within subjects, compared with results reported in other species. The coordination of intra-cycle phases appears to be flexible and to follow complex rules during gum-chewing in humans. Alternatively, the observed intra-cycle phase relationships could simply reflect: (1) variation in jaw kinematics due to variation in how gum was handled by the tongue on a chew-by-chew basis in our experimental design or (2) by variation due to data sampling noise and/or how phases were defined and identified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of chromium doping on the correlated electronic structure of V2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grieger, Daniel; Lechermann, Frank

2014-09-01

The archetypical strongly correlated Mott-phenomena compound V2O3 is known to show a paramagnetic metal-insulator transition driven by doping with chromium atoms and/or (negative) pressure. Via charge self-consistent density-functional theory+dynamical mean-field theory calculations we demonstrate that these two routes cannot be understood as equivalent. An explicit description of Cr-doped V2O3 by means of supercell calculations and the virtual crystal approximation is performed. Introducing chromium's additional electron to the system is shown to modify the overall many-body electronic structure substantially. Chromium doping increases electronic correlations which in addition induce charge transfers between Cr and the remaining V ions. Thereby the transition-metal orbital polarization is increased by the electron doping, in close agreement with experimental findings.

Effective homogeneity of the exchange-correlation and non-interacting kinetic energy functionals under density scaling.

PubMed

Borgoo, Alex; Teale, Andrew M; Tozer, David J

2012-01-21

Correlated electron densities, experimental ionisation potentials, and experimental electron affinities are used to investigate the homogeneity of the exchange-correlation and non-interacting kinetic energy functionals of Kohn-Sham density functional theory under density scaling. Results are presented for atoms and small molecules, paying attention to the influence of the integer discontinuity and the choice of the electron affinity. For the exchange-correlation functional, effective homogeneities are highly system-dependent on either side of the integer discontinuity. By contrast, the average homogeneity-associated with the potential that averages over the discontinuity-is generally close to 4/3 when the discontinuity is computed using positive affinities for systems that do bind an excess electron and negative affinities for those that do not. The proximity to 4/3 becomes increasingly pronounced with increasing atomic number. Evaluating the discontinuity using a zero affinity in systems that do not bind an excess electron instead leads to effective homogeneities on the electron abundant side that are close to 4/3. For the non-interacting kinetic energy functional, the effective homogeneities are less system-dependent and the effect of the integer discontinuity is less pronounced. Average values are uniformly below 5/3. The study provides information that may aid the development of improved exchange-correlation and non-interacting kinetic energy functionals. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Maternal Punitive Reactions to Children's Negative Emotions and Young Adult Trait Anger: Effect of Gender and Emotional Closeness.

PubMed

Perry, Nicole B; Cavanaugh, Alyson; Dunbar, Angel; Leerkes, Esther M

The current study tested whether young adult's recollected reports of their mother's punitive reactions to their negative emotions in childhood predicted anger expression in young adulthood and whether emotional closeness weakens this association. Further, a three-way interaction was tested to examine whether emotional closeness is a stronger protective factor for young women than for young men. Results revealed a significant three-way interaction (gender X emotional closeness X maternal punitive reactions). For young men, maternal punitive reactions to negative emotions were directly associated with increased anger expressions. Maternal punitive reactions to young women's negative emotions in childhood were associated with increased anger in adulthood only when they reported low maternal emotional closeness. Findings suggest that maternal emotional closeness may serve as a buffer against the negative effects of maternal punitive reactions for women's anger expression in young adulthood.

Maternal Punitive Reactions to Children's Negative Emotions and Young Adult Trait Anger: Effect of Gender and Emotional Closeness

PubMed Central

Perry, Nicole B.; Cavanaugh, Alyson; Dunbar, Angel; Leerkes, Esther M.

2015-01-01

The current study tested whether young adult’s recollected reports of their mother’s punitive reactions to their negative emotions in childhood predicted anger expression in young adulthood and whether emotional closeness weakens this association. Further, a three-way interaction was tested to examine whether emotional closeness is a stronger protective factor for young women than for young men. Results revealed a significant three-way interaction (gender X emotional closeness X maternal punitive reactions). For young men, maternal punitive reactions to negative emotions were directly associated with increased anger expressions. Maternal punitive reactions to young women’s negative emotions in childhood were associated with increased anger in adulthood only when they reported low maternal emotional closeness. Findings suggest that maternal emotional closeness may serve as a buffer against the negative effects of maternal punitive reactions for women’s anger expression in young adulthood. PMID:26568644

Genetic parameters for carcass weight, conformation and fat in five beef cattle breeds.

PubMed

Kause, A; Mikkola, L; Strandén, I; Sirkko, K

2015-01-01

Profitability of beef production can be increased by genetically improving carcass traits. To construct breeding value evaluations for carcass traits, breed-specific genetic parameters were estimated for carcass weight, carcass conformation and carcass fat in five beef cattle breeds in Finland (Hereford, Aberdeen Angus, Simmental, Charolais and Limousin). Conformation and fat were visually scored using the EUROP carcass classification. Each breed was separately analyzed using a multitrait animal model. A total of 6879-19 539 animals per breed had phenotypes. For the five breeds, heritabilities were moderate for carcass weight (h 2=0.39 to 0.48, s.e.=0.02 to 0.04) and slightly lower for conformation (h 2=0.30 to 0.44, s.e.=0.02 to 0.04) and carcass fat (h 2=0.29 to 0.44, s.e.=0.02 to 0.04). The genetic correlation between carcass weight and conformation was favorable in all breeds (r G=0.37 to 0.53, s.e.=0.04 to 0.05), heavy carcasses being genetically more conformed. The phenotypic correlation between carcass weight and carcass fat was moderately positive in all breeds (r P=0.21 to 0.32), implying that increasing carcass weight was related to increasing fat levels. The respective genetic correlation was the strongest in Hereford (r G=0.28, s.e.=0.05) and Angus (r G=0.15, s.e.=0.05), the two small body-sized British breeds with the lowest conformation and the highest fat level. The correlation was weaker in the other breeds (r G=0.08 to 0.14). For Hereford, Angus and Simmental, more conformed carcasses were phenotypically fatter (r P=0.11 to 0.15), but the respective genetic correlations were close to zero (r G=-0.05 to 0.04). In contrast, in the two large body-sized and muscular French breeds, the genetic correlation between conformation and fat was negative and the phenotypic correlation was close to zero or negative (Charolais: r G=-0.18, s.e.=0.06, r P=0.02; Limousin: r G=-0.56, s.e.=0.04, r P=-0.13). The results indicate genetic variation for the genetic improvement of the carcass traits, favorable correlations for the simultaneous improvement of carcass weight and conformation in all breeds, and breed differences in the correlations of carcass fat.

Mediating electrostatic binding of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride to enzyme surfaces improves conformational stability.

PubMed

Nordwald, Erik M; Kaar, Joel L

2013-08-01

We have recently developed a general approach to improve the utility of enzymes in ionic liquids (ILs) via tuning of the ratio of enzyme-containing positive to negative surface charges. In this work, the impact of enzyme surface charge ratio on the biophysical interaction of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([BMIM][Cl]) with chymotrypsin and lipase was investigated to understand this approach at the molecular level. Results of fluorescence quenching assays indicated that the extent of binding of the [BMIM] cation decreased (7- and 3.5-fold for chymotrypsin and lipase, respectively) as a function of increasing ratio of positive to negative surface charges. Conformational stability assays further showed a close correlation between thermodynamic stabilization and enzyme surface charge ratio as well as [BMIM] binding. As evidence of this correlation, succinylation and acetylation resulted in the stabilization of chymotrypsin in 10% (v/v) [BMIM][Cl] by 17.0 and 6.6 kJ/mol, respectively, while cationization destabilized chymotrypsin by 3.6 kJ/mol. Combined, these results indicate that altering the surface charge ratio mediates the organization of IL molecules, namely, [BMIM] and [Cl], around the enzymes. Preferential exclusion of [Cl], in particular, via lowering of the ratio of positive to negative surface charges, correlated with increased enzyme stability. Accordingly, these results more broadly provide insight into the mechanism of stabilization in ILs via charge modification.

The Correlation Between PARP1 and BRCA1 in AR Positive Triple-negative Breast Cancer.

PubMed

Luo, Jiayan; Jin, Juan; Yang, Fang; Sun, Zijia; Zhang, Wenwen; Shi, Yaqin; Xu, Jing; Guan, Xiaoxiang

2016-01-01

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) expression and thus cannot benefit from conventional hormonal or anti-HER2 targeted therapies. Anti-androgen therapy has shown a certain effect on androgen receptor (AR) positive TNBC. The emerging researches have proved that poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor is effective in BRCA1-deficient breast cancers. We demonstrated that combination of AR antagonist (bicalutamide) and PARP inhibitor (ABT-888) could inhibit cell viability and induce cell apoptosis significantly whatever in vitro or in vivo setting in AR-positive TNBC. Previous studies have proved that both BRCA1 and PARP1 have close connections with AR in prostate cancer. We explored the correlation among AR, PARP1 and BRCA1 in TNBC for the first time. After BRCA1 overexpression, the expression of AR and PARP1 were decreased in mRNA and protein levels. Additionally, AR positively regulated PARP1 while PARP1 also up-regulated AR expression in vitro. We also confirmed BRCA1 expression was negatively correlated with AR and PARP1 in TNBC patients using a tissue microarray with TNBC patient samples. These results suggest that the combination of bicalutamide and PARP inhibitor may be a potential strategy for TNBC patients and merits further evaluation.

Aging of vestibular function evaluated using correlational vestibular autorotation test

PubMed Central

Hsieh, Li-Chun; Lin, Hung-Ching; Lee, Guo-She

2014-01-01

Background Imbalance from degeneration of vestibular end organs is a common problem in the elderly. However, the decline of vestibular function with aging was revealed in few vestibular function tests such as vestibular autorotation test (VAT). In the current VAT, there are drawbacks of poor test–retest reliability, slippage of the sensor at high-speed rotations, and limited data about the effect of aging. We developed a correlational-VAT (cVAT) system that included a small, light sensor (less than 20 g) with wireless data transmission technique to evaluate the aging of vestibular function. Material and methods We enrolled 53 healthy participants aged between 25 and 75 years and divided them into five age groups. The test conditions were vertical and horizontal head autorotations of frequencies from 0 to 3 Hz with closed eyes or open eyes. The cross-correlation coefficient (CCC) between eye velocity and head velocity was obtained for the head autorotations between 1 Hz and 3 Hz. The mean of the CCCs was used to represent the vestibular function. Results Age was significantly and negatively correlated with the mean CCC for all test conditions, including horizontal or vertical autorotations with open eyes or closed eyes (P<0.05). The mean CCC with open eyes declined significantly at 55–65 years old and the mean CCC with closed eyes declined significantly at 65–75 years old. Conclusion Vestibular function evaluated using mean CCC revealed a decline with age, and the function of visual-vestibulo-ocular reflex declined 10 years earlier than the function of vestibulo-ocular reflex. PMID:25214774

Benefits of negative social exchanges for emotional closeness.

PubMed

Fung, Helene H; Yeung, Dannii Y; Li, Kin-Kit; Lang, Frieder R

2009-09-01

Negative exchanges in social relationships have traditionally been studied as having negative consequences. This study explored whether they might have positive effects for relationship closeness. The sample included 351 adults, aged between 18 and 91 years, residing in Hong Kong, China. Closeness of social partners to the participants was measured by the Social Convoy Questionnaire, and the levels of negative exchanges and social support from each social partner were assessed. Multilevel analyses revealed that more negative exchanges were associated with a more positive change in closeness over a 2-year period, even after statistically controlling for social support and sociostructural characteristics of the participant and the social partner. Findings extended our knowledge on the positive effects of negative exchanges and their moderating conditions.

Genome-wide identification of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-associated microRNAs reveals novel targets for glioblastoma therapy

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yong; Zeng, Ailiang; Liu, Shuheng; Li, Rui; Wang, Xiefeng; Yan, Wei; Li, Hailin; You, Yongping

2018-01-01

MicroRNAs (miRNA) regulate a number of cellular processes. Recent studies have indicated that these molecules function in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). However, the crucial systematic role of EMT and miRNAs together in glioblastoma (GBM) remains poorly understood. The present study demonstrated that EMT was closely associated with malignant progression and clinical outcome using three independent glioma databases (GSE16011, Rembrandt and The Cancer Genome Atlas). Furthermore, integrated analysis of miRNAs and mRNA profiling in 491 GBM samples revealed an EMT biological process associated with an miRNA profile (19 positively and 18 negatively correlated miRNAs). Among these miRNAs, miR-95 and miR-223 indicated a high level of functional validation, reflecting their positive correlation with EMT. Additionally, the upregulation of miR-95, which was negatively correlated with EMT, inhibited cellular invasion in glioma U251 and LN229 cells and decreased the expression of the mesenchymal marker N-catenin, whereas an miRNA positively correlated with EMT, miR-223, exhibited the opposite effect. Therefore, the results of the present study could further enhance the current understanding of the functions of miRNAs in GBM, indicating that the EMT-specific miRNA signature may represent a novel target for GBM therapy. PMID:29740486

Medical student psychological distress and academic performance.

PubMed

Dendle, Claire; Baulch, Julie; Pellicano, Rebecca; Hay, Margaret; Lichtwark, Irene; Ayoub, Sally; Clarke, David M; Morand, Eric F; Kumar, Arunaz; Leech, Michelle; Horne, Kylie

2018-01-21

The impact of medical student psychological distress on academic performance has not been systematically examined. This study provided an opportunity to closely examine the potential impacts of workplace and study related stress factors on student's psychological distress and their academic performance during their first clinical year. This one-year prospective cohort study was performed at a tertiary hospital based medical school in Melbourne, Australia. Students completed a questionnaire at three time points during the year. The questionnaire included the validated Kessler psychological distress scale (K10) and the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), as well as items about sources of workplace stress. Academic outcome scores were aggregated and correlated with questionnaire results. One hundred and twenty six students participated; 126 (94.7%), 102 (76.7%), and 99 (74.4%) at time points one, two, and three, respectively. 33.1% reported psychological distress at time point one, increasing to 47.4% at time point three. There was no correlation between the K10 scores and academic performance. There was weak negative correlation between the GHQ-28 at time point three and academic performance. Keeping up to date with knowledge, need to do well and fear of negative feedback were the most common workplace stress factors. Poor correlation was noted between psychological distress and academic performance.

Response of vegetation NDVI to climatic extremes in the arid region of Central Asia: a case study in Xinjiang, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Junqiang; Chen, Yaning; Zhao, Yong; Mao, Weiyi; Xu, Xinbing; Liu, Yang; Yang, Qing

2018-02-01

Observed data showed the climatic transition from warm-dry to warm-wet in Xinjiang during the past 30 years and will probably affect vegetation dynamics. Here, we analyze the interannual change of vegetation index based on the satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with temperature and precipitation extreme over the Xinjiang, using the 8-km NDVI third-generation (NDVI3g) from the Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) from 1982 to 2010. Few previous studies analyzed the link between climate extremes and vegetation response. From the satellite-based results, annual NDVI significantly increased in the first two decades (1981-1998) and then decreased after 1998. We show that the NDVI decrease over the past decade may conjointly be triggered by the increases of temperature and precipitation extremes. The correlation analyses demonstrated that the trends of NDVI was close to the trend of extreme precipitation; that is, consecutive dry days (CDD) and torrential rainfall days (R24) positively correlated with NDVI during 1998-2010. For the temperature extreme, while the decreases of NDVI correlate positively with warmer mean minimum temperature ( Tnav), it correlates negatively with the number of warmest night days ( Rwn). The results suggest that the climatic extremes have possible negative effects on the ecosystem.

'Junk' DNA and long-term phenotypic evolution in Silene section Elisanthe (Caryophyllaceae).

PubMed Central

Meagher, Thomas R; Costich, Denise E

2004-01-01

Nuclear DNA content variation over orders of magnitude across species has been attributed to 'junk' repetitive DNA with limited adaptive significance. By contrast, our previous work on Silene latifolia showed that DNA content is negatively correlated with flower size, a character of clear adaptive relevance. The present paper explores this relationship in a broader phylogenetic context to investigate the long-term evolutionary impacts of DNA content variation. The relationship between nuclear DNA content and phenotype variation was determined for four closely related species of Silene section Elisanthe (Caryophyllaceae). In addition to a consistent sexual dimorphism in DNA content across all of the species, we found DNA content variation among populations within, as well as among, species. We also found a general trend towards a negative correlation between DNA content and flower and leaf size over all four species, within males and females as well as overall. These results indicate that repetitive DNA may play a role in long-term phenotypic evolution. PMID:15801614

Increasing hepatitis B viral load is associated with risk of significant liver fibrosis in HBeAg-negative but not HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B.

PubMed

Croagh, Catherine M N; Bell, Sally J; Slavin, John; Kong, Yu X G; Chen, Robert Y; Locarnini, Stephen; Desmond, Paul V

2010-09-01

To evaluate the association between demographical features, serum ALT and HBV DNA and the prevalence of significant fibrosis and inflammation on liver biopsy in patients with chronic hepatitis B. In this cross-sectional study of patients on St Vincent's Hospital HBV database, patients were classified into three groups on the basis of HBeAg status and HBV DNA level and the prevalence of significant (F2/3/4) fibrosis and (A2/3) inflammation in each group was established. Patients were also divided into HBeAg-positive and -negative groups and examined for the prevalence of significant fibrosis/inflammation in the strata of HBV DNA and ALT. Predictors of significant fibrosis and inflammation in HBeAg-positive and -negative patients were examined by logistic regression. Three hundred and ninety four patients (HBeAg positive=198; HBeAg negative=196) with liver biopsy were identified. Fifty-eight percent of HBeAg-negative patients with HBV DNA >25,000 IU/ml had F2/3/4 fibrosis. HBV DNA and F2/3/4 were positively correlated in HBeAg-negative patients [odds ratio (OR) 1.42, P=0.001] but inversely correlated in HBeAg-positive patients (OR 0.71, P=0.03). HBV DNA was an independent predictor of significant fibrosis in HBeAg negative (P=0.03) but not HBeAg-positive patients. In HBeAg-positive patients, age was the only predictor of significant fibrosis (P=0.001) and ALT the only predictor of significant inflammation (P=0.003). In the whole cohort there was a close positive association between inflammation and fibrosis. Increasing levels of HBV DNA are associated with increasing prevalence of significant fibrosis only in patients with HBeAg-negative CHB.

Effect of an acid mine drainage effluent on phytoplankton biomass and primary production at Britannia Beach, Howe Sound, British Columbia.

PubMed

Levings, C D; Varela, D E; Mehlenbacher, N M; Barry, K L; Piercey, G E; Guo, M; Harrison, P J

2005-12-01

We investigated the effect of acid mine drainage (AMD) from an abandoned copper mine at Britannia Beach (Howe Sound, BC, Canada) on primary productivity and chlorophyll a levels in the receiving waters of Howe Sound before, during, and after freshet from the Squamish River. Elevated concentrations of copper (integrated average through the water column >0.050 mgl(-1)) in nearshore waters indicated that under some conditions a small gyre near the mouth of Britannia Creek may have retained the AMD from Britannia Creek and from a 30-m deep water outfall close to shore. Regression and correlation analyses indicated that copper negatively affected primary productivity during April (pre-freshet) and November (post-freshet). Negative effects of copper on primary productivity were not supported statistically for July (freshet), possibly because of additional effects such as turbidity from the Squamish River. Depth-integrated average and surface chlorophyll a were correlated to copper concentrations in April. During this short study we demonstrated that copper concentrations from the AMD discharge can negatively affect both primary productivity and the standing stock of primary producers in Howe Sound.

Proactive Control: Neural Oscillatory Correlates of Conflict Anticipation and Response Slowing.

PubMed

Chang, Andrew; Ide, Jaime S; Li, Hsin-Hung; Chen, Chien-Chung; Li, Chiang-Shan R

2017-01-01

Proactive control allows us to anticipate environmental changes and adjust behavioral strategy. In the laboratory, investigators have used a number of different behavioral paradigms, including the stop-signal task (SST), to examine the neural processes of proactive control. Previous functional MRI studies of the SST have demonstrated regional responses to conflict anticipation-the likelihood of a stop signal or P(stop) as estimated by a Bayesian model-and reaction time (RT) slowing and how these responses are interrelated. Here, in an electrophysiological study, we investigated the time-frequency domain substrates of proactive control. The results showed that conflict anticipation as indexed by P(stop) was positively correlated with the power in low-theta band (3-5 Hz) in the fixation (trial onset)-locked interval, and go-RT was negatively correlated with the power in delta-theta band (2-8 Hz) in the go-locked interval. Stimulus prediction error was positively correlated with the power in the low-beta band (12-22 Hz) in the stop-locked interval. Further, the power of the P(stop) and go-RT clusters was negatively correlated, providing a mechanism relating conflict anticipation to RT slowing in the SST. Source reconstruction with beamformer localized these time-frequency activities close to brain regions as revealed by functional MRI in earlier work. These are the novel results to show oscillatory electrophysiological substrates in support of trial-by-trial behavioral adjustment for proactive control.

Correlates of sexual function in male and female patients with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Lew-Starowicz, Michal; Rola, Rafal

2014-09-01

Many factors have been suggested to contribute to sexual dysfunction (SD) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, but the research on their impact on sexual functioning (SF) and sexual quality of life (SQoL) remains scant. The aim of this study was to investigate correlates of SF and SQoL in MS patients, as well as possible gender differences. 204 MS patients were interviewed, completed the questionnaires, and underwent neurological assessment. Primary outcome measures included the International Index of Erectile Function, the Female Sexual Function Questionnaire, the Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Expanded Disability Status Scale. The course and duration of the disease did not predict patients' SF. Negative correlations were found for brainstem symptoms with orgasmic function and overall satisfaction in men and between cognitive functioning and the partner domain in women. Interestingly, brainstem symptoms correlated positively with the arousal domain in women. More than half (52.1%) of patients fulfilled Beck Depression Inventory criteria for depression, and these patients showed more SD than nondepressive individuals. The strongest negative correlations with depressive symptoms were found for desire, erectile function, and overall satisfaction with sexual life in men and for orgasm and sexual enjoyment in women. Deterioration in particular domains of SF was clearly related with diminished SQoL. The main gender difference was a strong influence of decreased desire on SQoL in women and no such correlation in men. Negative assessment of the relationship with partner significantly affected all domains of SF and SQoL in MS women and the desire domain in MS men. Several correlates of SF in MS patients were found. The role of brainstem symptoms needs further investigation. Clinicians should pay close attention to depressive symptoms and relationship factors in MS patients who suffer from SD. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Genetic relationships among body condition score, body weight, milk yield, and fertility in dairy cows.

PubMed

Berry, D P; Buckley, F; Dillon, P; Evans, R D; Rath, M; Veerkamp, R F

2003-06-01

Genetic (co)variances between body condition score (BCS), body weight (BW), milk production, and fertility-related traits were estimated. The data analyzed included 8591 multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows with records for BCS, BW, milk production, and/or fertility from 78 seasonal calving grass-based farms throughout southern Ireland. Of the cows included in the analysis, 4402 had repeated records across the 2 yr of the study. Genetic correlations between level of BCS at different stages of lactation and total lactation milk production were negative (-0.51 to -0.14). Genetic correlations between BW at different stages of lactation and total lactation milk production were all close to zero but became positive (0.01 to 0.39) after adjusting BW for differences in BCS. Body condition score at different stages of lactation correlated favorably with improved fertility; genetic correlations between BCS and pregnant 63 d after the start of breeding season ranged from 0.29 to 0.42. Both BW at different stages of lactation and milk production tended to exhibit negative genetic correlations with pregnant to first service and pregnant 63 d after the start of the breeding season and positive genetic correlations with number of services and the interval from first service to conception. Selection indexes investigated illustrate the possibility of continued selection for increased milk production without any deleterious effects on fertility or average BCS, albeit, genetic merit for milk production would increase at a slower rate.

Not so simple: the multidimensional nature and diverse origins of political ideology.

PubMed

Feldman, Stanley; Huddy, Leonie

2014-06-01

At odds with Hibbing et al., we argue that political ideology is best explained by at least two dimensions linked to economic and social ideology. In addition, Hibbing et al's claim that conservatism is grounded in a heightened sensitivity to negative outcomes, something closely tied to the personality trait of neuroticism, does not fit with the established personality correlates of political ideology. Conscientiousness and a lack of openness to experience are linked to conservatism but there is no established connection to neuroticism.

Circulating steroids negatively correlate with tinnitus.

PubMed

Chrbolka, Pavel; Palúch, Zoltán; Hill, Martin; Alušík, Štefan

2017-07-01

While not a disease entity in itself; symptoms of tinnitus (from Latin tinnio - clink) accompany a number of diseases. Tinnitus prevalence increases with age, deteriorates one's quality of life, and may even result in suicidal behavior. Tinnitus develops in response to a variety of risk factors, otoxic substances, noise exposure, hearing disorders, and psychological alterations. Tinnitus is closely related to mood, depression, and psychological state. In the present study, we focused on alterations of the steroid metabolome and particularly neuroactive, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory steroids in patients with tinnitus. The study group consisted of 28 patients without evidence of an organic cause of tinnitus as well as without associated diseases or the effect of ototoxic medications. All patients underwent a complete audiological assessment and laboratory tests including routine biochemical markers and quantification of circulating steroids using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and immunoassays. To rule out a pathology in the cerebellopontine angle area, CT scan or MRI were performed. To diagnose stem lesions, evoked potentials were also measured. Pearson's correlations and multivariate regression were used to assess any links between tinnitus intensity and frequency on the one hand, and steroid levels on the other. Results indicated a significant and consistent negative correlation between tinnitus indices and intensity of adrenal steroidogenesis. The circulating steroid metabolome including hormones and neuroactive, neuroprotective, and immunomodulatory steroids negatively correlates with the degree of tinnitus due to hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis malfunction. Our results may help explain the pathophysiology of tinnitus and improve its diagnosis. However, further studies are needed to verify our postulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Normalization Framework for Emotional Attention

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xilin; Japee, Shruti; Safiullah, Zaid; Ungerleider, Leslie G.

2016-01-01

The normalization model of attention proposes that attention can affect performance by response- or contrast-gain changes, depending on the size of the stimulus and attention field. Here, we manipulated the attention field by emotional valence, negative faces versus positive faces, while holding stimulus size constant in a spatial cueing task. We observed changes in the cueing effect consonant with changes in response gain for negative faces and contrast gain for positive faces. Neuroimaging experiments confirmed that subjects’ attention fields were narrowed for negative faces and broadened for positive faces. Importantly, across subjects, the self-reported emotional strength of negative faces and positive faces correlated, respectively, both with response- and contrast-gain changes and with primary visual cortex (V1) narrowed and broadened attention fields. Effective connectivity analysis showed that the emotional valence-dependent attention field was closely associated with feedback from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to V1. These findings indicate a crucial involvement of DLPFC in the normalization processes of emotional attention. PMID:27870851

A Normalization Framework for Emotional Attention.

PubMed

Zhang, Xilin; Japee, Shruti; Safiullah, Zaid; Mlynaryk, Nicole; Ungerleider, Leslie G

2016-11-01

The normalization model of attention proposes that attention can affect performance by response- or contrast-gain changes, depending on the size of the stimulus and attention field. Here, we manipulated the attention field by emotional valence, negative faces versus positive faces, while holding stimulus size constant in a spatial cueing task. We observed changes in the cueing effect consonant with changes in response gain for negative faces and contrast gain for positive faces. Neuroimaging experiments confirmed that subjects' attention fields were narrowed for negative faces and broadened for positive faces. Importantly, across subjects, the self-reported emotional strength of negative faces and positive faces correlated, respectively, both with response- and contrast-gain changes and with primary visual cortex (V1) narrowed and broadened attention fields. Effective connectivity analysis showed that the emotional valence-dependent attention field was closely associated with feedback from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) to V1. These findings indicate a crucial involvement of DLPFC in the normalization processes of emotional attention.

Preparing for community violence: mood and behavioral correlates of the second Rodney King verdicts.

PubMed

Swendsen, J D; Norman, S

1998-01-01

This prospective investigation applied the Experience Sampling Method to examine the mood and behavioral responses of individuals facing the risk of community violence (in anticipation of the second Rodney King verdicts). Threatened participants experienced more negative affect and were less stable in behavioral involvement than individuals not under threat. Threatened participants also avoided social contact except for well-known individuals, and were more likely to be traveling than nonthreatened participants. Social contact with family or close friends and being at home (one's own home or the home of familiar individuals) were associated with large reductions in negative affect for those at risk for urban violence. The findings are discussed in terms of risk factors for trauma following community-wide stressors.

Wall-based identification of coherent structures in wall-bounded turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanmiguel Vila, C.; Flores, O.

2018-04-01

During the last decades, a number of reduced order models based on coherent structures have been proposed to describe wall-bounded turbulence. Many of these models emphasize the importance of coherent wall-normal velocity eddies (ν-eddies), which drive the generation of the very long streamwise velocity structures observed in the logarithmic and outer region. In order to use these models to improve our ability to control wall-bounded turbulence in realistic applications, these ν-eddies need to be identified from the wall in a non-intrusive way. In this paper, the possibility of using the pressure signal at the wall to identify these ν-eddies is explored, analyzing the cross-correlation between the wall-normal velocity component and the pressure fluctuations at the wall in a DNS of a turbulent channel flow at Reτ = 939. The results show that the cross-correlation has a region of negative correlation upstream, and a region of positive correlation backwards. In the spanwise direction the correlation decays monotonously, except very close to the wall where a change of sign of the correlation coefficient is observed. Moreover, filtering the pressure fluctuations at the wall in space results in an increase of the region where the cross-correlation is strong, both for the positively and the negatively correlated regions. The use of a time filter for the pressure fluctuations at the wall yields different results, displacing the regions of strong correlation without changing much their sizes. The results suggest that space-filtering the pressure at the wall is a feasible way to identify ν-eddies of different sizes, which could be used to trigger turbulent control strategies.

Ca. Nitrososphaera and Bradyrhizobium are inversely correlated and related to agricultural practices in long-term field experiments

PubMed Central

Zhalnina, Kateryna; de Quadros, Patricia D.; Gano, Kelsey A.; Davis-Richardson, Austin; Fagen, Jennie R.; Brown, Christopher T.; Giongo, Adriana; Drew, Jennifer C.; Sayavedra-Soto, Luis A.; Arp, Dan J.; Camargo, Flavio A. O.; Daroub, Samira H.; Clark, Ian M.; McGrath, Steve P.; Hirsch, Penny R.; Triplett, Eric W.

2013-01-01

Agricultural land management, such as fertilization, liming, and tillage affects soil properties, including pH, organic matter content, nitrification rates, and the microbial community. Three different study sites were used to identify microorganisms that correlate with agricultural land use and to determine which factors regulate the relative abundance of the microbial signatures of the agricultural land-use. The three sites included in this study are the Broadbalk Experiment at Rothamsted Research, UK, the Everglades Agricultural Area, Florida, USA, and the Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan, USA. The effects of agricultural management on the abundance and diversity of bacteria and archaea were determined using high throughput, barcoded 16S rRNA sequencing. In addition, the relative abundance of these organisms was correlated with soil features. Two groups of microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycle were highly correlated with land use at all three sites. The ammonia oxidizing-archaea, dominated by Ca. Nitrososphaera, were positively correlated with agriculture while a ubiquitous group of soil bacteria closely related to the diazotrophic symbiont, Bradyrhizobium, was negatively correlated with agricultural management. Analysis of successional plots showed that the abundance of ammonia oxidizing-archaea declined and the abundance of bradyrhizobia increased with time away from agriculture. This observation suggests that the effect of agriculture on the relative abundance of these genera is reversible. Soil pH and NH3 concentrations were positively correlated with archaeal abundance but negatively correlated with the abundance of Bradyrhizobium. The high correlations of Ca. Nitrososphaera and Bradyrhizobium abundances with agricultural management at three long-term experiments with different edaphoclimatic conditions allowed us to suggest these two genera as signature microorganisms for agricultural land use. PMID:23641242

[Effects of companion animals on owner's subjective well-being and social networks in Japan].

PubMed

Kaneko, Megumi

2006-04-01

A multi-method approach was used to examine whether and how companion animals (CA) affect subjective well-being and social networks of Japanese people. In Study 1, a mail survey with a probability sample of 1250 Japanese adults over 40 years old showed that (1) female owners' attachment to CA negatively correlated with subjective well-being, and (2) although younger (under 65) CA owners had more close friends than non-owners, this tendency was reversed for those over 65. In Study 2, in-depth interviews with 27 adults showed that (1) female CA owners reported lower subjective well-being than non-owners, (2) although CA owners were generally successful in interacting with strangers through CA-related behaviors such as dog-walking, those relationships were unlikely to become close, and (3) in contrast to the owners' tendency to portray themselves in positive ways, most non-owners described CA owners negatively, such as being lonely or bad-mannered. Based on the present findings, which sharply contradict those of previous studies in the western societies, future issues are discussed.

Don’t be Too Strict with Yourself! Rigid Negative Self-Representation in Healthy Subjects Mimics the Neurocognitive Profile of Depression for Autobiographical Memory

PubMed Central

Sperduti, Marco; Martinelli, Pénélope; Kalenzaga, Sandrine; Devauchelle, Anne-Dominique; Lion, Stéphanie; Malherbe, Caroline; Gallarda, Thierry; Amado, Isabelle; Krebs, Marie-Odile; Oppenheim, Catherine; Piolino, Pascale

2013-01-01

Autobiographical memory (AM) comprises representation of both specific (episodic) and generic (semantic) personal information. Depression is characterized by a shift from episodic to semantic AM retrieval. According to theoretical models, this process (“overgeneralization”), would be linked to reduced executive resources. Moreover, “overgeneral” memories, accompanied by a negativity bias in depression, lead to a pervasive negative self-representation. As executive functions and AM specificity are also closely intricate among “non-clinical” populations, “overgeneral” memories could result in depressive emotional responses. Consequently, our hypothesis was that the neurocognitive profile of healthy subjects showing a rigid negative self-image would mimic that of patients. Executive functions and self-image were measured and brain activity was recorded, by means of fMRI, during episodic AMs retrieval in young healthy subjects. The results show an inverse correlation, that is, a more rigid and negative self-image produces lower performances in both executive and specific memories. Moreover, higher negative self-image is associated with decreased activity in the left ventro-lateral prefrontal and in the anterior cingulate cortex, repeatedly shown to exhibit altered functioning in depression. Activity in these regions, on the contrary, positively correlates with executive and memory performances, in line with their role in executive functions and AM retrieval. These findings suggest that rigid negative self-image could represent a marker or a vulnerability trait of depression by being linked to reduced executive function efficiency and episodic AM decline. These results are encouraging for psychotherapeutic approaches aimed at cognitive flexibility in depression and other psychiatric disorders. PMID:23734107

Voluntary modulation of anterior cingulate response to negative feedback.

PubMed

Shane, Matthew S; Weywadt, Christina R

2014-01-01

Anterior cingulate and medial frontal cortex (dACC/mFC) response to negative feedback represents the actions of a generalized error-monitoring system critical for the management of goal-directed behavior. Magnitude of dACC/mFC response to negative feedback correlates with levels of post-feedback behavioral change, and with proficiency of operant learning processes. With this in mind, it follows that an ability to alter dACC/mFC response to negative feedback may lead to representative changes in operant learning proficiency. To this end, the present study investigated the extent to which healthy individuals would show modulation of their dACC/mFC response when instructed to try to either maximize or minimize their neural response to the presentation of contingent negative feedback. Participants performed multiple runs of a standard time-estimation task, during which they received feedback regarding their ability to accurately estimate a one-second duration. On Watch runs, participants were simply instructed to try to estimate as closely as possible the one second duration. On Increase and Decrease runs, participants performed the same task, but were instructed to "try to increase [decrease] their brain's response every time they received negative feedback". Results indicated that participants showed changes in dACC/mFC response under these differing instructional conditions: dACC/mFC activity following negative feedback was higher in the Increase condition, and dACC activity trended lower in the Decrease condition, compared to the Watch condition. Moreover, dACC activity correlated with post-feedback performance adjustments, and these adjustments were highest in the Increase condition. Potential implications for neuromodulation and facilitated learning are discussed.

Longitudinal Associations between Triglycerides and Metabolic Syndrome Components in a Beijing Adult Population, 2007-2012.

PubMed

Tao, Li-Xin; Yang, Kun; Liu, Xiang-Tong; Cao, Kai; Zhu, Hui-Ping; Luo, Yan-Xia; Guo, Jin; Wu, Li-Juan; Li, Xia; Guo, Xiu-Hua

2016-01-01

Longitudinal associations between triglycerides (TG) and other metabolic syndrome (MetS) components have rarely been reported. The purpose was to investigate the longitudinal association between TG and other MetS components with time. The longitudinal study was established in 2007 on individuals who attended health check-ups at Beijing Tongren Hospital and Beijing Xiaotangshan Hospital. Data used in this study was based on 7489 participants who had at least three health check-ups over a period of 5-year follow up. Joint model was used to explore longitudinal associations between TG and other MetS components after adjusted for age. There were positive correlations between TG and other MetS components except for high density lipoprotein (HDL), and the correlations increased with time. A negative correlation was displayed between TG and HDL, and the correlation also increased with time. Among all five pairs of TG and other MetS components, the marginal correlation between TG and body mass index (BMI) was the largest for both men and women. The marginal correlation between TG and fasting plasma glucose was the smallest for men, while the marginal correlation between TG and diastolic blood pressure was the smallest for women. The longitudinal association between TG and other MetS components increased with time. Among five pairs of TG and other MetS components, the longitudinal correlation between TG and BMI was the largest. It is important to closely monitor subjects with high levels of TG and BMI in health check-up population especially for women, because these two components are closely associated with development of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other metabolic diseases.

Closely-related taxa influence woody species discrimination via DNA barcoding: evidence from global forest dynamics plots.

PubMed

Pei, Nancai; Erickson, David L; Chen, Bufeng; Ge, Xuejun; Mi, Xiangcheng; Swenson, Nathan G; Zhang, Jin-Long; Jones, Frank A; Huang, Chun-Lin; Ye, Wanhui; Hao, Zhanqing; Hsieh, Chang-Fu; Lum, Shawn; Bourg, Norman A; Parker, John D; Zimmerman, Jess K; McShea, William J; Lopez, Ida C; Sun, I-Fang; Davies, Stuart J; Ma, Keping; Kress, W John

2015-10-12

To determine how well DNA barcodes from the chloroplast region perform in forest dynamics plots (FDPs) from global CTFS-ForestGEO network, we analyzed DNA barcoding sequences of 1277 plant species from a wide phylogenetic range (3 FDPs in tropics, 5 in subtropics and 5 in temperate zone) and compared the rates of species discrimination (RSD). We quantified RSD by two DNA barcode combinations (rbcL + matK and rbcL + matK + trnH-psbA) using a monophyly-based method (GARLI). We defined two indexes of closely-related taxa (Gm/Gt and S/G ratios) and correlated these ratios with RSD. The combination of rbcL + matK averagely discriminated 88.65%, 83.84% and 72.51% at the local, regional and global scales, respectively. An additional locus trnH-psbA increased RSD by 2.87%, 1.49% and 3.58% correspondingly. RSD varied along a latitudinal gradient and were negatively correlated with ratios of closely-related taxa. Successes of species discrimination generally depend on scales in global FDPs. We suggested that the combination of rbcL + matK + trnH-psbA is currently applicable for DNA barcoding-based phylogenetic studies on forest communities.

Elucidation of spin echo small angle neutron scattering correlation functions through model studies.

PubMed

Shew, Chwen-Yang; Chen, Wei-Ren

2012-02-14

Several single-modal Debye correlation functions to approximate part of the overall Debey correlation function of liquids are closely examined for elucidating their behavior in the corresponding spin echo small angle neutron scattering (SESANS) correlation functions. We find that the maximum length scale of a Debye correlation function is identical to that of its SESANS correlation function. For discrete Debye correlation functions, the peak of SESANS correlation function emerges at their first discrete point, whereas for continuous Debye correlation functions with greater width, the peak position shifts to a greater value. In both cases, the intensity and shape of the peak of the SESANS correlation function are determined by the width of the Debye correlation functions. Furthermore, we mimic the intramolecular and intermolecular Debye correlation functions of liquids composed of interacting particles based on a simple model to elucidate their competition in the SESANS correlation function. Our calculations show that the first local minimum of a SESANS correlation function can be negative and positive. By adjusting the spatial distribution of the intermolecular Debye function in the model, the calculated SESANS spectra exhibit the profile consistent with that of hard-sphere and sticky-hard-sphere liquids predicted by more sophisticated liquid state theory and computer simulation. © 2012 American Institute of Physics

Anticipatory pleasure and approach motivation in schizophrenia-like negative symptoms.

PubMed

Engel, Maike; Fritzsche, Anja; Lincoln, Tania M

2013-12-15

Previous research of negative symptoms in schizophrenia has emphasized an anticipatory pleasure deficit, yet the relationship of this deficit to patients' motivation in everyday life is poorly understood. This study tested the link between anticipatory pleasure and two broad motivational systems that are said to regulate the intensity of approach and avoidance behavior, the Behavioral Inhibition system (BIS) and the Behavioral Activation System (BAS). It was hypothesized that high vulnerability for negative symptoms would be associated with low reward responsiveness and that this association will be mediated by the amount of anticipated pleasure. Students (n=171) with varying vulnerability for negative symptoms (assessed by the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences) completed questionnaires regarding (a) anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, and (b) responsiveness to threat and reward. As hypothesized, anticipatory pleasure correlated significantly negatively with subclinical negative symptoms (r=-0.21) and significantly positively with BAS (r=0.55). Furthermore, evidence for a partial mediation effect was found. The findings support the notion of a close association between negative symptoms, the ability to anticipate pleasure and approach motivation that is evident even in healthy persons. It is suggested that the behavioral deficits immanent to negative symptoms reflect difficulties in the ability to translate emotions into motivation. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative camouflage strategies mediate predation risk among closely related co-occurring kelp crabs.

PubMed

Hultgren, Kristin M; Stachowicz, John J

2008-03-01

Although camouflage is a common predator defense strategy across a wide variety of organisms, direct tests of the adaptive and ecological consequences of camouflage are rare. In this study, we demonstrated that closely related crabs in the family Epialtidae coexist in the same algal environment but use alternative forms of camouflage--decoration and color change--to protect themselves from predation. Decoration and color change are both plastic camouflage strategies in that they can be changed to match different habitats: decoration occurs on a short timescale (hours to days), while color change accompanies molting and occurs on longer timescales (months). We found that the species that decorated the most had the lowest magnitude of color change (Pugettia richii); the species that decorated the least showed the highest magnitude of color change (Pugettia producta), and a third species (Mimulus foliatus) was intermediate in both decoration and color change, suggesting a negative correlation in utilization of these strategies. This negative correlation between color change and decoration camouflage utilization mirrored the effectiveness of these camouflage strategies in reducing predation in different species. Color camouflage primarily reduced predation on P. producta, while decoration camouflage (but not color camouflage) reduced predation on P. richii. These results indicate there might be among-species trade-offs in utilization and/or effectiveness of these two forms of plastic camouflage, with important consequences for distribution of these species among habitats and the evolution of different camouflage strategies in this group.

Health inequality in Slovenia.

PubMed

Artnik, B; Premik, M

2001-01-01

The aim of this study was to correlate some socio-economic factors (gender, income, education, social position) with some health indicators (life expectancy, death rate by selected causes of death, self-evaluation of one's own health, absence from work due to illness or injuries) with a purpose to define the ineqaulity in health across Slovenian municipalities. In our study two sources of data for the population of Slovenia in 1996 were used: from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (aggregated data across Slovenian municipalities) and Public Opinion Research (individual data). Statistical analysis was performed by correlation and factor analysis. The correlation coefficient between education and life expectancy is 0.712. The correlation between income base and life expectancy is also significant (0.707). In the eastern part of the country (mostly rural population) women in average live 2 years and men 3 years less than their counterparts in the western part of the country. Five causes of death across Slovenian municipalities are significantly related to the population's education and incomes, of which only death due to neoplasm is positively correlated to income while all other causes are negatively correlated not only with income but also with education. Health (self-evaluation) is closely related to an individual's education and social position. The factor analysis of pressures at work showed groups of two factors as being the most significant: pressures related to leadership positions (positive correlation with health), and physical labour or work in inferior positions (negative correlation with health). We can conclude that the results of our study showed the crucial effect of investigated socio-economic factors on people's health across Slovenian municipalities. During the present socio-economic transition period we are trying to establish new sources of data and looking for possibilities to connect and refine them for further investigation.

A bias correction for covariance estimators to improve inference with generalized estimating equations that use an unstructured correlation matrix.

PubMed

Westgate, Philip M

2013-07-20

Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) are routinely used for the marginal analysis of correlated data. The efficiency of GEE depends on how closely the working covariance structure resembles the true structure, and therefore accurate modeling of the working correlation of the data is important. A popular approach is the use of an unstructured working correlation matrix, as it is not as restrictive as simpler structures such as exchangeable and AR-1 and thus can theoretically improve efficiency. However, because of the potential for having to estimate a large number of correlation parameters, variances of regression parameter estimates can be larger than theoretically expected when utilizing the unstructured working correlation matrix. Therefore, standard error estimates can be negatively biased. To account for this additional finite-sample variability, we derive a bias correction that can be applied to typical estimators of the covariance matrix of parameter estimates. Via simulation and in application to a longitudinal study, we show that our proposed correction improves standard error estimation and statistical inference. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Predictive value of plasma β2-microglobulin on human body function and senescence.

PubMed

Dong, X-M; Cai, R; Yang, F; Zhang, Y-Y; Wang, X-G; Fu, S-L; Zhang, J-R

2016-06-01

To explore the correlation between plasma β2-microglobulin (β2-MG) as senescence factor with age, heart, liver and kidney function as well as the predictive value of β2-MG in human metabolism function and senescence. 387 cases of healthy people of different ages were selected and the automatic biochemical analyzer was used to test β2-MG in plasma based on immunoturbidimetry and also all biochemical indexes. The correlation between β2-MG and age, gender and all biochemical indexes was analyzed. β2-MG was positively correlated to age, r = 0.373; and the difference was of statistical significance (p < 0.010). It was significantly negative correlated to HDL-C but positively correlated to LP (a), BUN, CREA, UA, CYS-C, LDH, CK-MB, HBDH, AST, GLB and HCY. β2-MG was closely correlated to age, heart, kidney and liver biochemical indexes, which can be taken as an important biomarker for human body function and anti-senescence and have significant basic research and clinical guidance values.

Proactive Control: Neural Oscillatory Correlates of Conflict Anticipation and Response Slowing

PubMed Central

Ide, Jaime S.

2017-01-01

Abstract Proactive control allows us to anticipate environmental changes and adjust behavioral strategy. In the laboratory, investigators have used a number of different behavioral paradigms, including the stop-signal task (SST), to examine the neural processes of proactive control. Previous functional MRI studies of the SST have demonstrated regional responses to conflict anticipation—the likelihood of a stop signal or P(stop) as estimated by a Bayesian model—and reaction time (RT) slowing and how these responses are interrelated. Here, in an electrophysiological study, we investigated the time–frequency domain substrates of proactive control. The results showed that conflict anticipation as indexed by P(stop) was positively correlated with the power in low-theta band (3–5 Hz) in the fixation (trial onset)-locked interval, and go-RT was negatively correlated with the power in delta-theta band (2–8 Hz) in the go-locked interval. Stimulus prediction error was positively correlated with the power in the low-beta band (12–22 Hz) in the stop-locked interval. Further, the power of the P(stop) and go-RT clusters was negatively correlated, providing a mechanism relating conflict anticipation to RT slowing in the SST. Source reconstruction with beamformer localized these time–frequency activities close to brain regions as revealed by functional MRI in earlier work. These are the novel results to show oscillatory electrophysiological substrates in support of trial-by-trial behavioral adjustment for proactive control. PMID:28560315

Symmetry Breaking and Optical Negative Index of Closed Nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kante, Boubacar; Park, Yong-Shik; O'Brien, Kevin; Shuldman, Daniel; Lanzillotti-Kimura, Norberto; Wong, Zi; Yin, Xiaobo; Zhang, Xiang; UC Berkeley Team

2013-03-01

We report the first experimental demonstration of broadband negative-index metamaterial made solely of closed metallic nanorings. Using symmetry breaking that negatively couples the discrete nanorings, we measured negative phase delay in our composite chess metamaterial. Our approach open avenues towards topological nanophotonics with on demand linear and non-linear responses.

Halogen and trace element geochemistry in Mid-Ocean Ridge basalts from the Australian-Antarctic Ridge (AAR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y. S.; Seo, J. H.; Park, S. H.; Kim, T.

2015-12-01

Australian-Antarctic Ridge (AAR) is an extension of easternmost SE Indian Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR).We collected volcanic glasses from the "in-axis" of the KR1 and KR2 MOR, and the overlapping zones of the KR1 MOR and the nearby seamounts ("KR1 mixing"). We determined trace and halogen elements in the glasses. Halogen concentrations and its ratios in the glasses are important to understand the mantle metasomatism and volatile recycling. 52 of the collected glasses are "primitive" (higher than 6 wt% MgO), while 3 of them have rather "evolved" composition (MgO wt% of 1.72, 2.95 and 4.15). K2O concentrations and Th/Sc ratios in the glasses show a negative correlation with its MgO concentration. Incompatible element ratios such as La/Sm are rather immobile during a magma differentiation so the ratios are important to understand mantle composition (Hofmann et al. 2003). La/Sm ratios in the glasses are 0.95 ~ 3.28 suggesting that the AAR basalts can be classified into T-MORB and E-MORB (Schilling et al., 1983). La/Sm ratios are well-correlated with incompatible elements such as U, Ba, Nb, and negatively correlated with compatible elements such as Sc, Eu2+, Mg. The AAR glasses contain detectable halogen elements. The "KR1 mixing" glasses in halogen elements are more abundant than "in-axis" the glasses. Cl is the least variable element compared to the other halogens such as Br and I in the AAR. The "KR1 mixing" glasses have the largest variations of Br/Cl ratios compared to the "in-axis" glasses. The Cl/Br and Th/Sc ratios in the "in-axis" glasses and in the "KR1 mixing" glasses show positive and negative correlations, respectively. The Br-rich glasses in the "KR1 mixing" zone might be explained by a recycled Br-rich oceanic slab of paleo-subduction or by a hydrothermal alteration in the AAR. I composition in the glasses does not show a correlation other trace elements. The K/Cl and K/Ti ratios in the AAR glasses are similar to the basalts from the Galapagos Spreading Center (Geldmacher et al., 2010) and Pacific MORB. The AAR region closely located with Balleny hotspot (Lanyon et al., 1993) and Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. K2O/Nb and Zr/Nb ratios are very low compared with near Pacific-Antarctic Ridge and Southeast Indian Ridge. The ratios are close to the Balleny hotspot.

Triple-negative (ER, PgR, HER-2/neu) breast cancer in Indian women

PubMed Central

Patil, Vinayak W; Singhai, Rajeev; Patil, Amit V; Gurav, Prakash D

2011-01-01

The aim of our study was to analyze triple-negative (TN) breast cancer, which is defined as being negative for the estrogen receptor (ER), the progesterone receptor (PgR), and the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2/neu) and which represents a subset of breast cancer with different biologic behavior. We investigated the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic indicators of lymph node-negative TN breast cancer. Medical records were reviewed from patients with node-negative breast cancer who underwent curative surgery at Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India, from May 2007 to October 2010. Clinicopathological variables and clinical outcomes were evaluated. Among 683 patients included, 136 had TN breast cancer and 529 had non-TN breast cancer. TN breast cancer correlated with younger age (<35 years, P = 0.003) and a higher histopathologic and nuclear grade (P < 0.001). It also correlated with a molecular profile associated with biological aggressiveness: negative for Bcl-2 expression (P < 0.001), positive for the epidermal growth factor receptor (P = 0.003), and a high level of p53 (P < 0.001) and Ki-67 expression (P < 0.00). The relapse rates during the follow-up period (median 56.8 months) were 14.7% for TN breast cancer and 6.6% for non-TN breast cancer (P = 0.004). Relapse-free survival (RFS) was significantly shorter among patients with TN breast cancer compared with those with non-TN breast cancer: 3.5-year RFS rate 85.5% versus 94.2%, respectively; P = 0.001. On multivariate analysis, young age, close resection margin, and triple negativity were independent predictors of shorter RFS. TN breast cancer had a higher relapse rate and more aggressive clinicopathological characteristics than non-TN in node-negative breast cancer. Thus, TN breast cancer should be integrated into risk factor analysis for node-negative breast cancer. PMID:24367172

The Effect of Mycobacterium avium Complex Infections on Routine Mycobacterium bovis Diagnostic Tests

PubMed Central

Barry, Claire; Corbett, David; Bakker, Douwe; Andersen, Peter; McNair, Jim; Strain, Sam

2011-01-01

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is diagnosed in naturally infected populations exposed to a wide variety of other pathogens. This study describes the cell-mediated immune responses of cattle exposed to Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Map) and Mycobacterium avium subspecies avium with particular reference to routine antefmortem Mycobacterium bovis diagnostic tests. The IFN-γ released in response to stimulated blood was found to peak later in the Map-exposed group and was more sustained when compared to the Maa-exposed group. There was a very close correlation between the responses to the purified protein derivatives (PPD) used for stimulation (PPDa, PPDb, and PPDj) with PPDa and PPDj most closely correlated. On occasion, in the Map-infected cattle, PPDb-biased responses were seen compared to PPDa suggesting that some Map-infected cattle could be misclassified as M. bovis infected using this test with these reagents. This bias was not seen when PPDj was used. SICCT results were consistent with the respective infections and all calves would have been classed skin test negative. PMID:21772961

Inverse Correlation of Population Similarity and Introduction Date for Invasive Ascidians

PubMed Central

Silva, Nathan; Smith, William C.

2008-01-01

The genomes of many marine invertebrates, including the purple sea urchin and the solitary ascidians Ciona intestinalis and Ciona savignyi, show exceptionally high levels of heterozygosity, implying that these populations are highly polymorphic. Analysis of the C. savignyi genome found little evidence to support an elevated mutation rate, but rather points to a large population size contributing to the polymorphism level. In the present study, the relative genetic polymorphism levels in sampled populations of ten different ascidian species were determined using a similarity index generated by AFLP analysis. The goal was to determine the range of polymorphism within the populations of different species, and to uncover factors that may contribute to the high level of polymorphism. We observe that, surprisingly, the levels of polymorphism within these species show a negative correlation with the reported age of invasive populations, and that closely related species show substantially different levels of genetic polymorphism. These findings show exceptions to the assumptions that invasive species start with a low level of genetic polymorphism that increases over time and that closely related species have similar levels of genetic polymorphism. PMID:18575620

Sperm competitive ability and genetic relatedness in Drosophila melanogaster: similarity breeds contempt.

PubMed

Mack, Paul D; Hammock, Brian A; Promislow, Daniel E L

2002-09-01

Offspring of close relatives often suffer severe fitness consequences. Previous studies have demonstrated that females, when given a choice, will choose to avoid mating with closely related males. But where opportunities for mate choice are limited or kin recognition is absent, precopulatory mechanisms may not work. In this case, either sex could reduce the risks of inbreeding through mechanisms that occur during or after copulation. During mating, males or females could commit fewer gametes when mating with a close relative. After mating, females could offset the effects of mating with a closely related male through cryptic choice. Few prior studies of sperm competition have examined the effect of genetic similarity, however, and what studies do exist have yielded equivocal results. In an effort to resolve this issue, we measured the outcome of sperm competition when female Drosophila melanogaster were mated to males of four different degrees of genetic relatedness and then to a standardized competitor. We provide the strongest evidence to date that sperm competitive ability is negatively correlated with relatedness, even after controlling for inbreeding depression.

Genetic parameters of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis and its relationship with weight and parasite infestations in Australian tropical Bos taurus cattle.

PubMed

Ali, Abdirahman A; O'Neill, Christopher J; Thomson, Peter C; Kadarmideen, Haja N

2012-07-27

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) or 'pinkeye' is an economically important ocular disease that significantly impacts animal performance. Genetic parameters for IBK infection and its genetic and phenotypic correlations with cattle tick counts, number of helminth (unspecified species) eggs per gram of faeces and growth traits in Australian tropically adapted Bos taurus cattle were estimated. Animals were clinically examined for the presence of IBK infection before and after weaning when the calves were 3 to 6 months and 15 to 18 months old, respectively and were also recorded for tick counts, helminth eggs counts as an indicator of intestinal parasites and live weights at several ages including 18 months. Negative genetic correlations were estimated between IBK incidence and weight traits for animals in pre-weaning and post-weaning datasets. Genetic correlations among weight measurements were positive, with moderate to high values. Genetic correlations of IBK incidence with tick counts were positive for the pre-weaning and negative for the post-weaning datasets but negative with helminth eggs counts for the pre-weaning dataset and slightly positive for the post-weaning dataset. Genetic correlations between tick and helminth eggs counts were moderate and positive for both datasets. Phenotypic correlations of IBK incidence with helminth eggs per gram of faeces were moderate and positive for both datasets, but were close to zero for both datasets with tick counts. Our results suggest that genetic selection against IBK incidence in tropical cattle is feasible and that calves genetically prone to acquire IBK infection could also be genetically prone to have a slower growth. The positive genetic correlations among weight traits and between tick and helminth eggs counts suggest that they are controlled by common genes (with pleiotropic effects). Genetic correlations between IBK incidence and tick and helminth egg counts were moderate and opposite between pre-weaning and post-weaning datasets, suggesting that the environmental and (or) maternal effects differ between these two growth phases. This preliminary study provides estimated genetic parameters for IBK incidence, which could be used to design selection and breeding programs for tropical adaptation in beef cattle.

Genetic parameters of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis and its relationship with weight and parasite infestations in Australian tropical Bos taurus cattle

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK) or ‘pinkeye’ is an economically important ocular disease that significantly impacts animal performance. Genetic parameters for IBK infection and its genetic and phenotypic correlations with cattle tick counts, number of helminth (unspecified species) eggs per gram of faeces and growth traits in Australian tropically adapted Bos taurus cattle were estimated. Methods Animals were clinically examined for the presence of IBK infection before and after weaning when the calves were 3 to 6 months and 15 to 18 months old, respectively and were also recorded for tick counts, helminth eggs counts as an indicator of intestinal parasites and live weights at several ages including 18 months. Results Negative genetic correlations were estimated between IBK incidence and weight traits for animals in pre-weaning and post-weaning datasets. Genetic correlations among weight measurements were positive, with moderate to high values. Genetic correlations of IBK incidence with tick counts were positive for the pre-weaning and negative for the post-weaning datasets but negative with helminth eggs counts for the pre-weaning dataset and slightly positive for the post-weaning dataset. Genetic correlations between tick and helminth eggs counts were moderate and positive for both datasets. Phenotypic correlations of IBK incidence with helminth eggs per gram of faeces were moderate and positive for both datasets, but were close to zero for both datasets with tick counts. Conclusions Our results suggest that genetic selection against IBK incidence in tropical cattle is feasible and that calves genetically prone to acquire IBK infection could also be genetically prone to have a slower growth. The positive genetic correlations among weight traits and between tick and helminth eggs counts suggest that they are controlled by common genes (with pleiotropic effects). Genetic correlations between IBK incidence and tick and helminth egg counts were moderate and opposite between pre-weaning and post-weaning datasets, suggesting that the environmental and (or) maternal effects differ between these two growth phases. This preliminary study provides estimated genetic parameters for IBK incidence, which could be used to design selection and breeding programs for tropical adaptation in beef cattle. PMID:22839739

Coping with early stage breast cancer: examining the influence of personality traits and interpersonal closeness.

PubMed

Saita, Emanuela; Acquati, Chiara; Kayser, Karen

2015-01-01

The study examines the influence of personality traits and close relationships on the coping style of women with breast cancer. A sample of 72 Italian patients receiving treatment for early stage breast cancer was recruited. Participants completed questionnaires measuring personality traits (Interpersonal Adaptation Questionnaire), interpersonal closeness (Inclusion of the Other in the Self Scale), and adjustment to cancer (Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale). We hypothesized that diverse personality traits and degrees of closeness contribute to determine the coping styles shown by participants. Multiple regression analyses were conducted for each of the five coping styles (Helplessness/Hopelessness, Anxious Preoccupation, Avoidance, Fatalism, and Fighting Spirit) using personality traits and interpersonal closeness variables (Strength of Support Relations, and Number of Support Relations) as predictors. Women who rated high on assertiveness and social anxiety were more likely to utilize active coping strategies (Fighting Spirit). Perceived strength of relationships was predictive of using an active coping style while the number of supportive relationships did not correlate with any of the coping styles. Implications for assessment of breast cancer patients at risk for negative adaptation to the illness and the development of psychosocial interventions are discussed.

Neural correlates of emotional recognition memory in schizophrenia: effects of valence and arousal.

PubMed

Lakis, Nadia; Jiménez, José A; Mancini-Marïe, Adham; Stip, Emmanuel; Lavoie, Marc E; Mendrek, Adrianna

2011-12-30

Schizophrenia patients are often impaired in their memory for emotional events compared with healthy subjects. Investigations of the neural correlates of emotional memory in schizophrenia patients are scarce in the literature. The present study aimed to compare cerebral activations in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls during memory retrieval of emotional images that varied in both valence and arousal. In a study with functional magnetic resonance imaging, 37 schizophrenia patients were compared with 37 healthy participants while performing a yes/no recognition paradigm with positive, negative (differing in arousal intensity) and neutral images. Schizophrenia patients performed worse than healthy controls in all experimental conditions. They showed less cerebral activation in limbic and prefrontal regions than controls during retrieval of negatively valenced stimuli, but had a similar pattern of brain activation compared with controls during retrieval of positively valenced stimuli (particularly in the high arousal condition) in the cerebellum, temporal lobe and prefrontal cortex. Both groups demonstrated increased brain activations in the high relative to low arousing conditions. Our results suggest atypical brain function during retrieval of negative pictures, but intact functional circuitry of positive affect during episodic memory retrieval in schizophrenia patients. The arousal data revealed that schizophrenia patients closely resemble the control group at both the behavioral and neurofunctional level. 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

High-resolution carbonate isotopic study of the Mural Formation (Cerro Pimas section), Sonora, México: Implications for early Albian oceanic anoxic events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madhavaraju, J.; Lee, Yong Il; Scott, R. W.; González-León, C. M.; Jenkyns, H. C.; Saucedo-Samaniego, J. C.; Ramasamy, S.

2018-03-01

The 420-m thick stratigraphic section of the Mural Formation that is exposed in the Cerro Pimas area of northern Sonora, Mexico, is composed of limestone lithofacies ranging from bioclastic wackestone to boundstone, whose biota is characterized by low diversity. Prominent age-diagnostic fossils are benthic foraminifera and long-ranging calcareous algae that indicate the Aptian/Albian boundary is close to the base of the Los Coyotes Member. The carbonates of this formation have negative to positive δ13C values (-4.63 to +2.6‰) and highly depleted δ18O values that range from -12.74 to -8.34‰. The absence of correlation between δ13C and δ18O values supports a primary marine origin for the δ13C values of these limestones. The carbon-isotopic curve of the Cerro Pimas stratigraphic section has well-defined δ13C segments (C8 - C15) that compare with published curves of similar age. In the lower part of the early Albian Los Coyotes Member, the presence of OAE 1b is indicated by an increase followed by a decrease in δ13C values, suggesting correlation with the Kilian Event. The middle part of the Los Coyotes Member has a significant negative carbon-isotope excursion correlated with the globally recognizable early Albian Paquier event. Moreover, another significant negative carbon-isotope shift is observed in the upper part of the Los Coyotes Member, which can be correlated with the Leenhardt Event. The occurrence of the Kilian, Paquier and Leenhardt Events (OAE 1b cluster) in the Cerro Pimas stratigraphy confirms the global nature of these early Albian disturbances of the carbon cycle.

Evidence for hot clumpy accretion flow in the transitional millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shahbaz, T.; Dallilar, Y.; Garner, A.; Eikenberry, S.; Veledina, A.; Gandhi, P.

2018-06-01

We present simultaneous optical and near-infrared (IR) photometry of the millisecond pulsar PSR J1023+0038 during its low-mass X-ray binary phase. The r΄- and Ks-band light curves show rectangular, flat-bottomed dips, similar to the X-ray mode-switching (active-passive state transitions) behaviour observed previously. The cross-correlation function (CCF) of the optical and near-IR data reveals a strong, broad negative anticorrelation at negative lags, a broad positive correlation at positive lags, with a strong, positive narrow correlation superimposed. The shape of the CCF resembles the CCF of black hole X-ray binaries but the time-scales are different. The features can be explained by reprocessing and a hot accretion flow close to the neutron star's magnetospheric radius. The optical emission is dominated by the reprocessed component, whereas the near-IR emission contains the emission from plasmoids in the hot accretion flow and a reprocessed component. The rapid active-passive state transition occurs when the hot accretion flow material is channelled on to the neutron star and is expelled from its magnetosphere. During the transition the optical reprocessing component decreases resulting in the removal of a blue spectral component. The accretion of clumpy material through the magnetic barrier of the neutron star produces the observed near-IR/optical CCF and variability. The dip at negative lags corresponds to the suppression of the near-IR synchrotron component in the hot flow, whereas the broad positive correlation at positive lags is driven by the increased synchrotron emission of the outflowing plasmoids. The narrow peak in the CCF is due to the delayed reprocessed component, enhanced by the increased X-ray emission.

Symmetry breaking and optical negative index of closed nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanté, Boubacar; Park, Yong-Shik; O'Brien, Kevin; Shuldman, Daniel; Lanzillotti-Kimura, Norberto D.; Jing Wong, Zi; Yin, Xiaobo; Zhang, Xiang

2012-11-01

Metamaterials have extraordinary abilities, such as imaging beyond the diffraction limit and invisibility. Many metamaterials are based on split-ring structures, however, like atomic orbital currents, it has long been believed that closed rings cannot produce negative refractive index. Here we report a low-loss and polarization-independent negative-index metamaterial made solely of closed metallic nanorings. Using symmetry breaking that negatively couples the discrete nanorings, we measured negative phase delay in our composite ‘chess metamaterial’. The formation of an ultra-broad Fano-resonance-induced optical negative-index band, spanning wavelengths from 1.3 to 2.3 μm, is experimentally observed in this structure. This discrete and mono-particle negative-index approach opens exciting avenues towards symmetry-controlled topological nanophotonics with on-demand linear and nonlinear responses.

Comparative Analyses of DNA Methylation and Sequence Evolution Using Nasonia Genomes

PubMed Central

Park, Jungsun; Peng, Zuogang; Zeng, Jia; Elango, Navin; Park, Taesung; Wheeler, Dave; Werren, John H.; Yi, Soojin V.

2011-01-01

The functional and evolutionary significance of DNA methylation in insect genomes remains to be resolved. Nasonia is well situated for comparative analyses of DNA methylation and genome evolution, since the genomes of a moderately distant outgroup species as well as closely related sibling species are available. Using direct sequencing of bisulfite-converted DNA, we uncovered a substantial level of DNA methylation in 17 of 18 Nasonia vitripennis genes and a strong correlation between methylation level and CpG depletion. Notably, in the sex-determining locus transformer, the exon that is alternatively spliced between the sexes is heavily methylated in both males and females, whereas other exons are only sparsely methylated. Orthologous genes of the honeybee and Nasonia show highly similar relative levels of CpG depletion, despite ∼190 My divergence. Densely and sparsely methylated genes in these species also exhibit similar functional enrichments. We found that the degree of CpG depletion is negatively correlated with substitution rates between closely related Nasonia species for synonymous, nonsynonymous, and intron sites. This suggests that mutation rates increase with decreasing levels of germ line methylation. Thus, DNA methylation is prevalent in the Nasonia genome, may participate in regulatory processes such as sex determination and alternative splicing, and is correlated with several aspects of genome and sequence evolution. PMID:21693438

Chaos in quantum channels

DOE PAGES

Hosur, Pavan; Qi, Xiao-Liang; Roberts, Daniel A.; ...

2016-02-01

For this research, we study chaos and scrambling in unitary channels by considering their entanglement properties as states. Using out-of-time-order correlation functions to diagnose chaos, we characterize the ability of a channel to process quantum information. We show that the generic decay of such correlators implies that any input subsystem must have near vanishing mutual information with almost all partitions of the output. Additionally, we propose the negativity of the tripartite information of the channel as a general diagnostic of scrambling. This measures the delocalization of information and is closely related to the decay of out-of-time-order correlators. We back upmore » our results with numerics in two non-integrable models and analytic results in a perfect tensor network model of chaotic time evolution. In conclusion, these results show that the butterfly effect in quantum systems implies the information-theoretic definition of scrambling.« less

Secondary Metabolite Accumulation Associates with Ecological Succession of Endophytic Fungi in Cynomorium songaricum Rupr.

PubMed

Cui, Jin-Long; Zhang, Yan-Yan; Vijayakumar, Vinod; Zhang, Gang; Wang, Meng-Liang; Wang, Jun-Hong

2018-06-06

Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. is a rare root-parasitic plant distributed in the desert ecosystem. Little is known about the role of endophytes in accumulation of metabolites in C. songaricum. Here, the correlations between the seven active components (total sugars, flavonoids, protocatechuic acid, catechins, tannins, gallic acid, and ursolic acid) and the endophytic fungi of C. songaricum were investigated, and their causal relationships are discussed further. The results showed that the accumulation of these components and the assembly of endophytic fungi changed with different plant developmental stages. Diverse relationships including positive and negative correlation were found among chemicals and endophytic fungal operational taxonomic units based on correlation coefficient matrices, which demonstrated that the accumulation of secondary metabolites in C. songaricum is closely related to the endophytic fungal community composition. These results present new opportunities to deeply understand plant-fungal symbioses and secondary metabolite productions.

The happy personality: a meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being.

PubMed

DeNeve, K M; Cooper, H

1998-09-01

This meta-analysis used 9 literature search strategies to examine 137 distinct personality constructs as correlates of subjective well-being (SWB). Personality was found to be equally predictive of life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect, but significantly less predictive of negative affect. The traits most closely associated with SWB were repressive-defensiveness, trust, emotional stability, locus of control-chance, desire for control, hardiness, positive affectivity, private collective self-esteem, and tension. When personality traits were grouped according to the Big Five factors, Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, happiness, and negative affect. Positive affect was predicted equally well by Extraversion and Agreeableness. The relative importance of personality for predicting SWB, how personality might influence SWB, and limitations of the present review are discussed.

Visualization of pores (export sites) correlated with cellulose production in the envelope of the gram-negative bacterium Acetobacter xylinum.

PubMed

Zaar, K

1979-03-01

The Gram-negative bacterium Acetobacter xylinum assembles a cellulse ribbon composed of a number of microfibrils in the longitudinal axis of its envelope. The zone of ribbon assembly was investigated by freeze-etch electron microscopy. Freeze-etching revealed, beneath the cellulose ribbons, a linear array of pores on the lipopolysaccharide membrane. These pores have a rim diameter of 120--150 A and a central hole or deepening of approximately 35 A. The axes of pore arrays closely coincide with linear arrays of 100 A particles on the E- and P-faces of the fractured lipopolysaccharide membranes. Pores and particles in the lipopolysaccharide membrane are probably congruent. The pores are hypothesized to be the export sites (penetration sites) for cellulose.

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect in Pt doped Ni-Mn-Ga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Sanjay; D'Souza, S. W.; Mukherjee, K.; Kushwaha, P.; Barman, S. R.; Agarwal, Sandeep; Mukhopadhyay, P. K.; Chakrabarti, Aparna; Sampathkumaran, E. V.

2014-06-01

Large magnetocaloric effect is observed in Ni1.8Pt0.2MnGa close to room temperature. The entropy change shows a crossover from positive to negative sign at the martensite transition. It is negative above 1.6 T and its magnitude increases linearly with magnetic field. An increase in the saturation magnetic moment is observed with Pt doping in Ni2MnGa. Ab initio theoretical calculations show that the increase in magnetic moment with Pt doping in Ni2MnGa is associated with increase in the Mn and Pt local moments in the ferromagnetic ground state. The Curie temperature calculated from the exchange interaction parameters is in good agreement with experiment, showing the absence of any antiferromagnetic correlation due to Pt doping.

General functioning predicts reward and punishment learning in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Somlai, Zsuzsanna; Moustafa, Ahmed A; Kéri, Szabolcs; Myers, Catherine E; Gluck, Mark A

2011-04-01

Previous studies investigating feedback-driven reinforcement learning in patients with schizophrenia have provided mixed results. In this study, we explored the clinical predictors of reward and punishment learning using a probabilistic classification learning task. Patients with schizophrenia (n=40) performed similarly to healthy controls (n=30) on the classification learning task. However, more severe negative and general symptoms were associated with lower reward-learning performance, whereas poorer general psychosocial functioning was correlated with both lower reward- and punishment-learning performances. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that general psychosocial functioning was the only significant predictor of reinforcement learning performance when education, antipsychotic dose, and positive, negative and general symptoms were included in the analysis. These results suggest a close relationship between reinforcement learning and general psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Relationship of the 24-item dysfunctional attitude scale with the temperament and character inventory in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Otani, Koichi; Suzuki, Akihito; Matsumoto, Yoshihiko; Shibuya, Naoshi; Sadahiro, Ryoichi; Enokido, Masanori; Kamata, Mitsuhiro

2013-12-01

The 24-item Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS-24) has three subscales to evaluate dysfunctional attitudes predisposing to depression in the areas of achievement, dependency and self-control. The purpose of the present investigation was to characterize the three subscales in relation to broad dimensions of personality. The subjects were 528 healthy Japanese volunteers. Personality assessment was conducted by the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), which has seven dimensions. The correlations of the DAS-24 subscales with the TCI dimensions were examined by the multiple regression analysis. All DAS-24 subscales had negative correlations with the self-directedness dimension. However, the three subscales had differential patterns of correlations with the reward dependence, persistence, cooperativeness and harm avoidance dimensions. The present study suggests that dysfunctional attitudes measured by the DAS-24 are closely related to low self-directedness of the TCI. Also, the differential patterns of correlations with some TCI dimensions support the content-specificity of the three subscales.

Correlation analysis for the attack of bacillary dysentery and meteorological factors based on the Chinese medicine theory of Yunqi and the medical-meteorological forecast model.

PubMed

Ma, Shi-Lei; Tang, Qiao-Ling; Liu, Hong-Wei; He, Juan; Gao, Si-Hua

2013-03-01

To explore the impact of meteorological factors on the outbreak of bacillary dysentery, so as to provide suggestions for disease prevention. Based on the Chinese medicine theory of Yunqi, the descriptive statistics, single-factor correlation analysis and back-propagation artificial neural net-work were conducted using data on five basic meteorological factors and data on incidence of bacillary dysentery in Beijing, China, for the period 1970-2004. The incidence of bacillary dysentery showed significant positive correlation relationship with the precipitation, relative humidity, vapor pressure, and temperature, respectively. The incidence of bacillary dysentery showed a negatively correlated relationship with the wind speed and the change trend of average wind speed. The results of medical-meteorological forecast model showed a relatively high accuracy rate. There is a close relationship between the meteorological factors and the incidence of bacillary dysentery, but the contributions of which to the onset of bacillary dysentery are different to each other.

