Transcriptome and secretome analyses of Phanerochaete chrysosporium reveal complex patterns of gene expression

Treesearch

Amber J. Vanden Wymelenberg; Jill A. Gaskell; Michael D. Mozuch; Philip J. Kersten; Grzegorz Sabat; Diego Martinez; Daniel Cullen

2009-01-01

The wood decay basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysosporium was grown under standard ligninolytic or cellulolytic conditions and subjected to whole-genome expression microarray analysis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry of extracellular proteins. A total of 545 genes were flagged on the basis of significant changes in transcript accumulation and/or...

Past Tense Marking by African American English–Speaking Children Reared in Poverty

PubMed Central

Pruitt, Sonja; Oetting, Janna

2012-01-01

Purpose This study examined past tense marking by African American English (AAE)-speaking children from low- and middle-income backgrounds to determine if poverty affects children’s marking of past tense in ways that mirror the clinical condition of specific language impairment (SLI). Method Participants were 15 AAE-speaking 6-year-olds from low-income backgrounds, 15 AAE-speaking 6-year-olds from middle-income backgrounds who served as age-matched controls, and 15 AAE-speaking 5-year-olds from middle-income backgrounds who served as language-matched controls. Data were drawn from language samples and probes. Results Results revealed high rates of regular marking, variable rates of irregular marking, high rates of over-regularizations, and absence of dialect-inappropriate errors of commission. For some analyses, marking was affected by the phonological characteristics of the items and the children’s ages, but none of the analyses revealed effects for the children’s socioeconomic level. Conclusions Within AAE, poverty status as a variable affects past tense marking in ways that are different from the clinical condition of SLI. PMID:18695014

Gaze-fixation to happy faces predicts mood repair after a negative mood induction.

PubMed

Sanchez, Alvaro; Vazquez, Carmelo; Gomez, Diego; Joormann, Jutta

2014-02-01

The present study tested the interplay between mood and attentional deployment by examining attention to positive (i.e., happy faces) and negative (i.e., angry and sad faces) stimuli in response to experimental inductions of sad and happy mood. Participants underwent a negative, neutral, or positive mood induction procedure (MIP) which was followed by an assessment of their attentional deployment to emotional faces using eye-tracking technology. Faces were selected from the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) database (Lundqvist, Flykt, & Öhman, 1998). In the positive MIP condition, analyses revealed a mood-congruent relation between positive mood and greater attentional deployment to happy faces. In the negative MIP condition, however, analyses revealed a mood-incongruent relation between increased negative mood and greater attentional deployment to happy faces. Furthermore, attentional deployment to happy faces after the negative MIP predicted participants' mood recovery at the end of the experimental session. These results suggest that attentional processing of positive information may play a role in mood repair, which may have important clinical implications. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Hemispheric Coherence in ASD with and without Comorbid ADHD and Anxiety.

PubMed

Saunders, A; Kirk, I J; Waldie, K E

2016-01-01

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that altered brain connectivity may be a defining feature of disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety, and ADHD. This study investigated whether resting state functional connectivity, measured by 128-channel EEG oscillation coherence, differs between developmental disorders. Analyses were conducted separately on groups with and without comorbid conditions. Analyses revealed increased coherence across central electrodes over the primary motor cortex and decreased coherence in the frontal lobe networks in those with ASD compared to neurotypical controls. There was increased coherence in occipital lobe networks in the ADHD group compared to other groups. Symptoms of generalised anxiety were positively correlated with both frontal-occipital intrahemispheric (alpha only) coherence and occipital interhemispheric coherence (alpha, approaching theta band). The patterns of coherence in the ASD pure group were different when comorbid conditions were included in the analyses, suggesting that aberrant coherence in the frontal and central areas of the brain is specifically associated with ASD. Our findings support the idea that comorbid conditions are additive, rather than being symptoms of the same disorder.

Hemispheric Coherence in ASD with and without Comorbid ADHD and Anxiety

PubMed Central

Saunders, A.; Kirk, I. J.; Waldie, K. E.

2016-01-01

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that altered brain connectivity may be a defining feature of disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), anxiety, and ADHD. This study investigated whether resting state functional connectivity, measured by 128-channel EEG oscillation coherence, differs between developmental disorders. Analyses were conducted separately on groups with and without comorbid conditions. Analyses revealed increased coherence across central electrodes over the primary motor cortex and decreased coherence in the frontal lobe networks in those with ASD compared to neurotypical controls. There was increased coherence in occipital lobe networks in the ADHD group compared to other groups. Symptoms of generalised anxiety were positively correlated with both frontal-occipital intrahemispheric (alpha only) coherence and occipital interhemispheric coherence (alpha, approaching theta band). The patterns of coherence in the ASD pure group were different when comorbid conditions were included in the analyses, suggesting that aberrant coherence in the frontal and central areas of the brain is specifically associated with ASD. Our findings support the idea that comorbid conditions are additive, rather than being symptoms of the same disorder. PMID:27127785

[The Manifestation of the Anxiety during Fear Conditioning in Wistar Rats].

PubMed

Pavlova, I V; Rysakova, M P

2015-01-01

In order to identify the correlation between anxiety and conditioned fear, the behavior of the same male Wistar rats was compared in three anxiety tests (open field, light-dark box and elevated plus-maze) and in Pavlovian auditory fear conditioning paradigm using correlation, factor and variance analyses. The correlation between anxiety/bravery and locomotion indexes in different tests was not revealed. Positive correlations between grooming, urinations and defecations, rearing in three tests were revealed. These data suggest that animals reacted to various tests differently, resulting, apparently in the emergence of different anxiety levels, specific for each test. Vegetative reactions, inclination to exploration and substituting behavior were more stable characteristics of rats. Anxiety behavior in elevated plus-maze correlated to freezing response to context after fear conditioning, while high-anxiety rats had higher level of freezing to context than low-anxiety rats. The higher freezing response to sound after fear conditioning was found in rats with middle locomotor activity in open field. Conditioned fear to the context and to the sound was associated with different forms of rat anxiety during different tests.

Surface modification of EPDM rubber by plasma treatment.

PubMed

Grythe, Kai Frode; Hansen, Finn Knut

2006-07-04

The effect of argon, oxygen, and nitrogen plasma treatment of solvent cast EPDM rubber films has been investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and surface energy measurements. Plasma treatment leads to changes in the surface energy from 25 to 70 mN/m. Treatment conditions influenced both the changes in surface energy and the stability, and it became more difficult to obtain good contact angle measurements after longer (> ca. 4 min) treatment times, probably because of an increasingly uneven surface structure. XPS analyses revealed that up to 20 at. % oxygen can be easily incorporated and that variations of approximately 5% can be controlled by the plasma conditions. Oxygen was mainly found in hydroxyl groups, but also as carbonyl and carboxyl. XPS analyses showed more stable surfaces than expected from contact angles, probably because XPS analysis is less surface sensitive than contact angle measurements. AFM measurements revealed different surface structures with the three gases. The surface roughness increased generally with treatment time, and dramatic changes could be observed at longer times. At short times, surface energy changes were much faster than the changes in surface structure, showing that plasma treatment conditions can be utilized to tailor both surface energies and surface structure of EPDM rubber.

Responses of the photosynthetic electron transport system to excess light energy caused by water deficit in wild watermelon.

PubMed

Sanda, Satoko; Yoshida, Kazuo; Kuwano, Masayoshi; Kawamura, Tadayuki; Munekage, Yuri Nakajima; Akashi, Kinya; Yokota, Akiho

2011-07-01

In plants, drought stress coupled with high levels of illumination causes not only dehydration of tissues, but also oxidative damage resulting from excess absorbed light energy. In this study, we analyzed the regulation of electron transport under drought/high-light stress conditions in wild watermelon, a xerophyte that shows strong resistance to this type of stress. Under drought/high-light conditions that completely suppressed CO(2) fixation, the linear electron flow was diminished between photosystem (PS) II and PS I, there was no photoinhibitory damage to PS II and PS I and no decrease in the abundance of the two PSs. Proteome analyses revealed changes in the abundance of protein spots representing the Rieske-type iron-sulfur protein (ISP) and I and K subunits of NAD(P)H dehydrogenase in response to drought stress. Two-dimensional electrophoresis and immunoblot analyses revealed new ISP protein spots with more acidic isoelectric points in plants under drought stress. Our findings suggest that the modified ISPs depress the linear electron transport activity under stress conditions to protect PS I from photoinhibition. The qualitative changes in photosynthetic proteins may switch the photosynthetic electron transport from normal photosynthesis mode to stress-tolerance mode. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2011.

Assessment of urban and industrial contamination levels in the bay of Cádiz, SW Spain.

PubMed

Carrasco, M; López-Ramírez, J A; Benavente, J; López-Aguayo, F; Sales, D

2003-03-01

Measuring the amount of pollution is of particular importance in assessing the quality and general condition of an ecosystem. In this paper, some of the results obtained as a consequence of the specific agreement between the Environmental Agency (Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía) and the University of Cadiz to assess the environmental condition of the marine bottom and waters are showed. Physical and chemical analyses in water and sediments were undertaken at various sampling sites close to urban and industrial locations. Later on, these results were studied under statistical analysis to reveal any possible relationships between the parameters employed, and to identify any analogous behaviour between the sampling sites. Physical-chemical data revealed that sediments and waters analysed were moderately contaminated and, in addition, no great differences were found between in rising and ebbing tide conditions. Finally, considering only the pollution level, from the cluster analysis of sediments two major groups appear, one of which corresponded to those sites located in the outer bay, and the other to those situated in the inner bay. However, number 6 and 14 sampling sites cannot be associated to those groups due to be related to points with important local discharges.

The effects of intranasal oxytocin on reward circuitry responses in children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Greene, R K; Spanos, M; Alderman, C; Walsh, E; Bizzell, J; Mosner, M G; Kinard, J L; Stuber, G D; Chandrasekhar, T; Politte, L C; Sikich, L; Dichter, G S

2018-03-27

Intranasal oxytocin (OT) has been shown to improve social communication functioning of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and, thus, has received considerable interest as a potential ASD therapeutic agent. Although preclinical research indicates that OT modulates the functional output of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system that processes rewards, no clinical brain imaging study to date has examined the effects of OT on this system using a reward processing paradigm. To address this, we used an incentive delay task to examine the effects of a single dose of intranasal OT, versus placebo (PLC), on neural responses to social and nonsocial rewards in children with ASD. In this placebo-controlled double-blind study, 28 children and adolescents with ASD (age: M = 13.43 years, SD = 2.36) completed two fMRI scans, one after intranasal OT administration and one after PLC administration. During both scanning sessions, participants completed social and nonsocial incentive delay tasks. Task-based neural activation and connectivity were examined to assess the impact of OT relative to PLC on mesocorticolimbic brain responses to social and nonsocial reward anticipation and outcomes. Central analyses compared the OT and PLC conditions. During nonsocial reward anticipation, there was greater activation in the right nucleus accumbens (NAcc), left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), bilateral orbital frontal cortex (OFC), left superior frontal cortex, and right frontal pole (FP) during the OT condition relative to PLC. Alternatively, during social reward anticipation and outcomes, there were no significant increases in brain activation during the OT condition relative to PLC. A Treatment Group × Reward Condition interaction revealed relatively greater activation in the right NAcc, right caudate nucleus, left ACC, and right OFC during nonsocial relative to social reward anticipation during the OT condition relative to PLC. Additionally, these analyses revealed greater activation during nonsocial reward outcomes during the OT condition relative to PLC in the right OFC and left FP. Finally, functional connectivity analyses generally revealed changes in frontostriatal connections during the OT condition relative to PLC in response to nonsocial, but not social, rewards. The effects of intranasal OT administration on mesocorticolimbic brain systems that process rewards in ASD were observable primarily during the processing of nonsocial incentive salience stimuli. These findings have implications for understanding the effects of OT on neural systems that process rewards, as well as for experimental trials of novel ASD treatments developed to ameliorate social communication impairments in ASD.

Brief Motivational Interventions Are Associated With Reductions in Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among College Drinkers.