Toward a Molecular Understanding of Protein Solubility: Increased Negative Surface Charge Correlates with Increased Solubility

PubMed Central

Kramer, Ryan M.; Shende, Varad R.; Motl, Nicole; Pace, C. Nick; Scholtz, J. Martin

2012-01-01

Protein solubility is a problem for many protein chemists, including structural biologists and developers of protein pharmaceuticals. Knowledge about how intrinsic factors influence solubility is limited due to the difficulty of obtaining quantitative solubility measurements. Solubility measurements in buffer alone are difficult to reproduce, because gels or supersaturated solutions often form, making it impossible to determine solubility values for many proteins. Protein precipitants can be used to obtain comparative solubility measurements and, in some cases, estimations of solubility in buffer alone. Protein precipitants fall into three broad classes: salts, long-chain polymers, and organic solvents. Here, we compare the use of representatives from two classes of precipitants, ammonium sulfate and polyethylene glycol 8000, by measuring the solubility of seven proteins. We find that increased negative surface charge correlates strongly with increased protein solubility and may be due to strong binding of water by the acidic amino acids. We also find that the solubility results obtained for the two different precipitants agree closely with each other, suggesting that the two precipitants probe similar properties that are relevant to solubility in buffer alone. PMID:22768947

Black bear (Ursus americanus Pallas) feeding damage across timber harvest edges in northern California coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens[D. Don] Endl.) forests, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Russell, W.H.; Carnell, K.; McBride, J.R.

2001-01-01

Feeding damage to trees by black bears (Ursus americanus Pallas) was recorded in proximity to timber harvest edges in harvested and old-growth stands of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens [D. Don] Endl.) in northern California, USA. Bears exhibited distinct preference in their feeding patterns related to stand structure and composition and to distance from the timber-harvest edge. Most damage was recorded within regenerating stands. Regression analysis indicated that density of damaged trees was negatively correlated with distance from timber harvest edges within old-growth stands. A significant negative correlation was also found between the density of trees damaged by bears and habitat diversity (H') as measured by the Shannon diversity index. In addition, bears exhibited preference for pole-size trees (dbh = 10-50 cm) over all other size classes, and coast redwood over other species. In general, damage by bears appeared to act as a natural thinning agent in even-aged stands. No damage was recorded in old-growth stands except in close proximity to the timber-harvest edge where subcanopy recruitment was high.

Shell thinning and pesticide residues in Texas aquatic bird eggs, 1970

USGS Publications Warehouse

King, K.A.; Flickinger, Edward L.; Hildebrand, H.H.

1978-01-01

Significant decreases in eggshell thickness were found in 15 of 22 species of aquatic birds in Texas in 1970. Shell thickness reductions of 9 to 15 percent were found in white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), brown pelicans (P .occidentalis), and great blue herons (Ardea herodias). DDT family compounds were found in all eggs, and mean residues ranged from 0.4 ppm in white ibis (Eudocimus albus) to 23.2 ppm in great egrets (Casmerodius albus). GDDT residues were negatively correlated with shell thickness in five species; PCBs were negatively correlated in two. Residues in marine birds were generally lower and more uniform than levels in birds feeding in fresh and brackish water. DDT and dieldrin residues were higher in eggs from colonies near agricultural areas where these insecticides were heavily used; higher PCB residues were consistently associated with urban and industrial areas. Populations of five species have declined and deserve continued study: brown pelican, reddish egret (Dichromanassa rufescens), white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi), laughing gull (Larus atricilla), and Forster's tern (Sterna forsteri). Population trends of four other species were undetermined and should be followed closely in future years.

Macroalgae in a spring stream in Shanxi Province: composition and relation to physical and chemical variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Bianfang; Xie, Shulian

2007-07-01

Fourteen stream segments were investigated throughout the Xin’an Spring in Shanxi Province, China in 2004. The variation ranges in stream size, current velocity, discharge, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductance were large. Twenty-two macroalgae species were found in the stream. Major divisions in terms of species numbers were Chlorophyta (59.1%), Cyanophyta (22.8%), Xanthophyta (9.1%), Rhodophyta (4.5%) and Charophyta (4.5%). The most widespread species, Cladophora rivularis (50.0%), also Oedogonium sp. (42.9%) and Spirogyra sp. (42.9%) were well represented throughout the stream, whereas another 10 species were found in only one sampling site. Total percentage cover varied from <1% to 90%. Red algae Batrachospermum acuatum and the charophytes Chara vulgaris have the highest percentage cover. Among the parameters analyzed, the stream width, specific conductance and dissolved oxygen were the ones that more closely related to the species number and percentage cover of macroalgal communities. The species number of each site was negatively correlated with dissolved oxygen content. The total percentage cover of the macroalgae was negatively correlated with the stream width and the specific conductance.

Negative-assortative mating for color in wolves.

PubMed

Hedrick, Philip W; Smith, Douglas W; Stahler, Daniel R

2016-04-01

There is strong negative-assortative mating for gray and black pelage color in the iconic wolves in Yellowstone National Park. This is the first documented case of significant negative-assortative mating in mammals and one of only a very few cases in vertebrates. Of 261 matings documented from 1995 to 2015, 63.6% were between gray and black wolves and the correlation between mates for color was -0.266. There was a similar excess of matings of both gray males × black females and black males × gray females. Using the observed frequency of negative-assortative mating in a model with both random and negative-assortative mating, the estimated proportion of negative-assortative mating was 0.430. The estimated frequency of black wolves in the population from 1996 to 2014 was 0.452 and these frequencies appear stable over this 19-year period. Using the estimated level of negative-assortative mating, the predicted equilibrium frequency of the dominant allele was 0.278, very close to the mean value of 0.253 observed. In addition, the patterns of genotype frequencies, that is, the observed proportion of black homozygotes and the observed excess of black heterozygotes, are consistent with negative-assortative mating. Importantly these results demonstrate that negative-assortative mating could be entirely responsible for the maintenance of this well-known color polymorphism. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution © 2016 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Social support, posttraumatic cognitions, and PTSD: The influence of family, friends, and a close other in an interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma group.

PubMed

Woodward, Matthew J; Eddinger, Jasmine; Henschel, Aisling V; Dodson, Thomas S; Tran, Han N; Beck, J Gayle

2015-10-01

Research has suggested that social support can shape posttraumatic cognitions and PTSD. However, research has yet to compare the influence of separate domains of support on posttraumatic cognitions. Multiple-group path analysis was used to examine a model in a sample of 170 victims of intimate partner violence and 208 motor vehicle accident victims in which support from friends, family, and a close other were each predicted to influence posttraumatic cognitions, which were in turn predicted to influence PTSD. Analyses revealed that support from family and friends were each negatively correlated with posttraumatic cognitions, which in turn were positively associated with PTSD. Social support from a close other was not associated with posttraumatic cognitions. No significant differences in the model were found between trauma groups. Findings identify which relationships are likely to influence posttraumatic cognitions and are discussed with regard to interpersonal processes in the development and maintenance of PTSD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using photographs to study animal social cognition and behaviour: Do capuchins' responses to photos reflect reality?

PubMed

Morton, F Blake; Brosnan, Sarah F; Prétôt, Laurent; Buchanan-Smith, Hannah M; O'Sullivan, Eoin; Stocker, Martina; D'Mello, Daniel; Wilson, Vanessa A D

2016-03-01

Behavioural responses to photos are often used to infer what animals understand about their social environment, but are rarely validated against the same stimuli in real life. If subjects' responses to photos do not reflect responses to the same live stimuli, it is difficult to conclude what happens in reality based on photo responses alone. We compared capuchins' responses to photos versus live stimuli in an identical scenario within research cubicles. Subjects had the opportunity to approach food placed in front of an alpha group member and, in a separate condition, photos depicting the same individual. Subjects' latencies to approach food when placed in front of the real alpha negatively correlated with time subjects spent in close proximity to the alpha in their main enclosure. We therefore predicted subjects' latencies to approach food in the presence of photos would positively correlate with their latencies to approach food in the presence of the real alpha inside the cubicles, but negatively correlate with time they spent in proximity to the alpha in their enclosure. Neither prediction was supported. While not necessarily surprising, we explain why these results should be an important reminder that care is needed when interpreting results from photo studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and mercury in osprey eggs--1970-79--and their relationships to shell thinning and productivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiemeyer, Stanley N.; Bunck, C.M.; Krynitsky, A.J.

1988-01-01

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) eggs were collected in 14 states in 1970-79 and analyzed for organochlorine pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and mercury. Moderate shell thinning occurred in eggs from several areas. DDE was detected in all eggs, PCBs in 99%, DDD in 96%, dieldrin in 52%, and other compounds less frequently. Concentrations of DDT and its metabolites declined in eggs from Cape May County, New Jersey between 1970-72 and 1978-79. Eggs .from New Jersey in the early 1970s contained the highest concentrations of DDE. Dieldrin concentrations declined in eggs from the Potomac River, Maryland during 1971-77. Five different contaminants were significantly negatively correlated with shell thickness; DDE was most closely correlated. Ten percent shell thinning was associated with 2.0 ppm DDE, 15% with 4.2 ppm, and 20% with 8.7 ppm in eggs collected from randomly selected nests before egg loss. Shell thickness could not be accurately predicted from DDE concentrations in eggs collected after failure to hatch, presumably because the eggs with the thinnest shells had been broken and were unavailable for sampling. DDE was also significantly negatively correlated with brood size. Other contaminants did not appear to adversely affect shell thickness or reproductive success.

The Relationship Between Perceived Hookup Attitudes and Negative Hookup Consequences: Do Perceived Attitudes of Close Friends Matter?

PubMed

Montes, Kevin S; Blanco, Lyzette; LaBrie, Joseph W

2017-01-01

Research suggests that the perceived hookup attitudes of close referents are generally a poor predictor of hookup behavior and likely a poor direct predictor of negative hookup consequences. The current study aimed to examine three intervening variables as mediators of the relationship between the perceived hookup attitudes of college students' close friends and negative hookup consequences (e.g., regret, embarrassment). Self-report data were collected from 589 heavy-drinking college students from three midsized universities. The results indicated that students' own attitudes toward hooking up, motivation to hook up, and self-reported number of hookup partners significantly mediated the relationship between the perceived hookup attitudes of close friends and negative hookup consequences. The perceived hookup attitudes of close friends were positively associated with participants' attitudes toward hooking up. Participants' attitudes toward hooking up were positively associated with social-sexual motivation to hook up. Elevated social-sexual motivation to hook up was positively associated with hooking up with multiple partners, with hooking up with multiple partners positively associated with negative hookup consequences. A better understanding of the predictors and mediators of negative hookup consequences has the potential to inform prevention and intervention efforts.

Assessing the stability of human locomotion: a review of current measures

PubMed Central

Bruijn, S. M.; Meijer, O. G.; Beek, P. J.; van Dieën, J. H.

2013-01-01

Falling poses a major threat to the steadily growing population of the elderly in modern-day society. A major challenge in the prevention of falls is the identification of individuals who are at risk of falling owing to an unstable gait. At present, several methods are available for estimating gait stability, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, we review the currently available measures: the maximum Lyapunov exponent (λS and λL), the maximum Floquet multiplier, variability measures, long-range correlations, extrapolated centre of mass, stabilizing and destabilizing forces, foot placement estimator, gait sensitivity norm and maximum allowable perturbation. We explain what these measures represent and how they are calculated, and we assess their validity, divided up into construct validity, predictive validity in simple models, convergent validity in experimental studies, and predictive validity in observational studies. We conclude that (i) the validity of variability measures and λS is best supported across all levels, (ii) the maximum Floquet multiplier and λL have good construct validity, but negative predictive validity in models, negative convergent validity and (for λL) negative predictive validity in observational studies, (iii) long-range correlations lack construct validity and predictive validity in models and have negative convergent validity, and (iv) measures derived from perturbation experiments have good construct validity, but data are lacking on convergent validity in experimental studies and predictive validity in observational studies. In closing, directions for future research on dynamic gait stability are discussed. PMID:23516062

Interannual Variability of OLR as Observed by AIRS and CERES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Molnar, Gyula; Iredell, Lena; Loeb, Norman G.

2012-01-01

This paper compares spatial anomaly time series of OLR (Outgoing Longwave Radiation) and OLR(sub CLR) (Clear Sky OLR) as determined using observations from CERES Terra and AIRS over the time period September 2002 through June 2011. Both AIRS and CERES show a significant decrease in global mean and tropical mean OLR over this time period. We find excellent agreement of the anomaly time-series of the two OLR data sets in almost every detail, down to 1 deg X 1 deg spatial grid point level. The extremely close agreement of OLR anomaly time series derived from observations by two different instruments implies that both sets of results must be highly stable. This agreement also validates to some extent the anomaly time series of the AIRS derived products used in the computation of the AIRS OLR product. The paper also examines the correlations of anomaly time series of AIRS and CERES OLR, on different spatial scales, as well as those of other AIRS derived products, with that of the NOAA Sea Surface Temperature (SST) product averaged over the NOAA Nino-4 spatial region. We refer to these SST anomalies as the El Nino Index. Large spatially coherent positive and negative correlations of OLR anomaly time series with that of the El Nino Index are found in different spatial regions. Anomalies of global mean, and especially tropical mean, OLR are highly positively correlated with the El Nino Index. These correlations explain that the recent global and tropical mean decreases in OLR over the period September 2002 through June 2011, as observed by both AIRS and CERES, are primarily the result of a transition from an El Nino condition at the beginning of the data record to La Nina conditions toward the end of the data period. We show that the close correlation of global mean, and especially tropical mean, OLR anomalies with the El Nino Index can be well accounted for by temporal changes of OLR within two spatial regions which lie outside the NOAA Nino-4 region, in which anomalies of cloud cover and mid-tropospheric water vapor are both highly negatively correlated with the El Nino Index. Agreement of the AIRS and CERES OLR(sub CLR) anomaly time series is less good, which may be a result of the large sampling differences in the ensemble of cases included in each OLR(sub CLR) data set.

For better or worse? Coregulation of couples' cortisol levels and mood states.

PubMed

Saxbe, Darby; Repetti, Rena L

2010-01-01

Although a majority of adults live with a close relationship partner, little is known about whether and how partners' momentary affect and physiology covary, or "coregulate." This study used a dyadic multilevel modeling approach to explore the coregulation of spouses' mood states and cortisol levels in 30 married couples who sampled saliva and reported on mood states 4 times per day for 3 days. For both husbands and wives, own cortisol level was positively associated with partner's cortisol level, even after sampling time was controlled. For wives, marital satisfaction weakened the strength of this effect. Partner's negative mood was positively associated with own negative mood for both husbands and wives. Marital satisfaction fully moderated this effect, reducing the strength of the association between one's own and one's partner's negative mood states. Spouses' positive moods were not correlated. As expected, within-couple coregulation coefficients were stronger when mood and cortisol were sampled in the early morning and evening, when spouses were together at home, than during the workday. The results suggest that spouses' fluctuations in negative mood and cortisol levels are linked over several days and that marital satisfaction may buffer spouses from their partners' negative mood or stress state.

Epipelagic and mesopelagic fishes in the southern California Current System: Ecological interactions and oceanographic influences on their abundance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koslow, J. Anthony; Davison, Peter; Lara-Lopez, Ana; Ohman, Mark D.

2014-10-01

We use zooplankton and ichthyoplankton data from the ~ 60-year CalCOFI time series to examine relationships of mesopelagic (i.e. midwater) fishes in the California Current System with midwater predators, potential competitors (epipelagic planktivorous fishes) and zooplankton prey, within the context of local and basin-scale oceanography. Equilibrium-based near-steady state models and the “wasp-waist” paradigm for eastern boundary currents predict tightly-coupled trophic interactions, with negative correlations between the abundance of planktivorous competitors and between dominant planktivores and their prey. Testing these hypotheses with the CalCOFI time series, we found them to be generally invalid. Potential competitors within the mesopelagic community (planktivorous vertical migrators (VMs) and non-migrators (NMs)) were highly positively correlated, as were these groups with the mesopelagic piscivores (e.g. dragonfishes) that prey on them. In addition, the abundance of VMs was mostly positively correlated with that of epipelagic planktivores, such as anchovy, mackerels and hake. The VMs and epipelagic planktivores were negatively correlated with key potential planktonic prey groups, indicating a lack of bottom-up forcing. However, neither do these negative correlations appear to signify top-down forcing, since they seem to be mediated through correlations with key environmental drivers, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), sea surface temperature, and the relative strength of the California Current. We suggest that the web of correlations linking key meso- and epipelagic planktivores, their predators and prey is mediated through common links with basin-scale oceanographic drivers, such as the PDO and ENSO cycles. Thus, the abundance of mesopelagic fishes in the California Current is closely tied to variation in the oxygen minimum zone, whose dynamics have been linked to the PDO. The PDO and other drivers are also linked to the transport of the California Current System, which influences the abundance of many dominant taxa off southern California that have broad biogeographic distributions linked to water masses that extend to the north (Transition Zone/sub-Arctic faunas) or the south (tropical/subtropical faunas).

Forest structure affects trophic linkages: How silvicultural disturbance impacts bats and their insect prey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dodd, L.E.; Lacki, M.J.; Britzke, E.R.; Buehler, D.A.; Keyser, P.D.; Larkin, J.L.; Rodewald, A.D.; Wigley, T.B.; Wood, P.B.; Rieske, L.K.

2012-01-01

Vertebrate insectivores such as bats are a pervasive top-down force on prey populations in forest ecosystems. Conservation focusing on forest-dwelling bats requires understanding of community-level interactions between these predators and their insect prey. Our study assessed bat activity and insect occurrence (abundance and diversity) across a gradient of forest disturbance and structure (silvicultural treatments) in the Central Appalachian region of North America. We conducted acoustic surveys of bat echolocation concurrent with insect surveys using blacklight and malaise traps over 2 years. Predator activity, prey occurrence and prey biomass varied seasonally and across the region. The number of bat echolocation pulses was positively related with forest disturbance, whereas prey demonstrated varied trends. Lepidopteran abundance was negatively related with disturbance, while dipteran abundance and diversity was positively related with disturbance. Coleoptera were unaffected. Neither bat nor insect response variables differed between plot interiors and edges. Correlations between bat activity and vegetative structure reflected differences in foraging behavior among ensembles. Activity of myotine bats was correlated with variables describing sub-canopy vegetation, whereas activity of lasiurine bats was more closely correlated with canopy-level vegetation. Lepidopteran abundance was correlated with variables describing canopy and sub-canopy vegetation, whereas coleopteran and dipteran occurrence were more closely correlated with canopy-level vegetative structure. Our study demonstrates regional variation in bat activity and prey occurrence across a forested disturbance gradient. Land management and conservation efforts should consider the importance of vegetation structure and plant species richness to sustain forest-dwelling bats and their insect prey.

[JAK2 V617F and exon 12 genetic variations in Korean patients with BCR/ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms].

PubMed

Kim, Jeong Tae; Cho, Yong Gon; Choi, Sam Im; Lee, Young Jin; Kim, Hye Ran; Jang, Sook Jin; Moon, Dae Soo; Park, Young Jin; Park, Geon

2010-12-01

JAK2 genetic variations have been described in a high proportion of patients with BCR/ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). This study was designed to analyze the frequencies of JAK2 V617F and exon 12 variations, and their correlations with clinical characteristics of Korean patients with BCR/ABL1-negative MPN. We examined a total of 154 patients with BCR/ABL1-negative MPN that included 24, 26, 89, and 15 patients with polycythemia vera (PV), primary myelofibrosis (PMF), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and unclassified myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNU), respectively. We performed allele-specific PCR to detect V617F in all BCR/ABL1-negative patients, and performed direct sequencing to detect exon 12 variations in 47 V617F-negative MPN patients. JAK2 c.1641+179_183del5 variation was detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism assay in 176 healthy subjects. JAK2 V617F was detected in 91 patients (59.1%): PV (91.6%), PMF (46.2%), ET (52.8%), and MPNU (66.7%). In V617F-negative MPN patients, no mutations were found in exon 12. The c.1641+179_183del5 was detected in 68.1% of V617F-negative MPN patients and 45.4% of healthy subjects (P=0.008). JAK2 V617F was closely correlated with age and leukocytosis in BCR/ABL1-negative MPN patients (P<0.05). However, c.1641+179_183del5 was not related to age, sex, or complete blood cell count parameters in V617F-negative MPN patients and healthy subjects. The c.1641+179_183del5 was associated with an increased odds ratio for MPN (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidences interval, 1.3-5.1; P=0.007). Frequencies of V617F are similar to reported results. JAK2 exon 12 mutations may be rare and c.1641+179_183del5 may influence the occurrence of MPN in Korean patients with V6 17F-negative MPN.

[Association of Insulin Resistance and β Cell Function with Lipid Metabolism in Middle-aged and Elderly Hui and Han Populations].

PubMed

Li, Shu-ya; Jiang, Min; Yao, Tian-yu; Cheng, Yu-xuan; Fan, Ya-jie; Liu, Xu-ying; Zhang, Jin-ling; Liu, Lan; Wang, Zhi-zhong; Ma, Yu-ying; Hu, Xue-qin; Wang, Pan-pan; Yu, Jing-jing; Ma, Rong; Huang, Qi

2016-04-01

To explore the association of insulin resistance and β cell function with lipid metabolism in middle-aged and elderly Hui and Han populations. A total of 1000 subjects age over 40 years were recruited from five urban communities in Yinchuan and Wuzhong cities of Ningxia. The composition ratio between Hui and Han nationality was 1:2. A questionnaire-based survey was performed. Physical examinations were carried out to measure the height, body mass, waistline, and hipline. The levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), blood uric acid (BUA), fasting blood glucose and insulin were measured. The boby mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and secretion related index including insulin resistance index (IR), insulin sensitivity index (IAI), and beta cell function index (HBCI) were calculated. The BMI, WHR, IAI, HBCI, and the prevalence rate of diabetes in Hui nationality were significantly higher than those in Han nationality (P<0.01). The levels of BUA, fasting blood glucose, TC, and IR in Han nationality were significantly lower than those in Hui nationality (P<0.01). In Hui populations, TG, BMI, WHR, and BUA were positively correlated with IR (r=0.234, r=0.193, r=0.143, and r=0.129, respectively; P<0.01) and were negatively correlated with IAI (r=-0.234, r=-0.193, r=-0.143, r=-0.129, respectively; P<0.01), whereas TC was negatively correlated with HBCI (r=-0.169, P<0.01). In Han populations, TC, TG, BMI, WHR, and BUA were positively correlated with IR (r=0.140, r=0.257, r=0.288, r=0.163, r=0.104, P<0.01) and negatively correlated with IAI (r=-0.140, r=-0.257, r=-0.288, r=-0.163, and r=-0.104, P<0.01), whereas BMI was negatively correlated with HBCI (r=-0.111, P<0.01). After the influential factors such as gender, nationality, and age were adjusted, the TC, TG, BMI, WHR, BUA levels were positively correlated with IR (r=0.109, r=0.256, r=0.253, r=0.139, and r=0.142, P<0.01) and negatively correlated with IAI (r=-0.109, r=-0.256, r=-0.253, r=-0.139, and r=-0.142, P<0.01). TC and BMI were negatively correlated with HBCI (r=-0.113, r=-0.086, P<0.01). TG and BMI were independently associated with IR and IAI (r=0.218, r=0.182, r=-0.218, r=-0.182), while TC and BMI were independently associated with HBCI (r=-0.113, r=-0.086). The distributions of TC, TG, BMI, WHR, BUA, IR, IAI, and HBCI differ between Han and Hui populations. The development of insulin resistance is closely related with the increased levels of TC, TG, BMI, WHR, and BUA. However, the HBCI increases with the increased level of TC and BMI. TG and BMI may be related with insulin resistance. Also, TC and BMI may affect the secretion function of β cells.

Degradation of various chlorophenols under alkaline conditions by gram-negative bacteria closely related to Ochrobactrum anthropi.

PubMed

Müller, R H; Jorks, S; Kleinsteuber, S; Babel, W

1998-01-01

From concrete debris of a demolished herbicide production plant several Gram-negative bacterial strains were isolated, which exhibit metabolic capabilities for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP)l), 4-chloro-2-methylphenol (MCP) and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), while 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) was degraded at a slower rate. Degradative activity was inducible and was impeded by adding of 100 mg/l of chloramphenicol to growing cultures. The strains displayed alkaliphilic properties with optimum DCP/MCP degradation at pH values around 8.5-9.5; activity was observed up to pH values of 11. Degradation was most likely complete according to chlorine balances; formation of intermediary products was observed with MCP some time. Specific activity of up to 380 mumol/h.g dry mass was found within the concentration range of 10-20 mg/l DCP; higher concentrations retarded the activity with complete inhibition at 200-400 mg/l. Some of the strains carry plasmids whose presence was not unambiguously correlated to the degradative properties. Ribotyping revealed a high degree of relationship between the strains. Preliminary taxonomic investigations showed close relationship to Ochrobactrum anthropi.

An autocatalytic network model for stock markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caetano, Marco Antonio Leonel; Yoneyama, Takashi

2015-02-01

The stock prices of companies with businesses that are closely related within a specific sector of economy might exhibit movement patterns and correlations in their dynamics. The idea in this work is to use the concept of autocatalytic network to model such correlations and patterns in the trends exhibited by the expected returns. The trends are expressed in terms of positive or negative returns within each fixed time interval. The time series derived from these trends is then used to represent the movement patterns by a probabilistic boolean network with transitions modeled as an autocatalytic network. The proposed method might be of value in short term forecasting and identification of dependencies. The method is illustrated with a case study based on four stocks of companies in the field of natural resource and technology.

Endogenous modulation of human visual cortex activity improves perception at twilight.

PubMed

Cordani, Lorenzo; Tagliazucchi, Enzo; Vetter, Céline; Hassemer, Christian; Roenneberg, Till; Stehle, Jörg H; Kell, Christian A

2018-04-10

Perception, particularly in the visual domain, is drastically influenced by rhythmic changes in ambient lighting conditions. Anticipation of daylight changes by the circadian system is critical for survival. However, the neural bases of time-of-day-dependent modulation in human perception are not yet understood. We used fMRI to study brain dynamics during resting-state and close-to-threshold visual perception repeatedly at six times of the day. Here we report that resting-state signal variance drops endogenously at times coinciding with dawn and dusk, notably in sensory cortices only. In parallel, perception-related signal variance in visual cortices decreases and correlates negatively with detection performance, identifying an anticipatory mechanism that compensates for the deteriorated visual signal quality at dawn and dusk. Generally, our findings imply that decreases in spontaneous neural activity improve close-to-threshold perception.

Linear versus non-linear measures of temporal variability in finger tapping and their relation to performance on open- versus closed-loop motor tasks: comparing standard deviations to Lyapunov exponents.

PubMed

Christman, Stephen D; Weaver, Ryan

2008-05-01

The nature of temporal variability during speeded finger tapping was examined using linear (standard deviation) and non-linear (Lyapunov exponent) measures. Experiment 1 found that right hand tapping was characterised by lower amounts of both linear and non-linear measures of variability than left hand tapping, and that linear and non-linear measures of variability were often negatively correlated with one another. Experiment 2 found that increased non-linear variability was associated with relatively enhanced performance on a closed-loop motor task (mirror tracing) and relatively impaired performance on an open-loop motor task (pointing in a dark room), especially for left hand performance. The potential uses and significance of measures of non-linear variability are discussed.

Wound Healing Potential of Intermittent Negative Pressure under Limited Access Dressing in Burn Patients: Biochemical and Histopathological Study

PubMed Central

Muguregowda, Honnegowda Thittamaranahalli; Kumar, Pramod; Govindarama, Padmanabha Udupa Echalasara

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND Malondialdehyde (MDA) is an oxidant that causes damage to membranes, DNA, proteins, and lipids at the cellular level. Antioxidants minimize the effects of oxidants and thus help in formation of healthy granulation tissues with higher level of hydroxyproline and total protein. This study compared the effect of limited access dressing (LAD) with conventional closed dressing biochemically and histopathologically. METHODS Seventy-two 12-65 years old burn patients with mean wound size of 14 cm2 were divided to two groups of LAD (n=37), and conventional dressing groups (n=35). Various biochemical parameters were measured in granulation tissue. Histopathological analysis of the granulation tissue was studied too. RESULTS LAD group showed significant increase in hydroxyproline, total protein, GSH, and GPx and decrease in MDA levels compared to conventional dressing group. A significant negative correlation between GSH and MDA was noted in LAD group, but in conventional dressing group there was no significant correlation. A significant negative correlation between GPx and MDA was noticed in LAD group, but in conventional dressing group was not significant. There was a histologically fewer inflammatory cells, increased and well organized extracellular matrix deposit, more angiogenesis in LAD group after 10 days while the difference was significant between the groups. CONCLUSION Our study showed a significant reduction in oxidative stress biomarker of MDA, increase in hydroxyproline, total protein, antioxidants and amount of ECM deposition, number of blood vessels and a decrease in the amount of inflammatory cells and necrotic tissues in LAD group indicating the better healing effect of burn wounds. PMID:29651393

Physical processes dominate in shaping invertebrate assemblages in reef-associated sediments of an exposed Hawaiian coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeFelice, R.C.; Parrish, J.D.

2001-01-01

The invertebrate assemblages in sediments bordering exposed fringing reefs at Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii, were examined during July to September 1994. Densities of invertebrate animals larger than 0.5 mm in sediments of the bay ranged from counts of 10 260 m-2 in the fine carbonate sands of the central bay to 870 m-2 in the habitat dominated by terrigenous silt near the reef edge close to the Hanalei river mouth. Similar sediment types supported broadly similar infaunal communities. Within the primarily carbonate sediments, mean grain size and wave exposure appear to have an important influence on the community. Taxonomic richness, number of individuals, and diversity showed significant negative relationships with exposure to wave energy (as estimated by sand ripple wavelength). The number of individuals was also significantly correlated with mean grain size. Overall, polychaetes and small crustaceans were numerically dominant among the major taxonomic groups investigated. Macrophagous and microphagous polychaetes had significant, but opposite, associations with grain size. In addition, microphagous polychaetes were significantly negatively correlated with wave exposure. No habitat variable measured could explain the variation in percent composition of crustaceans or echinoderms in the sedimentary habitats. The percentage of gastropods in the community was significantly negatively correlated with grain size, grain-size standard deviation and exposure, and positively with percent organic carbon. Bivalves were significantly positively associated with depth and grain size. These strong relationships imply that, in Hanalei Bay, physical processes are especially important in influencing assemblage structure, and that community structure and composition vary continuously along environmental gradients.

Isolating neural correlates of conscious perception from neural correlates of reporting one's perception

PubMed Central

Pitts, Michael A.; Metzler, Stephen; Hillyard, Steven A.

2014-01-01

To isolate neural correlates of conscious perception (NCCs), a standard approach has been to contrast neural activity elicited by identical stimuli of which subjects are aware vs. unaware. Because conscious experience is private, determining whether a stimulus was consciously perceived requires subjective report: e.g., button-presses indicating detection, visibility ratings, verbal reports, etc. This reporting requirement introduces a methodological confound when attempting to isolate NCCs: The neural processes responsible for accessing and reporting one's percept are difficult to distinguish from those underlying the conscious percept itself. Here, we review recent attempts to circumvent this issue via a modified inattentional blindness paradigm (Pitts et al., 2012) and present new data from a backward masking experiment in which task-relevance and visual awareness were manipulated in a 2 × 2 crossed design. In agreement with our previous inattentional blindness results, stimuli that were consciously perceived yet not immediately accessed for report (aware, task-irrelevant condition) elicited a mid-latency posterior ERP negativity (~200–240 ms), while stimuli that were accessed for report (aware, task-relevant condition) elicited additional components including a robust P3b (~380–480 ms) subsequent to the mid-latency negativity. Overall, these results suggest that some of the NCCs identified in previous studies may be more closely linked with accessing and maintaining perceptual information for reporting purposes than with encoding the conscious percept itself. An open question is whether the remaining NCC candidate (the ERP negativity at 200–240 ms) reflects visual awareness or object-based attention. PMID:25339922

Correlation Between C-reactive Protein and Non-enzymatic Antioxidants (Albumin, Ferritin, Uric Acid and Bilirubin) in Hemodialysis Patients.

PubMed

Beciragic, Amela; Resic, Halima; Prohic, Nejra; Karamehic, Jasenko; Smajlovic, Ajdin; Masnic, Fahrudin; Ajanovic, Selma; Coric, Aida

2015-04-01

Increased levels of C-Reactive Protein are found in 30-60% on hemodialysis patients and it is closely associated with the progression of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Non enzymatic antioxidants are antioxidants which primarily retain potentially dangerous ions of iron and copper in their inactive form and thereby prevent its participation in the production of free radicals. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship of CRP and non enzymatic antioxidants (albumin, ferritin, uric acid and bilirubin) i.e. examine the importance of CRP as a serum biomarker in assessing the condition of inflammation and its relationship to antioxidant protection in patients on hemodialysis. The study was cross-sectional, clinical, comparative and descriptive. The study involved 100 patients (non diabetic) on chronic hemodialysis. The control group consisted of 50 subjects without subjective and objective indicators of chronic renal disease. In all patients, the concentration of CRP as well as concentrations of non enzymatic antioxidants were determined. In the group of hemodialysis patients 60% were men and 40% women. The average age of hemodialysis patients was 54.13 ± 11.8 years and the average age of the control group 41.72 ± 9.8 years. The average duration of hemodialysis treatment was 91.42 ± 76.2 months. In the group of hemodialysis patients statistically significant, negative linear correlation was determined between the concentration of CRP in and albumin concentration (rho = -0.251, p = 0.012) as well as negative, statistics insignificant, linear correlation between serum CRP and the concentration of uric acid (r = -0.077, p = 0.448). Furthermore, the positive, linear correlation was determined between serum CRP and ferritin (r = 0.159, p = 0.114) and positive linear correlation between CRP and total serum bilirubin (r = 0.121, p = 0.230). In the control group was determined a statistically significant, positive, linear correlation between serum CRP and uric acid concentration (rho = 0.438, p = 0.001) and statistically significant, positive, linear correlation between serum CRP and total serum bilirubin (rho = 0.510, p = 0.0001) A statistically significant, negative linear correlation was determined between CRP and albumin concentration (rho= -0.393, p = 0.005) as well as statistically significant, negative linear correlation between serum CRP and ferritin control group (rho = -0.391, p = 0.005). Elevated CRP level is a strong and independent predictor of low levels of serum albumin, which indicates that the hypoalbuminemia in hemodialysis patients could be more due to inflammation than malnutrition. There was no statistically significant correlation between CRP and other non enzymatic antioxidants (uric acid, ferritin, bilirubin), which shows that indicators of antioxidant defense in hemodialysis patients must be individually measured to determine their actual stocks and activity.

Lazy, not biased: Susceptibility to partisan fake news is better explained by lack of reasoning than by motivated reasoning.

PubMed

Pennycook, Gordon; Rand, David G

2018-06-20

Why do people believe blatantly inaccurate news headlines ("fake news")? Do we use our reasoning abilities to convince ourselves that statements that align with our ideology are true, or does reasoning allow us to effectively differentiate fake from real regardless of political ideology? Here we test these competing accounts in two studies (total N = 3446 Mechanical Turk workers) by using the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) as a measure of the propensity to engage in analytical reasoning. We find that CRT performance is negatively correlated with the perceived accuracy of fake news, and positively correlated with the ability to discern fake news from real news - even for headlines that align with individuals' political ideology. Moreover, overall discernment was actually better for ideologically aligned headlines than for misaligned headlines. Finally, a headline-level analysis finds that CRT is negatively correlated with perceived accuracy of relatively implausible (primarily fake) headlines, and positively correlated with perceived accuracy of relatively plausible (primarily real) headlines. In contrast, the correlation between CRT and perceived accuracy is unrelated to how closely the headline aligns with the participant's ideology. Thus, we conclude that analytic thinking is used to assess the plausibility of headlines, regardless of whether the stories are consistent or inconsistent with one's political ideology. Our findings therefore suggest that susceptibility to fake news is driven more by lazy thinking than it is by partisan bias per se - a finding that opens potential avenues for fighting fake news. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Extended family and friendship support and suicidality among African Americans.

PubMed

Nguyen, Ann W; Taylor, Robert Joseph; Chatters, Linda M; Taylor, Harry Owen; Lincoln, Karen D; Mitchell, Uchechi A

2017-03-01

This study examined the relationship between informal social support from extended family and friends and suicidality among African Americans. Logistic regression analysis was based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (N = 3263). Subjective closeness and frequency of contact with extended family and friends and negative family interaction were examined in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts. Subjective closeness to family and frequency of contact with friends were negatively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Subjective closeness to friends and negative family interaction were positively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Significant interactions between social support and negative interaction showed that social support buffers against the harmful effects of negative interaction on suicidality. Findings are discussed in relation to the functions of positive and negative social ties in suicidality.

Effectiveness of Psycho-Physiological Portable Devices to Analyse Effect of Ergogenic Aids in Military Population.

PubMed

Diaz-Manzano, Montaña; Robles-Pérez, José Juan; Herrera-Mendoza, Ketty; Herrera-Tapias, Beliña; Fernández-Lucas, Jesús; Aznar-Lain, Susana; Clemente-Suárez, Vicente Javier

2018-03-24

Caffeine is one of the ergogenic substances most used by warfighters in current operation areas, but the effect on the organic response and operational performed is already poor knowledge. This research aimed to study the acute effect of 400 mg of caffeine monohydrate on the psycho-physiological response and rifle marksmanship of warfighters during a close quarter combat simulation. We analysed parameter of heart rate, blood lactate, cortical arousal, state anxiety and marksmanship of 20 Spanish Army veteran warfighters before and after a close quarter combat simulation in a double-blind procedure, also a correlation analysis was conducted between all the study variables. Marksmanship of warfighters did not improve with the caffeine ingestion, but it produced an increase in blood lactate concentration (caffeine: 1.9 ± 0.5 vs. 9.2 ± 1.1 mmol.l -1 ; placebo: 1.8 ± 0.7 vs. 6.9 ± 2.2 mmol.l -1 ), cortical arousal (% of change: caffeine: 2.51; placebo: -1.96) and heart rate (caffeine: 80.0 ± 7.2 vs. 172.9 ± 28.2 bpm; placebo: 79.3 ± 6.4 vs. 154.0 ± 26.8 bpm). In addition, higher heart rate values correlated negatively with marksmanship in close quarter combat. We concluded that caffeine intake did not improve the warfighters rifle marksmanship in close quarter combat possibly due to the increase in the physiological response.

Circadian rhythms in human performance and mood under constant conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monk, T. H.; Buysse, D. J.; Reynolds, C. F. 3rd; Berga, S. L.; Jarrett, D. B.; Begley, A. E.; Kupfer, D. J.

1997-01-01

This study explored the relationship between circadian performance rhythms and rhythms in rectal temperature, plasma cortisol, plasma melatonin, subjective alertness and well-being. Seventeen healthy young adults were studied under 36 h of 'unmasking' conditions (constant wakeful bedrest, temporal isolation, homogenized 'meals') during which rectal temperatures were measured every minute, and plasma cortisol and plasma melatonin measured every 20 min. Hourly subjective ratings of global vigour (alertness) and affect (well-being) were obtained followed by one of two performance batteries. On odd-numbered hours performance (speed and accuracy) of serial search, verbal reasoning and manual dexterity tasks was assessed. On even-numbered hours, performance (% hits, response speed) was measured at a 25-30 min visual vigilance task. Performance of all tasks (except search accuracy) showed a significant time of day variation usually with a nocturnal trough close to the trough in rectal temperature. Performance rhythms appeared not to reliably differ with working memory load. Within subjects, predominantly positive correlations emerged between good performance and higher temperatures and better subjective alertness; predominantly negative correlations between good performance and higher plasma levels of cortisol and melatonin. Temperature and cortisol rhythms correlated with slightly more performance measures (5/7) than did melatonin rhythms (4/7). Global vigour correlated about as well with performance (5/7) as did temperature, and considerably better than global affect (1/7). In conclusion: (1) between-task heterogeneity in circadian performance rhythms appeared to be absent when the sleep/wake cycle was suspended; (2) temperature (positively), cortisol and melatonin (negatively) appeared equally good as circadian correlates of performance, and (3) subjective alertness correlated with performance rhythms as well as (but not better than) body temperature, suggesting that performance rhythms were not directly mediated by rhythms in subjective alertness.

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

USGS Publications Warehouse

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

2009-01-01

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

On the relationship between positive and negative affect: Their correlation and their co-occurrence.

PubMed

Larsen, Jeff T; Hershfield, Hal E; Stastny, Bradley J; Hester, Neil

2017-03-01

Understanding the nature of emotional experience requires understanding the relationship between positive and negative affect. Two particularly important aspects of that relationship are the extent to which positive and negative affect are correlated with one another and the extent to which they co-occur. Some researchers have assumed that weak negative correlations imply greater co-occurrence (i.e., more mixed emotions) than do strong negative correlations, but others have noted that correlations may imply very little about co-occurrence. We investigated the relationship between the correlation between positive and negative affect and co-occurrence. Participants in each of 2 samples provided moment-to-moment happiness and sadness ratings as they watched an evocative film and listened to music. Results indicated (a) that 4 measures of the correlation between positive and negative affect were quite highly related to 1 another; (b) that the strength of the correlation between measures of mixed emotions varied considerably; (c) that correlational measures were generally (but not always) weakly correlated with mixed emotion measures; and (d) that bittersweet stimuli consistently led to elevations in mixed emotion measures but did not consistently weaken the correlation between positive and negative affect. Results highlight that the correlation between positive and negative affect and their co-occurrence are distinct aspects of the relationship between positive and negative affect. Such insight helps clarify the implications of existing work on age-related and cultural differences in emotional experience and sets the stage for greater understanding of the experience of mixed emotions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Job satisfaction and intent to leave among psychiatric nurses: closed versus open wards.

PubMed

Baum, Alexander; Kagan, Ilya

2015-08-01

The aim of this study was to investigate: (a) the association between socio-demographic variables, job satisfaction and intent to leave among hospital psychiatric nurses, and (b) the differences in the above between psychiatric nurses working on closed and open wards. After receiving ethical approval, a convenience sample of 52 (70% of total nursing staff) was drawn from psychiatric nurses in a large Israeli psychiatric hospital (95% response rate). The sample completed anonymously a self-administered structured questionnaire. A negative correlation was found between job satisfaction and intent to leave and between age, all categories of seniority, and intent to leave. Closed-ward nurses reported a higher intent to leave psychiatric nursing. Nurses under 35 reported a significantly higher intent to leave psychiatric nursing than nurses over 35. Job satisfaction was significantly higher among full-time nurses than part-time. Psychiatric hospitals need to pay attention to all factors associated with workers' readiness to leave. Given the widespread shortage of nurses, it is especially important that they address the relatively low job satisfaction of both younger and part-time nurses, and the particular stresses that closed-ward nurses work under. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical Composition of RR Lyn - an Eclipsing Binary System with Am and λ Boo Type Components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Yeuncheol; Yushchenko, Alexander V.; Doikov, Dmytry N.; Gopka, Vira F.; Yushchenko, Volodymyr O.

2017-06-01

High-resolution spectroscopic observations of the eclipsing binary system RR Lyn were made using the 1.8 m telescope at the Bohuynsan Optical Astronomical Observatory in Korea. The spectral resolving power was R = 82,000, with a signal to noise ratio of S/N > 150. We found the effective temperatures and surface gravities of the primary and secondary components to be equal to Teff = 7,920 & 7,210 K and log(g) = 3.80 & 4.16, respectively. The abundances of 34 and 17 different chemical elements were found in the atmospheric components. Correlations between the derived abundances with condensation temperatures and the second ionization potentials of these elements are discussed. The primary component is a typical metallic line star with the abundances of light and iron group elements close to solar values, while elements with atomic numbers Z > 30 are overabundant by 0.5-1.5 dex with respect to solar values. The secondary component is a λ Boo type star. In this type of stars, CNO abundances are close to solar values, while the abundance pattern shows a negative correlation with condensation temperatures.

Extended family and friendship support and suicidality among African Americans

PubMed Central

Taylor, Robert Joseph; Chatters, Linda M.; Taylor, Harry Owen; Lincoln, Karen D.; Mitchell, Uchechi A.

2016-01-01

Purpose This study examined the relationship between informal social support from extended family and friends and suicidality among African Americans. Methods Logistic regression analysis was based on a nationally representative sample of African Americans from the National Survey of American Life (N = 3263). Subjective closeness and frequency of contact with extended family and friends and negative family interaction were examined in relation to lifetime suicide ideation and attempts. Results Subjective closeness to family and frequency of contact with friends were negatively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Subjective closeness to friends and negative family interaction were positively associated with suicide ideation and attempts. Significant interactions between social support and negative interaction showed that social support buffers against the harmful effects of negative interaction on suicidality. Conclusions Findings are discussed in relation to the functions of positive and negative social ties in suicidality. PMID:27838732

Does individualism bring happiness? Negative effects of individualism on interpersonal relationships and happiness.

PubMed

Ogihara, Yuji; Uchida, Yukiko

2014-01-01

We examined the negative effects of individualism in an East Asian culture. Although individualistic systems decrease interpersonal relationships through competition, individualistic values have prevailed in European American cultures. One reason is because individuals could overcome negativity by actively constructing interpersonal relationships. In contrast, people in East Asian cultures do not have such strategies to overcome the negative impact of individualistic systems, leading to decreased well-being. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between individualistic values, number of close friends, and subjective well-being (SWB). Study 1 indicated that individualistic values were negatively related with the number of close friends and SWB for Japanese college students but not for American college students. Moreover, Study 2 showed that even in an individualistic workplace in Japan, individualistic values were negatively related with the number of close friends and SWB. We discuss how cultural change toward increasing individualism might affect interpersonal relationships and well-being.

Weight centile crossing in infancy: correlations between successive months show evidence of growth feedback and an infant-child growth transition.

PubMed

Cole, Tim J; Singhal, Atul; Fewtrell, Mary S; Wells, Jonathan Ck

2016-10-01

Early rapid weight gain is associated with later overweight, which implies that weight centile crossing tracks over time. Centile crossing is defined in terms of the change or deviation in weight z score during 1 mo, and the correlations between successive deviations are explored at different ages. Two Cambridge (United Kingdom) growth cohorts were used: Widdowson (1094 infants born during 1959-1965) and the Cambridge Infant Growth Study (CIGS; 255 infants born during 1984-1987), each with weights measured monthly in the first year. Weights were converted to WHO age- and sex-adjusted z scores, deviations were calculated as the change in z score between adjacent measurement occasions, and the correlations between deviations were studied. In both cohorts, the correlations between successive monthly deviations were positive in the first 6 mo and highest at ages 3-4 mo (r = 0.3, P < 0.0001), whereas after 6 mo they were negative and were lowest at ages 10-11 mo (r = -0.3, P < 0.0001), with the correlation decreasing linearly with age between these extremes. Thus, during the first 6 mo of age, infants crossing centiles in 1 mo tended to continue crossing centiles in the same direction the following month, whereas after 6 mo they tended to cross back again. This represents positive and negative feedback, respectively. At age 12 mo, the correlation was close to zero, which suggests an infant-child transition in growth. The results confirm that weight centile crossing tracks over time, with the correlations between successive periods that change with age suggesting a complex feedback mechanism underlying infant growth. This may throw light on the link between early rapid weight gain and later overweight. Clinically, the correlations indicate that when predicting future weight from current weight, recent centile crossing affects the prediction in an age-dependent manner.

CD10 is a marker for cycling cells with propensity to apoptosis in childhood ALL

PubMed Central

Cutrona, G; Tasso, P; Dono, M; Roncella, S; Ulivi, M; Carpaneto, E M; Fontana, V; Comis, M; Morabito, F; Spinelli, M; Frascella, E; Boffa, L C; Basso, G; Pistoia, V; Ferrarini, M

2002-01-01

CD10 constitutes a favourable prognostic marker for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Since correlations between CD10, cell cycle and apoptotic abilities were demonstrated in various cell types, we investigated whether differences existed in the cycling/apoptotic abilities of CD10-positive and CD10-negative B acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells. Twenty-eight cases of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (mean age of 6.8 years) were subdivided into two groups according to high (17 cases, 93.2±4.5%, MRFI 211±82 CD10-positive cells) or low (11 cases, 11.5±6.2%, MRFI 10±7 CD10-negative cells) expression of CD10. CD10-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells were cycling cells with elevated c-myc levels and propensity to apoptosis, whereas CD10-negative acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells had lower cycling capacities and c-myc levels, and were resistant to apoptosis in vitro. A close correlation between all these properties was demonstrated by the observations that the few CD10-positive cells found in the CD10-negative acute lymphoblastic leukaemia group displayed elevated c-myc and cycling capacities and were apoptosis prone. Moreover, exposure of CD10-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia B cells to a peptide nucleic acid anti-gene specific for the second exon of c-myc caused inhibition of c-myc expression and reduced cell cycling and apoptotic abilities as well as decreased CD10 expression. British Journal of Cancer (2002) 86, 1776–1785. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6600329 www.bjcancer.com © 2002 Cancer Research UK PMID:12087466

A Novel Method for Preparing Auxetic Foam from Closed-cell Polymer Foam Based on Steam Penetration and Condensation (SPC) Process.

PubMed

Fan, Donglei; Li, Minggang; Qiu, Jian; Xing, Haiping; Jiang, Zhiwei; Tang, Tao

2018-05-31

Auxetic materials are a class of materials possessing negative Poisson's ratio. Here we establish a novel method for preparing auxetic foam from closed-cell polymer foam based on steam penetration and condensation (SPC) process. Using polyethylene (PE) closed-cell foam as an example, the resultant foams treated by SPC process present negative Poisson's ratio during stretching and compression testing. The effect of steam-treated temperature and time on the conversion efficiency of negative Poisson's ratio foam is investigated, and the mechanism of SPC method for forming re-entrant structure is discussed. The results indicate that the presence of enough steam within the cells is a critical factor for the negative Poisson's ratio conversion in the SPC process. The pressure difference caused by steam condensation is the driving force for the conversion from conventional closed-cell foam to the negative Poisson's ratio foam. Furthermore, the applicability of SPC process for fabricating auxetic foam is studied by replacing PE foam by polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam with closed-cell structure or replacing water steam by ethanol steam. The results verify the universality of SPC process for fabricating auxetic foams from conventional foams with closed-cell structure. In addition, we explored potential application of the obtained auxetic foams by SPC process in the fabrication of shape memory polymer materials.

Ecology of invasive Melilotus albus on Alaskan glacial river floodplains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conn, Jeff S.; Werdin-Pfisterer, Nancy R.; Beattie, Katherine L.; Densmore, Roseann V.

2011-01-01

Melilotus albus (white sweetclover) has invaded Alaskan glacial river floodplains. We measured cover and density of plant species and environmental variables along transects perpendicular to the Nenana, Matanuska, and Stikine Rivers to study interactions between M. albus and other plant species and to characterize the environment where it establishes. Melilotus albus was a pioneer species on recently disturbed sites and did not persist into closed canopy forests. The relationships between M. albus cover and density and other species were site-specific.Melilotus albus was negatively correlated with native species Elaeagnus commutata at the Nenana River, but not at the Matanuska River. Melilotus albus was positively correlated with the exotic species Crepis tectorumand Taraxacum officinale at the Matanuska River and T. officinale on the upper Stikine River. However, the high density of M. albus at a lower Stikine River site was negatively correlated with T. officinale and several native species including Lathyrus japonicus var. maritimus and Salix alaxensis. Glacial river floodplains in Alaska are highly disturbed and are corridors for exotic plant species movement. Melilotus albus at moderate to low densities may facilitate establishment of exotic species, but at high densities can reduce the cover and density of both exotic and native species.

Negative Aspects of Close Relationships as Risk Factors for Cognitive Aging

PubMed Central

Liao, Jing; Head, Jenny; Kumari, Meena; Stansfeld, Stephen; Kivimaki, Mika; Singh-Manoux, Archana; Brunner, Eric J.

2014-01-01

The extent to which social relationships influence cognitive aging is unclear. In this study, we investigated the association of midlife quality of close relationships with subsequent cognitive decline. Participants in the Whitehall II Study (n = 5,873; ages 45–69 years at first cognitive assessment) underwent executive function and memory tests 3 times over a period of 10 years (1997–1999 to 2007–2009). Midlife negative and positive aspects of close relationships were assessed twice using the Close Persons Questionnaire during the 8 years preceding cognitive assessment. Negative aspects of close relationships, but not positive aspects, were associated with accelerated cognitive aging. Participants in the top third of reported negative aspects of close relationships experienced a faster 10-year change in executive function (−0.04 standard deviation, 95% confidence interval: −0.08, −0.01) than those in the bottom third, which was comparable with 1 extra year of cognitive decline for participants aged 60 years after adjustment for sociodemographic and health status. Longitudinal analysis found no evidence of reverse causality. This study highlights the importance of differentiating aspects of social relationships to evaluate their unique associations with cognitive aging. PMID:25342204

Clinical significance of hepatitis B virion and SVP productivity: relationships between intrahepatic and serum markers in chronic hepatitis B patients

PubMed Central

Jackson, Kathy; Lim, Seng Gee; Sulaiman, Ali; Pakasi, Levina S; Gani, Rino A; Hasan, Irsan; Sulaiman, Andri Sanityoso; Lesmana, Laurentius A; Hammond, Rachel; Revill, Peter; Locarnini, Stephen; Bowden, Scott David

2014-01-01

Background Clinical use of hepatitis B viral (HBV) quantitative seromarker\\s remains questionable since it is not precisely known whether they represent intrahepatic viral replication. Covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), relaxed circular DNA (rcDNA), and pregenomic RNA (pgRNA) are more likely to represent active HBV replication and their measurement can be used to derive virion productivity (VP; rcDNA/cccDNA), subviral particle (SVP) productivity (quantitative HBsAg/cccDNA), and replicative activity (RA; pgRNA/cccDNA). These can be used to compare relative HBV replication between HBeAg-negative and -positive patients. Objective To study the clinical significance of intrahepatic HBV replication phenomenon between HBeAg-negative and -positive patients and its correlation with quantitative HBV seromarkers. Method This was a prospective study between January 2010 and December 2011. Study subjects were naive chronic hepatitis B patients from Cipto Mangunkusumo and Medistra Hospitals. All patient samples underwent liver biochemistry and HBV seromarkers testing (HBeAg, quantitative HBsAg and HBV DNA levels), and patients underwent liver biopsy. Stored liver specimens were analysed for intrahepatic rcDNA, cccDNA, and pgRNA with quantification performed by real-time PCR. Comparison of HBV markers between HBsAg-positive and -negative patients was carried out using the Mann–Whitney U-test. Pearson’s correlation test was performed among HBV intrahepatic and seromarkers using their log-transformed values. Results A total of 104 patients were enrolled in this study; 54 (51.9%) were male. Patients’ mean age was 41.9 ± 11.63 years (range 19–70 years). Sixty-one patients (58.7%) were HBeAg-negative. All HBV markers were significantly higher in HBeAg-positive than HBeAg-negative patients, except for SVP productivity and RA. Serum HBV DNA was strongly correlated with intrahepatic total HBV DNA (r = 0.771), cccDNA (r = 0.774), and rcDNA (r = 0.780) while serum quantitative HBsAg showed only moderate correlation with intrahepatic total DNA (r = 0.671), cccDNA (r = 0.632), rcDNA (r = 0.675), and SVP productivity (r = 0.557). Conclusions Serum HBV DNA concentration and quantitative HBsAg might not accurately predict intrahepatic viral activity. Virion and SVP production do not occur in parallel with replicative activity. PMID:24918014

Negative Correlations in Visual Cortical Networks

PubMed Central

Chelaru, Mircea I.; Dragoi, Valentin

2016-01-01

The amount of information encoded by cortical circuits depends critically on the capacity of nearby neurons to exhibit trial-to-trial (noise) correlations in their responses. Depending on their sign and relationship to signal correlations, noise correlations can either increase or decrease the population code accuracy relative to uncorrelated neuronal firing. Whereas positive noise correlations have been extensively studied using experimental and theoretical tools, the functional role of negative correlations in cortical circuits has remained elusive. We addressed this issue by performing multiple-electrode recording in the superficial layers of the primary visual cortex (V1) of alert monkey. Despite the fact that positive noise correlations decayed exponentially with the difference in the orientation preference between cells, negative correlations were uniformly distributed across the population. Using a statistical model for Fisher Information estimation, we found that a mild increase in negative correlations causes a sharp increase in network accuracy even when mean correlations were held constant. To examine the variables controlling the strength of negative correlations, we implemented a recurrent spiking network model of V1. We found that increasing local inhibition and reducing excitation causes a decrease in the firing rates of neurons while increasing the negative noise correlations, which in turn increase the population signal-to-noise ratio and network accuracy. Altogether, these results contribute to our understanding of the neuronal mechanism involved in the generation of negative correlations and their beneficial impact on cortical circuit function. PMID:25217468

Social embeddedness and economic opportunism: a game situation.

PubMed

Sakalaki, Maria; Fousiani, Kyriaki

2012-06-01

According to Evolutionary Game Theory, multiple exchanges with partners are necessary to foster cooperation. Multiple exchanges with partners tend to enhance the good experience of the partners and the predictability of their behaviour and should therefore increase cooperativeness. This study explored whether social embeddedness, or the preference for close and stable social relationships, a variable which tends to increase multiple exchanges, is associated with more cooperative attitudes; and whether social embeddedness increases cooperative behavior towards unknown partners in a game situation. The first study, with 169 undergraduates, indicated that social embeddedness (preference for close and durable social relations) was negatively associated with opportunistic attitudes. The second study had a sample of 60 undergraduates playing a Trust Game with unknown partners and showed that self-reported social embeddedness was positively correlated with scores for cooperative economic behavior towards the partners. These results highlight the relationships of social embeddedness with cooperative attitudes and behaviour.

Ground and surface water developmental toxicity at a municipal landfill--Description and weather-related variation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bruner, M.A.; Rao, M.; Dumont, J.N.; Hull, M.; Jones, T.; Bantle, J.A.

1998-01-01

Contaminated groundwater poses a significant health hazard and may also impact wildlife such as amphibians when it surfaces. Using FETAX (Frog Embryo Teratogenesis Assay-Xenopus), the developmental toxicity of ground and surface water samples near a closed municipal landfill at Norman, OK, were evaluated. The groundwater samples were taken from a network of wells in a shallow, unconfined aquifer downgradient from the landfill. Surface water samples were obtained from a pond and small stream adjacent to the landfill. Surface water samples from a reference site in similar habitat were also analyzed. Groundwater samples were highly toxic in the area near the landfill, indicating a plume of toxicants. Surface water samples from the landfill site demonstrated elevated developmental toxicity. This toxicity was temporally variable and was significantly correlated with weather conditions during the 3 days prior to sampling. Mortality was negatively correlated with cumulative rain and relative humidity. Mortality was positively correlated with solar radiation and net radiation. No significant correlations were observed between mortality and weather parameters for days 4–7 preceding sampling.

The hydraulic connectivity, perennial warming and relationship to seismicity of the Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field, Salton Trough, California from new and recent temperature time-series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Amar P.

The Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field is a cluster of about 50 transtension-related geothermal seeps in the Imperial Valley, southeastern California. Five temperature time-series were collected from four features and compared to one another, against prior time-series, and to local seismicity. Loggers placed in separate vents within one seep returned moderate anti-correlation. Vents may selectively clog and unclog. Clogging frequencies explaining the observed level of negative correlation were given. Loggers placed in the same vent produced 87-92% positive correlation. It is therefore likely that the vast majority of temperature data measured with loggers possesses meaningful accuracy. Loggers placed in separate seeps exhibited correlation close to or greater than the statistically significant 60% threshold. I propose two lineaments provide a hydraulic connection between these seeps. Two Mw>3.0 earthquake swarms, including one Mw>4.0 event, within 24 kilometers showed possible linkage with >5 degree Celsius temperature perturbations. Seepage warmed 14.5-36.8 degrees Celsius over 5-7 years.

Theory of Mind and Selective Attention, Response Inhibition, Cognitive Flexibility in Patients with Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Eşsizoğlu, Altan; Köşger, Ferdi; Akarsu, Ferdane Özlem; Özaydin, Özer; Güleç, Gülcan

2017-06-01

The aims of the current study are to investigate the relationship between selective attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility that are among executive functions and sociocognitive and socioperceptual theory of mind (ToM) functions and also to investigate whether selective attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility are predictive factors for ToM functions in patients with schizophrenia. Forty-seven patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and a control group consisting of 42 individuals were administered demographic information form, Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), Stroop test, Eye test, Hinting test. Positive and negative syndrome scale was applied to the schizophrenia group. In comparison to the control group, the schizophrenia group performed significantly worse on Eyes test and Hinting test. Eyes Test score and age, WCST perseverative error scores were significantly negatively correlated; education and WCST categories achieved scores were significantly positively correlated in patients with schizophrenia. Age and cognitive flexibility were found to predict the Eyes test score in patients with schizophrenia. ToM functions that are important in maintaining socioperceptual functioning are closely related with cognitive flexibility, and impairment in cognitive flexibility may predict the ToM functions in patients with schizophrenia.

The neural correlates of maternal and romantic love.

PubMed

Bartels, Andreas; Zeki, Semir

2004-03-01

Romantic and maternal love are highly rewarding experiences. Both are linked to the perpetuation of the species and therefore have a closely linked biological function of crucial evolutionary importance. Yet almost nothing is known about their neural correlates in the human. We therefore used fMRI to measure brain activity in mothers while they viewed pictures of their own and of acquainted children, and of their best friend and of acquainted adults as additional controls. The activity specific to maternal attachment was compared to that associated to romantic love described in our earlier study and to the distribution of attachment-mediating neurohormones established by other studies. Both types of attachment activated regions specific to each, as well as overlapping regions in the brain's reward system that coincide with areas rich in oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. Both deactivated a common set of regions associated with negative emotions, social judgment and 'mentalizing', that is, the assessment of other people's intentions and emotions. We conclude that human attachment employs a push-pull mechanism that overcomes social distance by deactivating networks used for critical social assessment and negative emotions, while it bonds individuals through the involvement of the reward circuitry, explaining the power of love to motivate and exhilarate.

Genetic line comparisons and genetic parameters for endoparasite infections and test-day milk production traits.

PubMed

May, Katharina; Brügemann, Kerstin; Yin, Tong; Scheper, Carsten; Strube, Christina; König, Sven

2017-09-01

Keeping dairy cows in grassland systems relies on detailed analyses of genetic resistance against endoparasite infections, including between- and within-breed genetic evaluations. The objectives of this study were (1) to compare different Black and White dairy cattle selection lines for endoparasite infections and (2) the estimation of genetic (co)variance components for endoparasite and test-day milk production traits within the Black and White cattle population. A total of 2,006 fecal samples were taken during 2 farm visits in summer and autumn 2015 from 1,166 cows kept in 17 small- and medium-scale organic and conventional German grassland farms. Fecal egg counts were determined for gastrointestinal nematodes (FEC-GIN) and flukes (FEC-FLU), and fecal larvae counts for the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus (FLC-DV). The lowest values for gastrointestinal nematode infections were identified for genetic lines adopted to pasture-based production systems, especially selection lines from New Zealand. Heritabilities were low for FEC-GIN (0.05-0.06 ± 0.04) and FLC-DV (0.05 ± 0.04), but moderate for FEC-FLU (0.33 ± 0.06). Almost identical heritabilities were estimated for different endoparasite trait transformations (log-transformation, square root). The genetic correlation between FEC-GIN and FLC-DV was 1.00 ± 0.60, slightly negative between FEC-GIN and FEC-FLU (-0.10 ± 0.27), and close to zero between FLC-DV and FEC-FLU (0.03 ± 0.30). Random regression test-day models on a continuous time scale [days in milk (DIM)] were applied to estimate genetic relationships between endoparasite and longitudinal test-day production traits. Genetic correlations were negative between FEC-GIN and milk yield (MY) until DIM 85, and between FEC-FLU and MY until DIM 215. Genetic correlations between FLC-DV and MY were negative throughout lactation, indicating improved disease resistance for high-productivity cows. Genetic relationships between FEC-GIN and FEC-FLU with milk protein content were negative for all DIM. Apart from the very early and very late lactation stage, genetic correlations between FEC-GIN and milk fat content were negative, whereas they were positive for FEC-FLU. Genetic correlations between FEC-GIN and somatic cell score were positive, indicating similar genetic mechanisms for susceptibility to udder and endoparasite infections. The moderate heritabilities for FEC-FLU suggest inclusion of FEC-FLU into overall organic dairy cattle breeding goals to achieve long-term selection response for disease resistance. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a method for efficient cost-effective screening of Aspergillus niger mutants having increased production of glucoamylase.

PubMed

Zhu, Xudong; Arman, Bessembayev; Chu, Ju; Wang, Yonghong; Zhuang, Yingping

2017-05-01

To develop an efficient cost-effective screening process to improve production of glucoamylase in Aspergillus niger. The cultivation of A. niger was achieved with well-dispersed morphology in 48-deep-well microtiter plates, which increased the throughput of the samples compared to traditional flask cultivation. There was a close negative correlation between glucoamylase and its pH of the fermentation broth. A novel high-throughput analysis method using Methyl Orange was developed. When compared to the conventional analysis method using 4-nitrophenyl α-D-glucopyranoside as substrate, a correlation coefficient of 0.96 by statistical analysis was obtained. Using this novel screening method, we acquired a strain with an activity of 2.2 × 10 3  U ml -1 , a 70% higher yield of glucoamylase than its parent strain.

Expectations and Decisions in the Volunteer’s Dilemma: Effects of Social Distance and Social Projection

PubMed Central

Krueger, Joachim I.; Ullrich, Johannes; Chen, Leonard J.

2016-01-01

In a Volunteer’s Dilemma (VoD) one individual needs to bear a cost so that a public good can be provided. Expectations regarding what others will do play a critical role because they would ideally be negatively correlated with own decisions; yet, a social-projection heuristic generates positive correlations. In a series of 2-person-dilemma studies with over 1,000 participants, we find that expectations are indeed correlated with own choice, and that people tend to volunteer more than game-theoretic benchmarks and their own expectations would allow. We also find strong evidence for a social-distance heuristic, according to which a person’s own probability to volunteer and the expectation that others will volunteer decrease as others become socially more remote. Experimentally induced expectations make opposite behavior more likely, but respondents underweight these expectations. As a result, there is a small but systematic effect of over-volunteering among psychologically close individuals. PMID:28018257

Maternal and cord plasma concentrations of beta-lipotrophin, beta-endorphin and gamma-lipotrophin at delivery; effect of analgesia.

PubMed

Browning, A J; Butt, W R; Lynch, S S; Shakespear, R A; Crawford, J S

1983-12-01

Maternal venous plasma concentrations of beta-LPH, beta-EP and gamma-LPH were compared in (i) patients undergoing vaginal delivery, 11 with an epidural block and 13 with pethidine and nitrous oxide or no analgesics; (ii) patients delivered by caesarean section, 7 under epidural block and 8 under general anaesthesia. Patients delivered by either method under epidural block had significantly lower levels of all three peptides than those receiving no epidural. There were significant negative correlations between umbilical vein beta-LPH, beta-EP and gamma-LPH concentrations and umbilical artery pH and positive correlations between beta-LPH and beta-EP but not gamma-LPH and cord PCO2 in 29 patients. There was no relation between cord levels of any of the three peptides and the method of analgesia or the route of delivery. Although concentrations of all three peptides were closely correlated to one another in either maternal or cord plasma, there was no relationship between maternal and fetal levels.

Unusual Crystallization Behavior Close to the Glass Transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desgranges, Caroline; Delhommelle, Jerome

2018-03-01

Using molecular simulations, we shed light on the mechanism underlying crystal nucleation in metal alloys and unravel the interplay between crystal nucleation and glass transition, as the conditions of crystallization lie close to this transition. While decreasing the temperature of crystallization usually results in a lower free energy barrier, we find an unexpected reversal of behavior for glass-forming alloys as the temperature of crystallization approaches the glass transition. For this purpose, we simulate the crystallization process in two glass-forming Copper alloys, Ag6 Cu4 , which has a positive heat of mixing, and CuZr, characterized by a large negative heat of mixing. Our results allow us to identify this unusual behavior as directly correlated with a nonmonotonic temperature dependence for the formation energy of connected icosahedral structures, which are incompatible with crystalline order and impede the development of the crystal nucleus, leading to an unexpectedly larger free energy barrier at low temperature. This, in turn, promotes the formation of a predominantly closed-packed critical nucleus, with fewer defects, thereby suggesting a new way to control the structure of the crystal nucleus, which is of key importance in catalysis.

Progress of the ELISE test facility: towards one hour pulses in hydrogen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wünderlich, D.; Fantz, U.; Heinemann, B.; Kraus, W.; Riedl, R.; Wimmer, C.; the NNBI Team

2016-10-01

In order to fulfil the ITER requirements, the negative hydrogen ion source used for NBI has to deliver a high source performance, i.e. a high extracted negative ion current and simultaneously a low co-extracted electron current over a pulse length up to 1 h. Negative ions will be generated by the surface process in a low-temperature low-pressure hydrogen or deuterium plasma. Therefore, a certain amount of caesium has to be deposited on the plasma grid in order to obtain a low surface work function and consequently a high negative ion production yield. This caesium is re-distributed by the influence of the plasma, resulting in temporal instabilities of the extracted negative ion current and the co-extracted electrons over long pulses. This paper describes experiments performed in hydrogen operation at the half-ITER-size NNBI test facility ELISE in order to develop a caesium conditioning technique for more stable long pulses at an ITER relevant filling pressure of 0.3 Pa. A significant improvement of the long pulse stability is achieved. Together with different plasma diagnostics it is demonstrated that this improvement is correlated to the interplay of very small variations of parameters like the electrostatic potential and the particle densities close to the extraction system.

Microalgal diversity in relation to the physicochemical parameters of some Industrial sites in Mangalore, South India.

PubMed

Miranda, Jyothi; Krishnakumar, G

2015-11-01

This study is undertaken to understand the microalgal species composition, diversity, abundance and their association with the polluted sites of an industrial area. The microalgae and the wastewater samples collected from these sites were preserved and analysed using standard methods. One hundred and eight species of the microalgae, belonging to Cyanophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Euglenophyceae, Bacillariophyceace and Desmidaceae, were identified. Of these, the members of Cyanophyceae formed the dominant flora. It was observed that the family Oscillatoriaceae was the most diverse family. In this family, the most diverse genus was found to be the Oscillatoria, with 13 species. Further, the abundance of Oscillatoria princeps indicated that these species are tolerant to the pollution and therefore considered as the 'marker species' of the habitat. The abundance of the Cyanophyceae in these sites was found to be due to the favourable contents of the oxidizable organic matter and the presence of the nutrients, such as the nitrates and the phosphates, in abundance, with less dissolved oxygen. The lesser percentage of the Bacillariophyceae (14%), and the negligible number of the euglenoids (2%) indicated that the sites were rich in the inorganic pollutants and poor in the organic pollutants. The range of Shannon diversity indices was found between 2.10 and 3.50, while the dominance index was found between 0.03 and 0.14, the species evenness between 0.73 and 0.93 and the Margalef index between 1.8 and 6.3. The diversity indices indicated that there is light to moderate level of pollution in the studied sites, with moderate diversity level. The principal component analysis (PCA) of the physicochemical parameters identified the four possible groups, which were responsible for the data structure, explaining the 74% of the total variance of the data set. In the PCA performed using all the variables, the first principal component showed the positive correlation with the total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, conductivity, temperature, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and the sulphates and the negative correlation with the dissolved oxygen (DO) and Pb2+. The second principal component showed the positive correlation with the pH, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrates and phosphates, and the negative correlation with the TDS, salinity, conductivity, temperature and BOD. The canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that there were significant (p<0.05) positive and negative relationships between some of the physicochemical parameters and the microalgal species at these sites. The results showed that Calonies bacillum and Pseudanabaena amphigranulata were in close positive association with the pH, DO, COD, chlorides, nitrates and Cu+2 at the third and the fifth sites; the Navicula sphaerophora, Stigonema minutum and Chlamydomonas sphagnicola were in close positive association with the phosphates and the lead at the first, second and the fifth sites; the Anabaena spiroides, Anabaena constricta, Oscillatoria curviceps, Oscillatoria princeps, Spirogyra pratensis, Spirogyra crassa, Aulosira laxa and Micrasterias foliacea were in close positive association with the conductivity and the BOD levels at the fourth site, while the Phormidium acutum, Oedogonium decipiens, Oscillatoria trichoides and Parapediastrum biradiatum were in close positive association with the TDS, salinity, temperature, sulphate and Cr+6 levels at the first and the second sites. Therefore, the variations in the physicochemical parameters in the waters of these habitats are attributed to be the reasons for the differences in the diversity and the distribution of the species. Further, the significant correlations observed between the microalgal species and the physicochemical parameters studied here suggest that the type of pollution can be predicted, based on the structure of the microalgal community.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation Reveals Correlated Inter-Lobe Motion in Protein Lysine Methyltransferase SMYD2.

PubMed

Spellmon, Nicholas; Sun, Xiaonan; Sirinupong, Nualpun; Edwards, Brian; Li, Chunying; Yang, Zhe

2015-01-01

SMYD proteins are an exciting field of study as they are linked to many types of cancer-related pathways. Cardiac and skeletal muscle development and function also depend on SMYD proteins opening a possible avenue for cardiac-related treatment. Previous crystal structure studies have revealed that this special class of protein lysine methyltransferases have a bilobal structure, and an open-closed motion may regulate substrate specificity. Here we use the molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the still-poorly-understood SMYD2 dynamics. Cross-correlation analysis reveals that SMYD2 exhibits a negative correlated inter-lobe motion. Principle component analysis suggests that this correlated dynamic is contributed to by a twisting motion of the C-lobe with respect to the N-lobe and a clamshell-like motion between the lobes. Dynamical network analysis defines possible allosteric paths for the correlated dynamics. There are nine communities in the dynamical network with six in the N-lobe and three in the C-lobe, and the communication between the lobes is mediated by a lobe-bridging β hairpin. This study provides insight into the dynamical nature of SMYD2 and could facilitate better understanding of SMYD2 substrate specificity.

International correlations between gun ownership and rates of homicide and suicide.

PubMed Central

Killias, M

1993-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To examine international correlations between reported rates of household gun ownership and rates of homicide and suicide with a gun. DESIGN: Survey. POPULATION: People who responded to a telephone survey conducted by the 1989 International Crime Survey in 11 European countries, Australia, Canada and the United States. RESULTS: Positive correlations were obtained between the rates of household gun ownership and the national rates of homicide and suicide as well as the proportions of homicides and suicides committed with a gun. There was no negative correlation between the rates of ownership and the rates of homicide and suicide committed by other means; this indicated that the other means were not used to "compensate" for the absence of guns in countries with a lower rate of gun ownership. CONCLUSION: Larger studies are needed to examine more closely possible confounding factors such as the national tendency toward violent solutions, and more information on the type and availability of guns will be helpful in future studies. Nevertheless, the correlations detected in this study suggest that the presence of a gun in the home increases the likelihood of homicide or suicide. PMID:8485675

Aerodynamic characteristics of the ventilated design for flapping wing micro air vehicle.

PubMed

Zhang, G Q; Yu, S C M

2014-01-01

Inspired by superior flight performance of natural flight masters like birds and insects and based on the ventilating flaps that can be opened and closed by the changing air pressure around the wing, a new flapping wing type has been proposed. It is known that the net lift force generated by a solid wing in a flapping cycle is nearly zero. However, for the case of the ventilated wing, results for the net lift force are positive which is due to the effect created by the "ventilation" in reducing negative lift force during the upstroke. The presence of moving flaps can serve as the variable in which, through careful control of the areas, a correlation with the decrease in negative lift can be generated. The corresponding aerodynamic characteristics have been investigated numerically by using different flapping frequencies and forward flight speeds.

Blind jealousy? Romantic insecurity increases emotion-induced failures of visual perception.

PubMed

Most, Steven B; Laurenceau, Jean-Philippe; Graber, Elana; Belcher, Amber; Smith, C Veronica

2010-04-01

Does the influence of close relationships pervade so deeply as to impact visual awareness? Results from two experiments involving heterosexual romantic couples suggest that they do. Female partners from each couple performed a rapid detection task where negative emotional distractors typically disrupt visual awareness of subsequent targets; at the same time, their male partners rated attractiveness first of landscapes, then of photos of other women. At the end of both experiments, the degree to which female partners indicated uneasiness about their male partner looking at and rating other women correlated significantly with the degree to which negative emotional distractors had disrupted their target perception during that time. This relationship was robust even when controlling for individual differences in baseline performance. Thus, emotions elicited by social contexts appear to wield power even at the level of perceptual processing. Copyright 2010 APA, all rights reserved.

The Relationships of Intergroup Ideologies to Ethnic Prejudice: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Whitley, Bernard E; Webster, Gregory D

2018-04-01

This meta-analysis summarizes the results of research on the relationships of majority group members' endorsement of assimilation, colorblindness, multiculturalism, and the relative relationships of colorblindness and multiculturalism to ethnic prejudice. Random effects analyses found that assimilation was positively related to explicit prejudice ( g. = 0.80), multiculturalism was negatively related to both explicit ( g. = -0.26) and implicit prejudice ( g. = -0.19), and colorblindness was negatively related to explicit prejudice ( g. = -0.07). Multiculturalism was more closely associated with low prejudice than colorblindness ( g. = 0.15). Effect sizes varied as a function of methodology (experimental vs. correlational), country in which research was conducted (United States vs. other countries), and, in experimental studies of multiculturalism, type of prime used (abstract vs. concrete). Discussion points include methodological issues, groups used as targets of prejudice, national diversity norms, additional issues raised in the studies reviewed, and directions for future research.

Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Ventilated Design for Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicle

PubMed Central

Zhang, G. Q.; Yu, S. C. M.

2014-01-01

Inspired by superior flight performance of natural flight masters like birds and insects and based on the ventilating flaps that can be opened and closed by the changing air pressure around the wing, a new flapping wing type has been proposed. It is known that the net lift force generated by a solid wing in a flapping cycle is nearly zero. However, for the case of the ventilated wing, results for the net lift force are positive which is due to the effect created by the “ventilation” in reducing negative lift force during the upstroke. The presence of moving flaps can serve as the variable in which, through careful control of the areas, a correlation with the decrease in negative lift can be generated. The corresponding aerodynamic characteristics have been investigated numerically by using different flapping frequencies and forward flight speeds. PMID:24683339

The influence of systemic hemodynamics and oxygen transport on cerebral oxygen saturation in neonates after the Norwood procedure.

PubMed

Li, Jia; Zhang, Gencheng; Holtby, Helen; Guerguerian, Anne-Marie; Cai, Sally; Humpl, Tilman; Caldarone, Christopher A; Redington, Andrew N; Van Arsdell, Glen S

2008-01-01

Ischemic brain injury is an important morbidity in neonates after the Norwood procedure. Its relationship to systemic hemodynamic oxygen transport is poorly understood. Sixteen neonates undergoing the Norwood procedure were studied. Continuous cerebral oxygen saturation was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. Continuous oxygen consumption was measured by respiratory mass spectrometry. Pulmonary and systemic blood flow, systemic vascular resistance, oxygen delivery, and oxygen extraction ratio were derived with measurements of arterial, and superior vena cava and pulmonary venous gases and pressures at 2- to 4-hour intervals during the first 72 hours in the intensive care unit. Mean cerebral oxygen saturation was 66% +/- 12% before the operation, reduced to 51% +/- 13% on arrival in the intensive care unit, and remained low during the first 8 hours; it increased to 56% +/- 9% at 72 hours, still significantly lower than the preoperative level (P < .05). Postoperatively, cerebral oxygen saturation was closely and positively correlated with systemic arterial pressure, arterial oxygen saturation, and arterial oxygen tension and negatively with oxygen extraction ratio (P < .0001 for all). Cerebral oxygen saturation was moderately and positively correlated with systemic blood flow and oxygen delivery (P < .0001 for both). It was weakly and positively correlated with pulmonary blood flow (P = .001) and hemoglobin (P = .02) and negatively correlated with systemic vascular resistance (P = .003). It was not correlated with oxygen consumption (P > .05). Cerebral oxygen saturation decreased significantly in neonates during the early postoperative period after the Norwood procedure and was significantly influenced by systemic hemodynamic and metabolic events. As such, hemodynamic interventions to modify systemic oxygen transport may provide further opportunities to reduce the risk of cerebral ischemia and improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Relations between serum reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) and various inflammatory and metabolic parameters in a Japanese population.

PubMed

Hirose, Hiroshi; Kawabe, Hiroshi; Komiya, Naoko; Saito, Ikuo

2009-04-01

Both oxidative stress and inflammation are known to play roles in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the relations between reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) and various inflammatory and metabolic parameters in a Japanese population. We analyzed 48 male and 69 female subjects, aged 25 to 65 years, who underwent an annual health checkup in our university. Serum ROM level was assayed using a free radical elective evaluator. We also measured serum concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), insulin, and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin. Although the serum ROM level in females (347+/-83 Carr U) was slightly higher than in males (333+/-53 Carr U), this was not statistically significant. In the 48 male subjects, the ROM level negatively correlated with age (r=-0.344, p=0.0161), and positively correlated with the hsCRP level (r=0.306, p=0.0338). In the 69 female subjects, the ROM level negatively correlated with serum creatinine (r=-0.293, p=0.0141), and positively correlated with insulin (r=0.278, p=0.0202), the insulin resistance index (r=0.286, p=0.0170) and hsCRP levels (r=0.487, p<0.0001). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that serum hsCRP, creatinine, and age were independently correlated with the serum ROMs level (R2=0.365; F value highest for hsCRP). When the study subjects were divided into tertiles according to the ROM level, serum hsCRP was significantly different among the three groups: its level was highest in the highest tertile of ROMs (p<0.001). These results suggest that the serum ROM level is closely associated with serum hsCRP in Japanese adult subjects.

Inter-decadal change of the lagged inter-annual relationship between local sea surface temperature and tropical cyclone activity over the western North Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Haikun; Wu, Liguang; Raga, G. B.

2018-02-01

This study documents the inter-decadal change of the lagged inter-annual relationship between the TC frequency (TCF) and the local sea surface temperature (SST) in the western North Pacific (WNP) during 1979-2014. An abrupt shift of the lagged relationship between them is observed to occur in 1998. Before the shift (1979-1997), a moderately positive correlation (0.35) between previous-year local SST and TCF is found, while a significantly negative correlation (- 0.71) is found since the shift (1998-2014). The inter-decadal change of the lagged relationship between TCF and local SST over the WNP is also accompanied by an inter-decadal change in the lagged inter-annual relationship between large-scale factors affecting TCs and local SST over the WNP. During 1998-2014, the previous-year local SST shows a significant negative correlation with the mid-level moisture and a significant positive correlation with the vertical wind shear over the main development region of WNP TC genesis. Almost opposite relationships are seen during 1979-1997, with a smaller magnitude of the correlation coefficients. These changes are consistent with the changes of the lagged inter-annual relationship between upper- and lower-level winds and local SST over the WNP. Analyses further suggests that the inter-decadal shift of the lagged inter-annual relationship between WNP TCF and local SST may be closely linked to the inter-decadal change of inter-annual SST transition over the tropical central-eastern Pacific associated with the climate regime shift in the late 1990s. Details on the underlying physical process need further investigation using observations and simulations.

The OAE1a in Cuchía (Early Aptian, Spain): C and O geochemistry and global correlation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García-Mondéjar, Joaquín; Fernández-Mendiola, Pedro A.; Owen, Hugh G.

2015-12-01

C-isotopes, TOC and O geochemical data from the lower Aptian Cuchía section in the western Basque-Cantabrian basin (BCB) allow an accurate delimitation of the OAE1a-equivalent and its geochemical Menegattís segments, a detailed δ13Ccarb correlation with regional and interregional sections, and a high-resolution construction of TOC and bulk-rock δ18Ocarb curves and their interpretation. The δ13Ccarb values range from -2‰ and +4‰ (VPDB). They agree with previous data from the eastern BCB sections (Aralar) confirming the ammonite age of the OAE1a in the Basque-Cantabrian basin: Deshayesites forbesi, Deshayesites deshayesi, and Deshayesites deshayesi-Dufrenoyia furcata transition Zones. Interregional δ13Ccarb correlation with pelagic (Cismon, Italy, and Mid-Pacific Mountains, DSDP Site 463) and neritic (Roquefort-La Bédoule, France) core sections, reveals a common profile of a wide negative excursion characteristic of the OAE1a. It consists of a double trough separated by a flat relative maximum, with two negative spikes in the upper trough of neritic sections. TOC absolute values range from 0.12% to 1.37%. Segments of the TOC curve with persistent low values closely correspond with descending segments of the δ13Ccarb curve, and are attributed to lesser organic productivity in the BCB. Detailed bulk-rock δ18Ocarb data (-5.71‰ to -1.05 ‰ PDB) and variation curve show two main positive O-isotope shifts and three minor positive inflections, within a general negative trend characteristic of the OAE1a. The two major positive shifts correspond to both shallowing upwards sequences and the lowermost can be related to a eustatic sea level fall. Independent interregional correlation of the O-isotope shifts with C-isotopes supports their interpretation as punctuating colder events within a general warming trend.

Crop Loss Relationships and Economic Injury Levels for Ferrisia gilli (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) Infesting Pistachio in California.

PubMed

Haviland, David R; Beede, Robert H; Daane, Kent M

2015-12-01

Ferrisia gilli Gullan (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a new pest in California pistachios, Pistacea vera L. We conducted a 3-yr field study to determine the type and amount of damage caused by F. gilli. Using pesticides, we established gradients of F. gilli densities in a commercial pistachio orchard near Tipton, CA, from 2005 to 2007. Each year, mealybug densities on pistachio clusters were recorded from May through September and cumulative mealybug-days were determined. At harvest time, nut yield per tree (5% dried weight) was determined, and subsamples of nuts were evaluated for market quality. Linear regression analysis of cumulative mealybug-days against fruit yield and nut quality measurements showed no relationships in 2005 and 2006, when mealybug densities were moderate. However, in 2007, when mealybug densities were very high, there was a negative correlation with yield (for every 1,000 mealybug-days, there was a decrease in total dry weight per tree of 0.105 kg) and percentage of split unstained nuts (for every 1,000 mealybug-days, there was a decrease in the percentage of split unstained of 0.560%), and a positive correlation between the percentage of closed kernel and closed blank nuts (for every 1,000 mealybug-days, there is an increase in the percentage of closed kernel and closed blank of 0.176 and 0.283%, respectively). The data were used to determine economic injury levels, showing that for each mealybug per cluster in May there was a 4.73% reduction in crop value associated with quality and a 0.866 kg reduction in yield per tree (4.75%). © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Close Margins Less Than 2 mm Are Not Associated With Higher Risks of 10-Year Local Recurrence and Breast Cancer Mortality Compared With Negative Margins in Women Treated With Breast-Conserving Therapy.

PubMed

Tyler, Susan; Truong, Pauline T; Lesperance, Mary; Nichol, Alan; Baliski, Chris; Warburton, Rebecca; Tyldesley, Scott

2018-03-13

The 2014 Society of Surgical Oncology-American Society for Radiation Oncology consensus suggested "no ink on tumor" is a sufficient surgical margin for invasive breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery (BCS). Whether close margins <2 mm are associated with inferior outcomes remains controversial. This study evaluated 10-year outcomes by margin status in a population-based cohort treated with BCS and adjuvant radiation therapy (RT). The subjects were 10,863 women with invasive cancer categorized as pT1 to T3, any N, and M0 referred from 2001 to 2011, an era in which the institutional policy was to re-excise close or positive margins, except in select cases. All women underwent BCS and whole-breast RT with or without boost RT. Local recurrence (LR) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) were examined using competing-risk analysis in cohorts with negative (≥2 mm; n = 9241, 85%), close (<2 mm; n = 1310, 12%), or positive (tumor touching ink; n = 312, 3%) margins. Multivariable analysis and matched-pair analysis were performed. The median follow-up period was 8 years. Systemic therapy was used in 87% of patients. Boost RT was used in 34.1%, 76.9%, and 79.5% of patients with negative, close, and positive margins, respectively. In the negative, close, and positive margin cohorts, the 10-year cumulative incidence of LR was 1.8%, 2.0%, and 1.1%, respectively (P = .759). Corresponding BCSS estimates were 93.9%, 91.8%, and 87.9%, respectively (P < .001). On multivariable analysis, close margins were not associated with increased LR (hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval 0.79-1.97; P = .350) or reduced BCSS (hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval 0.98-1.58, P = .071) relative to negative margins. On matched-pair analysis, close margin cases had similar LR (P = .114) and BCSS (P = .100) to negative margin controls. Select cases with close or positive margins in this population-based analysis had similar LR and BCSS to cases with negative margins. While these findings do not endorse omitting re-excision for all cases, the data support a policy of accepting carefully selected cases with close margins for adjuvant RT without re-excision. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Severity of psychosis syndrome and change of metabolic abnormality in chronic schizophrenia patients: severe negative syndrome may be related to a distinct lipid pathophysiology.

PubMed

Chen, S-F; Hu, T-M; Lan, T-H; Chiu, H-J; Sheen, L-Y; Loh, E-W

2014-03-01

Metabolic abnormality is common among schizophrenia patients. Some metabolic traits were found associated with subgroups of schizophrenia patients. We examined a possible relationship between metabolic abnormality and psychosis profile in schizophrenia patients. Three hundred and seventy-two chronic schizophrenia patients treated with antipsychotics for more than 2 years were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. A set of metabolic traits was measured at scheduled checkpoints between October 2004 and September 2006. Multiple regressions adjusted for sex showed negative correlations between body mass index (BMI) and total score and all subscales; triglycerides (TG) was negatively correlated with total score and negative syndrome, while HDLC was positively correlated with negative syndrome. When sex interaction was concerned, total score was negatively correlated with BMI but not with others; negative syndrome was negatively correlated with BMI and positively with HDLC. No metabolic traits were correlated with positive syndrome or general psychopathology. Loss of body weight is a serious health problem in schizophrenia patients with severe psychosis syndrome, especially the negative syndrome. Schizophrenia patients with severe negative syndrome may have a distinct lipid pathophysiology in comparison with those who were less severe in the domain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Attachment style, relationship quality, and psychological distress in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures versus epilepsy.

PubMed

Green, Becky; Norman, Paul; Reuber, Markus

2017-01-01

Psychopathology levels are elevated in patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) and those with epilepsy. However, patients with PNES report higher rates of trauma and neglect, poorer health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and an increased prevalence of insecure attachment. We examined to what extent attachment style and relationship quality with their main informal carer impact on levels of HRQoL, depression, and anxiety in patients with PNES versus those with epilepsy. Consecutive patients with PNES (N=23) and epilepsy (N=72) completed questionnaires about attachment style, quality of their relationship with their main informal carer, seizure severity, HRQoL, depression, and anxiety. Patients with PNES reported higher levels of anxiety and depression and lower HRQoL than those with epilepsy. PNES: No significant correlations were found with HRQoL but depression correlated positively with attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and relationship conflict. Anxiety correlated positively with attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and relationship conflict, and negatively with relationship depth and support. Epilepsy: HRQoL correlated negatively with seizure severity, depression, anxiety, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Depression correlated positively with attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety, and relationship conflict. Anxiety correlated positively with seizure severity, attachment avoidance, and attachment anxiety. Correlations between measures of relationship quality and anxiety were stronger in patients with PNES versus those with epilepsy (zs=2.66 to 2.97, ps<0.004). Attachment style and relationship quality explained larger amounts of variance in depression (45%) and anxiety (60%) in the patients with PNES than those with epilepsy (16% and 13%). Levels of anxiety and depression were higher in patients with PNES than those with epilepsy. Interpersonal problems were much more closely associated with anxiety and depression in patients with PNES than those with epilepsy. The findings support the use of therapeutic interventions for PNES focusing on attachment and relationship issues. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Do the Chinese Perceive Ecological Risk in Freshwater Lakes?

PubMed Central

Huang, Lei; Han, Yuting; Zhou, Ying; Gutscher, Heinz; Bi, Jun

2013-01-01

In this study, we explore the potential contributions of a risk perception framework in understanding public perceptions of unstable ecosystems. In doing so, we characterize one type of common ecological risk– harmful algal blooms (HABs)–in four of the most seriously eutrophicated freshwater lakes in China. These lakes include Chaohu, Dianchi, Hongze, and Taihu, where a total of 2000 residents living near these sites were interviewed. Regional discrepancies existed in the pilot study regarding public perceptions of ecological changes and public concerns for ecological risk. Comparing HABs and other kinds of risks (earthquake, nuclear, and public traffic) through the psychometric paradigm method, Knowledge, Effect, and Trust were three key factors formulating the risk perception model. The results indicated that Knowledge and risk tolerance levels had significant negative correlations in the higher economic situation while correlations in the lower economic situation were significantly positive. Effect and risk tolerance levels had significant negative correlations in the high and middle education situation while correlations in the low education situation were close to zero or insignificant. For residents from Taihu with comparatively higher economic and educational levels, more investment in risk prevention measures and stronger policies are needed. And for residents from Hongze and Dianchi with comparatively low economic and educational levels, improvement of the government’s credibility (Trust) was the most important factor of risk tolerance, so efforts to eliminate ecological problems with the stepwise development of economic and educational levels should be implemented and gradually strengthened. In turn, this could prevent public discontent and ensure support for ecological protection policies. PMID:23671602

Does individualism bring happiness? Negative effects of individualism on interpersonal relationships and happiness

PubMed Central

Ogihara, Yuji; Uchida, Yukiko

2014-01-01

We examined the negative effects of individualism in an East Asian culture. Although individualistic systems decrease interpersonal relationships through competition, individualistic values have prevailed in European American cultures. One reason is because individuals could overcome negativity by actively constructing interpersonal relationships. In contrast, people in East Asian cultures do not have such strategies to overcome the negative impact of individualistic systems, leading to decreased well-being. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between individualistic values, number of close friends, and subjective well-being (SWB). Study 1 indicated that individualistic values were negatively related with the number of close friends and SWB for Japanese college students but not for American college students. Moreover, Study 2 showed that even in an individualistic workplace in Japan, individualistic values were negatively related with the number of close friends and SWB. We discuss how cultural change toward increasing individualism might affect interpersonal relationships and well-being. PMID:24634663

Friendship quality and social information processing in clinically anxious children.

PubMed

Baker, J R; Hudson, J L

2014-02-01

The association between perceived friendship quality (FQ) and social information processing (SIP) was examined in three groups of children and their close friends aged 7-12 years: 16 anxiety disordered children with social phobia (SP); 12 anxiety disordered children without SP (No-SP); and 32 nonclinical children. Positive and negative FQ positively associated with target children's positive and negative responding on a vignette measure of SIP. SP children reported lower positive SIP than No-SP but not nonclinical children; and this was the only group difference in SIP. Target children and their friends were similar in negative but not positive SIP. Following discussion about the vignette with a close friend, all target children increased in positive SIP; negative SIP did not change. Lower FQ and a more socially anxious friend predicted higher negative target child SIP postdiscussion. Close friendships play an important role in the SIP of both clinical and nonclinical children.

Investigation of the boundary layer during the transition from volume to surface dominated H- production at the BATMAN test facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wimmer, C.; Schiesko, L.; Fantz, U.

2016-02-01

BATMAN (Bavarian Test Machine for Negative ions) is a test facility equipped with a 1/8 scale H- source for the ITER heating neutral beam injection. Several diagnostics in the boundary layer close to the plasma grid (first grid of the accelerator system) followed the transition from volume to surface dominated H- production starting with a Cs-free, cleaned source and subsequent evaporation of caesium, while the source has been operated at ITER relevant pressure of 0.3 Pa: Langmuir probes are used to determine the plasma potential, optical emission spectroscopy is used to follow the caesiation process, and cavity ring-down spectroscopy allows for the measurement of the H- density. The influence on the plasma during the transition from an electron-ion plasma towards an ion-ion plasma, in which negative hydrogen ions become the dominant negatively charged particle species, is seen in a strong increase of the H- density combined with a reduction of the plasma potential. A clear correlation of the extracted current densities (jH-, je) exists with the Cs emission.

Investigation of the boundary layer during the transition from volume to surface dominated H⁻ production at the BATMAN test facility.

PubMed

Wimmer, C; Schiesko, L; Fantz, U

2016-02-01

BATMAN (Bavarian Test Machine for Negative ions) is a test facility equipped with a 18 scale H(-) source for the ITER heating neutral beam injection. Several diagnostics in the boundary layer close to the plasma grid (first grid of the accelerator system) followed the transition from volume to surface dominated H(-) production starting with a Cs-free, cleaned source and subsequent evaporation of caesium, while the source has been operated at ITER relevant pressure of 0.3 Pa: Langmuir probes are used to determine the plasma potential, optical emission spectroscopy is used to follow the caesiation process, and cavity ring-down spectroscopy allows for the measurement of the H(-) density. The influence on the plasma during the transition from an electron-ion plasma towards an ion-ion plasma, in which negative hydrogen ions become the dominant negatively charged particle species, is seen in a strong increase of the H(-) density combined with a reduction of the plasma potential. A clear correlation of the extracted current densities (j(H(-)), j(e)) exists with the Cs emission.

Pulmonary immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in exposed individuals

PubMed Central

Ernst, Martin; Lange, Christoph; Stenger, Steffen; Kaufmann, Stefan H. E.; Reiling, Norbert; Schaberg, Tom; van der Merwe, Lize; Maertzdorf, Jeroen

2017-01-01

Background Blood based Interferon-(IFN)-γ release assays (IGRAs) have a poor predictive value for the development of tuberculosis. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between IGRAs and pulmonary immune responses in tuberculosis contacts in Germany. Methods IGRAs were performed on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and peripheral blood from close healthy contacts of patients with culturally confirmed tuberculosis. Cellular BAL composition was determined by flow cytometry. BAL cells were co-cultured with three strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and Mtb derived antigens including Purified Protein Derivative (PPD), 6 kD Early Secretory Antigenic Target (ESAT-6) and 10 kD Culture Filtrate Protein (CFP-10). Levels of 29 cytokines and chemokines were analyzed in the supernatants by multiplex assay. Associations and effects were examined using linear mixed-effects models. Results There were wide variations of inter-individual cytokine levels in BAL cell culture supernatants. Mycobacterial infection and stimulation with PPD showed a clear induction of several macrophage and lymphocyte associated cytokines, reflecting activation of these cell types. No robust correlation between cytokine patterns and blood IGRA status of the donor was observed, except for slightly higher Interleukin-2 (IL-2) responses in BAL cells from IGRA-positive donors upon mycobacterial infection compared to cells from IGRA-negative donors. Stronger correlations were observed when cytokine patterns were stratified according to BAL IGRA status. BAL cells from donors with BAL IGRA-positive responses produced significantly more IFN-γ and IL-2 upon PPD stimulation and mycobacterial infection than cells from BAL IGRA-negative individuals. Correlations between BAL composition and basal cytokine release from unstimulated cells were suggestive of pre-activated lymphocytes but impaired macrophage activity in BAL IGRA-positive donors, in contrast to BAL IGRA-negative donors. Conclusions In vitro BAL cell cytokine responses to M. tuberculosis antigens or infection do not reflect blood IGRA status but do correlate with stronger cellular responses in BAL IGRA-positive donors. The cytokine patterns observed suggest a pre-activated state of lymphocytes and suppressed macrophage responsiveness in BAL cells from BAL IGRA-positive individuals. PMID:29125874

Life cycle efficiency of beef production: II. Relationship of cow efficiency ratios to traits of the dam and progeny weaned.

PubMed

Davis, M E; Rutledge, J J; Cundiff, L V; Hauser, E R

1983-10-01

Several measures of life cycle cow efficiency were calculated using weights and individual feed consumptions recorded on 160 dams of beef, dairy and beef X dairy breeding and their progeny. Ratios of output to input were used to estimate efficiency, where outputs included weaning weights of progeny plus salvage value of the dam and inputs included creep feed consumed by progeny plus feed consumed by the dam over her entire lifetime. In one approach to estimating efficiency, inputs and outputs were weighted by probabilities that were a function of the cow herd age distribution and percentage calf crop in a theoretical herd. The second approach to estimating cow efficiency involved dividing the sum of the weights by the sum of the feed consumption values, with all pieces of information being given equal weighting. Relationships among efficiency estimates and various traits of dams and progeny were examined. Weights, heights, and weight:height ratios of dams at 240 d of age were not correlated significantly with subsequent efficiency of calf production, indicating that indirect selection for lifetime cow efficiency at an early age based on these traits would be ineffective. However, females exhibiting more efficient weight gains from 240 d to first calving tended to become more efficient dams. Correlations of efficiency with weight of dam at calving and at weaning were negative and generally highly significant. Height at withers was negatively related to efficiency. Ratio of weight to height indicated that fatter dams generally were less efficient. The effect of milk production on efficiency depended upon the breed combinations involved. Dams calving for the first time at an early age and continuing to calve at short intervals were superior in efficiency. Weaning rate was closely related to life cycle efficiency. Large negative correlations between efficiency and feed consumption of dams were observed, while correlations of efficiency with progeny weights and feed consumptions in individual parities tended to be positive though nonsignificant. However, correlations of efficiency with accumulative progeny weights and feed consumptions generally were significant.

Objective assessment of plaster cast quality in pediatric distal forearm fractures: Is there an optimal index?

PubMed

Labronici, Pedro José; Ferreira, Leonardo Termis; Dos Santos Filho, Fernando Claudino; Pires, Robinson Esteves Santos; Gomes, Davi Coutinho Fonseca Fernandes; da Silva, Luiz Henrique Penteado; Gameiro, Vinicius Schott

2017-02-01

Several so-called casting indices are available for objective evaluation of plaster cast quality. The present study sought to investigate four of these indices (gap index, padding index, Canterbury index, and three-point index) as compared to a reference standard (cast index) for evaluation of plaster cast quality after closed reduction of pediatric displaced distal forearm fractures. Forty-three radiographs from patients with displaced distal forearm fractures requiring manipulation were reviewed. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, false-positive probability, false-negative probability, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio were calculated for each of the tested indices. Comparison among indices revealed diagnostic agreement in only 4.7% of cases. The strongest correlation with the cast index was found for the gap index, with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.94. The gap index also displayed the best agreement with the cast index, with both indices yielding the same result in 79.1% of assessments. When seeking to assess plaster cast quality, the cast index and gap index should be calculated; if both indices agree, a decision on quality can be made. If the cast and gap indices disagree, the padding index can be calculated as a tiebreaker, and the decision based on the most frequent of the three results. Calculation of the three-point index and Canterbury index appears unnecessary. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemo-dynamical signatures in simulated Milky Way-like galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spagna, Alessandro; Curir, Anna; Giammaria, Marco; Lattanzi, Mario G.; Murante, Giuseppe; Re Fiorentin, Paola

2018-04-01

We have investigated the chemo-dynamical evolution of a Milky Way-like disk galaxy, AqC4, produced by a cosmological simulation integrating a sub-resolution ISM model. We evidence a global inside-out and upside-down disk evolution, that is consistent with a scenario where the ``thin disk'' stars are formed from the accreted gas close to the galactic plane, while the older ``thick disk'' stars are originated in situ at higher heights. Also, the bar appears the most effective heating mechanism in the inner disk. Finally, no significant metallicity-rotation correlation has been observed, in spite of the presence of a negative [Fe/H] radial gradient.

Helminths of wild boar in the isolated population close to the northern border of its habitat area.

PubMed

Järvis, T; Kapel, Ch; Moks, E; Talvik, H; Mägi, E

2007-12-25

One hundred wild boars (Sus scrofa) from a geographically isolated population on the island Saaremaa of western Estonia were examined for visceral helminths. Seven helminth species, Metastrongylus pudendotectus, M. salmi, M. elongatus, Ascaris suum, Trichuris suis, Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Taenia hydatigena larva, were found. The predominant helminths discovered were lung nematodes (prevalence 82%, mean intensity 96.2 per animal). A significant negative correlation was observed between the weight of wild boars and the number of lungworms and helminth species. The number of helminth species found in the wild boar population on the island was lower compared to that of the adjacent mainland.

Time Spent on Social Network Sites and Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Huang, Chiungjung

2017-06-01

This meta-analysis examines the relationship between time spent on social networking sites and psychological well-being factors, namely self-esteem, life satisfaction, loneliness, and depression. Sixty-one studies consisting of 67 independent samples involving 19,652 participants were identified. The mean correlation between time spent on social networking sites and psychological well-being was low at r = -0.07. The correlations between time spent on social networking sites and positive indicators (self-esteem and life satisfaction) were close to 0, whereas those between time spent on social networking sites and negative indicators (depression and loneliness) were weak. The effects of publication outlet, site on which users spent time, scale of time spent, and participant age and gender were not significant. As most included studies used student samples, future research should be conducted to examine this relationship for adults.

Effects of Humidity Variation on the Hantavirus Infection and Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Occurrence in Subtropical China

PubMed Central

Xiao, Hong; Huang, Ru; Gao, Li-Dong; Huang, Cun-Rui; Lin, Xiao-Ling; Li, Na; Liu, Hai-Ning; Tong, Shi-Lu; Tian, Huai-Yu

2016-01-01

Infection rates of rodents have a significant influence on the transmission of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). In this study, four cities and two counties with high HFRS incidence in eastern Hunan Province in China were studied, and surveillance data of rodents, as well as HFRS cases and related environmental variables from 2007 to 2010, were collected. Results indicate that the distribution and infection rates of rodents are closely associated with environmental conditions. Hantavirus infections in rodents were positively correlated with temperature vegetation dryness index and negatively correlated with elevation. The predictive risk maps based on multivariate regression model revealed that the annual variation of infection risks is small, whereas monthly variation is large and corresponded well to the seasonal variation of human HFRS incidence. The identification of risk factors and risk prediction provides decision support for rodent surveillance and the prevention and control of HFRS. PMID:26711521

Network formation in a multi-asset artificial stock market

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Songtao; He, Jianmin; Li, Shouwei; Wang, Chao

2018-04-01

A multi-asset artificial stock market is developed. In the market, stocks are assigned to a number of sectors and traded by heterogeneous investors. The mechanism of continuous double auction is employed to clear order book and form daily closed prices. Simulation results of prices at the sector level show an intra-sector similarity and inter-sector distinctiveness, and returns of individual stocks have stylized facts that are ubiquitous in the real-world stock market. We find that the market risk factor has critical impact on both network topology transition and connection formation, and that sector risk factors account for the formation of intra-sector links and sector-based local interaction. In addition, the number of community in threshold-based networks is correlated negatively and positively with the value of correlation coefficients and the ratio of intra-sector links, which are respectively determined by intensity of sector risk factors and the number of sectors.

Conformationally averaged vertical detachment energy of finite size NO3(-)·nH2O clusters: a route connecting few to many.

PubMed

Pathak, Arup Kumar; Samanta, Alok Kumar; Maity, Dilip Kumar

2011-04-07

We report conformationally averaged VDEs (VDE(w)(n)) for different sizes of NO(3)(-)·nH(2)O clusters calculated by using uncorrelated HF, correlated hybrid density functional (B3LYP, BHHLYP) and correlated ab intio (MP2 and CCSD(T)) theory. It is observed that the VDE(w)(n) at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), B3LYP/Aug-cc-Pvtz and CCSD(T)/6-311++G(d,p) levels is very close to the experimentally measured VDE. It is shown that the use of calculated results of the conformationally averaged VDE for small-sized solvated negatively-charged clusters and a microscopic theory-based general expression for the same provides a route to obtain the VDE for a wide range of cluster sizes, including bulk.

Familialism, Social Support, and Stress: Positive Implications for Pregnant Latinas

PubMed Central

Campos, Belinda; Schetter, Christine Dunkel; Abdou, Cleopatra M.; Hobel, Calvin J.; Glynn, Laura M.; Sandman, Curt A.

2010-01-01

This study examined the association of familialism, a cultural value that emphasizes close family relationships, with social support, stress, pregnancy anxiety, and infant birth weight. Foreign-born Latina (n = 31), U.S.-born Latina (n = 68), and European American (n = 166) women living in the United States participated in a prospective study of pregnancy in which they completed measures of familialism, social support, stress, and pregnancy anxiety during their second trimester. As expected, Latinas scored higher on familialism than European Americans. Familialism was positively correlated with social support and negatively correlated with stress and pregnancy anxiety in the overall sample. As predicted, however, the associations of familialism with social support and stress were significantly stronger among Latinas than European Americans. Moreover, higher social support was associated with higher infant birth weight among foreign-born Latinas only. Implications of cultural values for relationships and health are discussed. PMID:18426288

Reliability and validity evidence of scores on the Slovene version of the questionnaire about interpersonal difficulties for adolescents.

PubMed

Zupančič, Maja; Inglés, Candido S; Bajec, Boštjan; Puklek Levpušček, Melita

2011-06-01

This study analyzed the psychometric properties of scores on the Slovene version of the Questionnaire about Interpersonal Difficulties for Adolescents (QIDA) in a sample of 1,334 adolescents (44% boys), ranging in age from 12 to 18 years (M = 15.61). Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the correlated five-factor structure of the QIDA: Assertiveness, Heterosexual Relationships, Public Speaking, Family Relationships, and Close Friendships. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were reasonable. Correlations of scores on the QIDA with scores of neuroticism, low extraversion, and low openness, as measured by the Inventory of Child/Adolescent Individual Differences, and scores of fear of negative evaluation, and tension and inhibition in social contacts, as measured by the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents were found, revealing differential links with QIDA subscale scores. Girls reported more difficulties than boys. Age differences showed a small but significant decrease in QIDA total score over adolescence.

Social anxiety and romantic relationships: the costs and benefits of negative emotion expression are context-dependent.

PubMed

Kashdan, Todd B; Volkmann, Jeffrey R; Breen, William E; Han, Susan

2007-01-01

In general, expressing emotions is beneficial and withholding emotions has personal and social costs. Yet, to serve social functions there are situations when emotions are withheld strategically. We examined whether social anxiety influenced when and how emotion expressiveness influences interpersonal closeness in existing romantic relationships. For people with greater social anxiety, withholding the expression of negative emotions was proposed to preserve romantic relationships and their benefits. We examined whether social anxiety and emotion expressiveness interacted to predict prospective changes in romantic relationship closeness over a 12-week period. For people with less social anxiety, relationship closeness was enhanced over time when negative emotions were openly expressed whereas relationship deterioration was found for those more likely to withhold emotions. The reverse pattern was found for people with greater social anxiety such that relationship closeness was enhanced over time for those more likely to withhold negative emotions. Related social anxiety findings were found for discrepancies between desired and actual feelings of closeness over time. Findings were not attributable to depressive symptoms. These results suggest that the costs and benefits of emotion expression are influenced by a person's degree of social anxiety.

Impaired white matter connectivity between regions containing mirror neurons, and relationship to negative symptoms and social cognition, in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

PubMed

Saito, Yukiko; Kubicki, Marek; Koerte, Inga; Otsuka, Tatsui; Rathi, Yogesh; Pasternak, Ofer; Bouix, Sylvain; Eckbo, Ryan; Kikinis, Zora; von Hohenberg, Christian Clemm; Roppongi, Tomohide; Del Re, Elisabetta; Asami, Takeshi; Lee, Sang-Hyuk; Karmacharya, Sarina; Mesholam-Gately, Raquelle I; Seidman, Larry J; Levitt, James; McCarley, Robert W; Shenton, Martha E; Niznikiewicz, Margaret A

2018-02-01

In schizophrenia, abnormalities in structural connectivity between brain regions known to contain mirror neurons and their relationship to negative symptoms related to a domain of social cognition are not well understood. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans were acquired in 16 patients with first episode schizophrenia and 16 matched healthy controls. FA and Trace of the tracts interconnecting regions known to be rich in mirror neurons, i.e., anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and premotor cortex (PMC) were evaluated. A significant group effect for Trace was observed in IPL-PMC white matter fiber tract (F (1, 28) = 7.13, p = .012), as well as in the PMC-ACC white matter fiber tract (F (1, 28) = 4.64, p = .040). There were no group differences in FA. In addition, patients with schizophrenia showed a significant positive correlation between the Trace of the left IPL-PMC white matter fiber tract, and the Ability to Feel Intimacy and Closeness score (rho = .57, p = 0.034), and a negative correlation between the Trace of the left PMC-ACC and the Relationships with Friends and Peers score (rho = remove -.54, p = 0.049). We have demonstrated disrupted white mater microstructure within the white matter tracts subserving brain regions containing mirror neurons. We further showed that such structural disruptions might impact negative symptoms and, more specifically, contribute to the inability to feel intimacy (a measure conceptually related to theory of mind) in first episode schizophrenia. Further studies are needed to understand the potential of our results for diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic interventions.

Metacognition in schizophrenia: correlates and stability of deficits in theory of mind and self-reflectivity.

PubMed

Lysaker, Paul H; Olesek, Kyle L; Warman, Debbie M; Martin, Joel M; Salzman, Anlize K; Nicolò, Giuseppe; Salvatore, Giampaolo; Dimaggio, Giancarlo

2011-11-30

Research suggests that many with schizophrenia experience a range of deficits in metacognition including difficulties recognizing the emotions and intentions of others as well as reflecting upon and questioning their own thinking. Unclear, however, is the extent to which these deficits are stable over time, how closely related they are to one another and whether their associations with core aspects of the disorder such as disorganization symptoms are stable over time. To explore this issue, we administered three assessments of Theory of Mind (ToM), the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale at baseline and 6 months to 36 participants with schizophrenia. Correlations revealed the ToM and BCIS scores were stable across the two test administrations and that the ToM tests were closely linked to each other but not to the BCIS. Poorer baseline performance on the ToM tests and the Self-Certainty scale of the BCIS were linked to greater cognitive symptoms at baseline and follow-up, while greater Self-Reflectivity on the BCIS was linked to greater levels of emotional distress at both baseline and 6-month follow-up. Results are consistent with assertions that deficits in metacognition are a stable feature of schizophrenia. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Resilience and amygdala function in older healthy and depressed adults.

PubMed

Leaver, Amber M; Yang, Hongyu; Siddarth, Prabha; Vlasova, Roza M; Krause, Beatrix; St Cyr, Natalie; Narr, Katherine L; Lavretsky, Helen

2018-09-01

Previous studies suggest that low emotional resilience may correspond with increased or over-active amygdala function. Complementary studies suggest that emotional resilience increases with age; older adults tend to have decreased attentional bias to negative stimuli compared to younger adults. Amygdala nuclei and related brain circuits have been linked to negative affect, and depressed patients have been demonstrated to have abnormal amygdala function. In the current study, we correlated psychological resilience measures with amygdala function measured with resting-state arterial spin-labelled (ASL) and blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in older adults with and without depression. Specifically, we targeted the basolateral, centromedial, and superficial nuclei groups of the amygdala, which have different functions and brain connections. High levels of psychological resilience correlated with lower basal levels of amygdala activity measured with ASL fMRI. High resilience also correlated with decreased connectivity between amygdala nuclei and the ventral default-mode network independent of depression status. Instead, lower depression symptoms were associated with higher connectivity between the amygdalae and dorsal frontal networks. Future multi-site studies with larger sample size and improved neuroimaging technologies are needed. Longitudinal studies that target resilience to naturalistic stressors will also be a powerful contribution to the field. Our results suggest that resilience in older adults is more closely related to function in ventral amygdala networks, while late-life depression is related to reduced connectivity between the amygdala and dorsal frontal regions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The economic impact of state cigarette taxes and smoke-free air policies on convenience stores.

PubMed

Huang, Jidong; Chaloupka, Frank J

2013-03-01

To investigate whether increasing state cigarette taxes and/or enacting stronger smoke-free air (SFA) policies have negative impact on convenience store density in a state, a proxy that is determined by store openings and closings, which reflects store profits. State-level business count estimates for convenience stores for 50 states and District of Columbia from 1997 to 2009 were analysed using two-way fixed effects regression techniques that control for state-specific and year-specific determinants of convenience store density. The impact of tax and SFA policies was examined using a quasi-experimental research design that exploits changes in cigarette taxes and SFA policies within a state over time. Taxes are found to be uncorrelated with the density of combined convenience stores and gas stations in a state. Taxes are positively correlated with the density of convenience stores; however, the magnitude of this correlation is small, with a 10% increase in state cigarette taxes associated with a 0.19% (p<0.05) increase in the number of convenience stores per million people in a state. State-level SFA policies do not correlate with convenience store density in a state, regardless whether gas stations were included. These results are robust across different model specifications. In addition, they are robust with regard to the inclusion/exclusion of other state-level tobacco control measures and gasoline prices. Contrary to tobacco industry and related organisations' claims, higher cigarette taxes and stronger SFA policies do not negatively affect convenience stores.

The social regulation of emotion and updating negative contents of working memory.

PubMed

Flores, Luis E; Berenbaum, Howard

2017-06-01

The social regulation of emotion reduces negative affect and may also help remove negative contents from working memory. The present studies investigated whether the social regulation of emotion (in the form of handholding) altered the ability to update negative contents from working memory and whether a person's level of desired emotional closeness moderated this effect. In each of 2 studies, an unselected sample of undergraduate students completed an emotional working memory task that measured the ability to remove irrelevant information from working memory and a self-report questionnaire measuring their level of desired emotional closeness. In Study 1 (N = 109), the task consisted only of negative images, and each participant performed half of the task while holding someone's hand and the other half while not holding someone's hand. Study 2 (N = 195) included a few changes (e.g., using both negative and neutral images, altering the control condition to consist of holding a stress ball, using a between-participants design, measuring comfort with handholding) to address a few potential alternative explanations. Overall, there appeared to be a better ability to update negative contents of working memory in the handholding condition of each study than the control condition among people with high desired emotional closeness but not among people with low desired emotional closeness. The present findings provide evidence that the social regulation of emotion can facilitate the removal of irrelevant negative contents of working memory. This process may be one way in which supportive relationships protect against psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Turbulent Supersonic/Hypersonic Heating Correlations for Open and Closed Cavities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everhart, Joel L.; Greene, Francis A.

2009-01-01

Supersonic/hypersonic laminar heating correlations that were developed for damage assessment analysis of atmospheric re-entry vehicles have been modified and extended to cover fully-turbulent conditions over rectangular cavity geometries that are aligned with the local velocity. Turbulent boundary layer properties were computationally determined and used to develop the cavity geometry parametrics and to correlate experimental closed cavity heating data to yield new relationships for the floor-averaged and centerline endwall peak-heating augmentation. With the form of the closed-cavity correlations established, historical data were used to develop new correlations for turbulent open-cavity heating.

Turbulent Supersonic/Hypersonic Heating Correlations for Open and Closed Cavities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everhart, Joel L.; Greene, Francis A.

2009-01-01

Supersonic/hypersonic laminar heating correlations that were developed for damage assessment analysis of atmospheric re-entry vehicles have been modified and extended to cover fully-turbulent conditions over rectangular cavity geometries that are aligned with the local velocity. Turbulent boundary layer properties were computationally determined and used to develop the cavity geometry parametrics and to correlate experimental closed cavity heating data to yield new relationships for the floor-averaged and centerline endwall peakheating augmentation. With the form of the closed-cavity correlations established, historical data were used to develop new correlations for turbulent open-cavity heating.

Assessing the link between Atlantic Niño 1 and drought over West Africa using CORDEX regional climate models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adeniyi, Mojisola Oluwayemisi; Dilau, Kabiru Alabi

2018-02-01

The skill of Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) models (ARPEGE, CCLM, HIRHAM, RACMO, REMO, PRECIS, RegCM3, RCA, WRF and CRCM) in simulating the climate (precipitation, temperature and drought) of West Africa is determined using a process-based metric. This is done by comparing the CORDEX models' simulated and observed correlation coefficients between Atlantic Niño Index 1 (ATLN1) and the climate over West Africa. Strong positive correlation is observed between ATLN1 and the climate parameters at the Guinea Coast (GC). The Atlantic Ocean has Niño behaviours through the ATLN indices which influence the climate of the tropics. Drought has distinct dipole structure of correlation with ATLN1 (negative at the Sahel); precipitation does not have distinct dipole structure of correlation, while temperature has almost a monopole correlation structure with ATLN1 over West Africa. The magnitude of the correlation increases with closeness to the equatorial eastern Atlantic. Correlations between ATLN1 and temperature are mostly stronger than those between ATLN1 and precipitation over the region. Most models have good performance over the GC, but ARPEGE has the highest skill at GC. The PRECIS is the most skilful over Savannah and RCA over Sahel. These models can be used to downscale the projected climate at the region of their highest skill.

Peer acceptance protects global self-esteem from negative effects of low closeness to parents during adolescence and early adulthood.

PubMed

Birkeland, Marianne Skogbrott; Breivik, Kyrre; Wold, Bente

2014-01-01

Having a distant relationship with parents seems to increase the risk of developing a more negative global self-esteem. This article describes a longitudinal study of 1,090 Norwegian adolescents from the age of 13-23 (54 % males) that explored whether peer acceptance can act as a moderator and protect global self-esteem against the negative effects of experiencing low closeness in relationships with parents. A quadratic latent growth curve for global self-esteem with closeness to parents and peer acceptance as time-varying covariates was modeled, taking partial measurement invariance in global self-esteem into account. Peer acceptance was found to have a general protective effect on global self-esteem for all adolescents. In addition, at most ages, peer acceptance was found to have a protective-stabilizing effect on the relationship between closeness to parents and global self-esteem. This indicates that peer acceptance can be an especially valuable source of global self-esteem when closeness to parents is low.

Flavor of fresh blueberry juice and the comparison to amount of sugars, acids, anthocyanidins, and physicochemical measurements.

PubMed

Bett-Garber, Karen L; Lea, Jeanne M; Watson, Michael A; Grimm, Casey C; Lloyd, Steven W; Beaulieu, John C; Stein-Chisholm, Rebecca E; Andrzejewski, Brett P; Marshall, Donna A

2015-04-01

Six cultivars of southern highbush (SHB) and rabbiteye (RE) blueberry samples were harvested on 2 different dates. Each treatment combination was pressed 2 times for repeated measures. Fresh juice was characterized for 18 flavor/taste/feeling factor attributes by a descriptive flavor panel. Each sample was measured for sugars, acids, anthocyanidins, Folin-Ciocalteu, soluble solids (BRIX), titratable acidity (TA), and antioxidant capacity (ORACFL ). Flavors were correlated with the composition and physicochemical data. Blueberry flavor correlated with 3 parameters, and negatively correlated with 2. Strawberry correlated with oxalic acid and negatively correlated with sucrose and quinic acid. Sweet aroma correlated with oxalic and citric acid, but negatively correlated with sucrose, quinic, and total acids. Sweet taste correlated with 11 parameters, including the anthocyanidins; and negatively correlated with 3 parameters. Neither bitter nor astringent correlated with any of the antioxidant parameters, but both correlated with total acids. Sour correlated with total acids and TA, while negatively correlating with pH and BRIX:TA. Throat burn correlated with total acids and TA. Principal component analysis negatively related blueberry, sweet aroma, and sweet to sour, bitter, astringent, tongue tingle, and tongue numbness. The information in this component was related to pH, TA, and BRIX:TA ratio. Another principal component related the nonblueberry fruit flavors to BRIX. This PC, also divided the SHB berries from the RE. This work shows that the impact of juice composition on flavor is very complicated and that estimating flavor with physicochemical parameters is complicated by the composition of the juice. © 2015 Institute of Food Technologists®

PCAN: Probabilistic Correlation Analysis of Two Non-normal Data Sets

PubMed Central

Zoh, Roger S.; Mallick, Bani; Ivanov, Ivan; Baladandayuthapani, Veera; Manyam, Ganiraju; Chapkin, Robert S.; Lampe, Johanna W.; Carroll, Raymond J.

2016-01-01

Summary Most cancer research now involves one or more assays profiling various biological molecules, e.g., messenger RNA and micro RNA, in samples collected on the same individuals. The main interest with these genomic data sets lies in the identification of a subset of features that are active in explaining the dependence between platforms. To quantify the strength of the dependency between two variables, correlation is often preferred. However, expression data obtained from next-generation sequencing platforms are integer with very low counts for some important features. In this case, the sample Pearson correlation is not a valid estimate of the true correlation matrix, because the sample correlation estimate between two features/variables with low counts will often be close to zero, even when the natural parameters of the Poisson distribution are, in actuality, highly correlated. We propose a model-based approach to correlation estimation between two non-normal data sets, via a method we call Probabilistic Correlations ANalysis, or PCAN. PCAN takes into consideration the distributional assumption about both data sets and suggests that correlations estimated at the model natural parameter level are more appropriate than correlations estimated directly on the observed data. We demonstrate through a simulation study that PCAN outperforms other standard approaches in estimating the true correlation between the natural parameters. We then apply PCAN to the joint analysis of a microRNA (miRNA) and a messenger RNA (mRNA) expression data set from a squamous cell lung cancer study, finding a large number of negative correlation pairs when compared to the standard approaches. PMID:27037601

PCAN: Probabilistic correlation analysis of two non-normal data sets.

PubMed

Zoh, Roger S; Mallick, Bani; Ivanov, Ivan; Baladandayuthapani, Veera; Manyam, Ganiraju; Chapkin, Robert S; Lampe, Johanna W; Carroll, Raymond J

2016-12-01

Most cancer research now involves one or more assays profiling various biological molecules, e.g., messenger RNA and micro RNA, in samples collected on the same individuals. The main interest with these genomic data sets lies in the identification of a subset of features that are active in explaining the dependence between platforms. To quantify the strength of the dependency between two variables, correlation is often preferred. However, expression data obtained from next-generation sequencing platforms are integer with very low counts for some important features. In this case, the sample Pearson correlation is not a valid estimate of the true correlation matrix, because the sample correlation estimate between two features/variables with low counts will often be close to zero, even when the natural parameters of the Poisson distribution are, in actuality, highly correlated. We propose a model-based approach to correlation estimation between two non-normal data sets, via a method we call Probabilistic Correlations ANalysis, or PCAN. PCAN takes into consideration the distributional assumption about both data sets and suggests that correlations estimated at the model natural parameter level are more appropriate than correlations estimated directly on the observed data. We demonstrate through a simulation study that PCAN outperforms other standard approaches in estimating the true correlation between the natural parameters. We then apply PCAN to the joint analysis of a microRNA (miRNA) and a messenger RNA (mRNA) expression data set from a squamous cell lung cancer study, finding a large number of negative correlation pairs when compared to the standard approaches. © 2016, The International Biometric Society.

[Apoptosis and uterine cervical carcinogenesis].

PubMed

Yao, J; Lin, H; Song, H

2000-11-01

To investigate the possible role of apoptosis in the development of uterine cervical carcinoma. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples from 190 patients [41 patients with severe dysplasia (SD); 37 with carcinoma in situ(CIS); 31 with microinvasive carcinoma (MIC), 40 with fran invasive large cell non-keratinizing epidermoid carcinoma (IC)], and 41 samples from normal cervical squamous epithelium (NE) were studied. The number of apoptotic cells was assessed in situ by the TDT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) method. PCNA, p53 and bcl-2 were demonstrated immunohistochemically. (1) In NE, TUNEL-positive cells were found in the superficial layer and PCNA-positive cells were confined in the lamina profunda, while in cervical neoplasia these cells were irregulasly scattered throughout the cervical lesions. (2) The TUNEL staining index decreased while PCNA increased with progression of the neoplasm, showing a significant negative correlation between apoptosis and proliferation. (3) In patients with SD and CIS who had overexpression of p53 and bcl-2 proteins, the cells positively stained by TUNEL were significantly less in number than in these with negative p53 and bcl-2 expression. No such observation for PCNA expression. These results suggest that apoptosis is associated with the early process of cervical carcinogenesis and apoptosis is closely correlated with overexpression of p53 and bcl-2 proteins.

Diurnal patterns in Scots pine stem oleoresin pressure in a boreal forest.

PubMed

Rissanen, K; Hölttä, T; Vanhatalo, A; Aalto, J; Nikinmaa, E; Rita, H; Bäck, J

2016-03-01

Coniferous tree stems contain large amounts of oleoresin under positive pressure in the resin ducts. Studies in North-American pines indicated that the stem oleoresin exudation pressure (OEP) correlates negatively with transpiration rate and soil water content. However, it is not known how the OEP changes affect the emissions of volatile vapours from the trees. We measured the OEP, xylem diameter changes indicating changes in xylem water potential and monoterpene emissions under field conditions in mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) trees in southern Finland. Contrary to earlier reports, the diurnal OEP changes were positively correlated with temperature and transpiration rate. OEP was lowest at the top part of the stem, where water potentials were also more negative, and often closely linked to ambient temperature and stem monoterpene emissions. However, occasionally OEP was affected by sudden changes in vapour pressure deficit (VPD), indicating the importance of xylem water potential on OEP as well. We conclude that the oleoresin storage pools in tree stems are in a dynamic relationship with ambient temperature and xylem water potential, and that the canopy monoterpene emission rates may therefore be also regulated by whole tree processes and not only by the conditions prevailing in the upper canopy. © 2015 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Study of Performance of Coaxial Vacuum Tube Solar Collector on Ethanol Distillation Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutomo; Ramelan, A. H.; Mustafa; Tristono, T.

2017-07-01

Coaxial vacuum tube solar collectors can generate heat up to 80°C is possibly used for ethanol distillation process that required temperature 79°C only. This study reviews the performance of coaxial collector vacuum tube used for ethanol distillation process. This experimental research was conducted in a closed space using a halogen lamp as a solar radiation simulator. We had done on three different of the radiation values, i.e. 998 W/m2, 878 W/m2 and 782 W/m2. The pressure levels of vacuum tube collector cavity in the research were 1; 0.5; 0.31; 0.179; and 0.043 atmospheres. The Research upgraded the 30% of ethanol to produce the concentration of 77% after distillation. The result shows that the performance of coaxial collector vacuum tube used for ethanol distillation process has the negative correlation to the level of the collector tube cavity pressure. The productivity will increase while the collector tube cavity pressure decreased. Therefore, the collector efficiency has the negative correlation also to the level of collector tube cavity pressure. The best performance achieved when it operated at a pressure of 0.043 atmosphere with radiation intensity 878 W / m2, and the value of efficiency is 57.8%.

The Production and Release of Microcystin Related to Phytoplankton Biodiversity and Water Salinity in Two Cyanobacteria Blooming Lakes.

PubMed

Jia, Junmei; Chen, Qiuwen; Wang, Min; Zhang, Jianyun; Yi, Qitao; Hu, Liuming

2018-06-20

To find the connections between microcystins (MCs) and phytoplankton community coupled with environmental factors, two cyanobacteria blooming lakes, Lake Taihu and Lake Yanghe, were investigated. Two years data, including water quality, phytoplankton, MCs and the congeners in both algal cells and water, were collected from the two lakes during 2013 and 2014. The results showed that the MC quota and MC release percentage were positively correlated with biodiversity of phytoplankton and the ratio of Chlorophyta/phytoplankton, but were negatively correlated with cyanobacteria abundance and the ratio of cyanobacteria/phytoplankton; the MC quota and MC release percentage were closely related to the intensity of competition between cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton; meanwhile, MCs played a role in competition between cyanobacteria and other phytoplankton. The salinity had significantly negative relationships with cellular MCs and total MCs, but had significantly positive relationships with MCs releasing percentage, indicating that the increase of salinity inhibited the MCs production but promoted the MCs releasing into aquatic environment. In addition, the average MCs in Lake Yanghe was several times higher than the provisional guideline value adopted by the World Health Organization, which could pose health risk to local people. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Negative Affect during a Collective (but Not an Individual) Task Is Associated with Holistic Attention in East Asian Cultural Context

PubMed Central

Tominaga, Hitoshi; Uchida, Yukiko; Miyamoto, Yuri; Yamasaki, Teruo

2017-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that individuals from East Asian cultures are more likely to show holistic attention—a pattern of attention that incorporates contextual information into focal stimuli—than individuals from North American cultures. Holistic attention is also prevalent in communities that require close cooperation. However, it is not yet known how cooperation is related to holistic attention. We theorized that holistic attention increases when people experience negative affect (e.g., worry, sadness, and frustration) during collective tasks (but not during individual tasks) because negative affect in social contexts signals the existence of potential threats to social harmony, thus indicating a need to restore social harmony. To examine this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted in which participants performed a musical duet either with another participant (a collective task requiring cooperation), or individually with a computer (an individual task). After the musical task, the Framed Line Task (FLT) was administered to examine their holistic attention. Participants also reported their emotional states both before and after the music task. Results suggested that negative affect in the collective task—but not the individual task—was positively correlated with a holistic pattern of attention. The function of negative affect in social contexts as motivation to restore relationships and how this enhances holistic attention is discussed. The moderating effect of social context on the link between negative affect and cognition is also discussed. PMID:28824483

Negative Affect during a Collective (but Not an Individual) Task Is Associated with Holistic Attention in East Asian Cultural Context.

PubMed

Tominaga, Hitoshi; Uchida, Yukiko; Miyamoto, Yuri; Yamasaki, Teruo

2017-01-01

Previous studies have suggested that individuals from East Asian cultures are more likely to show holistic attention-a pattern of attention that incorporates contextual information into focal stimuli-than individuals from North American cultures. Holistic attention is also prevalent in communities that require close cooperation. However, it is not yet known how cooperation is related to holistic attention. We theorized that holistic attention increases when people experience negative affect (e.g., worry, sadness, and frustration) during collective tasks (but not during individual tasks) because negative affect in social contexts signals the existence of potential threats to social harmony, thus indicating a need to restore social harmony. To examine this hypothesis, an experiment was conducted in which participants performed a musical duet either with another participant (a collective task requiring cooperation), or individually with a computer (an individual task). After the musical task, the Framed Line Task (FLT) was administered to examine their holistic attention. Participants also reported their emotional states both before and after the music task. Results suggested that negative affect in the collective task-but not the individual task-was positively correlated with a holistic pattern of attention. The function of negative affect in social contexts as motivation to restore relationships and how this enhances holistic attention is discussed. The moderating effect of social context on the link between negative affect and cognition is also discussed.

Antiapoptotic and Trophic Effects of Dominant-Negative Forms of Dual Leucine Zipper Kinase in Dopamine Neurons of the Substantia Nigra In Vivo

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiqun; Rzhetskaya, Margarita; Kareva, Tatyana; Bland, Ross; During, Matthew J.; Tank, A. William; Kholodilov, Nikolai; Burke, Robert E.

2009-01-01

There is extensive evidence that the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade mediates programmed cell death in neurons. However, current evidence that the mixed linage kinases (MLKs), upstream in this cascade, mediate cell death is based, in the in vivo context, entirely on pharmacological approaches. The compounds used in these studies have neither complete specificity nor selectivity among these kinases. Therefore, to better address the molecular specificity of the MLKs in mediating neuron death, we used dominant-negative constructs delivered by AAV (adenoassociated virus) vector transfer. We assessed effects in a neurotoxin model of parkinsonism, in which neuroprotection by pharmacologic MLK inhibition has been reported. We find that two dominant-negative forms of dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) inhibit apoptosis and enhance long-term survival of dopamine neurons, but a dominant negative of MLK3 does not. Interestingly, the kinase-dead form of DLK not only blocks apoptosis but also has trophic effects on dopamine neurons. Although the MAPK cascade activates a number of downstream cell death mediators, we find that inhibition of DLK correlates closely with blockade of phosphorylation of c-jun and prevention of cell death. We conclude that DLK acts primarily through c-jun phosphorylation to mediate cell death in this model. PMID:18199767

Enhancing creativity: Proper body posture meets proper emotion.

PubMed

Hao, Ning; Xue, Hua; Yuan, Huan; Wang, Qing; Runco, Mark A

2017-02-01

This study tested whether compatibility or incompatibility between body posture and emotion was beneficial for creativity. In Study 1, participants were asked to solve the Alternative Uses Task (AUT) problems when performing open or closed body posture in positive or negative emotional state respectively. The results showed that originality of AUT performance was higher in the compatible conditions (i.e., open-positive and closed-negative) than in the incompatible conditions (i.e., closed-positive and open-negative). In Study 2, the compatibility effect was replicated in both the AUT and the Realistic Presented Problem test (i.e., RPP). Moreover, it was revealed that participants exhibited the highest associative flexibility in the open-positive condition, and the highest persistence in the closed-negative condition. These findings indicate that compatibility between body posture and emotion is beneficial for creativity. This may be because when the implicit emotions elicited by body posture match explicit emotions, the effects of emotions on creativity are enhanced, therefore promoting creativity through the flexibility or the persistence pathway respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Relationships Between Paranormal Belief, Creationism, Intelligent Design and Evolution at Secondary Schools in Vienna (Austria)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eder, Erich; Turic, Katharina; Milasowszky, Norbert; van Adzin, Katherine; Hergovich, Andreas

2011-05-01

The present study is the first to investigate the relationships between a multiple set of paranormal beliefs and the acceptance of evolution, creationism, and intelligent design, respectively, in Europe. Using a questionnaire, 2,129 students at secondary schools in Vienna (Austria) answered the 26 statements of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (R-PBS) and three statements about naturalistic evolution, creationism and intelligent design (ID). The investigated Austrian students showed an average R-PBS score of 82.08, more than 50% of them agreed with naturalistic evolution, 28% with creationism, and more than a third agreed with ID, the latter two closely correlated with each other. Females generally showed higher belief scores in the paranormal, creationism and ID. The agreement with naturalistic evolution correlated negatively with religious belief, but not with other paranormal beliefs, whereas the two non-scientific alternatives to evolution significantly correlated with both traditional and paranormal beliefs. Religious belief showed a significant positive correlation with other paranormal beliefs. All subscales of paranormal belief decreased during the eight grades of secondary school, as did acceptance of creationism and ID. However, the acceptance of naturalistic evolution did not correlate with age or grade. Possible reasons and implications for science education and the biology curriculum at Austrian secondary schools are discussed.

Reduced expression of E-cadherin and p120-catenin and elevated expression of PLC-γ1 and PIKE are associated with aggressiveness of oral squamous cell carcinoma

PubMed Central

Jiang, Yi; Liao, Liyan; Shrestha, Chandrama; Ji, Shangli; Chen, Ying; Peng, Jian; Wang, Larry; Liao, Eryuan; Xie, Zhongjian

2015-01-01

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most lethal malignant tumors. The cadherin/catenin cell-cell adhesion complex plays a major role in cancer development and progression. p120-catenin (p120) is a cytoplasmic molecule closely associated with E-cadherin which activates phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1). Our previous studies indicate that activation of PLC-γ1 plays a critical role in epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced migration and proliferation of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase enhancer (PIKE) is highly expressed in SCC cells and mediates EGFR-dependent SCC cell proliferation. Our current study was to determine whether the expression of E-cadherin, p120, PLC-γ1, and PIKE, is associated with OSCC. To address this issue, we assessed levels and localization of E-cadherin, p120, PLC-γ1, and PIKE in specimen of 92 patients with OSCC by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that the expression of E-cadherin, and p120 negatively correlated with the tumor differentiation and the expression of PLC-γ1 and PIKE positively correlated with the tumor differentiation. The expression of PLC-γ1 and PIKE in OSCC stage T3 + T4 or in OSCC with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that in OSCC stage T1 + T2 or in OSCC without lymph node metastasis. The expression of p120 positively correlated with levels of E-cadherin but negatively correlated with levels of PLC-γ1 and PIKE in OSCC. These data indicate that increased expression of PLC-γ1 and PIKE and decreased expression of E-cadherin and p120 are associated with the aggressiveness of OSCC. PMID:26464646

[Effects of Different Altitudes on Soil Microbial PLFA and Enzyme Activity in Two Kinds of Forests].

PubMed

Zeng, Qing-ping; He, Bing-hui; Mao, Qiao-zhi; Wu, Yao-peng; Huang, Qi; Li, Yuan

2015-12-01

The soil microbial community is an important part in soil ecosystem, and it is sensitive to the ecological environment. Phospholipid-derived fatty acids ( PLFA ) analysis was used to examine variations in soil microbial community diversity and its influencing factors. The results showed that: there existed 48 PLFAs that were significant in the soil samples from six altitudes. The PLFAs of six altitudes with the highest contents were i16:0, 10Me17:0, 10Me18:0 TBSA. The citrus forest exhibited richer soil PLFAs distribution both in type and amount than those in masson pine. The microbial activity and functional diversity of masson pine were increased with increasing altitudes, and citrus forest gradually decreased, the PLFA content of different microbial groups in each altitude were significantly different. The richness index, Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou evenness index of masson pine in low elevation were holistically higher than those in high elevation. However, the highest richness index of citrus forest was in low altitude, the highest Shannon-Wiener index and Pielou evenness index were in high altitude. The PLFAs content of different microbial groups were closely correlated to the soil enzyme activities and environmental factors. The PLFAs of bacteria, actinomycetes, G⁻ (Gram- positive), G⁺ (Gram-negative) were positively correlated with Ure(urease) , Ive(invertase) , CAT( catalase activity) and forest type, the PLFAs of fungi was significantly correlated with Ure, Ive, CAT, the PLFAs of bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, G⁻ , G⁺ were significantly negatively or less correlated with elevation. Ure, Ive, CAT, forest type and elevation are the pivotal factors controlling the soil microbial biomass and activities.

Oral health knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices among pharmacists in Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

Baseer, Mohammad Abdual; Mehkari, Mohammed Aleemullah; Al-Marek, Fahad AbdulMohsen Fahad; Bajahzar, Omar Ahmad

2016-01-01

Aim: Identifying and addressing gaps in the oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices of pharmacists is important before they can be considered as a member of the oral health promotion team. The aim of this study was to determine the prevailing oral health knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices among a sample of pharmacists from Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 200 pharmacists working in community- and hospital-based pharmacies was conducted using a structured, self-administered, close-ended questionnaire. The responses were collected and descriptive statistics of the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices were calculated. Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were performed to compare the different groups. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the association among knowledge–attitude, knowledge–practice, and attitude–practice. Results: Overall, the mean scores of oral health knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices were found to be 5.27 ± 1.05, 3.89 ± 0.83, and 2.1 ± 0.61, respectively. Male non-Saudi pharmacists working in chain pharmacies, having 11–15 years of experience with a Master's degree qualification showed significantly higher mean knowledge and practices scores as compared to their counterparts. Spearman's correlation tests revealed a significant positive correlation of knowledge–practice (r = 0.262, P < 0.01), whereas knowledge–attitude (r = -0.149, P < 0.05) as well as attitudes–practices (r = -0.196, P < 0.01) were negatively correlated. Conclusion: Pharmacists exhibited an average knowledge, negative attitude, and inadequate self-care practices toward oral health. However, increasing oral health knowledge can have profound improvement in oral self-care practices. PMID:27114953

[Occupational mental health and job satisfaction in university teachers in Shenyang, China].

PubMed

Li, M Y; Wang, Z Y; Wu, H; Wang, J N; Wang, L

2017-02-20

Objective: To investigate the current status of occupational mental health and job satisfaction in university teachers in Shenyang, China and related influencing factors. Methods: A total of 1500 teachers from 6 universities in Shenyang were randomly selected as study subjects from November 2013 to January 2014. Self-administered questionnaires were used to investigate mental health, including effort-reward imbalance questionnaire, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Center for Epidemiological Survey-Depression Scale, and Psychological Capital Questionnaire. Results: Of all teachers, 58.9% had depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms in university teachers were negatively correlated with the scores of psychological capital, supervisory commitment, and perceived organizational support ( r =-0.461, -0.306, and -0.366, all P <0.01) and were positively correlated with the score of occupational stress ( r =0.414, P <0.01) . Job satisfaction was positively correlated with psychological capital, perceived organizational support, and supervisory commitment ( r =0.650, 0.715, and 0.636, all P <0.01) and negatively correlated with occupational stress ( r =-0.475, P <0.01) . The direct effects of occupational stress, perceived organizational support, and supervisory commitment on job satisfaction were -0.30, 0.26, and 0.14, respectively, and their indirect effects were -0.0176, 0.0656, and 0.0368, respectively. The direct effects of occupational stress, perceived organizational support, and supervisory commitment on depressive symptoms were 0.20, -0.08, and -0.05, respectively, and their indirect effects was 0.033, -0.123, and -0.069, respectively. Conclusion: Occupational mental health is closely associated with job satisfaction in university teachers in Shenyang, and psychological capital has a mediating effect on perceived organizational support, supervisory commitment, occupational stress, job satisfaction, and depressive symptoms.

Prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in obese children or adolescents and association between thyroid hormone and the components of metabolic syndrome.

PubMed

Jin, Hye Young

2018-05-16

Subclinical hypothyroidism is defined as elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels with the normal concentrations of thyroxine (T4) or free thyroxine (fT4), and its clinical significance is unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in children and adolescents and determine the relationship between lipid profiles, insulin resistance and thyroid hormones. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed using data from a subset of the KNHANES VI. The subjects whose ages were in the range of 10-19 years were enrolled when their thyroid function tests were available (n = 1104), and their laboratory and anthropometric data were analysed. Subclinical hypothyroidism was more commonly identified in the obese group (27 of 111) compared to the other groups (127 of 993) (24.3 vs. 12.8%, P = 0.002). Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher in a group with subclinical hypothyroidism. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with serum concentrations of the TSH and negatively correlated with serum concentrations of fT4 after adjusting for age. The concentrations of total cholesterol and triglyceride were positively correlated with the TSH concentrations following adjustment for age and BMI standard deviation scores. The fT4 concentrations were negatively linked with total cholesterol after adjusting for age and BMI standard deviation scores. No significant correlation was found between insulin resistance index and TSH and fT4. Subclinical hypothyroidism was common in the obese group, and the concentrations of TSH were linked with the lipid profile. Subclinical hypothyroidism in obese children or adolescents should be closely monitored while also evaluating metabolic risk factors. © 2018 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Oral health knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices among pharmacists in Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Baseer, Mohammad Abdual; Mehkari, Mohammed Aleemullah; Al-Marek, Fahad AbdulMohsen Fahad; Bajahzar, Omar Ahmad

2016-01-01

Identifying and addressing gaps in the oral health knowledge, attitude, and practices of pharmacists is important before they can be considered as a member of the oral health promotion team. The aim of this study was to determine the prevailing oral health knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices among a sample of pharmacists from Riyadh, Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study involving 200 pharmacists working in community- and hospital-based pharmacies was conducted using a structured, self-administered, close-ended questionnaire. The responses were collected and descriptive statistics of the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices were calculated. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed to compare the different groups. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to assess the association among knowledge-attitude, knowledge-practice, and attitude-practice. Overall, the mean scores of oral health knowledge, attitude, and self-care practices were found to be 5.27 ± 1.05, 3.89 ± 0.83, and 2.1 ± 0.61, respectively. Male non-Saudi pharmacists working in chain pharmacies, having 11-15 years of experience with a Master's degree qualification showed significantly higher mean knowledge and practices scores as compared to their counterparts. Spearman's correlation tests revealed a significant positive correlation of knowledge-practice (r = 0.262, P < 0.01), whereas knowledge-attitude (r = -0.149, P < 0.05) as well as attitudes-practices (r = -0.196, P < 0.01) were negatively correlated. Pharmacists exhibited an average knowledge, negative attitude, and inadequate self-care practices toward oral health. However, increasing oral health knowledge can have profound improvement in oral self-care practices.

Reliability and Validity of the Greek Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire.

PubMed

Oikonomidi, Theodora; Vikelis, Michail; Artemiadis, Artemios; Chrousos, George P; Darviri, Christina

2018-03-01

The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for migraine-related disability. Such a tool is needed to quantify migraine-related disability in the Greek population. This validation study aims to assess the test-retest reliability, internal consistency, item discriminant and convergent validity of the Greek translation of the MIDAS. Adults diagnosed with migraine completed the MIDAS Questionnaire on two occasions 3 weeks apart to assess reliability, and completed the RAND-36 to assess validity. Participants (n = 152) had a median MIDAS score of 24 and mostly severe disability (58% were grade IV). The test-retest reliability analysis (N = 59) revealed excellent reliability for the total score. Internal consistency was α = 0.71 for initial and α = 0.82 for retest completion. For item discriminant validity, the correlations between each question and the total score were significant, with high correlations for questions 2-5 (range 0.67 ≤ r ≤ 0.79; p < 0.01). For convergent validity, there was significant negative correlation between the total score and all RAND-36 subscales except for 'emotional wellbeing'. The negative correlation indicates that patients with a lower degree of disability according to their MIDAS score tended to have better wellbeing. Psychometric properties are comparable with those of other published validation studies of the MIDAS and the original. Findings on question 1 show that missing work/school days may be closely related with increased affect issues. The Greek version of the MIDAS Questionnaire has good reliability and validity. This study allowed for cross-cultural comparability of research findings.

A prospective study of physical trauma and multiple sclerosis.

PubMed Central

Sibley, W A; Bamford, C R; Clark, K; Smith, M S; Laguna, J F

1991-01-01

During an eight year period 170 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 134 controls without physical impairment were followed closely to record all episodes of physical trauma and to measure their effect on exacerbation rate and progression of MS. There was a total of 1407 instances of trauma, which were sorted into various categories. Overall there was no significant correlation between all-traumas and disease activity. There was, however, a statistically significant negative correlation between traumatic episodes and exacerbations in 95 patients who had exacerbations during the programme, due primarily to less activity of the disease during a three month period following surgical procedures and fractures. Electrical injury had a significant positive association with exacerbation using a three month at-risk period, but there were no other significant positive correlations in any other category of trauma, including minor head injuries; there were no cases of head injury with prolonged unconsciousness. There was no linkage between the frequency of trauma and progression of disability. MS patients had two to three times more trauma than controls. PMID:1895121

Total mercury and methylmercury in fish fillets, water, and bed sediments from selected streams in the Delaware River basin, New Jersery, New York, and Pennsylvania, 1998-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brightbill, Robin A.; Riva-Murray, Karen; Bilger, Michael D.; Byrnes, John D.