PubMed

Teeters, Jenni B; Borsari, Brian; Martens, Matthew P; Murphy, James G

2015-09-01

Alcohol-impaired (AI) driving among college students remains a significant public health concern and may be the single most risky drinking outcome among young adults. Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) have been shown to reduce alcohol use and problems, but their specific efficacy for decreasing AI driving among college students is unknown. The present study analyzed data from three randomized controlled trials of BMI (Murphy et al., 2010: n = 74; Borsari et al., 2012: n = 530; and Martens et al., 2013: n = 365) to evaluate whether BMIs are associated with reductions in AI driving among college student drinkers. Participants in all three studies were randomized to BMI or control conditions. Participants reported whether they had driven under the influence (yes/no) following the BMI over the follow-up period. Separate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted for each study. For Studies 1 and 2, these analyses revealed that a BMI was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving at the final (6-month and 9-month, respectively) follow-up compared with the control condition. For Study 3, analyses revealed that a single-component BMI focused on the correction of misperceptions of descriptive norms was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving compared with the control group at the final (6-month) followup, whereas a single-component BMI focused on the use of protective behavioral strategies was not. Change in drinking level did not mediate the relationship between the condition and the change in AI driving. Counselor-administered BMIs that include descriptive normative feedback are associated with significant reductions in AI driving compared with control.

Genetic diversity of calcareous grassland plant species depends on historical landscape configuration.

PubMed

Reisch, Christoph; Schmidkonz, Sonja; Meier, Katrin; Schöpplein, Quirin; Meyer, Carina; Hums, Christian; Putz, Christina; Schmid, Christoph

2017-04-24

Habitat fragmentation is considered to be a main reason for decreasing genetic diversity of plant species. However, the results of many fragmentation studies are inconsistent. This may be due to the influence of habitat conditions, having an indirect effect on genetic variation via reproduction. Consequently we took a comparative approach to analyse the impact of habitat fragmentation and habitat conditions on the genetic diversity of calcareous grassland species in this study. We selected five typical grassland species (Primula veris, Dianthus carthusianorum, Medicago falcata, Polygala comosa and Salvia pratensis) occurring in 18 fragments of calcareous grasslands in south eastern Germany. We sampled 1286 individuals in 87 populations and analysed genetic diversity using amplified fragment length polymorphisms. Additionally, we collected data concerning habitat fragmentation (historical and present landscape structure) and habitat conditions (vegetation structure, soil conditions) of the selected study sites. The whole data set was analysed using Bayesian multiple regressions. Our investigation indicated a habitat loss of nearly 80% and increasing isolation between grasslands since 1830. Bayesian analysis revealed a significant impact of the historical landscape structure, whereas habitat conditions played no important role for the present-day genetic variation of the studied plant species. Our study indicates that the historical landscape structure may be more important for genetic diversity than present habitat conditions. Populations persisting in abandoned grassland fragments may contribute significantly to the species' variability even under deteriorating habitat conditions. Therefore, these populations should be included in approaches to preserve the genetic variation of calcareous grassland species.

A Qualitative Examination of Yoga for Middle School Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butzer, Bethany; LoRusso, Amanda Marie; Windsor, Regina; Riley, Frankye; Frame, Kate; Khalsa, Sat Bir S.; Conboy, Lisa

2017-01-01

The present study was part of a group randomized controlled trial in which 7th grade students were assigned to a yoga intervention or physical-education-as-usual. Sixteen students were randomly selected from the yoga condition to participate in one-on-one interviews. Qualitative analyses revealed 13 themes that were organized into two categories:…

Does Motivational Interviewing (MI) Work with Nonaddicted Clients? A Controlled Study Measuring the Effects of a Brief Training in MI on Client Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Tabitha L.; Gutierrez, Daniel; Hagedorn, W. Bryce

2013-01-01

This study investigated the relationships between motivational interviewing (MI) and client symptoms, attendance, and satisfaction. Seventy-nine clients attending a university-based counseling center were purposefully assigned to treatment or control conditions. Statistical analyses revealed client symptoms in both groups improved. However,…

Delving deeper into technological innovations to understand differences in rice quality.

PubMed

Calingacion, Mariafe; Fang, Lu; Quiatchon-Baeza, Lenie; Mumm, Roland; Riedel, Arthur; Hall, Robert D; Fitzgerald, Melissa

2015-12-01

Increasing demand for better quality rice varieties, which are also more suited to growth under sub-optimal cultivation conditions, is driving innovation in rice research. Here we have used a multi-disciplinary approach, involving SNP-based genotyping together with phenotyping based on yield analysis, metabolomic analysis of grain volatiles, and sensory panel analysis to determine differences between two contrasting rice varieties, Apo and IR64. Plants were grown under standard and drought-induced conditions. Results revealed important differences between the volatile profiles of the two rice varieties and we relate these differences to those perceived by the sensory panel. Apo, which is the more drought tolerant variety, was less affected by the drought condition concerning both sensory profile and yield; IR64, which has higher quality but is drought sensitive, showed greater differences in these characteristics in response to the two growth conditions. Metabolomics analyses using GCxGC-MS, followed by multivariate statistical analyses of the data, revealed a number of discriminatory compounds between the varieties, but also effects of the difference in cultivation conditions. Results indicate the complexity of rice volatile profile, even of non-aromatic varieties, and how metabolomics can be used to help link changes in aroma profile with the sensory phenotype. Our outcomes also suggest valuable multi-disciplinary approaches which can be used to help define the aroma profile in rice, and its underlying genetic background, in order to support breeders in the generation of improved rice varieties combining high yield with high quality, and tolerance of both these traits to climate change.

Exploration of Use of Copulas in Analysing the Relationship between Precipitation and Meteorological Drought in Beijing, China

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

Fan, Linlin; Wang, Hongrui; Wang, Cheng

Drought risk analysis is essential for regional water resource management. In this study, the probabilistic relationship between precipitation and meteorological drought in Beijing, China, was calculated under three different precipitation conditions (precipitation equal to, greater than, or less than a threshold) based on copulas. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was calculated based on monthly total precipitation and monthly mean temperature data. The trends and variations in the SPEI were analysed using Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) and Mann-Kendall (MK) trend tests with a running approach. The results of the HHT and MK test indicated a significant decreasing trend in the SPEI.more » The copula-based conditional probability indicated that the probability of meteorological drought decreased as monthly precipitation increased and that 10 mm can be regarded as the threshold for triggering extreme drought. From a quantitative perspective, when R ≤ mm, the probabilities of moderate drought, severe drought, and extreme drought were 22.1%, 18%, and 13.6%, respectively. This conditional probability distribution not only revealed the occurrence of meteorological drought in Beijing but also provided a quantitative way to analyse the probability of drought under different precipitation conditions. Furthermore, the results provide a useful reference for future drought prediction.« less

Exploration of Use of Copulas in Analysing the Relationship between Precipitation and Meteorological Drought in Beijing, China

DOE PAGES

Fan, Linlin; Wang, Hongrui; Wang, Cheng; ...

2017-05-16

Drought risk analysis is essential for regional water resource management. In this study, the probabilistic relationship between precipitation and meteorological drought in Beijing, China, was calculated under three different precipitation conditions (precipitation equal to, greater than, or less than a threshold) based on copulas. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) was calculated based on monthly total precipitation and monthly mean temperature data. The trends and variations in the SPEI were analysed using Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) and Mann-Kendall (MK) trend tests with a running approach. The results of the HHT and MK test indicated a significant decreasing trend in the SPEI.more » The copula-based conditional probability indicated that the probability of meteorological drought decreased as monthly precipitation increased and that 10 mm can be regarded as the threshold for triggering extreme drought. From a quantitative perspective, when R ≤ mm, the probabilities of moderate drought, severe drought, and extreme drought were 22.1%, 18%, and 13.6%, respectively. This conditional probability distribution not only revealed the occurrence of meteorological drought in Beijing but also provided a quantitative way to analyse the probability of drought under different precipitation conditions. Furthermore, the results provide a useful reference for future drought prediction.« less

Persistent activity in a cortical-to-subcortical circuit: bridging the temporal gap in trace eyelid conditioning

PubMed Central

Kalmbach, Brian; Chitwood, Raymond A.; Mauk, Michael D.

2012-01-01

We have addressed the source and nature of the persistent neural activity that bridges the stimulus-free gap between the conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) during trace eyelid conditioning. Previous work has demonstrated that this persistent activity is necessary for trace eyelid conditioning: CS-elicited activity in mossy fiber inputs to the cerebellum does not extend into the stimulus-free trace interval, which precludes the cerebellar learning that mediates conditioned response expression. In behaving rabbits we used in vivo recordings from a region of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) that is necessary for trace eyelid conditioning to test the hypothesis that neurons there generate activity that persists beyond CS offset. These recordings revealed two patterns of activity during the trace interval that would enable cerebellar learning. Activity in some cells began during the tone CS and persisted to overlap with the US, whereas in other cells, activity began during the stimulus-free trace interval. Injection of anterograde tracers into this same region of mPFC revealed dense labeling in the pontine nuclei, where recordings also revealed tone-evoked persistent activity during trace conditioning. These data suggest a corticopontine pathway that provides an input to the cerebellum during trace conditioning trials that bridges the temporal gap between the CS and US to engage cerebellar learning. As such, trace eyelid conditioning represents a well-characterized and experimentally tractable system that can facilitate mechanistic analyses of cortical persistent activity and how it is used by downstream brain structures to influence behavior. PMID:21957220

Bacterial community composition characterization of a lead-contaminated Microcoleus sp. consortium.

PubMed

Giloteaux, Ludovic; Solé, Antoni; Esteve, Isabel; Duran, Robert

2011-08-01

A Microcoleus sp. consortium, obtained from the Ebro delta microbial mat, was maintained under different conditions including uncontaminated, lead-contaminated, and acidic conditions. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and 16S rRNA gene library analyses were performed in order to determine the effect of lead and culture conditions on the Microcoleus sp. consortium. The bacterial composition inside the consortium revealed low diversity and the presence of specific terminal-restriction fragments under lead conditions. 16S rRNA gene library analyses showed that members of the consortium were affiliated to the Alpha, Beta, and Gammaproteobacteria and Cyanobacteria. Sequences closely related to Achromobacter spp., Alcaligenes faecalis, and Thiobacillus species were exclusively found under lead conditions while sequences related to Geitlerinema sp., a cyanobacterium belonging to the Oscillatoriales, were not found in presence of lead. This result showed a strong lead selection of the bacterial members present in the Microcoleus sp. consortium. Several of the 16S rRNA sequences were affiliated to nitrogen-fixing microorganisms including members of the Rhizobiaceae and the Sphingomonadaceae. Additionally, confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that under lead-contaminated condition Microcoleus sp. cells were grouped and the number of electrodense intracytoplasmic inclusions was increased.

Nomadic lifestyle of Lactobacillus plantarum revealed by comparative genomics of 54 strains isolated from different habitats.