2004-01-01

Within the Delaware River Basin, fish-tissue samples were analyzed for total mercury (tHg). Water and bed-sediment samples were analyzed for tHg and methylmercury (MeHg), and methylation efficiencies were calculated. This study was part of a National Mercury Pilot Program conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Delaware River Basin was chosen because it is part of the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment Program that integrates physical, chemical, and biological sampling efforts to determine status and trends in surface-water and ground-water resources. Of the 35 sites in the study, 31 were sampled for fish. The species sampled at these sites include smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), the target species, and where smallmouth bass could not be collected, brown trout (Salmo trutta), chain pickerel (Esox niger), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris). There were a total of 32 fish samples; 7 of these exceeded the 0.3 ?g/g (micrograms per gram) wet-weight mercury (Hg) concentration set for human health by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 27 of these exceeded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service criteria of 0.1 ?g/g wet weight for the protection of fish-eating birds and wildlife. Basinwide analysis of Hg in fish, water, and bed sediment showed tHg concentration in fillets correlated positively with population density, urban land cover, and impervious land surface. Negative correlations included wetland land cover, septic density, elevation, and latitude. Smallmouth bass from the urban sites had a higher median concentration of tHg than fish from agricultural, low intensity-agricultural, or forested sites. Concentrations of tHg and MeHg in water were higher in samples from the more urbanized areas of the basin and were positively correlated with urbanization and negatively correlated with forested land cover. Methylation efficiency of water was negatively correlated with urbanization. Bed-sediment patterns were similar to those observed in water. Concentrations of tHg were higher in samples from the urbanized areas. In the more forested areas, MeHg concentrations were higher than in other land-use areas. Concentrations of tHg in bed sediment were positively correlated with urbanization factors (population, urban land cover, and impervious land surface) and negatively correlated with forested land cover and elevation. Forested land cover and latitude were positively correlated with concentrations of MeHg. The methylation efficiency was higher in samples from the forested areas and was negatively correlated with urbanization. Analyses within land-use groups showed that tHg concentrations in fish fillets from the urban sites were positively correlated with forested land cover and wetland cover. Urbanization factors within the agricultural group were positively correlated with tHg in fish; concentrations of tHg in fish from sites in the low intensity-agricultural group were negatively correlated with urbanization factors. Within the agricultural land-use group, tHg concentrations in water were negatively correlated with septic density, and MeHg concentrations were negatively correlated with elevation. In the forested and low intensity-agricultural groups, MeHg in water was negatively correlated with forested and agricultural land cover. Methylation efficiency in water also was negatively correlated with forested land cover but positively correlated with agricultural land cover. Bed sediment concentrations of tHg in the forested and low-agricultural groups were positively correlated with agricultural land cover and negatively correlated with forested land cover. Concentrations of MeHg in bed sediment were positively correlated with septic density and drainage area and negatively correlated with forested land cover. Methylation efficiency was negatively correlated with population density, a

The impact of global signal regression on resting state correlations: Are anti-correlated networks introduced?

PubMed Central

Murphy, Kevin; Birn, Rasmus M.; Handwerker, Daniel A.; Jones, Tyler B.; Bandettini, Peter A.

2009-01-01

Low-frequency fluctuations in fMRI signal have been used to map several consistent resting state networks in the brain. Using the posterior cingulate cortex as a seed region, functional connectivity analyses have found not only positive correlations in the default mode network but negative correlations in another resting state network related to attentional processes. The interpretation is that the human brain is intrinsically organized into dynamic, anti-correlated functional networks. Global variations of the BOLD signal are often considered nuisance effects and are commonly removed using a general linear model (GLM) technique. This global signal regression method has been shown to introduce negative activation measures in standard fMRI analyses. The topic of this paper is whether such a correction technique could be the cause of anti-correlated resting state networks in functional connectivity analyses. Here we show that, after global signal regression, correlation values to a seed voxel must sum to a negative value. Simulations also show that small phase differences between regions can lead to spurious negative correlation values. A combination breath holding and visual task demonstrates that the relative phase of global and local signals can affect connectivity measures and that, experimentally, global signal regression leads to bell-shaped correlation value distributions, centred on zero. Finally, analyses of negatively correlated networks in resting state data show that global signal regression is most likely the cause of anti-correlations. These results call into question the interpretation of negatively correlated regions in the brain when using global signal regression as an initial processing step. PMID:18976716

The impact of global signal regression on resting state correlations: are anti-correlated networks introduced?

PubMed

Murphy, Kevin; Birn, Rasmus M; Handwerker, Daniel A; Jones, Tyler B; Bandettini, Peter A

2009-02-01

Low-frequency fluctuations in fMRI signal have been used to map several consistent resting state networks in the brain. Using the posterior cingulate cortex as a seed region, functional connectivity analyses have found not only positive correlations in the default mode network but negative correlations in another resting state network related to attentional processes. The interpretation is that the human brain is intrinsically organized into dynamic, anti-correlated functional networks. Global variations of the BOLD signal are often considered nuisance effects and are commonly removed using a general linear model (GLM) technique. This global signal regression method has been shown to introduce negative activation measures in standard fMRI analyses. The topic of this paper is whether such a correction technique could be the cause of anti-correlated resting state networks in functional connectivity analyses. Here we show that, after global signal regression, correlation values to a seed voxel must sum to a negative value. Simulations also show that small phase differences between regions can lead to spurious negative correlation values. A combination breath holding and visual task demonstrates that the relative phase of global and local signals can affect connectivity measures and that, experimentally, global signal regression leads to bell-shaped correlation value distributions, centred on zero. Finally, analyses of negatively correlated networks in resting state data show that global signal regression is most likely the cause of anti-correlations. These results call into question the interpretation of negatively correlated regions in the brain when using global signal regression as an initial processing step.

Neural correlates of processing negative and sexually arousing pictures.

PubMed

Bailey, Kira; West, Robert; Mullaney, Kellie M

2012-01-01

Recent work has questioned whether the negativity bias is a distinct component of affective picture processing. The current study was designed to determine whether there are different neural correlates of processing positive and negative pictures using event-related brain potentials. The early posterior negativity and late positive potential were greatest in amplitude for erotic pictures. Partial Least Squares analysis revealed one latent variable that distinguished erotic pictures from neutral and positive pictures and another that differentiated negative pictures from neutral and positive pictures. The effects of orienting task on the neural correlates of processing negative and erotic pictures indicate that affective picture processing is sensitive to both stimulus-driven, and attentional or decision processes. The current data, together with other recent findings from our laboratory, lead to the suggestion that there are distinct neural correlates of processing negative and positive stimuli during affective picture processing.

Neural Correlates of Processing Negative and Sexually Arousing Pictures

PubMed Central

Bailey, Kira; West, Robert; Mullaney, Kellie M.

2012-01-01

Recent work has questioned whether the negativity bias is a distinct component of affective picture processing. The current study was designed to determine whether there are different neural correlates of processing positive and negative pictures using event-related brain potentials. The early posterior negativity and late positive potential were greatest in amplitude for erotic pictures. Partial Least Squares analysis revealed one latent variable that distinguished erotic pictures from neutral and positive pictures and another that differentiated negative pictures from neutral and positive pictures. The effects of orienting task on the neural correlates of processing negative and erotic pictures indicate that affective picture processing is sensitive to both stimulus-driven, and attentional or decision processes. The current data, together with other recent findings from our laboratory, lead to the suggestion that there are distinct neural correlates of processing negative and positive stimuli during affective picture processing. PMID:23029071

Behavioral and Neuroimaging Evidence for Facial Emotion Recognition in Elderly Korean Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Frontotemporal Dementia

PubMed Central

Park, Soowon; Kim, Taehoon; Shin, Seong A; Kim, Yu Kyeong; Sohn, Bo Kyung; Park, Hyeon-Ju; Youn, Jung-Hae; Lee, Jun-Young

2017-01-01

Background: Facial emotion recognition (FER) is impaired in individuals with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) when compared to healthy older adults. Since deficits in emotion recognition are closely related to caregiver burden or social interactions, researchers have fundamental interest in FER performance in patients with dementia. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the performance profiles of six facial emotions (i.e., fear, anger, disgust, sadness, surprise, and happiness) and neutral faces measured among Korean healthy control (HCs), and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), AD, and FTD. Additionally, the neuroanatomical correlates of facial emotions were investigated. Methods: A total of 110 (33 HC, 32 MCI, 32 AD, 13 FTD) older adult participants were recruited from two different medical centers in metropolitan areas of South Korea. These individuals underwent an FER test that was used to assess the recognition of emotions or absence of emotion (neutral) in 35 facial stimuli. Repeated measures two-way analyses of variance were used to examine the distinct profiles of emotional recognition among the four groups. We also performed brain imaging and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on the participants to examine the associations between FER scores and gray matter volume. Results: The mean score of negative emotion recognition (i.e., fear, anger, disgust, and sadness) clearly discriminated FTD participants from individuals with MCI and AD and HC [F(3,106) = 10.829, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.235], whereas the mean score of positive emotion recognition (i.e., surprise and happiness) did not. A VBM analysis showed negative emotions were correlated with gray matter volume of anterior temporal regions, whereas positive emotions were related to gray matter volume of fronto-parietal regions. Conclusion: Impairment of negative FER in patients with FTD is cross-cultural. The discrete neural correlates of FER indicate that emotional recognition processing is a multi-modal system in the brain. Focusing on the negative emotion recognition is a more effective way to discriminate healthy aging, MCI, and AD from FTD in older Korean adults. PMID:29249960

Potential Bedside Utility of the Clock-Drawing Test in Evaluating Rapid Therapeutic Response in the Natural Course of Schizophrenia: A Preliminary Study.

PubMed

Ransing, Ramdas Sarjerao; Khairkar, Praveen Homdeorao; Mishra, Kshirod; Sakekar, Gajanan

2017-01-01

The Clock-Drawing Test (CDT) is a brief, relatively time-efficient, easy to administer at bedside, and well-proven cognitive screening test that assesses a broad range of cognitive abilities in stroke, delirium, and dementia. However, challenges of comprehensive therapeutic outcome evaluations in schizophrenia can also be potentially overcome using CDT. The authors aimed to measure the therapeutic outcome using CDT in 101 schizophrenia patients, irrespective of their diagnostic subtypes. A repeated measures analysis of variance found that improvements on CDT and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were closely correlated, reflecting critical information about therapeutic response measures in schizophrenia.

Correlating voice handicap index and quantitative videostroboscopy following injection laryngoplasty for unilateral vocal paralysis.

PubMed

Lau, David Pang Cheng; Zhang, Edward Zhiyong; Wong, Seng Mun; Lee, Gwyneth; Chan, Yiong Huak

2010-08-01

1) Determine the correlation between voice handicap index and quantitative videostroboscopy for patients undergoing injection laryngoplasty for unilateral vocal paralysis; 2) assess which videostroboscopy measurements correlate best with voice handicap index in patients demonstrating progressive improvement beyond six months following injection laryngoplasty. Case series with chart review. Patients undergoing outpatient injection laryngoplasty with hyaluronic acid between 2005 and 2007. Twenty-eight patients were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively using voice handicap index and videostroboscopy. Various videostroboscopy measurements were quantified: glottic open area (ratio of open to total glottic area during closed phase of phonation), glottic closed phase (frame ratio of closed phase to total glottic cycle), supraglottic compression (percent encroachment of supraglottis onto best-fit ellipse around glottis), wave amplitude (difference in glottic open area between open and closed phases), and wave duration (number of frames per glottic cycle). Correlation coefficients were calculated using Spearman's r. One hundred seventeen separate recordings were analyzed. Correlation coefficients between voice handicap index (normalized to preoperative values) and glottic closed phase showed moderate-strong correlation (r = -0.733, P < 0.001), while glottic open area and wave duration showed weak-moderate correlation (r = 0.465, P < 0.001 and r = -0.404, P < 0.001 respectively). Other parameters showed poor correlation. A subset of 25 recordings from eight patients with progressive voice handicap index improvement beyond six months showed highest correlation with supraglottic compression (r = 0.504, P < 0.05). Voice handicap index correlates best with glottic closed phase, suggesting duration of vocal fold closure during the glottic cycle best represents patients' subjective outcome post-procedure. Progressive improvement in voice handicap index beyond six months may relate to gradual reduction in compensatory supraglottic compression, with moderate correlation. Copyright (c) 2010 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationship between JAK2V617F mutation, allele burden and coagulation function in Ph-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

PubMed

Hu, Linhui; Pu, Lianfang; Ding, Yangyang; Li, Manman; Cabanero, Michael; Xie, Jingxin; Zhou, Dejun; Yang, Dongdong; Zhang, Cui; Wang, Huiping; Zhai, Zhimin; Ru, Xiang; Li, Jingrong; Xiong, Shudao

2017-07-01

Our aim was to explore the relationship between JAK2V617F mutation allele burden and hematological parameters especially in coagulation function in Chinese population. This study included 133 Ph-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) patients between 2013 and 2016. All the clinical and experimental data of patients were collected at the time of the diagnosis without any prior treatment, including blood parameters, coagulation function, splenomegaly, vascular events and chromosome karyotype. PCR and qPCR were used to detect JAK2V617F mutation and JAK2V617F mutation allele burden. In polycythemia vera patients, a positive correlation between the allele burden of JAK2V617F mutation and PLT counts was found; in essential thrombocythemia (ET) patients, WBC counts, RBC counts, HB, and HCT were higher in mutated patients than in wild-type patients. Furthermore, PT-INR was higher in ET and PMF mutated patients. In addition, a positive correlation between the allele burden of JAK2V617F mutation and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was observed in JAK2V617F mutated ET patients. Higher hematologic parameters including counts of WBC, RBC, and PLT are closely associated with JAK2V617F mutation and its burden in Ph-negative MPNs; importantly, PT-INR, APTT are also related to JAK2V617F mutation and allele burden. Thus, our data indicate that JAK2V617F mutation allele burden might not only represent the burden of MPN but also alter the coagulation function.

Interdependent selves show face-induced facilitation of error processing: cultural neuroscience of self-threat

PubMed Central

Kitayama, Shinobu

2014-01-01

The fundamentally social nature of humans is revealed in their exquisitely high sensitivity to potentially negative evaluations held by others. At present, however, little is known about neurocortical correlates of the response to such social-evaluative threat. Here, we addressed this issue by showing that mere exposure to an image of a watching face is sufficient to automatically evoke a social-evaluative threat for those who are relatively high in interdependent self-construal. Both European American and Asian participants performed a flanker task while primed with a face (vs control) image. The relative increase of the error-related negativity (ERN) in the face (vs control) priming condition became more pronounced as a function of interdependent (vs independent) self-construal. Relative to European Americans, Asians were more interdependent and, as predicted, they showed a reliably stronger ERN in the face (vs control) priming condition. Our findings suggest that the ERN can serve as a robust empirical marker of self-threat that is closely modulated by socio-cultural variables. PMID:23160814

The posterior semantic asymmetry (PSA): An early brain electrical signature of semantic activation from written words.

PubMed

Koppehele-Gossel, Judith; Schnuerch, Robert; Gibbons, Henning

2018-06-06

This study replicates and extends the findings of Koppehele-Gossel, Schnuerch, and Gibbons (2016) of a posterior semantic asymmetry (PSA) in event-related brain potentials (ERPs), which closely tracks the time course and degree of semantic activation from single visual words. This negativity peaked 300 ms after word onset, was derived by subtracting right- from left-side activity, and was larger in a semantic task compared to two non-semantic control tasks. The validity of the PSA in reflecting the effort to activate word meaning was again attested by a negative correlation between the meaning-specific PSA increase and verbal intelligence, even after controlling for nonverbal intelligence. Extending prior work, current source density (CSD) transformation was used. CSD results were consistent with a left temporo-parietal cortical origin of the PSA. Moreover, no PSA was found for pictorial material, suggesting that the component reflects early semantic processing specific to verbal stimuli. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of atmospheric dynamics and aerosols on the fraction of supercooled water clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiming; Lv, Qiaoyi; Zhang, Min; Wang, Tianhe; Kawamoto, Kazuaki; Chen, Siyu; Zhang, Beidou

2017-02-01

Based on 8 years of (January 2008-December 2015) cloud phase information from the GCM-Oriented Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) Cloud Product (GOCCP), aerosol products from CALIPSO and meteorological parameters from the ERA-Interim products, the present study investigates the effects of atmospheric dynamics on the supercooled liquid cloud fraction (SCF) during nighttime under different aerosol loadings at global scale to better understand the conditions of supercooled liquid water gradually transforming to ice phase. Statistical results indicate that aerosols' effect on nucleation cannot fully explain all SCF changes, especially in those regions where aerosols' effect on nucleation is not a first-order influence (e.g., due to low ice nuclei aerosol frequency). By performing the temporal and spatial correlations between SCFs and different meteorological factors, this study presents specifically the relationship between SCF and different meteorological parameters under different aerosol loadings on a global scale. We find that the SCFs almost decrease with increasing of aerosol loading, and the SCF variation is closely related to the meteorological parameters but their temporal relationship is not stable and varies with the different regions, seasons and isotherm levels. Obviously negative temporal correlations between SCFs versus vertical velocity and relative humidity indicate that the higher vertical velocity and relative humidity the smaller SCFs. However, the patterns of temporal correlation for lower-tropospheric static stability, skin temperature and horizontal wind are relatively more complex than those of vertical velocity and humidity. For example, their close correlations are predominantly located in middle and high latitudes and vary with latitude or surface type. Although these statistical correlations have not been used to establish a certain causal relationship, our results may provide a unique point of view on the phase change of mixed-phase cloud and have potential implications for further improving the parameterization of the cloud phase and determining the climate feedbacks.

Validation of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) Among Mainland Chinese Students in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Pan, Jia-Yan; Ye, Shengquan; Ng, Petrus

2016-01-01

The present study validated the combined version of the 8-item Automatic Thought Questionnaire (ATQ) and 10 positive items from the ATQ-revised among Chinese university students. A total of 412 Mainland Chinese university students were recruited in Hong Kong by an online survey. A 14-item Chinese ATQ was derived via item analysis. Satisfactory internal consistency reliability and good split-half reliability were obtained. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 3-correlated-factor solution for the Chinese ATQ: negative thought, positive thought (emotional), and positive thought (cognitive). The negative ATQ subscale score was positively correlated with negative affect, and negatively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction. The two positive ATQ subscale scores were negatively correlated with negative affect, and positively correlated with positive affect and life satisfaction. The 14-item ATQ is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring automatic thoughts in the Chinese context of Hong Kong. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Molecular detection of canine parvovirus in flies (Diptera) at open and closed canine facilities in the eastern United States.

PubMed

Bagshaw, Clarence; Isdell, Allen E; Thiruvaiyaru, Dharma S; Brisbin, I Lehr; Sanchez, Susan

2014-06-01

More than thirty years have passed since canine parvovirus (CPV) emerged as a significant pathogen and it continues to pose a severe threat to world canine populations. Published information suggests that flies (Diptera) may play a role in spreading this virus; however, they have not been studied extensively and the degree of their involvement is not known. This investigation was directed toward evaluating the vector capacity of such flies and determining their potential role in the transmission and ecology of CPV. Molecular diagnostic methods were used in this cross-sectional study to detect the presence of CPV in flies trapped at thirty-eight canine facilities. The flies involved were identified as belonging to the house fly (Mucidae), flesh fly (Sarcophagidae) and blow/bottle fly (Calliphoridae) families. A primary surveillance location (PSL) was established at a canine facility in south-central South Carolina, USA, to identify fly-virus interaction within the canine facility environment. Flies trapped at this location were pooled monthly and assayed for CPV using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. These insects were found to be positive for CPV every month from February through the end of November 2011. Fly vector behavior and seasonality were documented and potential environmental risk factors were evaluated. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the mean numbers of each of the three fly families captured, and after determining fly CPV status (positive or negative), it was determined whether there were significant relationships between numbers of flies captured, seasonal numbers of CPV cases, temperature and rainfall. Flies were also sampled at thirty-seven additional canine facility surveillance locations (ASL) and at four non-canine animal industry locations serving as negative field controls. Canine facility risk factors were identified and evaluated. Statistical analyses were conducted on the number of CPV cases reported within the past year to determine the correlation of fly CPV status (positive or negative) for each facility, facility design (open or closed), mean number of dogs present monthly and number of flies captured. Significant differences occurred between fly CPV positive vs. negative sites with regard to their CPV case numbers, fly numbers captured, and number of dogs present. At the ASL, a statistically significant relationship was found between PCR-determined fly CPV status (positive or negative) and facility design (open vs. closed). Open-facility designs were likely to have more CPV outbreaks and more likely to have flies testing positive for CPV DNA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reproductive consequences of farmland heterogeneity in little owls (Athene noctua).

PubMed

Michel, Vanja T; Naef-Daenzer, Beat; Keil, Herbert; Grüebler, Martin U

2017-04-01

The amount of high-quality habitat patches, their distribution, and the resource accessibility therein play a key role in regulating habitat effects on reproductive success. Heterogeneous habitats offer non-substitutable resources (e.g. nest sites and food) and substitutable resources (e.g. different types of food) in close proximity, thereby facilitating landscape complementation and supplementation. However, it remains poorly understood how spatial resource separation in homogeneous agricultural landscapes affects reproductive success. To fill this gap, we investigated the relationships between farmland heterogeneity and little owl (Athene noctua) reproductive success, including potential indirect effects of the heterogeneity-dependent home-range size on reproduction. Little owl home-ranges were related to field heterogeneity in summer and to structural heterogeneity in winter. Clutch size was correlated with the amount of food-rich habitat close to the nest irrespective of female home-range size, suggesting importance of landscape complementation. Nestling survival was positively correlated with male home-range size, suggesting importance of landscape supplementation. At the same time, fledgling condition was negatively correlated with male home-range size. We conclude that decreasing farmland heterogeneity constrains population productivity by two processes: increasing separation of food resources from nest or roost sites results in low landscape complementation, and reduction of alternative food resources limits landscape supplementation. Our results suggest that structural heterogeneity affects landscape complementation, whereas the heterogeneity and management of farmland fields affect landscape supplementation. Thus, to what extent a reduction of the heterogeneity within agricultural landscapes results in species-specific habitat degradation depends on the ecological processes (i.e. landscape complementation or supplementation) which are affected.

Evaluation of the Impacts of Land Use on Water Quality: A Case Study in The Chaohu Lake Basin

PubMed Central

Yan, Haiming; Wu, Feng; Deng, Xiangzheng

2013-01-01

It has been widely accepted that there is a close relationship between the land use type and water quality. There have been some researches on this relationship from the perspective of the spatial configuration of land use in recent years. This study aims to analyze the influence of various land use types on the water quality within the Chaohu Lake Basin based on the water quality monitoring data and RS data from 2000 to 2008, with the small watershed as the basic unit of analysis. The results indicated that there was significant negative correlation between forest land and grassland and the water pollution, and the built-up area had negative impacts on the water quality, while the influence of the cultivated land on the water quality was very complex. Besides, the impacts of the landscape diversity on the indicators of water quality within the watershed were also analyzed, the result of which indicated there was a significant negative relationship between them. The results can provide important scientific reference for the local land use optimization and water pollution control and guidance for the formulation of policies to coordinate the exploitation and protection of the water resource. PMID:23970833

Work stress and mental health in a changing society.

PubMed

Kopp, Maria S; Stauder, Adrienne; Purebl, György; Janszky, Imre; Skrabski, Arpád

2008-06-01

The aim of this representative study in the Hungarian population was to analyse the association between work-related factors and self-reported mental and physical health after controlling for negative affect and hostility as personality traits. The effects of job related factors on Beck Depression Score, WHO well-being score and self-rated health (SRH) were analysed in a representative sample of 3153 male and 2710 female economically active Hungarians. In both genders negative affect was the most important correlate of depression, well-being and SRH, whereas hostility was closely associated only with depression. Job insecurity, low control and low social support at work, weekend work hours, job-related life events and dissatisfaction with work and with boss were independent mental health risk factors, but there were important gender differences. Job related factors seem to be equally important predictors of mental health as social support from family. The results of this large national representative study indicate that independent of negative affect and hostility, a cluster of stressful work-related psychosocial conditions accounts for a substantial part of variation in self-reported mental and physical health of the economically active population in Hungary.

[Detection and prognostic significance of micrometastasis in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated by chemo-radiation therapy].

PubMed

Chen, Ting-feng; Jiang, Guo-liang; Zhang, Yi-qin; Wang, Li-juan; Fu, Xiao-long; Qian, Hao; Wu, Kai-liang; Zhao, Sen

2007-05-01

To investigate the prognostic significance of micrometastasis (MM) in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated by chemo-radiation therapy. Peripheral blood was taken from 67 NSCLC patients before and after definitive chemo-radiation therapy. CK19 mRNA of the peripheral blood was measured by nested RT-PCR and both their relationship with clinicopathological features and prognostic significance were further investigated. The micrometastasis-positive rates were 65.7% (44/67) and 32.8% (22/67), respectively, before and after the treatment. The micrometastasis-positive rate before treatment was closely in correlation with N-stage (P = 0.014). In contrast, it turned out to be more closely related with histological types (P = 0.019), weight loss (P = 0.01), KPS status (P = 0.027) as well as N-stage (P = 0.032) after chemo-radiation therapy. 4-yr distant metastasis rates (DMR) for micrometastasis-positive and -negative patients were 78.3% and 70.4%, respectively, before the treatment (P = 0.544) while they were 100% and 62.9%, respectively, after the chemoradiation (P < 0.001). The median survival time (MST) and 4-yr overall survival rate (OSR) for pretreatment micrometastasis-positive and -negative patients were 13.8 months and 17.6 months, and 18.2% and 17.4%, respectively (P = 0.619), while for post-treatment micrometastasis-positive and -negative patients they were 7.8 months and 27.6 months and 0 and 26.4%, respectively (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the post-treatment positive micrometastasis was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor (P = 0.000). Detection of micrometastasis in peripheral blood may possess a prognostic significance after definitive chemo-radiation therapy. Micrometastasis-negative patients have better prognosis compared to those with positive micrometastasis.

Reliability measures in item response theory: manifest versus latent correlation functions.

PubMed

Milanzi, Elasma; Molenberghs, Geert; Alonso, Ariel; Verbeke, Geert; De Boeck, Paul

2015-02-01

For item response theory (IRT) models, which belong to the class of generalized linear or non-linear mixed models, reliability at the scale of observed scores (i.e., manifest correlation) is more difficult to calculate than latent correlation based reliability, but usually of greater scientific interest. This is not least because it cannot be calculated explicitly when the logit link is used in conjunction with normal random effects. As such, approximations such as Fisher's information coefficient, Cronbach's α, or the latent correlation are calculated, allegedly because it is easy to do so. Cronbach's α has well-known and serious drawbacks, Fisher's information is not meaningful under certain circumstances, and there is an important but often overlooked difference between latent and manifest correlations. Here, manifest correlation refers to correlation between observed scores, while latent correlation refers to correlation between scores at the latent (e.g., logit or probit) scale. Thus, using one in place of the other can lead to erroneous conclusions. Taylor series based reliability measures, which are based on manifest correlation functions, are derived and a careful comparison of reliability measures based on latent correlations, Fisher's information, and exact reliability is carried out. The latent correlations are virtually always considerably higher than their manifest counterparts, Fisher's information measure shows no coherent behaviour (it is even negative in some cases), while the newly introduced Taylor series based approximations reflect the exact reliability very closely. Comparisons among the various types of correlations, for various IRT models, are made using algebraic expressions, Monte Carlo simulations, and data analysis. Given the light computational burden and the performance of Taylor series based reliability measures, their use is recommended. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

Relatedness and nesting dispersion within breeding populations of greater white-fronted geese

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fowler, A.C.; Eadie, J.M.; Ely, Craig R.

2004-01-01

We studied patterns of relatedness and nesting dispersion in female Pacific Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) in Alaska. Female Greater White-fronted Geese are thought to be strongly philopatric and are often observed nesting in close association with other females. Analysis of the distribution of nests on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in 1998 indicated that nests were significantly clumped. We tested the hypothesis that females in the same nest cluster would be closely related using estimates of genetic relatedness based on six microsatellite DNA loci. There was no difference in the mean relatedness of females in the same cluster compared to females found in different clusters. However, relatedness among females was negatively correlated with distance between their nests, and geese nesting within 50 m of one another tended to be more closely related than those nesting farther apart. Randomization tests revealed that pairs of related individuals (R > 0.45) were more likely to occur in the same cluster when analyzed at the scale of the entire study site. However, the pattern did not hold when restricted to pairs found within 500 m of each other. Our results indicate that nest clusters are not composed primarily of closely related females, but Greater White-fronted Geese appear to be sufficiently philopatric to promote nonrandom patterns of relatedness at a local scale.

Genetic parameters for body weight from birth to calving and associations between weights with test-day, health, and female fertility traits.

PubMed

Yin, Tong; König, Sven

2018-03-01

A data set including 57,868 records for calf birth weight (CABW) and 9,462 records for weight at first insemination (IBW) were used for the estimation of direct and maternal genetic effects in Holstein Friesian dairy cattle. Furthermore, CABW and IBW were correlated with test-day production records and health traits in first-lactation cows, and with nonreturn rates in heifers. Health traits considered overall disease categories from the International Committee for Animal Recording diagnosis key, including the general disease status, diarrhea, respiratory diseases, mastitis, claw disorders, female fertility disorders, and metabolic disorders. For single-trait measurements of CABW and IBW, animal models with maternal genetic effects were applied. The direct heritability was 0.47 for CABW and 0.20 for IBW, and the direct genetic correlation between CABW and IBW was 0.31. A moderate maternal heritability (0.19) was identified for CABW, but the maternal genetic effect was close to zero for IBW. The correlation between direct and maternal genetic effects was antagonistic for CABW (-0.39) and for IBW (-0.24). In bivariate animal models, only weak genetic and phenotypic correlations were identified between CABW and IBW with either test-day production or health traits in early lactation. Apart from metabolic disorders, there was a general tendency for increasing disease susceptibilities with increasing CABW. The genetic correlation between IBW and nonreturn rates in heifers after 56 d and after 90 d was slightly positive (0.18), but close to zero when correlating nonreturn rates with CABW. For the longitudinal BW structure from birth to the age of 24 mo, random regression models with the time-dependent covariate "age in months" were applied. Evaluation criteria (Bayesian information criterion and residual variances) suggested Legendre polynomials of order 3 to modeling the longitudinal body weight (BW) structure. Direct heritabilities around birth and insemination dates were slightly larger than estimates for CABW and IBW from the single-trait models, but maternal heritabilities were exactly the same from both models. Genetic correlations between BW were close to 1 for neighboring age classes, but decreased with increasing time spans. The genetic correlation between BW at d 0 (birth date) and at 24 mo was even negative (-0.20). Random regression model estimates confirmed the antagonistic relationship between direct and maternal genetic effects, especially during calfhood. This study based on a large data set in dairy cattle confirmed genetic parameters and (co)variance components for BW as identified in beef cattle populations. However, BW records from an early stage of life were inappropriate early predictors for dairy cow health and productivity. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic parameters for oocyte number and embryo production within a bovine ovum pick-up-in vitro production embryo-production program.

PubMed

Merton, J S; Ask, B; Onkundi, D C; Mullaart, E; Colenbrander, B; Nielen, M

2009-10-15

Genetic factors influencing the outcome of bovine ovum pick-up-in vitro production (OPU-IVP) and its relation to female fertility were investigated. For the first time, genetic parameters were estimated for the number of cumulus-oocyte complexes (Ncoc), quality of cumulus-oocyte complexes (Qcoc), number and proportion of cleaved embryos at Day 4 (Ncleav(D4), Pcleav(D4)), and number and proportion of total and transferable embryos at Day 7 of culture (Nemb(D7), Pemb(D7) and NTemb(D7), PTemb(D7), respectively). Data were recorded by CRV (formally Holland Genetics) from the OPU-IVP program from January 1995 to March 2006. Data were collected from 1508 Holstein female donors, both cows and pregnant virgin heifers, with a total of 18,702 OPU sessions. Data were analyzed with repeated-measure sire models with permanent environment effect using ASREML (Holstein Friesian). Estimates of heritability were 0.25 for Ncoc, 0.09 for Qcoc, 0.19 for Ncleav(D4), 0.21 for Nemb(D7), 0.16 for NTemb(D7), 0.07 for Pcleav(D4), 0.12 for Pemb(D7), and 0.10 for PTemb(D7). Genetic correlation between Ncoc and Qcoc was close to zero, whereas genetic correlations between Ncoc and the number of embryos were positive and moderate to high for Nemb(D7) (0.47), NTemb(D7) (0.52), and Ncleav(D4) (0.85). Genetic correlations between Ncoc and percentages of embryos (Pcleav(D4), Pemb(D7), and PTemb(D7)) were all close to zero. Phenotypic correlations were in line with genetic correlations. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between Qcoc and all other traits were not significant except for the phenotypic correlations between Qcoc and number of embryos, which were negative and low to moderate for Nemb(D7) (-0.20), NTemb(D7) (-0.24), and Ncleav(D4) (-0.43). Results suggest that cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) quality, based on cumulus investment, is independent from the total number of COCs collected via OPU and that in general, a higher number of COCs will lead to a higher number of embryos produced. The correlation between the estimated breeding values for Ncoc and PTemb(D7) of sires in this study and the sires breeding index for female-fertility based on the Dutch cattle population was close to zero. This study revealed OPU-IVP traits (Nemb(D7), NTemb(D7), and Ncoc) that could be of potential value for selection. Introduction of such traits in breeding programs would enhance the number of offspring from superior donors as well as improve the cost efficiency of OPU-IVP programs.

Early Changes of Mannose-Binding Lectin, H-Ficolin, and Procalcitonin in Patients with Febrile Neutropenia: A Prospective Observational Study.

PubMed

Işlak Mutcalı, Sibel; Saltoğlu, Neşe; Balkan, İlker İnanç; Özaras, Reşat; Yemişen, Mücahit; Tabak, Fehmi; Mert, Ali; Öztürk, Recep; Öngören, Şeniz; Başlar, Zafer; Aydın, Yıldız; Ferhanoğlu, Burhan; Soysal, Teoman

2016-12-01

The significance of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and H-ficolin deficiency in febrile neutropenic (FN) patients and the correlation of these markers along with consecutive C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels during the infectious process are investigated. Patients with any hematological malignancies who were defined to have "microbiologically confirmed infection", "clinically documented infection", or "fever of unknown origin" were included in this single-center prospective observational study. Serum levels of CRP, PCT, MBL, and H-ficolin were determined on 3 separate occasions: at baseline (between hospital admission and chemotherapy), at the onset of fever, and at the 72nd hour of fever. Forty-six patients (54% male, mean age 41.7 years) with 61 separate episodes of FN were evaluated. Eleven patients (23.9%) had "microbiologically confirmed infection", 17 (37%) had "clinically documented infection", and 18 (39.1%) had "fever of unknown origin". Fourteen (30.4%) patients had low (<500 ng/mL) initial MBL levels and 7 (15.21%) had low (<12,000 ng/mL) H-ficolin levels. Baseline MBL and H-ficolin levels did not significantly change on the first and third days of fever (p=0.076). Gram-negative bacteremia more frequently occurred in those with low initial MBL levels (p=0.006). PCT levels were significantly higher in those with microbiologically documented infections. Mean and median PCT levels were significantly higher in cases with bacteremia. There was no significant difference between hemoculture-positive and-negative patients in terms of CRP levels. Monitoring serum H-ficolin levels was shown to be of no benefit in terms of predicting severe infection. Low baseline MBL levels were correlated with high risk of gram-negative bacteremia; however, no significant correlation was shown in the follow-up. Close monitoring of PCT levels is warranted to provide more accurate and specific data while monitoring cases of bacteremia.

The relation of cortisol and sex hormone levels to results of psychological, performance, IQ and memory tests in military men and women.

PubMed

Flegr, Jaroslav; Hampl, Richard; Černochová, Dana; Preiss, Marek; Bičíková, Marie; Sieger, Ladislav; Příplatová, Lenka; Kaňková, Šárka; Klose, Jiří

2012-01-01

Cortisol, along with other hormones of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, belongs to one of the main factors influencing psychological and pathognomic factors, intelligence, and memory. The aim of our study was to review a large battery of psychological, performance, IQ and memory tests as to their relation with cortisol, testosterone and estrogen levels in groups of 100 men and 93 women who attended the Central Military Hospital in Prague for regular entrance psychological examinations for military personnel. In men, we detected positive correlations between cortisol and emotional lability, and negative correlations with impulsivity, while in women hypochondria and psychopathology were negatively correlated, and aggression measured with the Meili selective memory test had a positive relation to cortisol level. Testosterone correlated positively with emotional liability and negatively with impulsivity in men, and negatively with hypochondria and psychasteny, indirect aggression, irritability and paranoia in women. Estradiol correlated positively with psychopathology in men, and negatively with phobia. It was positively correlated with negativism in women. No clear correlation was observed between the concentration of steroid hormones and psychomotor performance or intelligence. Concentrations of steroid hormones correlate with results of several psychological tests, the sign and magnitude of these correlations, however, very often differ in military men and women.

A close relationship between verbal memory and SN/VTA integrity in young and older adults.

PubMed

Düzel, Sandra; Schütze, Hartmut; Stallforth, Sabine; Kaufmann, Jörn; Bodammer, Nils; Bunzeck, Nico; Münte, Thomas F; Lindenberger, Ulman; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Düzel, Emrah

2008-11-01

Age-related dysfunction in dopaminergic neuromodulation is assumed to contribute to age-associated memory impairment. However, to date there are no in vivo data on how structural parameters of the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA), the main origin of dopaminergic projections, relate to memory performance in healthy young and older adults. We investigated this relationship in a cross-sectional study including data from the hippocampus and frontal white matter (FWM) and also assessing working memory span and attention. In groups of young and older adults matched for the variance of their age distribution, gender and body mass index, we observed a robust positive correlation between Magnetization Transfer Ratio (MTR)--a measure of structural integrity--of the SN/VTA and FWM with verbal learning and memory performance among older adults, while there was a negative correlation in the young. Two additional imaging parameters, anisotropy of diffusion and diffusion coefficient, suggested that in older adults FWM changes reflected vascular pathology while SN/VTA changes pointed towards neuronal loss and loss of water content. The negative correlation in the young possibly reflected maturational changes. Multiple regression analyses indicated that in both young and older adults, SN/VTA MTR explained more variance of verbal learning and memory than FWM MTR or hippocampal MTR, and contributed less to explaining variance of working memory span. Together these findings indicate that structural integrity in the SN/VTA has a relatively selective impact on verbal learning and memory and undergoes specific changes from young adulthood to older age that qualitatively differ from changes in the FWM and hippocampus.

Association of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders with Mean Platelet Volume and Vitamin D.

PubMed

Garipardic, Mesut; Doğan, Murat; Bala, Keziban Asli; Mutluer, Tuba; Kaba, Sultan; Aslan, Oktay; Üstyol, Lokman

2017-03-20

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess the values of the mean platelet volume (MPV) in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to determine the risk of cardiovascular disease in these 2 disorder groups. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included a total of 79 patients with ADHD or ASDs and controls in the Van region of Turkey. The control group included subjects of matching age and sex with no ADHD, ASDs, or chronic disease and taking no vitamins. The hematological parameters of the patients, including MPV, vitamin B12, and vitamin D, were assessed. RESULTS The study included a total of 79 children and adolescents aged 2-18 years (32 females and 47 males). Of the patients, 36 were in the ADHD group, 18 in the ASDs group, and 25 in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference in hematological parameters between the groups, but there were significant differences in terms of vitamin D and vitamin B12. The patient groups showed lower levels of vitamin B12 and vitamin D. In the ADHD group, there was a negative correlation between both vitamins and MPV (p<0.05). Partial correlation analysis of the ADHD group showed that MPV in particular was negatively correlated to vitamin D, and not to vitamin B12 (p: 0.03). CONCLUSIONS Both ADHD and ASDs may accompany increased risk for cardiovascular disease due to the presence of vitamin B12 and D deficiency and their own characteristics. Therefore, these disorders should be closely followed up.

[Results of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration in lung cancer: importance of the lymph node involvement prevalence].

PubMed

De Dominicis, F; Fourdrain, A; Iquille, J; Toublanc, B; François, G; Basille, D; Monconduit, J; Merlusca, G; Jounieaux, V; Andrejak, C; Berna, P

2015-08-01

We studied the non-surgical invasive staging by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) and we detailed the differences of our series, in order to understand the criteria allowing to achieve a better performance. Retrospective observational study conducted between 2007 and 2011, including all patients with proven NSCLC who underwent EBUS-TBNA. For the 92 EBUS-TBNA performed, we found a sensitivity of 78%, a specificity of 93%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 98%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 45%, an accuracy of 80% and a prevalence of lymph node involvement at 84%. A learning curve has been demonstrated and a significant difference was found based on the number of punctures by procedure (P=0.02) or on histological type (P=0.02). By analyzing the data of the literature, we have been able to demonstrate that the accuracy and the negative predictive value are correlated with the prevalence. If we take into account this correlation, we can consider the results of our study close to those of the literature. We highlighted a number of criteria that will influence the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA. While some have already been described, other criteria such as histological type or patient selection criteria are less discussed. The key point is the correlation between the prevalence and EBUS-TBNA results. Results of the assessment of lymph node involvement techniques should be interpreted according to the prevalence of lymph node involvement. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Romantic Relationship Quality in the Digital Age: A Study with Young Adults.

PubMed

Sánchez, Virginia; Muñoz-Fernández, Noelia; Ortega-Ruiz, Rosario

2017-05-03

Recent studies suggest that the online and offline behaviors young people display in romantic relationships are closely related. However, the differential effects of the dimensions of couple quality in the online context have not yet been explored in depth. The aim of this study was to explore online couple quality in young-adult relationships, and its association with romantic relationship satisfaction, also looking at effects of gender, age, and length of the relationship. 431 university students currently in a romantic relationship (68.2% females; mean age = 21.57) participated in this study. They completed different self-report measures to tap the online quality of their romantic relationships (online intimacy, control, jealousy, intrusiveness, cyberdating practices, and communication strategies) and level of satisfaction with those relationships. Results showed that participants more often reported online intimacy (M men = 2.49; M women = 2.38) than the negative scales of online quality (mean ranged from .43 to 1.50), and all the online quality scales decreased with age (correlations ranged from -.12 to -.30) and relationship length (correlations ranged from -.02 to -.20). Linear regression analyses indicated that online intimacy (b = .32, p = .001) and intrusiveness (b = .11, p = .035) were positively related to relationship satisfaction, while cyberdating practices (b = -.20, p = .001) and communication strategies (b = -.34, p = .001) were negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction. Moreover, gender and relationship length moderated some of these associations. Results indicate that while online quality and relationship satisfaction are related, the impact of different online quality dimensions on relationship satisfaction differs depending on a participant's sex, age, and relationship length.

Morphotaxonomy and seasonal distribution of planktonic and benthic Prorocentrales in Karachi waters, Pakistan Northern Arabian Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Munir, Sonia; Burhan, Zaib-un-nisa; Naz, Tahira; Siddiqui, P. J. A.; Morton, Steve L.

2013-03-01

Morphotaxonomy and seasonal abundance of dinoflagellates of the genera Prorocentrum and Mesoporos (Prorocentrales) were studied from nutrient-rich waters, Karachi Harbor and the mouth of the Manora Channel, Pakistan during May 2002-July 2003. Using both light and scanning electron microscopy, 13 species of Prorocentrales were identified according to cell shape, size, ornamentation of thecal plates, and architecture of apical platelets, apical pore area, marginal pores, and intercalary bands. P. sigmoides, P. arcuatum, P. scutellum, P. donghaiense, P. balticum, P. minimum, P. emarginatum, P. lima, P. faustiae, and Mesoporos perforatus constitute new records for sindh coast of Pakistan. The most abundant species were P. minimum/P. balticum (4.5×103 cells/L), P. micans (1.1×103 cells/L), P. gracile / P. sigmoides (2.5×10 2 cells/L) and P. donghaiense (6.6×103 cells/L) at temperatures of 29-31°C and salinities of 35-40. Maximum abundance was observed in winter and lower abundance in summer. There was no significant change in the distribution of species between stations except for the benthic species which occurred close to Karachi Harbor waters. Significant positive correlations were observed between Prorocentrum spp. and temperature ( R 2 =0.27) and negative correlations with salinity ( R 2 =-0.32) except for P. minimum and P. emarginatum which has negative correlation with temperature ( R 2 =-0.24) and positive with salinity ( R 2 =0.08, 0.19). The finding of potential okadaic-acid producing species of benthic Prorocentrum call for monitoring for possible human health problems in this region.

Suggestibility and negative priming: two replication studies.

PubMed

David, Daniel; Brown, Richard J

2002-07-01

Research suggests that inhibiting the effect of irrelevant stimuli on subsequent thought and action (cognitive inhibition) may be an important component of suggestibility. Two small correlation studies were conducted to address the relationship between different aspects of suggestibility and individual differences in cognitive inhibition, operationalized as the degree of negative priming generated by to-be-ignored stimuli in a semantic categorization task. The first study found significant positive correlations between negative priming, hypnotic suggestibility, and creative imagination; a significant negative correlation was obtained between negative priming and interrogative suggestibility, demonstrating the discriminant validity of the study results. The second study replicated the correlation between negative priming and hypnotic suggestibility, using a different suggestibility measurement procedure that assessed subjective experience and hypnotic involuntariness as well as objective responses to suggestions. These studies support the notion that the ability to engage in cognitive inhibition may be an important component of hypnotic responsivity and maybe of other forms of suggestibility.

Detection of Fusobacterium Nucleatum and fadA Adhesin Gene in Patients with Orthodontic Gingivitis and Non-Orthodontic Periodontal Inflammation

PubMed Central

Wang, Jianning; Guo, Yang; Zhang, Yujie; Xiao, Shuiqing

2014-01-01

Fusobacterium nucleatum is one of the most abundant gram-negative bacilli colonizing the subgingival plaque and closely associated with periodontal disease. However it is unclear whether F. nucleatum is involved in gingival inflammation under orthodontic appliance. A novel adhesin, FadA, which is unique to oral Fusobacteria, is required for F. nucleatum binding and invasion to epithelial cells and thus may play an important role in colonization of Fusobacterium in the host. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of F. nucleatum and its virulence factor FadA adhesion gene (fadA) in 169 subgingival biofilm samples from 55 cases of gingivitis patients with orthodontic appliances, 49 cases of gingivitis patients without orthodontic treatment, 35 cases of periodontitis patients and 30 cases of periodontally healthy people via PCR. The correlations between the F. nucleatum/fadA and gingivitis index(GI)was also analyzed. The detection rate of F. nucleatum/fadA in periodontitis group and non-orthodontic gingivitis group was higher than the other two groups (p<0.01) while it was higher in orthodontic gingivitis group than in health people (p<0.05). An obviously positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of F. nucleatum/fadA and GI. F. nucleatum carrying fadA may be more closely related to the development of gingivitis and periodontal disease compared with orthodontic gingivitis. PMID:24416378

Detection of fusobacterium nucleatum and fadA adhesin gene in patients with orthodontic gingivitis and non-orthodontic periodontal inflammation.

PubMed

Liu, Ping; Liu, Yi; Wang, Jianning; Guo, Yang; Zhang, Yujie; Xiao, Shuiqing

2014-01-01

Fusobacterium nucleatum is one of the most abundant gram-negative bacilli colonizing the subgingival plaque and closely associated with periodontal disease. However it is unclear whether F. nucleatum is involved in gingival inflammation under orthodontic appliance. A novel adhesin, FadA, which is unique to oral Fusobacteria, is required for F. nucleatum binding and invasion to epithelial cells and thus may play an important role in colonization of Fusobacterium in the host. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of F. nucleatum and its virulence factor FadA adhesion gene (fadA) in 169 subgingival biofilm samples from 55 cases of gingivitis patients with orthodontic appliances, 49 cases of gingivitis patients without orthodontic treatment, 35 cases of periodontitis patients and 30 cases of periodontally healthy people via PCR. The correlations between the F. nucleatum/fadA and gingivitis index(GI)was also analyzed. The detection rate of F. nucleatum/fadA in periodontitis group and non-orthodontic gingivitis group was higher than the other two groups (p<0.01) while it was higher in orthodontic gingivitis group than in health people (p<0.05). An obviously positive correlation was observed between the prevalence of F. nucleatum/fadA and GI. F. nucleatum carrying fadA may be more closely related to the development of gingivitis and periodontal disease compared with orthodontic gingivitis.

Interspecific aggression in hermatypic corals from Bermuda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Logan, A.

1984-11-01

Interspecific aggression between hermatypic corals on Bermudian reefs has been investigated by aquarium and field studies, the latter involving induced interactions, observations from 30 m-2 transects and random SCUBA traverses. Resultant hierarchies, constructed by ranking the abilities of species to damage competitors, show close similarities with each other and with the Jamaican hierarchy at the family level, notwithstanding some differences in the ranking of some species. Only 11% of natural-occurring interactions depart from the aquarium-derived results; in terms of species-pair combinations, 30% show partial or complete inversions from aquarium to field, with most changes involving species close together in the field hierarchy. Circular (intransitive) interactions occur mostly within a network of weakly-aggressive species in both aquarium- and fieldderived hierarchies. While number of potential interactions m-2 varies directly with density, frequency of aggression is positively correlated with coral diversity (species richness), while frequency of “no reactions” and conspecific fusion (combined) shows a correspondingly negative correlation with diversity. Frequency of aggression does not appear to be depth related. Comparison of aquarium and field hierarchies suggest that digestion by mesenterial filaments is the most important mechanism of aggression under natural conditions. Sweeper tentacle activity is the most likely cause of field reversals involving Madracis mirabilis and Montastrea cavernosa. Other factors, such as stress caused by seasonal environmental extremes, may be responsible for reversals or inconsistent behaviour in other species.

Economics, ecologics, and mechanics: The dynamics of responding under conditions of varying motivation

PubMed Central

Killeen, Peter R.

1995-01-01

The mechanics of behavior developed by Killeen (1994) is extended to deal with deprivation and satiation and with recovery of arousal at the beginning of sessions. The extended theory is validated against satiation curves and within-session changes in response rates. Anomalies, such as (a) the positive correlation between magnitude of an incentive and response rates in some contexts and a negative correlation in other contexts and (b) the greater prominence of incentive effects when magnitude is varied within the session rather than between sessions, are explained in terms of the basic interplay of drive and incentive motivation. The models are applied to data from closed economies in which changes of satiation levels play a key role in determining the changes in behavior. Relaxation of various assumptions leads to closed-form models for response rates and demand functions in these contexts, ones that show reasonable accord with the data and reinforce arguments for unit price as a controlling variable. The central role of deprivation level in this treatment distinguishes it from economic models. It is argued that traditional experiments should be redesigned to reveal basic principles, that ecologic experiments should be redesigned to test the applicability of those principles in more natural contexts, and that behavioral economics should consist of the applications of these principles to economic contexts, not the adoption of economic models as alternatives to behavioral analysis. PMID:16812776

Evaluating ecosystem-based management options: Effects of trawling in Torres Strait, Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, Nick; Pantus, Francis; Welna, Andrzej; Butler, Alan

2008-09-01

A suite of management options for a prawn trawl fishery in Torres Strait, Australia was assessed for impacts on the benthic fauna using a dynamic management strategy evaluation approach. The specification of the management options was gained through consultation with stakeholders. Data for the model was drawn from several sources: the fleet data from fishery logbooks and satellite vessel monitoring systems, benthic depletion rates from trawl-down experiments, benthic recovery rates from post-experiment recovery monitoring studies, and benthic distribution from large-scale benthic surveys. Although there were large uncertainties in the resulting indicators, robust measures relevant to management were obtained by taking ratios relative to the status quo. The management control with the biggest effect was total effort; reducing trawl effort always led to increases in benthic faunal density of up to 10%. Spatial closures had a smaller benefit of up to 2%. The effect of closing a set of buffer zones around reefs to trawling was indistinguishable from the status quo option. Closing a larger area, however, was largely beneficial especially for sea cucumbers. When the spatial distributions of fauna prior to fishing were accounted for, fauna with distributions positively correlated with effort improved relative to those negatively correlated. The reduction in prawn catch under effort reduction scenarios could be ameliorated by introducing temporal closures over the full-moon period.

Close relationships and attributions for peer victimization among late adolescents.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaochen; Graham, Sandra

2012-12-01

This study examined the effect of close relationships (best friendship and romantic relationship) on late adolescents' casual attributions for peer victimization. A total of 1106 twelfth grade students completed self-report measures of perceived peer victimization, self-blame attribution, psychological maladjustment (loneliness and social anxiety), and quality of close peer relationships. Results indicated that self-blame partly mediated the link between peer victimization and psychological maladjustment. Relationship quality moderated the victimization-self-blame relation. Participants were more likely to endorse self-blame attributions for peer victimization when they had a negative relationship with a best friend or romantic partner. The moderated effect of negative best friendship quality was only significant for girls, whereas the moderated effect of negative romantic relationship quality was only significant for boys. Implications of these findings for future research on close relations during adolescence and for interventions to reduce the effects of peer victimization were discussed. Copyright © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solar Spectral Irradiance Variability of Some Chromospheric Emission Lines Through the Solar Activity Cycles 21-23

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Göker, Ü. D.; Gigolashvili, M. Sh.; Kapanadze, N.

2017-06-01

A study of variations of solar spectral irradiance (SSI) in the wavelength ranges 121.5 nm-300.5 nm for the period 1981-2009 is presented. We used various data for ultraviolet (UV) spectral lines and international sunspot number (ISSN) from interactive data centers such as SME (NSSDC), UARS (GDAAC), SORCE (LISIRD) and SIDC, respectively. We reduced these data by using the MATLAB software package. In this respect, we revealed negative correlations of intensities of UV (289.5 nm-300.5 nm) spectral lines originating in the solar chromosphere with the ISSN index during the unusually prolonged minimum between the solar activity cycles (SACs) 23 and 24. We also compared our results with the variations of solar activity indices obtained by the ground-based telescopes. Therefore, we found that plage regions decrease while facular areas are increasing in SAC 23. However, the decrease in plage regions is seen in small sunspot groups (SGs), contrary to this, these regions in large SGs are comparable to previous SACs or even larger as is also seen in facular areas. Nevertheless, negative correlations between ISSN and SSI data indicate that these variations are in close connection with the classes of sunspots/SGs, faculae and plage regions. Finally, we applied the time series analysis of spectral lines corresponding to the wavelengths 121.5 nm-300.5 nm and made comparisons with the ISSN data. We found an unexpected increase in the 298.5 nm line for the Fe II ion. The variability of Fe II ion 298.5 nm line is in close connection with the facular areas and plage regions, and the sizes of these solar surface indices play an important role for the SSI variability, as well. So, we compared the connection between the sizes of faculae and plage regions, sunspots/SGs, chemical elements and SSI variability. Our future work will be the theoretical study of this connection and developing of a corresponding model.

Discretization provides a conceptually simple tool to build expression networks.

PubMed

Vass, J Keith; Higham, Desmond J; Mudaliar, Manikhandan A V; Mao, Xuerong; Crowther, Daniel J

2011-04-18

Biomarker identification, using network methods, depends on finding regular co-expression patterns; the overall connectivity is of greater importance than any single relationship. A second requirement is a simple algorithm for ranking patients on how relevant a gene-set is. For both of these requirements discretized data helps to first identify gene cliques, and then to stratify patients.We explore a biologically intuitive discretization technique which codes genes as up- or down-regulated, with values close to the mean set as unchanged; this allows a richer description of relationships between genes than can be achieved by positive and negative correlation. We find a close agreement between our results and the template gene-interactions used to build synthetic microarray-like data by SynTReN, which synthesizes "microarray" data using known relationships which are successfully identified by our method.We are able to split positive co-regulation into up-together and down-together and negative co-regulation is considered as directed up-down relationships. In some cases these exist in only one direction, with real data, but not with the synthetic data. We illustrate our approach using two studies on white blood cells and derived immortalized cell lines and compare the approach with standard correlation-based computations. No attempt is made to distinguish possible causal links as the search for biomarkers would be crippled by losing highly significant co-expression relationships. This contrasts with approaches like ARACNE and IRIS.The method is illustrated with an analysis of gene-expression for energy metabolism pathways. For each discovered relationship we are able to identify the samples on which this is based in the discretized sample-gene matrix, along with a simplified view of the patterns of gene expression; this helps to dissect the gene-sample relevant to a research topic--identifying sets of co-regulated and anti-regulated genes and the samples or patients in which this relationship occurs.

Independent effects of apolipoprotein AV and apolipoprotein CIII on plasma triglyceride concentrations

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

Baroukh, Nadine N.; Bauge, Eric; Akiyama, Jennifer

2003-08-15

Both the apolipoprotein A5 and C3 genes have repeatedly been shown to play an important role in determining plasma triglyceride concentrations in humans and mice. In mice, transgenic and knockout experiments indicate that plasma triglyceride levels are negatively and positively correlated with APOA5 and APOC3 expression, respectively. In humans, common polymorphisms in both genes have also been associated with plasma triglyceride concentrations. The evolutionary relationship among these two apolipoprotein genes and their close proximity on human chromosome 11q23 have largely precluded the determination of their relative contribution to altered Both the apolipoprotein A5 and C3 genes have repeatedly been shownmore » to play an important role in determining plasma triglyceride concentrations in humans and mice. In mice, transgenic and knockout experiments indicate that plasma triglyceride levels are negatively and positively correlated with APOA5 and APOC3 expression, respectively. In humans, common polymorphisms in both genes have also been associated with plasma triglyceride concentrations. The evolutionary relationship among these two apolipoprotein genes and their close proximity on human chromosome 11q23 have largely precluded the determination of their relative contribution to altered triglycerides. To overcome these confounding factors and address their relationship, we generated independent lines of mice that either over-expressed (''double transgenic'') or completely lacked (''double knockout'') both apolipoprotein genes. We report that both ''double transgenic'' and ''double knockout'' mice display intermedia tetriglyceride concentrations compared to over-expression or deletion of either gene alone. Furthermore, we find that human ApoAV plasma protein levels in the ''double transgenic'' mice are approximately 500-fold lower than human ApoCIII levels, supporting ApoAV is a potent triglyceride modulator despite its low concentration. Together, these data indicate that APOA5 and APOC3 independently influence plasma triglyceride concentrations but in an opposing manner.« less

Parental Reactions to Toddlers' Negative Emotions and Child Negative Emotionality as Correlates of Problem Behavior at the Age of Three

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engle, Jennifer M.; McElwain, Nancy L.

2011-01-01

Parent-reported reactions to children's negative emotions and child negative emotionality were investigated as correlates of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Children (N = 107) and their parents participated in a short-term longitudinal study of social development. Mothers and fathers independently completed questionnaires assessing…

Effects of discharge chamber length on the negative ion generation in volume-produced negative hydrogen ion source

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

Chung, Kyoung-Jae; Jung, Bong-Ki; An, YoungHwa

2014-02-15

In a volume-produced negative hydrogen ion source, control of electron temperature is essential due to its close correlation with the generation of highly vibrationally excited hydrogen molecules in the heating region as well as the generation of negative hydrogen ions by dissociative attachment in the extraction region. In this study, geometric effects of the cylindrical discharge chamber on negative ion generation via electron temperature changes are investigated in two discharge chambers with different lengths of 7.5 cm and 11 cm. Measurements with a radio-frequency-compensated Langmuir probe show that the electron temperature in the heating region is significantly increased by reducingmore » the length of the discharge chamber due to the reduced effective plasma size. A particle balance model which is modified to consider the effects of discharge chamber configuration on the plasma parameters explains the variation of the electron temperature with the chamber geometry and gas pressure quite well. Accordingly, H{sup −} ion density measurement with laser photo-detachment in the short chamber shows a few times increase compared to the longer one at the same heating power depending on gas pressure. However, the increase drops significantly as operating gas pressure decreases, indicating increased electron temperatures in the extraction region degrade dissociative attachment significantly especially in the low pressure regime. It is concluded that the increase of electron temperature by adjusting the discharge chamber geometry is efficient to increase H{sup −} ion production as long as low electron temperatures are maintained in the extraction region in volume-produced negative hydrogen ion sources.« less

Feedforward ankle strategy of balance during quiet stance in adults

PubMed Central

Gatev, Plamen; Thomas, Sherry; Kepple, Thomas; Hallett, Mark

1999-01-01

We studied quiet stance investigating strategies for maintaining balance. Normal subjects stood with natural stance and with feet together, with eyes open or closed. Kinematic, kinetic and EMG data were evaluated and cross-correlated.Cross-correlation analysis revealed a high, positive, zero-phased correlation between anteroposterior motions of the centre of gravity (COG) and centre of pressure (COP), head and COG, and between linear motions of the shoulder and knee in both sagittal and frontal planes. There was a moderate, negative, zero-phased correlation between the anteroposterior motion of COP and ankle angular motion.Narrow stance width increased ankle angular motion, hip angular motion, mediolateral sway of the COG, and the correlation between linear motions of the shoulder and knee in the frontal plane. Correlations between COG and COP and linear motions of the shoulder and knee in the sagittal plane were decreased. The correlation between the hip angular sway in the sagittal and frontal planes was dependent on interaction between support and vision.Low, significant positive correlations with time lags of the maximum of cross-correlation of 250-300 ms were found between the EMG activity of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle and anteroposterior motions of the COG and COP during normal stance. Narrow stance width decreased both correlations whereas absence of vision increased the correlation with COP.Ankle mechanisms dominate during normal stance especially in the sagittal plane. Narrow stance width decreased the role of the ankle and increased the role of hip mechanisms in the sagittal plane, while in the frontal plane both increased.The modulation pattern of the lateral gastrocnemius muscle suggests a central program of control of the ankle joint stiffness working to predict the loading pattern. PMID:9882761

Assessing the spatiotemporal dynamic of global grassland carbon use efficiency in response to climate change from 2000 to 2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yue; Wang, Zhaoqi; Li, Jianlong; Gang, Chencheng; Zhang, Yanzhen; Odeh, Inakwu; Qi, Jiaguo

2017-05-01

The carbon use efficiency (CUE) of grassland, a ratio of net primary production (NPP) to gross primary productivity (GPP), is an important index representing the capacity of plants to transfer carbon from the atmosphere to terrestrial biomass. In this study, we used the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data to calculate the global grassland CUE, and explore the spatiotemporal dynamic of global grassland CUE from 2000 to 2013 to discuss the response to climate variations. The results showed that the average annual CUE of different grassland types follows an order of: open shrublands > non-woody grasslands > closed shrublands > woody savannas > savannas. The higher grassland CUE mainly occurred in the regions with cold and dry climate. By contrast, the regions with the lower grassland CUE were mostly in warm and wet environments. Moreover, the CUE exhibited a globally positive correlation with precipitation and a negative correlation with temperature. Therefore, the grassland CUE has considerable spatial variation associated with grassland type, geographical location and climate change.

Distribution of mean Doppler shift, spectral width, and skewness of coherent 50-MHz auroral radar backscatter

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

Watermann, J.; McNamara, A.G.; Sofko, G.J.

Some 7,700 radio aurora spectra obtained from a six link 50-MHz CW radar network set up on the Canadian prairies were analyzed with respect to the distributions of mean Doppler shift, spectral width and skewness. A comparison with recently published SABRE results obtained at 153 MHz shows substantial differences in the distributions which are probably due to different experimental and geophysical conditions. The spectra are mostly broad with mean Doppler shifts close to zero (type II spectra). The typical groupings of type I and type III spectra are clearly identified. All types appear to be in general much more symmetricmore » than those recorded with SABRE, and the skewness is only weakly dependent on the sign of the mean Doppler shift. Its distribution peaks near zero and shows a weak positive correlation with the type II Doppler shifts while the mostly positive type I Doppler shifts are slightly negatively correlated with the skewness.« less

Cortical encoding and neurophysiological tracking of intensity and pitch cues signaling English stress patterns in native and nonnative speakers.

PubMed

Chung, Wei-Lun; Bidelman, Gavin M

2016-01-01

We examined cross-language differences in neural encoding and tracking of intensity and pitch cues signaling English stress patterns. Auditory mismatch negativities (MMNs) were recorded in English and Mandarin listeners in response to contrastive English pseudowords whose primary stress occurred either on the first or second syllable (i.e., "nocTICity" vs. "NOCticity"). The contrastive syllable stress elicited two consecutive MMNs in both language groups, but English speakers demonstrated larger responses to stress patterns than Mandarin speakers. Correlations between the amplitude of ERPs and continuous changes in the running intensity and pitch of speech assessed how well each language group's brain activity tracked these salient acoustic features of lexical stress. We found that English speakers' neural responses tracked intensity changes in speech more closely than Mandarin speakers (higher brain-acoustic correlation). Findings demonstrate more robust and precise processing of English stress (intensity) patterns in early auditory cortical responses of native relative to nonnative speakers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ALien Biotic IndEX (ALEX) - a new index for assessing impacts of alien species on benthic communities.

PubMed

Çinar, Melih Ertan; Bakir, Kerem

2014-10-15

Biotic indices are mainly aimed at assessing levels of deterioration caused by chemical or organic pollution. However, no biotic index to date has been developed to detect impacts of alien species on benthic communities. In this paper, a new biotic index, namely ALEX, is proposed to address the objectives of the Water Framework Directive and was tested in Mersin Bay (Levantine Sea, Turkey). Species were divided into four biogeographic groups, namely native species, casual species, established species and invasive species, and the metric considers the relative importance of these groups in samples. The index classified the ecological status of some stations which are shallow, and close to harbor and river mouths as bad or poor in February and October. The ALEX values were positively and significantly correlated with total nitrogen, silicate and silt percentage in sediment, and negatively correlated with depth and the distance from the harbor. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biodiversity of rocky intertidal benthic communities associated with copper mine tailing discharges in northern Chile.

PubMed

Medina, M; Andrade, S; Faugeron, S; Lagos, N; Mella, D; Correa, J A

2005-04-01

Copper mine tailings have been discharged around the city of Chanaral, in northern Chile, for more than 60 years. This report summarizes a 17-month long monitoring study of species richness and biodiversity at five intertidal sites around the point of the tailing discharge. Total dissolved copper in sites close to the point of discharge varied between 8.72 microg/l and 34.15 microg/l, showing that there has not been a significant reduction since 1994. However, species richness has increased, suggesting a possible recovery of the system. While diversity of sessile organisms correlates negatively with dissolved copper, diversity of mobile invertebrates did not correlate with the metal concentration. To explain the observed results we discuss the role of algal turf interference on the distribution of mobile invertebrates at reference sites, a top-down effect caused by the absence of carnivores at impacted sites, and an avoidance strategy by some species to reduce their contact with contaminated seawater.

A Pathway Closely Related to the d-Tagatose Pathway of Gram-Negative Enterobacteria Identified in the Gram-Positive Bacterium Bacillus licheniformis

PubMed Central

Van der Heiden, Edwige; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M.; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

2013-01-01

We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. PMID:23524682

A pathway closely related to the (D)-tagatose pathway of gram-negative enterobacteria identified in the gram-positive bacterium Bacillus licheniformis.

PubMed

Van der Heiden, Edwige; Delmarcelle, Michaël; Lebrun, Sarah; Freichels, Régine; Brans, Alain; Vastenavond, Christian M; Galleni, Moreno; Joris, Bernard

2013-06-01

We report the first identification of a gene cluster involved in d-tagatose catabolism in Bacillus licheniformis. The pathway is closely related to the d-tagatose pathway of the Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella oxytoca, in contrast to the d-tagatose 6-phosphate pathway described in the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

Early anti-correlated BOLD signal changes of physiologic origin.

PubMed

Bright, Molly G; Bianciardi, Marta; de Zwart, Jacco A; Murphy, Kevin; Duyn, Jeff H

2014-02-15

Negative BOLD signals that are synchronous with resting state fluctuations have been observed in large vessels in the cortical sulci and surrounding the ventricles. In this study, we investigated the origin of these negative BOLD signals by applying a Cued Deep Breathing (CDB) task to create transient hypocapnia and a resultant global fMRI signal decrease. We hypothesized that a global stimulus would amplify the effect in large vessels and that using a global negative (vasoconstrictive) stimulus would test whether these voxels exhibit either inherently negative or simply anti-correlated BOLD responses. Significantly anti-correlated, but positive, BOLD signal changes during respiratory challenges were identified in voxels primarily located near edges of brain spaces containing CSF. These positive BOLD responses occurred earlier than the negative CDB response across most of gray matter voxels. These findings confirm earlier suggestions that in some brain regions, local, fractional changes in CSF volume may overwhelm BOLD-related signal changes, leading to signal anti-correlation. We show that regions with CDB anti-correlated signals coincide with most, but not all, of the regions with negative BOLD signal changes observed during a visual and motor stimulus task. Thus, the addition of a physiological challenge to fMRI experiments can help identify which negative BOLD signals are passive physiological anti-correlations and which may have a putative neuronal origin. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Early anti-correlated BOLD signal changes of physiologic origin

PubMed Central

Bright, Molly G.; Bianciardi, Marta; de Zwart, Jacco A.; Murphy, Kevin; Duyn, Jeff H.

2014-01-01

Negative BOLD signals that are synchronous with resting state fluctuations have been observed in large vessels in the cortical sulci and surrounding the ventricles. In this study, we investigated the origin of these negative BOLD signals by applying a Cued Deep Breathing (CDB) task to create transient hypocapnia and a resultant global fMRI signal decrease. We hypothesized that a global stimulus would amplify the effect in large vessels and that using a global negative (vasoconstrictive) stimulus would test whether these voxels exhibit either inherently negative or simply anti-correlated BOLD responses. Significantly anti-correlated, but positive, BOLD signal changes during respiratory challenges were identified in voxels primarily located near edges of brain spaces containing CSF. These positive BOLD responses occurred earlier than the negative CDB response across most of gray matter voxels. These findings confirm earlier suggestions that in some brain regions, local, fractional changes in CSF volume may overwhelm BOLD-related signal changes, leading to signal anti-correlation. We show that regions with CDB anti-correlated signals coincide with most, but not all, of the regions with negative BOLD signal changes observed during a visual and motor stimulus task. Thus, the addition of a physiological challenge to fMRI experiments can help identify which negative BOLD signals are passive physiological anti-correlations and which may have a putative neuronal origin. PMID:24211818

Implications of genetic selection on yolk proportion on the dry matter content of eggs in a White Leghorn population.

PubMed

Icken, W; Looft, C; Schellander, K; Cavero, D; Blanco, A; Schmutz, M; Preisinger, R

2014-01-01

1. The responses to genetic selection on yolk proportion as a technique for increasing egg dry matter content, an important criterion for the egg-product industry, was investigated in a pedigree flock of White Leghorn hens. 2. Parents were preselected on high and low yolk proportion from a base population. The absolute estimated breeding value for yolk proportion of both groups differed by 3%. The realised selection difference in dry matter content of eggs between groups was more than 1% in the analysed offspring population. 3. Heritability estimates were moderate and dry matter had a lower heritability (h(2) = 0.39) than yolk proportion (h(2) = 0.44). 4. The genetic correlation between yolk proportion and dry matter content was highly positive (rg = 0.91). Genetic correlations with egg weight were negative and would have to be compensated for in a breeding programme (rg = -0.76 with yolk proportion and rg = -0.64 with dry matter content). The genetic correlation between the laying performance and yolk proportion was rg = 0.28 and close to zero (rg = -0.05) for dry matter content. 5. Easy recording and lower undesirable correlations make yolk proportion more suitable for commercial selection compared with egg dry matter content in layer breeding.

Langerian mindfulness, quality of life and psychological symptoms in a sample of Italian students.

PubMed

Pagnini, Francesco; Bercovitz, Katherine E; Phillips, Deborah

2018-02-06

Noticing new things, accepting the continuously changing nature of circumstances, and flexibly shifting perspectives in concert with changing contexts constitute the essential features of Langerian mindfulness. This contrasts with a "mindless" approach in which one remains fixed in a singular mindset and is closed off to new possibilities. Despite potentially important clinical applications for this construct, few studies have explored them. The instrument developed to measure Langerian mindfulness is the Langer Mindfulness Scale (LMS), although this tool has been limited primarily to English-speaking populations. The study aimed to test LMS validity in the Italian language and to analyze the relationships between Langerian mindfulness and well-being. We translated the LMS into Italian, analyzed its factor structure, and investigated the correlation between mindfulness and quality of life and psychological well-being in a sample of 248 Italian students (88.7% females, mean age 20.05). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the tri-dimensional structure of the English LMS in the Italian version. The primary analysis found a significant negative correlation between mindfulness and psychological symptoms including obsessive-compulsive tendencies, depression, anxiety, and paranoid ideation. There was also a positive correlation between mindfulness and reports of quality of life. The Italian LMS appears reliable and it shows relevant correlations with well-being.

Designing a neurofeedback device to quantify attention levels using coffee as a reward system.

PubMed

Cheng, Kok Suen; Lee, Jun Xiang; Lee, Poh Foong

2018-05-09

Work performance is closely related to one's attention level. In this study, a brain-computer interface (BCI) device suitable for office usage was chosen to quantify the individual's attention levels. A BCI system was adopted to interface brainwave signals to a coffee maker via three ascending levels of laser detectors. The preliminary test with this prototype was to characterize the attention level through the collected coffee amount. Here, the preliminary testing was comparing the correlation between the attention level and the participants' cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and scores from the 21-item depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) and the attentional control scale (ACS) using ordinal regression. It was assumed that a greater CGPA would generate a greater attention level. The generated coffee amount from the BCI system had a significant positive correlation with the CGPA (p = 0.004), mild depression (p = 0.019) and mild and extremely severe anxiety (p = 0.044 and p = 0.019, respectively) and a negative correlation with the ACS score (p = 0.042). This simple and cost-effective prototype has the potential to enable everyone to know their immediate attention level and predict the possible correlation to their mental state.

The correlation between NK cell and liver function in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

PubMed

Sha, Wei Hong; Zeng, Xiao Hui; Min, Lu

2014-05-01

This study aimed to detect the expression of natural killer (NK) cell receptor natural killer group 2D (NKG2D) in the peripheral blood of patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma and to discuss the correlation between NK cell cytotoxicity and liver function. The number of NK cells and the expression of NK cell receptor NKG2D in peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatitis B cirrhosis, chronic hepatitis B, and healthy controls. When compared with patients in the healthy and the chronic hepatitis B groups, the primary hepatocellular carcinoma group showed significant decreases in all parameters, including the cytotoxicity of NK cells on K562 cells, expression rate of NKG2D in NK cells, number of NKG2D(+) NK cells, expression level of NKG2D, and number of NK cells (p<0.05). The activity of NK cells showed a positive correlation, whereas the Child-Pugh scores in the primary hepatocellular carcinoma and the hepatitis B cirrhosis groups showed a negative correlation with all parameters detected above. The decrease of NK cell activity in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma is closely related to their lower expression of NKG2D. Liver function affects the expression of NKG2D and the activity of NK cells.

The plasma parameter log (TG/HDL-C) as an atherogenic index: correlation with lipoprotein particle size and esterification rate in apoB-lipoprotein-depleted plasma (FER(HDL)).

PubMed

Dobiásová, M; Frohlich, J

2001-10-01

To evaluate if logarithm of the ratio of plasma concentration of triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol (Log[TG/HDL-C]) correlates with cholesterol esterification rates in apoB-lipoprotein-depleted plasma (FER(HDL)) and lipoprotein particle size. We analyzed previous data dealing with the parameters related to the FER(HDL) (an indirect measure of lipoprotein particle size). In a total of 1433 subjects from 35 cohorts with various risk of atherosclerosis (cord plasma, children, healthy men and women, pre- and postmenopausal women, patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and patients with positive or negative angiography findings) were studied. The analysis revealed a strong positive correlation (r = 0.803) between FER(HDL) and Log(TG/HDL-C). This parameter, which we propose to call "atherogenic index of plasma" (AIP) directly related to the risk of atherosclerosis in the above cohorts. We also confirmed in a cohort of 35 normal subjects a significant inverse correlation of LDL size with FER(HDL) (r = -0.818) and AIP (r = -0.776). Values of AIP correspond closely to those of FER(HDL) and to lipoprotein particle size and thus could be used as a marker of plasma atherogenicity.

Cardiac Concomitants of Feedback and Prediction Error Processing in Reinforcement Learning.

PubMed

Kastner, Lucas; Kube, Jana; Villringer, Arno; Neumann, Jane

2017-01-01

Successful learning hinges on the evaluation of positive and negative feedback. We assessed differential learning from reward and punishment in a monetary reinforcement learning paradigm, together with cardiac concomitants of positive and negative feedback processing. On the behavioral level, learning from reward resulted in more advantageous behavior than learning from punishment, suggesting a differential impact of reward and punishment on successful feedback-based learning. On the autonomic level, learning and feedback processing were closely mirrored by phasic cardiac responses on a trial-by-trial basis: (1) Negative feedback was accompanied by faster and prolonged heart rate deceleration compared to positive feedback. (2) Cardiac responses shifted from feedback presentation at the beginning of learning to stimulus presentation later on. (3) Most importantly, the strength of phasic cardiac responses to the presentation of feedback correlated with the strength of prediction error signals that alert the learner to the necessity for behavioral adaptation. Considering participants' weight status and gender revealed obesity-related deficits in learning to avoid negative consequences and less consistent behavioral adaptation in women compared to men. In sum, our results provide strong new evidence for the notion that during learning phasic cardiac responses reflect an internal value and feedback monitoring system that is sensitive to the violation of performance-based expectations. Moreover, inter-individual differences in weight status and gender may affect both behavioral and autonomic responses in reinforcement-based learning.

Cardiac Concomitants of Feedback and Prediction Error Processing in Reinforcement Learning

PubMed Central

Kastner, Lucas; Kube, Jana; Villringer, Arno; Neumann, Jane

2017-01-01

Successful learning hinges on the evaluation of positive and negative feedback. We assessed differential learning from reward and punishment in a monetary reinforcement learning paradigm, together with cardiac concomitants of positive and negative feedback processing. On the behavioral level, learning from reward resulted in more advantageous behavior than learning from punishment, suggesting a differential impact of reward and punishment on successful feedback-based learning. On the autonomic level, learning and feedback processing were closely mirrored by phasic cardiac responses on a trial-by-trial basis: (1) Negative feedback was accompanied by faster and prolonged heart rate deceleration compared to positive feedback. (2) Cardiac responses shifted from feedback presentation at the beginning of learning to stimulus presentation later on. (3) Most importantly, the strength of phasic cardiac responses to the presentation of feedback correlated with the strength of prediction error signals that alert the learner to the necessity for behavioral adaptation. Considering participants' weight status and gender revealed obesity-related deficits in learning to avoid negative consequences and less consistent behavioral adaptation in women compared to men. In sum, our results provide strong new evidence for the notion that during learning phasic cardiac responses reflect an internal value and feedback monitoring system that is sensitive to the violation of performance-based expectations. Moreover, inter-individual differences in weight status and gender may affect both behavioral and autonomic responses in reinforcement-based learning. PMID:29163004

Effect of Rhizosphere Enzymes on Phytoremediation in PAH-Contaminated Soil Using Five Plant Species

PubMed Central

Liu, Rui; Dai, Yuanyuan; Sun, Libo

2015-01-01

A pot experiment was performed to study the effectiveness of remediation using different plant species and the enzyme response involved in remediating PAH-contaminated soil. The study indicated that species Echinacea purpurea, Festuca arundinacea Schred, Fire Phoenix (a combined F. arundinacea), and Medicago sativa L. possess the potential for remediation in PAH-contaminated soils. The study also determined that enzymatic reactions of polyphenol oxidase (except Fire Phoenix), dehydrogenase (except Fire Phoenix), and urease (except Medicago sativa L.) were more prominent over cultivation periods of 60d and 120d than 150d. Urease activity of the tested species exhibited prominently linear negative correlations with alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen content after the tested plants were cultivated for 150d (R2 = 0.9592). The experiment also indicated that alkaline phosphatase activity in four of the five tested species (Echinacea purpurea, Callistephus chinensis, Festuca arundinacea Schred and Fire Phoenix) was inhibited during the cultivation process (at 60d and 120d). At the same time, the study determined that the linear relationship between alkaline phosphatase activity and effective phosphorus content in plant rhizosphere soil exhibited a negative correlation after a growing period of 120d (R2 = 0.665). Phytoremediation of organic contaminants in the soil was closely related to specific characteristics of particular plant species, and the catalyzed reactions were the result of the action of multiple enzymes in the plant rhizosphere soil. PMID:25822167

Complex movement disorders at disease onset in childhood narcolepsy with cataplexy

PubMed Central

Pizza, Fabio; Palaia, Vincenzo; Franceschini, Christian; Poli, Francesca; Moghadam, Keivan K.; Cortelli, Pietro; Nobili, Lino; Bruni, Oliviero; Dauvilliers, Yves; Lin, Ling; Edwards, Mark J.; Mignot, Emmanuel; Bhatia, Kailash P.

2011-01-01

Narcolepsy with cataplexy is characterized by daytime sleepiness, cataplexy (sudden loss of bilateral muscle tone triggered by emotions), sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations and disturbed nocturnal sleep. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is most often associated with human leucocyte antigen-DQB1*0602 and is caused by the loss of hypocretin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus of likely autoimmune aetiology. Noting that children with narcolepsy often display complex abnormal motor behaviours close to disease onset that do not meet the classical definition of cataplexy, we systematically analysed motor features in 39 children with narcolepsy with cataplexy in comparison with 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We found that patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy displayed a complex array of ‘negative’ (hypotonia) and ‘active’ (ranging from perioral movements to dyskinetic–dystonic movements or stereotypies) motor disturbances. ‘Active’ and ‘negative’ motor scores correlated positively with the presence of hypotonic features at neurological examination and negatively with disease duration, whereas ‘negative’ motor scores also correlated negatively with age at disease onset. These observations suggest that paediatric narcolepsy with cataplexy often co-occurs with a complex movement disorder at disease onset, a phenomenon that may vanish later in the course of the disease. Further studies are warranted to assess clinical course and whether the associated movement disorder is also caused by hypocretin deficiency or by additional neurochemical abnormalities. PMID:21930661

On the relationship between the QBO/ENSO and atmospheric temperature using COSMIC radio occultation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Pan; Xu, Xiaohua; Zhang, Xiaohong

2017-04-01

In this paper, the spatial patterns and vertical structure of atmospheric temperature anomalies, in both the tropics and the extratropical latitudes, associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the upper troposphere and stratosphere are investigated using global positioning system (GPS) radio occultation (RO) measurements from the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) Formosa Satellite Mission 3 mission from July 2006 to February 2014. We find that negative correlations between the atmospheric temperature in the tropics and ENSO are observed at 17-30 km in the lower stratosphere at a lag of 1-4 months and at a lead of 1 month. Out-of-phase temperature variation is observed in the troposphere over the mid-latitude band and in-phase behaviour is observed in the lower stratosphere. Interestingly, we also find that there is a significant negative correlation at a lag of 1-3 months from 32 km to 40 km in the mid-latitude region of the Northern Hemisphere. The atmospheric temperature variations over mid-latitude regions in both hemispheres are closely related to the QBO. There are also two narrow zones over the subtropical jet zone where the QBO signals are strong in both hemispheres, approximately parallel to the equator. Finally, we develop a new robust index to describe the strength of the ENSO and QBO signal.

Measurements of the thermal coefficient of optical attenuation at different depth regions of in vivo human skins using optical coherence tomography: a pilot study

PubMed Central

Su, Ya; Yao, X. Steve; Li, Zhihong; Meng, Zhuo; Liu, Tiegen; Wang, Longzhi

2015-01-01

We present detailed measurement results of optical attenuation’s thermal coefficients (referenced to the temperature of the skin surface) in different depth regions of in vivo human forearm skins using optical coherence tomography (OCT). We first design a temperature control module with an integrated optical probe to precisely control the surface temperature of a section of human skin. We propose a method of using the correlation map to identify regions in the skin having strong correlations with the surface temperature of the skin and find that the attenuation coefficient in these regions closely follows the variation of the surface temperature without any hysteresis. We observe a negative thermal coefficient of attenuation in the epidermis. While in dermis, the slope signs of the thermal coefficient of attenuation are different at different depth regions for a particular subject, however, the depth regions with a positive (or negative) slope are different in different subjects. We further find that the magnitude of the thermal coefficient of attenuation coefficient is greater in epidermis than in dermis. We believe the knowledge of such thermal properties of skins is important for several noninvasive diagnostic applications, such as OCT glucose monitoring, and the method demonstrated in this paper is effective in studying the optical and biological properties in different regions of skin. PMID:25780740

Low Speed and High Speed Correlation of SMART Active Flap Rotor Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kottapalli, Sesi B. R.

2010-01-01

Measured, open loop and closed loop data from the SMART rotor test in the NASA Ames 40- by 80- Foot Wind Tunnel are compared with CAMRAD II calculations. One open loop high-speed case and four closed loop cases are considered. The closed loop cases include three high-speed cases and one low-speed case. Two of these high-speed cases include a 2 deg flap deflection at 5P case and a test maximum-airspeed case. This study follows a recent, open loop correlation effort that used a simple correction factor for the airfoil pitching moment Mach number. Compared to the earlier effort, the current open loop study considers more fundamental corrections based on advancing blade aerodynamic conditions. The airfoil tables themselves have been studied. Selected modifications to the HH-06 section flap airfoil pitching moment table are implemented. For the closed loop condition, the effect of the flap actuator is modeled by increased flap hinge stiffness. Overall, the open loop correlation is reasonable, thus confirming the basic correctness of the current semi-empirical modifications; the closed loop correlation is also reasonable considering that the current flap model is a first generation model. Detailed correlation results are given in the paper.

Bisphenol A release from an orthodontic adhesive and its correlation with the degree of conversion on varying light-curing tip distances.

PubMed

Sunitha, Catherine; Kailasam, Vignesh; Padmanabhan, Sridevi; Chitharanjan, Arun B

2011-08-01

The aims of this research were to use high-performance liquid chromatography to assess the bisphenol A (BPA) released from an orthodontic adhesive (Transbond XT; 3M Unitek, Monrovia, Calif) with various light-curing tip distances and to correlate the release to the degree of conversion. One hundred thirty-eight premolar brackets were divided into 3 groups of 40 each for the high-performance liquid chromatography analysis and 3 groups of 6 each for assessing the degree of conversion. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used for this purpose. Each group was studied at light-curing tip distances of 0, 5, and 10 mm. Statistical analyses were performed by using 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), post-hoc multiple comparisons Tukey HSD tests, and paired t tests. Pearson correlation was used to assess the correlation between the degree of conversion and BPA release. BPA release was greater in specimens cured with a greater light-curing tip distance. The degree of conversion decreased with increased light-curing tip distances. A negative correlation was found between BPA release and degree of conversion. Clinicians should ensure that the adhesive is completely cured by keeping the light-curing tip as close to the adhesive as clinically possible. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic parameters of mid-infrared methane predictions and their relationships with milk production traits in Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Kandel, P B; Vanrobays, M-L; Vanlierde, A; Dehareng, F; Froidmont, E; Gengler, N; Soyeurt, H

2017-07-01

Many countries have pledged to reduce greenhouse gases. In this context, the dairy sector is one of the identified sectors to adapt production circumstances to address socio-environmental constraints due to its large carbon footprint related to CH 4 emission. This study aimed mainly to estimate (1) the genetic parameters of 2 milk mid-infrared-based CH 4 proxies [predicted daily CH 4 emission (PME, g/d), and log-transformed predicted CH 4 intensity (LMI)] and (2) their genetic correlations with milk production traits [milk (MY), fat (FY), and protein (PY) yields] from first- and second-parity Holstein cows. A total of 336,126 and 231,400 mid-infrared CH 4 phenotypes were collected from 56,957 and 34,992 first- and second-parity cows, respectively. The PME increased from the first to the second lactation (433 vs. 453 g/d) and the LMI decreased (2.93 vs. 2.86). We used 20 bivariate random regression test-day models to estimate the variance components. Moderate heritability values were observed for both CH 4 traits, and those values decreased slightly from the first to the second lactation (0.25 ± 0.01 and 0.22 ± 0.01 for PME; 0.18 ± 0.01 and 0.17 ± 0.02 for LMI). Lactation phenotypic and genetic correlations were negative between PME and MY in both first and second lactations (-0.07 vs. -0.07 and -0.19 vs. -0.24, respectively). More close scrutiny revealed that relative increase of PME was lower with high MY levels even reverting to decrease, and therefore explaining the negative correlations, indicating that higher producing cows could be a mitigation option for CH 4 emission. The PME phenotypic correlations were almost equal to 0 with FY and PY for both lactations. However, the genetic correlations between PME and FY were slightly positive (0.11 and 0.12), whereas with PY the correlations were slightly negative (-0.05 and -0.04). Both phenotypic and genetic correlations between LMI and MY or PY or FY were always relatively highly negative (from -0.21 to -0.88). As the genetic correlations between PME and LMI were strong (0.71 and 0.72 in first and second lactation), the selection of one trait would also strongly influence the other trait. However, in animal breeding context, PME, as a direct quantity CH 4 proxy, would be preferred to LMI, which is a ratio trait of PME with a trait already in the index. The range of PME sire estimated breeding values were 22.1 and 29.41 kg per lactation in first and second parity, respectively. Further studies must be conducted to evaluate the effect of the introduction of PME in a selection index on the other traits already included in this index, such as, for instance, fertility or longevity. The Authors. Published by the Federation of Animal Science Societies and Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

Genetic and environmental correlations between subjective wellbeing and experience of life events in adolescence.

PubMed

Wootton, Robyn E; Davis, Oliver S P; Mottershaw, Abigail L; Wang, R Adele H; Haworth, Claire M A

2017-09-01

Some life events appear heritable due to the genetic influence on related behaviours. Shared genetic influence between negative behaviours and negative life events has previously been established. This study investigated whether subjective wellbeing and positive life events were genetically associated. Participants in the Twins Early Development Study (aged 16.32 ± .68 years) completed subjective wellbeing and life events assessments via two separate studies (overlapping N for wellbeing and life events measures ranged from 3527 to 9350). We conducted bivariate twin models between both positive and negative life events with subjective wellbeing and related positive psychological traits including subjective happiness, life satisfaction, optimism, hopefulness and gratitude measured at 16 years. Results suggested that the heritability of life events can partially be explained by shared genetic influences with the wellbeing indicators. Wellbeing traits were positively genetically correlated with positive life events and negatively correlated with negative life events (except curiosity where there was no correlation). Those positive traits that drive behaviour (grit and ambition) showed the highest genetic correlation with life events, whereas the reflective trait gratitude was less correlated. This suggests that gene-environment correlations might explain the observed genetic association between life events and wellbeing. Inheriting propensity for positive traits might cause you to seek environments that lead to positive life events and avoid environments which make negative life events more likely.

Possible correlation between gut microbiota and immunity among healthy middle-aged and elderly people in southwest China.

PubMed

Shen, Xi; Miao, Junjie; Wan, Qun; Wang, Shuyue; Li, Ming; Pu, Fangfang; Wang, Guoqing; Qian, Wei; Yu, Qian; Marotta, Francesco; He, Fang

2018-01-01

The present study was conducted to investigate the possible association between gut microbes and immunity among healthy middle-aged and elderly individuals in southwest China. A total of 148 healthy adults aged ≥ 50 years were divided into two age groups: middle-aged group (50-59 years; n = 67, 54.13 ± 3.32) and elderly group (≥ 60 years; n = 81, 64.70 ± 3.93). Blood samples were collected to measure serum immune and biochemical indices. Gut microbiota compositions of the groups were characterized on the basis of faecal DNA using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Among the detected gut microbes, the presence of Alistipes was negatively correlated with age in both groups. In the middle-aged group, age was negatively correlated with the presence of Desulfovibrio and Faecalibacterium . In the elderly group, Coprococcus was present at significantly higher levels; age was negatively correlated with the presence of Lachnobacterium , Oxalobacter and the Chao index, whereas positively correlated with the presence of Sutterella. In the middle-aged group, the presence of Bacteroidetes was positively correlated with serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels and the percent of CD8 + T cells and negatively correlated with the CD4 + /CD8 + ratio; the presence of Firmicutes was negatively correlated with IgM levels; Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio was positively correlated with IgG and IgM levels and Simpson index was negatively correlated with the percent of CD8 + T cells and positively correlated with CD4 + /CD8 + ratio. In the elderly group, the presence of Verrucomicrobia (identified as genus Akkermansia ) was positively correlated with IgA levels and the percent of CD8 + T cells and negatively correlated with the percent of CD4 + T cells and CD4 + /CD8 + ratio; the Chao index and observed species were positively correlated with IgA levels. These results indicated that ageing could significantly correlate with the composition of gut microbiota in terms of quantity and quality. Changes in gut microbiota caused by ageing, characterized by decreased Bacteroidetes levels, might be associated with immunosenescence among healthy middle-aged and elderly people in southwest China.

Relating anomaly correlation to lead time: Clustering analysis of CFSv2 forecasts of summer precipitation in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Tongtiegang; Liu, Pan; Zhang, Yongyong; Ruan, Chengqing

2017-09-01

Global climate model (GCM) forecasts are an integral part of long-range hydroclimatic forecasting. We propose to use clustering to explore anomaly correlation, which indicates the performance of raw GCM forecasts, in the three-dimensional space of latitude, longitude, and initialization time. Focusing on a certain period of the year, correlations for forecasts initialized at different preceding periods form a vector. The vectors of anomaly correlation across different GCM grid cells are clustered to reveal how GCM forecasts perform as time progresses. Through the case study of Climate Forecast System Version 2 (CFSv2) forecasts of summer precipitation in China, we observe that the correlation at a certain cell oscillates with lead time and can become negative. The use of clustering reveals two meaningful patterns that characterize the relationship between anomaly correlation and lead time. For some grid cells in Central and Southwest China, CFSv2 forecasts exhibit positive correlations with observations and they tend to improve as time progresses. This result suggests that CFSv2 forecasts tend to capture the summer precipitation induced by the East Asian monsoon and the South Asian monsoon. It also indicates that CFSv2 forecasts can potentially be applied to improving hydrological forecasts in these regions. For some other cells, the correlations are generally close to zero at different lead times. This outcome implies that CFSv2 forecasts still have plenty of room for further improvement. The robustness of the patterns has been tested using both hierarchical clustering and k-means clustering and examined with the Silhouette score.

Spatial and temporal variation of correlation between the Arctic total ozone and atmospheric temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Fuxiang; Ren, suling; Han, Shuangshuang; Zheng, xiangdong; Deng, xuejiao

2017-04-01

Daily total ozone and atmospheric temperature profile data in 2015 from the AIRS are used to investigate the spatial and temporal variation of the correlation between the Arctic atmospheric ozone and temperature. In the study, 11 lays atmospheric temperature profiles from the troposphere to the stratosphere are investigated. These layer heights are 20, 50, 70, 100, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 hPa respectively. The results show that a significant seasonal split exists in the correlation between the Arctic ozone and atmospheric temperature. Figure 1 shows the spatial and temporal variation of the coefficient between the atmospheric ozone and temperature at 50hPa. It can be seen from the figure that an obvious spatiotemporal difference exists in the correlation between the Arctic total ozone and atmospheric temperature in the lower stratosphere. First, the seasonal difference is very remarkable, which is shown as a significant positive correlation in most regions during winter and summer, while no correlation in the majority of regions occurs during spring and autumn, with a weak positive or negative correlation in a small number regions. Second, the spatial differences are also very obvious. The summer maximum correlation coefficient occurs in the Barents Sea and other locations at 0.8 and above, while the winter maximum occurs in the Baffin Bay area at 0.6 to 0.8. However, in a small number of regions, such as the land to the west of the Bering Strait in winter and the Arctic Ocean core area in summer, the correlation coefficients were unable to pass the significance test to show no correlation. At the same time, in spring and autumn, a positive correlation only occurs over a few low-latitude land areas, while over other Arctic areas, weak negative correlation exists. The differences in horizontal position are clearly related to the land-sea distribution, underlying surface characteristics, glacial melting, and other factors. In the troposphere, the ozone and temperature have a strong negative correlation in spring and autumn, while presenting a weak negative correlation or no correlation in winter and summer. Figure 2 shows the spatial and temporal variation of the correlation coefficient between the atmospheric ozone and temperature at 500hPa. From figure 2, it can be seen that in the Arctic troposphere, the atmospheric ozone and tropospheric temperature mainly have a negative correlation. In winter and summer, a weak negative correlation is shown overall, but more than a third of the regions show no correlation. In spring, the negative correlation is the strongest between the ozone and temperature. Especially in Greenland - Queen Elizabeth Islands and southern New Siberian Islands, the correlation is the highest, with a correlation coefficient of -0.9 and above, followed by a negative correlation in autumn. Except for a small number of low-latitude scattered regions with weak correlation, the correlation coefficients of most regions are ranged between -0.5 and -0.7. At 300 hPa near the tropopause, the horizontal distribution and seasonal change of the correlation between the Arctic total ozone and atmospheric temperature are as shown in Fig. 3.At the height near the Arctic tropopause, the atmospheric ozone mainly has no correlation to temperature, especially in winter and summer, when no correlation exists in the majority of regions, while weak positive or negative correlation occurs in a small number of areas. In the majority of regions during spring, a weak negative correlation is shown, while no correlation appears in Western Greenland - Queen Elizabeth Islands. In autumn, most regions show no correlation, while weak negative correlation is presented in Eastern Greenland, Norwegian Sea - Barents Sea, and other locations. From figure 1-3, we can see a significant difference exists from the common law of positive correlation in the lower stratosphere and negative correlation in the troposphere at mid-low latitudes. The Arctic atmospheric ozone has a relation with temperature, showing significant spatial and temporal variation characteristics. In the stratosphere, winter and summer atmospheric temperatures mainly have a positive correlation to ozone. The summer maximum occurs in the Barents Sea to achieve 0.8 and above, while the winter maximum is 0.6 to 0.8 in the Baffin Bay area. In the troposphere, the autumn and spring atmospheric temperatures mainly have a negative correlation to the ozone. The spring correlation coefficient in Greenland to the Queen Elizabeth Islands reaches up to -0.9 and above, while the autumn value is -0.5 to -0.7. At about 300 hPa, the tropopause value is reduced to 0, and further decreased in the troposphere, to show a strong negative correlation. Based on the comprehensive analysis of various influence factors, the possible action mechanism of the spatiotemporal variation pattern of the correlation between the Arctic atmospheric ozone and temperature is discussed based on the seasonal differences of various influence factors. The spatial and temporal variation characteristics of the correlation between the Arctic atmospheric ozone and temperature are determined by the seasonal variation of various influencing factors of the Arctic atmospheric ozone and temperature. These factors include the atmospheric heating effect from the ozone matching with the Arctic sunshine conditions, the influence of dynamic delivery on the ozone and heat, the impact of underlying-surface glacial melting on atmospheric radiation and heat budget, and so on. At different heights in each season, the different effects from all kinds of factors on the ozone and temperature determine the spatiotemporal variation of the correlation between the ozone and temperature.

The interactive effects of negative symptoms and social role functioning on suicide ideation in individuals with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Jahn, Danielle R; Bennett, Melanie E; Park, Stephanie G; Gur, Raquel E; Horan, William P; Kring, Ann M; Blanchard, Jack J

2016-02-01

Findings regarding the protective effect of social role functioning on suicide ideation in individuals with schizophrenia have been mixed. One reason for such inconsistencies in the literature may be that individuals with prominent negative symptoms of schizophrenia may not experience a desire for social closeness, and therefore social role functioning may not influence suicide risk in these individuals. The aim of this study was to examine the moderating effects of self-reported desire for social closeness and interviewer-rated negative symptoms on the relationship between social role functioning and suicide ideation. Our sample consisted of 162 individuals who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders; all participants completed self-report questionnaires and clinician-administered interviews, and moderation hypotheses were tested with a non-parametric procedure. The results indicated that motivation and pleasure-related negative symptoms moderated the relationship between social role functioning and suicide ideation; self-reported desire for social closeness and negative symptoms related to expression did not have such a moderating effect. Specifically, better social role functioning was associated with less suicide ideation only in those individuals who had low motivation and pleasure-related negative symptoms; no significant relationship was observed between social role functioning and suicide ideation among those with elevated motivation and pleasure-related negative symptoms. These findings suggest that assessing for negative symptoms and social role functioning may inform suicide risk assessments in individuals with schizophrenia, and improving social role functioning may reduce suicide ideation among those with few motivation and pleasure-related negative symptoms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dispositional Mindfulness and Depressive Symptomatology: Correlations with Limbic and Self-Referential Neural Activity during Rest

PubMed Central

Way, Baldwin M.; Creswell, J. David; Eisenberger, Naomi I.; Lieberman, Matthew D.

2010-01-01

To better understand the relationship between mindfulness and depression, we studied normal young adults (n=27) who completed measures of dispositional mindfulness and depressive symptomatology, which were then correlated with: a) Rest: resting neural activity during passive viewing of a fixation cross, relative to a simple goal-directed task (shape-matching); and b) Reactivity: neural reactivity during viewing of negative emotional faces, relative to the same shape-matching task. Dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with resting activity in self-referential processing areas, while depressive symptomatology was positively correlated with resting activity in similar areas. In addition, dispositional mindfulness was negatively correlated with resting activity in the amygdala, bilaterally, while depressive symptomatology was positively correlated with activity in the right amygdala. Similarly, when viewing emotional faces, amygdala reactivity was positively correlated with depressive symptomatology and negatively correlated with dispositional mindfulness, an effect that was largely attributable to differences in resting activity. These findings indicate that mindfulness is associated with intrinsic neural activity and that changes in resting amygdala activity could be a potential mechanism by which mindfulness-based depression treatments elicit therapeutic improvement. PMID:20141298

Developmental Associations between Short-Term Variability and Long-Term Changes: Intraindividual Correlation of Positive and Negative Affect in Daily Life and Cognitive Aging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hülür, Gizem; Hoppmann, Christiane A.; Ram, Nilam; Gerstorf, Denis

2015-01-01

Conceptual notions and empirical evidence suggest that the intraindividual correlation (iCorr) of positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) is a meaningful characteristic of affective functioning. PA and NA are typically negatively correlated within-person. Previous research has found that the iCorr of PA and NA is relatively stable over time…

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons pollution effect on soil biological activity in the anthropogenic contaminated area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batukaev, Abdulmalik; Sushkova, Svetlana; Minkina, Tatiana; Antonenko, Elena; Salamova, Anzhelika; Gimp, Alina; Deryabkina, Irina

2017-04-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the most significant environmental contaminants with mutagenic and carcinogenic properties to all living organisms. The changes in microbial community structure in technogenic polluted soil may be used as tools for predicting and monitoring natural degradation and for search the most effective and appropriate pathways of bioremediation. The present study is aimed to research the biological activity of the soil in the emission zone of Novocherkassk Power station (NPs) (Russia) polluted by PAHs in 2015. The NPs is one of the largest thermal power stations in the south of Russia burning low-quality coal appurtenant the enterprises of I hazardous class. Monitoring plots were located on virgin or no-till fallow areas and not subject to the sanitary-protection zone of the NPs. Soil samples were taken from a depth of 0- to 20-cm, because the major part of PAHs are accumulated in the surface soil layer. The soils of the plots mainly include Chernozems Calcic (plots 1, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10), Phaeozems Haplic (plots 3, 6, 8 and 11) Fluvisols Umbric (plots 2 and 12). In the soil of 12 monitoring plots located around NPs there were determined the main enzymes, abundance of soil bacteria and 17 priority PAHs. PAHs extraction from soil was performed by new developed ecologically clean method of subcritical water extraction without organic solvents (Sushkova et al., 2015). The level of PAHs around NPs is high at the nearest to factory monitoring plots situated at distance 1,0-1,2 km and reaches from 1600,1±14,7 up to 373,6±7,1 mkg/kg in the 20-cm soil layer. Gradually decrease of PAHs contamination is observed while increasing the distance from the NPs. The level of highmolecular PAHs (4-6 aromatic rings) exceeds the level of lowmolecular (2-3 aromatic rings) PAHs in all monitoring plots situated though the prevailing wind direction from NPs. The close correlations were found between PAHs content and biological activity parameters in the monitoring plots situated through the prevailing wind direction from NPs. Level of dehydrogenases has high positive correlation with technogenic accumulated biphenyl, acenaphthene and negative correlation with anthracene content in studied soil. The lowmolecular PAHs content of soil influenced activity of dehydrogenases positively. Urease activity of monitoring plots has a high positive correlation with 12 PAHs exclude biphenyl, benzo(a)anthracene, naphthalene. Negative dependence of urease activity was observed for lowmolecular PAHs. The abundance of soil bacteria has a negative correlation with PAHs level. Anthracene has no correlations with abundance of soil bacteria and negatively influences on dehydrogenase, urease. Thus, the most subjected to technogenic pollution in 2015 were monitoring plots situated through the prevailing wind direction from NPs. It was established that ratio of low- and highmolecular PAHs content in soils of monitoring plots is the indicator of technogenic pollution soils. Contamination by PAHs in the affected zone has negative influence at the abundance of soil bacteria. The most number of PAHs has positive correlation with biological activity parameters of soil. This work was supported by grant of the Russian Scientific Foundation № 16-14-10217.

[Valences of self-evaluation and approach-avoidance tendencies: research based on regulatory focus theory].

PubMed

Ozaki, Yuka; Karasawa, Kaori

2011-12-01

Four studies were conducted to investigate the relationship between valences of self-evaluation and approach-avoidance tendencies. Based on regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997, 1998), we predicted that positivity of self-evaluation is related to the tendency to approach gains, while negativity of self-evaluation is related to the tendency to avoid losses. In Study 1, a self-report measure of behavioral tendencies for approaching gains and avoiding losses was developed. In Studies 2 to 4, correlations between these approach/avoidance tendencies and various kinds of self-evaluations were examined. Overall, the authors' predictions were supported. The results suggest that the self-evaluation system and the self-regulation system work in close cooperation with each other in controlling human behavior.

Computer EEG-monitoring of laserotherapy effects in patients with asteno-depressive syndrome.

PubMed

Omelchenko, V P; Baranchook, I S; Dmitriev, M N

1999-01-01

Nowadays the low-intensive laserotherapy is shown to be an effective and non-hazardous method of asteno-depressive syndrome treatment. The differences of EEG-reactions to laser influences have been revealed in patients of different age groups. And the close negative correlation between the therapy effect, on the one hand, and the patient's age and the disease duration, on the other hand, has been shown. No significant changes of the patient's state or integrative EEG-indices have been evoked by a placebo application. The results showed the advantages of the low-intensive laserotherapy in asteno-depressive syndrome treatment and confirmed the significance of computer EEG-monitoring for prediction, control and correction of the state of the patient.

Reliability of instruments in a cooperative, multisite study: employment intervention demonstration program.

PubMed

Salyers, M P; McHugo, G J; Cook, J A; Razzano, L A; Drake, R E; Mueser, K T

2001-09-01

Reliability of well-known instruments was examined in 202 people with severe mental illness participating in a multisite vocational study. We examined interrater reliability of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PANSS, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), and the Quality of Life Interview. Most scales had good levels of reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficient alphas above .70. However, the SF-36 scales were generally less stable over time, particularly Social Functioning (ICC = .55). Test-retest reliability was lower among less educated respondents and among ethnic minorities. We recommend close monitoring of psychometric issues in future multisite studies.

False biochemical diagnosis of hyperthyroidism in streptavidin-biotin-based immunoassays: the problem of biotin intake and related interferences.

PubMed

Piketty, Marie-Liesse; Polak, Michel; Flechtner, Isabelle; Gonzales-Briceño, Laura; Souberbielle, Jean-Claude

2017-05-01

Immunoassays are now commonly used for hormone measurement, in high throughput analytical platforms. Immunoassays are generally robust to interference. However, endogenous analytical error may occur in some patients; this may be encountered in biotin supplementation or in the presence of anti-streptavidin antibody, in immunoassays involving streptavidin-biotin interaction. In these cases, the interference may induce both false positive and false negative results, and simulate a seemingly coherent hormonal profile. It is to be feared that this type of errors will be more frequently observed. This review underlines the importance of keeping close interactions between biologists and clinicians to be able to correlate the hormonal assay results with the clinical picture.

Analysis of Family Functioning and Parent-Child Relationship between Adolescents with Depression and their Parents.

PubMed

Chen, Qing; DU, Wenyong; Gao, Yan; Ma, Changlin; Ban, Chunxia; Meng, Fu

2017-12-25

Drug therapy combined with family therapy is currently the best treatment for adolescent depression. Nevertheless, family therapy requires an exploration of unresolved problems in the family system, which in practice presents certain difficulties. Previous studies have found that the perceptual differences of family function between parents and children reflect the problems in the family system. To explore the characteristics and role of family functioning and parent-child relationship between adolescents with depressive disorder and their parents. The general information and clinical data of the 93 adolescents with depression were collected. The Family Functioning Assessment Scale and Parent-child Relationship Scale were used to assess adolescents with depressive disorder and their parents. a) The dimensions of family functioning in adolescents with depressive disorder were more negative in communication, emotional response, emotional involvement, roles, and overall functioning than their parents. The differences were statistically significant. Parent-child relationship dimensions: the closeness and parent-child total scores were more negative compared with the parents and the differences were statistically significant. b) All dimensions of parent-child relationship and family functioning in adolescents with depression except the time spent together were negatively correlated or significantly negatively correlated. c) The results of multivariate regression analysis showed: the characteristics of family functioning, emotional involvement, emotional response, family structure, and income of the adolescents with depressive disorder mainly affected the parent-child relationship. There were perceptual differences in partial family functioning and parent-child relationship between adolescents with depressive disorder and their parents. Unclear roles between family members, mutual entanglement, too much or too little emotional investment, negligence of inner feelings, parental divorce, and low average monthly family income were the main factors causing adverse parent-child relationship. These perceptual differences have a relatively good predictive effect on family problems, and can be used as an important guide for exploring the family relationship in family therapy.

Analysis of Family Functioning and Parent-Child Relationship between Adolescents with Depression and their Parents

PubMed Central

CHEN, Qing; DU, Wenyong; GAO, Yan; MA, Changlin; BAN, Chunxia; MENG, Fu

2017-01-01

Background Drug therapy combined with family therapy is currently the best treatment for adolescent depression. Nevertheless, family therapy requires an exploration of unresolved problems in the family system, which in practice presents certain difficulties. Previous studies have found that the perceptual differences of family function between parents and children reflect the problems in the family system. Aims To explore the characteristics and role of family functioning and parent-child relationship between adolescents with depressive disorder and their parents. Methods The general information and clinical data of the 93 adolescents with depression were collected. The Family Functioning Assessment Scale and Parent-child Relationship Scale were used to assess adolescents with depressive disorder and their parents. Results a) The dimensions of family functioning in adolescents with depressive disorder were more negative in communication, emotional response, emotional involvement, roles, and overall functioning than their parents. The differences were statistically significant. Parent-child relationship dimensions: the closeness and parent-child total scores were more negative compared with the parents and the differences were statistically significant. b) All dimensions of parent-child relationship and family functioning in adolescents with depression except the time spent together were negatively correlated or significantly negatively correlated. c) The results of multivariate regression analysis showed: the characteristics of family functioning, emotional involvement, emotional response, family structure, and income of the adolescents with depressive disorder mainly affected the parent-child relationship. Conclusions There were perceptual differences in partial family functioning and parent-child relationship between adolescents with depressive disorder and their parents. Unclear roles between family members, mutual entanglement, too much or too little emotional investment, negligence of inner feelings, parental divorce, and low average monthly family income were the main factors causing adverse parent-child relationship. These perceptual differences have a relatively good predictive effect on family problems, and can be used as an important guide for exploring the family relationship in family therapy. PMID:29719348

Post-exercise heart-rate recovery correlates to resting heart-rate variability in healthy men.

PubMed

Molina, Guilherme Eckhardt; Fontana, Keila Elizabeth; Porto, Luiz Guilherme Grossi; Junqueira, Luiz Fernando

2016-12-01

The relationship between post-exercise heart-rate recovery (HRR) and resting cardiac autonomic modulation is an incompletely explored issue. To correlate HRR with resting supine and orthostatic autonomic status. HRR at the 1st, 3th, and 5th min following maximal treadmill exercise were correlated with 5-min time-domain (CV, pNN50 and rMSSD) and frequency-domain (TP, LF, HF, LFn, HFn, and LF/HF ratio) indices of heart-rate variability (HRV) in both supine and standing positions in 31 healthy physically active non-athletes men. Statistical analysis employed non-parametric tests with two-tailed p value set at 5 %. Absolute HRR and Δ %HRR at each post-exercise time did not correlated with HRV in supine position, as well as at 1st min in standing position. At the 3rd min and 5th min, these measures negatively correlated with pNN50, rMSSD, TP, and HF indices, and only in the 5th min, they showed negative correlation with HFn and positive correlation with LF, LFn, and LF/HF ratio in the standing position. Coefficient of HRR (CHRR) at the 1st min negatively correlated with pNN50 and rMSSD and at 3rd and 5th min showed positive correlation with LFn and LF/HF ratio in supine position. With HRV indices in standing position CHRR from the 1st to 5th min showed the same respective negative and positive correlations as the other measures. HRR from the 1st to 5th min post-exercise negatively correlated with parasympathetic modulation in resting orthostatic, but showed no correlation in supine position. At the 3rd and 5th min, a positive correlation with combined sympathetic-parasympathetic modulation in both positions was observed.

Rapid evolution of the intersexual genetic correlation for fitness in Drosophila melanogaster

PubMed Central

Collet, Julie M.; Fuentes, Sara; Hesketh, Jack; Hill, Mark S.; Innocenti, Paolo; Morrow, Edward H.; Fowler, Kevin; Reuter, Max

2016-01-01

Sexual antagonism (SA) arises when male and female phenotypes are under opposing selection, yet genetically correlated. Until resolved, antagonism limits evolution toward optimal sex‐specific phenotypes. Despite its importance for sex‐specific adaptation and existing theory, the dynamics of SA resolution are not well understood empirically. Here, we present data from Drosophila melanogaster, compatible with a resolution of SA. We compared two independent replicates of the “LHM” population in which SA had previously been described. Both had been maintained under identical, controlled conditions, and separated for around 200 generations. Although heritabilities of male and female fitness were similar, the intersexual genetic correlation differed significantly, being negative in one replicate (indicating SA) but close to zero in the other. Using population sequencing, we show that phenotypic differences were associated with population divergence in allele frequencies at nonrandom loci across the genome. Large frequency changes were more prevalent in the population without SA and were enriched at loci mapping to genes previously shown to have sexually antagonistic relationships between expression and fitness. Our data suggest that rapid evolution toward SA resolution has occurred in one of the populations and open avenues toward studying the genetics of SA and its resolution. PMID:27077679

Search behavior of arboreal insectivorous migrants at gulf coast stopover sites in spring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, Chao-Chieh; Barrow, W.C.; Ouchley, K.; Hamilton, R.B.

2011-01-01

Search behavior of arboreal insectivorous migrants was studied at three stopover sites along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico during spring migrations, 1993–1995. We examined if search behavior was affected by phylogeny, or by environmental factors. A sequence of search movements (hop, flutter, or flight) in a foraging bout was recorded for each migrant encountered. Search rate, frequency, and distance of movements were calculated for each species. Search rate was positively correlated with proportion of hop, but negatively correlated to flight distance. Hop distance was positively correlated to tarsus length, as was flight distance to wing length for the 31 species of migrants. Cluster analysis indicated closely related species generally have similar foraging modes, which range from “sit-and-wait” of flycatchers to “widely foraging” of warblers. Migrants tended to use more hops in dense vegetation, but more flights in areas with sparse vegetation. Migrants also used more flights when foraging in mixed-species flocks and during periods of high migrant density. Logistic models indicated warblers were more influenced by environmental factors than vireos, possibly because warblers are near-perch searchers and more affected by these factors.

Vector Potential and Population Dynamics for Amblyomma inornatum

PubMed Central

Medlin, Jennifer S.; Cohen, James I.; Beck, David L.

2015-01-01

We studied the natural life cycle of Amblyomma inornatum and its vector potential in South Texas. This tick is distributed throughout South Texas and most of Central America. A. inornatum represented 1.91% of the ticks collected by carbon dioxide traps during a study of free-living ticks in the Tamaulipan Biotic Province in South Texas. The life cycle of A. inornatum in South Texas showed a clear seasonal pattern consistent with one generation per year. Nymphs emerged in the spring with a peak in February through May. Adults emerged in the summer with a peak in July through September. Detection of A. inornatum larvae was negatively correlated with saturation deficit and positively correlated with rain in the previous few months. Adult activity was positively correlated with temperature and rain in the previous five weeks. Using PCR we detected the presence of species related to Candidatus Borrelia lonestari, Borrelia burgdorferi, Rickettsia species (Candidatus Rickettsia amblyommii), Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and another Ehrlichia related to Ehrlichia ewingii. Finally we sequenced the mitochondrial 16S rRNA genes and found that A. inornatum is most closely related to Amblyomma parvum. This is the first report of the life cycle, vector potential and phylogeny of A. inornatum. PMID:25881916

Noise and time delay induce critical point in a bistable system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jianqiang; Nie, Linru; Yu, Lilong; Zhang, Xinyu

2014-07-01

We study relaxation time Tc of time-delayed bistable system driven by two cross-correlated Gaussian white noises that one is multiplicative and the other is additive. By means of numerical calculations, the results indicate that: (i) Combination of noise and time delay can induce two critical points about the relaxation time at some certain noise cross-correlation strength λ under the condition that the multiplicative intensity D equals to the additive noise intensity α. (ii) For each fixed D or α, there are two symmetrical critical points which locates in the regions of positive and negative correlations, respectively. Namely, as λ equals to the critical value λc, Tc is independent of the delay time and the result of Tc versus τ is a horizontal line, but as |λ|>|λc| (or |λ|<|λc|), the relaxation time Tc monotonically increases (or decreases) with the delay time increasing. (iii) In the presence of D = α, the change of λc with D is two symmetrical curves about the axis of λc = 0, and the critical value λc is close to zero for a smaller D, which approaches to +1 or -1 for a greater D.

Responses of leaf stomatal density to water status and its relationship with photosynthesis in a grass.

PubMed

Xu, Zhenzhu; Zhou, Guangsheng

2008-01-01

Responses of plant leaf stomatal conductance and photosynthesis to water deficit have been extensively reported; however, little is known concerning the relationships of stomatal density with regard to water status and gas exchange. The responses of stomatal density to leaf water status were determined, and correlation with specific leaf area (SLA) in a photosynthetic study of a perennial grass, Leymus chinensis, subjected to different soil moisture contents. Moderate water deficits had positive effects on stomatal number, but more severe deficits led to a reduction, described in a quadratic parabolic curve. The stomatal size obviously decreased with water deficit, and stomatal density was positively correlated with stomatal conductance (g(s)), net CO(2) assimilation rate (A(n)), and water use efficiency (WUE). A significantly negative correlation of SLA with stomatal density was also observed, suggesting that the balance between leaf area and its matter may be associated with the guard cell number. The present results indicate that high flexibilities in stomatal density and guard cell size will change in response to water status, and this process may be closely associated with photosynthesis and water use efficiency.

SDSS-IV MaNGA: environmental dependence of stellar age and metallicity gradients in nearby galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Zheng; Wang, Huiyuan; Ge, Junqiang; Mao, Shude; Li, Cheng; Li, Ran; Mo, Houjun; Goddard, Daniel; Bundy, Kevin; Li, Hongyu; Nair, Preethi; Lin, Lihwai; Long, R. J.; Riffel, Rogério; Thomas, Daniel; Masters, Karen; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Brownstein, Joel R.; Zhang, Kai; Law, David R.; Drory, Niv; Roman Lopes, Alexandre; Malanushenko, Olena

2017-03-01

We present a study on the stellar age and metallicity distributions for 1105 galaxies using the STARLIGHT software on MaNGA (Mapping Nearby Galaxies at APO) integral field spectra. We derive age and metallicity gradients by fitting straight lines to the radial profiles, and explore their correlations with total stellar mass M*, NUV - r colour and environments, as identified by both the large-scale structure (LSS) type and the local density. We find that the mean age and metallicity gradients are close to zero but slightly negative, which is consistent with the inside-out formation scenario. Within our sample, we find that both the age and metallicity gradients show weak or no correlation with either the LSS type or local density environment. In addition, we also study the environmental dependence of age and metallicity values at the effective radii. The age and metallicity values are highly correlated with M* and NUV - r and are also dependent on LSS type as well as local density. Low-mass galaxies tend to be younger and have lower metallicity in low-density environments while high-mass galaxies are less affected by environment.

Hemodynamic and electrophysiological relationship involved in human face processing: evidence from a combined fMRI-ERP study.

PubMed

Iidaka, Tetsuya; Matsumoto, Atsushi; Haneda, Kaoruko; Okada, Tomohisa; Sadato, Norihiro

2006-03-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and event-related potential (ERP) experiments were conducted in the same group of subjects and with an identical task paradigm to investigate a possible relationship between hemodynamic and electrophysiological responses within the brain. The subjects were instructed to judge whether visually presented stimuli were faces or houses and then press the corresponding button. Functional MRI identified face- and house-related regions in the lateral and medial part of the fusiform gyrus, respectively, while ERP showed significantly greater N170 negativity for face than for house stimuli in the temporo-occipital electrodes. Correlation analysis between the BOLD signal in the fusiform gyrus and ERP parameters demonstrated a close relationship between the signal and both latency and amplitude of N170 across the subjects. These correlations may indicate that the variation in cognitive demand and hemodynamic responses during the face/house discrimination task is coupled with the variation of N170 peak latency/amplitude across the subjects. Thus, integrative analysis of spatial and temporal information obtained from the two experimental modalities may help in studying neural correlates involved in a particular cognitive task.

[Diurnal changes in greenhouse gases at water-air interface of Xiangxi River in autumn and their influencing factors].

PubMed

Huang, Wen-Min; Zhu, Kong-Xian; Zhao, Wei; Yu, Bo-Shi; Yuan, Xi-Gong; Feng, Rui-Jie; Bi, Yong-Hong; Hu, Zheng-Yu

2013-04-01

With the closed chamber and gas chromatography method, a 24-hour continuous monitoring was carried out to understand the greenhouse gases fluxes across the water-air interface of the Xiangxi River Bay, the Three-Gorges Reservoir in Autumn. Results indicated that the fluxes of CO2, CH4 and N2O across the water-air interface showed an obvious diurnal variation. The absorption and emission process of CH4 showed strong diurnal variation during the experimental period, reaching the highest emission at 1 am, whereas CO2 and N2O were emitted all day. The fluxes of CO2 ranged from 20.1-97.5 mg x (m2 x h)(-1) at day and 32.7-42.5 mg x (m2 x h)(-1) at night, the fluxes of N2O ranged from 18.4-133.7 microg x (m2 x h)(-1) at day and 42.1-102.6 microg x (m2 x h)(-1) at night. The fluxes of CO2 had positive correlation with wind speed and negative correlation with pH. The fluxes of N2O had positive correlation with pH.

Modular structure of functional networks in olfactory memory.

PubMed

Meunier, David; Fonlupt, Pierre; Saive, Anne-Lise; Plailly, Jane; Ravel, Nadine; Royet, Jean-Pierre

2014-07-15

Graph theory enables the study of systems by describing those systems as a set of nodes and edges. Graph theory has been widely applied to characterize the overall structure of data sets in the social, technological, and biological sciences, including neuroscience. Modular structure decomposition enables the definition of sub-networks whose components are gathered in the same module and work together closely, while working weakly with components from other modules. This processing is of interest for studying memory, a cognitive process that is widely distributed. We propose a new method to identify modular structure in task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) networks. The modular structure was obtained directly from correlation coefficients and thus retained information about both signs and weights. The method was applied to functional data acquired during a yes-no odor recognition memory task performed by young and elderly adults. Four response categories were explored: correct (Hit) and incorrect (False alarm, FA) recognition and correct and incorrect rejection. We extracted time series data for 36 areas as a function of response categories and age groups and calculated condition-based weighted correlation matrices. Overall, condition-based modular partitions were more homogeneous in young than elderly subjects. Using partition similarity-based statistics and a posteriori statistical analyses, we demonstrated that several areas, including the hippocampus, caudate nucleus, and anterior cingulate gyrus, belonged to the same module more frequently during Hit than during all other conditions. Modularity values were negatively correlated with memory scores in the Hit condition and positively correlated with bias scores (liberal/conservative attitude) in the Hit and FA conditions. We further demonstrated that the proportion of positive and negative links between areas of different modules (i.e., the proportion of correlated and anti-correlated areas) accounted for most of the observed differences in signed modularity. Taken together, our results provided some evidence that the neural networks involved in odor recognition memory are organized into modules and that these modular partitions are linked to behavioral performance and individual strategies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation on uterine peristalsis in infertile women.

PubMed

Zhu, Lin; Li, Yanping; Xu, Aizhuang

2012-09-01

Is there a difference in the characteristics of uterine peristalsis in natural and controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) cycles? COH significantly changed the uterine peristaltic pattern. In natural menstrual cycles, the periodic changes of uterine peristalsis are closely related to the reproductive process. This is a prospective cohort study with a total of 64 subjects involved. The study was performed between May 2011 and August 2011. Sixty-four infertile women with regular, ovulatory menstrual cycles underwent follicular tracking in one natural cycle and after ovarian stimulation (GnRH-agonist down-regulation) in the subsequent cycle (COH). Three time points were studied in both cycles: at LH surge/HCG plus 1 day, ovulation/oocyte retrieval and 2 days after ovulation/retrieval. The study was performed in an IVF center of the university-affiliated Xiangya hospital. Uterine peristaltic wave frequency was 1.31 times higher in the COH than in the natural cycle (P< 0.01). At all three time points in the COH cycle, waves moving from the cervix to fundus dominated, comprising 80-90% of the wave types observed, while 'no activity' was more frequently observed in the natural cycle. The wave frequency was positively correlated with the level of serum estradiol (E(2)) (r= 0.30; P< 0.01) and negatively correlated with the progesterone level (r= -0.48; P< 0.01) for the physiological range of steroid levels. No correlation was found between the wave frequency and supraphysiological concentrations of E(2) or progesterone. The two observers were not independent and this was a limitation of the study. Quantitative measurements of wave amplitude in the different cycles should be compared in future research. Uterine peristalsis was much higher in the COH cycle than in the natural cycle. The endometrial movements did not weaken to the natural level before embryo transfer, even with high levels of progesterone. The wave frequency was positively correlated with serum E(2) level and negatively correlated with that of progesterone within the physiological range. No correlation was found between the wave frequency and supraphysiological concentrations of E(2) and progesterone.

Implicit and Explicit Illusory Correlation as a Function of Political Ideology

PubMed Central

Carraro, Luciana; Negri, Paolo; Castelli, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

2014-01-01

Research has demonstrated that people who embrace different ideological orientations often show differences at the level of basic cognitive processes. For instance, conservatives (vs. liberals) display an automatic selective attention for negative (vs. positive) stimuli, and tend to more easily form illusory correlations between negative information and minority groups. In the present work, we further explored this latter effect by examining whether it only involves the formation of explicit attitudes or it extends to implicit attitudes. To this end, following the typical illusory correlation paradigm, participants were presented with members of two numerically different groups (majority and minority) each performing either a positive or negative behaviour. Negative behaviors were relatively infrequent, and the proportion of positive and negative behaviors within each group was the same. Next, explicit and implicit (i.e., IAT-measured) attitudes were assessed. Results showed that conservatives (vs. liberals) displayed stronger explicit as well as implicit illusory correlations effects, forming more negative attitudes toward the minority (vs. majority) group at both the explicit and implicit level. PMID:24820311

Implicit and explicit illusory correlation as a function of political ideology.

PubMed

Carraro, Luciana; Negri, Paolo; Castelli, Luigi; Pastore, Massimiliano

2014-01-01

Research has demonstrated that people who embrace different ideological orientations often show differences at the level of basic cognitive processes. For instance, conservatives (vs. liberals) display an automatic selective attention for negative (vs. positive) stimuli, and tend to more easily form illusory correlations between negative information and minority groups. In the present work, we further explored this latter effect by examining whether it only involves the formation of explicit attitudes or it extends to implicit attitudes. To this end, following the typical illusory correlation paradigm, participants were presented with members of two numerically different groups (majority and minority) each performing either a positive or negative behaviour. Negative behaviors were relatively infrequent, and the proportion of positive and negative behaviors within each group was the same. Next, explicit and implicit (i.e., IAT-measured) attitudes were assessed. Results showed that conservatives (vs. liberals) displayed stronger explicit as well as implicit illusory correlations effects, forming more negative attitudes toward the minority (vs. majority) group at both the explicit and implicit level.

Phenotypic and imaging features of FLNA-negative patients with bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia and epilepsy.

PubMed

Fallil, Zianka; Pardoe, Heath; Bachman, Robert; Cunningham, Benjamin; Parulkar, Isha; Shain, Catherine; Poduri, Annapurna; Knowlton, Robert; Kuzniecky, Ruben

2015-10-01

Periventricular nodular heterotopia (PVNH) is a malformation of cortical development due to impaired neuronal migration resulting in the formation of nodular masses of neurons and glial cells in close proximity to the ventricular walls. We report the clinical characteristics of the largest case series of FLNA-negative patients with seizures and bilateral periventricular heterotopia. Participants were recruited through the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP), a multicenter collaborative effort to collect detailed phenotypic data and DNA on a large number of individuals with epilepsy, including a cohort with symptomatic epilepsy related to PVNH. Included subjects had epilepsy, and MRI confirmed bilateral PVNH. Magnetic resonance imaging studies were visually and quantitatively reviewed to investigate the topographic extent of PVNH, symmetry, and laterality. We analyzed data on 71 patients with bilateral PVNH. The incidence of febrile seizures was 16.6%. There was at least one other family member with epilepsy in 36.9% of this population. Developmental delay was present in 21.8%. Focal onset seizures were the most common type of seizure presentation (79.3%). High heterotopia burden was strongly associated with female gender and trigonal nodular localization. There was no evidence for differences in brain volume between PVNH subjects and controls. No relationship was observed between heterotopic volume and gender, developmental delay, location of PVNH, ventricular or cerebellar abnormalities, laterality of seizure onset, age at seizure onset, and duration of epilepsy. A direct correlation was observed between high heterotopia burden, female gender, and trigonal location in this large cohort of FLNA-negative bilateral PVNH patients with epilepsy. Quantitative MRI measurements indicated that this correlation is based on the diffuse nature of the heterotopic nodules rather than on the total volume of abnormal heterotopic tissue. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dominance hierarchy and social relationships in a group of captive black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti).

PubMed

Cui, Liang-Wei; Sun, Qing-Lei; Li, Bao-Guo

2014-05-01

Different types of dominance hierarchies reflect different social relationships in primates. In this study, we clarified the hierarchy and social relationships in a one-male unit of captive Rhinopithecus bieti observed between August 1998 and March 1999. Mean frequency of agonistic behaviour among adult females was 0.13 interactions per hour. Adult females exhibited a linear hierarchy with a reversal of 10.9%, indicating an unstable relationship; therefore, R. bieti appears to be a relaxed/tolerant species. The lack of a relationship between the agonistic ratio of the adult male towards adult females and their ranks indicated that males did not show increased aggression towards low-ranking females. Differentiated female affiliative relationships were loosely formed in terms of the male, and to some extent influenced by female estrus, implying that relationships between the male and females is influenced by estrus and not rank alone. A positive correlation between the agonistic ratio of adult females and their ranks showed that the degree to which one female negatively impacted others decreased with reduction in rank. Similarly, a positive correlation between the agonistic ratio of females and differences in rank suggests that a female had fewer negative effects on closely ranked individuals than distantly ranked ones. These data indicate that rank may influence relationships between females. A steeper slope of regression between the agonistic ratio and inter-female rank differences indicated that the extent of the power difference in high-ranking females exerting negative effects on low-ranking ones was larger during the mating season than the birth season, suggesting that rank may influence the mating success of females.

Dominance hierarchy and social relationships in a group of Captive black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti)

PubMed Central

CUI, Liang-Wei; SUN, Qing-Lei; LI, Bao-Guo

2014-01-01

Different types of dominance hierarchies reflect different social relationships in primates. In this study, we clarified the hierarchy and social relationships in a one-male unit of captive Rhinopithecus bieti observed between August 1998 and March 1999. Mean frequency of agonistic behaviour among adult females was 0.13 interactions per hour. Adult females exhibited a linear hierarchy with a reversal of 10.9%, indicating an unstable relationship; therefore, R. bieti appears to be a relaxed/tolerant species. The lack of a relationship between the agonistic ratio of the adult male towards adult females and their ranks indicated that males did not show increased aggression towards low-ranking females. Differentiated female affiliative relationships were loosely formed in terms of the male, and to some extent influenced by female estrus, implying that relationships between the male and females is influenced by estrus and not rank alone. A positive correlation between the agonistic ratio of adult females and their ranks showed that the degree to which one female negatively impacted others decreased with reduction in rank. Similarly, a positive correlation between the agonistic ratio of females and differences in rank suggests that a female had fewer negative effects on closely ranked individuals than distantly ranked ones. These data indicate that rank may influence relationships between females. A steeper slope of regression between the agonistic ratio and inter-female rank differences indicated that the extent of the power difference in high-ranking females exerting negative effects on low-ranking ones was larger during the mating season than the birth season, suggesting that rank may influence the mating success of females. PMID:24866491

Plasma homovanillic acid levels in schizophrenic patients: correlation with negative symptoms.

PubMed

Dávila, Ricardo; Zumárraga, Mercedes; Basterreche, Nieves; Arrúe, Aurora; Anguiano, Juan B

2007-05-30

The relation between changes in the levels of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) and clinical evolution during neuroleptic treatment of schizophrenic patients has not been satisfactorily characterized, as a number of conflicting findings have been reported. Significant correlations have generally been found using the assessment of positive symptoms as an index of clinical outcome. Nevertheless, attempts to correlate pHVA concentrations with negative symptoms have yielded contradictory results. With a view to evaluating if different responses in negative symptoms are associated with distinct pHVA profiles, we examined the levels of pHVA in 46 neuroleptic-free schizophrenic patients and in these patients after neuroleptic treatment. Negative and positive symptoms were also addressed before and after treatment. Our results reveal that at least two classes of negative symptoms exist; the clinical evolution of the first class of negative symptoms parallels that of positive symptoms, and clinical improvement correlates with reduced dopaminergic activity. In contrast, in the second class, reduced dopaminergic activity is associated with a further deterioration of negative symptoms. These findings corroborate the heterogeneity of negative symptoms and may contribute to a better definition of endophenotypes in the schizophrenic syndrome.

The future is now: prospective temporal self-appraisals among defensive pessimists and optimists.

PubMed

Sanna, Lawrence J; Chang, Edward C; Carter, Seth E; Small, Eulena M

2006-06-01

Three studies found that prospective temporal self-appraisals can be part of defensive pessimists' strategy; they felt closer to equally distant negative than positive futures. In Study 1, defensive pessimists felt closer to future failures and reported more negative affect than those considering success. In Study 2, when manipulated negative futures were close, defensive pessimists felt bad and performed well; results suggested that viewing negative futures as close may be part of their natural strategy. Study 3 found that prospective self-appraisals influenced performances through felt preparation. Optimists did not use prospective self-appraisals (Study 1) and their performances were unaffected by manipulated temporal distance (Studies 2 and 3). Discussion centers on prospective self-appraisals and multiple strategies of defensive pessimists.

Validation of ultrasonography for non-invasive assessment of diaphragm function in muscular dystrophy.

PubMed

Whitehead, Nicholas P; Bible, Kenneth L; Kim, Min Jeong; Odom, Guy L; Adams, Marvin E; Froehner, Stanley C

2016-12-15

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, degenerative muscle disease that is commonly studied using the mdx mouse. The mdx diaphragm muscle closely mimics the pathophysiological changes in DMD muscles. mdx diaphragm force is commonly assessed ex vivo, precluding time course studies. Here we used ultrasonography to evaluate time-dependent changes in diaphragm function in vivo, by measuring diaphragm movement amplitude. In mdx mice, diaphragm amplitude decreased with age and values were much lower than for wild-type mice. Importantly, diaphragm amplitude strongly correlated with ex vivo specific force values. Micro-dystrophin administration increased mdx diaphragm amplitude by 26% after 4 weeks. Diaphragm amplitude correlated positively with ex vivo force values and negatively with diaphragm fibrosis, a major cause of DMD muscle weakness. These studies validate diaphragm ultrasonography as a reliable technique for assessing time-dependent changes in mdx diaphragm function in vivo. This technique will be valuable for testing potential therapies for DMD. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, degenerative muscle disease caused by dystrophin mutations. The mdx mouse is a widely used animal model of DMD. The mdx diaphragm muscle most closely recapitulates key features of DMD muscles, including progressive fibrosis and considerable force loss. Diaphragm function in mdx mice is commonly evaluated by specific force measurements ex vivo. While useful, this method only measures force from a small muscle sample at one time point. Therefore, accurate assessment of diaphragm function in vivo would provide an important advance to study the time course of functional decline and treatment benefits. Here, we evaluated an ultrasonography technique for measuring time-dependent changes of diaphragm function in mdx mice. Diaphragm movement amplitude values for mdx mice were considerably lower than those for wild-type, decreased from 8 to 18 months of age, and correlated strongly with ex vivo specific force. We then investigated the time course of diaphragm amplitude changes following administration of an adeno-associated viral vector expressing Flag-micro-dystrophin (AAV-μDys) to young adult mdx mice. Diaphragm amplitude peaked 4 weeks after AAV-μDys administration, and was 26% greater than control mdx mice at this time. This value decreased slightly to 21% above mdx controls after 12 weeks of treatment. Importantly, diaphragm amplitude again correlated strongly with ex vivo specific force. Also, diaphragm amplitude and specific force negatively correlated with fibrosis levels in the muscle. Together, our results validate diaphragm ultrasonography as a reliable technique for assessing time-dependent changes in dystrophic diaphragm function in vivo, and for evaluating potential therapies for DMD. © 2016 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

Validation of ultrasonography for non‐invasive assessment of diaphragm function in muscular dystrophy

PubMed Central

Bible, Kenneth L.; Kim, Min Jeong; Odom, Guy L.; Adams, Marvin E.; Froehner, Stanley C.

2016-01-01

Key points Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, degenerative muscle disease that is commonly studied using the mdx mouse. The mdx diaphragm muscle closely mimics the pathophysiological changes in DMD muscles. mdx diaphragm force is commonly assessed ex vivo, precluding time course studies. Here we used ultrasonography to evaluate time‐dependent changes in diaphragm function in vivo, by measuring diaphragm movement amplitude.In mdx mice, diaphragm amplitude decreased with age and values were much lower than for wild‐type mice. Importantly, diaphragm amplitude strongly correlated with ex vivo specific force values.Micro‐dystrophin administration increased mdx diaphragm amplitude by 26% after 4 weeks. Diaphragm amplitude correlated positively with ex vivo force values and negatively with diaphragm fibrosis, a major cause of DMD muscle weakness.These studies validate diaphragm ultrasonography as a reliable technique for assessing time‐dependent changes in mdx diaphragm function in vivo. This technique will be valuable for testing potential therapies for DMD. Abstract Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, degenerative muscle disease caused by dystrophin mutations. The mdx mouse is a widely used animal model of DMD. The mdx diaphragm muscle most closely recapitulates key features of DMD muscles, including progressive fibrosis and considerable force loss. Diaphragm function in mdx mice is commonly evaluated by specific force measurements ex vivo. While useful, this method only measures force from a small muscle sample at one time point. Therefore, accurate assessment of diaphragm function in vivo would provide an important advance to study the time course of functional decline and treatment benefits. Here, we evaluated an ultrasonography technique for measuring time‐dependent changes of diaphragm function in mdx mice. Diaphragm movement amplitude values for mdx mice were considerably lower than those for wild‐type, decreased from 8 to 18 months of age, and correlated strongly with ex vivo specific force. We then investigated the time course of diaphragm amplitude changes following administration of an adeno‐associated viral vector expressing Flag‐micro‐dystrophin (AAV‐μDys) to young adult mdx mice. Diaphragm amplitude peaked 4 weeks after AAV‐μDys administration, and was 26% greater than control mdx mice at this time. This value decreased slightly to 21% above mdx controls after 12 weeks of treatment. Importantly, diaphragm amplitude again correlated strongly with ex vivo specific force. Also, diaphragm amplitude and specific force negatively correlated with fibrosis levels in the muscle. Together, our results validate diaphragm ultrasonography as a reliable technique for assessing time‐dependent changes in dystrophic diaphragm function in vivo, and for evaluating potential therapies for DMD. PMID:27570057

Fatigue correlates with the decrease in parasympathetic sinus modulation induced by a cognitive challenge

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background It is known that enhancement of sympathetic nerve activity based on a decrease in parasympathetic nerve activity is associated with fatigue induced by mental tasks lasting more than 30 min. However, to measure autonomic nerve function and assess fatigue levels in both clinical and industrial settings, shorter experimental durations and more sensitive measurement methods are needed. The aim of the present study was to establish an improved method for inducing fatigue and evaluating the association between it and autonomic nerve activity. Methods Twenty-eight healthy female college students participated in the study. We used a kana pick-out test (KPT) as a brief verbal cognitive task and recorded electrocardiography (ECG) to measure autonomic nerve activity. The experimental design consisted of a 16-min period of ECG: A pre-task resting state with eyes open for 3 min and eyes closed for 3 min, the 4-min KPT, and a post-task resting state with eyes open for 3 min and eyes closed for 3 min. Results Baseline fatigue sensation, measured by a visual analogue scale before the experiment, was associated with the decrease in parasympathetic sinus modulation, as indicated the by ratio of low-frequency component power (LF) to high-frequency component power (HF), during the KPT. The LF/HF ratio during the post-KPT rest with eyes open tended to be greater than the ratio during the KPT and correlated with fatigue sensation. Fatigue sensation was correlated negatively with log-transformed HF, which is an index of parasympathetic sinus modulation, during the post-KPT rest with eyes open. Conclusions The methods described here are useful for assessing the association between fatigue sensation and autonomic nerve activity using a brief cognitive test in healthy females. PMID:25069864

Quantification of hardness, elasticity and viscosity of the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis using a novel sensing device (Vesmeter): a proposal for a new outcome measurement procedure.

PubMed

Kuwahara, Y; Shima, Y; Shirayama, D; Kawai, M; Hagihara, K; Hirano, T; Arimitsu, J; Ogata, A; Tanaka, T; Kawase, I

2008-07-01

No objective method to measure skin involvement in SSc has been established. We developed a novel method using a computer-linked device to simultaneously quantify physical properties of the skin such as hardness, elasticity and viscosity. Skin hardness was calculated by measuring the depth of an indenter pressed onto the skin. The Voigt model was used to calculate skin elasticity, viscosity, visco-elastic ratio and relaxation time by analysing the waveform of skin surface behaviour. The results were compared with the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) obtained at 17 sites on the bodies of 20 SSc patients and 20 healthy controls. A functional assessment questionnaire was administered to determine how skin hardness represents a patient's disability. We also examined intra- and inter-observer variability to determine the reliability of this method. The crude hardness obtained with this device correlated well with the standard hardness specified by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM, r = 0.957). A close relationship between hardness and total mRSS was also observed (r = 0.832). Skin elasticity correlated positively, and relaxation time negatively with mRSS. Functional disability correlated more closely with skin hardness (r = 0.643) than with mRSS (r = 0.517). Intra- and inter-observer variabilities were 7.63 and 19.76%, respectively, which were lower than those reported for mRSS. Increases in hardness and elasticity as well as shortening of relaxation time constitute objective characteristics of skin involvement in SSc. The system devised by us proved to be able to assess skin abnormalities of SSc with high reliability.

Frequency-Dependent Modulation of Regional Synchrony in the Human Brain by Eyes Open and Eyes Closed Resting-States.

PubMed

Song, Xiaopeng; Zhou, Shuqin; Zhang, Yi; Liu, Yijun; Zhu, Huaiqiu; Gao, Jia-Hong

2015-01-01

The eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) states have differential effects on BOLD-fMRI signal dynamics, affecting both the BOLD oscillation frequency of a single voxel and the regional homogeneity (ReHo) of several neighboring voxels. To explore how the two resting-states modulate the local synchrony through different frequency bands, we decomposed the time series of each voxel into several components that fell into distinct frequency bands. The ReHo in each of the bands was calculated and compared between the EO and EC conditions. The cross-voxel correlations between the mean frequency and the overall ReHo of each voxel's original BOLD series in different brain areas were also calculated and compared between the two states. Compared with the EC state, ReHo decreased with EO in a wide frequency band of 0.01-0.25 Hz in the bilateral thalamus, sensorimotor network, and superior temporal gyrus, while ReHo increased significantly in the band of 0-0.01 Hz in the primary visual cortex, and in a higher frequency band of 0.02-0.1 Hz in the higher order visual areas. The cross-voxel correlations between the frequency and overall ReHo were negative in all the brain areas but varied from region to region. These correlations were stronger with EO in the visual network and the default mode network. Our results suggested that different frequency bands of ReHo showed different sensitivity to the modulation of EO-EC states. The better spatial consistency between the frequency and overall ReHo maps indicated that the brain might adopt a stricter frequency-dependent configuration with EO than with EC.

The Relationship Between Humor Styles and Forgiveness

PubMed Central

Hampes, William

2016-01-01

Research has shown that a factor in a victim’s forgiveness of an offender is the victim’s ability to make more positive, or at least less negative, attributions of the offender’s behavior and that perspective-taking can be a factor in facilitating that process. Self-enhancing humor has been found to be positively correlated with perspective-taking empathy and aggressive humor found to be negatively correlated with perspective-taking empathy. Therefore it was predicted that self-enhancing humor would be positively correlated with forgiveness and aggressive humor negatively correlated with forgiveness. The Humor Styles Questionnaire, the Absence of Negative and Presence of Positive subscales of the Forgiveness Scale, and the Forgiveness Likelihood Scale were administered to 112 college undergraduates. Self-enhancing humor was significantly and positively correlated with all of the forgiveness measures, aggressive humor and self-defeating humor were significantly and negatively correlated with some of the forgiveness measures and affiliative humor was not significantly correlated with any of the forgiveness measures. The results were interpreted in terms of previous findings for humor styles, perspective-taking empathy, depression, self-esteem and anxiety. Future research involving the extent to which other personality variables, such as perspective-taking empathy, mediate the relationship between self-enhancing humor and forgiveness was suggested. PMID:27547252

Measurements of historical total ozone from the Chalonge-Divan stellar spectrum program: A reanalysis of the 1953-1972 data and a comparison with simultaneous Dobson Arosa measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, R. E. M.; Fioletov, V.; McConnell, J. C.

2006-06-01

We report new determinations of total ozone obtained by reanalyzing a unique set of astronomical observations that were made in the mid-20th century at observatories in France (Haute-Provence) and Switzerland (Jungfraujoch) for the purpose of calculating nightly atmospheric extinction coefficients in the UV (Rayleigh scattering and total ozone) as part of a program to measure absolute stellar fluxes. Only a small fraction of the original ozone results, corresponding to data obtained during 1958-1959, are in the public domain at the World Ozone and Ultraviolet Data Centre; the rest were on handwritten sheets and were stored at Haute-Provence. Both astronomical sites are close enough geographically to Arosa (Switzerland) that the respective ozone values can be compared directly. The comparison reveals a generally very close resemblance, even down to the pattern of daily variations, with a correlation coefficient of 0.78, but an overall negative bias of 6-7% in the stellar results. The bias appears to be slightly larger prior to 1958.

Risk and Resolution: The Influence of Presidential Personality Predispositions on Military Disengagement Decisions

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

personality. Their Five Factor Model ( FFM ) melds characteristics found in nearly all personality and psychological tests. The model consists of...and Costa found MBTI scales to correlate strongly with four of the five FFM traits: MBTI-Introversion correlates negatively to FFM Extraversion, MBTI...N correlates positively to FFM Openness, MBTI-Feeling correlates positively to FFM Agreeableness, and MBTI-P correlates negatively to FFM

[Study of correlation dimension on EEG].

PubMed

Yang, Hao; Fang, Liang; He, Wei

2004-02-01

The study of non-linear EEG is of great significance in clinical practice and research work. This paper has gone into the feasibility of calculating the correlation dimension and has developed some subjects with the characters of correlation dimension and the difference under four conditions: (1) passive eyes closed(PEC); (2) mental arithmetic with eyes closed(MAEC); (3) passive eyes open(PEO); (4) mental reasoning with eyes open (MRED). The results show it is feasible and meaningful to calculate correlation dimension and the correlation dimension can reflect the regular patterns of mental activity.

Pancreatic hardness: Correlation of surgeon’s palpation, durometer measurement and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging features

PubMed Central

Hong, Tae Ho; Choi, Joon-Il; Park, Michael Yong; Rha, Sung Eun; Lee, Young Joon; You, Young Kyoung; Choi, Moon Hyung

2017-01-01

AIM To evaluate the correlation between subjective assessments of pancreatic hardness based on the palpation, objective measurements using a durometer, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for assessing pancreatic hardness. METHODS Eighty-three patients undergoing pancreatectomies were enrolled. An experienced surgeon subjectively evaluated the pancreatic hardness in the surgical field by palpation. The pancreatic hardness was also objectively evaluated using a durometer. Preoperative MRI findings were evaluated by a radiologist in terms of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, the relative signal intensity decrease (RSID) of the pancreatic parenchyma, and the diameter of the pancreatic parenchyma and duct. Durometer measurement results, ADC values, RSID, pancreatic duct and parenchyma diameters, and the ratio of the diameters of the duct and parenchyma were compared between pancreases judged to be soft or hard pancreas on the palpation. A correlation analysis was also performed between the durometer and MRI measurements. RESULTS The palpation assessment classified 44 patients as having a soft pancreas and 39 patients as having a hard pancreas. ADC values were significantly lower in the hard pancreas group. The ductal diameter and duct-to-pancreas ratio were significantly higher in the hard pancreas group. For durometer measurements, a correlation analysis showed a positive correlation with the ductal diameter and the duct-to-pancreas ratio and a negative correlation with ADC values. CONCLUSION Hard pancreases showed lower ADC values, a wider pancreatic duct diameter and a higher duct-to-pancreas ratio than soft pancreases. Additionally, the ADC values, diameter of the pancreatic duct and duct-to-pancreas ratio were closely correlated with the durometer results. PMID:28373771

Pancreatic hardness: Correlation of surgeon's palpation, durometer measurement and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging features.