PubMed

Martino, Maria Elena; Bayjanov, Jumamurat R; Caffrey, Brian E; Wels, Michiel; Joncour, Pauline; Hughes, Sandrine; Gillet, Benjamin; Kleerebezem, Michiel; van Hijum, Sacha A F T; Leulier, François

2016-12-01

The ability of bacteria to adapt to diverse environmental conditions is well-known. The process of bacterial adaptation to a niche has been linked to large changes in the genome content, showing that many bacterial genomes reflect the constraints imposed by their habitat. However, some highly versatile bacteria are found in diverse habitats that almost share nothing in common. Lactobacillus plantarum is a lactic acid bacterium that is found in a large variety of habitat. With the aim of unravelling the link between evolution and ecological versatility of L. plantarum, we analysed the genomes of 54 L. plantarum strains isolated from different environments. Comparative genome analysis identified a high level of genomic diversity and plasticity among the strains analysed. Phylogenomic and functional divergence studies coupled with gene-trait matching analyses revealed a mixed distribution of the strains, which was uncoupled from their environmental origin. Our findings revealed the absence of specific genomic signatures marking adaptations of L. plantarum towards the diverse habitats it is associated with. This suggests fundamentally similar trends of genome evolution in L. plantarum, which occur in a manner that is apparently uncoupled from ecological constraint and reflects the nomadic lifestyle of this species. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Molecular characterization of a microbial consortium involved in methane oxidation coupled to denitrification under micro-aerobic conditions

PubMed Central

Liu, Jingjing; Sun, Faqian; Wang, Liang; Ju, Xi; Wu, Weixiang; Chen, Yingxu

2014-01-01

Methane can be used as an alternative carbon source in biological denitrification because it is nontoxic, widely available and relatively inexpensive. A microbial consortium involved in methane oxidation coupled to denitrification (MOD) was enriched with nitrite and nitrate as electron acceptors under micro-aerobic conditions. The 16S rRNA gene combined with pmoA phylogeny of methanotrophs and nirK phylogeny of denitrifiers were analysed to reveal the dominant microbial populations and functional microorganisms. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed high numbers of methanotrophs and denitrifiers in the enriched consortium. The 16S rRNA gene clone library revealed that Methylococcaceae and Methylophilaceae were the dominant populations in the MOD ecosystem. Phylogenetic analyses of pmoA gene clone libraries indicated that all methanotrophs belonged to Methylococcaceae, a type I methanotroph employing the ribulose monophosphate pathway for methane oxidation. Methylotrophic denitrifiers of the Methylophilaceae that can utilize organic intermediates (i.e. formaldehyde, citrate and acetate) released from the methanotrophs played a vital role in aerobic denitrification. This study is the first report to confirm micro-aerobic denitrification and to make phylogenetic and functional assignments for some members of the microbial assemblages involved in MOD. PMID:24245852

Brief Motivational Interventions Are Associated With Reductions in Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among College Drinkers

PubMed Central

Teeters, Jenni B.; Borsari, Brian; Martens, Matthew P.; Murphy, James G.

2015-01-01

Objective: Alcohol-impaired (AI) driving among college students remains a significant public health concern and may be the single most risky drinking outcome among young adults. Brief motivational interventions (BMIs) have been shown to reduce alcohol use and problems, but their specific efficacy for decreasing AI driving among college students is unknown. The present study analyzed data from three randomized controlled trials of BMI (Murphy et al., 2010: n = 74; Borsari et al., 2012: n = 530; and Martens et al., 2013: n = 365) to evaluate whether BMIs are associated with reductions in AI driving among college student drinkers. Method: Participants in all three studies were randomized to BMI or control conditions. Participants reported whether they had driven under the influence (yes/no) following the BMI over the follow-up period. Results: Separate binary logistic regression analyses were conducted for each study. For Studies 1 and 2, these analyses revealed that a BMI was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving at the final (6-month and 9-month, respectively) follow-up compared with the control condition. For Study 3, analyses revealed that a single-component BMI focused on the correction of misperceptions of descriptive norms was significantly associated with reductions in AI driving compared with the control group at the final (6-month) follow-up, whereas a single-component BMI focused on the use of protective behavioral strategies was not. Change in drinking level did not mediate the relationship between the condition and the change in AI driving. Conclusions: Counselor-administered BMIs that include descriptive normative feedback are associated with significant reductions in AI driving compared with control. PMID:26402350

Constraints on mechanisms for the growth of gully alcoves in Gasa crater, Mars, from two-dimensional stability assessments of rock slopes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Okubo, C.H.; Tornabene, L.L.; Lanza, N.L.

2011-01-01

The value of slope stability analyses for gaining insight into the geologic conditions that would facilitate the growth of gully alcoves on Mars is demonstrated in Gasa crater. Two-dimensional limit equilibrium methods are used in conjunction with high-resolution topography derived from stereo High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) imagery. These analyses reveal three conditions that may produce observed alcove morphologies through slope failure: (1) a ca >10m thick surface layer that is either saturated with H2O ground ice or contains no groundwater/ice at all, above a zone of melting H2O ice or groundwater and under dynamic loading (i.e., seismicity), (2) a 1-10m thick surface layer that is saturated with either melting H2O ice or groundwater and under dynamic loading, or (3) a >100m thick surface layer that is saturated with either melting H2O ice or groundwater and under static loading. This finding of three plausible scenarios for slope failure demonstrates how the triggering mechanisms and characteristics of future alcove growth would be affected by prevailing environmental conditions. HiRISE images also reveal normal faults and other fractures tangential to the crowns of some gully alcoves that are interpreted to be the result of slope instability, which may facilitate future slope movement. Stability analyses show that the most failure-prone slopes in this area are found in alcoves that are adjacent to crown fractures. Accordingly, crown fractures appear to be a useful indicator of those alcoves that should be monitored for future landslide activity. ?? 2010.

Development and evaluation of a computerized intervention for low distress tolerance and its effect on performance on a neutralization task.

PubMed

Macatee, Richard J; Cougle, Jesse R

2015-09-01

A growing body of research has linked high distress intolerance (DI) to obsessions, but not other OCD symptom domains. However, existing research is correlational. Experimental studies are needed, but brief methods for reducing DI are lacking. To address these gaps in the literature, a brief, computerized intervention aimed at reducing DI was developed to determine if changing DI affected obsessional phenomena. Individuals reporting high DI were randomized to a treatment or waitlist control group (N = 53). Individuals in the treatment group received the DI treatment (i.e., a 2 h computerized intervention) over two weeks, and then underwent a post-assessment in which DI and obsession-relevant phenomena were measured. Individuals in the control group only received the post-assessment. Analyses revealed a greater reduction in self-reported DI on one measure and smaller decreases in behavioral DI in the intervention condition relative to the waitlist condition, as well as lower in-vivo urges to neutralize an intrusive thought; however, anxious reactivity to the intrusion and neutralization behavior were not affected. Further, bootstrapping analyses revealed that reductions in DI mediated the effect of the intervention on neutralization urges. A clinical sample and placebo control condition were not used. These results provide experimental evidence for the role of DI in obsessional phenomena, specifically in affecting urges to neutralize intrusions, findings consistent with negative reinforcement models of DI. Further, results revealed that DI can be reduced with a brief, computerized intervention, which has important implications for future experimental research and treatment development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of blindness on production-perception relationships: Compensation strategies for a lip-tube perturbation of the French [u].

PubMed

Ménard, Lucie; Turgeon, Christine; Trudeau-Fisette, Paméla; Bellavance-Courtemanche, Marie

2016-01-01

The impact of congenital visual deprivation on speech production in adults was examined in an ultrasound study of compensation strategies for lip-tube perturbation. Acoustic and articulatory analyses of the rounded vowel /u/ produced by 12 congenitally blind adult French speakers and 11 sighted adult French speakers were conducted under two conditions: normal and perturbed (with a 25-mm diameter tube inserted between the lips). Vowels were produced with auditory feedback and without auditory feedback (masked noise) to evaluate the extent to which both groups relied on this type of feedback to control speech movements. The acoustic analyses revealed that all participants mainly altered F2 and F0 and, to a lesser extent, F1 in the perturbed condition - only when auditory feedback was available. There were group differences in the articulatory strategies recruited to compensate; while all speakers moved their tongues more backward in the perturbed condition, blind speakers modified tongue-shape parameters to a greater extent than sighted speakers.

Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Increase Self-Compassion: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Yadavaia, James E.; Hayes, Steven C.; Vilardaga, Roger

2014-01-01

Self-compassion has been shown to be related to several types of psychopathology, including traumatic stress, and has been shown to improve in response to various kinds of interventions. Current conceptualizations of self-compassion fit well with the psychological flexibility model, which underlies acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). However, there has been no research on ACT interventions specifically aimed at self-compassion. This randomized trial therefore compared a 6-hour ACT-based workshop targeting self-compassion to a wait-list control. From pretreatment to 2-month follow-up, ACT was significantly superior to the control condition in self-compassion, general psychological distress, and anxiety. Process analyses revealed psychological flexibility to be a significant mediator of changes in self-compassion, general psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress. Exploratory moderation analyses revealed the intervention to be of more benefit in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress to those with greater trauma history. PMID:25506545

Examining Ecological Constraints on the Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment Via Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis.

PubMed

Verhage, Marije L; Fearon, R M Pasco; Schuengel, Carlo; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H; Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian J; Madigan, Sheri; Roisman, Glenn I; Oosterman, Mirjam; Behrens, Kazuko Y; Wong, Maria S; Mangelsdorf, Sarah; Priddis, Lynn E; Brisch, Karl-Heinz

2018-05-09

Parents' attachment representations and child-parent attachment have been shown to be associated, but these associations vary across populations (Verhage et al., 2016). The current study examined whether ecological factors may explain variability in the strength of intergenerational transmission of attachment, using individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Analyses on 4,396 parent-child dyads (58 studies, child age 11-96 months) revealed a combined effect size of r = .29. IPD meta-analyses revealed that effect sizes for the transmission of autonomous-secure representations to secure attachments were weaker under risk conditions and weaker in adolescent parent-child dyads, whereas transmission was stronger for older children. Findings support the ecological constraints hypothesis on attachment transmission. Implications for attachment theory and the use of IPD meta-analysis are discussed. © 2018 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.

Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Increase Self-Compassion: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Yadavaia, James E; Hayes, Steven C; Vilardaga, Roger

2014-10-01

Self-compassion has been shown to be related to several types of psychopathology, including traumatic stress, and has been shown to improve in response to various kinds of interventions. Current conceptualizations of self-compassion fit well with the psychological flexibility model, which underlies acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). However, there has been no research on ACT interventions specifically aimed at self-compassion. This randomized trial therefore compared a 6-hour ACT-based workshop targeting self-compassion to a wait-list control. From pretreatment to 2-month follow-up, ACT was significantly superior to the control condition in self-compassion, general psychological distress, and anxiety. Process analyses revealed psychological flexibility to be a significant mediator of changes in self-compassion, general psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and stress. Exploratory moderation analyses revealed the intervention to be of more benefit in terms of depression, anxiety, and stress to those with greater trauma history.

Custom-Molded Foot-Orthosis Intervention and Multisegment Medial Foot Kinematics During Walking

PubMed Central

Cobb, Stephen C.; Tis, Laurie L.; Johnson, Jeffrey T.; Wang, Yong “Tai”; Geil, Mark D.

2011-01-01

Context: Foot-orthosis (FO) intervention to prevent and treat numerous lower extremity injuries is widely accepted clinically. However, the results of quantitative gait analyses have been equivocal. The foot models used, participants receiving intervention, and orthoses used might contribute to the variability. Objective: To investigate the effect of a custom-molded FO intervention on multisegment medial foot kinematics during walking in participants with low-mobile foot posture. Design: Crossover study. Setting: University biomechanics and ergonomics laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Sixteen participants with low-mobile foot posture (7 men, 9 women) were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 FO groups. Interventions : After a 2-week period to break in the FOs, individuals participated in a gait analysis that consisted of 5 successful walking trials (1.3 to 1.4 m/s) during no-FO and FO conditions. Main Outcome Measure(s): Three-dimensional displacements during 4 subphases of stance (loading response, mid-stance, terminal stance, preswing) were computed for each multisegment foot model articulation. Results: Repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that rearfoot complex dorsiflexion displacement during midstance was greater in the FO than the no-FO condition (F1,14 = 5.24, P = .04, partial η2 = 0.27). Terminal stance repeated-measures ANOVA results revealed insert-by-insert condition interactions for the first metatarsophalangeal joint complex (F1,14 = 7.87, P = .01, partial η2 = 0.36). However, additional follow-up analysis did not reveal differences between the no-FO and FO conditions for the balanced traditional orthosis (F1,14 = 4.32, P = .08, partial η2 = 0.38) or full-contact orthosis (F1,14 = 4.10, P = .08, partial η2 = 0.37). Conclusions: Greater rearfoot complex dorsiflexion during midstance associated with FO intervention may represent improved foot kinematics in people with low-mobile foot postures. Furthermore, FO intervention might partially correct dys-functional kinematic patterns associated with low-mobile foot postures. PMID:21944067

Postural response to predictable and nonpredictable visual flow in children and adults.