PubMed

Hong, Tae Ho; Choi, Joon-Il; Park, Michael Yong; Rha, Sung Eun; Lee, Young Joon; You, Young Kyoung; Choi, Moon Hyung

2017-03-21

To evaluate the correlation between subjective assessments of pancreatic hardness based on the palpation, objective measurements using a durometer, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings for assessing pancreatic hardness. Eighty-three patients undergoing pancreatectomies were enrolled. An experienced surgeon subjectively evaluated the pancreatic hardness in the surgical field by palpation. The pancreatic hardness was also objectively evaluated using a durometer. Preoperative MRI findings were evaluated by a radiologist in terms of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, the relative signal intensity decrease (RSID) of the pancreatic parenchyma, and the diameter of the pancreatic parenchyma and duct. Durometer measurement results, ADC values, RSID, pancreatic duct and parenchyma diameters, and the ratio of the diameters of the duct and parenchyma were compared between pancreases judged to be soft or hard pancreas on the palpation. A correlation analysis was also performed between the durometer and MRI measurements. The palpation assessment classified 44 patients as having a soft pancreas and 39 patients as having a hard pancreas. ADC values were significantly lower in the hard pancreas group. The ductal diameter and duct-to-pancreas ratio were significantly higher in the hard pancreas group. For durometer measurements, a correlation analysis showed a positive correlation with the ductal diameter and the duct-to-pancreas ratio and a negative correlation with ADC values. Hard pancreases showed lower ADC values, a wider pancreatic duct diameter and a higher duct-to-pancreas ratio than soft pancreases. Additionally, the ADC values, diameter of the pancreatic duct and duct-to-pancreas ratio were closely correlated with the durometer results.

Expression of P-Akt, NFkappaB and their correlation with human papillomavirus infection in cervical carcinoma.

PubMed

Du, C X; Wang, Y

2012-01-01

To investigate the expression of P-Akt and NFkappaB and their correlation with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in cervical carcinoma. Expression of P-Akt and NFkappaB was detected by an immunohistochemical SP technique with HPV DNA detetion by PCR in 26 cases of cervical carcinoma tissues, 18 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia tissues (CINI / n = 5, CINII / n = 3, CINIII / n = 10) and 19 cases of chronic cervicitis tissues. The different expressions of P-Akt and NFkappaB were compared in different pathological types of cervical carcinoma (cervical squamous cell carcinoma, cervical adenocarcinoma), different pathological grading (high, medium, poorly differentiated) and different clinical stage (FIGO I to IV). The relationships between P-Akt and NFkappaB, respectively, with HPV infection in cervical carcinoma were analyzed. The positive expression rate of P-Akt in chronic cervicitis tissues, CIN and cervical carcinoma tissues was 21.05%, 66.67%, and 92.31%, respectively. There was no obvious difference in the expression of P-Akt in cervical carcinoma in different pathological types or in pathological grading and no obvious difference in different clinical stages. The positive expression rate of NFkappaB in chronic cervicitis tissues, CIN and cervical carcinoma tissues was 10.52%, 72.22% and 96.15%, respectively; there was no statistically significant difference among the groups for different pathological types and there was no obvious difference in different pathological grading or different clinical stage. There was an obviously positive correlation between P-Akt and NFkappaB expression rate and degree of disease (r = 0.998, p < 0.05). Cervical carcinoma and CIN cases totaled 44; the positive expression rate of P-Akt was 87.55% in 32 cases of positive HPV-DNA of the 44 cases, and the positive expression rate of P-Akt was only 16.70% in 12 cases of negative HPV-DNA of the 44 cases. The positive expression rate of NFkappaB was obviously higher in the HPV DNA positive than in the HPV-DNA negative cases. There was a statistically significant difference among the groups (p < 0.05). The positive expression rate of P-Akt and NFkappaB was closely related with cervical disease extent, and closely related with HPV infection in cervical carcinoma. This study suggests that P-Akt and NFkappaB more probably play an important role in the occurrence of cervical carcinoma.

Closed Genome Sequence of Chryseobacterium piperi Strain CTMT/ATCC BAA-1782, a Gram-Negative Bacterium with Clostridial Neurotoxin-Like Coding Sequences

PubMed Central

Wentz, Travis G.; Muruvanda, Tim; Thirunavukkarasu, Nagarajan; Hoffmann, Maria; Allard, Marc W.; Hodge, David R.; Pillai, Segaran P.; Hammack, Thomas S.; Brown, Eric W.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Clostridial neurotoxins, including botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins, are among the deadliest known bacterial toxins. Until recently, the horizontal mobility of this toxin gene family appeared to be limited to the genus Clostridium. We report here the closed genome sequence of Chryseobacterium piperi, a Gram-negative bacterium containing coding sequences with homology to clostridial neurotoxin family proteins. PMID:29192076

Bulimic symptoms and the social withdrawal syndrome.

PubMed

Rotenberg, Ken J; Bharathi, Carla; Davies, Helen; Finch, Tom

2013-08-01

One hundred and thirty-seven undergraduates (81 females; mean age = 21 years-10 months) completed the Bulimic SEDS subscale and standardized measures of trust beliefs in close others (mother, father, and friend), disclosure to them, and loneliness. Structural Equation Modelling yielded: (1) a negative path between Bulimic Symptoms and trust beliefs, (2) a positive path between trust beliefs and disclosure, (3) a negative path between trust beliefs and loneliness, and (4) a negative path between disclosure and loneliness. As expected, trust beliefs statistically mediated the relations between Bulimic Symptoms and both disclosure and loneliness and disclosure statistically mediated the relation between trust beliefs and loneliness. The findings supported the conclusion that individuals with bulimia nervosa are prone to the social withdrawal syndrome comprising a coherent and integrated pattern of low trust beliefs in close others, low disclosure to close others, and high loneliness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlation analyses of covering and righting behaviors to fitness related traits of the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis in different environmental conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Jing; Zhang, Lisheng; Zhao, Chong; Feng, Wenping; Sun, Ping; Chang, Yaqing

2016-11-01

Complex marine benthic environments shape a number of ecologically important behaviors in sea urchins, including covering and righting behaviors. The present study correlated covering and righting behaviors to a series of fitness-related traits in sea urchins. Righting response time of Glyptocidaris crenularis was significantly positively correlated with body size, but significantly negatively correlated with food consumption. Covering behavior was not significantly correlated with test diameter, test height or body weight, but covering response time was negatively correlated with body weight. A significantly negative correlation was found between righting response time and covering response time. Glyptocidaris crenularis showed a significantly positive correlation in covering response time with and without exposure to poured sand, but no significance in covering ability (number of shells used to cover). The present study provides new insight into internal mechanisms and evolutionary drives of covering and righting behaviors of sea urchins.

Perceptions of temperature, moisture and comfort in clothing during environmental transients.

PubMed

Li, Y

2005-02-22

A study has been carried out to investigate the psychophysical mechanisms of the perception of temperature and moisture sensations in clothing during environmental transients. A series of wear trials was conducted to measure the psychological perception of thermal and moisture sensations and the simultaneous temperature and humidity at the skin surface, fabric surface and in the clothing under simulated moderate rain conditions. Jumpers made from wool and acrylic fibres were used in the trial. Analysis has been carried out to study the relationship between psychological perceptions of temperature and moisture and the objectively measured skin and fabric temperatures and relative humidity in clothing microclimate. The perception of warmth seems to follow Fechner's law and Stevens' power law, having positive relationships with the skin temperature and fabric temperatures. The perception of dampness appears to follow Fechner's law more closely than Stevens' power law with a negative relationship with skin temperature, and is nonlinearly and positively correlated with relative humidity in clothing microclimate. The perception of comfort is positively related to the perception of warmth and negatively to the perception of dampness. This perception of comfort is positively related to the skin temperature, which appears to follow both Fechner's law and Stevens' law, also non-linearly and negatively related to relative humidity in clothing microclimate.

Energy requirements of man living in a weightless environment.

PubMed

Vanderveen, J E; Allen, T H

1972-01-01

The ability to maintain energy balance is a vital factor in maintaining body composition. A negative energy balance requires that body tissue be consumed to sustain biochemical and physiological activity. Such a caloric imbalance coupled with reduced physical activity results in (among other things): a negative balance which can not be reversed by increased protein intake; negative balances for electrolytes; and a suspension of erythrocyte production. Body weight losses were experienced by all astronauts during Gemini and Apollo missions. Data on the magnitude of the changes, together with data on energy consumption, were used to calculate energy imbalances. These data, when compared with results obtained from precise energy balance measurements made on 64 men living in low pressure chambers, show close correlation. When energy requirements are expressed in kilocalories per kilogram of body weight, the difference in energy requirements among the astronauts and chamber subjects was small and not statistically significant. These data indicated that reliable prediction of energy needs for astronauts, during long-term space missions, can be made by studying either the astronauts or healthy subjects in a ground-based environment similar to that of the spacecraft. These data also indicate that changes in body weight and certain other body measurements detected during Gemini and Apollo missions were probably caused, at least in part, by a calorie deficit.

Negative Emotional Events that People Ruminate about Feel Closer in Time

PubMed Central

Siedlecka, Ewa; Capper, Miriam M.; Denson, Thomas F.

2015-01-01

Rumination is intrusive, perseverative cognition. We suggest that one psychological consequence of ruminating about negative emotional events is that the events feel as though they happened metaphorically “just yesterday”. Results from three studies showed that ruminating about real world anger provocations, guilt-inducing events, and sad times in the last year made these past events feel as though they happened more recently. The relationship between rumination and reduced temporal psychological distance persisted even when controlling for when the event occurred and the emotional intensity of the event. Moreover, angry rumination was correlated with enhanced approach motivation, which mediated the rumination-distance relationship. The relationship between guilty rumination and distance was mediated by enhanced vividness. Construal level and taking a 3rd person perspective contributed to the sense of distance when participants were prompted to think about less emotionally charged situations. A meta-analysis of the data showed that the relationship between rumination and reduced distance was significant and twice as large as the same relationship for neutral events. These findings have implications for understanding the role of emotional rumination on memory processes in clinical populations and people prone to rumination. This research suggests that rumination may be a critical mechanism that keeps negative events close in the heart, mind, and time. PMID:25714395

Effects of several environmental factors on longevity and health of the human population of Zhongxiang, Hubei, China.

PubMed

Lv, Jinmei; Wang, Wuyi; Krafft, Thomas; Li, Yonghua; Zhang, Fengying; Yuan, Fuqing

2011-11-01

Increasing human health and longevity is of global interest. Environmental, genetic, and stochastic factors all affect longevity. Among these factors, the environment is extremely important. To investigate the relationship between the environment and longevity, we studied the environment in Zhongxiang (China), where the inhabitants commonly have long life spans. Air was analyzed for negative oxygen ions, SO2, and inhalable particles, while drinking water and rice were analyzed for macro- and micro-elements. The air quality in this area was determined to be grade I with high negative oxygen ion content and low SO2 and inhalable particle contents. Apart from Fe, Mn, and F, all tested elements and the pH were within national standards and World Health Organization guidelines. The percentage of long-lived people in the area was closely related to the macro- and micro-element contents of their staple food, rice. The elements in rice could be classified into three categories according to their effect on longevity: Sr, Ca, Al, Mo, and Se, which were positively correlated with longevity; Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, P, Mg, and K, which had a weak effect on local longevity, and Cu and Ba, which had a negative effect on longevity.

Religion, coping and outcome in out-patients with depression or diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Amadi, K U; Uwakwe, R; Odinka, P C; Ndukuba, A C; Muomah, C R; Ohaeri, J U

2016-06-01

The study assesses the association between religiosity and coping style with the outcome of depression and diabetes. Using a simple random sampling, we recruited 112 participants with diabetes and an equal number with depression consecutively, matching for gender. Religiosity was determined using Religious Orientation Scale (revised) (ROS-R), coping styles with Brief Religious Coping (Brief RCOPE) scale and Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale (adapted). Primary and secondary outcomes were evaluated using Sheehan's Disability Scale (SDS) and Becks Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) respectively. Among participants with diabetes, BDI-II total scores correlated negatively with ROS-R Extrinsic Social (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and Fighting Spirit (r = -0.3, P < 0.05) but correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.3, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.4, P < 0.05). SDS global scores correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.3, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.4, P < 0.05). Among participants with depression, BDI-II total scores correlated negatively with Intrinsic religiosity (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and Fighting Spirit (r = -0.4, P < 0.05) but correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.6, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.7, P < 0.05). SDS global scores correlated negatively with Intrinsic religiosity (r = -0.2, P < 0.05) and Fighting Spirit (r = -0.3, P < 0.05) but correlated positively with Helplessness/Hopelessness (r = 0.5, P < 0.05) and Brief RCOPE Negative (r = 0.4, P < 0.05). High intrinsic and extrinsic religiosities are likely to be associated with positive coping skills and better treatment outcome in patients with depression or diabetes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize (Zea mays L.) lines

PubMed Central

Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D.; Williams, Daniel L.; Magee, Timothy D.; Kaeppler, Shawn M.; de Leon, Natalia; Hodge, David B.

2015-01-01

A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA) content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. This indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment. PMID:25871649

Long-term growth-increment chronologies reveal diverse influences of climate forcing on freshwater and forest biota in the Pacific Northwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Black, Bryan A.; Dunham, Jason B.; Blundon, Brett W.; Brim-Box, Jayne; Tepley, Alan J.

2015-01-01

Analyses of how organisms are likely to respond to a changing climate have focused largely on the direct effects of warming temperatures, though changes in other variables may also be important, particularly the amount and timing of precipitation. Here, we develop a network of eight growth-increment width chronologies for freshwater mussel species in the Pacific Northwest, United States and integrate them with tree-ring data to evaluate how terrestrial and aquatic indicators respond to hydroclimatic variability, including river discharge and precipitation. Annual discharge averaged across water years (October 1–September 30) was highly synchronous among river systems and imparted a coherent pattern among mussel chronologies. The leading principal component of the five longest mussel chronologies (1982–2003; PC1mussel) accounted for 47% of the dataset variability and negatively correlated with the leading principal component of river discharge (PC1discharge; r = −0.88; P < 0.0001). PC1mussel and PC1discharge were closely linked to regional wintertime precipitation patterns across the Pacific Northwest, the season in which the vast majority of annual precipitation arrives. Mussel growth was also indirectly related to tree radial growth, though the nature of the relationships varied across the landscape. Negative correlations occurred in forests where tree growth tends to be limited by drought while positive correlations occurred in forests where tree growth tends to be limited by deep or lingering snowpack. Overall, this diverse assemblage of chronologies illustrates the importance of winter precipitation to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and suggests that a complexity of climate responses must be considered when estimating the biological impacts of climate variability and change.

Molecular and clinical characterization of PTPN2 expression from RNA-seq data of 996 brain gliomas.

PubMed

Wang, Peng-Fei; Cai, Hong-Qing; Zhang, Chuan-Bao; Li, Yan-Michael; Liu, Xiang; Wan, Jing-Hai; Jiang, Tao; Li, Shou-Wei; Yan, Chang-Xiang

2018-05-15

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been shown to promote antitumor immunity and achieve durable tumor remissions. However, certain tumors are refractory to current immunotherapy. These negative results encouraged us to uncover other therapeutic targets and strategies. PTPN2 (protein tyrosine phosphatase, non-receptor type 2) has been newly identified as an immunotherapy target. Loss of PTPN2 sensitizes the tumor to immunotherapy via IFNγ signaling. Here, we investigated the relationship between PTPN2 mRNA levels and clinical characteristics in gliomas. RNA-seq data of a cohort of 325 patients with glioma were available from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas and 671 from The Cancer Genome Atlas. R language, GraphPad Prism 5, and SPSS 22.0 were used to analyze data and draw figures. PTPN2 transcript levels increased significantly with higher grades of glioma and in isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type and mesenchymal subtype gliomas. A comprehensive biological analysis was conducted, which indicated a crucial role of PTPN2 in the immune and inflammation responses in gliomas. Specifically, PTPN2 was positively associated with HCK, LCK, MHC II, and STAT1 but negatively related to IgG and interferon. Moreover, canonical correlation analysis showed a positive correlation of PTPN2 with infiltrating immune cells, such as macrophages, neutrophils, and CD8 + T cells. Clinically, higher levels of PTPN2 were associated with a worse overall survival both in patients with gliomas and glioblastomas. PTPN2 expression level was increased in glioblastomas and associated with gliomas of the IDH wild-type and mesenchymal subtype. There was a close correlation between PTPN2 and the immune response and inflammatory activity in gliomas. Our results show that PTPN2 is a promising immunotherapy target and may provide additional treatment strategies.

Determinants of job satisfaction for novice nurse managers employed in hospitals.

PubMed

Djukic, Maja; Jun, Jin; Kovner, Christine; Brewer, Carol; Fletcher, Jason

Numbering close to 300,000 nurse managers represent the largest segment of the health care management workforce. Their effectiveness is, in part, influenced by their job satisfaction. We examined factors associated with job satisfaction of novice frontline nurse managers. We used a cross-sectional, correlational survey design. The sample consisted of responders to the fifth wave of a multiyear study of new nurses in 2013 (N = 1,392; response rate of 69%) who reported working as managers (n = 209). The parent study sample consisted of registered nurses who were licensed for the first time by exam 6-18 months prior in 1 of 51 selected metropolitan statistical areas and 9 rural areas across 34 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. We examined bivariate correlations between job satisfaction and 31 personal and structural variables. All variables significantly related to job satisfaction in bivariate analysis were included in a multivariate linear regression model. In addition, we tested the interaction effects of procedural justice and negative affectivity, autonomy, and organizational constraints on job satisfaction. The Cronbach's alphas for all multi-item scales ranged from .74 to .96. In the multivariate analysis, negative affectivity (β = -.169; p = .006) and procedural justice (β = .210; p = .016) were significantly correlated with job satisfaction. The combination of predictors in the model accounted for half of the variability in job satisfaction ratings (R = .51, adjusted R = .47; p <. 001). Health care executives who want to cultivate an effective novice frontline nurse manager workforce can best ensure their satisfaction by creating an organization with strong procedural justice. This could be achieved by involving managers in decision-making processes and ensuring transparency about how decisions that affect nursing are made.

Indirect effects of emerald ash borer-induced ash mortality and canopy gap formation on epigaeic beetles.

PubMed

Gandhi, Kamal J K; Smith, Annemarie; Hartzler, Diane M; Herms, Daniel A

2014-06-01

Exotic herbivorous insects have drastically and irreversibly altered forest structure and composition of North American forests. For example, emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) from Asia has caused wide-scale mortality of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in eastern United States and Canada. We studied the effects of forest changes resulting from emerald ash borer invasion on epigaeic or ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) along a gradient of ash dieback and gap sizes in southeastern Michigan. Ground beetles were sampled in hydric, mesic, and xeric habitats in which black (Fraxinus nigra Marshall), green (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall), and white (Fraxinus americana L.) ash were the most common species, respectively. During 2006-2007, we trapped 2,545 adult ground beetles comprising 52 species. There was a negative correlation between percent ash tree mortality in 2006 and catches of all beetles. Catches of Agonum melanarium Dejean (in 2006) and Pterostichus mutus (Say) (in 2006-2007) were negatively correlated with tree mortality and gap size, respectively. However, catches of Pterostichus corvinus Dejean were positively correlated with gap size in 2006. As ash mortality and average gap size increased from 2006 to 2007, catches of all beetles as well as P. mutus and Pterostichus stygicus (Say) increased (1.3-3.9 times), while species diversity decreased, especially in mesic and xeric stands. Cluster analysis revealed that beetle assemblages in hydric and mesic stand diverged (25 and 40%, respectively) in their composition from 2006 to 2007, and that hydric stands had the most unique beetle assemblages. Overall, epigaeic beetle assemblages were altered in ash stands impacted by emerald ash borer; however, these impacts may dissipate as canopy gaps close.

Long-term growth-increment chronologies reveal diverse influences of climate forcing on freshwater and forest biota in the Pacific Northwest.

PubMed

Black, Bryan A; Dunham, Jason B; Blundon, Brett W; Brim-Box, Jayne; Tepley, Alan J

2015-02-01

Analyses of how organisms are likely to respond to a changing climate have focused largely on the direct effects of warming temperatures, though changes in other variables may also be important, particularly the amount and timing of precipitation. Here, we develop a network of eight growth-increment width chronologies for freshwater mussel species in the Pacific Northwest, United States and integrate them with tree-ring data to evaluate how terrestrial and aquatic indicators respond to hydroclimatic variability, including river discharge and precipitation. Annual discharge averaged across water years (October 1-September 30) was highly synchronous among river systems and imparted a coherent pattern among mussel chronologies. The leading principal component of the five longest mussel chronologies (1982-2003; PC1(mussel)) accounted for 47% of the dataset variability and negatively correlated with the leading principal component of river discharge (PC1(discharge); r = -0.88; P < 0.0001). PC1(mussel) and PC1(discharge) were closely linked to regional wintertime precipitation patterns across the Pacific Northwest, the season in which the vast majority of annual precipitation arrives. Mussel growth was also indirectly related to tree radial growth, though the nature of the relationships varied across the landscape. Negative correlations occurred in forests where tree growth tends to be limited by drought while positive correlations occurred in forests where tree growth tends to be limited by deep or lingering snowpack. Overall, this diverse assemblage of chronologies illustrates the importance of winter precipitation to terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and suggests that a complexity of climate responses must be considered when estimating the biological impacts of climate variability and change. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Whole brain volume changes and its correlation with clinical symptom severity in patients with schizophrenia: A DARTEL-based VBM study.

PubMed

Kim, Gwang-Won; Kim, Yun-Hyeon; Jeong, Gwang-Woo

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volume alterations in whole-brain structures in patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls using voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and further to assess the correlation between GM and WM volume variations and symptom severity in schizophrenia. A total of 22 patients with schizophrenia and 22 age-matched healthy controls participated. Magnetic resonance image data were processed using SPM8 software with diffeomorphic anatomical registration via an exponentiated Lie algebra (DARTEL) algorithm. Patients with schizophrenia exhibited significantly decreased GM volumes of the insula, superior temporal gyrus (STG), gyrus rectus, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared with healthy controls. The GM volumes of the STG and gyrus rectus were negatively correlated with the positive scales on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and those of the STG and ACC were negatively correlated with the negative scales. The durations of illness in schizophrenia were negatively correlated with the GM volumes of the insula, STG, and ACC. Patients with schizophrenia exhibited significantly decreased WM volumes of the superior frontal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, and STG. The WM volumes of the STG were negatively correlated with the duration of illness. Our findings suggest that GM and WM volume abnormalities in the STG are associated with the psychopathology of schizophrenia.

The Relationship Between Attachment Styles, Self-Monitoring and Cybercrime in Social Network Users.

PubMed

Yaghoobi, Abolghasem; Mohammadzade, Serwa; Chegini, Ali Asghar; Yarmohammadi Vasel, Mosaeib; Zoghi Paidar, Mohammad Reza

2016-09-01

The anonymity in the cyberspace environment, as well as the rapid advent of and improvements to online activities has increased cybercrime. The aim of this paper was to survey the relationship between attachment styles, self-monitoring and cybercrime in social network users. The Collins and Read Adult Attachment Scale, and the Snyder self-monitoring and cybercrime scales were sent to 500 social network users. Of these, 203 users (103 men and 100 women) filled out the questionnaires. The results showed that women achieved higher scores in self-monitoring and the anxious attachment style, and men achieved higher scores in cybercrime and the anxious attachment style. There was a negative correlation between self-monitoring and cybercrime, and the anxious attachment style had a positive correlation with cybercrime and a negative correlation with self-monitoring. The secure attachment style had a positive correlation with self-monitoring and a negative correlation with cybercrime. The dependent attachment style had a positive correlation with self-monitoring and a negative correlation with cybercrime. All correlations were significant. Attachment styles have significant relationships with both self-monitoring and cybercrime. Self-monitoring and attachment styles are significant predictors of cybercrimes.

The Relationship Between Attachment Styles, Self-Monitoring and Cybercrime in Social Network Users

PubMed Central

Yaghoobi, Abolghasem; Mohammadzade, Serwa; Chegini, Ali Asghar; Yarmohammadi Vasel, Mosaeib; Zoghi Paidar, Mohammad Reza

2016-01-01

Background The anonymity in the cyberspace environment, as well as the rapid advent of and improvements to online activities has increased cybercrime. Objectives The aim of this paper was to survey the relationship between attachment styles, self-monitoring and cybercrime in social network users. Patients and Methods The Collins and Read Adult Attachment Scale, and the Snyder self-monitoring and cybercrime scales were sent to 500 social network users. Of these, 203 users (103 men and 100 women) filled out the questionnaires. Results The results showed that women achieved higher scores in self-monitoring and the anxious attachment style, and men achieved higher scores in cybercrime and the anxious attachment style. There was a negative correlation between self-monitoring and cybercrime, and the anxious attachment style had a positive correlation with cybercrime and a negative correlation with self-monitoring. The secure attachment style had a positive correlation with self-monitoring and a negative correlation with cybercrime. The dependent attachment style had a positive correlation with self-monitoring and a negative correlation with cybercrime. All correlations were significant. Conclusions Attachment styles have significant relationships with both self-monitoring and cybercrime. Self-monitoring and attachment styles are significant predictors of cybercrimes. PMID:27818964

Prepartum nutrient intake alters palmitate metabolism by liver slices from peripartal dairy cows.

PubMed

Litherland, N B; Dann, H M; Drackley, J K

2011-04-01

We determined the effects of day relative to parturition and prepartum plane of nutrition on hepatic partitioning of palmitate metabolism to CO2, acid-soluble products (ASP), and esterified products (EP). Multiparous Holsteins (n=74) were fed different amounts of nutrients during the dry period in a 3 (far-off period diet)×2 (close-up period diet) factorial arrangement. During the far-off period (d -60 to -25) cows received a low-energy control diet fed ad libitum (100NRC) to meet National Research Council (NRC) requirements, a moderate-energy diet fed ad libitum to exceed NRC recommendations for net energy of lactation (NEL) by >50% (150NRC), or the same diet fed at restricted intake to provide 80% of NEL requirements (80NRC). During the close-up period (d -24 until parturition), cows were fed a diet for ad libitum intake to meet NRC recommendations or in restricted amounts to provide 80% of calculated NEL requirements. After parturition, all cows had ad libitum access to a lactation diet. Liver slices from biopsies on d -30, -14, 1, 14, and 28 relative to parturition were used to determine conversion of [1-(14)C] palmitate to CO2, ASP, and EP. Across diets, oxidation of palmitate to CO2 was decreased postpartum, whereas oxidation to ASP was increased at d 1 postpartum compared with other times. Conversion of palmitate to EP increased markedly postpartum, with the greatest rates at d 1 postpartum. Conversion of palmitate to CO2 and ASP on d 1 postpartum was lower and the proportion of palmitate metabolism as EP was greater for cows fed 150NRC than for those fed 100NRC or 80NRC. Hepatic triacylglycerol concentration at d 1 postpartum was greatest for cows fed 150NRC. Palmitate metabolism did not differ between close-up diets. Hepatic triacylglycerol was negatively correlated with tissue metabolism of palmitate to CO2 and ASP but positively correlated with metabolism to EP. Hepatic triacylglycerol was highly correlated with NEFA concentrations on the day of calving and d 1 postpartum but not with NEFA prepartum. In contrast, plasma BHBA postpartum was not correlated with hepatic palmitate metabolism by liver slices but was highly correlated with NEFA concentration prepartum. Excessive energy intake during the far-off dry period decreased hepatic palmitate oxidation and shifted palmitate metabolism toward greater esterification, consistent with greater hepatic triacylglycerol accumulation postpartum. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lack of a close confidant: prevalence and correlates in a medically underserved primary care sample.

PubMed

Newton, Tamara; Buckley, Amy; Zurlage, Megan; Mitchell, Charlene; Shaw, Ann; Woodruff-Borden, Janet

2008-03-01

The present study examined prevalence of lack of a close confidant in a medically underserved primary care sample, and evaluated demographic, medical, and psychological correlates of patients' deficits in close, personal contact. Adult patients (n = 413) reported on confidant status and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Sociodemographic and medical information were obtained through chart review. One-quarter of patients endorsed lack of a close confidant. Past month anxiety and depression symptoms, but not medical status, were associated with unmet socioemotional needs. Implications for primary healthcare interventions are discussed.

Neural correlates of the affect regulation model in schizophrenia patients with substance use history: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Mancini-Marïe, Adham; Potvin, Stéphane; Fahim, Cherine; Beauregard, Mario; Mensour, Boualem; Stip, Emmanuel

2006-03-01

The lifetime prevalence of substance use disorders among schizophrenia patients is close to 50%. The negative consequences of substance abuse in schizophrenia are well documented, but the etiology of this comorbid condition remains unknown. According to the affect regulation model, schizophrenia patients abuse drugs in order to cope with their negative affects. Supporting the model, clinical studies have shown that dual-diagnosis patients have less blunting of affect and that they experience more negative affect. We hypothesized that patients with a history of substance use would have increased cerebral activations in response to aversive stimuli when compared to abstinent patients. Schizophrenia patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with (SCZ-SU group; N = 12) and without (SCZ group; N = 11) a current or past substance use disorder (alcohol, cannabis, and/or LSD). Diagnoses were made according to DSM-IV criteria. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), patients were scanned during passive viewing of emotionally negative pictures (International Affective Picture System). Data were gathered from September 2001 to December 2003. Subjectively, the emotional experience induced by viewing the negative pictures was rated significantly higher in the SCZ-SU group than in the SCZ group (p = .008). Neurally, in the SCZ-SU group, significant loci of activation were identified in the right medial prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's area [BA] 10), left medial prefrontal cortex (BA 10), right orbitofrontal cortex (BA 47), and left amygdala. No significant loci of activation were observed in the SCZ group. These results suggest that the functioning of the medial prefrontal cortex, thought to be impaired in patients with prominent negative symptoms, is more preserved in dual-diagnosis schizophrenia. This relative preservation could be primary or secondary to substance use.

Characterization and Identification of Productivity-Associated Rhizobacteria in Wheat

PubMed Central

Habiger, Joshua

2012-01-01

The rhizosphere is populated by a numerous and diverse array of rhizobacteria, and many impact productivity in largely unknown ways. Here we characterize the rhizobacterial community in a wheat variety categorized according to shoot biomass using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing abundance data. Plants were grown in homogenized field soil under greenhouse conditions, and DNA was extracted and pyrosequenced, resulting in 29,007 quality sequences. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that were significantly associated with biomass productivity were identified using an exact test adjusted for the false-discovery rate. The productivity deviation expressed as a percentage of the total mean square for regression (PMSR) was determined for each OTU. Out of 719 OTUs, 42 showed significant positive associations and 39 showed significant negative associations (q value, ≤0.05). OTUs with the greatest net positive associations, by genus, were as follows: Duganella, OTU 43 and OTU 3; Janthinobacterium, OTU 278; Pseudomonas, OTU 588; and Cellvibrio, OTU 1847. Those with negative associations were as follows: Bacteria, OTU 273; Chryseobacterium, OTU 508; Proteobacteria, OTU 249; and Enterobacter, OTU 357. Shoot biomass productivity was strongly correlated with the balance between the overall abundances of positive- and negative-productivity-associated OTUs. High-productivity rhizospheres contained 9.2 significant positives for every negatively associated rhizobacterium, while low-productivity rhizospheres showed 2.3 significant negatives for every positively associated rhizobacterium. Overall rhizobacterial community diversity as measured by the Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indexes was nonlinearly related to productivity, closely fitting a wavelike cubic equation. We conclude that shoot biomass productivity is strongly related to the ratio of positive- to negative-productivity-associated rhizobacteria in the rhizosphere. This study identifies significant OTUs composing the productive and unproductive rhizobacterial communities. PMID:22504815

Repair of a vesicocutaneous fistula using negative-pressure wound therapy and urinary diversion via a nephrostomy tube.

PubMed

Freeman, Julie J; Storto, Dominic L P; Berry-Cabán, Cristóbal S

2013-01-01

This article describes an unusual case of a vesicocutaneous fistula in a patient with a history of radiation therapy and recent abdominal surgery. A 61-year-old woman was transferred to our acute care facility from a rehabilitation facility, with poor nutritional intake and a concern for urine draining from her wound. A nephrostomy tube was placed (she had only 1 functioning kidney) and negative-pressure wound therapy was used to close the fistula. Urinary diversion via a nephrostomy tube and negative-pressure wound therapy were used to successfully and safely close this vesicocutaneous fistula.

Owning Up to Negative Ingroup Traits: How Personal Autonomy Promotes the Integration of Group Identity.

PubMed

Legault, Lisa; Weinstein, Netta; Mitchell, Jahlil; Inzlicht, Michael; Pyke, Kristen; Upal, Afzal

2017-10-01

Our experiences, attributes, and behaviors are diverse, inconsistent, and often negative. Consequently, our capacity to assimilate divergent experiences-particularly negative aspects-is important to the development of a unified self. Whereas this process of integration has received attention at the level of personal identity, it has not been assessed at the level of group identity. We examined the mechanisms involved in integrating positive and negative ingroup identities, as well as related outcomes. In three experiments, participants (N = 332) high and low in autonomy identified either positive or negative aspects of their ingroup and then indicated the extent to which they integrated the attribute. Those high in personal autonomy integrated both positive and negative identities, whereas those low in autonomy acknowledged only positive identities. Study 2 showed that, regardless of identity valence, those high in autonomy felt satisfied and close with their group. Conversely, those low in autonomy felt less close and more dissatisfied with their group after reflecting on negative identities. Finally, reflecting on a negative identity reduced prejudice, but only for those high in autonomy. Owning up to negative group traits is facilitated by autonomy and demonstrates benefits for ingroup and intergroup processes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Correlations between brain structure and symptom dimensions of psychosis in schizophrenia, schizoaffective, and psychotic bipolar I disorders.

PubMed

Padmanabhan, Jaya L; Tandon, Neeraj; Haller, Chiara S; Mathew, Ian T; Eack, Shaun M; Clementz, Brett A; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Sweeney, John A; Tamminga, Carol A; Keshavan, Matcheri S

2015-01-01

Structural alterations may correlate with symptom severity in psychotic disorders, but the existing literature on this issue is heterogeneous. In addition, it is not known how cortical thickness and cortical surface area correlate with symptom dimensions of psychosis. Subjects included 455 individuals with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or bipolar I disorders. Data were obtained as part of the Bipolar Schizophrenia Network for Intermediate Phenotypes study. Diagnosis was made through the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Positive and negative symptom subscales were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Structural brain measurements were extracted from T1-weight structural MRIs using FreeSurfer v5.1 and were correlated with symptom subscales using partial correlations. Exploratory factor analysis was also used to identify factors among those regions correlating with symptom subscales. The positive symptom subscale correlated inversely with gray matter volume (GMV) and cortical thickness in frontal and temporal regions, whereas the negative symptom subscale correlated inversely with right frontal cortical surface area. Among regions correlating with the positive subscale, factor analysis identified four factors, including a temporal cortical thickness factor and frontal GMV factor. Among regions correlating with the negative subscale, factor analysis identified a frontal GMV-cortical surface area factor. There was no significant diagnosis by structure interactions with symptom severity. Structural measures correlate with positive and negative symptom severity in psychotic disorders. Cortical thickness demonstrated more associations with psychopathology than cortical surface area. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Correlated hydrogen bonding fluctuations and vibrational cross peaks in N-methyl acetamide: simulation based on a complete electrostatic density functional theory map.

PubMed

Hayashi, Tomoyuki; Mukamel, Shaul

2006-11-21

The coherent nonlinear response of the entire amide line shapes of N-methyl acetamide to three infrared pulses is simulated using an electrostatic density functional theory map. Positive and negative cross peaks contain signatures of correlations between the fundamentals and the combination state. The amide I-A and I-III cross-peak line shapes indicate positive correlation and anticorrelation of frequency fluctuations, respectively. These can be ascribed to correlated hydrogen bonding at C[double bond]O and N-H sites. The amide I frequency is negatively correlated with the hydrogen bond on carbonyl C[double bond]O, whereas the amide A and III are negatively and positively correlated, respectively, with the hydrogen bond on amide N-H.

Spin-orbit coupling and transport in strongly correlated two-dimensional systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jian; Pfeiffer, L. N.; West, K. W.

2017-05-01

Measuring the magnetoresistance (MR) of ultraclean GaAs two-dimensional holes for a large rs range of 20-50, two striking behaviors in relation to the spin-orbit coupling (SOC) emerge in response to strong electron-electron interaction. First, in exact correspondence to the zero-field metal-to-insulator transition (MIT), the sign of the MR switches from being positive in the metallic regime to being negative in the insulating regime when the carrier density crosses the critical density pc of MIT (rs˜39 ). Second, as the SOC-driven correction Δ ρ to the MR decreases with reducing carrier density (or the in-plane wave vector), it exhibits an upturn in the close proximity just above pc where rs is beyond 30, indicating a substantially enhanced SOC effect. This peculiar behavior echoes with a trend of delocalization long suspected for the SOC-interaction interplay. Meanwhile, for p 40 , in contrast to the common belief that a magnet field enhances Wigner crystallization, the negative MR is likely linked to enhanced interaction.

Single night video-game use leads to sleep loss and attention deficits in older adolescents.

PubMed

Wolfe, Jasper; Kar, Kellyann; Perry, Ashleigh; Reynolds, Chelsea; Gradisar, Michael; Short, Michelle A

2014-10-01

The present study investigated adolescent video-game use prior to bedtime and subsequent sleep, working memory and sustained attention performance. Participants were 21 healthy, good-sleeping adolescents (16 male) aged between 15 and 20 years (M = 17.6 years, SD = 1.8). Time spent video-gaming and subsequent sleep was measured across one night in the sleep laboratory. There were significant correlations between time spent video-gaming and sleep and between video-gaming and sustained attention, but not working memory. Sleep duration, in turn, had a significant negative association with sustained attention performance. Mediation analyses revealed that the relationship between video-gaming and sustained attention was fully mediated by sleep duration. These results indicate that video-gaming affected the ability to sustain attention only in as much as it affected sleep. In order to minimise negative consequences of video-game playing, video-games should be used in moderation, avoiding use close to the sleep period, to obviate detriments to sleep and performance. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma associated with unusual positivity of anti-ATLA (adult T-cell leukemia-cell-associated antigen) antibodies].

PubMed

Eto, T; Okamura, H; Okamura, T; Gondo, H; Kudo, J; Shibuya, T; Harada, M; Niho, Y

1990-03-01

A 56-year-old female was admitted because of generalized lymphadenopathy. Based upon histological findings of biopsied lymph node, malignant lymphoma, diffuse large cell type was diagnosed. The surface marker analysis showed that malignant cells were positive for CD4 and CD2 but negative for CD8. Although anti-ATLA (adult T-cell leukemia associated antigen) antibody was negative with the use of a gelatin particle agglutination method (P.A.), other methods such as an indirect immunofluorescence assay (I.F.), an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (E.I.A.) and a Western blotting assay revealed the positivity for anti-ATLA antibody. Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL/L) was confirmed by the presence of monoclonal integration of HTLV-I proviral DNA in biopsied specimen. This case, showing a pattern of P.A. (-) and I.F. (+), is extremely unusual, because I.F. and P.A. show highly close correlation. Thus, it is important to employ different methods for screening of anti-ATLA antibodies in the diagnosis of ATL/L.

Serum miR-338-5p, soluble B-cell-activating factor, allo-antibodies, and renal transplantation.

PubMed

Xu, H; Ma, X; He, X; Dong, P; Xue, D; Zhang, Y; Zhang, X

2015-03-01

The objective of the study was to explore the expression features of serum miR-338-5p and soluble B-cell-activating factor (sBAFF) in renal transplant recipients. Follow-up renal transplant recipients (n = 49) were enrolled in this study (male/female: 38/11). Healthy volunteers were controlled; 2 mL of peripheral blood from each subject was collected. Total RNA was extracted from serum by use of the miRNeasy Serum/Plasma Kit (QIAGEN), and miR-338-5p was amplified by means of quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. sBAFF was detected by means of enzyme-linked immunoassay. LABScreen Mix (LSM12) (One Lambda) was used to test the level of anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) I antibody (Ab), anti-HLA II Ab, and anti-major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related A (MICA) Ab. All data are shown as mean ± SD and were analyzed by use of SPSS software 17.0. Compared with healthy volunteers, serum miR-338-5p in recipients was statistically downregulated (2.79 ± 2.5 versus 0.09 ± 0.12, P < .001); sBAFF in recipients was significantly upregulated (1321 ± 950 pg/mL versus 534 ± 327 pg/mL, P < .01); serum anti-HLAII Ab, anti-MICA Ab, and anti-HLA+MICA Abs all statistically increased in recipients (P < .05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that miR-338-5p was significantly negatively correlated with sBAFF (r = -0.51, P < .001) and anti-HLA II antibody with mean fluorescence intensity value >1000 (r = -0.322, P < .05). Analysis results also suggested that sBAFF was significantly negatively correlated with anti-MICA Ab, with mean fluorescence intensity value >1000 (r = -0.579, P < .05). miR-338-5p is closely correlated with the procedure of renal allograft antibody-mediated rejection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Forming a negative impression of another person correlates with activation in medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala.

PubMed

Iidaka, Tetsuya; Harada, Tokiko; Sadato, Norihiro

2011-09-01

Neural correlates involved in the formation of negative impression from face were investigated using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging and a partial conditioning paradigm. Eighteen normal volunteers underwent imaging while they viewed the faces of two unfamiliar individuals: one individual's face was partially accompanied by negative emotion but the other's was not. After the volunteers learned the relationship between the faces and the emotion, they formed a more negative impression of the person's face when the emotion was presented. Subtraction analysis of the individuals' neutral faces revealed activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and superior temporal sulcus, but this activity did not correlate with the change of impression from face. On the other hand, the response in the left amygdala negatively correlated with the change of impression from face in the first run. Time modulation analysis revealed that activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex associated with negative emotion was the largest in the initial part of the acquisition. These results suggest that a negative impression from face may be formed by orchestrated activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala, and that the activity has a prominent role in the initial acquisition of negative emotion.

[Correlation between psychological state and emotional intelligence in residents of gynecology, and obstetrics].

PubMed

Carranza-Lira, Sebastián

2016-01-01

Emotional intelligence is our capacity to acknowledge our own emotions, and the emotions of other people; it also has to do with the way emotions must be understood, and used productively. Given that an altered state of mind can have an impact on emotional intelligence, our objective was to correlate the psychological state with emotional intelligence in residents of gynecology, and obstetrics. We assessed 76 gynecology and obstetrics residents by using What's my M3 and TMMS-24 instruments, in order to know the influence of psychological state on emotional intelligence. In male students of second grade, there was a positive correlation between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and emotional attention (EA), and a negative correlation with emotional clarity (EC). In third grade males, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) correlated positively with EA. In male students of fourth grade there was a positive correlation between OCD and EA. In second grade female students, depression correlated negatively with emotional repair (ER). In third grade female students anxiety, bipolar disorder, and PTSD correlated positively with EA. In fourth grade female students there was a negative correlation between depression and EA, and between anxiety, OCD, and PTSD with EC. Psychological status has a favorable impact on EA and a negative effect on EC and ER.

MAGNETIC ACTIVITY ANALYSIS FOR A SAMPLE OF G-TYPE MAIN SEQUENCE KEPLER TARGETS

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

Mehrabi, Ahmad; He, Han; Khosroshahi, Habib, E-mail: mehrabi@basu.ac.ir

2017-01-10

The variation of a stellar light curve owing to rotational modulation by magnetic features (starspots and faculae) on the star’s surface can be used to investigate the magnetic properties of the host star. In this paper, we use the periodicity and magnitude of the light-curve variation as two proxies to study the stellar magnetic properties for a large sample of G-type main sequence Kepler targets, for which the rotation periods were recently determined. By analyzing the correlation between the two magnetic proxies, it is found that: (1) the two proxies are positively correlated for most of the stars in ourmore » sample, and the percentages of negative, zero, and positive correlations are 4.27%, 6.81%, and 88.91%, respectively; (2) negative correlation stars cannot have a large magnitude of light-curve variation; and (3) with the increase of rotation period, the relative number of positive correlation stars decreases and the negative correlation one increases. These results indicate that stars with shorter rotation period tend to have positive correlation between the two proxies, and a good portion of the positive correlation stars have a larger magnitude of light-curve variation (and hence more intense magnetic activities) than negative correlation stars.« less

Tonic accommodation predicts closed-loop accommodation responses.

PubMed

Liu, Chunming; Drew, Stefanie A; Borsting, Eric; Escobar, Amy; Stark, Lawrence; Chase, Christopher

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential relationship between tonic accommodation (TA), near work induced TA-adaptation and the steady state closed-loop accommodation response (AR). Forty-two graduate students participated in the study. Various aspects of their accommodation system were objectively measured using an open-field infrared auto-refractor (Grand Seiko WAM-5500). Tonic accommodation was assessed in a completely dark environment. The association between TA and closed-loop AR was assessed using linear regression correlations and t-test comparisons. Initial mean baseline TA was 1.84diopter (D) (SD±1.29D) with a wide distribution range (-0.43D to 5.14D). For monocular visual tasks, baseline TA was significantly correlated with the closed-loop AR. The slope of the best fit line indicated that closed-loop AR varied by approximately 0.3D for every 1D change in TA. This ratio was consistent across a variety of viewing distances and different near work tasks, including both static targets and continuous reading. Binocular reading conditions weakened the correlation between baseline TA and AR, although results remained statistically significant. The 10min near reading task with a 3D demand did not reveal significant near work induced TA-adaptation for either monocular or binocular conditions. Consistently, the TA-adaptation did not show any correlation with AR during reading. This study found a strong association between open-loop TA and closed-loop AR across a variety of viewing distances and different near work tasks. Difference between the correlations under monocular and binocular reading condition suggests a potential role for vergence compensation during binocular closed-loop AR. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of closed-chest drainage with rib resection closed drainage for treatment of chronic tuberculous empyema

PubMed Central

Fang, Yong; Xiao, Heping; Hu, Haili

2018-01-01

Background This study aimed to compare the efficacy of closed-chest drainage with rib resection closed drainage of chronic tuberculous empyema. Methods This retrospective study reviewed 86 patients with tuberculous empyema in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital from August 2010 to November 2015. Among these included patients, 22 patients received closed-chest drainage, and 64 patients received rib resection closed drainage. Results The results showed that after intercostal chest closed drain treatment, 2 (9.09%) patients were recovery, 13 (59.09%) patients had significantly curative effect, 6 (27.27%) patients had partly curative effect, and 1 (4.55%) patient had negative effect. After treatment of rib resection closed drainage, 9 (14.06%) patients were successfully recovery, 31 (48.44%) patients had significantly curative effect, 19 (29.69%) patients had partly curative effect, and 5 (7.81%) patients had negative effect. There was no significant difference in the curative effect (P>0.05), while the average catheterization time of rib resection closed drainage (130.05±13.12 days) was significant longer than that (126.14±36.84 days) in course of intercostal chest closed drain (P<0.05). Conclusions This study had demonstrated that closed-chest drainage was an effective procedure for treating empyema in young patients. It was less invasive than rib resection closed drainage and was associated with less severe pain. We advocated closed-chest drainage for the majority of young patients with empyema, except for those with other diseases. PMID:29600066

Vibrational spectroscopic characterization of growth bands in Porites coral from South China Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yinxian; Yu, Kefu; Ayoko, Godwin A.; Frost, Ray L.; Shi, Qi; Feng, Yuexing; Zhao, Jianxin

2013-08-01

A series of samples from different growth bands of Porites coral skeleton were studied using Raman, infrared reflectance methods. The Raman spectra proved that skeleton samples from different growth bands have the same mineral phase as aragonite, but a band at 133 cm-1 for the top layer shows a transition from ˜120 cm-1 for vaterite to ˜141 cm-1 for aragonite. It is inferred that the vaterite should be the precursor of aragonite of coral skeleton. The positional shift in the infrared spectra of the skeleton samples from growth bands correlate significantly to their minor elements (Li, Mg, Sr, Mn, Fe and U) contents. Mg, Sr and U especially have significant negative correlations with the positions of the antisymmetric stretching band ν3 at ˜1469 cm-1. And Li shows a high negative correlation with ν2 band (˜855 cm-1), while Sr and Mn show similar negative correlation with ν4 band (˜712 cm-1). And Mn also shows a negative correlation with ν1 band (˜1082 cm-1). A significantly negative correlation is observed for U with ν1 + ν4 band (˜1786 cm-1). However, Fe shows positive correlation with ν1, ν2, ν3, ν4 and ν1 + ν4 bands shifts, especially a significant correlation with ν1 band (˜1082 cm-1). New insights into the characteristics of coral at different growth bands of skeleton are given in present work.

Gating kinetics of batrachotoxin-modified Na+ channels in the squid giant axon. Voltage and temperature effects.

PubMed Central

Correa, A M; Bezanilla, F; Latorre, R

1992-01-01

The gating kinetics of batrachotoxin-modified Na+ channels were studied in outside-out patches of axolemma from the squid giant axon by means of the cut-open axon technique. Single channel kinetics were characterized at different membrane voltages and temperatures. The probability of channel opening (Po) as a function of voltage was well described by a Boltzmann distribution with an equivalent number of gating particles of 3.58. The voltage at which the channel was open 50% of the time was a function of [Na+] and temperature. A decrease in the internal [Na+] induced a shift to the right of the Po vs. V curve, suggesting the presence of an integral negative fixed charge near the activation gate. An increase in temperature decreased Po, indicating a stabilization of the closed configuration of the channel and also a decrease in entropy upon channel opening. Probability density analysis of dwell times in the closed and open states of the channel at 0 degrees C revealed the presence of three closed and three open states. The slowest open kinetic component constituted only a small fraction of the total number of transitions and became negligible at voltages greater than -65 mV. Adjacent interval analysis showed that there is no correlation in the duration of successive open and closed events. Consistent with this analysis, maximum likelihood estimation of the rate constants for nine different single-channel models produced a preferred model (model 1) having a linear sequence of closed states and two open states emerging from the last closed state. The effect of temperature on the rate constants of model 1 was studied. An increase in temperature increased all rate constants; the shift in Po would be the result of an increase in the closing rates predominant over the change in the opening rates. The temperature study also provided the basis for building an energy diagram for the transitions between channel states. PMID:1318096

Puberty timing and fluid intelligence: a study of correlations between testosterone and intelligence in 8- to 12-year-old Chinese boys.

PubMed

Shangguan, Fangfang; Shi, Jiannong

2009-08-01

Sex hormone such as testosterone was recently recognized as an important contributor of spatial cognition and intelligence during development, but the relationship between puberty timing and intelligence especially in children is largely unknown. Here in this study, we investigated the potential relationship between the level of sex hormones in saliva and fluid intelligence in 8- to 12-year-old Chinese boys. Fluid intelligence was measured by the Cattell's Culture Fair Intelligence Test. 1600 children aged 8-12 years were included in the Cattell's Culture Fair Intelligence Test and saliva samples were collected thereafter from 166 boys with normal intelligence distribution, composed of 49, 54 and 63 boys in 8-, 10- and 12-year-old group respectively. The level of salivary testosterone and estradiol was measured with enzyme-immunoassay technique. Data of BMI and age were collected. The relationship between the level of salivary sex hormones and fluid intelligence was analysed by correlation test. There was no significant correlation between salivary testosterone level and fluid intelligence in 8-year-old boys, whereas there was a significant positive correlation in 10-year-old boys and a significant negative correlation in 12-year-old boys between those two variable. To verify the correlation, we performed stepwise multivariate linear regression and discriminant analysis, with both the age and BMI of the boys and their parents, and salivary estradiol level considered. The results showed that the level of testosterone and intelligence was correlated, and the correlation was much stronger when the level of salivary testosterone was higher than 14 pg/ml. In summary, the study suggests that the relationship of testosterone and intelligence varies from late childhood to early adolescence, and the puberty timing is closely related with fluid intelligence.

Sex Differences in the Neural Correlates of Autonomic Arousal: A Pilot PET Study

PubMed Central

Nugent, Allison C.; Bain, Earle E.; Thayer, Julian F.; Sollers, John J.; Drevets, Wayne C.

2011-01-01

Electrophysiology, behavioral, and neuroimaging studies have revealed sex-related differences in autonomic cardiac control, as reflected in measurements of heart rate variability (HRV). Imaging studies indicate that the neurobiological correlates of autonomic nervous system (ANS) function can be investigated by measuring indices of HRV during the performance of mildly strenuous motor tasks or mildly stressful cognitive tasks. In this preliminary study, fifteen male and seven female healthy subjects underwent H215O-positron emission tomography (PET) and electrocardiograph (ECG) recording while performing a handgrip motor task and an n-back task. Indices of HRV were calculated and correlated with regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). We hypothesized that sex differences would be evident in brain regions known to participate in autonomic regulation: the anterior insula, the anterior cingulate cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex, and the amygdala. Our study found that associations between rCBF and parasympathetic indices differed significantly between female and male subjects in the amygdala. Females showed a positive correlation between rCBF and parasympathetic indices while males exhibited negative correlations. This differential correlation of amygdala rCBF and parasympathetic activity between males and females may reflect differences in parasympathetic/sympathetic balance between sexes, consistent with known sexual dimorphism in the amygdala and closely related structures such as the hypothalamus. These preliminary imaging results are consistent with earlier reports of significant correlation between brain activity and HRV, and extend these findings by demonstrating prominent sex differences in the neural control of the ANS. While the generalizability of our results was limited by the small size of the study samples, the relatively robust effect size of the differences found between groups encourages further work in larger samples to characterize sex differences in the neural correlates of autonomic arousal. PMID:21414364

In vivo confocal microscopy of meibomian glands in primary blepharospasm: A prospective case-control study in a Chinese population.

PubMed

Lin, Tong; Gong, Lan

2016-06-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the morphological changes of meibomian glands (MGs) in primary blepharospasm (PBS) by in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and to investigate the correlations between clinical data of PBS and LSCM parameters of MGs. This prospective and case-control study recruited 30 consecutive PBS patients and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. After questionnaire assessments of ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Jankovic rating scale, and blepharospasm disability index, all subjects underwent blink rate evaluation, tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), Schirmer test, MG expressibility, meibum quality, MG dropout, and LSCM examination of the MGs. The main LSCM outcomes included the mean MG acinar area and density, orifice diameter, meibum secretion reflectivity, acinar irregularity, and inhomogeneity of interstice and acinar wall. The PBS patients had significantly higher blink rate, higher OSDI and CFS scores, lower TBUT and Schirmer test value, and worse MG expressibility than the controls (All P < 0.05), whereas meibum quality showed no difference (P > 0.05). The PBS patients showed lower values of MG acinar area, orifice diameter and meibum secretion reflectivity, and higher scores of acinar irregularity and inhomogeneity of interstices than the controls (All P < 0.05). For the PBS patients, the severity of blepharospasm evaluated by JCR scale was strong correlated with MG acinar area (P < 0.001), orifice diameter (P = 0.002), meibum secretion reflectivity (P = 0.002), and MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.013). The MG expressibility was significantly correlated to MG acinar area (P = 0.039), orifice diameter (P < 0.001), and MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.014). The OSDI score was moderate correlated with MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.016), whereas the TBUT value was positively correlated with MG acinar area (P = 0.045) and negatively correlated to MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.016). The CFS score was negatively correlated to MG orifice diameter (P = 0.008). The LSCM provided a noninvasive tool for in vivo histopathologic studies of MGs in PBS patients. The excessive constriction of lid muscles closely related to MG morphological alterations of PBS, which offered a new research approach to interpret the interactional mechanism between dry eye and PBS.

In vivo confocal microscopy of meibomian glands in primary blepharospasm

PubMed Central

Lin, Tong; Gong, Lan

2016-01-01

Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the morphological changes of meibomian glands (MGs) in primary blepharospasm (PBS) by in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and to investigate the correlations between clinical data of PBS and LSCM parameters of MGs. This prospective and case–control study recruited 30 consecutive PBS patients and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. After questionnaire assessments of ocular surface disease index (OSDI), Jankovic rating scale, and blepharospasm disability index, all subjects underwent blink rate evaluation, tear film break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), Schirmer test, MG expressibility, meibum quality, MG dropout, and LSCM examination of the MGs. The main LSCM outcomes included the mean MG acinar area and density, orifice diameter, meibum secretion reflectivity, acinar irregularity, and inhomogeneity of interstice and acinar wall. The PBS patients had significantly higher blink rate, higher OSDI and CFS scores, lower TBUT and Schirmer test value, and worse MG expressibility than the controls (All P < 0.05), whereas meibum quality showed no difference (P > 0.05). The PBS patients showed lower values of MG acinar area, orifice diameter and meibum secretion reflectivity, and higher scores of acinar irregularity and inhomogeneity of interstices than the controls (All P < 0.05). For the PBS patients, the severity of blepharospasm evaluated by JCR scale was strong correlated with MG acinar area (P < 0.001), orifice diameter (P = 0.002), meibum secretion reflectivity (P = 0.002), and MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.013). The MG expressibility was significantly correlated to MG acinar area (P = 0.039), orifice diameter (P < 0.001), and MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.014). The OSDI score was moderate correlated with MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.016), whereas the TBUT value was positively correlated with MG acinar area (P = 0.045) and negatively correlated to MG acinar irregularity (P = 0.016). The CFS score was negatively correlated to MG orifice diameter (P = 0.008). The LSCM provided a noninvasive tool for in vivo histopathologic studies of MGs in PBS patients. The excessive constriction of lid muscles closely related to MG morphological alterations of PBS, which offered a new research approach to interpret the interactional mechanism between dry eye and PBS. PMID:27281086

[Characteristics of precipitation pH and conductivity at Mt. Huang].

PubMed

Shi, Chun-e; Deng, Xue-liang; Wu, Bi-wen; Hong, Jie; Zhang, Su; Yang, Yuan-jian

2013-05-01

To understand the general characteristics of pH distribution and pollution in precipitation at Mt. Huang, statistical analyses were conducted for the routine measurements of pH and conductivity (K) at Mt. Huang during 2006-2011. The results showed that: (1) Over the period of study, the annual volume weighted mean (VWM) precipitation pH varied from 4.81 to 5.57, with precipitation acidity strengthening before 2009 and weakening thereafter. The precipitation acidity showed evident seasonal variations, with the VWM pH lowest in winter (4.78), and highest in summer (5.33). The occurrence frequency of acid rain was 46% , accounting for 45% of total rainfalls and with the most frequent pH falling into weak acid to neutral rain. (2) The annual VWM K varied from 16.91 to 27.84 microS x cm(-1), with no evident trend. As for ions pollution, the precipitation was relatively clean at Mt. Huang, with the most frequent K range being below 15 microS x cm(-1), followed by 15-25 microS x cm(-1). From February 2010 to December 2011, precipitation samples were collected on daily basis for ions analysis, as well as pH and K measurement in lab. Detailed comparisons were conducted between the two sets of pH and K, one set from field measurement and the other from lab measurement. The results indicated: (1) The lab measured pH (K) was highly correlated with the field pH (K); however, the lab pH tended to move towards neutral comparing with the corresponding field pH, and the shift range was closely correlated with the field pH and rainfall. The shift range of K from field to lab was highly correlated with the total ion concentration of precipitation. The field K showed evident negative correlation with the field pH with a correlation coefficient of -0.51. (2) When sampling with nylon-polyethylene bags, the statistics showed smaller bias between two sets of pH, with higher correlation coefficient between two sets of K. Furthermore, the lab K also showed evident negative correlation with the lab pH. Comparing with the observations at other alpine sites in central to eastern China, the natural precipitation at Mt. Huang was weaker in acidity and contains lower ion concentration.

Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize (Zea mays L.) lines.

PubMed

Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D; Williams, Daniel L; Magee, Timothy D; Kaeppler, Shawn M; de Leon, Natalia; Hodge, David B

2015-07-01

A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA) content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. This indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize ( Zea mays L.) lines

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

Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D.

A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA)more » content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Also, another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. In conclusion, this indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment« less

Cell-wall properties contributing to improved deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis in diverse maize ( Zea mays L.) lines

DOE PAGES

Li, Muyang; Heckwolf, Marlies; Crowe, Jacob D.; ...

2015-02-20

A maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) diversity panel consisting of 26 maize lines exhibiting a wide range of cell-wall properties and responses to hydrolysis by cellulolytic enzymes was employed to investigate the relationship between cell-wall properties, cell-wall responses to mild NaOH pre-treatment, and enzymatic hydrolysis yields. Enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose in the untreated maize was found to be positively correlated with the water retention value, which is a measure of cell-wall susceptibility to swelling. It was also positively correlated with the lignin syringyl/guaiacyl ratio and negatively correlated with the initial cell-wall lignin, xylan, acetate, and p-coumaric acid (pCA)more » content, as well as pCA released from the cell wall by pre-treatment. The hydrolysis yield following pre-treatment exhibited statistically significant negative correlations to the lignin content after pre-treatment and positive correlations to the solubilized ferulic acid and pCA. Several unanticipated results were observed, including a positive correlation between initial lignin and acetate content, lack of correlation between acetate content and initial xylan content, and negative correlation between each of these three variables to the hydrolysis yields for untreated maize. Also, another surprising result was that pCA release was negatively correlated with hydrolysis yields for untreated maize and, along with ferulic acid release, was positively correlated with the pre-treated maize hydrolysis yields. In conclusion, this indicates that these properties that may negatively contribute to the recalcitrance in untreated cell walls may positively contribute to their deconstruction by alkaline pre-treatment« less

Stage fright: its experience as a problem and coping with it.

PubMed

Studer, Regina; Gomez, Patrick; Hildebrandt, Horst; Arial, Marc; Danuser, Brigitta

2011-10-01

This questionnaire survey of 190 university music students assessed negative feelings of music performance anxiety (MPA) before performing, the experience of stage fright as a problem, and how closely they are associated with each other. The study further investigated whether the experience of stage fright as a problem and negative feelings of MPA predict the coping behavior of the music students. Rarely addressed coping issues were assessed, i.e., self-perceived effectiveness of different coping strategies, knowledge of possible risks and acceptance of substance-based coping strategies, and need for more support. The results show that one-third of the students experienced stage fright as a problem and that this was only moderately correlated with negative feelings of MPA. The experience of stage fright as a problem significantly predicted the frequency of use and the acceptance of medication as a coping strategy. Breathing exercises and self-control techniques were rated as effective as medication. Finally, students expressed a strong need to receive more support (65%) and more information (84%) concerning stage fright. Stage fright was experienced as a problem and perceived as having negative career consequences by a considerable percentage of the surveyed students. In addition to a desire for more help and support, the students expressed an openness and willingness to seriously discuss and address the topic of stage fright. This provides a necessary and promising basis for optimal career preparation and, hence, an opportunity to prevent occupational problems in professional musicians.

Characterizing Interdisciplinarity of Researchers and Research Topics Using Web Search Engines

PubMed Central

Sayama, Hiroki; Akaishi, Jin

2012-01-01

Researchers' networks have been subject to active modeling and analysis. Earlier literature mostly focused on citation or co-authorship networks reconstructed from annotated scientific publication databases, which have several limitations. Recently, general-purpose web search engines have also been utilized to collect information about social networks. Here we reconstructed, using web search engines, a network representing the relatedness of researchers to their peers as well as to various research topics. Relatedness between researchers and research topics was characterized by visibility boost—increase of a researcher's visibility by focusing on a particular topic. It was observed that researchers who had high visibility boosts by the same research topic tended to be close to each other in their network. We calculated correlations between visibility boosts by research topics and researchers' interdisciplinarity at the individual level (diversity of topics related to the researcher) and at the social level (his/her centrality in the researchers' network). We found that visibility boosts by certain research topics were positively correlated with researchers' individual-level interdisciplinarity despite their negative correlations with the general popularity of researchers. It was also found that visibility boosts by network-related topics had positive correlations with researchers' social-level interdisciplinarity. Research topics' correlations with researchers' individual- and social-level interdisciplinarities were found to be nearly independent from each other. These findings suggest that the notion of “interdisciplinarity" of a researcher should be understood as a multi-dimensional concept that should be evaluated using multiple assessment means. PMID:22719935

Characterizing interdisciplinarity of researchers and research topics using web search engines.

PubMed

Sayama, Hiroki; Akaishi, Jin

2012-01-01

Researchers' networks have been subject to active modeling and analysis. Earlier literature mostly focused on citation or co-authorship networks reconstructed from annotated scientific publication databases, which have several limitations. Recently, general-purpose web search engines have also been utilized to collect information about social networks. Here we reconstructed, using web search engines, a network representing the relatedness of researchers to their peers as well as to various research topics. Relatedness between researchers and research topics was characterized by visibility boost-increase of a researcher's visibility by focusing on a particular topic. It was observed that researchers who had high visibility boosts by the same research topic tended to be close to each other in their network. We calculated correlations between visibility boosts by research topics and researchers' interdisciplinarity at the individual level (diversity of topics related to the researcher) and at the social level (his/her centrality in the researchers' network). We found that visibility boosts by certain research topics were positively correlated with researchers' individual-level interdisciplinarity despite their negative correlations with the general popularity of researchers. It was also found that visibility boosts by network-related topics had positive correlations with researchers' social-level interdisciplinarity. Research topics' correlations with researchers' individual- and social-level interdisciplinarities were found to be nearly independent from each other. These findings suggest that the notion of "interdisciplinarity" of a researcher should be understood as a multi-dimensional concept that should be evaluated using multiple assessment means.

Potential negative effects of perspective-taking efforts in the context of close relationships: increased bias and reduced satisfaction.

PubMed

Vorauer, Jacquie D; Sucharyna, Tamara A

2013-01-01

Three experiments demonstrated that trying to appreciate a close other's unique point of view (imagine-other perspective taking) increases the extent to which individuals overestimate their own transparency to the close other, that is, how many of their values, preferences, traits, and feelings are readily apparent to him or her. Trying to be objective and pay careful attention to cues from a close other, which inhibits perspective taking, instead had the opposite effect. Mediation analyses suggested that increased focus on the self as an object of evaluation contributed to the positive effect of imagine-other perspective taking on perceived transparency, and decreased focus on the self as an object of evaluation contributed to the negative effect of trying to be objective on these judgments. These effects on perceived transparency had important implications for relationship well-being: Enhanced perceived transparency of negative feelings prompted by imagine-other perspective taking during a back-and-forth exchange with a romantic partner led to systematic discrepancies between individuals' own and their partner's experience of the exchange and reduced relationship satisfaction; trying to be objective instead reduced perceived transparency and thereby increased satisfaction. Notably, initial closeness with another person enhanced rather than tempered the egocentric effects of perspective taking. Taken together, these results suggest that positive motivations to nurture a close relationship and be sensitive to a loved one might sometimes be better channeled toward paying closer attention to his or her behavior than toward perspective taking.

The influence of decadal scale climactic events on the transport of larvae.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmuson, L. K.; Edwards, C. A.; Shanks, A.

2016-02-01

Understanding the processes that influence larval transport remains an important, yet difficult, task. This is especially true as more studies demonstrate that biological and physical oceanographic processes vary at long (e.g. decadal+) time scales. We used individual based biophysical models to study transport of Dungeness crab larvae (the most economically valuable fishery on the West Coast of the Continental United States) over a 10-year period; during both positive and negative phases of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO). A physical oceanographic model of the California current was developed using the Regional Ocean Modeling System with 1/30-degree resolution. Measured and modeled PDO indices were positively correlated. The biological model was implemented using the Lagrangian Transport Model, and modified to incorporate temperature dependent development and stage specific behaviors. Super individuals were used to scale production and incorporate mortality. Models were validated using time series statistics to compare measured and modeled daily recruitment. More larvae recruited, in both our measured and modeled time series, during negative PDOs. Our work suggests larvae exhibit a vertically migratory behavior too or almost too the bottom each day. During positive PDO years larvae were competent to settle earlier than negative PDO years, however, pelagic larval durations did not differ. The southern end of the population appears to be a sink population, which likely explains the decline in commercial catch. Ultimately, the population is much more demographically closed than previously thought. We hypothesize the stronger flow in the California current during negative PDO's enhances membership of larvae in the current. Further, migrating almost too the bottom causes larvae to enter the benthic boundary layer on the continental shelf and the California undercurrent on the continental slope, both, which decrease net alongshore advection. These factors result in a higher number of larvae closing their larval phase within the California current. We hypothesize Dungeness crabs have evolved to complete their larval phase within the oceanographic context of the California current and differences with the oceanography in the Alaska current may explain the difficulties in managing fisheries.

Manifestations of interpersonal dependency and depressive subtypes in outpatient psychotherapy patients.

PubMed

Huprich, Steven; Rosen, Alexandra; Kiss, Andrea

2013-08-01

The present study investigated the relationship between normative and pathological dependency and anaclitic and introjective depressive experiences among 71 patients participating in outpatient psychotherapy at a university-based psychology clinic. We examined the interrelationships among the Relationship Profile Test subscales, the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire subscales and the Outcome Questionnaire-45.2. Results indicated that destructive overdependence was positively correlated with anaclitic and introjective depression and negatively correlated with overall perceptions of mental health. Dysfunctional detachment was positively correlated with introjective depression and negatively correlated with generalized perceptions of one's own mental health. Healthy dependency was negatively correlated with introjective depression and positively correlated with mental health. These results not only support the construct validity of the Relationship Profile Test but also shed light on a link between depression, dependence and self-criticism. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Measuring Economic Freedom: Better Without Size of Government.

PubMed

Ott, Jan

2018-01-01

The Heritage Foundation and the Fraser Institute measure economic freedom in nations using indices with ten and five indicators respectively. Eight of the Heritage indicators and four of the Fraser-indicators are about specific types of institutional quality, like rule of law, the protection of property, and the provision of sound money. More of these is considered to denote more economic freedom. Both indices also involve indicators of 'big government', or levels of government activities. More of that is seen to denote less economic freedom. Yet, levels of government spending, consumption, and transfers and subsidies appear to correlate positively with the other indicators related to institutional quality, while this correlation is close to zero for the level of taxation as a percentage of GDP. Using government spending, consumption transfers and subsidies as positive indicators is no alternative, because these levels stand for very different government activities, liberal or less liberal. This means that levels of government activities can better be left out as negative or positive indicators. Thus shortened variants of the indices create a better convergent validity in the measurement of economic freedom, and create higher correlations between economic freedom and alternative types of freedom, and between economic freedom and happiness. The higher correlations indicate a better predictive validity, since they are predictable in view of the findings of previous research and theoretical considerations about the relations between types of freedom, and between freedom and happiness.

Wood nitrogen concentrations in tropical trees: phylogenetic patterns and ecological correlates.

PubMed

Martin, Adam R; Erickson, David L; Kress, W John; Thomas, Sean C

2014-11-01

In tropical and temperate trees, wood chemical traits are hypothesized to covary with species' life-history strategy along a 'wood economics spectrum' (WES), but evidence supporting these expected patterns remains scarce. Due to its role in nutrient storage, we hypothesize that wood nitrogen (N) concentration will covary along the WES, being higher in slow-growing species with high wood density (WD), and lower in fast-growing species with low WD. In order to test this hypothesis we quantified wood N concentrations in 59 Panamanian hardwood species, and used this dataset to examine ecological correlates and phylogenetic patterns of wood N. Wood N varied > 14-fold among species between 0.04 and 0.59%; closely related species were more similar in wood N than expected by chance. Wood N was positively correlated with WD, and negatively correlated with log-transformed relative growth rates, although these relationships were relatively weak. We found evidence for co-evolution between wood N and both WD and log-transformed mortality rates. Our study provides evidence that wood N covaries with tree life-history parameters, and that these patterns consistently co-evolve in tropical hardwoods. These results provide some support for the hypothesized WES, and suggest that wood is an increasingly important N pool through tropical forest succession. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

The Teleconnection Pattern between Hawaii Rainfall and Large-Scale Circulation in Present-Day Conditions and during the Holocene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, S.; Elison Timm, O.

2016-12-01

Kona lows (KLs) are a type of seasonal cut-off cyclones in the North Pacific around the Hawaiian Islands during the cold season month (Oct.-Apr.). KL are important for the annual rainfall budget of the Hawaiian Islands. In this study, the relationship between KLs and North Pacific climate variability was analyzed in order to understand the interannual variations in the number of KLs. The main objectives were (1) to identify mechanisms that control the activity of KL during the recent decades, and (2) to test the stability of the statistical relationships with respect to decadal-scale variability and/or climate shifts. Our study is based on the new data set of KL counts from 1979-2014 (Kaiser, 2014, Univ. Hawaii). For the analysis of large-scale climate pattern, ERA-interim 6-hourly data from 1979-2014 were used including sea level pressure, geopotential heights of the 500hPa level, potential vorticity and zonal wind at 250hPa. We derived cold season averages for the mean and 8-16 day synoptic variability. Standard climate indices for tropical-extratropical climate variability included NINO3.4 and PDO index, and NPO index. The results from the linear correlation analysis show that local 8-16day PV250 variability north of Hawaii can represent Kona Low activity between 1979-2014. KL activity and PV250 variability had both a negative correlation with NINO3.4 index. However, the correlation with NINO3.4 index has diminished after 1995. This shift in correlation coincides with transition of the PDO index from a positive value to negative value during 1990's. Our results suggest that a negative PDO can reduce the ENSO influence on Kona Low activity by modulating the upper zonal jet response. We investigated further the relationship between NPO and Kona Low activity. A strong correlation with the NPO index was found. Two factors that control the time-dependent impacts of ENSO on the KL activity. After the mid-1990s the central tropical Pacific SST were more closely tied to the extratropical NPO mode. In order to test if the results are applicable in the context of paleoclimate applications, where the stability of tropical-extratropical teleconnection mechanisms is crucial for the interpretation of paleoclimate proxy data, we tested the robustness of our results in the TraCE-21ka simulation during the Holocene.

Positive and negative symptom scores are correlated with activation in different brain regions during facial emotion perception in schizophrenia patients: a voxel-based sLORETA source activity study.

PubMed

Kim, Do-Won; Kim, Han-Sung; Lee, Seung-Hwan; Im, Chang-Hwan

2013-12-01

Schizophrenia is one of the most devastating of all mental illnesses, and has dimensional characteristics that include both positive and negative symptoms. One problem reported in schizophrenia patients is that they tend to show deficits in face emotion processing, on which negative symptoms are thought to have stronger influence. In this study, four event-related potential (ERP) components (P100, N170, N250, and P300) and their source activities were analyzed using EEG data acquired from 23 schizophrenia patients while they were presented with facial emotion picture stimuli. Correlations between positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) scores and source activations during facial emotion processing were calculated to identify the brain areas affected by symptom scores. Our analysis demonstrates that PANSS positive scores are negatively correlated with major areas of the left temporal lobule for early ERP components (P100, N170) and with the right middle frontal lobule for a later component (N250), which indicates that positive symptoms affect both early face processing and facial emotion processing. On the other hand, PANSS negative scores are negatively correlated with several clustered regions, including the left fusiform gyrus (at P100), most of which are not overlapped with regions showing correlations with PANSS positive scores. Our results suggest that positive and negative symptoms affect independent brain regions during facial emotion processing, which may help to explain the heterogeneous characteristics of schizophrenia. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal.