PubMed

Schmuckler, Mark A

2017-11-01

Children's (3-5years) and adults' postural reactions to different conditions of visual flow information varying in its frequency content was examined using a moving room apparatus. Both groups experienced four conditions of visual input: low-frequency (0.20Hz) visual oscillations, high-frequency (0.60Hz) oscillations, multifrequency nonpredictable visual input, and no imposed visual information. Analyses of the frequency content of anterior-posterior (AP) sway revealed that postural reactions to the single-frequency conditions replicated previous findings; children were responsive to low- and high-frequency oscillations, whereas adults were responsive to low-frequency information. Extending previous work, AP sway in response to the nonpredictable condition revealed that both groups were responsive to the different components contained in the multifrequency visual information, although adults retained their frequency selectivity to low-frequency versus high-frequency content. These findings are discussed in relation to work examining feedback versus feedforward control of posture, and the reweighting of sensory inputs for postural control, as a function of development and task context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spatio-temporal patterns and environmental controls of small pelagic fish body condition from contrasted Mediterranean areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brosset, Pablo; Fromentin, Jean-Marc; Van Beveren, Elisabeth; Lloret, Josep; Marques, Virginie; Basilone, Gualtiero; Bonanno, Angelo; Carpi, Piera; Donato, Fortunata; Čikeš Keč, Vanja; De Felice, Andrea; Ferreri, Rosalia; Gašparević, Denis; Giráldez, Ana; Gücü, Ali; Iglesias, Magdalena; Leonori, Iole; Palomera, Isabel; Somarakis, Stylianos; Tičina, Vjekoslav; Torres, Pedro; Ventero, Ana; Zorica, Barbara; Ménard, Frédéric; Saraux, Claire

2017-02-01

Small pelagic fish are among the most ecologically and economically important marine fish species and are characterized by large fluctuations all over the world. In the Mediterranean Sea, low catches and biomass of anchovies and sardines have been described in some areas during the last decade, resulting in important fisheries crises. Therefore, we studied anchovy and sardine body condition variability, a key index of population health and its response to environmental and anthropogenic changes. Wide temporal and spatial patterns were investigated by analyzing separately data from scientific surveys and fisheries in eight Mediterranean areas between 1975 and 2015. Results showed that anchovy and sardine body condition as well as maximum size in some areas sharply decreased in most Mediterranean areas along years (except in the Northern Alboran Sea). Despite this general pattern, well-marked environmental differences between sub-regions were highlighted by several analyses and variations in body condition were not found to be homogeneous over all the Mediterranean Sea. Further, other analyses revealed that except for the Adriatic where major changes towards a lower body condition were concomitant with a decrease in river runoffs and chl-a concentration, no concomitant environmental regime shift was detected in other areas. Together, these analyses highlighted the current poor body condition of almost all small pelagic fish populations in the Mediterranean. Yet, global environmental indices could not explain the observed changes and the general decrease in condition might more likely come from regional environmental and/or anthropogenic (fishing) effects. A prolonged state of poor fish body condition, together with an observed reduced size and early age-at-maturity may have strong ecological, economic and social consequences all around the Mediterranean Sea.

The Effect of Early Childhood Developmental Program Attendance on Future School Enrollment in Rural North India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazarika, Gautam; Viren, Vejoya

2013-01-01

This paper examines the effect of prior participation in early childhood developmental programs, considered endogenous, upon 7-18 years olds' school enrollment in rural North India. Analyses by age group of data from the World Bank's 1997-98 Survey of Living Conditions in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar reveal that 7-10 year olds, 11-14 year olds, and…

Preventive Intervention for Preschoolers at High Risk for Antisocial Behavior: Long-Term Effects on Child Physical Aggression and Parenting Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brotman, Laurie Miller; Gouley, Kathleen Kiely; Huang, Keng-Yen; Rosenfelt, Amanda; O'Neal, Colleen; Klein, Rachel G.; Shrout, Patrick

2008-01-01

This article presents long-term effects of a preventive intervention for young children at high risk for antisocial behavior. Ninety-two children (M age = 4 years) were randomly assigned to an 8-month family intervention or no-intervention control condition and assessed 4 times over a 24-month period. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed significant…

Landscape of Conditional eQTL in Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Co-localization with Schizophrenia GWAS.

PubMed

Dobbyn, Amanda; Huckins, Laura M; Boocock, James; Sloofman, Laura G; Glicksberg, Benjamin S; Giambartolomei, Claudia; Hoffman, Gabriel E; Perumal, Thanneer M; Girdhar, Kiran; Jiang, Yan; Raj, Towfique; Ruderfer, Douglas M; Kramer, Robin S; Pinto, Dalila; Akbarian, Schahram; Roussos, Panos; Domenici, Enrico; Devlin, Bernie; Sklar, Pamela; Stahl, Eli A; Sieberts, Solveig K

2018-06-07

Causal genes and variants within genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci can be identified by integrating GWAS statistics with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and determining which variants underlie both GWAS and eQTL signals. Most analyses, however, consider only the marginal eQTL signal, rather than dissect this signal into multiple conditionally independent signals for each gene. Here we show that analyzing conditional eQTL signatures, which could be important under specific cellular or temporal contexts, leads to improved fine mapping of GWAS associations. Using genotypes and gene expression levels from post-mortem human brain samples (n = 467) reported by the CommonMind Consortium (CMC), we find that conditional eQTL are widespread; 63% of genes with primary eQTL also have conditional eQTL. In addition, genomic features associated with conditional eQTL are consistent with context-specific (e.g., tissue-, cell type-, or developmental time point-specific) regulation of gene expression. Integrating the 2014 Psychiatric Genomics Consortium schizophrenia (SCZ) GWAS and CMC primary and conditional eQTL data reveals 40 loci with strong evidence for co-localization (posterior probability > 0.8), including six loci with co-localization of conditional eQTL. Our co-localization analyses support previously reported genes, identify novel genes associated with schizophrenia risk, and provide specific hypotheses for their functional follow-up. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of climate change on harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus).

PubMed

Johnston, David W; Bowers, Matthew T; Friedlaender, Ari S; Lavigne, David M

2012-01-01

Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) have evolved life history strategies to exploit seasonal sea ice as a breeding platform. As such, individuals are prepared to deal with fluctuations in the quantity and quality of ice in their breeding areas. It remains unclear, however, how shifts in climate may affect seal populations. The present study assesses the effects of climate change on harp seals through three linked analyses. First, we tested the effects of short-term climate variability on young-of-the year harp seal mortality using a linear regression of sea ice cover in the Gulf of St. Lawrence against stranding rates of dead harp seals in the region during 1992 to 2010. A similar regression of stranding rates and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index values was also conducted. These analyses revealed negative correlations between both ice cover and NAO conditions and seal mortality, indicating that lighter ice cover and lower NAO values result in higher mortality. A retrospective cross-correlation analysis of NAO conditions and sea ice cover from 1978 to 2011 revealed that NAO-related changes in sea ice may have contributed to the depletion of seals on the east coast of Canada during 1950 to 1972, and to their recovery during 1973 to 2000. This historical retrospective also reveals opposite links between neonatal mortality in harp seals in the Northeast Atlantic and NAO phase. Finally, an assessment of the long-term trends in sea ice cover in the breeding regions of harp seals across the entire North Atlantic during 1979 through 2011 using multiple linear regression models and mixed effects linear regression models revealed that sea ice cover in all harp seal breeding regions has been declining by as much as 6 percent per decade over the time series of available satellite data.

The Effects of Climate Change on Harp Seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus)

PubMed Central

Johnston, David W.; Bowers, Matthew T.; Friedlaender, Ari S.; Lavigne, David M.

2012-01-01

Harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) have evolved life history strategies to exploit seasonal sea ice as a breeding platform. As such, individuals are prepared to deal with fluctuations in the quantity and quality of ice in their breeding areas. It remains unclear, however, how shifts in climate may affect seal populations. The present study assesses the effects of climate change on harp seals through three linked analyses. First, we tested the effects of short-term climate variability on young-of-the year harp seal mortality using a linear regression of sea ice cover in the Gulf of St. Lawrence against stranding rates of dead harp seals in the region during 1992 to 2010. A similar regression of stranding rates and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index values was also conducted. These analyses revealed negative correlations between both ice cover and NAO conditions and seal mortality, indicating that lighter ice cover and lower NAO values result in higher mortality. A retrospective cross-correlation analysis of NAO conditions and sea ice cover from 1978 to 2011 revealed that NAO-related changes in sea ice may have contributed to the depletion of seals on the east coast of Canada during 1950 to 1972, and to their recovery during 1973 to 2000. This historical retrospective also reveals opposite links between neonatal mortality in harp seals in the Northeast Atlantic and NAO phase. Finally, an assessment of the long-term trends in sea ice cover in the breeding regions of harp seals across the entire North Atlantic during 1979 through 2011 using multiple linear regression models and mixed effects linear regression models revealed that sea ice cover in all harp seal breeding regions has been declining by as much as 6 percent per decade over the time series of available satellite data. PMID:22238591

Audio-Visual Perception of 3D Cinematography: An fMRI Study Using Condition-Based and Computation-Based Analyses

PubMed Central

Ogawa, Akitoshi; Bordier, Cecile; Macaluso, Emiliano

2013-01-01

The use of naturalistic stimuli to probe sensory functions in the human brain is gaining increasing interest. Previous imaging studies examined brain activity associated with the processing of cinematographic material using both standard “condition-based” designs, as well as “computational” methods based on the extraction of time-varying features of the stimuli (e.g. motion). Here, we exploited both approaches to investigate the neural correlates of complex visual and auditory spatial signals in cinematography. In the first experiment, the participants watched a piece of a commercial movie presented in four blocked conditions: 3D vision with surround sounds (3D-Surround), 3D with monaural sound (3D-Mono), 2D-Surround, and 2D-Mono. In the second experiment, they watched two different segments of the movie both presented continuously in 3D-Surround. The blocked presentation served for standard condition-based analyses, while all datasets were submitted to computation-based analyses. The latter assessed where activity co-varied with visual disparity signals and the complexity of auditory multi-sources signals. The blocked analyses associated 3D viewing with the activation of the dorsal and lateral occipital cortex and superior parietal lobule, while the surround sounds activated the superior and middle temporal gyri (S/MTG). The computation-based analyses revealed the effects of absolute disparity in dorsal occipital and posterior parietal cortices and of disparity gradients in the posterior middle temporal gyrus plus the inferior frontal gyrus. The complexity of the surround sounds was associated with activity in specific sub-regions of S/MTG, even after accounting for changes of sound intensity. These results demonstrate that the processing of naturalistic audio-visual signals entails an extensive set of visual and auditory areas, and that computation-based analyses can track the contribution of complex spatial aspects characterizing such life-like stimuli. PMID:24194828

Audio-visual perception of 3D cinematography: an fMRI study using condition-based and computation-based analyses.

PubMed

Ogawa, Akitoshi; Bordier, Cecile; Macaluso, Emiliano

2013-01-01

The use of naturalistic stimuli to probe sensory functions in the human brain is gaining increasing interest. Previous imaging studies examined brain activity associated with the processing of cinematographic material using both standard "condition-based" designs, as well as "computational" methods based on the extraction of time-varying features of the stimuli (e.g. motion). Here, we exploited both approaches to investigate the neural correlates of complex visual and auditory spatial signals in cinematography. In the first experiment, the participants watched a piece of a commercial movie presented in four blocked conditions: 3D vision with surround sounds (3D-Surround), 3D with monaural sound (3D-Mono), 2D-Surround, and 2D-Mono. In the second experiment, they watched two different segments of the movie both presented continuously in 3D-Surround. The blocked presentation served for standard condition-based analyses, while all datasets were submitted to computation-based analyses. The latter assessed where activity co-varied with visual disparity signals and the complexity of auditory multi-sources signals. The blocked analyses associated 3D viewing with the activation of the dorsal and lateral occipital cortex and superior parietal lobule, while the surround sounds activated the superior and middle temporal gyri (S/MTG). The computation-based analyses revealed the effects of absolute disparity in dorsal occipital and posterior parietal cortices and of disparity gradients in the posterior middle temporal gyrus plus the inferior frontal gyrus. The complexity of the surround sounds was associated with activity in specific sub-regions of S/MTG, even after accounting for changes of sound intensity. These results demonstrate that the processing of naturalistic audio-visual signals entails an extensive set of visual and auditory areas, and that computation-based analyses can track the contribution of complex spatial aspects characterizing such life-like stimuli.

Ensenanzas en un gimnasio: an investigation of modeling and verbal rehearsal on the motor performance of Hispanic limited English proficient children.

PubMed

Meaney, K S; Edwards, R

1996-03-01

This study investigated the effects of modeling and verbal rehearsal on the motor performance of English-speaking and limited English proficient (LEP) children. Children (N = 64) in 4th-grade classes were randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (Gender x Primary Language x Model Type x Rehearsal) factorial design. Boys and girls whose primary language was English or Spanish were assigned to either a verbal model or no-model condition as well as to a verbal rehearsal or no-rehearsal condition of the motor skills required to be performed. Analysis of variance revealed a significant Model Type x Primary Language interaction as well as a significant Rehearsal x Primary Language interaction. Follow-up analyses revealed that English-speaking children provided with a verbal rehearsal strategy recalled significantly more skills than English-speaking children in the no-rehearsal condition; for LEP children, there were no differences due to rehearsal. Moreover, LEP children presented with a verbal model recalled significantly more skills than LEP children in the no-model condition; for English-speaking children, there were no differences attributed to model type. These results indicate that effective modeling conditions that are provided with verbal cues in English are related to children's primary language.

Building rainfall thresholds for large-scales landslides by extracting occurrence time of landslides from seismic records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Hsin-Yi; Lin, Guan-Wei

2017-04-01

Understanding the rainfall condition which triggers mass moment on hillslope is the key to forecast rainfall-induced slope hazards, and the exact time of landslide occurrence is one of the basic information for rainfall statistics. In the study, we focused on large-scale landslides (LSLs) with disturbed area larger than 10 ha and conducted a string of studies including the recognition of landslide-induced ground motions and the analyses of different terms of rainfall thresholds. More than 10 heavy typhoons during the periods of 2005-2014 in Taiwan induced more than hundreds of LSLs and provided the opportunity to characterize the rainfall conditions which trigger LSLs. A total of 101 landslide-induced seismic signals were identified from the records of Taiwan seismic network. These signals exposed the occurrence time of landslide to assess rainfall conditions. Rainfall analyses showed that LSLs occurred when cumulative rainfall exceeded 500 mm. The results of rainfall-threshold analyses revealed that it is difficult to distinct LSLs from small-scale landslides (SSLs) by the I-D and R-D methods, but the I-R method can achieve the discrimination. Besides, an enhanced three-factor threshold considering deep water content was proposed as the rainfall threshold for LSLs.

Principal Component Analysis of Chlorophyll Content in Tobacco, Bean and Petunia Plants Exposed to Different Tropospheric Ozone Concentrations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borowiak, Klaudia; Zbierska, Janina; Budka, Anna; Kayzer, Dariusz

2014-06-01

Three plant species were assessed in this study - ozone-sensitive and -resistant tobacco, ozone-sensitive petunia and bean. Plants were exposed to ambient air conditions for several weeks in two sites differing in tropospheric ozone concentrations in the growing season of 2009. Every week chlorophyll contents were analysed. Cumulative ozone effects on the chlorophyll content in relation to other meteorological parameters were evaluated using principal component analysis, while the relation between certain days of measurements of the plants were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance. Results revealed variability between plant species response. However, some similarities were noted. Positive relations of all chlorophyll forms to cumulative ozone concentration (AOT 40) were found for all the plant species that were examined. The chlorophyll b/a ratio revealed an opposite position to ozone concentration only in the ozone-resistant tobacco cultivar. In all the plant species the highest average chlorophyll content was noted after the 7th day of the experiment. Afterwards, the plants usually revealed various responses. Ozone-sensitive tobacco revealed decrease of chlorophyll content, and after few weeks of decline again an increase was observed. Probably, due to the accommodation for the stress factor. While during first three weeks relatively high levels of chlorophyll contents were noted in ozone-resistant tobacco. Petunia revealed a slow decrease of chlorophyll content and the lowest values at the end of the experiment. A comparison between the plant species revealed the highest level of chlorophyll contents in ozone-resistant tobacco.

Pinus Pinaster surface treatment realized in spatial and temporal afterglow DBD conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lecoq, E.; Clément, F.; Panousis, E.; Loiseau, J.-F.; Held, B.; Castetbon, A.; Guimon, C.

2008-04-01

This experimental work deals with the exposition of Pinus Pinaster wood samples to a DBD afterglow. Electrical parameters like duty cycle and injected energy in the gas are being varied and the modifications induced by the afterglow on the wood are analysed by several macroscopic and microscopic ways like wettability, XPS analyses and also soaking tests of treated wood in a commercial fungicide solution. Soaking tests show that plasma treatment could enhance the absorption of fungicide into the wood. The wettability results point out that the plasma treatment can inflict on the wood different surface properties, making it hydrophilic or hydrophobic, when varying electrical parameters. XPS analyses reveal several chemical modifications like an increase of the O/C ratio and the presence of carboxyl groups on the surface after plasma treatments.

The inviscid stability of supersonic flow past heated or cooled axisymmetric bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Stephen J.; Duck, Peter W.

1992-01-01

The inviscid, linear, nonaxisymmetric, temporal stability of the boundary layer associated with the supersonic flow past axisymmetric bodies (with particular emphasis on long thin, straight circular cylinders), subject to heated or cooled wall conditions is investigated. The eigenvalue problem is computed in some detail for a particular Mach number or 3.8, revealing that the effect of curvature and the choice of wall conditions both have a significant effect on the stability of the flow. Both the asymptotic, large azimuthal wavenumber solution and the asymptotic, far downstream solution are obtained for the stability analysis and compared with numerical results. Additionally, asymptotic analyses valid for large radii of curvature with cooled/heated wall conditions are presented. In general, important differences were found to exist between the wall temperature conditions imposed and the adiabatic wall conditions considered previously.

The inviscid stability of supersonic flow past heated or cooled axisymmetric bodies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaw, Stephen J.; Duck, Peter W.

1990-01-01

The inviscid, linear, nonaxisymmetric, temporal stability of the boundary layer associated with the supersonic flow past axisymmetric bodies (with particular emphasis on long thin, straight circular cylinders), subject to heated or cooled wall conditions is investigated. The eigenvalue problem is computed in some detail for a particular Mach number or 3.8, revealing that the effect of curvature and the choice of wall conditions both have a significant effect on the stability of the flow. Both the asymptotic, large azimuthal wavenumber solution and the asymptotic, far downstream solution are obtained for the stability analysis and compared with numerical results. Additionally, asymptotic analyses valid for large radii of curvature with cooled/heated wall conditions, are presented. In general, important differences were found to exist between the wall temperature conditions imposed and the adiabatic wall conditions considered previously.

The role of 11-cis-retinyl esters in vertebrate cone vision.

PubMed

Babino, Darwin; Perkins, Brian D; Kindermann, Aljoscha; Oberhauser, Vitus; von Lintig, Johannes

2015-01-01

A cycle of cis-to-trans isomerization of the chromophore is intrinsic to vertebrate vision where rod and cone photoreceptors mediate dim- and bright-light vision, respectively. Daylight illumination can greatly exceed the rate at which the photoproduct can be recycled back to the chromophore by the canonical visual cycle. Thus, an additional supply pathway(s) must exist to sustain cone-dependent vision. Two-photon microscopy revealed that the eyes of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) contain high levels of 11-cis-retinyl esters (11-REs) within the retinal pigment epithelium. HPLC analyses demonstrate that 11-REs are bleached by bright light and regenerated in the dark. Pharmacologic treatment with all-trans-retinylamine (Ret-NH2), a potent and specific inhibitor of the trans-to-cis reisomerization reaction of the canonical visual cycle, impeded the regeneration of 11-REs. Intervention with 11-cis-retinol restored the regeneration of 11-REs in the presence of all-trans-Ret-NH2. We used the XOPS:mCFP transgenic zebrafish line with a functional cone-only retina to directly demonstrate that this 11-RE cycle is critical to maintain vision under bright-light conditions. Thus, our analyses reveal that a dark-generated pool of 11-REs helps to supply photoreceptors with the chromophore under the varying light conditions present in natural environments. © FASEB.

Molecular characterization of a microbial consortium involved in methane oxidation coupled to denitrification under micro-aerobic conditions.

PubMed

Liu, Jingjing; Sun, Faqian; Wang, Liang; Ju, Xi; Wu, Weixiang; Chen, Yingxu

2014-01-01

Methane can be used as an alternative carbon source in biological denitrification because it is nontoxic, widely available and relatively inexpensive. A microbial consortium involved in methane oxidation coupled to denitrification (MOD) was enriched with nitrite and nitrate as electron acceptors under micro-aerobic conditions. The 16S rRNA gene combined with pmoA phylogeny of methanotrophs and nirK phylogeny of denitrifiers were analysed to reveal the dominant microbial populations and functional microorganisms. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed high numbers of methanotrophs and denitrifiers in the enriched consortium. The 16S rRNA gene clone library revealed that Methylococcaceae and Methylophilaceae were the dominant populations in the MOD ecosystem. Phylogenetic analyses of pmoA gene clone libraries indicated that all methanotrophs belonged to Methylococcaceae, a type I methanotroph employing the ribulose monophosphate pathway for methane oxidation. Methylotrophic denitrifiers of the Methylophilaceae that can utilize organic intermediates (i.e. formaldehyde, citrate and acetate) released from the methanotrophs played a vital role in aerobic denitrification. This study is the first report to confirm micro-aerobic denitrification and to make phylogenetic and functional assignments for some members of the microbial assemblages involved in MOD. © 2013 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

Does it take two to tango? Longitudinal effects of unilateral and bilateral integrative negotiation training.

PubMed

Zerres, Alfred; Hüffmeier, Joachim; Freund, Philipp Alexander; Backhaus, Klaus; Hertel, Guido

2013-05-01

This study assesses longitudinal effects of different training designs on joint negotiation performance. In so doing, the study experimentally compares (a) bilateral training of both the seller and the buyer within a dyad with both (b) a no-training control condition and 2 conditions with unilateral training of either (c) the buyer or (d) the seller. Moreover, underlying psychological mechanisms of the training effect are assessed. Results of the study with 360 participants reveal a significant overall training effect on negotiation outcomes that remains stable over time. Consistent with our hypotheses, unilateral negotiation training is only effective if the trained party is the seller, and it fails if the trained party is the buyer. Additional mediation analyses reveal exchange of priority-related information as a causal mechanism underlying these effects. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

The mitochondrial genomes of Campodea fragilis and C. lubbocki(Hexapoda: Diplura): high genetic divergence in a morphologically uniformtaxon

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

Podsiadlowski, L.; Carapelli, A.; Nardi, F.

2005-12-01

Mitochondrial genomes from two dipluran hexapods of the genus Campodea have been sequenced. Gene order is the same as in most other hexapods and crustaceans. Secondary structures of tRNAs reveal specific structural changes in tRNA-C, tRNA-R, tRNA-S1 and tRNA-S2. Comparative analyses of nucleotide and amino acid composition, as well as structural features of both ribosomal RNA subunits, reveal substantial differences among the analyzed taxa. Although the two Campodea species are morphologically highly uniform, genetic divergence is larger than expected, suggesting a long evolutionary history under stable ecological conditions.