PubMed

Blumstein, Daniel T; Williams, Dana M; Lim, Alexandra N; Kroeger, Svenja; Martin, Julien G A

2018-01-31

Humans in strong social relationships are more likely to live longer because social relationships may buffer stressors and thus have protective effects. However, a shortcoming of human studies is that they often rely on self-reporting of these relationships. By contrast, observational studies of non-human animals permit detailed analyses of the specific nature of social relationships. Thus, discoveries that some social animals live longer and healthier lives if they are involved in social grooming, forage together or have more affiliative associates emphasizes the potential importance of social relationships on health and longevity. Previous studies have focused on the impact of social metrics on longevity in obligately social species. However, if sociality indeed has a key role in longevity, we might expect that affiliative relationships should also influence longevity in less social species. We focused on socially flexible yellow-bellied marmots ( Marmota flaviventer ) and asked whether female longevity covaries with the specific nature of social relationships. We quantified social relationships with social network statistics that were based on affiliative interactions, and then estimated the correlation between longevity and sociality using bivariate models. We found a significant negative phenotypic correlation between affiliative social relationship strength and longevity; marmots with greater degree, closeness and those with a greater negative average shortest path length died at younger ages. We conclude that sociality plays an important role in longevity, but how it does so may depend on whether a species is obligately or facultatively social. © 2018 The Author(s).

Marine aerosol as a possible source for endotoxins in coastal areas.

PubMed

Lang-Yona, Naama; Lehahn, Yoav; Herut, Barak; Burshtein, Noa; Rudich, Yinon

2014-11-15

Marine aerosols, that are very common in the highly populated coastal cities and communities, may contain biological constituents. Some of this biological fraction of marine aerosols, such as cyanobacteria and plankton debris, may influence human health by inflammation and allergic reactions when inhaled. In this study we identify and compare sources for endotoxins sampled on filters in an on-shore and more-inland site. Filter analysis included endotoxin content, total bacteria, gram-negative bacteria and cyanobacteria genome concentrations as well as ion content in order to identify possible sources for the endotoxins. Satellite images of chlorophyll-a levels and back trajectory analysis were used to further study the cyanobacteria blooms in the sea, close to the trajectory of the sampled air. The highest endotoxin concentrations found in the shoreline site were during winter (3.23±0.17 EU/m(3)), together with the highest cyanobacteria genome (1065.5 genome/m(3)). The elevated endotoxin concentrations were significantly correlated with cyanobacterial levels scaled to the presence of marine aerosol (r=0.90), as well as to chlorophyll-a (r=0.96). Filters sampled further inland showed lower and non-significant correlation between endotoxin and cyanobacteria (r=0.70, P value=0.19), suggesting decrease in marine-originated endotoxin, with possible contributions from other sources of gram-negative non-cyanobacteria. We conclude that marine cyanobacteria may be a dominant contributor to elevated endotoxin levels in coastal areas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The plasticity of early memory reports: social pressure, hypnotizability, compliance, and interrogative suggestibility.

PubMed

Malinoski, P T; Lynn, S J

1999-10-01

Early autobiographical memory reports by adults were very sensitive to social influence in a leading interview. The mean age of initial earliest memory report was 3.7 years. When participants were instructed to close their eyes, visualize, and focus on their 2nd birthday, 59% reported a birthday memory. After repeated probes for earlier memories, 78% of subjects reported memories at or prior to 24 months of age, and 33% reported memories within the first 12 months of age. The mean age of the final earliest memory reported was 1.6 years. Participants rated their memory reports as accurate and did not recant them when given an opportunity. The age of earliest memory reports in the suggestive interview correlated negatively with measures of compliance, hypnotizability, and interrogative suggestibility.

Effect of social support on depression of internet addicts and the mediating role of loneliness.

PubMed

He, Fei; Zhou, Qin; Li, Jing; Cao, Rong; Guan, Hao

2014-01-01

Many studies have determined the existence of an extremely close association between Internet addiction and depression. However, the reasons for the depression of Internet addicts have not been fully investigated. This cross-sectional study aims to explore the factors that influence depression among Internet addicts. A total of 162 male Internet addicts completed the Emotional and Social Loneliness Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Loneliness and lack of social support are significantly correlated with depression among Internet addicts. Structural Equation Modeling results indicate that social support partially mediates loneliness and depression. Both social support and loneliness were negatively associated with depression of Internet addicts whereas loneliness plays a mediating role between social support and depression.

Facets of perfectionism in a sample of hypersexual patients.

PubMed

Reid, Rory C; Cooper, Erin B; Prause, Nicole; Li, Desiree S; Fong, Timothy W

2012-11-01

This study investigated the role of perfectionism in a treatment-seeking sample (N = 136) of adult men and women using the Perfectionism Inventory (PI) and the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory (HBI). Several facets of perfectionism were positively correlated with hypersexuality, with the concern over mistakes scale from the PI accounting for most of the predictive variance in patterns of hypersexual behavior measured by the HBI. Items associated with concern over mistakes closely parallel the construct of shame noted in other studies of hypersexual patients. To a lesser degree, the PI scale planfulness also showed a negative relationship with hypersexuality, suggesting tendencies of impulsivity in the current patients. These data reinforce the findings in other studies that patterns of harsh self-criticism and impulsivity seem to strongly influence hypersexual behavior.

Quantitative gene expression deregulation in mantle-cell lymphoma: correlation with clinical and biologic factors.

PubMed

Kienle, Dirk; Katzenberger, Tiemo; Ott, German; Saupe, Doreen; Benner, Axel; Kohlhammer, Holger; Barth, Thomas F E; Höller, Sylvia; Kalla, Jörg; Rosenwald, Andreas; Müller-Hermelink, Hans Konrad; Möller, Peter; Lichter, Peter; Döhner, Hartmut; Stilgenbauer, Stephan

2007-07-01

There is evidence for a direct role of quantitative gene expression deregulation in mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL) pathogenesis. Our aim was to investigate gene expression associations with other pathogenic factors and the significance of gene expression in a multivariate survival analysis. Quantitative expression of 20 genes of potential relevance for MCL prognosis and pathogenesis were analyzed using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and correlated with clinical and genetic factors, tumor morphology, and Ki-67 index in 65 MCL samples. Genomic losses at the loci of TP53, RB1, and P16 were associated with reduced transcript levels of the respective genes, indicating a gene-dosage effect as the pathomechanism. Analysis of gene expression correlations between the candidate genes revealed a separation into two clusters, one dominated by proliferation activators, another by proliferation inhibitors and regulators of apoptosis. Whereas only weak associations were identified between gene expression and clinical parameters or blastoid morphology, several genes were correlated closely with the Ki-67 index, including the short CCND1 variant (positive correlation) and RB1, ATM, P27, and BMI (negative correlation). In multivariate survival analysis, expression levels of MYC, MDM2, EZH2, and CCND1 were the strongest prognostic factors independently of tumor proliferation and clinical factors. These results indicate a pathogenic contribution of several gene transcript levels to the biology and clinical course of MCL. Genes can be differentiated into factors contributing to proliferation deregulation, either by enhancement or loss of inhibition, and proliferation-independent factors potentially contributing to MCL pathogenesis by apoptosis impairment.

Correlation Between Gastric Emptying and Gastric Adaptive Relaxation Influenced by Amino Acids

PubMed Central

Uchida, Masayuki; Kobayashi, Orie; Saito, Chizuru

2017-01-01

Background/Aims Amino acids have many physiological activities. We report the correlation between gastric emptying and gastric adaptive relaxation using tryptophan and amino acids with a straight alkyl chain, hydroxylated chain, and branched chain. Here we sought to further clarify the correlation between gastric emptying and gastric adaptive relaxation by using other amino acids. Methods In Sprague-Dawley rats, gastric emptying was evaluated by a breath test using [1-13C] acetic acid. The expired 13CO2 pattern, Tmax, Cmax, and AUC120min values were used as evaluation items. Gastric adaptive relaxation was evaluated in a barostat experiment. Individual amino acids (1 g/kg) were administered orally 30 minutes before each breath test or barostat test. Results L-phenylalanine and L-tyrosine did not influence gastric emptying. All other amino acids, ie, L-proline, L-histidine, L-cysteine, L-methionine, L-aspartic acid, L-glutamic acid, L-asparagine, L-arginine, L-glutamine, and L-lysine significantly delayed and inhibited gastric emptying. L-Cysteine and L-aspartic acid significantly enhanced and L-methionine and L-glutamine significantly inhibited gastric adaptive relaxation. L-Phenylalanine moved the balloon toward the antrum, suggesting strong contraction of the fundus. Tmax showed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.709), and Cmax and AUC120min each showed negative correlations (r = 0.613 and 0.667, respectively) with gastric adaptive relaxation. Conclusion From the above findings, it was found that a close correlation exists between gastric emptying and adaptive relaxation, suggesting that enhanced gastric adaptive relaxation inhibits gastric emptying. PMID:28335103

Metabolomics of Breast Cancer Using High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Correlations with 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography, Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging MRI.

PubMed

Yoon, Haesung; Yoon, Dahye; Yun, Mijin; Choi, Ji Soo; Park, Vivian Youngjean; Kim, Eun-Kyung; Jeong, Joon; Koo, Ja Seung; Yoon, Jung Hyun; Moon, Hee Jung; Kim, Suhkmann; Kim, Min Jung

2016-01-01

Our goal in this study was to find correlations between breast cancer metabolites and conventional quantitative imaging parameters using high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and to find breast cancer subgroups that show high correlations between metabolites and imaging parameters. Between August 2010 and December 2013, we included 53 female patients (mean age 49.6 years; age range 32-75 years) with a total of 53 breast lesions assessed by the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. They were enrolled under the following criteria: breast lesions larger than 1 cm in diameter which 1) were suspicious for malignancy on mammography or ultrasound (US), 2) were pathologically confirmed to be breast cancer with US-guided core-needle biopsy (CNB) 3) underwent 3 Tesla MRI with dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), and 4) had an attainable immunohistochemistry profile from CNB. We acquired spectral data by HR-MAS MRS with CNB specimens and expressed the data as relative metabolite concentrations. We compared the metabolites with the signal enhancement ratio (SER), maximum standardized FDG uptake value (SUV max), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and histopathologic prognostic factors for correlation. We calculated Spearman correlations and performed a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to further classify patient groups into subgroups to find correlation differences between HR-MAS spectroscopic values and conventional imaging parameters. In a multivariate analysis, the PLS-DA models built with HR-MAS MRS metabolic profiles showed visible discrimination between high and low SER, SUV, and ADC. In luminal subtype breast cancer, compared to all cases, high SER, ADV, and SUV were more closely clustered by visual assessment. Multiple metabolites were correlated with SER and SUV in all cases. Multiple metabolites showed correlations with SER and SUV in the ER positive, HER2 negative, and Ki-67 negative groups. High levels of PC, choline, and glycine acquired from HR-MAS MRS using CNB specimens were noted in the high SER group via DCE MRI and the high SUV group via PET-CT, with significant correlations between choline and SER and between PC and SUV. Further studies should investigate whether HR-MAS MRS using CNB specimens can provide similar or more prognostic information than conventional quantitative imaging parameters.

Genetic structure of personality factors and bipolar disorder in families segregating bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Hare, Elizabeth; Contreras, Javier; Raventos, Henriette; Flores, Deborah; Jerez, Alvaro; Nicolini, Humberto; Ontiveros, Alfonso; Almasy, Laura; Escamilla, Michael

2012-02-01

Bipolar disorder (BPD) has been associated with variations in personality dimensions, but the nature of this relationship has been unclear. In this study, the heritabilities of BPD and the Big Five personality factors and the genetic correlations between BPD and personality factors are reported. The participants in this study were 1073 individuals from 172 families of Mexican or Central American ancestry. Heritabilities and genetic correlations were calculated under a polygenic model using the maximum-likelihood method of obtaining variance components implemented in the SOLAR software package. Heritabilities of 0.49, 0.43, and 0.43 were found for the narrowest phenotype (schizoaffective bipolar and bipolar I), the intermediate phenotype (schizoaffective bipolar, bipolar I, and bipolar II), and the broadest phenotype (schizoaffective bipolar, bipolar I, bipolar II, and recurrent depression), respectively. For the Big Five personality factors, heritabilities were 0.25 for agreeableness, 0.24 for conscientiousness, 0.24 for extraversion, 0.23 for neuroticism, and 0.32 for openness to experience. For the narrowest phenotype, a significant negative correlation (-0.32) with extraversion was found. For the broadest phenotype, negative correlations were found for agreeableness (-0.35), conscientiousness (-0.39), and extraversion (-0.44). A positive correlation (0.37) was found with neuroticism. It is not possible to determine whether aspects of personality are factors in the development of bipolar disorder or vice versa. The short form of the NEO does not provide the ability to examine in detail which facets of extraversion are most closely related to bipolar disorder or to compare our results with studies that have used the long version of the scale. This study establishes a partial genetic basis for the Big Five personality factors in this set of families, while the environmental variances demonstrate that non-genetic factors are also important in their influence on bipolar and personality phenotypes. BPD may be most associated with decreased extraversion (less interaction with one's surroundings) because patients spend more time in depressive than manic states. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Circulating Adipocyte Fatty Acid Binding Protein (FABP4) Levels Are Associated with Irisin in the Middle-Aged General Chinese Population.

PubMed

Zhang, Shan; Yang, Lili; Chen, Peihong; Jin, Hua; Xie, Xinmiao; Yang, Meili; Gao, Ting; Hu, Cheng; Yu, Xuemei

2016-01-01

Adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) has been recently characterized as an adipokine that is closely associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Irisin, a novel myokine, activates thermogenesis by increasing the transformation of white adipocytes to brown, and it has improved glucose homeostasis in animal models. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between serum FABP4 and irisin in middle-aged Chinese subjects. A total of 111 normal residents (56 men and 55 women) of Fengxian District who were 40 to 60 years of age were recruited. Circulating FABP4 and irisin were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anthropometric parameters, oral glucose tolerance test results, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), blood lipids, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, homeostasis model assessment-β and body fat composition were also determined. All participants were categorized by FABP4 tertiles. There were significant differences in blood pressure, body fat percentage, 2-h plasma glucose, and skeletal muscle mass among the three groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, FABP4 levels in the women were significantly higher than in the men (P<0.05). However, there was no sexual dimorphism in serum irisin (P>0.05). To exclude the effect of sex difference, partial correlations analysis showed that FABP4 was positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure (P<0.05) and body fat percentage (P<0.05) negatively correlated with skeletal muscle mass (P<0.05) and irisin (P<0.05), while irisin was positively correlated with HbA1c (P<0.05) and negatively correlated with creatinine (P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that serum FABP4 was independently associated with skeletal muscle mass (P<0.001), diastolic blood pressure (P<0.05) and irisin (P<0.05) after adjustment for age, body mass index, body fat percentage, total cholesterol and HbA1C. Elevated FABP4 levels increase the risks of obesity-related metabolic disorders and hypertension. Serum irisin might exert antagonistic effects on FABP4 in the middle-aged Chinese population.

Negative ion production in large volume source with small deposition of cesium

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

Jacquot, C.; Pamela, J.; Riz, D.

1996-03-01

Experimental data on the enhancement of D{sup {minus}} (H{sup {minus}}) negative ion production due to cesium injection into a large volume multiampere negative ion source (MANTIS) are described. The directed deposition of small cesium amounts (5{endash}100 mg) from a compact, movable oven, placed into the central part of a MANTIS gas-discharge box was used. A calorimetrically measured D{sup {minus}} beam with an intensity up to 1.6 A and an extracted current density up to 4.2 mA/cm{sup 2} (beam energy 25 kV) was obtained. Exactly 30 mg of cesium provides at least one month of source operation (1000 pulses with amore » discharge pulse duration of 4 s). The effect of cesium on NI enhancement was immediately displayed after the distributed Cs deposition, but it needed some {open_quote}{open_quote}conditioning{close_quote}{close_quote} of cesium by tens of discharge pulses (or by several hours {open_quote}{open_quote}pause{close_quote}{close_quote}) in the case of a localized Cs deposition. No degradation of extraction-acceleration voltage holding on within the tested range of cesium injection was observed. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Correlation among Y Balance Test-Lower Quarter Composite Scores, Hip Musculoskeletal Characteristics, and Pitching Kinematics in NCAA Division I Baseball Pitchers.

PubMed

Culiver, Adam; Garrison, J Craig; Creed, Kalyssa M; Conway, John E; Goto, Shiho; Werner, Sherry

2018-01-24

Numerous studies have reported kinematic data on baseball pitchers using 3D motion analysis, but no studies to date have correlated this data with clinical outcome measures. To examine the relationship among Y Balance Test-Lower Quarter (YBT-LQ) composite scores, musculoskeletal characteristics of the hip and pitching kinematics in NCAA Division I baseball pitchers. Cross-sectional. 3D motion analysis laboratory. 19 healthy male collegiate baseball pitchers. Internal and external hip passive range of motion (PROM); hip abduction strength; YBT-LQ composite scores; kinematic variables of the pitching motion. Stride length demonstrated a moderate positive correlation with dominant limb YBT-LQ composite score (r=0.524, p=0.018) and non-dominant limb YBT-LQ composite score (r=0.550, p=0.012), and a weak positive correlation with normalized time to maximal humerus velocity (r=0.458, p=0.043). Stride length had a moderate negative correlation with normalized time to maximal thorax velocity (r= -0.522, p=0.018) and dominant hip TRM (r= -0.660, p=0.002), and had a strong negative correlation with normalized time from SFC to maximal knee flexion (r= -0.722, p<0.001). Dominant limb YBT-LQ composite score had a weak negative correlation with hip abduction strength difference (r= -0.459, p=0.042) and normalized time to maximal thorax velocity (r= -0.468, p=0.037), as well as a moderate negative correlation with dominant hip TRM (r= -0.160, p=0.004). Non-dominant limb YBT-LQ composite score demonstrated a weak negative correlation with normalized time to maximal thorax velocity (r= -0.450, p=0.046) and had a moderate negative correlation with dominant hip TRM (r= -0.668, p=0.001). Hip abduction strength difference demonstrated a weak positive correlation with dominant hip TRM (r=0.482, p=0.032). Dominant hip TRM had a moderate positive correlation with normalized time to maximal thorax velocity (r=0.484, p=0.031). There were no other significant relationships between the remaining variables. YBT-LQ is a clinical measure which can be used to correlate with hip musculoskeletal characteristics and pitching kinematics in NCAA Division I pitchers.

Links between real and virtual networks: a comparative study of online communities in Japan and Korea.

PubMed

Ishii, Kenichi; Ogasahara, Morihiro

2007-04-01

The present study explores how online communities affect real-world personal relations based on a cross-cultural survey conducted in Japan and Korea. Findings indicate that the gratifications of online communities moderate the effects of online communities on social participation. Online communities are categorized into a real-group-based community and a virtual-network-based community. The membership of real-group-based online community is positively correlated with social bonding gratification and negatively correlated with information- seeking gratification. Japanese users prefer more virtual-network-based online communities, while their Korean counterparts prefer real-group-based online communities. Korean users are more active in online communities and seek a higher level of socializing gratifications, such as social bonding and making new friends, when compared with their Japanese counterparts. These results indicate that in Korea, personal relations via the online community are closely associated with the real-world personal relations, but this is not the case in Japan. This study suggests that the effects of the Internet are culture-specific and that the online community can serve a different function in different cultural environments.

Precipitation Interpolation by Multivariate Bayesian Maximum Entropy Based on Meteorological Data in Yun- Gui-Guang region, Mainland China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaolin; Zhong, Shaobo; Zhang, Fushen; Huang, Quanyi

2016-11-01

Precipitation interpolation has been a hot area of research for many years. It had close relation to meteorological factors. In this paper, precipitation from 91 meteorological stations located in and around Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang provinces (or autonomous region), Mainland China was taken into consideration for spatial interpolation. Multivariate Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) method with auxiliary variables, including mean relative humidity, water vapour pressure, mean temperature, mean wind speed and terrain elevation, was used to get more accurate regional distribution of annual precipitation. The means, standard deviations, skewness and kurtosis of meteorological factors were calculated. Variogram and cross- variogram were fitted between precipitation and auxiliary variables. The results showed that the multivariate BME method was precise with hard and soft data, probability density function. Annual mean precipitation was positively correlated with mean relative humidity, mean water vapour pressure, mean temperature and mean wind speed, negatively correlated with terrain elevation. The results are supposed to provide substantial reference for research of drought and waterlog in the region.

Study of radon dispersion in typical dwelling using CFD modeling combined with passive-active measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rabi, R.; Oufni, L.

2017-10-01

Inhalation of radon (222Rn) and its decay products are a major source of natural radiation exposure. It is known from recent surveys in many countries that radon and its progeny contribute significantly to total inhalation dose and it is fairly established that radon when inhaled in large quantity causes lung disorder. Indoor air conditions and ventilation systems strongly influence the indoor radon concentration. This study focuses on investigating both numerically and experimentally the influence of environmental conditions on the indoor radon concentration and spatial distribution. The numerical results showed that ventilation rate, temperature and humidity have significant impacts on both radon content and distribution. The variations of radon concentration with the ventilation, temperature and relative humidity are discussed. The measurement results show the diurnal variations of the indoor radon concentration are found to exhibit a positive correlation with relative humidity and negatively correlate with the air temperature. The analytic solution is used to validate the numeric results. The comparison amongst analytical, numerical and measurement results shows close agreement.

Combination of Analytical and Chemometric Methods as a Useful Tool for the Characterization of Extra Virgin Argan Oil and Other Edible Virgin Oils. Role of Polyphenols and Tocopherols.

PubMed

Rueda, Ascensión; Samaniego-Sánchez, Cristina; Olalla, Manuel; Giménez, Rafael; Cabrera-Vique, Carmen; Seiquer, Isabel; Lara, Luis

2016-01-01

Analysis of phenolic profile and tocopherol fractions in conjunction with chemometrics techniques were used for the accurate characterization of extra virgin argan oil and eight other edible vegetable virgin oils (olive, soybean, wheat germ, walnut, almond, sesame, avocado, and linseed) and to establish similarities among them. Phenolic profile and tocopherols were determined by HPLC coupled with diode-array and fluorescence detectors, respectively. Multivariate factor analysis (MFA) and linear correlations were applied. Significant negative correlations were found between tocopherols and some of the polyphenols identified, but more intensely (P < 0.001) between the γ-tocopherol and oleuropein, pinoresinol, and luteolin. MFA revealed that tocopherols, especially γ-fraction, most strongly influenced the oil characterization. Among the phenolic compounds, syringic acid, dihydroxybenzoic acid, oleuropein, pinoresinol, and luteolin also contributed to the discrimination of the oils. According to the variables analyzed in the present study, argan oil presented the greatest similarity with walnut oil, followed by sesame and linseed oils. Olive, avocado, and almond oils showed close similarities.

A novel cell-based assay for measuring neutralizing autoantibodies against type I interferons in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1.

PubMed

Breivik, Lars; Oftedal, Bergithe E V; Bøe Wolff, Anette S; Bratland, Eirik; Orlova, Elizaveta M; Husebye, Eystein S

2014-07-01

An important characteristic of autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS 1) is the existence of neutralizing autoantibodies (nAbs) against the type I interferons (IFN) -α2 and -ω at frequencies close to 100%. Type 1 IFN autoantibodies are detected by antiviral neutralizing assays (AVA), binding assays with radiolabelled antigens (RLBA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), or by reporter-based cell assays. We here present a simple and reliable version of the latter utilizing a commercially available cell line (HEK-Blue IFN-α/β). All 67 APS 1 patients were positive for IFN-ω nAbs, while 90% were positive for IFN-α2 nAbs, a 100% and 96% correlation with RLBA, respectively. All blood donors and non-APS 1 patients were negative. The dilution titer required to reduce the effect of IFN-ω nAbs correlated with the RLBA index. This cell-based autoantibody assay (CBAA) is easy to perform, suitable for high throughput, while providing high specificity and sensitivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Differential impact of the first and second wave of a stress response on subsequent fear conditioning in healthy men.

PubMed

Antov, Martin I; Wölk, Christoph; Stockhorst, Ursula

2013-10-01

Stress is a process of multiple neuroendocrine changes over time. We examined effects of the first-wave and second-wave stress response on acquisition and immediate extinction of differential fear conditioning, assessed by skin conductance responses. In Experiment 1, we placed acquisition either close to the (second-wave) salivary cortisol peak, induced by a psychosocial stressor (experimental group, EG), or after non-stressful pretreatment (control group, CG). Contrary to predictions, groups did not differ in differential responding. In the EG only, mean differential responding was negatively correlated with cortisol increases. In Experiment 2, we placed conditioning near the first-wave stress response, induced by a cold pressor test (CPT), or after a warm-water condition (CG). CPT-stress increased extinction resistance. Moreover, acquisition performance after CPT was positively correlated with first-wave blood pressure increases. Data suggest that mediators of the first-wave stress response enhance fear maintenance whereas second-wave cortisol responsivity to stress might attenuate fear learning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The link between callosal thickness and intelligence in healthy children and adolescents.

PubMed

Luders, Eileen; Thompson, Paul M; Narr, Katherine L; Zamanyan, Alen; Chou, Yi-Yu; Gutman, Boris; Dinov, Ivo D; Toga, Arthur W

2011-02-01

The link between brain structure and intelligence is a well-investigated topic, but existing analyses have mainly focused on adult samples. Studies in healthy children and adolescents are rare, and normative data specifically addressing the association between corpus callosum morphology and intellectual abilities are quite limited. To advance this field of research, we mapped the correlations between standardized intelligence measures and callosal thickness based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Our large and well-matched sample included 200 normally developing subjects (100 males, 100 females) ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. Although the strongest correlations were negative and confined to the splenium, the strength and the direction of intelligence-callosal thickness associations varied considerably. While significant correlations in females were mainly positive, significant correlations in males were exclusively negative. However, only the negative correlations in the overall sample (i.e., males and females combined) remained significant when controlling for multiple comparisons. The observed negative correlations between callosal thickness and intelligence in children and adolescents contrast with the positive correlations typically reported in adult samples. However, negative correlations are in line with reports from other pediatric studies relating cognitive measures to other brain attributes such as cortical thickness, gray matter volume, and gray matter density. Altogether, these findings suggest that relationships between callosal morphology and cognition are highly dynamic during brain maturation. Sex effects on links between callosal thickness and intelligence during childhood and adolescence are present but appear rather weak in general. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The link between callosal thickness and intelligence in healthy children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Luders, Eileen; Thompson, Paul M.; Narr, Katherine L.; Zamanyan, Alen; Chou, Yi-Yu; Gutman, Boris; Dinov, Ivo D.; Toga, Arthur W.

2010-01-01

The link between brain structure and intelligence is a well-investigated topic, but existing analyses have mainly focused on adult samples. Studies in healthy children and adolescents are rare, and normative data specifically addressing the association between corpus callosum morphology and intellectual abilities is quite limited. To advance this field of research, we mapped the correlations between standardized intelligence measures and callosal thickness based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Our large and well-matched sample included 200 normally developing subjects (100 males, 100 females) ranging from 6 to 17 years of age. Although the strongest correlations were negative and confined to the splenium, the strength and the direction of intelligence-callosal thickness associations varied considerably with respect to age and sex. While significant correlations in females were mainly positive, significant correlations in males were exclusively negative. However, only the negative correlations in the overall sample (i.e., males and females combined) remained significant when controlling for multiple comparisons. The observed negative correlations between callosal thickness and intelligence in children and adolescents contrast with the positive correlations typically reported in adult samples. However, negative correlations are in line with reports from other pediatric studies relating cognitive measures to other brain attributes such as cortical thickness, gray matter volume, and gray matter density. Altogether, these findings suggest that relationships between callosal morphology and cognition are highly dynamic during brain maturation. Sex effects on links between callosal thickness and intelligence during childhood and adolescence are present but appear rather weak in general. PMID:20932920

Self-worth and psychological adjustment of obese children: An analysis through the Draw-A-Person

PubMed Central

Scimeca, Giuseppe; Alborghetti, Amelia; Bruno, Antonio; Troili, Giulia Maria; Pandolfo, Gianluca; Muscatello, Maria Rosaria Anna; Zoccali, Rocco Antonio

2016-01-01

AIM To investigate psychopathological correlates of child obesity via the Draw-A-Person test (DAP). METHODS The participants were 50 children with a mean age of 9.74 years. Body mass index (BMI) was used as a measure of body fat. Children were divided into normal (n = 17), overweight (n = 14) and obese (n = 19). Two qualitative methods of scoring the DAP based on an integrative approach were used to assess self-concept (ESW) and overall level of children’s adjustment (EAC). A procedure for judging interpretative skills of clinicians was implemented before they evaluated children’s drawings. RESULTS As predicted by our hypothesis, BMI was negatively correlated with ESW, r (50) = -0.29, P < 0.05, but not with EAC, r (50) = - 0.08, P = ns. To evaluate the effect of gender, Pearson correlations were re-computed regrouping the sample accordingly: BMI and EAC reached a significant negative correlation in female subjects, r (24) = -0.36, P < 0.05, and a positive correlation in male subjects, r (26) = 0.37, P = < 0.05; negative correlation between BMI and ESW became stronger in females, r (24) = -0.51, P < 0.01 but not in males, whose correlation disappeared resulting not-significant, r (26) = -0.06, P = ns. No effect of age was found. Results indicate that obesity has a negative correlation exclusively on overall adjustment and self-concept in female children. CONCLUSION It was concluded that there is a negative bias toward females that reveals how the stigma of obesity is widespread in Western society. PMID:27679772

Novel Assessment of Interstitial Lung Disease Using the "Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating" (CALIPER) Software System in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies.

PubMed

Ungprasert, Patompong; Wilton, Katelynn M; Ernste, Floranne C; Kalra, Sanjay; Crowson, Cynthia S; Rajagopalan, Srinivasan; Bartholmai, Brian J

2017-10-01

To evaluate the correlation between measurements from quantitative thoracic high-resolution CT (HRCT) analysis with "Computer-Aided Lung Informatics for Pathology Evaluation and Rating" (CALIPER) software and measurements from pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). A cohort of patients with IIM-associated ILD seen at Mayo Clinic was identified from medical record review. Retrospective analysis of HRCT data and PFTs at baseline and 1 year was performed. The abnormalities in HRCT were quantified using CALIPER software. A total of 110 patients were identified. At baseline, total interstitial abnormalities as measured by CALIPER, both by absolute volume and by percentage of total lung volume, had a significant negative correlation with diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), total lung capacity (TLC), and oxygen saturation. Analysis by subtype of interstitial abnormality revealed significant negative correlations between ground glass opacities (GGO) and reticular density (RD) with DLCO and TLC. At one year, changes of total interstitial abnormalities compared with baseline had a significant negative correlation with changes of TLC and oxygen saturation. A negative correlation between changes of total interstitial abnormalities and DLCO was also observed, but it was not statistically significant. Analysis by subtype of interstitial abnormality revealed negative correlations between changes of GGO and RD and changes of DLCO, TLC, and oxygen saturation, but most of the correlations did not achieve statistical significance. CALIPER measurements correlate well with functional measurements in patients with IIM-associated ILD.

The Effects of Anger, Sadness and Happiness on Persuasive Message Processing: A Test of the Negative State Relief Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Monique M.; Brown, Kenneth M.; Morris-Villagran, Melinda; Villagran, Paul D.

2001-01-01

Examines the strength of the effects of happiness and sadness on attitude change, and compares these effects with the effect of anger on attitude change and persuasive message processing. Finds that message strength was positively correlated with attitude, intention and behavior, but was negatively correlated with negative thoughts, and counter…

A synchronous game for binary constraint systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Se-Jin; Paulsen, Vern; Schafhauser, Christopher

2018-03-01

Recently, Slofstra proved that the set of quantum correlations is not closed. We prove that the set of synchronous quantum correlations is not closed, which implies his result, by giving an example of a synchronous game that has a perfect quantum approximate strategy but no perfect quantum strategy. We also exhibit a graph for which the quantum independence number and the quantum approximate independence number are different. We prove new characterisations of synchronous quantum approximate correlations and synchronous quantum spatial correlations. We solve the synchronous approximation problem of Dykema and the second author, which yields a new equivalence of Connes' embedding problem in terms of synchronous correlations.

Coccolithophore ecology at the HOT station ALOHA, Hawaii

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortés, Mara Y.; Bollmann, Jörg; Thierstein, Hans R.

Cell densities of total coccolithophores and dominant taxa were determined in 183 samples from the upper 200 m of the water column at about monthly intervals between January 1994 and August 1996 at the HOT station ALOHA, Hawaii. High cell densities were observed twice a year, in March (up to 41×10 3 cells l -1) and in September/October (up to 52×10 3 cells l -1). In the intervening months, cell densities were extremely low (0-20×10 3 cells l -1), reflecting a strong seasonality. The main production of coccolithophores took place in the middle photic zone between 50 and 100 m water depth. In total 125 coccolithophore species were identified but only five constituted on average more than 30% of the community: Emiliania huxleyi, Umbellosphaera irregularis, U. tenuis, Florisphaera profunda and Gephyrocapsa ericsonii. The generally low, but seasonally dynamic coccolithophore cell density variability is compared with in situ measurements of environmental parameters. Correlation analyses between cell density variability of the dominant taxa and potentially controlling environmental parameters show significant correlation coefficients when the data set was separated into upper and lower photic zone. Cell densities of all dominant taxa are most highly correlated with temperature variability. U. irregularis is positively correlated in the upper photic zone, whereas E. huxleyi and G. ericsonii are negatively correlated. In the lower photic zone, F. profunda cell densities are positively correlated with light, which corresponds to the maximum bottom-up control (i.e. by physical forcing) of any species encountered. The surprisingly low correlations of cell densities with nitrate and phosphate may be caused by insufficient sampling resolution, nutrient levels close to detection limits, or both.

The correlation between symptomatic fatigue to definite measures of gait in people with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Kalron, Alon

2016-02-01

There is a general consensus relating to the multidimensional aspects of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), however, the exact impact of this symptom on gait is not fully understood. Our primary aim was to examine the relationship between definite parameters of gait with self-reported symptomatic fatigue in PwMS according to their level of neurological impairment. Spatio-temporal parameters of gait were studied using an electronic walkway. The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12) questionnaire, a patient-rated measure of walking ability was collected. The Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) questionnaire was used to determine the level of symptomatic fatigue. One hundred and one PwMS (61 women) were included in the study analysis. Subjects were divided into mild and moderate neurological impaired groups. Fatigue was correlated with 5 (out of 14) spatiotemporal parameters. However, correlation scores were all <0.35, thus considered as weak correlations. In the mild group, the double support period was the only variable positively correlated to fatigue (Spearman's rho=0.28, P=0.05). In the moderate group, step and stride length were solely negatively correlated to fatigue (Spearman's rho=0.32, P=0.03). In contrast to the definite gait parameters, the MSWS-12 self-questionnaire was moderately positively correlated to the level of fatigue. Scores for the total, mild and moderate groups were 0.54, 0.57 and 0.51; P<0.01, respectively. The present results indicate that modifications in spatio-temporal parameters of gait are not closely related to symptomatic fatigue in PwMS. On the contrary, the self-reported MSWS-12 questionnaire is predisposed to level of fatigue in PwMS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relative tooth size at birth in primates: Life history correlates.

PubMed

Smith, Timothy D; Muchlinski, Magdalena N; Bucher, Wade R; Vinyard, Christopher J; Bonar, Christopher J; Evans, Sian; Williams, Lawrence E; DeLeon, Valerie B

2017-11-01

Dental eruption schedules have been closely linked to life history variables. Here we examine a sample of 50 perinatal primates (28 species) to determine whether life history traits correlate with relative tooth size at birth. Newborn primates were studied using serial histological sectioning. Volumes of deciduous premolars (dp 2 -dp 4 ), replacement teeth (if any), and permanent molars (M 1-2/3 ) of the upper jaw were measured and residuals from cranial length were calculated with least squares regressions to obtain relative dental volumes (RDVs). Relative dental volumes of deciduous or permanent teeth have an unclear relationship with relative neonatal mass in all primates. Relative palatal length (RPL), used as a proxy for midfacial size, is significantly, positively correlated with larger deciduous and permanent postcanine teeth. However, when strepsirrhines alone are examined, larger RPL is correlated with smaller RDV of permanent teeth. In the full sample, RDVs of deciduous premolars are significantly negatively correlated with relative gestation length (RGL), but have no clear relationship with relative weaning age. RDVs of molars lack a clear relationship with RGL; later weaning is associated with larger molar RDV, although correlations are not significant. When strepsirrhines alone are analyzed, clearer trends are present: longer gestations or later weaning are associated with smaller deciduous and larger permanent postcanine teeth (only gestational length correlations are significant). Our results indicate a broad trend that primates with the shortest RGLs precociously develop deciduous teeth; in strepsirrhines, the opposite trend is seen for permanent molars. Anthropoids delay growth of permanent teeth, while strepsirrhines with short RGLs are growing replacement teeth concurrently. A comparison of neonatal volumes with existing information on extent of cusp mineralization indicates that growth of tooth germs and cusp mineralization may be selected for independently. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Alexithymia Components Are Differentially Related to Explicit Negative Affect But Not Associated with Explicit Positive Affect or Implicit Affectivity.

PubMed

Suslow, Thomas; Donges, Uta-Susan

2017-01-01

Alexithymia represents a multifaceted personality construct defined by difficulties in recognizing and verbalizing emotions and externally oriented thinking. According to clinical observations, experience of negative affects is exacerbated and experience of positive affects is decreased in alexithymia. Findings from research based on self-report indicate that all alexithymia facets are negatively associated with the experience of positive affects, whereas difficulties identifying and describing feelings are related to heightened negative affect. Implicit affectivity, which can be measured using indirect assessment methods, relates to processes of the impulsive system. The aim of the present study was to examine, for the first time, the relations between alexithymia components and implicit and explicit positive and negative affectivity in healthy adults. The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered to two hundred and forty-one healthy individuals along with measures of depression and trait anxiety. Difficulties identifying feelings were correlated with explicit negative trait affect, depressive mood and trait anxiety. Difficulties describing feelings showed smaller but also significant correlations with depressive mood and trait anxiety but were not correlated with explicit state or trait affect as assessed by the PANAS. Externally oriented thinking was not significantly correlated with any of the implicit and explicit affect measures. According to our findings, an externally oriented, concrete way of thinking appears to be generally unrelated to dispositions to develop positive or negative affects. Difficulties identifying feelings seem to be associated with increased conscious negative affects but not with a heightened disposition to develop negative affects at an automatic response level.

Measurement of prosocial reasoning among Chinese adolescents.

PubMed

Lai, Frank H Y; Siu, Andrew M H; Chan, Chewtyn C H; Shek, Daniel T L

2012-01-01

This study attempted to develop a standardized instrument for assessment of prosocial reasoning in Chinese populations. The Prosocial Reasoning Objective Measure (PROM) was translated, and a two-stage study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated instrument. The content validity, cultural relevance, and reading level of the translated instrument were evaluated by an expert panel. Upon revisions according to the expert opinions, the Chinese PROM demonstrated good content validity, "good-to-very good test-retest" reliability, and internal consistency. However, only partial support to the convergent validity of the Chinese PROM was found. In the first stage of the study (n = 50), the PROM scores had high positive correlations with empathy and negative correlations with personal distress and fantasy. These results were consistent with theoretical expectations, although this is also a concern that empathy had a close-to-unity correlation with PROM score in the small sample study of stage 1. In the second stage of the study (n = 566), the relationship between PROM scores and prosocial behavior appeared to be weak. Results suggest that there were many personal, family, or social factors that were linked to prosocial behavior, and prosocial reasoning might only contribute to a small proportion of variation in prosocial behavior among adolescents.

Measurement of Prosocial Reasoning among Chinese Adolescents

PubMed Central

Lai, Frank H. Y.; Siu, Andrew M. H.; Chan, Chewtyn C. H.; Shek, Daniel T. L.

2012-01-01

This study attempted to develop a standardized instrument for assessment of prosocial reasoning in Chinese populations. The Prosocial Reasoning Objective Measure (PROM) was translated, and a two-stage study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the translated instrument. The content validity, cultural relevance, and reading level of the translated instrument were evaluated by an expert panel. Upon revisions according to the expert opinions, the Chinese PROM demonstrated good content validity, “good-to-very good test-retest” reliability, and internal consistency. However, only partial support to the convergent validity of the Chinese PROM was found. In the first stage of the study (n = 50), the PROM scores had high positive correlations with empathy and negative correlations with personal distress and fantasy. These results were consistent with theoretical expectations, although this is also a concern that empathy had a close-to-unity correlation with PROM score in the small sample study of stage 1. In the second stage of the study (n = 566), the relationship between PROM scores and prosocial behavior appeared to be weak. Results suggest that there were many personal, family, or social factors that were linked to prosocial behavior, and prosocial reasoning might only contribute to a small proportion of variation in prosocial behavior among adolescents. PMID:22919293

Rapid evolution of the intersexual genetic correlation for fitness in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Collet, Julie M; Fuentes, Sara; Hesketh, Jack; Hill, Mark S; Innocenti, Paolo; Morrow, Edward H; Fowler, Kevin; Reuter, Max

2016-04-01

Sexual antagonism (SA) arises when male and female phenotypes are under opposing selection, yet genetically correlated. Until resolved, antagonism limits evolution toward optimal sex-specific phenotypes. Despite its importance for sex-specific adaptation and existing theory, the dynamics of SA resolution are not well understood empirically. Here, we present data from Drosophila melanogaster, compatible with a resolution of SA. We compared two independent replicates of the "LHM " population in which SA had previously been described. Both had been maintained under identical, controlled conditions, and separated for around 200 generations. Although heritabilities of male and female fitness were similar, the intersexual genetic correlation differed significantly, being negative in one replicate (indicating SA) but close to zero in the other. Using population sequencing, we show that phenotypic differences were associated with population divergence in allele frequencies at nonrandom loci across the genome. Large frequency changes were more prevalent in the population without SA and were enriched at loci mapping to genes previously shown to have sexually antagonistic relationships between expression and fitness. Our data suggest that rapid evolution toward SA resolution has occurred in one of the populations and open avenues toward studying the genetics of SA and its resolution. © 2016 The Author(s). Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Temporal and Spatial Wildfire Dynamics of Northern Siberia: Larch Forests and Insect Outbreak Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharuk, Viacheslav; Antamoshkina, Olga; Ponomarev, Eugene

2017-04-01

Wildfire number and burned area temporal dynamics within all of Siberia and along a south-north transect in central Siberia (45 - 73°N) were studied based on NOAA/AVHRR and Terra/MODIS data and field measurements for the period since 1996. In addition, fire return interval along the south-north transect was analyzed. Third, pest outbreak (Siberian silkmoth) impact on the wildfires was studied. Both, number of forest fires and burned area in Siberia increased during recent decades. Significant correlations were found between forest fires, burned areas and air temperature (r = 0.5) and drought index (SPEI) (r = -0.43). Within larch stands along the transect wildfire frequency was strongly correlated with incoming solar radiation (r = 0.91). Fire danger period length decreased linearly from south to north along the transect. Fire return interval increased from 80 years at 62°N to 200 years at the Arctic Circle (66°33'N), and to about 300 years near the northern limit of closed forest stands ( 71+°N). That increase was negatively correlated with incoming solar radiation (r = -0.95). Siberian silkmoth outbreaks leads to an order of magnitude increase in burned area and fire frequency. Multiple fires turns former "dark needle conifer" taiga into grass and bush communities for decades.

Selected papers in the hydrologic sciences, 1986

USGS Publications Warehouse

Subitzky, Seymour

1987-01-01

Water-quality data from long-term (24 years), fixed- station monitoring at the Cape Fear River at Lock 1 near Kelly, N.C., and various measures of basin development are correlated. Subbasin population, number of acres of cropland in the subbasin, number of people employed in manufacturing, and tons of fertilizer applied in the basin are considered as measures of basinwide development activity. Linear correlations show statistically significant posi- tive relations between both population and manufacturing activity and most of the dissolved constituents considered. Negative correlations were found between the acres of harvested cropland and most of the water-quality measures. The amount of fertilizer sold in the subbasin was not statistically related to the water-quality measures considered in this report. The statistical analysis was limited to several commonly used measures of water quality including specific conductance, pH, dissolved solids, several major dissolved ions, and a few nutrients. The major dissolved ions included in the analysis were calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, sulfate, silica, bicarbonate, and fluoride. The nutrients included were dissolved nitrite plus nitrate nitrogen, dissolved ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, dissolved phosphates, and total phosphorus. For the chemicals evaluated, manufacturing and population sources are more closely associated with water quality in the Cape Fear River at Lock 1 than are agricultural variables.

Wildfires Dynamics in Siberian Larch Forests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponomarev, Evgenii I.; Kharuk, Viacheslav I.; Ranson, Kenneth J.

2016-01-01

Wildfire number and burned area temporal dynamics within all of Siberia and along a south-north transect in central Siberia (45deg-73degN) were studied based on NOAA/AVHRR (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/ Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) and Terra/MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) data and field measurements for the period 1996-2015. In addition, fire return interval (FRI) along the south-north transect was analyzed. Both the number of forest fires and the size of the burned area increased during recent decades (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between forest fires, burned areas and air temperature (r = 0.5) and drought index (The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, SPEI) (r = 0.43). Within larch stands along the transect, wildfire frequency was strongly correlated with incoming solar radiation (r = 0.91). Fire danger period length decreased linearly from south to north along the transect. Fire return interval increased from 80 years at 62 N to 200 years at the Arctic Circle (6633' N), and to about 300 years near the northern limit of closed forest stands (about 71+ N). That increase was negatively correlated with incoming solar radiation (r = 0.95). Keywords: wildfires; drought index; larch stands; fire return interval; fire frequency; burned area; climate-induced trends in Siberian wildfires

The connection between exercise addiction and orthorexia nervosa in German fitness sports.

PubMed

Rudolph, Sabrina

2017-09-07

The combination of physical activity and healthy eating habits has potentially positive effects on health. However, both practices can also lead to pathological behaviors such as exercise addiction (EA) and orthorexia nervosa (ON), thus generating negative effects. So far, studies analyzing the connection between these two phenomena cannot be found. The current paper is aiming to close this gap. The sample (n = 1.008) consisted of 559 male and 449 female active members of three fitness studios, and was analyzed in a cross-sectional study design. The Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was used to establish exercise addiction and the Düsseldorfer Orthorexie Skala (DOS) was used to evaluate orthorectic eating behavior. Out of the whole sample, 10.2% exhibit EA, while ON is prevalent in 3.4%. Twenty-three (2.3%) individuals suffer from both. There is a significant positive correlation between DOS and EAI (p < .001, r = .421). Female participants (p < .001, r = .452) show a higher correlation compared to male participants (p < .001, r = .418). The results suggest a positive correlation between ON and EA in the context of German fitness sports. Both seem to be serious phenomena and require further investigation. Level V (cross-sectional descriptive study).

Non-destructive elemental analysis of vertebral body trabecular bone using muonic X-rays.

PubMed

Hosoi, Y; Watanabe, Y; Sugita, R; Tanaka, Y; Nagamine, K; Ono, T; Sakamoto, K

1995-12-01

Non-destructive elemental analysis with muonic X-rays was performed on human vertebral bone and lumbar torso phantoms. It can provide quantitative information on all elements in small deep-seated localized volumes. The experiment was carried out using the superconducting muon channel at TRIUMF in Vancouver, Canada and a lithium drifted germanium detector with an active area of 18.5 cm2. The muon channel produced backward-decayed negative muons with wide kinetic energy range from 0.5 to 54.2 MeV. The muon beam was collimated to a diameter of 18 mm. The number of incoming muons was about 4 x 10(6) approximately 5 x 10(7) per data point. In the measurements with human vertebral bones fixed with neutralized formaldehyde, the correlation coefficient between calcium content measured by muons and by atomic absorption analysis was 0.99 and the level of significance was 0.0003. In the measurements with lumbar torso phantoms, the correlation coefficient between calcium content measured by muons and by atomic absorption analysis was 0.99 and the level of significance was 0.02. The results suggest that elemental analysis in vertebral body trabecular bone using muonic X-rays closely correlates with measurements by atomic absorption analysis.

Correlates of genetic monogamy in socially monogamous mammals: insights from Azara's owl monkeys

PubMed Central

Huck, Maren; Fernandez-Duque, Eduardo; Babb, Paul; Schurr, Theodore

2014-01-01

Understanding the evolution of mating systems, a central topic in evolutionary biology for more than 50 years, requires examining the genetic consequences of mating and the relationships between social systems and mating systems. Among pair-living mammals, where genetic monogamy is extremely rare, the extent of extra-group paternity rates has been associated with male participation in infant care, strength of the pair bond and length of the breeding season. This study evaluated the relationship between two of those factors and the genetic mating system of socially monogamous mammals, testing predictions that male care and strength of pair bond would be negatively correlated with rates of extra-pair paternity (EPP). Autosomal microsatellite analyses provide evidence for genetic monogamy in a pair-living primate with bi-parental care, the Azara's owl monkey (Aotus azarae). A phylogenetically corrected generalized least square analysis was used to relate male care and strength of the pair bond to their genetic mating system (i.e. proportions of EPP) in 15 socially monogamous mammalian species. The intensity of male care was correlated with EPP rates in mammals, while strength of pair bond failed to reach statistical significance. Our analyses show that, once social monogamy has evolved, paternal care, and potentially also close bonds, may facilitate the evolution of genetic monogamy. PMID:24648230

Correlates of genetic monogamy in socially monogamous mammals: insights from Azara's owl monkeys.

PubMed

Huck, Maren; Fernandez-Duque, Eduardo; Babb, Paul; Schurr, Theodore

2014-05-07

Understanding the evolution of mating systems, a central topic in evolutionary biology for more than 50 years, requires examining the genetic consequences of mating and the relationships between social systems and mating systems. Among pair-living mammals, where genetic monogamy is extremely rare, the extent of extra-group paternity rates has been associated with male participation in infant care, strength of the pair bond and length of the breeding season. This study evaluated the relationship between two of those factors and the genetic mating system of socially monogamous mammals, testing predictions that male care and strength of pair bond would be negatively correlated with rates of extra-pair paternity (EPP). Autosomal microsatellite analyses provide evidence for genetic monogamy in a pair-living primate with bi-parental care, the Azara's owl monkey (Aotus azarae). A phylogenetically corrected generalized least square analysis was used to relate male care and strength of the pair bond to their genetic mating system (i.e. proportions of EPP) in 15 socially monogamous mammalian species. The intensity of male care was correlated with EPP rates in mammals, while strength of pair bond failed to reach statistical significance. Our analyses show that, once social monogamy has evolved, paternal care, and potentially also close bonds, may facilitate the evolution of genetic monogamy.

The role of perfectionism in daily self-esteem, attachment, and negative affect.

PubMed

Dunkley, David M; Berg, Jody-Lynn; Zuroff, David C

2012-06-01

This study of university students (64 men, 99 women) examined the role of self-critical (SC) and personal standards (PS) higher order dimensions of perfectionism in daily self-esteem, attachment, and negative affect. Participants completed questionnaires at the end of the day for 7 consecutive days. Trait and situational influences were found in the daily reports of self-esteem, attachment, and affect. In contrast to PS perfectionism, SC perfectionism was strongly related to aggregated daily reports of low self-esteem, attachment fears (fear of closeness, fear of dependency, fear of loss), and negative affect as well as instability indexes of daily self-esteem, attachment, and negative affect. Multilevel modeling indicated that both SC and PS perfectionists were emotionally reactive to decreases in self-esteem, whereas only SC perfectionists were emotionally reactive to increases in fear of closeness with others. These results demonstrate the dispositional and moderating influences of perfectionism dimensions on daily self-esteem, attachment, and negative affect. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Personality © 2011, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Boredom proneness: its relationship to positive and negative affect.

PubMed

Vodanovich, S J; Verner, K M; Gilbride, T V

1991-12-01

170 undergraduate students completed the Boredom Proneness Scale by Farmer and Sundberg and the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist by Zuckerman and Lubin. Significant negative relationships were found between boredom proneness and negative affect scores (i.e., Depression, Hostility, Anxiety). Significant positive correlations also obtained between boredom proneness and positive affect (i.e., Positive Affect, Sensation Seeking). The correlations between boredom proneness "subscales" and positive and negative affect were congruent with those obtained using total boredom proneness scores. Implications for counseling are discussed.

Unattractive infant faces elicit negative affect from adults

PubMed Central

Schein, Stevie S.; Langlois, Judith H.

2015-01-01

We examined the relationship between infant attractiveness and adult affect by investigating whether differing levels of infant facial attractiveness elicit facial muscle movement correlated with positive and negative affect from adults (N = 87) using electromyography. Unattractive infant faces evoked significantly more corrugator supercilii and levator labii superioris movement (physiological correlates of negative affect) than attractive infant faces. These results suggest that unattractive infants may be at risk for negative affective responses from adults, though the relationship between those responses and caregiving behavior remains elusive. PMID:25658199

A Test and Reformulation of Reference Group and Role Correlates of Premarital Sexual Permissiveness Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Libby, Roger W.; And Others

1978-01-01

Propositions concerned with reference group and role correlates of Ira Reiss' premarital sexual permissiveness theory were tested. Reiss' basic propositions are only partially supported. Closeness to mother's sexual standards is considerably more predictive of self-permissiveness than was obvious in Reiss' theory. Closeness to friends' and peers'…

Correlations between psychometric schizotypy, scan path length, fixations on the eyes and face recognition.

PubMed

Hills, Peter J; Eaton, Elizabeth; Pake, J Michael

2016-01-01

Psychometric schizotypy in the general population correlates negatively with face recognition accuracy, potentially due to deficits in inhibition, social withdrawal, or eye-movement abnormalities. We report an eye-tracking face recognition study in which participants were required to match one of two faces (target and distractor) to a cue face presented immediately before. All faces could be presented with or without paraphernalia (e.g., hats, glasses, facial hair). Results showed that paraphernalia distracted participants, and that the most distracting condition was when the cue and the distractor face had paraphernalia but the target face did not, while there was no correlation between distractibility and participants' scores on the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Schizotypy was negatively correlated with proportion of time fixating on the eyes and positively correlated with not fixating on a feature. It was negatively correlated with scan path length and this variable correlated with face recognition accuracy. These results are interpreted as schizotypal traits being associated with a restricted scan path leading to face recognition deficits.

Task versus relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

De Dreu, Carsten K W; Weingart, Laurie R

2003-08-01

This study provides a meta-analysis of research on the associations between relationship conflict, task conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction. Consistent with past theorizing, results revealed strong and negative correlations between relationship conflict, team performance, and team member satisfaction. In contrast to what has been suggested in both academic research and introductory textbooks, however, results also revealed strong and negative (instead of the predicted positive) correlations between task conflict team performance, and team member satisfaction. As predicted, conflict had stronger negative relations with team performance in highly complex (decision making, project, mixed) than in less complex (production) tasks. Finally, task conflict was less negatively related to team performance when task conflict and relationship conflict were weakly, rather than strongly, correlated.

Contingent negative variation in patients with deficit schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder with psychotic features: measurement and correlation with clinical characteristics.

PubMed

Li, Zhe; Deng, Wei; Liu, Xiang; Zheng, Zhong; Li, Mingli; Li, Yinfei; Han, Yuanyuan; Ma, Xiaohong; Wang, Qiang; Liu, Xiehe; Li, Tao

2015-04-01

Schizophrenia is a highly heterogeneous disease. Event-related potentials have been regarded to establish intermediate phenotypes of schizophrenia. Our previous study found that patients with deficit schizophrenia (DS) are relatively homogeneous and show a significantly longer onset latency of contingent negative variation (CNV) expectancy wave. To further examine CNV in patients with first-episode and drug-naïve DS or bipolar I disorder (BP I) with psychotic features, and also investigate correlations between CNV and clinical characteristics in DS and BP I. We elicited a CNV using an alarm (S1)-imperative (S2) paradigm in 30 DS patients or 33 BP I with psychotic features as well as 40 healthy controls. CNV amplitude was significantly smaller and reaction time significantly longer in the DS and BP I groups than in healthy controls. Post-imperative negative variation (PINV) interval was significantly shorter in the DS group than in healthy controls. The onset latency of CNV expectancy wave was significantly longer and PINV area significantly smaller in the DS group than in the other groups. In the DS group, CNV amplitude and PINV interval correlated negatively with the subscale of negative symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS); CNV amplitude also correlated negatively with disease duration. In the BP I group, CNV amplitude and reaction time showed no correlation with clinical features. CNV amplitude is a common trait marker for psychosis. The onset latency of CNV expectancy wave appears to be a specific trait marker and may be used to identify candidate genes for DS.

Defective interleukin-4/Stat6 activity correlates with increased constitutive expression of negative regulators SOCS-3, SOCS-7, and CISH in colon cancer cells.

PubMed

Liu, Xiao Hong; Xu, Shuang Bing; Yuan, Jia; Li, Ben Hui; Zhang, Yan; Yuan, Qin; Li, Pin Dong; Li, Feng; Zhang, Wen Jie

2009-12-01

Interleukin-4 (IL-4)-induced Stat6 activities (phenotypes) vary among human cancer cells, of which the HT-29 cell line carries an active Stat6(high) phenotype, while Caco-2 carries a defective Stat6(null) phenotype, respectively. Cancer cells with Stat6(high) show resistance to apoptosis and exaggerated metastasis, suggesting the clinical significance of Stat6 phenotypes. We previously showed that Stat6(high) HT-29 cells exhibited low constitutive expression of Stat6-negative regulators SOCS-1 and SHP-1 because of gene hypermethylation. This study further examined the constitutive expression of other closely related SOCS family numbers including SOCS-3, SOCS-5, SOCS-7, and CISH using RT-PCR. Similar to SOCS-1 and SHP-1, Stat6(high) HT-29 cells expressed low constitutive mRNA of SOCS-3, SOCS-7, and CISH than Stat6(null) Caco-2 cells. Interestingly, DNA demethylation using 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine in HT-29 cells up-regulated mRNA expression of the above genes, indicating a hypermethylation status, which was confirmed by methylation-specific sequencing in selected SOCS-3 gene. Furthermore, defective Stat6(null) Caco-2 exhibited impaired phosphorylation of Stat6 after IL-4 stimulation by flow cytometry, in keeping with the notion of an over-performed negative regulation. The findings that IL-4/Stat6 phenotypes show differential expression of multiple negative regulators suggest a model that a collective force of powerful negative regulators, directly and indirectly, acts on Stat6 activation, which may result in differential Stat6 phenotypes.

The transition from HLA-I positive to HLA-I negative primary tumors: the road to escape from T-cell responses.

PubMed

Aptsiauri, Natalia; Ruiz-Cabello, Francisco; Garrido, Federico

2018-04-01

MHC/HLA class I loss in cancer is one of the main mechanisms of tumor immune escape from T-cell recognition and destruction. Tumor infiltration by T lymphocytes (TILs) and by other immune cells was first described many years ago, but has never been directly and clearly linked to the destruction of HLA-I positive and selection of HLA-I negative tumor cells. The degree and the pattern of lymphocyte infiltration in a tumor nest may depend on antigenicity and the developmental stages of the tumors. In addition, it is becoming evident that HLA-I expression and tumor infiltration have a direct correlation with tumor tissue reorganization. We observed that at early stages (permissive Phase I) tumors are heterogeneous, with both HLA-I positive and HLA-negative cancer cells, and are infiltrated by TILs and M1 macrophages as a part of an active anti-tumor Th1 response. At later stages (encapsulated Phase II), tumor nests are mostly HLA-I negative with immune cells residing in the peri-tumoral stroma, which forms a granuloma-like encapsulated tissue structure. All these tumor characteristics, including tumor HLA-I expression pattern, have an important clinical prognostic value and should be closely and routinely investigated in different types of cancer by immunologists and by pathologists. In this review we summarize our current viewpoint about the alterations in HLA-I expression in cancer and discuss how, when and why tumor HLA-I losses occur. We also provide evidence for the negative impact of tumor HLA-I loss in current cancer immunotherapies, with the focus on reversible ('soft') and irreversible ('hard') HLA-I defects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Clinical factors relating to the arterial elastic function measured by PWV, C1/C2 and AI in hypertensive patients].

PubMed

Cai, Kai-yu; Zhang, Wei-zhong; Qiu, Hui-li; Wu, Mei-zhi

2007-03-01

To analyze the clinical factors relating to arterial elastic function measured with pulse wave velocity (PWV), large and small arterial elastic indexes (C(1) and C(2)) and augmentation index (AI) in hypertensive patients. A total of 2176 hypertensive patients were enrolled and divided into three groups: Elastic function was measured in 1100 subjects by (PWV), in 647 subjects by C(1) and C(2) and in 429 by AI. PWV was positively correlated with age, systolic pressure, pulse pressure and negatively correlated with body height and weights (all P < 0.05). C(1) and C(2) values were higher in male than that in female patients (P < 0.01) and negatively correlated with age, systolic pressure, pulse pressure and heart rate while positively correlated with body height, weight and body mass index. In hypercholesterolemia patients (n = 168), C(1) and C(2) were negatively correlated with serum cholesterol level (P < 0.05). AI value was higher in female than that in male patients (P < 0.01) and positively correlated with age, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, pulse pressure while negatively correlated with body height, weight and heart rate. Age, systolic and pulse pressure as well as body height and weights are the main factors correlated to arterial elastic function measured by PWV, C(1) and C(2) and AI.

11. Photocopy of 1906 photograph. Glass negative in Paul A. ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

11. Photocopy of 1906 photograph. Glass negative in Paul A. Kohl's office, Missouri Botanical Garden. CLOSE VIEW OF LINNAEUS BUST - Missouri Botanical Garden, Linnaean House, 2345 Tower Grove Avenue, Saint Louis, Independent City, MO

The Importance of Parameter Variances, Correlations Lengths, and Cross-Correlations in Reactive Transport Models: Key Considerations for Assessing the Need for Microscale Information (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reimus, P. W.

2010-12-01

A process-oriented modeling approach is implemented to examine the importance of parameter variances, correlation lengths, and especially cross-correlations in contaminant transport predictions over large scales. It is shown that the most important consideration is the correlation between flow rates and retardation processes (e.g., sorption, matrix diffusion) in the system. If flow rates are negatively correlated with retardation factors in systems containing multiple flow pathways, then characterizing these negative correlation(s) may have more impact on reactive transport modeling than microscale information. Such negative correlations are expected in porous-media systems where permeability is negatively correlated with clay content and rock alteration (which are usually associated with increased sorption). Likewise, negative correlations are expected in fractured rocks where permeability is positively correlated with fracture apertures, which in turn are negatively correlated with sorption and matrix diffusion. Parameter variances and correlation lengths are also shown to have important effects on reactive transport predictions, but they are less important than parameter cross-correlations. Microscale information pertaining to contaminant transport has become more readily available as characterization methods and spectroscopic instrumentation have achieved lower detection limits, greater resolution, and better precision. Obtaining detailed mechanistic insights into contaminant-rock-water interactions is becoming a routine practice in characterizing reactive transport processes in groundwater systems (almost necessary for high-profile publications). Unfortunately, a quantitative link between microscale information and flow and transport parameter distributions or cross-correlations has not yet been established. One reason for this is that quantitative microscale information is difficult to obtain in complex, heterogeneous systems, so simple systems that lack the complexity and heterogeneity of real aquifer materials are often studied. Another is that instrumentation used to obtain microscale information often probes only one variable or family of variables at a time, so linkages to other variables must be inferred by indirect means from other lines of evidence. Despite these limitations, microscale information can be useful in the development and validation of reactive transport models. For example, knowledge of mineral phases that have strong affinities for contaminants can help in the development of cross-correlations between flow and sorption parameters via characterization of permeability and mineral distributions in aquifers. Likewise, microscale information on pore structures in low-permeability zones and contaminant penetration distances into these zones from higher-permeability zones (e.g., fractures) can provide valuable constraints on the representation of diffusive mass transfer processes between flowing porosity and secondary porosity. The prioritization of obtaining microscale information in any groundwater system can be informed by modeling exercises such as those conducted for this study.

SLP-2 overexpression could serve as a prognostic factor in node positive and HER2 negative breast cancer.

PubMed

Cao, Wenfeng; Zhang, Bin; Li, Jin; Liu, Yanxue; Liu, Zhihua; Sun, Baocun

2011-12-01

This study aimed to evaluate the utility as a prognostic factor of SLP-2 on the outcome of breast cancer patients. We performed immunohistochemical analysis to examine the SLP-2 expression in a large panel of invasive breast cancer samples. Of the 496 samples, 261 showed overexpression of SLP-2. Importantly, there were significant associations between SLP-2 overexpression and tumour size (p = 0.002), lymph node/distant metastases, clinical stage (p < 0.001), HER2/neu expression (p = 0.003). In addition, there were obvious differences in levels of SLP-2 expression within four molecular subtypes of breast cancer (p = 0.011). High level SLP-2 expression was shown in tumour samples of HER2 and luminal B subtypes, and low level SLP-2 expression was shown in luminal A and triple negative subtypes, suggesting that overexpression of SLP-2 was closely correlated with HER2/neu expression, and that both SLP-2 and HER2/neu can play a role in lymph node/distant metastases of breast cancers. Thus lymph node status, HER2/neu and SLP-2 high-level expression can act as independent prognostic factors. There is an obvious link between SLP-2 and HER2/neu expression. Overexpression of SLP-2 is associated with poorer total survival, especially in lymph node positive coupled with HER2/neu negative patients.

Candidal carriage predicts candidiasis during topical immunosuppressive therapy: a preliminary retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Tejani, Sara; Sultan, Ahmed; Stojanov, Ivan; Woo, Sook-Bin

2016-10-01

To determine (1) the prevalence of candidal carriage in patients with oral mucosal disease to be treated with topical immunosuppressive therapy, and (2) the incidence of oral candidiasis among carriers and noncarriers after initiation of therapy to assess any correlation between carriage and the development of candidiasis. Records of patients who underwent swab cultures for Candida between January 2009 and October 2014 at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, were retrospectively reviewed. The prevalence of candidal carriage and incidence of candidiasis were determined by using descriptive statistics. Of 99 evaluable patients, 20 (20.2%) were Candida positive and 79 (79.8%) were Candida negative. Of 44 patients with follow-up, 7 (15.9%) were Candida positive and 37 (84.1%) were Candida negative; five (11.4%) developed candidiasis. Four of seven (57.1%) Candida-positive patients developed candidiasis, whereas only one of 37 (2.7%) Candida-negative patients developed candidiasis (P = .0012). The overall prevalence of candidal carriage was low (20.2%), and there was a significant difference in the incidence of candidiasis between carriers and noncarriers (P = .0012) after topical immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, patients who are candidal carriers should be monitored closely for the development of secondary candidiasis and may be candidates for prophylactic antifungal therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intraoperative Evaluation of Breast Tumor Margins with Optical Coherence Tomography

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Freddy T.; Zysk, Adam M.; Chaney, Eric J.; Kotynek, Jan G.; Oliphant, Uretz J.; Bellafiore, Frank J.; Rowland, Kendrith M.; Johnson, Patricia A.; Boppart, Stephen A.

2009-01-01

As breast cancer screening rates increase, smaller and more numerous lesions are being identified earlier, leading to more breast-conserving surgical procedures. Achieving a clean surgical margin represents a technical challenge with important clinical implications. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is introduced as an intraoperative high-resolution imaging technique that assesses surgical breast tumor margins by providing real-time microscopic images up to 2 mm beneath the tissue surface. In a study of 37 patients split between training and study groups, OCT images covering 1 cm2 regions were acquired from surgical margins of lumpectomy specimens, registered with ink, and correlated with corresponding histological sections. A 17 patient training set used to establish standard imaging protocols and OCT evaluation criteria demonstrated that areas of higher scattering tissue with a heterogeneous pattern were indicative of tumor cells and tumor tissue, in contrast to lower scattering adipocytes found in normal breast tissue. The remaining 20 patients were enrolled into the feasibility study. Of these lumpectomy specimens, 11 were identified with a positive or close surgical margin and 9 were identified with a negative margin under OCT. Based on histological findings, 9 true positives, 9 true negatives, 2 false positives, and 0 false negatives were found, yielding a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 82%. These results demonstrate the potential of OCT as a real-time method for intraoperative margin assessment in breast conserving surgeries. PMID:19910294

Inter- and intra-guild interactions related to aphids in nettle (Urtica dioica L.) strips closed to field crops.

PubMed

Alhmedi, A; Haubruge, E; Bodson, B; Francis, F

2006-01-01

A field experiment designed to assess the biodiversity related to nettle strips closed to crops, and more particularly the aphid and related beneficial populations, was established in experimental farm located in Gembloux (Belgium). Margin strips of nettle (Urtica dioica) closed to wheat (Triticum aestivum), green pea (Pisum sativum) and rape (Brassicae napus) fields were investigated. The diversity, abundance of aphids and related predators were analysed according to the plant crop species and the differential pesticide application (treated plot and control). Insects were visually observed every week during all the cultivation season. Two main families of aphidophagous predators were found in all field crops and nettle, the Coccinellidae and Syrphidae. The diversity of the aphidophagous predators was shown to be higher on nettle than in field crops, particularly the Chrysopidae, the Anthocoridae and the Miridae. However, a striking difference of ladybird abundance was observed according to the aphid host plant. In one side, Coccinella septempunctata was much more abundant on Acyrthosiphon pisum infested green pea than on the other host plant species. At the opposite, higher occurrence of Harmonia axyridis was observed on the aphid infested nettle plants than on the crop plants. In particular, none of H. axyridis was found in wheat crop. Also, more than only a significant positive correlation between predator and aphid abundance, specialised relations between particular aphid species and some so-called generalist predators was determined in the fields. Finally, intraguild interactions between the aphidophagous predators was assessed and shown that only a significant negative correlation between Episyrphus balteatus and H. axyridis related to the nettle aphid, Micrlophium carnosum, was observed. The relative distribution of the ladybirds, namely C. septempunctata and H. axyridis according to the host plant, nettle strips and crop plots was discussed in relation to integrated pest management approach.

May maternal lifestyle have an impact on neonatal glucose levels?

PubMed

Hoirisch-Clapauch, Silvia; Porto, Maria Amelia S; Nardi, Antonio E

2016-02-01

Neonatal glucose levels correlate negatively with umbilical cord levels of C-peptide, a polypeptide secreted with insulin. In other words, neonatal hypoglycemia results from excessive insulin secretion from fetal/neonatal beta cells. Given that insulin causes fat to be stored rather than to be used for energy, one would expect that chronic hyperinsulinemia would result in large-for-gestational-age neonates. The finding that many small-for-gestational-age neonates have hypoglycemia suggests that the stimulus for insulin production occurs close to delivery. We postulated that a potent stimulation of maternal insulin production close to delivery would also provide a potent stimulus for fetal and neonatal insulin production, causing neonatal hypoglycemia. This study has evaluated 155 mothers with markers of excessive insulin production (such as acanthosis or grade III obesity), or with situations characterized by increased insulin requirements (such as an invasive bacterial infection or use of systemic corticosteroid within a week before delivery; or sedentariness or high-carbohydrate intake within 24h before delivery) and their 158 neonates who were screened for glycemic levels at 1, 2 and 4h after birth. The minimum glucose level was correlated to the maternal parameters, and to classical predictors of neonatal hypoglycemia, such as low-birth weight and preterm delivery. The only independent predictors were sedentariness and high-carbohydrate intake within 24h before delivery. The risk of neonatal hypoglycemia increased five-fold with sedentariness, 11-fold with high-carbohydrate intake, and 329-fold with both risk factors. The risk of neonatal hypoglycemia seems to be highly influenced by maternal lifestyle within 24h before delivery. Controlled randomized trials may help determine whether a controlled carbohydrate diet combined with regular physical activity close to delivery can prevent neonatal hypoglycemia and all its severe complications to the newborn. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pedigree-based estimation of covariance between dominance deviations and additive genetic effects in closed rabbit lines considering inbreeding and using a computationally simpler equivalent model.

PubMed

Fernández, E N; Legarra, A; Martínez, R; Sánchez, J P; Baselga, M

2017-06-01

Inbreeding generates covariances between additive and dominance effects (breeding values and dominance deviations). In this work, we developed and applied models for estimation of dominance and additive genetic variances and their covariance, a model that we call "full dominance," from pedigree and phenotypic data. Estimates with this model such as presented here are very scarce both in livestock and in wild genetics. First, we estimated pedigree-based condensed probabilities of identity using recursion. Second, we developed an equivalent linear model in which variance components can be estimated using closed-form algorithms such as REML or Gibbs sampling and existing software. Third, we present a new method to refer the estimated variance components to meaningful parameters in a particular population, i.e., final partially inbred generations as opposed to outbred base populations. We applied these developments to three closed rabbit lines (A, V and H) selected for number of weaned at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Pedigree and phenotypes are complete and span 43, 39 and 14 generations, respectively. Estimates of broad-sense heritability are 0.07, 0.07 and 0.05 at the base versus 0.07, 0.07 and 0.09 in the final generations. Narrow-sense heritability estimates are 0.06, 0.06 and 0.02 at the base versus 0.04, 0.04 and 0.01 at the final generations. There is also a reduction in the genotypic variance due to the negative additive-dominance correlation. Thus, the contribution of dominance variation is fairly large and increases with inbreeding and (over)compensates for the loss in additive variation. In addition, estimates of the additive-dominance correlation are -0.37, -0.31 and 0.00, in agreement with the few published estimates and theoretical considerations. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Transition paths of Met-enkephalin from Markov state modeling of a molecular dynamics trajectory.

PubMed

Banerjee, Rahul; Cukier, Robert I

2014-03-20

Conformational states and their interconversion pathways of the zwitterionic form of the pentapeptide Met-enkephalin (MetEnk) are identified. An explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) trajectory is used to construct a Markov state model (MSM) based on dihedral space clustering of the trajectory, and transition path theory (TPT) is applied to identify pathways between open and closed conformers. In the MD trajectory, only four of the eight backbone dihedrals exhibit bistable behavior. Defining a conformer as the string XXXX with X = "+" or "-" denoting, respectively, positive or negative values of a given dihedral angle and obtaining the populations of these conformers shows that only four conformers are highly populated, implying a strong correlation among these dihedrals. Clustering in dihedral space to construct the MSM finds the same four bistable dihedral angles. These state populations are very similar to those found directly from the MD trajectory. TPT is used to obtain pathways, parametrized by committor values, in dihedral state space that are followed in transitioning from closed to open states. Pathway costs are estimated by introducing a kinetics-based procedure that orders pathways from least (shortest) to greater cost paths. The least costly pathways in dihedral space are found to only involve the same XXXX set of dihedral angles, and the conformers accessed in the closed to open transition pathways are identified. For these major pathways, a correlation between reaction path progress (committors) and the end-to-end distance is identified. A dihedral space principal component analysis of the MD trajectory shows that the first three modes capture most of the overall fluctuation, and pick out the same four dihedrals having essentially all the weight in those modes. A MSM based on root-mean-square backbone clustering was also carried out, with good agreement found with dihedral clustering for the static information, but with results that differ significantly for the pathway analysis.

Negative permittivity chamber inside a stack of silver nanorings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Sheng Chung; Shiu Chau, Jr.