Working conditions, work style, and job satisfaction among Albanian teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kloep, Marion; Tarifa, Fatos

1994-03-01

For the first time in Albania, a large-scale study investigating teachers' working conditions was conducted. 349 teachers from many parts of the country and from all school levels answered an extensive questionnaire, providing a comprehensive description of their working situation. As data for parts of the study exist from the USA, Germany, Singapore, England, and Poland, results could be discussed in comparison to the conditions in these countries, showing that self-reported job satisfaction and engagement in effective classroom practices is relatively high among Albanian teachers, while the economic and physical conditions are bad. Stepwise regression analyses reveal that the items measuring professional autonomy account for a considerable part of the variance of the job satisfaction measure; while work efficiency is mainly predicted by items measuring social support and, again, professional autonomy.

Growth responses of the mangrove Avicennia marina to salinity: development and function of shoot hydraulic systems require saline conditions

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Hoa T.; Stanton, Daniel E.; Schmitz, Nele; Farquhar, Graham D.; Ball, Marilyn C.

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Halophytic eudicots are characterized by enhanced growth under saline conditions. This study combines physiological and anatomical analyses to identify processes underlying growth responses of the mangrove Avicennia marina to salinities ranging from fresh- to seawater conditions. Methods Following pre-exhaustion of cotyledonary reserves under optimal conditions (i.e. 50 % seawater), seedlings of A. marina were grown hydroponically in dilutions of seawater amended with nutrients. Whole-plant growth characteristics were analysed in relation to dry mass accumulation and its allocation to different plant parts. Gas exchange characteristics and stable carbon isotopic composition of leaves were measured to evaluate water use in relation to carbon gain. Stem and leaf hydraulic anatomy were measured in relation to plant water use and growth. Key Results Avicennia marina seedlings failed to grow in 0–5 % seawater, whereas maximal growth occurred in 50–75 % seawater. Relative growth rates were affected by changes in leaf area ratio (LAR) and net assimilation rate (NAR) along the salinity gradient, with NAR generally being more important. Gas exchange characteristics followed the same trends as plant growth, with assimilation rates and stomatal conductance being greatest in leaves grown in 50–75 % seawater. However, water use efficiency was maintained nearly constant across all salinities, consistent with carbon isotopic signatures. Anatomical studies revealed variation in rates of development and composition of hydraulic tissues that were consistent with salinity-dependent patterns in water use and growth, including a structural explanation for low stomatal conductance and growth under low salinity. Conclusions The results identified stem and leaf transport systems as central to understanding the integrated growth responses to variation in salinity from fresh- to seawater conditions. Avicennia marina was revealed as an obligate halophyte, requiring saline conditions for development of the transport systems needed to sustain water use and carbon gain. PMID:25600273

RNA-Seq analyses reveal the order of tRNA processing events and the maturation of C/D box and CRISPR RNAs in the hyperthermophile Methanopyrus kandleri

PubMed Central

Su, Andreas A. H.; Tripp, Vanessa; Randau, Lennart

2013-01-01

The methanogenic archaeon Methanopyrus kandleri grows near the upper temperature limit for life. Genome analyses revealed strategies to adapt to these harsh conditions and elucidated a unique transfer RNA (tRNA) C-to-U editing mechanism at base 8 for 30 different tRNA species. Here, RNA-Seq deep sequencing methodology was combined with computational analyses to characterize the small RNome of this hyperthermophilic organism and to obtain insights into the RNA metabolism at extreme temperatures. A large number of 132 small RNAs were identified that guide RNA modifications, which are expected to stabilize structured RNA molecules. The C/D box guide RNAs were shown to exist as circular RNA molecules. In addition, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats RNA processing and potential regulatory RNAs were identified. Finally, the identification of tRNA precursors before and after the unique C8-to-U8 editing activity enabled the determination of the order of tRNA processing events with termini truncation preceding intron removal. This order of tRNA maturation follows the compartmentalized tRNA processing order found in Eukaryotes and suggests its conservation during evolution. PMID:23620296

Effects of prolonged exposure and virtual reality exposure on suicidal ideation in active duty soldiers: An examination of potential mechanisms.

PubMed

Norr, Aaron M; Smolenski, Derek J; Reger, Greg M

2018-05-12

The current study sought to investigate the effects of exposure therapy on suicidal ideation (SI), as well as potential mechanistic pathways of SI reduction among active duty military personnel. Active duty army soldiers (N = 162) were recruited from a military base in the U.S. and were enrolled in a randomized clinical trial comparing Prolonged Exposure (PE), Virtual Reality Exposure (VRE), and a wait-list control for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan. PTSD diagnosis followed DSM-IV-TR criteria. Outcome measures were assessed via self-report and clinician interview. PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and SI were included in an autoregressive cross-lagged panel model to examine mechanistic pathways. Analyses revealed that PE/VRE had a lower probability of post-treatment suicidal ideation (OR = 0.23, 95% CI [0.06, 0.86]) compared to the waitlist control. Mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect from treatment condition to post-treatment PTSD symptoms through mid-treatment SI (Estimate = -1.420, 95% CI -3.559, -0.223]). Baseline suicidal ideation did not interact with treatment condition to predict PTSD symptom change at mid-treatment (p = .231) or post-treatment (p = .672). PE/VRE successfully reduced SI, and the presence of SI at baseline did not affect PTSD symptom reduction, promoting the utility of using PE/VRE to address suicidality among individuals with PTSD. Mediation analyses suggest that reductions in SI were achieved early in treatment. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Background Nutrients Affect the Biotransformation of Tetracycline by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as Revealed by Genomics and Proteomics.

PubMed

Leng, Yifei; Bao, Jianguo; Song, Dandan; Li, Jing; Ye, Mao; Li, Xu

2017-09-19

Certain bacteria are resistant to antibiotics and can even transform antibiotics in the environment. It is unclear how the molecular mechanisms underlying the resistance and biotransformation processes vary under different environmental conditions. The objective of this study is to investigate the molecular mechanisms of tetracycline resistance and biotransformation by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain DT1 under various background nutrient conditions. Strain DT1 was exposed to tetracycline for 7 days with four background nutrient conditions: no background (NB), peptone (P), peptone plus citrate (PC), and peptone plus glucose (PG). The biotransformation rate follows the order of PC > P > PG > NB ≈ 0. Genomic analysis showed that strain DT1 contained tet(X1), a gene encoding an FAD-binding monooxygenase, and eight peroxidase genes that could be relevant to tetracycline biotransformation. Quantitative proteomic analyses revealed that nodulation protein transported tetracycline outside of cells; hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase facilitated the activation of the ribosomal protection proteins to prevent the binding of tetracycline to the ribosome and superoxide dismutase and peroxiredoxin-modified tetracycline molecules. Comparing different nutrient conditions showed that the biotransformation rates of tetracycline were positively correlated with the expression levels of superoxide dismutase.

Eye-Tracking Technology and the Dynamics of Natural Gaze Behavior in Sports: A Systematic Review of 40 Years of Research.

PubMed

Kredel, Ralf; Vater, Christian; Klostermann, André; Hossner, Ernst-Joachim

2017-01-01

Reviewing 60 studies on natural gaze behavior in sports, it becomes clear that, over the last 40 years, the use of eye-tracking devices has considerably increased. Specifically, this review reveals the large variance of methods applied, analyses performed, and measures derived within the field. The results of sub-sample analyses suggest that sports-related eye-tracking research strives, on the one hand, for ecologically valid test settings (i.e., viewing conditions and response modes), while on the other, for experimental control along with high measurement accuracy (i.e., controlled test conditions with high-frequency eye-trackers linked to algorithmic analyses). To meet both demands, some promising compromises of methodological solutions have been proposed-in particular, the integration of robust mobile eye-trackers in motion-capture systems. However, as the fundamental trade-off between laboratory and field research cannot be solved by technological means, researchers need to carefully weigh the arguments for one or the other approach by accounting for the respective consequences. Nevertheless, for future research on dynamic gaze behavior in sports, further development of the current mobile eye-tracking methodology seems highly advisable to allow for the acquisition and algorithmic analyses of larger amounts of gaze-data and further, to increase the explanatory power of the derived results.

Interactions between Skeletal Muscle Myoblasts and their Extracellular Matrix Revealed by a Serum Free Culture System.

PubMed

Chaturvedi, Vishal; Dye, Danielle E; Kinnear, Beverley F; van Kuppevelt, Toin H; Grounds, Miranda D; Coombe, Deirdre R

2015-01-01

Decellularisation of skeletal muscle provides a system to study the interactions of myoblasts with muscle extracellular matrix (ECM). This study describes the efficient decellularisation of quadriceps muscle with the retention of matrix components and the use of this matrix for myoblast proliferation and differentiation under serum free culture conditions. Three decellularisation approaches were examined; the most effective was phospholipase A2 treatment, which removed cellular material while maximizing the retention of ECM components. Decellularised muscle matrices were then solubilized and used as substrates for C2C12 mouse myoblast serum free cultures. The muscle matrix supported myoblast proliferation and differentiation equally as well as collagen and fibronectin. Immunofluorescence analyses revealed that myoblasts seeded on muscle matrix and fibronectin differentiated to form long, well-aligned myotubes, while myoblasts seeded on collagen were less organized. qPCR analyses showed a time dependent increase in genes involved in skeletal muscle differentiation and suggested that muscle-derived matrix may stimulate an increased rate of differentiation compared to collagen and fibronectin. Decellularized whole muscle three-dimensional scaffolds also supported cell adhesion and spreading, with myoblasts aligning along specific tracts of matrix proteins within the scaffolds. Thus, under serum free conditions, intact acellular muscle matrices provided cues to direct myoblast adhesion and migration. In addition, myoblasts were shown to rapidly secrete and organise their own matrix glycoproteins to create a localized ECM microenvironment. This serum free culture system has revealed that the correct muscle ECM facilitates more rapid cell organisation and differentiation than single matrix glycoprotein substrates.

[Development of immunologic deficiency conditions and sensitization in industrial workers and methodologic approach to their detection and evaluation].

PubMed

Dueva, L A; Ivanova, L A; Pavlova, T A

1989-01-01

The principal mechanisms forming the basis of detoxication abnormalities have been analysed using the data of research into the status of the hepatic monooxygenase enzyme system, which is responsible for the liver detoxication potential, and the literature reports. Irrespective of the pathology, a similar depression of the monooxygenase enzyme system of hepatocytes was revealed in acute stercoraceous peritonitis, acute ileus, burn disease, acute renal failure, and pyo-inflammatory conditions in the maxillofacial region. A pathogenetic model is proposed, which explains the mechanism of hepatic detoxication dysfunction in endogenous intoxications of different etiology. New approaches to the therapy of detoxication abnormalities in the conditions attended with endotoxemic syndrome are discussed proceeding from the pathogenetic mechanisms.

The influence of nondisclosure on the mental health of urban African-American adolescents exposed to community violence.

PubMed

Dinizulu, Sonya Mathies; Grant, Kathryn E; McIntosh, Jeanne M

2014-01-01

African-American youth residing in urban poverty have been shown to be at increased risk for exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms, but there has been little investigation of moderating processes that might attenuate or exacerbate this association. The current study examined nondisclosure as a possible moderator of the association between community violence and internalizing symptoms with a sample of 152 low-income urban African-American early adolescents using hierarchical regression analyses. Results revealed that nondisclosure for relationship reasons (e.g., adults could not be trusted to provide needed support) moderated the association between exposure to community violence and internalizing symptoms. Unexpectedly, however, results of simple effects analyses revealed a stronger association between exposure to violence and internalizing symptoms for youth who disclosed more to adults. Although unexpected, this pattern builds upon prior research indicating that adult-child relationships are compromised within the context of urban poverty and that protective factors may lose their power under conditions of extreme stress.

Comparison of different spatial transformations applied to EEG data: A case study of error processing.

PubMed

Cohen, Michael X

2015-09-01

The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of different spatial transformations applied to the same scalp-recorded EEG data. The spatial transformations applied are two referencing schemes (average and linked earlobes), the surface Laplacian, and beamforming (a distributed source localization procedure). EEG data were collected during a speeded reaction time task that provided a comparison of activity between error vs. correct responses. Analyses focused on time-frequency power, frequency band-specific inter-electrode connectivity, and within-subject cross-trial correlations between EEG activity and reaction time. Time-frequency power analyses showed similar patterns of midfrontal delta-theta power for errors compared to correct responses across all spatial transformations. Beamforming additionally revealed error-related anterior and lateral prefrontal beta-band activity. Within-subject brain-behavior correlations showed similar patterns of results across the spatial transformations, with the correlations being the weakest after beamforming. The most striking difference among the spatial transformations was seen in connectivity analyses: linked earlobe reference produced weak inter-site connectivity that was attributable to volume conduction (zero phase lag), while the average reference and Laplacian produced more interpretable connectivity results. Beamforming did not reveal any significant condition modulations of connectivity. Overall, these analyses show that some findings are robust to spatial transformations, while other findings, particularly those involving cross-trial analyses or connectivity, are more sensitive and may depend on the use of appropriate spatial transformations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Control of standing balance while using constructions stilts: comparison of expert and novice users.

PubMed

Noble, Jeremy W; Singer, Jonathan C; Prentice, Stephen D

2016-01-01

This study examined the control of standing balance while wearing construction stilts. Motion capture data were collected from nine expert stilt users and nine novices. Three standing conditions were analysed: ground, 60 cm stilts and an elevated platform. Each task was also performed with the head extended as a vestibular perturbation. Both expert and novice groups exhibited lower displacement of the whole body centre of mass and centre of pressure on construction stilts. Differences between the groups were only noted in the elevated condition with no stilts, where the expert group had lower levels of medial-lateral displacement of the centre of pressure. The postural manipulation revealed that the expert group had superior balance to the novice group. Conditions where stilts were worn showed lower levels of correspondence to the inverted pendulum model. Under normal conditions, both expert and novice groups were able to control their balance while wearing construction stilts. This work investigated the effects of experience on the control of balance while using construction stilts. Under normal conditions, expert and novice stilt users were able to control their balance while wearing construction stilts. Differences between the expert and novice users were revealed when the balance task was made more difficult, with the experts showing superior balance in these situations.

Effects of a sublethal concentration of sodium lauryl sulphate on the morphology and Na+/K+ ATPase activity in the gill of the ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo).

PubMed

Brunelli, Elvira; Talarico, Erminia; Corapi, Barbara; Perrotta, Ida; Tripepi, Sandro

2008-10-01

We analysed the morphology and ultrastructure of the gill apparatus of the ornate wrasse, Thalassoma pavo, under normal conditions and after exposure to a sublethal concentration of sodium lauryl sulphate (3.5 mg/l, which is one-third of the 96LC99 value). To identify the biochemical mechanisms affected by this pollutant, we evaluated and compared the localisation of Na(+)/K(+) ATPase in normal and experimental conditions. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that this enzyme was active in the chloride cells (CCs), which were distributed in clusters in the interlamellar region of the filament. Ultrastructural analysis revealed conspicuous alterations on the epithelium after 96 and 192 h of exposure to sodium lauryl sulphate: structural features of the surface cells were lost, the appearance of intercellular lacunae changed, and cellular degeneration occurred. Statistical analysis comparing the number and dimensions of CCs in normal conditions and after 96 h of exposure showed that the CC area decreased after exposure to the detergent.

Communicating Zika Risk: Using Metaphor to Increase Perceived Risk Susceptibility.

PubMed

Lu, Hang; Schuldt, Jonathon P

2018-02-27

Effectively communicating the risks associated with emerging zoonotic diseases remains an important challenge. Drawing on research into the psychological effects of metaphoric framing, we explore the conditions under which exposure to the "nation as a body" metaphor influences perceived risk susceptibility, behavioral intentions, and policy support in the context of Zika virus. In a between-subjects experiment, 354 U.S. adults were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions as part of a 2 (severity message: high vs. low) × 2 (U.S. framing: metaphoric vs. literal) design. Results revealed an interaction effect such that metaphoric (vs. literal) framing increased perceived risk susceptibility in the high-severity condition only. Further analyses revealed that perceived risk susceptibility and negative affect mediated the path between the two-way interaction and policy support and behavioral intentions regarding Zika prevention. Overall, these findings complement prior work on the influence of metaphoric framing on risk perceptions, while offering practical insights for risk communicators seeking to communicate about Zika and other zoonotic diseases. © 2018 Society for Risk Analysis.

Investigating the Catalytic Growth of Carbon Nanotubes with In Situ Raman Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

single-walled carbon nanotube growth using cobalt deposited on Si/SiO2 as a model system. In situ Raman studies revealed that thin catalyst layers... cobalt thickness were studied. Surface analyses showed that during the catalyst preparation, catalyst atoms at the interface with silica form small...nanostructures. However, highly-reducing conditions are required to reduce the small silicate domains into small cobalt particles able to grow single-walled

Opposite effects of dissolved oxygen on the removal of As(III) and As(V) by carbonate structural Fe(II).

PubMed

Tian, Zeyuan; Feng, Yong; Guan, Yiyi; Shao, Binbin; Zhang, Yalei; Wu, Deli

2017-12-05

Freshly prepared carbonate structural Fe(II) (CSF) was used to immobilize As(III) and As(V) in wastewater under oxic and anoxic conditions. Dissolved oxygen was found to exert opposite effects on these two arsenic species. The sorption density of As(III) was higher under oxic conditions, whereas that of As(V) was higher under anoxic conditions. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopic analyses indicated that crystalline parasymplesite (Fe(II) 3 (AsO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O) was formed when As(V) was removed under anoxic conditions, while an amorphous Fe-As-containing precipitate was formed when As(III) was removed under oxic conditions. The distribution of arsenic and iron between the solution and sediments suggested that the oxidation of structural Fe(II) promoted coprecipitation process and inhibited surface complexation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses revealed that more As(III) was oxidized under oxic condition, which contributed to a higher sorption capacity for As(III). The formation of parasymplesite through surface complexation/precipitation was proposed to be more effective for the removal of As(V) by CSF, while As(III) was more efficiently removed through coprecipitation. Together, the results suggest that CSF may be an effective material for sequestering both As(III) and As(V). In addition, attention should be paid to the dissolved oxygen content when remediating different arsenic species.

The role of attitudes and culture in family caregiving for older adults.

PubMed

Anngela-Cole, Linda; Hilton, Jeanne M

2009-01-01

This study evaluated cultural differences in attitudes toward caregiving and the stress levels of family caregivers. Participants included 98 Japanese American and 86 Caucasian American family caregivers caring for frail elders. Analyses using MANOVA and multiple regression analyses revealed that the Caucasian caregivers had more positive attitudes and provided more hours of care than the Japanese caregivers but that both groups had elevated levels of caregiver stress. The stress that family caregivers currently experience could lead to a future generation of care recipients who enter old age in worse condition than their predecessors. Professionals need to work together to develop culturally appropriate, evidence-based interventions to address this issue.

Older women's experiences with multiple health conditions: daily challenges and care practices.

PubMed

Roberto, Karen A; Gigliotti, Christina M; Husser, Erica K

2005-09-01

Guided by life-course theory and a trajectory model of chronic illness, we examined the health care practices and management strategies used by 17 older women with multiple chronic conditions. Qualitative analyses revealed that the women played an active role in shaping the course of their illness within their everyday lives. Pain and a decline in energy frequently interfered with completion of daily activities. To compensate, many women reduced and slowed down the pace of activities they performed while emphasizing the importance of maintaining independence and autonomy. Appreciative of support from family members, at times the women received more help and advice than they preferred.

Diagnosing AIRS Sampling with CloudSat Cloud Classes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fetzer, Eric; Yue, Qing; Guillaume, Alexandre; Kahn, Brian

2011-01-01

AIRS yield and sampling vary with cloud state. Careful utilization of collocated multiple satellite sensors is necessary. Profile differences between AIRS and ECMWF model analyses indicate that AIRS has high sampling and excellent accuracy for certain meteorological conditions. Cloud-dependent sampling biases may have large impact on AIRS L2 and L3 data in climate research. MBL clouds / lower tropospheric stability relationship is one example. AIRS and CloudSat reveal a reasonable climatology in the MBL cloud regime despite limited sampling in stratocumulus. Thermodynamic parameters such as EIS derived from AIRS data map these cloud conditions successfully. We are working on characterizing AIRS scenes with mixed cloud types.

Talaromyces rubrifaciens, a new species discovered from heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems in China.

PubMed

Luo, Yi; Lu, Xiaohong; Bi, Wu; Liu, Fan; Gao, Weiwei

2016-01-01

A new Talaromyces species, T. rubrifaciens, was isolated from supply air outlets of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in three kinds of public building in Beijing and Nanjing, China. Morphologically it exhibits many characters of section Trachyspermi but is distinguished from other species of this section by restricted growth and broad and strictly biverticillate conidiophores. Phylogenetic analyses based on the internal transcribed spacer rDNA (ITS), β-tubulin (BenA), calmodulin (CaM) and RNA polymerase second largest subunit (RPB2) genes reveal that T. rubrifaciens is a distinct species in section Trachyspermi. © 2016 by The Mycological Society of America.

Effects of a Web-Based Computer-Tailored Game to Reduce Binge Drinking Among Dutch Adolescents: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Crutzen, Rik; Mercken, Liesbeth; Candel, Math; de Vries, Hein

2016-01-01

Background Binge drinking among Dutch adolescents is among the highest in Europe. Few interventions so far have focused on adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Because binge drinking increases significantly during those years, it is important to develop binge drinking prevention programs for this group. Web-based computer-tailored interventions can be an effective tool for reducing this behavior in adolescents. Embedding the computer-tailored intervention in a serious game may make it more attractive to adolescents. Objective The aim was to assess whether a Web-based computer-tailored intervention is effective in reducing binge drinking in Dutch adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Secondary outcomes were reduction in excessive drinking and overall consumption during the previous week. Personal characteristics associated with program adherence were also investigated. Methods A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 34 Dutch schools. Each school was randomized into either an experimental (n=1622) or a control (n=1027) condition. Baseline assessment took place in January and February 2014. At baseline, demographic variables and alcohol use were assessed. Follow-up assessment of alcohol use took place 4 months later (May and June 2014). After the baseline assessment, participants in the experimental condition started with the intervention consisting of a game about alcohol in which computer-tailored feedback regarding motivational characteristics was embedded. Participants in the control condition only received the baseline questionnaire. Both groups received the 4-month follow-up questionnaire. Effects of the intervention were assessed using logistic regression mixed models analyses for binge and excessive drinking and linear regression mixed models analyses for weekly consumption. Factors associated with intervention adherence in the experimental condition were explored by means of a linear regression model. Results In total, 2649 adolescents participated in the baseline assessment. At follow-up, 824 (31.11%) adolescents returned. The intervention was effective in reducing binge drinking among adolescents aged 15 years (P=.03) and those aged 16 years when they participated in at least 2 intervention sessions (P=.04). Interaction effects between excessive drinking and educational level (P=.08) and between weekly consumption and age (P=.09) were found; however, in-depth analyses revealed no significant subgroup effects for both interaction effects. Additional analyses revealed that prolonged use of the intervention was associated with stronger effects for binge drinking. Yet, overall adherence to the intervention was low. Analyses revealed that being Protestant, female, younger, a nonbinge drinker, and having a higher educational background were associated with adherence. Conclusions The intervention was effective for adolescents aged 15 and 16 years concerning binge drinking. Prevention messages may be more effective for those at the start of their drinking career, whereas other methods may be needed for those with a longer history of alcohol consumption. Despite using game elements, intervention completion was low. Trial Registration Dutch Trial Register: NTR4048; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4048 (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6eSJD3FiY) PMID:26842694

Effects of a Web-Based Computer-Tailored Game to Reduce Binge Drinking Among Dutch Adolescents: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Jander, Astrid; Crutzen, Rik; Mercken, Liesbeth; Candel, Math; de Vries, Hein