2010-05-01

The interactions of silver nanorings with polarized optical wave are numerically studied. If the resonant conditions are tuned, the polarization of incident field, inside the nanoring hole, will be reversed by the single silver nanoring due to the surface plasmon resonance, thus, the nanoring hole becomes a region of which permittivity is negative. Put two identical silver nanorings closely, there are two nodes happened between nanorings. It indicates that there is a very steep gradient of electric field and quasi-standing waves exist between nanorings. If many silver nanorings are lined up, the holes of the nanorings will form a negative permittivity chamber. The more close to the center of the chamber, the more ideal the polarization is reversed.

A pilot study examining correlates of body image among women living with SCI.

PubMed

Bassett, R L; Martin Ginis, K A; Buchholz, A C

2009-06-01

Cross-sectional pilot study. To explore correlates of body image among women with spinal cord injury (SCI), within the framework of Cash's cognitive behavioral model of body image. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Women with SCI (N=11, 64% with tetraplegia) reported their functional and appearance body image (Adult Body Satisfaction Questionnaire). A 3-day recall of leisure time physical activity (LTPA), three measures of body composition (that is, weight, waist circumference, body fat) and several demographic variables were assessed as potential correlates. Appearance satisfaction was negatively correlated with all three measures of body composition and positively correlated with years postinjury. Functional satisfaction was positively correlated with years postinjury, and negatively correlated with various LTPA variables. Functional and appearance body image may improve with time following SCI. Body composition may impact satisfaction with physical appearance for some women. The negative relationship between LTPA and functional satisfaction merits further examination, as functional dissatisfaction may motivate individuals to engage in certain types and intensities of LTPA. Correlates of body image differ between appearance and functional satisfaction. Future research should examine appearance and functional satisfaction separately among women with SCI.

Is it possible to combine different psychotic symptom scales in bipolar disorder?

PubMed

Fernandez-Garcimartin, Helena; Bagney, Alexandra; Moreno-Ortega, Marta; Dompablo, Monica; Torio, Iosune; Lobo, Antonio; Jimenez-Arriero, Miguel-Angel; Palomo, Tomas; Rodriguez-Jimenez, Roberto

2014-12-30

It has been suggested that data on positive and negative psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia as assessed using different scales may be combined. For the first time, we assessed correlations between the positive syndrome subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-P) and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), and between the negative syndrome subscale of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS-N) and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) in patients with bipolar disorder. We also aimed to confirm these correlations in patients with schizophrenia. This cross-sectional study was conducted with a group of 94 patients (40 diagnosed with bipolar disorder, 54 with schizophrenia). Assessments were carried out using the PANSS, SAPS and SANS. Large significant correlations were found between the PANSS-P and SAPS, and between the PANSS-N and SANS, in both the bipolar disorder group and the schizophrenia group. These results confirm previous findings regarding correlations between these scales in schizophrenia, and support the hypothesis that similar correlations exist in bipolar disorder. Therefore, our data support the potential usefulness in collaborative research of combining results from different scales for the assessment of psychotic symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder.

Neural Correlates of Biased Responses: The Negative Method Effect in the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Is Associated with Right Amygdala Volume.

PubMed

Wang, Yinan; Kong, Feng; Huang, Lijie; Liu, Jia

2016-10-01

Self-esteem is a widely studied construct in psychology that is typically measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). However, a series of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have suggested that a simple and widely used unidimensional factor model does not provide an adequate explanation of RSES responses due to method effects. To identify the neural correlates of the method effect, we sought to determine whether and how method effects were associated with the RSES and investigate the neural basis of these effects. Two hundred and eighty Chinese college students (130 males; mean age = 22.64 years) completed the RSES and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Behaviorally, method effects were linked to both positively and negatively worded items in the RSES. Neurally, the right amygdala volume negatively correlated with the negative method factor, while the hippocampal volume positively correlated with the general self-esteem factor in the RSES. The neural dissociation between the general self-esteem factor and negative method factor suggests that there are different neural mechanisms underlying them. The amygdala is involved in modulating negative affectivity; therefore, the current study sheds light on the nature of method effects that are related to self-report with a mix of positively and negatively worded items. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Constraining cosmic curvature by using age of galaxies and gravitational lenses

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

Rana, Akshay; Mahajan, Shobhit; Mukherjee, Amitabha

We use two model-independent methods to constrain the curvature of the universe. In the first method, we study the evolution of the curvature parameter (Ω {sub k} {sup 0}) with redshift by using the observations of the Hubble parameter and transverse comoving distances obtained from the age of galaxies. Secondly, we also use an indirect method based on the mean image separation statistics of gravitationally lensed quasars. The basis of this methodology is that the average image separation of lensed images will show a positive, negative or zero correlation with the source redshift in a closed, open or flat universemore » respectively. In order to smoothen the datasets used in both the methods, we use a non-parametric method namely, Gaussian Process (GP). Finally from first method we obtain Ω {sub k} {sup 0} = 0.025±0.57 for a presumed flat universe while the cosmic curvature remains constant throughout the redshift region 0 < z < 1.37 which indicates that the universe may be homogeneous. Moreover, the combined result from both the methods suggests that the universe is marginally closed. However, a flat universe can be incorporated at 3σ level.« less

Friends and Symptom Dimensions in Patients with Psychosis: A Pooled Analysis

PubMed Central

Giacco, Domenico; McCabe, Rose; Kallert, Thomas; Hansson, Lars; Fiorillo, Andrea; Priebe, Stefan

2012-01-01

Background Having friends is associated with more favourable clinical outcomes and a higher quality of life in mental disorders. Patients with schizophrenia have fewer friends than other mentally ill patients. No large scale studies have evaluated so far what symptom dimensions of schizophrenia are associated with the lack of friendships. Methods Data from four multi-centre studies on outpatients with schizophrenia and related disorders (ICD F20-29) were included in a pooled analysis (N = 1396). We established whether patients had close friends and contact with friends by using the equivalent items on friendships of the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life or of the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile. Symptoms were measured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale or by the identical items included in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Results Seven hundred and sixty-nine patients (55.1%) had seen a friend in the previous week and 917 (65.7%) had someone they regarded as a close friend. Low levels of negative symptoms and hostility were significantly associated with having a close friend and contact with a friend. Overall, almost twice as many patients with absent or mild negative symptoms had met a friend in the last week, compared with those with moderate negative symptoms. Conclusions Higher levels of negative symptoms and hostility are specifically associated with the lack of friendships in patients with psychotic disorders. These findings suggest the importance of developing effective treatments for negative symptoms and hostility in order to improve the probability of patients with schizophrenia to have friends. PMID:23185552

[Habitat suitability index of larval Japanese Halfbeak (Hyporhamphus sajori) in Bohai Sea based on geographically weighted regression.

PubMed

Zhao, Yang; Zhang, Xue Qing; Bian, Xiao Dong

2018-01-01

To investigate the early supplementary processes of fishre sources in the Bohai Sea, the geographically weighted regression (GWR) was introduced to the habitat suitability index (HSI) model. The Bohai Sea larval Japanese Halfbeak HSI GWR model was established with four environmental variables, including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), water depth (DEP), and chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a). Results of the simulation showed that the four variables had different performances in August 2015. SST and Chl a were global variables, and had little impacts on HSI, with the regression coefficients of -0.027 and 0.006, respectively. SSS and DEP were local variables, and had larger impacts on HSI, while the average values of absolute values of their regression coefficients were 0.075 and 0.129, respectively. In the central Bohai Sea, SSS showed a negative correlation with HSI, and the most negative correlation coefficient was -0.3. In contrast, SSS was correlated positively but weakly with HSI in the three bays of Bohai Sea, and the largest correlation coefficient was 0.1. In particular, DEP and HSI were negatively correlated in the entire Bohai Sea, while they were more negatively correlated in the three bays of Bohai than in the central Bohai Sea, and the most negative correlation coefficient was -0.16 in the three bays. The Poisson regression coefficient of the HSI GWR model was 0.705, consistent with field measurements. Therefore, it could provide a new method for the research on fish habitats in the future.

The role of Indonesian convection in the interaction between the Indian Ocean and ENSO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wieners, Claudia; Dijkstra, Henk; de Ruijter, Will

2017-04-01

In recent years it has been discussed whether a cool West Indian Ocean (WIO) or negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) in boreal autumn favours El Niño at a lead time of 15 months (Izumo et al, 2010; Wieners et al, 2016). Observational evidence suggests that a cool WIO or negative IOD might be accompanied by easterlies over the West Pacific, though it is hard to disentangle influences of the Indian Ocean and ENSO through data analysis. Such easterlies can enhance the West Pacific Warm Water Volume, thus favouring El Niño development from the following boreal spring onward. However, the Gill response to a cool WIO (negative IOD) forcing would lead to westerly (nearly zero) winds over the WPO. We hypothesise that a cool WIO or negative IOD leads to low-level air convergence and hence enhanced convectional heating over the Maritime Continent (MC), which in turn amplifies the wind convergence such as to cause easterly winds over the West Pacific. This hypothesis is tested by adding a simplified Indian Ocean and a simple convective feedback over the MC to a Zebiak-Cane model. We confirm that for a sufficiently strong convection feedback a cool WIO or negative IOD indeed leads to easterlies over the WPO. The response IO cooling over the whole zonal width of the basin (negative Indian Ocean Basinwide warming / IOB) is still westerly, with the direct Gill response dominating over convection-induced winds. Positive (negative) IOB events typically occur a few months after El Niño (La Niña) - observed correlations are about 0.9 - and cause easterlies (westerlies) over the Pacific, facilitating the switch to the opposite ENSO phase, hence IOB variability dampens the ENSO mode and reduces its period. The IOD, on the other hand, tends to be positive (negative) a few months prior to El Niño (La Niña) and trigger westerlies (easterlies) favouring ENSO development. However, the observed correlation between IOD and ENSO is only about 0.6, i.e. the IOD is less closely liked to the ENSO cycle. On the one hand, this means that its influence on ENSO does not occur as systematically on certain phases of the ENSO cycle, hence the net effect of the IO on the spectral properties of ENSO is dominated by IOB variability (damping and period shortening, which is in agreement to Frauen et al, 2012 and Kajtar et al, 2016). On the other hand, this makes the IOD a more promising ENSO predictor, offering information on future ENSO development that is independent of the current state of ENSO.

Parent's Defense of Their Children's Right to Education: Resistance Experiences against Public School Closings in Chile

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pino-Yancovic, Mauricio

2015-01-01

This is a semi-ethnographic study of three schools that were closed in a marginal community in Santiago, Chile. The school closing process was violent with many social and psychological negative consequences for guardians and students. The guardians of the students of these schools decided to take over the schools and fight against the local…

Social closeness and feedback modulate susceptibility to the framing effect.

PubMed

Sip, Kamila E; Smith, David V; Porcelli, Anthony J; Kar, Kohitij; Delgado, Mauricio R

2015-01-01

Although we often seek social feedback (SFB) from others to help us make decisions, little is known about how SFB affects decisions under risk, particularly from a close peer. We conducted two experiments using an established framing task to probe how decision-making is modulated by SFB valence (positive, negative) and the level of closeness with feedback provider (friend, confederate). Participants faced mathematically equivalent decisions framed as either an opportunity to keep (gain frame) or lose (loss frame) part of an initial endowment. Periodically, participants were provided with positive (e.g., "Nice!") or negative (e.g., "Lame!") feedback about their choices. Such feedback was provided by either a confederate (Experiment 1) or a gender-matched close friend (Experiment 2). As expected, the framing effect was observed in both experiments. Critically, an individual's susceptibility to the framing effect was modulated by the valence of the SFB, but only when the feedback provider was a close friend. This effect was reflected in the activation patterns of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex, regions involved in complex decision-making. Taken together, these results highlight social closeness as an important factor in understanding the impact of SFB on neural mechanisms of decision-making.

Correlations for number of sunspots, unemployment rate, and suicide mortality in Japan.

PubMed

Otsu, Akiko; Chinami, Masanobu; Morgenthale, Stephan; Kaneko, Yoshihiro; Fujita, Daisuke; Shirakawa, Taro

2006-04-01

We studied the correlations among sunspot numbers, business cycles, and suicide mortalitites. Based on data from Japan between 1971 and 2001, a significant negative correlation between sunspot numbers and unemployment rate was found, R= -.17. The correlation between suicide mortality and unemployment rate was positive for males (R=.46) and negative for females (R =-.69). Both are statistically significant. The hypothesis that variation of sun activity may affect the economy and the unemployment rate and hence increase the male suicide mortality is raised.

A positive take on schizophrenia negative symptom scales: Converting scores between the SANS, NSA and SDS.

PubMed

Preda, Adrian; Nguyen, Dana D; Bustillo, Juan R; Belger, Aysenil; O'Leary, Daniel S; McEwen, Sarah; Ling, Shichun; Faziola, Lawrence; Mathalon, Daniel H; Ford, Judith M; Potkin, Steven G; van Erp, Theo G M

2018-06-20

To provide quantitative conversions between commonly used scales for the assessment of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Linear regression analyses generated conversion equations between symptom scores from the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Schedule for the Deficit Syndrome (SDS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), or the Negative Symptoms Assessment (NSA) based on a cross sectional sample of 176 individuals with schizophrenia. Intraclass correlations assessed the rating conversion accuracy based on a separate sub-sample of 29 patients who took part in the initial study as well as an independent sample of 28 additional subjects with schizophrenia. Between-scale negative symptom ratings were moderately to highly correlated (r = 0.73-0.91). Intraclass correlations between the original negative symptom rating scores and those obtained via using the conversion equations were in the range of 0.61-0.79. While there is a degree of non-overlap, several negative symptoms scores reflect measures of similar constructs and may be reliably converted between some scales. The conversion equations are provided at http://www.converteasy.org and may be used for meta- and mega-analyses that examine negative symptoms. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distinctive CD8+ T cell and MHC class I signatures in polycythemia vera patients.

PubMed

Cardoso, Elsa M; Esgalhado, André J; Patrão, Luís; Santos, Mónica; Neves, Vasco Pinto; Martinez, Jorge; Patto, Maria Assunção Vaz; Silva, Helena; Arosa, Fernando A

2018-05-22

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by overproduction of red blood cells. We have performed a comprehensive characterization of blood immune cells for expression of naïve and memory receptors as well as β 2 m-associated and β 2 m-free MHC class I heavy chains, also known as closed and open conformers, respectively, in PV patients and age-matched controls (CTR). We show that the peripheral CD3 + CD8 + T cell pool in PV patients is clearly divided into two discrete populations, a more granular CD3 + CD8 high T cell population enriched in effector-memory CD45RA + T cells (CD8 + TEMRA) when compared to CTR (P < 0.001), and a less granular CD3 + CD8 int T cell population that is completely absent in the CTR group (78 vs. 0%, P < 0.001) and is a mixture of naïve (CD8 + T N ) and CD8 + TEMRA cells expressing intermediate levels of CD28, i.e., CD3 + CD8 int CD28 int . While the percentage of CD3 + CD8 int TN cells correlated positively with the number of erythrocytes, the percentage of CD3 + CD8 int TEMRA correlated negatively with the number of platelets. Finally, we report that PV patients' lymphocytes and monocytes display lower levels of closed (W6/32 + ) MHC-I conformers at the cell surface while exhibiting increased amounts of open (HC-10 + ) MHC-I conformers. The implications of this distinctive immune signature are discussed.

The External Performance Appraisal of China Energy Regulation: An Empirical Study Using a TOPSIS Method Based on Entropy Weight and Mahalanobis Distance.

PubMed

Wang, Zheng-Xin; Li, Dan-Dan; Zheng, Hong-Hao

2018-01-30

In China's industrialization process, the effective regulation of energy and environment can promote the positive externality of energy consumption while reducing negative externality, which is an important means for realizing the sustainable development of an economic society. The study puts forward an improved technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution based on entropy weight and Mahalanobis distance (briefly referred as E-M-TOPSIS). The performance of the approach was verified to be satisfactory. By separately using traditional and improved TOPSIS methods, the study carried out the empirical appraisals on the external performance of China's energy regulation during 1999~2015. The results show that the correlation between the performance indexes causes the significant difference between the appraisal results of E-M-TOPSIS and traditional TOPSIS. The E-M-TOPSIS takes the correlation between indexes into account and generally softens the closeness degree compared with traditional TOPSIS. Moreover, it makes the relative closeness degree fluctuate within a small-amplitude. The results conform to the practical condition of China's energy regulation and therefore the E-M-TOPSIS is favorably applicable for the external performance appraisal of energy regulation. Additionally, the external economic performance and social responsibility performance (including environmental and energy safety performances) based on the E-M-TOPSIS exhibit significantly different fluctuation trends. The external economic performance dramatically fluctuates with a larger fluctuation amplitude, while the social responsibility performance exhibits a relatively stable interval fluctuation. This indicates that compared to the social responsibility performance, the fluctuation of external economic performance is more sensitive to energy regulation.

Explaining negative kin discrimination in a cooperative mammal society

PubMed Central

Cant, Michael A.; Sanderson, Jennifer L.; Gilchrist, Jason S.; Bell, Matthew B. V.; Hodge, Sarah J.; Johnstone, Rufus A.

2017-01-01

Kin selection theory predicts that, where kin discrimination is possible, animals should typically act more favorably toward closer genetic relatives and direct aggression toward less closely related individuals. Contrary to this prediction, we present data from an 18-y study of wild banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, showing that females that are more closely related to dominant individuals are specifically targeted for forcible eviction from the group, often suffering severe injury, and sometimes death, as a result. This pattern cannot be explained by inbreeding avoidance or as a response to more intense local competition among kin. Instead, we use game theory to show that such negative kin discrimination can be explained by selection for unrelated targets to invest more effort in resisting eviction. Consistent with our model, negative kin discrimination is restricted to eviction attempts of older females capable of resistance; dominants exhibit no kin discrimination when attempting to evict younger females, nor do they discriminate between more closely or less closely related young when carrying out infanticidal attacks on vulnerable infants who cannot defend themselves. We suggest that in contexts where recipients of selfish acts are capable of resistance, the usual prediction of positive kin discrimination can be reversed. Kin selection theory, as an explanation for social behavior, can benefit from much greater exploration of sequential social interactions. PMID:28439031

Validation of Turkish version of brief negative symptom scale.

PubMed

Polat Nazlı, Irmak; Ergül, Ceylan; Aydemir, Ömer; Chandhoke, Swati; Üçok, Alp; Gönül, Ali Saffet

2016-11-01

Negative symptoms in schizophrenia have been assessed by many instruments. However, a current consensus on these symptoms has been built and new tools, such as the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS), are generated. This study aimed to evaluate reliability and validity of the Turkish version of BNSS. The scale was translated to Turkish and backtranslated to English. After the approval of the translation, 75 schizophrenia patients were interviewed with BNSS, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS). Reliability and validity analyses were then calculated. In the reliability analysis, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.96 and item-total score correlation coefficients were between 0.655-0.884. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.665. The inter-rater reliability was 0.982 (p < 0.0001). In the validity analysis, the total score of BNSS-TR was correlated with PANSS Total Score, Positive Symptoms Subscale, Negative Symptoms Subscale, and General Psychopathology Subscale. CDSS and ESRS were not correlated with BNSS-TR. The factor structure of the scale was consisting the same items as in the original version. Our study confirms that the Turkish version of BNSS is an applicable tool for the evaluation of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

Symbiotic immuno-suppression: is disease susceptibility the price of bleaching resistance?

PubMed

Merselis, Daniel G; Lirman, Diego; Rodriguez-Lanetty, Mauricio

2018-01-01

Accelerating anthropogenic climate change threatens to destroy coral reefs worldwide through the processes of bleaching and disease. These major contributors to coral mortality are both closely linked with thermal stress intensified by anthropogenic climate change. Disease outbreaks typically follow bleaching events, but a direct positive linkage between bleaching and disease has been debated. By tracking 152 individual coral ramets through the 2014 mass bleaching in a South Florida coral restoration nursery, we revealed a highly significant negative correlation between bleaching and disease in the Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis . To explain these results, we propose a mechanism for transient immunological protection through coral bleaching: removal of Symbiodinium during bleaching may also temporarily eliminate suppressive symbiont modulation of host immunological function. We contextualize this hypothesis within an ecological perspective in order to generate testable predictions for future investigation.

Hydraphiles enhance antimicrobial potency against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus subtilis.

PubMed

Patel, Mohit B; Garrad, Evan C; Stavri, Ariel; Gokel, Michael R; Negin, Saeedeh; Meisel, Joseph W; Cusumano, Zachary; Gokel, George W

2016-06-15

Hydraphiles are synthetic amphiphiles that form ion-conducting pores in liposomal membranes. These pores exhibit open-close behavior when studied by planar bilayer conductance techniques. In previous work, we showed that when co-administered with various antibiotics to the DH5α strain of Escherichia coli, they enhanced the drug's potency. We report here potency enhancements at low concentrations of hydraphiles for the structurally and mechanistically unrelated antibiotics erythromycin, kanamycin, rifampicin, and tetracycline against Gram negative E. coli (DH5α and K-12) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as Gram positive Bacillus subtilis. Earlier work suggested that potency increases correlated to ion transport function. The data presented here comport with the function of hydraphiles to enhance membrane permeability in addition to, or instead of, their known function as ion conductors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intellectual functioning in old and very old age: cross-sectional results from the Berlin Aging Study.

PubMed

Lindenberger, U; Baltes, P B

1997-09-01

This study documents age trends, interrelations, and correlates of intellectual abilities in old and very old age (70-103 years) from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516). Fourteen tests were used to assess 5 abilities: reasoning, memory, and perceptual speed from the mechanic (broad fluid) domain and knowledge and fluency from the pragmatic (broad crystallized) domain. Intellectual abilities had negative linear age relations, with more pronounced age reductions in mechanic than in pragmatic abilities. Interrelations among intellectual abilities were highly positive and did not follow the mechanic-pragmatic distinction. Sociobiographical indicators were less closely linked to intellectual functioning than sensory-sensorimotor variables, which predicted 59% of the total reliable variance in general intelligence. Results suggest that aging-induced biological factors are a prominent source of individual differences in intelligence in old and very old age.

Symbiotic immuno-suppression: is disease susceptibility the price of bleaching resistance?

PubMed Central

Merselis, Daniel G.; Lirman, Diego

2018-01-01

Accelerating anthropogenic climate change threatens to destroy coral reefs worldwide through the processes of bleaching and disease. These major contributors to coral mortality are both closely linked with thermal stress intensified by anthropogenic climate change. Disease outbreaks typically follow bleaching events, but a direct positive linkage between bleaching and disease has been debated. By tracking 152 individual coral ramets through the 2014 mass bleaching in a South Florida coral restoration nursery, we revealed a highly significant negative correlation between bleaching and disease in the Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis. To explain these results, we propose a mechanism for transient immunological protection through coral bleaching: removal of Symbiodinium during bleaching may also temporarily eliminate suppressive symbiont modulation of host immunological function. We contextualize this hypothesis within an ecological perspective in order to generate testable predictions for future investigation. PMID:29682405

Unattractive infant faces elicit negative affect from adults.

PubMed

Schein, Stevie S; Langlois, Judith H

2015-02-01

We examined the relationship between infant attractiveness and adult affect by investigating whether differing levels of infant facial attractiveness elicit facial muscle movement correlated with positive and negative affect from adults (N=87) using electromyography. Unattractive infant faces evoked significantly more corrugator supercilii and levator labii superioris movement (physiological correlates of negative affect) than attractive infant faces. These results suggest that unattractive infants may be at risk for negative affective responses from adults, though the relationship between those responses and caregiving behavior remains elusive. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlation of Respiratory Activity of Contralateral Diaphragm Muscles for Evaluation of Recovery Following Hemiparesis

PubMed Central

Dow, Douglas E.; Zhan, Wen-Zhi; Sieck, Gary C.; Mantilla, Carlos B.

2014-01-01

Respiration is impaired by disruption of the central drive for inspiration to the diaphragm muscle (DIAm). Some function may recover involving nerve regeneration, reinnervation or neuroplasticity. A research animal model involves inducing hemiparesis of the DIAm and monitoring any recovery under different conditions. Methods to accurately track the level of functional recovery are needed. In this study, an algorithm was developed and tested to quantify the relative amount of electromyogram (EMG) activity that temporally correlated for an experimental (EXP) hemi-DIAm with its intact contralateral hemi-DIAm. An average rectified value (ARV) trace was calculated. A template was formed of the ARV trace of the intact hemi-DIAm, with higher positive values corresponding with periods of inspirations and lower negative values corresponding with quiet periods. This template was multiplied by the EXP ARV trace to reward (more positive) periods of correlating activity, and punish (more negative) periods of high activity on the EXP side that corresponded with quiet periods on the intact side. The average integrated value was the index of correlating contralateral activity (ICCA). A negative ICCA value indicated no net correlation of activity, and a positive value indicated a net correlation of activity. The algorithm was tested on rats having the conditions of control or hemi-paresis induced by denervatation (DNV), tetrodotoxin administration (TTX) or cervical spinal hemi-section (SH). Control had high positive ICCA values, and DNV had negative values. TTX maintained negative ICCA values at 3, 7 and 14 days, indicating a lack of functional recovery. SH maintained negative values at 3 and 7 days, but a subset had positive values at 14 days indicating some functional recovery. PMID:19965125

Human Facial Shape and Size Heritability and Genetic Correlations.

PubMed

Cole, Joanne B; Manyama, Mange; Larson, Jacinda R; Liberton, Denise K; Ferrara, Tracey M; Riccardi, Sheri L; Li, Mao; Mio, Washington; Klein, Ophir D; Santorico, Stephanie A; Hallgrímsson, Benedikt; Spritz, Richard A

2017-02-01

The human face is an array of variable physical features that together make each of us unique and distinguishable. Striking familial facial similarities underscore a genetic component, but little is known of the genes that underlie facial shape differences. Numerous studies have estimated facial shape heritability using various methods. Here, we used advanced three-dimensional imaging technology and quantitative human genetics analysis to estimate narrow-sense heritability, heritability explained by common genetic variation, and pairwise genetic correlations of 38 measures of facial shape and size in normal African Bantu children from Tanzania. Specifically, we fit a linear mixed model of genetic relatedness between close and distant relatives to jointly estimate variance components that correspond to heritability explained by genome-wide common genetic variation and variance explained by uncaptured genetic variation, the sum representing total narrow-sense heritability. Our significant estimates for narrow-sense heritability of specific facial traits range from 28 to 67%, with horizontal measures being slightly more heritable than vertical or depth measures. Furthermore, for over half of facial traits, >90% of narrow-sense heritability can be explained by common genetic variation. We also find high absolute genetic correlation between most traits, indicating large overlap in underlying genetic loci. Not surprisingly, traits measured in the same physical orientation (i.e., both horizontal or both vertical) have high positive genetic correlations, whereas traits in opposite orientations have high negative correlations. The complex genetic architecture of facial shape informs our understanding of the intricate relationships among different facial features as well as overall facial development. Copyright © 2017 by the Genetics Society of America.

Correlations Between Nutrition Habits, Anxiety and Metabolic Parameters in Greek Healthy Adults.

PubMed

Lambrinakou, Stavroula; Katsa, Maria Efthymia; Zyga, Sofia; Ioannidis, Anastasios; Sachlas, Athanasios; Panoutsopoulos, Georgios; Pistikou, Anna Maria; Magana, Maria; Kougioumtzi Dimoligianni, Dafni Eleni; Kolovos, Petros; Rojas Gil, Andrea Paola

2017-01-01

Anxiety combined with nervousness and apprehension consist a focal response to different life conditions. Lifestyle habits, anxiety and biochemical markers are in a constant interaction. To investigate the prevalence of anxiety in healthy adults and its possible association with biochemical factors-lipid profile, liver markers, thyroid hormones-and lifestyle habits. Quantitative descriptive correlation study. A total of 100 healthy adults participated in the research. A specially designed questionnaire and Hamilton's scale were used. Anthropometric and biochemical analyses were performed. Overall, 61% of the participants presented moderate to very serious anxiety. The average score on the Hamilton scale was 13.82 (±9.000), with men exhibiting less stress than women. For p ≤ 0.05: Stress was positively correlated with impaired thyroid and hepatic function. Hepatic function was affected by both sugar products and water melon, which were positively correlated with total bilirubin and AST/SGOT respectively. Tomato, peppers and legumes were negatively correlated with AST/SGOT. Deep fried food was positively correlated with GGT and triglycerides. Legumes and fish were negatively correlated with CPK. Regarding the lipid metabolism, it was found that food cooked with oil was positively associated with uric acid, but non-cooked olive oil was negatively correlated with the risk for CAD. Thyroid function was negatively correlated with non-homemade food and pasta consumption and positively correlated with consumption of whole grains and green tea. Participants with subclinical hypothyroidism seemed to consume less vitamin B12, folic acid and vegetables. No direct correlation between lifestyle habits and anxiety was found. Nevertheless, eating habits influenced biochemical markers-especially the thyroid hormones-which may be indirectly responsible for anxiety and related moods.

Correlates of video game screen time among males: body mass, physical activity, and other media use.

PubMed

Ballard, Mary; Gray, Melissa; Reilly, Jenny; Noggle, Matthew

2009-08-01

This study examined the correlations between media use, body mass variables, and physical activity among 116 male undergraduates (white n=106; African American n=5, Latin American n=1, Asian American n=2, and 2 others). Length of video game play during one sitting was positively related to body mass index (BMI; r=.27, p<.01) and negatively correlated with frequency of exercise (r=-.21, p<.05) and days of walking (r=-.22, p<.05). Frequency of video game play was negatively correlated with length of exercising (r=-.21, p<.05). Years of video game play was negatively correlated with length of exercise (r=-.21, p<.05). These results were stronger among those who play online games. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that video game use predicted BMI, accounting for 6.9% of the variance. The implications of the results are discussed.

Comparison of face types in Chinese women using three-dimensional computed tomography.

PubMed

Zhou, Rong-Rong; Zhao, Qi-Ming; Liu, Miao

2015-04-01

This study compared inverted triangle and square faces of 21 young Chinese Han women (18-25 years old) using three-dimensional computed tomography images retrieved from a records database. In this study, 11 patients had inverted triangle faces and 10 had square faces. The anatomic features were examined and compared. There were significant differences in lower face width, lower face height, masseter thickness, middle/lower face width ratio, and lower face width/height ratio between the two facial types (p < 0.01). Lower face width was positively correlated with masseter thickness and negatively correlated with gonial angle. Lower face height was positively correlated with gonial angle and negatively correlated with masseter thickness, and gonial angle was negatively correlated with masseter thickness. In young Chinese Han women, inverted triangle faces and square faces differ significantly in masseter thickness and lower face height. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Homonegative Attitudes and their Correlates Among Vietnamese College Students.

PubMed

Thanh Nguyen, Toan; Kimura, Kenichi; Morinaga, Yasuko

2016-06-01

This study investigated sex differences in homonegativity and their correlates among 197 Vietnamese college students (males = 49, females = 148, M = 20.9 years, SD = 2.9) in Ho Chi Minh City. The survey included Vietnamese-language versions of four scales measuring attitudes toward homosexuality (ATHS), traditional masculinity ideology, knowledge of homosexuality, and contact experiences with homosexuals. An exploratory factor analysis indicated a 3-factor structure for the ATHS: Homonegativity, Tolerance, and Positive Images. Male respondents reported significantly higher scores on homonegativity. Traditional masculinity ideology was positively related to females' homonegativity, but negatively correlated with tolerant attitudes of both males and females. Knowledge about homosexuality was negatively correlated with homonegativity. Media contact with homosexuals was negatively correlated with males' homonegativity, but positively correlated with both females and males' tolerant attitudes. Results suggest that future research develop a new scale to measure Vietnamese's homonegativity and that media contact as well as ample and accurate knowledge about homosexuality can alter homonegativity. © The Author(s) 2016.

Daily rhythms of behavioral and hormonal patterns in male dromedary camels housed in boxes

PubMed Central

Aubè, Lydiane; Fatnassi, Meriem; Monaco, Davide; Khorchani, Touhami; Lacalandra, Giovanni Michele; Hammadi, Mohamed

2017-01-01

Background Daily rhythmicity has been observed for a number of hormonal and behavioral variables in mammals. It can be entrained by several external factors, such as light-dark cycle and scheduled feeding. In dromedary camels, daily rhythmicity has been documented only for melatonin secretion and body temperature. In this study, the daily rhythmicity of behavioral repertoire, cortisol and testosterone levels was investigated in captive male camels. Methods Six clinically healthy male dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) were used. The animals were housed in single boxes for 24 h daily and fed twice a day. Over a period of 48 h, behavioral observations were made and blood samples taken every two hours. The data were analyzed using diurnality index, conisor analysis and PROC mixed procedure. Results The diurnality index for rumination and lying down was close to 0 (respectively, 0.09 and 0.19), while the indices for stereotypy, standing, feeding and walking were close to 1 (respectively, 0.74, 0.84, 0.92 and 0.85). Cosinor analysis revealed daily rhythmicity for all behaviors and for cortisol levels (acrophase at 12:57) but not for testosterone. Rumination and lying down (inactive behaviors) reached a peak during the scotophase, whereas feeding, walking and stereotypy (active behaviors) reached a peak during the photophase around midday. Cortisol level and expression of stereotypies peaked before and after food distribution and were negatively correlated (r =  − 0.287, P = 0.005). Testosterone levels and expression of sexual behaviors were stimulated by the visual and olfactory contacts with the females and were positively correlated (r = 0.164, P = 0.040). Testosterone was also negatively correlated with cortisol (r =  − 0.297; P = 0.003). Discussion These preliminary results provided new knowledge about the daily rhythm of behaviors in camels housed in boxes, suggesting that camels exhibit diurnal behavior pattern in the maintenance conditions outlined in the study. Daily rhythmicity seemed to be entrained not only by the light-dark cycle but also by scheduled feeding. The rise in stereotypy after food distribution could be due to the persistence of feeding motivation and frustration after the ingestion of food. Therefore, feeding practices should be improved to satisfy the foraging and feeding motivation of these camels. Behavioral and hormonal daily patterns in camels should be taken in consideration to adapt the management system, giving the animals more freedom during the light period and a diet richer in fiber, so as to improve reproductive performance, health and welfare. PMID:28367365

A two-dimensional approach to relationship conflict: meta-analytic findings.

PubMed

Woodin, Erica M

2011-06-01

This meta-analysis of 64 studies (5,071 couples) used a metacoding system to categorize observed couple conflict behaviors into categories differing in terms of valence (positive to negative) and intensity (high to low) and resulting in five behavioral categories: hostility, distress, withdrawal, problem solving, and intimacy. Aggregate effect sizes indicated that women were somewhat more likely to display hostility, distress, and intimacy during conflict, whereas men were somewhat more likely to display withdrawal and problem solving. Gender differences were of a small magnitude. For both men and women, hostility was robustly associated with lower relationship satisfaction (medium effect), distress and withdrawal were somewhat associated (small effect), and intimacy and problem solving were both closely associated with relationship satisfaction (medium effect). Effect sizes were moderated in several cases by study characteristics including year of publication, developmental period of the sample, recruitment design, duration of observed conflict, method used to induce conflict, and type of coding system used. Findings from this meta-analysis suggest that high-intensity conflict behaviors of both a positive and negative nature are important correlates of relationship satisfaction and underscore the relatively small gender differences in many conflict behaviors. 2011 APA, all rights reserved

The neurobiology of love.

PubMed

Zeki, S

2007-06-12

Romantic and maternal love are highly rewarding experiences. Both are linked to the perpetuation of the species and therefore have a closely linked biological function of crucial evolutionary importance. The newly developed ability to study the neural correlates of subjective mental states with brain imaging techniques has allowed neurobiologists to learn something about the neural bases of both romantic and maternal love. Both types of attachment activate regions specific to each, as well as overlapping regions in the brain's reward system that coincide with areas rich in oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. Both deactivate a common set of regions associated with negative emotions, social judgment and 'mentalizing' that is, the assessment of other people's intentions and emotions. Human attachment seems therefore to employ a push-pull mechanism that overcomes social distance by deactivating networks used for critical social assessment and negative emotions, while it bonds individuals through the involvement of the reward circuitry, explaining the power of love to motivate and exhilarate. Yet the biological study of love, and especially romantic love, must go beyond and look for biological insights that can be derived from studying the world literature of love, and thus bring the output of the humanities into its orbit.

Knocking Down of Isoprene Emission Modifies the Lipid Matrix of Thylakoid Membranes and Influences the Chloroplast Ultrastructure in Poplar1

PubMed Central

Velikova, Violeta; Müller, Constanze; Ghirardo, Andrea; Rock, Theresa Maria; Aichler, Michaela; Walch, Axel; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe

2015-01-01

Isoprene is a small lipophilic molecule with important functions in plant protection against abiotic stresses. Here, we studied the lipid composition of thylakoid membranes and chloroplast ultrastructure in isoprene-emitting (IE) and nonisoprene-emitting (NE) poplar (Populus × canescens). We demonstrated that the total amount of monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, digalactosyldiacylglycerols, phospholipids, and fatty acids is reduced in chloroplasts when isoprene biosynthesis is blocked. A significantly lower amount of unsaturated fatty acids, particularly linolenic acid in NE chloroplasts, was associated with the reduced fluidity of thylakoid membranes, which in turn negatively affects photosystem II photochemical efficiency. The low photosystem II photochemical efficiency in NE plants was negatively correlated with nonphotochemical quenching and the energy-dependent component of nonphotochemical quenching. Transmission electron microscopy revealed alterations in the chloroplast ultrastructure in NE compared with IE plants. NE chloroplasts were more rounded and contained fewer grana stacks and longer stroma thylakoids, more plastoglobules, and larger associative zones between chloroplasts and mitochondria. These results strongly support the idea that in IE species, the function of this molecule is closely associated with the structural organization and functioning of plastidic membranes. PMID:25975835

Effects of hole self-trapping by polarons on transport and negative bias illumination stress in amorphous-IGZO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Jamblinne de Meux, A.; Pourtois, G.; Genoe, J.; Heremans, P.

2018-04-01

The effects of hole injection in amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) are analyzed by means of first-principles calculations. The injection of holes in the valence band tail states leads to their capture as a polaron, with high self-trapping energies (from 0.44 to 1.15 eV). Once formed, they mediate the formation of peroxides and remain localized close to the hole injection source due to the presence of a large diffusion energy barrier (of at least 0.6 eV). Their diffusion mechanism can be mediated by the presence of hydrogen. The capture of these holes is correlated with the low off-current observed for a-IGZO transistors, as well as with the difficulty to obtain a p-type conductivity. The results further support the formation of peroxides as being the root cause of Negative Bias Illumination Stress (NBIS). The strong self-trapping substantially reduces the injection of holes from the contact and limits the creation of peroxides from a direct hole injection. In the presence of light, the concentration of holes substantially rises and mediates the creation of peroxides, responsible for NBIS.

[Correlation study between obesity and dawn phenomenon in patients with type 2 diabetes].

PubMed

Guo, Zhenhong; Xu, Jie; Wang, Jingyu; Han, Fei; Zhang, Yi; Yang, X iaoyun; Yang, Shaohua; Chang, Bai; Yang, Juhong; Shan, Chunyan; Chen, Liming; Chang, Baocheng; Xu, Yanguang

2016-01-01

To investigate the correlation between the frequency of dawn phenomenon and obesity in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study was conducted in 98 patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to the Metabolic Disease Hospital of Tianjin Medical University from 2011 to 2014. The subjects were divided into 3 groups according to BMI: the normal weight (BMI 18.5-23.9 kg/m(2), n = 30), the overweight(BMI 24-27.9 kg/m(2), n = 33)and the obesity (BMI ≥ 28.0 kg/m(2), n = 35). All participants underwent continuous glucose monitoring for 72 h. Fasting plasma glucose(FPG), insulin and C-peptide were tested. Frequency of dawn phenomenon among the 3 groups was calculated, and the correlations between dawn phenomenon and its related factors were analyzed. The frequency of dawn phenomenon in type 2 diabetes increased with the increase of BMI in the 3 groups (P < 0.05) with 33.3% in the normal weight, 78.8% in the overweight and 88.6% in the obesity groups, respectively. The dawn phenomenon was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.424, P < 0.05), Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR) (r = 0.781, P < 0.05), waist circumference (r = 0.394, P < 0.05), fasting C-peptide (r = 0.254, P < 0.05)and TG (r = 0.220, P < 0.05). It was negatively correlated with the course of diabetes mellitus (r = -0.278, P<0.05) and HDL-C (r = -0.268, P < 0.05). No correlation could be viewed between the dawn phenomenon and age, LDL-C, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), TC and FPG (P > 0.05). The dawn phenomenon is closely associated with obesity and insulin resistance. The frequency of dawn phenomenon increases with BMI.

Conservatism and Cognitive Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stankov, Lazar

2009-01-01

Conservatism and cognitive ability are negatively correlated. The evidence is based on 1254 community college students and 1600 foreign students seeking entry to United States' universities. At the individual level of analysis, conservatism scores correlate negatively with SAT, Vocabulary, and Analogy test scores. At the national level of…

Measurement of long-range multiparticle azimuthal correlations with the subevent cumulant method in p p and p +Pb collisions with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdinov, O.; Abeloos, B.; Abidi, S. H.; Abouzeid, O. S.; Abraham, N. L.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Abreu, R.; Abulaiti, Y.; Acharya, B. S.; Adachi, S.; Adamczyk, L.; Adelman, J.; Adersberger, M.; Adye, T.; Affolder, A. A.; Afik, Y.; Agatonovic-Jovin, T.; Agheorghiesei, C.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahmadov, F.; Aielli, G.; Akatsuka, S.; Akerstedt, H.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akilli, E.; Akimov, A. V.; Alberghi, G. L.; Albert, J.; Albicocco, P.; Alconada Verzini, M. J.; Alderweireldt, S. C.; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Ali, B.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Alkire, S. P.; Allbrooke, B. M. M.; Allen, B. W.; Allport, P. P.; Aloisio, A.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, F.; Alpigiani, C.; Alshehri, A. A.; Alstaty, M. I.; Alvarez Gonzalez, B.; Álvarez Piqueras, D.; Alviggi, M. G.; Amadio, B. T.; Amaral Coutinho, Y.; Amelung, C.; Amidei, D.; Amor Dos Santos, S. P.; Amoroso, S.; Amundsen, G.; Anastopoulos, C.; Ancu, L. S.; Andari, N.; Andeen, T.; Anders, C. F.; Anders, J. K.; Anderson, K. J.; Andreazza, A.; Andrei, V.; Angelidakis, S.; Angelozzi, I.; Angerami, A.; Anisenkov, A. V.; Anjos, N.; Annovi, A.; Antel, C.; Antonelli, M.; Antonov, A.; Antrim, D. J.; Anulli, F.; Aoki, M.; Aperio Bella, L.; Arabidze, G.; Arai, Y.; Araque, J. P.; Araujo Ferraz, V.; Arce, A. T. H.; Ardell, R. E.; Arduh, F. A.; Arguin, J.-F.; Argyropoulos, S.; Arik, M.; Armbruster, A. J.; Armitage, L. J.; Arnaez, O.; Arnold, H.; Arratia, M.; Arslan, O.; Artamonov, A.; Artoni, G.; Artz, S.; Asai, S.; Asbah, N.; Ashkenazi, A.; Asquith, L.; Assamagan, K.; Astalos, R.; Atkinson, M.; Atlay, N. B.; Augsten, K.; Avolio, G.; Axen, B.; Ayoub, M. K.; Azuelos, G.; Baas, A. E.; Baca, M. J.; Bachacou, H.; Bachas, K.; Backes, M.; Bagnaia, P.; Bahmani, M.; Bahrasemani, H.; Baines, J. T.; Bajic, M.; Baker, O. K.; Bakker, P. J.; Baldin, E. M.; Balek, P.; Balli, F.; Balunas, W. K.; Banas, E.; Bandyopadhyay, A.; Banerjee, Sw.; Bannoura, A. A. E.; Barak, L.; Barberio, E. L.; Barberis, D.; Barbero, M.; Barillari, T.; Barisits, M.-S.; Barkeloo, J. T.; Barklow, T.; Barlow, N.; Barnes, S. L.; Barnett, B. M.; Barnett, R. M.; Barnovska-Blenessy, Z.; Baroncelli, A.; Barone, G.; Barr, A. J.; Barranco Navarro, L.; Barreiro, F.; Barreiro Guimarães da Costa, J.; Bartoldus, R.; Barton, A. E.; Bartos, P.; Basalaev, A.; Bassalat, A.; Bates, R. L.; Batista, S. J.; Batley, J. R.; Battaglia, M.; Bauce, M.; Bauer, F.; Bawa, H. S.; Beacham, J. B.; Beattie, M. D.; Beau, T.; Beauchemin, P. H.; Bechtle, P.; Beck, H. P.; Beck, H. C.; Becker, K.; Becker, M.; Becot, C.; Beddall, A. J.; Beddall, A.; Bednyakov, V. A.; Bedognetti, M.; Bee, C. P.; Beermann, T. A.; Begalli, M.; Begel, M.; Behr, J. K.; Bell, A. S.; Bella, G.; Bellagamba, L.; Bellerive, A.; Bellomo, M.; Belotskiy, K.; Beltramello, O.; Belyaev, N. L.; Benary, O.; Benchekroun, D.; Bender, M.; Benekos, N.; Benhammou, Y.; Benhar Noccioli, E.; Benitez, J.; Benjamin, D. P.; Benoit, M.; Bensinger, J. R.; Bentvelsen, S.; Beresford, L.; Beretta, M.; Berge, D.; Bergeaas Kuutmann, E.; Berger, N.; Beringer, J.; Berlendis, S.; Bernard, N. R.; Bernardi, G.; Bernius, C.; Bernlochner, F. U.; Berry, T.; Berta, P.; Bertella, C.; Bertoli, G.; Bertram, I. A.; Bertsche, C.; Bertsche, D.; Besjes, G. J.; Bessidskaia Bylund, O.; Bessner, M.; Besson, N.; Bethani, A.; Bethke, S.; Betti, A.; Bevan, A. J.; Beyer, J.; Bianchi, R. M.; Biebel, O.; Biedermann, D.; Bielski, R.; Bierwagen, K.; Biesuz, N. V.; Biglietti, M.; Billoud, T. R. V.; Bilokon, H.; Bindi, M.; Bingul, A.; Bini, C.; Biondi, S.; Bisanz, T.; Bittrich, C.; Bjergaard, D. M.; Black, J. E.; Black, K. M.; Blair, R. E.; Blazek, T.; Bloch, I.; Blocker, C.; Blue, A.; Blumenschein, U.; Blunier, S.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bobrovnikov, V. S.; Bocchetta, S. S.; Bocci, A.; Bock, C.; Boehler, M.; Boerner, D.; Bogavac, D.; Bogdanchikov, A. G.; Bohm, C.; Boisvert, V.; Bokan, P.; Bold, T.; Boldyrev, A. S.; Bolz, A. E.; Bomben, M.; Bona, M.; Boonekamp, M.; Borisov, A.; Borissov, G.; Bortfeldt, J.; Bortoletto, D.; Bortolotto, V.; Boscherini, D.; Bosman, M.; Bossio Sola, J. D.; Boudreau, J.; Bouhova-Thacker, E. V.; Boumediene, D.; Bourdarios, C.; Boutle, S. K.; Boveia, A.; Boyd, J.; Boyko, I. R.; Bozson, A. J.; Bracinik, J.; Brandt, A.; Brandt, G.; Brandt, O.; Braren, F.; Bratzler, U.; Brau, B.; Brau, J. E.; Breaden Madden, W. D.; Brendlinger, K.; Brennan, A. J.; Brenner, L.; Brenner, R.; Bressler, S.; Briglin, D. L.; Bristow, T. M.; Britton, D.; Britzger, D.; Brochu, F. M.; Brock, I.; Brock, R.; Brooijmans, G.; Brooks, T.; Brooks, W. K.; Brosamer, J.; Brost, E.; Broughton, J. H.; Bruckman de Renstrom, P. A.; Bruncko, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, L. S.; Bruno, S.; Brunt, B. H.; Bruschi, M.; Bruscino, N.; Bryant, P.; Bryngemark, L.; Buanes, T.; Buat, Q.; Buchholz, P.; Buckley, A. G.; Budagov, I. A.; Buehrer, F.; Bugge, M. K.; Bulekov, O.; Bullock, D.; Burch, T. J.; Burdin, S.; Burgard, C. D.; Burger, A. M.; Burghgrave, B.; Burka, K.; Burke, S.; Burmeister, I.; Burr, J. T. P.; Büscher, D.; Büscher, V.; Bussey, P.; Butler, J. M.; Buttar, C. M.; Butterworth, J. M.; Butti, P.; Buttinger, W.; Buzatu, A.; Buzykaev, A. R.; Cabrera Urbán, S.; Caforio, D.; Cai, H.; Cairo, V. M.; Cakir, O.; Calace, N.; Calafiura, P.; Calandri, A.; Calderini, G.; Calfayan, P.; Callea, G.; Caloba, L. P.; Calvente Lopez, S.; Calvet, D.; Calvet, S.; Calvet, T. P.; Camacho Toro, R.; Camarda, S.; Camarri, P.; Cameron, D.; Caminal Armadans, R.; Camincher, C.; Campana, S.; Campanelli, M.; Camplani, A.; Campoverde, A.; Canale, V.; Cano Bret, M.; Cantero, J.; Cao, T.; Capeans Garrido, M. D. M.; Caprini, I.; Caprini, M.; Capua, M.; Carbone, R. M.; Cardarelli, R.; Cardillo, F.; Carli, I.; Carli, T.; Carlino, G.; Carlson, B. T.; Carminati, L.; Carney, R. M. D.; Caron, S.; Carquin, E.; Carrá, S.; Carrillo-Montoya, G. D.; Casadei, D.; Casado, M. P.; Casolino, M.; Casper, D. W.; Castelijn, R.; Castillo Gimenez, V.; Castro, N. F.; Catinaccio, A.; Catmore, J. R.; Cattai, A.; Caudron, J.; Cavaliere, V.; Cavallaro, E.; Cavalli, D.; Cavalli-Sforza, M.; Cavasinni, V.; Celebi, E.; Ceradini, F.; Cerda Alberich, L.; Cerqueira, A. S.; Cerri, A.; Cerrito, L.; Cerutti, F.; Cervelli, A.; Cetin, S. A.; Chafaq, A.; Chakraborty, D.; Chan, S. K.; Chan, W. S.; Chan, Y. L.; Chang, P.; Chapman, J. D.; Charlton, D. G.; Chau, C. C.; Chavez Barajas, C. A.; Che, S.; Cheatham, S.; Chegwidden, A.; Chekanov, S.; Chekulaev, S. V.; Chelkov, G. A.; Chelstowska, M. A.; Chen, C.; Chen, C.; Chen, H.; Chen, J.; Chen, S.; Chen, S.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H. C.; Cheng, H. J.; Cheplakov, A.; Cheremushkina, E.; Cherkaoui El Moursli, R.; Cheu, E.; Cheung, K.; Chevalier, L.; Chiarella, V.; Chiarelli, G.; Chiodini, G.; Chisholm, A. S.; Chitan, A.; Chiu, Y. H.; Chizhov, M. V.; Choi, K.; Chomont, A. R.; Chouridou, S.; Chow, Y. S.; Christodoulou, V.; Chu, M. C.; Chudoba, J.; Chuinard, A. J.; Chwastowski, J. J.; Chytka, L.; Ciftci, A. K.; Cinca, D.; Cindro, V.; Cioara, I. A.; Ciocio, A.; Cirotto, F.; Citron, Z. H.; Citterio, M.; Ciubancan, M.; Clark, A.; Clark, B. L.; Clark, M. R.; Clark, P. J.; Clarke, R. N.; Clement, C.; Coadou, Y.; Cobal, M.; Coccaro, A.; Cochran, J.; Colasurdo, L.; Cole, B.; Colijn, A. P.; Collot, J.; Colombo, T.; Conde Muiño, P.; Coniavitis, E.; Connell, S. H.; Connelly, I. A.; Constantinescu, S.; Conti, G.; Conventi, F.; Cooke, M.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Cormier, F.; Cormier, K. J. R.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Cortes-Gonzalez, A.; Costa, G.; Costa, M. J.; Costanzo, D.; Cottin, G.; Cowan, G.; Cox, B. E.; Cranmer, K.; Crawley, S. J.; Creager, R. A.; Cree, G.; Crépé-Renaudin, S.; Crescioli, F.; Cribbs, W. A.; Cristinziani, M.; Croft, V.; Crosetti, G.; Cueto, A.; Cuhadar Donszelmann, T.; Cukierman, A. R.; Cummings, J.; Curatolo, M.; Cúth, J.; Czekierda, S.; Czodrowski, P.; D'Amen, G.; D'Auria, S.; D'Eramo, L.; D'Onofrio, M.; da Cunha Sargedas de Sousa, M. J.; da Via, C.; Dabrowski, W.; Dado, T.; Dai, T.; Dale, O.; Dallaire, F.; Dallapiccola, C.; Dam, M.; Dandoy, J. R.; Daneri, M. F.; Dang, N. P.; Daniells, A. C.; Dann, N. S.; Danninger, M.; Dano Hoffmann, M.; Dao, V.; Darbo, G.; Darmora, S.; Dassoulas, J.; Dattagupta, A.; Daubney, T.; Davey, W.; David, C.; Davidek, T.; Davis, D. R.; Davison, P.; Dawe, E.; Dawson, I.; de, K.; de Asmundis, R.; de Benedetti, A.; de Castro, S.; de Cecco, S.; de Groot, N.; de Jong, P.; de la Torre, H.; de Lorenzi, F.; de Maria, A.; de Pedis, D.; de Salvo, A.; de Sanctis, U.; de Santo, A.; de Vasconcelos Corga, K.; de Vivie de Regie, J. B.; Debbe, R.; Debenedetti, C.; Dedovich, D. V.; Dehghanian, N.; Deigaard, I.; Del Gaudio, M.; Del Peso, J.; Delgove, D.; Deliot, F.; Delitzsch, C. M.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Dell'Asta, L.; Dell'Orso, M.; Della Pietra, M.; Della Volpe, D.; Delmastro, M.; Delporte, C.; Delsart, P. A.; Demarco, D. A.; Demers, S.; Demichev, M.; Demilly, A.; Denisov, S. P.; Denysiuk, D.; Derendarz, D.; Derkaoui, J. E.; Derue, F.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Deterre, C.; Dette, K.; Devesa, M. R.; Deviveiros, P. O.; Dewhurst, A.; Dhaliwal, S.; di Bello, F. A.; di Ciaccio, A.; di Ciaccio, L.; di Clemente, W. K.; di Donato, C.; di Girolamo, A.; di Girolamo, B.; di Micco, B.; di Nardo, R.; di Petrillo, K. F.; di Simone, A.; di Sipio, R.; di Valentino, D.; Diaconu, C.; Diamond, M.; Dias, F. A.; Diaz, M. A.; Diehl, E. B.; Dietrich, J.; Díez Cornell, S.; Dimitrievska, A.; Dingfelder, J.; Dita, P.; Dita, S.; Dittus, F.; Djama, F.; Djobava, T.; Djuvsland, J. I.; Do Vale, M. A. 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T.; Mengarelli, A.; Menke, S.; Meoni, E.; Mergelmeyer, S.; Merlassino, C.; Mermod, P.; Merola, L.; Meroni, C.; Merritt, F. S.; Messina, A.; Metcalfe, J.; Mete, A. S.; Meyer, C.; Meyer, J.-P.; Meyer, J.; Meyer Zu Theenhausen, H.; Miano, F.; Middleton, R. P.; Miglioranzi, S.; Mijović, L.; Mikenberg, G.; Mikestikova, M.; Mikuž, M.; Milesi, M.; Milic, A.; Millar, D. A.; Miller, D. W.; Mills, C.; Milov, A.; Milstead, D. A.; Minaenko, A. A.; Minami, Y.; Minashvili, I. A.; Mincer, A. I.; Mindur, B.; Mineev, M.; Minegishi, Y.; Ming, Y.; Mir, L. M.; Mirto, A.; Mistry, K. P.; Mitani, T.; Mitrevski, J.; Mitsou, V. A.; Miucci, A.; Miyagawa, P. S.; Mizukami, A.; Mjörnmark, J. U.; Mkrtchyan, T.; Mlynarikova, M.; Moa, T.; Mochizuki, K.; Mogg, P.; Mohapatra, S.; Molander, S.; Moles-Valls, R.; Mondragon, M. C.; Mönig, K.; Monk, J.; Monnier, E.; Montalbano, A.; Montejo Berlingen, J.; Monticelli, F.; Monzani, S.; Moore, R. 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E.; Strandberg, J.; Strandberg, S.; Strauss, M.; Strizenec, P.; Ströhmer, R.; Strom, D. M.; Stroynowski, R.; Strubig, A.; Stucci, S. A.; Stugu, B.; Styles, N. A.; Su, D.; Su, J.; Suchek, S.; Sugaya, Y.; Suk, M.; Sulin, V. V.; Sultan, D. M. S.; Sultansoy, S.; Sumida, T.; Sun, S.; Sun, X.; Suruliz, K.; Suster, C. J. E.; Sutton, M. R.; Suzuki, S.; Svatos, M.; Swiatlowski, M.; Swift, S. P.; Sykora, I.; Sykora, T.; Ta, D.; Tackmann, K.; Taenzer, J.; Taffard, A.; Tafirout, R.; Tahirovic, E.; Taiblum, N.; Takai, H.; Takashima, R.; Takasugi, E. H.; Takeda, K.; Takeshita, T.; Takubo, Y.; Talby, M.; Talyshev, A. A.; Tanaka, J.; Tanaka, M.; Tanaka, R.; Tanaka, S.; Tanioka, R.; Tannenwald, B. B.; Tapia Araya, S.; Tapprogge, S.; Tarem, S.; Tartarelli, G. F.; Tas, P.; Tasevsky, M.; Tashiro, T.; Tassi, E.; Tavares Delgado, A.; Tayalati, Y.; Taylor, A. C.; Taylor, A. J.; Taylor, G. N.; Taylor, P. T. E.; Taylor, W.; Teixeira-Dias, P.; Temple, D.; Ten Kate, H.; Teng, P. K.; Teoh, J. J.; Tepel, F.; Terada, S.; Terashi, K.; Terron, J.; Terzo, S.; Testa, M.; Teuscher, R. J.; Thais, S. J.; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T.; Thiele, F.; Thomas, J. P.; Thomas-Wilsker, J.; Thompson, P. D.; Thompson, A. S.; Thomsen, L. A.; Thomson, E.; Tian, Y.; Tibbetts, M. J.; Ticse Torres, R. E.; Tikhomirov, V. O.; Tikhonov, Yu. A.; Timoshenko, S.; Tipton, P.; Tisserant, S.; Todome, K.; Todorova-Nova, S.; Todt, S.; Tojo, J.; Tokár, S.; Tokushuku, K.; Tolley, E.; Tomlinson, L.; Tomoto, M.; Tompkins, L.; Toms, K.; Tong, B.; Tornambe, P.; Torrence, E.; Torres, H.; Torró Pastor, E.; Toth, J.; Touchard, F.; Tovey, D. R.; Treado, C. J.; Trefzger, T.; Tresoldi, F.; Tricoli, A.; Trigger, I. M.; Trincaz-Duvoid, S.; Tripiana, M. F.; Trischuk, W.; Trocmé, B.; Trofymov, A.; Troncon, C.; Trottier-McDonald, M.; Trovatelli, M.; Truong, L.; Trzebinski, M.; Trzupek, A.; Tsang, K. W.; Tseng, J. C.-L.; Tsiareshka, P. V.; Tsipolitis, G.; Tsirintanis, N.; Tsiskaridze, S.; Tsiskaridze, V.; Tskhadadze, E. G.; Tsukerman, I. I.; Tsulaia, V.; Tsuno, S.; Tsybychev, D.; Tu, Y.; Tudorache, A.; Tudorache, V.; Tulbure, T. T.; Tuna, A. N.; Turchikhin, S.; Turgeman, D.; Turk Cakir, I.; Turra, R.; Tuts, P. M.; Ucchielli, G.; Ueda, I.; Ughetto, M.; Ukegawa, F.; Unal, G.; Undrus, A.; Unel, G.; Ungaro, F. C.; Unno, Y.; Uno, K.; Unverdorben, C.; Urban, J.; Urquijo, P.; Urrejola, P.; Usai, G.; Usui, J.; Vacavant, L.; Vacek, V.; Vachon, B.; Vadla, K. O. H.; Vaidya, A.; Valderanis, C.; Valdes Santurio, E.; Valente, M.; Valentinetti, S.; Valero, A.; Valéry, L.; Valkar, S.; Vallier, A.; Valls Ferrer, J. A.; van den Wollenberg, W.; van der Graaf, H.; van Gemmeren, P.; van Nieuwkoop, J.; van Vulpen, I.; van Woerden, M. C.; Vanadia, M.; Vandelli, W.; Vaniachine, A.; Vankov, P.; Vardanyan, G.; Vari, R.; Varnes, E. W.; Varni, C.; Varol, T.; Varouchas, D.; Vartapetian, A.; Varvell, K. E.; Vasquez, J. G.; Vasquez, G. 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H.; Vranjes, N.; Vranjes Milosavljevic, M.; Vrba, V.; Vreeswijk, M.; Vuillermet, R.; Vukotic, I.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, W.; Wagner-Kuhr, J.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrmund, S.; Walder, J.; Walker, R.; Walkowiak, W.; Wallangen, V.; Wang, C.; Wang, C.; Wang, F.; Wang, H.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, Q.; Wang, R.-J.; Wang, R.; Wang, S. M.; Wang, T.; Wang, W.; Wang, W.; Wang, Z.; Wanotayaroj, C.; Warburton, A.; Ward, C. P.; Wardrope, D. R.; Washbrook, A.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, M. F.; Watts, G.; Watts, S.; Waugh, B. M.; Webb, A. F.; Webb, S.; Weber, M. S.; Weber, S. M.; Weber, S. W.; Weber, S. A.; Webster, J. S.; Weidberg, A. R.; Weinert, B.; Weingarten, J.; Weirich, M.; Weiser, C.; Weits, H.; Wells, P. S.; Wenaus, T.; Wengler, T.; Wenig, S.; Wermes, N.; Werner, M. D.; Werner, P.; Wessels, M.; Weston, T. D.; Whalen, K.; Whallon, N. L.; Wharton, A. M.; White, A. S.; White, A.; White, M. J.; White, R.; Whiteson, D.; Whitmore, B. W.; Wickens, F. 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Y.; Yusuff, I.; Zabinski, B.; Zacharis, G.; Zaidan, R.; Zaitsev, A. M.; Zakharchuk, N.; Zalieckas, J.; Zaman, A.; Zambito, S.; Zanzi, D.; Zeitnitz, C.; Zemaityte, G.; Zemla, A.; Zeng, J. C.; Zeng, Q.; Zenin, O.; Ženiš, T.; Zerwas, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Zhemchugov, A.; Zhou, B.; Zhou, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, N.; Zhu, C. G.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zhu, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Zhukov, K.; Zibell, A.; Zieminska, D.; Zimine, N. I.; Zimmermann, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Zinonos, Z.; Zinser, M.; Ziolkowski, M.; Živković, L.; Zobernig, G.; Zoccoli, A.; Zou, R.; Zur Nedden, M.; Zwalinski, L.; Atlas Collaboration

2018-02-01

A detailed study of multiparticle azimuthal correlations is presented using p p data at √{s }=5.02 and 13 TeV, and p +Pb data at √{sNN}=5.02 TeV, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The azimuthal correlations are probed using four-particle cumulants cn{4 } and flow coefficients vn{4 } =(-cn{4 } ) 1 /4 for n =2 and 3, with the goal of extracting long-range multiparticle azimuthal correlation signals and suppressing the short-range correlations. The values of cn{4 } are obtained as a function of the average number of charged particles per event, <" close=">Nch>">Nch, using the recently proposed two-subevent and three-subevent cumulant methods, and compared with results obtained with the standard cumulant method. The standard method is found to be strongly biased by short-range correlations, which originate mostly from jets with a positive contribution to cn{4 } . The three-subevent method, on the other hand, is found to be least sensitive to short-range correlations. The three-subevent method gives a negative c2{4 } , and therefore a well-defined v2{4 } , nearly independent of Phonetic measures of reduced tongue movement correlate with negative symptom severity in hospitalized patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Covington, Michael A; Lunden, S L Anya; Cristofaro, Sarah L; Wan, Claire Ramsay; Bailey, C Thomas; Broussard, Beth; Fogarty, Robert; Johnson, Stephanie; Zhang, Shayi; Compton, Michael T

2012-12-01

Aprosody, or flattened speech intonation, is a recognized negative symptom of schizophrenia, though it has rarely been studied from a linguistic/phonological perspective. To bring the latest advances in computational linguistics to the phenomenology of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, a clinical first-episode psychosis research team joined with a phonetics/computational linguistics team to conduct a preliminary, proof-of-concept study. Video recordings from a semi-structured clinical research interview were available from 47 first-episode psychosis patients. Audio tracks of the video recordings were extracted, and after review of quality, 25 recordings were available for phonetic analysis. These files were de-noised and a trained phonologist extracted a 1-minute sample of each patient's speech. WaveSurfer 1.8.5 was used to create, from each speech sample, a file of formant values (F0, F1, F2, where F0 is the fundamental frequency and F1 and F2 are resonance bands indicating the moment-by-moment shape of the oral cavity). Variability in these phonetic indices was correlated with severity of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptom scores using Pearson correlations. A measure of variability of tongue front-to-back position-the standard deviation of F2-was statistically significantly correlated with the severity of negative symptoms (r=-0.446, p=0.03). This study demonstrates a statistically significant and meaningful correlation between negative symptom severity and phonetically measured reductions in tongue movements during speech in a sample of first-episode patients just initiating treatment. Further studies of negative symptoms, applying computational linguistics methods, are warranted. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phonetic Measures of Reduced Tongue Movement Correlate with Negative Symptom Severity in Hospitalized Patients with First-Episode Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders

PubMed Central

Covington, Michael A.; Lunden, S.L. Anya; Cristofaro, Sarah L.; Wan, Claire Ramsay; Bailey, C. Thomas; Broussard, Beth; Fogarty, Robert; Johnson, Stephanie; Zhang, Shayi; Compton, Michael T.

2012-01-01

Background Aprosody, or flattened speech intonation, is a recognized negative symptom of schizophrenia, though it has rarely been studied from a linguistic/phonological perspective. To bring the latest advances in computational linguistics to the phenomenology of schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, a clinical first-episode psychosis research team joined with a phonetics/computational linguistics team to conduct a preliminary, proof-of-concept study. Methods Video recordings from a semi-structured clinical research interview were available from 47 first-episode psychosis patients. Audio tracks of the video recordings were extracted, and after review of quality, 25 recordings were available for phonetic analysis. These files were de-noised and a trained phonologist extracted a 1-minute sample of each patient’s speech. WaveSurfer 1.8.5 was used to create, from each speech sample, a file of formant values (F0, F1, F2, where F0 is the fundamental frequency and F1 and F2 are resonance bands indicating the moment-by-moment shape of the oral cavity). Variability in these phonetic indices was correlated with severity of Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale negative symptom scores using Pearson correlations. Results A measure of variability of tongue front-to-back position—the standard deviation of F2—was statistically significantly correlated with the severity of negative symptoms (r=−0.446, p=0.03). Conclusion This study demonstrates a statistically significant and meaningful correlation between negative symptom severity and phonetically measured reductions in tongue movements during speech in a sample of first-episode patients just initiating treatment. Further studies of negative symptoms, applying computational linguistics methods, are warranted. PMID:23102940

Sexual Assault Disclosure Recipients' Experiences: Emotional Distress and Changes in the Relationship With the Victim.

PubMed

Milliken, Jennifer; Paul, Lisa A; Sasson, Sapir; Porter, Abigail; Hasulube, Jemi

2016-01-01

Sexual assault victims are more likely to disclose their experience to friends and family than formal support sources (e.g., police, counselors). As such, disclosure receipt is a relatively common occurrence, but little is known about the recipients' disclosure experience. This study examined predictors of recipient emotional distress and positive and negative changes in the victim-recipient relationship postdisclosure among 69 female undergraduates at 3 universities. Predictors of distress included greater self-rated closeness to the victim and greater confusion about how to help. Positive changes were predicted by greater closeness and less responsibility attributed to the victim, and negative changes were predicted by less closeness, greater assigned responsibility, and greater perceived ineffectiveness of one's help. Implications for improving the disclosure experience via psychoeducational interventions are presented.

Burnout and its relationship with personality factors in oncology nurses.

PubMed

De la Fuente-Solana, Emilia I; Gómez-Urquiza, José L; Cañadas, Gustavo R; Albendín-García, Luis; Ortega-Campos, Elena; Cañadas-De la Fuente, Guillermo A

2017-10-01

To assess burnout levels in oncology nurses, to evaluate at what stage of burnout suffering they are and to analyze the relationship between burnout with personality factors. A quantitative, observational, cross-sectional multicenter study was done. Oncology nurses (n = 101) from the Andalusian Health Service (Andalusia, Spain) were included. The main variables were personality factors, assessed with the NEO-FFI questionnaire, anxiety and depression, assessed with the Educational-Clinical Questionnaire: Anxiety and Depression, and burnout, evaluated with the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Student t-statistic was used for hypothesis contrasts and Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to establish the association between personality factors and burnout. According to the burnout phases model, 29.6% of the sample is in the most severe phases. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization are positively correlated with neuroticism and negatively correlated with agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness. Personal accomplishment has a negative correlation with neuroticism and negative correlations with agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and openness. Finally, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization have a positive correlation with anxiety and depression, while personal accomplishment has a negative correlation with anxiety and depression. A significant number of oncology nurses are in the most severe stages of burnout suffering. Personality factors have a key role in burnout development. The importance of personality factors in burnout development should be taken into account. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Personality and occupation stress of workers in processing line in Guangzhou].

PubMed

Lin, Qiu-hong; Zhang, Wei-sen; Zhou, Jing-dong; Fan, Yuan-yu; Liu, Li-fen; Li, Jian-lin; Liu, Wei-wei

2009-12-01

To study relationships between personality and occupational stress of workers in processing line in Guangzhou. 452 workers in processing line in Guangzhou were investigated by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI). N scores and P scores of EPQ were positively correlated with the occupational stress and the poor physical fitness status (r value was 0.196, 0.128, 0.202, 0.218, respectively) (P < 0.01). N scores of EPQ were positively correlated with the type A behavior (r = 0.164) and negatively correlated with the mental well-being level (r = -0.196, P < 0.01). P scores of EPQ were negative correlated with the sense of job satisfaction and the stress coping ability(r value was -0.146, -0.140, respectively) (P < 0.01). E scores and L scores of EPQ were negatively correlated with the type A behavior (r value was -0.159, -0.138, respectively) (P < 0.01). E scores of EPQ were positively correlated with the stress coping ability (r = 0.176, P < 0.01). L scores of EPQ were negatively correlated with the occupational stress, the poor physical fitness status and the explanation to vicinity event (r value was -0.139, -0.140, -0.111, respectively) (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The personality of neuroticism, psychoticism and introversion may be related to the occupational stress, the sense of job satisfaction and unhealthy mental reaction.

Evolutionary variation in the mechanics of fiddler crab claws

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Fiddler crabs, genus Uca, are classic examples of how intense sexual selection can produce exaggerated male traits. Throughout the genus the enlarged “major” cheliped (claw) of the male fiddler crab is used both as a signal for attracting females and as a weapon for combat with other males. However, the morphology of the major claw is highly variable across the approximately 100 species within the genus. Here we address variation, scaling, and correlated evolution in the mechanics of the major claw by analyzing the morphology and mechanical properties of the claws of 21 species of fiddler crabs from the Pacific, Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the Americas. Results We find that the mechanics that produce claw closing forces, the sizes of claws and the mechanical strength of the cuticle of claws are all highly variable across the genus. Most variables scale isometrically with body size across species but claw force production scales allometrically with body size. Using phylogenetically independent contrasts, we find that the force that a claw can potentially produce is positively correlated with the strength of the cuticle on the claw where forces are delivered in a fight. There is also a negative correlation between the force that a claw can potentially produce and the size of the claw corrected for the mass of the claw. Conclusions These relationships suggest that there has been correlated evolution between force production and armoring, and that there is a tradeoff between claw mechanics for signaling and claw mechanics for fighting. PMID:23855770

Cross-correlation and cross-wavelet analyses of the solar wind IMF Bz and auroral electrojet index AE coupling during HILDCAAs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques de Souza, Adriane; Echer, Ezequiel; José Alves Bolzan, Mauricio; Hajra, Rajkumar

2018-02-01

Solar-wind-geomagnetic activity coupling during high-intensity long-duration continuous AE (auroral electrojet) activities (HILDCAAs) is investigated in this work. The 1 min AE index and the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) Bz component in the geocentric solar magnetospheric (GSM) coordinate system were used in this study. We have considered HILDCAA events occurring between 1995 and 2011. Cross-wavelet and cross-correlation analyses results show that the coupling between the solar wind and the magnetosphere during HILDCAAs occurs mainly in the period ≤ 8 h. These periods are similar to the periods observed in the interplanetary Alfvén waves embedded in the high-speed solar wind streams (HSSs). This result is consistent with the fact that most of the HILDCAA events under present study are related to HSSs. Furthermore, the classical correlation analysis indicates that the correlation between IMF Bz and AE may be classified as moderate (0.4-0.7) and that more than 80 % of the HILDCAAs exhibit a lag of 20-30 min between IMF Bz and AE. This result corroborates with Tsurutani et al. (1990) where the lag was found to be close to 20-25 min. These results enable us to conclude that the main mechanism for solar-wind-magnetosphere coupling during HILDCAAs is the magnetic reconnection between the fluctuating, negative component of IMF Bz and Earth's magnetopause fields at periods lower than 8 h and with a lag of about 20-30 min.

Drivers of radial growth and carbon isotope discrimination of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.) across continental gradients in precipitation, vapour pressure deficit and irradiance.

PubMed

Voelker, Steven L; Meinzer, Frederick C; Lachenbruch, Barbara; Brooks, J Renée; Guyette, Richard P

2014-03-01

Tree-ring characteristics are commonly used to reconstruct climate variables, but divergence from the assumption of a single biophysical control may reduce the accuracy of these reconstructions. Here, we present data from bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.) sampled within and beyond the current species bioclimatic envelope to identify the primary environmental controls on ring-width indices (RWIs) and carbon stable isotope discrimination (Δ(13) C) in tree-ring cellulose. Variation in Δ(13) C and RWI was more strongly related to leaf-to-air vapour pressure deficit (VPD) at the centre and western edge of the range compared with the northern and wettest regions. Among regions, Δ(13) C of tree-ring cellulose was closely predicted by VPD and light responses of canopy-level Δ(13) C estimated using a model driven by eddy flux and meteorological measurements (R(2)  = 0.96, P = 0.003). RWI and Δ(13) C were positively correlated in the drier regions, while they were negatively correlated in the wettest region. The strength and direction of the correlations scaled with regional VPD or the ratio of precipitation to evapotranspiration. Therefore, the correlation strength between RWI and Δ(13) C may be used to infer past wetness or aridity from paleo wood by determining the degree to which carbon gain and growth have been more limited by moisture or light. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.