2016-02-03

Binge drinking among Dutch adolescents is among the highest in Europe. Few interventions so far have focused on adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Because binge drinking increases significantly during those years, it is important to develop binge drinking prevention programs for this group. Web-based computer-tailored interventions can be an effective tool for reducing this behavior in adolescents. Embedding the computer-tailored intervention in a serious game may make it more attractive to adolescents. The aim was to assess whether a Web-based computer-tailored intervention is effective in reducing binge drinking in Dutch adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Secondary outcomes were reduction in excessive drinking and overall consumption during the previous week. Personal characteristics associated with program adherence were also investigated. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 34 Dutch schools. Each school was randomized into either an experimental (n=1622) or a control (n=1027) condition. Baseline assessment took place in January and February 2014. At baseline, demographic variables and alcohol use were assessed. Follow-up assessment of alcohol use took place 4 months later (May and June 2014). After the baseline assessment, participants in the experimental condition started with the intervention consisting of a game about alcohol in which computer-tailored feedback regarding motivational characteristics was embedded. Participants in the control condition only received the baseline questionnaire. Both groups received the 4-month follow-up questionnaire. Effects of the intervention were assessed using logistic regression mixed models analyses for binge and excessive drinking and linear regression mixed models analyses for weekly consumption. Factors associated with intervention adherence in the experimental condition were explored by means of a linear regression model. In total, 2649 adolescents participated in the baseline assessment. At follow-up, 824 (31.11%) adolescents returned. The intervention was effective in reducing binge drinking among adolescents aged 15 years (P=.03) and those aged 16 years when they participated in at least 2 intervention sessions (P=.04). Interaction effects between excessive drinking and educational level (P=.08) and between weekly consumption and age (P=.09) were found; however, in-depth analyses revealed no significant subgroup effects for both interaction effects. Additional analyses revealed that prolonged use of the intervention was associated with stronger effects for binge drinking. Yet, overall adherence to the intervention was low. Analyses revealed that being Protestant, female, younger, a nonbinge drinker, and having a higher educational background were associated with adherence. The intervention was effective for adolescents aged 15 and 16 years concerning binge drinking. Prevention messages may be more effective for those at the start of their drinking career, whereas other methods may be needed for those with a longer history of alcohol consumption. Despite using game elements, intervention completion was low. Dutch Trial Register: NTR4048; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4048 (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/6eSJD3FiY).

Less is more: The availability heuristic in early childhood.

PubMed

Geurten, Marie; Willems, Sylvie; Germain, Sophie; Meulemans, Thierry

2015-11-01

This study examined whether young children are influenced by the subjective experience associated with an easy or difficult recall when making memory decisions. Seventy-one children, aged 4, 6, and 8 years, were asked to generate either a small (easy condition) or large (hard condition) number of first names. Statistical analyses revealed that participants in the hard condition were more likely to infer that they did not know many names than participants in the easy condition, contrary to what would be expected if children based their memory judgement on the objective number of recalled items. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that children as young as 4 years old rely on the subjective experience of ease to regulate their decision-making processes. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

"People" can be better than "you": The moderating role of regulatory focus on self-referencing messages in physical activity promotion campaigns among college students.

PubMed

Lee, Seungae; Mackert, Michael

2017-01-01

Self-referencing effects explain why many advertisements try to relate people with the ads; when an individual relates an ad to the self, the person will be more likely to recall the ad. However, this study revealed that the regulatory focus of messages is a boundary condition for self-referencing strategy. Self-referencing did not yield a positive persuasion effect in prevention-focused messages. The underlying message process analyses further revealed people avoid elaborating prevention-focused messages when used with self-referencing, rather than viewing them in a biased manner. The findings provide guidance for health communication practitioners' use of self-referencing statements.

Mediators of effects of a selective family-focused violence prevention approach for middle school students.

PubMed

2012-02-01

This study examined how parenting and family characteristics targeted in a selective prevention program mediated effects on key youth proximal outcomes related to violence perpetration. The selective intervention was evaluated within the context of a multi-site trial involving random assignment of 37 schools to four conditions: a universal intervention composed of a student social-cognitive curriculum and teacher training, a selective family-focused intervention with a subset of high-risk students, a condition combining these two interventions, and a no-intervention control condition. Two cohorts of sixth-grade students (total N = 1,062) exhibiting high levels of aggression and social influence were the sample for this study. Analyses of pre-post change compared to controls using intent-to-treat analyses found no significant effects. However, estimates incorporating participation of those assigned to the intervention and predicted participation among those not assigned revealed significant positive effects on student aggression, use of aggressive strategies for conflict management, and parental estimation of student's valuing of achievement. Findings also indicated intervention effects on two targeted family processes: discipline practices and family cohesion. Mediation analyses found evidence that change in these processes mediated effects on some outcomes, notably aggressive behavior and valuing of school achievement. Results support the notion that changing parenting practices and the quality of family relationships can prevent the escalation in aggression and maintain positive school engagement for high-risk youth.

The Role of TSC1 in the Formation and Maintenance of Excitatory Synapses

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-01

often presents with mental retardation, epilepsy and autism . The etiology of these neurological symptoms is unclear and the function of the TSC pathway in...mental retardation and autism . Biochemical and genetic analyses in mammalian systems and Drosophila melanogaster have revealed that TSC1 and TSC2...hippocampal mGluR -dependent long-term depression. Science 288, 1254–1257 (2000). 18. Uhlmann, E.J. et al. Astrocyte-specific TSC1 conditional

Regulation of expression and biochemical characterization of a beta-class carbonic anhydrase from the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7.

PubMed

Kaur, Simarjot; Mishra, Mukti Nath; Tripathi, Anil K

2009-10-01

Carbonic anhydrase (CA; [EC 4.2.1.1]) is a ubiquitous enzyme catalysing the reversible hydration of CO(2) to bicarbonate, a reaction that supports various biochemical and physiological functions. Genome analysis of Azospirillum brasilense, a nonphotosynthetic, nitrogen-fixing, rhizobacterium, revealed an ORF with homology to beta-class carbonic anhydrases (CAs). Biochemical characteristics of the beta-class CA of A. brasilense, analysed after cloning the gene (designated as bca), overexpressing in Escherichia coli and purifying the protein by affinity purification, revealed that the native recombinant enzyme is a homotetramer, inhibited by the known CA inhibitors. CA activity in A. brasilense cell extracts, reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and Western blot analyses showed that bca was constitutively expressed under aerobic conditions. Lower beta-galactosidase activity in A. brasilense cells harbouring bca promoter: lacZ fusion during the stationary phase or during growth on 3% CO(2) enriched air or at acidic pH indicated that the transcription of bca was downregulated by the stationary phase, elevated CO(2) levels and acidic pH conditions. These observations were also supported by RT-PCR analysis. Thus, beta-CA in A. brasilense seems to be required for scavenging CO(2) from the ambient air and the requirement of CO(2) hydration seems to be higher for the cultures growing exponentially at neutral to alkaline pH.

Evaluation of the Technicon Axon analyser.

PubMed

Martínez, C; Márquez, M; Cortés, M; Mercé, J; Rodriguez, J; González, F

1990-01-01

An evaluation of the Technicon Axon analyser was carried out following the guidelines of the 'Sociedad Española de Química Clínica' and the European Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards.A photometric study revealed acceptable results at both 340 nm and 404 nm. Inaccuracy and imprecision were lower at 404 nm than at 340 nm, although poor dispersion was found at both wavelengths, even at low absorbances. Drift was negligible, the imprecision of the sample pipette delivery system was greater for small sample volumes, the reagent pipette delivery system imprecision was acceptable and the sample diluting system study showed good precision and accuracy.Twelve analytes were studied for evaluation of the analyser under routine working conditions. Satisfactory results were obtained for within-run imprecision, while coefficients of variation for betweenrun imprecision were much greater than expected. Neither specimenrelated nor specimen-independent contamination was found in the carry-over study. For all analytes assayed, when comparing patient sample results with those obtained in a Hitachi 737 analyser, acceptable relative inaccuracy was observed.

The study of topics of Astronomy in Physics teaching that addresses the significant learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos Neta, M. L.; Voelzke, M. R.

2017-12-01

In this work are discussed the results of the case study on the oceanic tides for which it was used didactic sequences, based on the Cycle of Experience of George Kelly (Kelly 1963), applied in four groups of the first year of the integral medium teaching. The data obtained in two same tests - Pre and Post-Test - before and after the application of the didactic sequences, as well as the verification of the significant learning analysed as for the conditions of the previous knowledge considering authors Boczko (1984), Horvath (2008) and Kepler & Saraiva (2013). Also the values were analysed obtained the Post-Test II applied to the long period. The results reveal that the worked groups presented previous knowledge in conditions adapted for the understanding of the event, as well as, for they be used in the situation-problem resolution that demands the understanding. Verify also that the idea of the didactic sequence can be used as tool in the relationship teaching-learning addressed to the significant learning.

Quality of Diagnosis and Treatment Plans After Using the 'Diagnostic Guideline for Anxiety and Challenging Behaviours' in People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Comparative Multiple Case Study Design.

PubMed

Pruijssers, Addy; van Meijel, Berno; Maaskant, Marian; Keeman, Noortje; van Achterberg, Theo

2016-07-01

People with intellectual disabilities often have a multitude of concurrent problems due to the combination of cognitive impairments, psychiatric disorders (particularly anxiety) and related challenging behaviours. Diagnoses in people with intellectual disabilities are complicated. This study evaluates the quality of the diagnoses and treatment plans after using a guideline that was developed to support professionals in their diagnostic tasks. A comparative multiple case study with an experimental and control condition, applying deductive analyses of diagnoses and treatment plans. The analyses revealed that the number of diagnostic statements and planned treatment actions in the experimental group was significantly larger and more differentiated than in the control condition. In the control group, consequential harm and protective factors were hardly mentioned in diagnoses and treatment plans. Working with the 'Diagnostic Guideline for Anxiety and CB' leads to improved diagnoses and treatment plans compared with care as usual. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Evaluative conditioning may incur attentional costs.

PubMed

Pleyers, Gordy; Corneille, Olivier; Yzerbyt, Vincent; Luminet, Olivier

2009-04-01

Evaluative conditioning (EC) refers to changes in the liking of an affectively neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus, or CS) after pairing this stimulus with an affect-laden stimulus (unconditioned stimulus, or US). Several authors proposed that EC incurs little or no attentional cost. Using a rigorous design, we provide evidence that a reduction in attentional resources may have a negative impact on EC. Additional analyses also revealed that participants correctly encoded fewer CS-US pairings when their attentional resources were depleted. Replicating Pleyers, Corneille, Luminet, and Yzerbyt's (2007) findings, EC was also obtained only for CSs that could be correctly linked to their associated US in the context of an identification task. This research clarifies the role of higher order processes in EC and has significant practical implications. Copyright (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

When the dissolution of perceived body boundaries elicits happiness: The effect of selflessness induced by a body scan meditation.

PubMed

Dambrun, Michaël

2016-11-01

Drawing on the Self-centeredness/Selflessness Happiness Model (SSHM), we hypothesized that a reduction in the salience of perceived body boundaries would lead to increase optimal emotional experience. These constructs were assessed by means of self-report measures. Participants (n=53) were randomly assigned to either the selflessness (induced by a body scan meditation) condition or the control condition. As expected, the reduction in perceived body salience was greater in the body scan meditation condition than in the control condition. The change in perceived body salience was accompanied by a change in happiness and anxiety. Participants in the body-scan meditation condition reported greater happiness and less anxiety than participants in the control condition. Happiness increased when the salience of body boundaries decreased. Mediation analyses reveal that the change in happiness was mediated by the change in perceived body boundaries, which suggests that selflessness elicits happiness via dissolution of perceived body boundaries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Shirazi, M.A.; Davis, L.R.

To obtain improved prediction of heated plume characteristics from a surface jet, an integral analysis computer model was modified and a comprehensive set of field and laboratory data available from the literature was gathered, analyzed, and correlated for estimating the magnitude of certain coefficients that are normally introduced in these analyses to achieve closure. The parameters so estimated include the coefficients for entrainment, turbulent exchange, drag, and shear. Since there appeared considerable scatter in the data, even after appropriate subgrouping to narrow the influence of various flow conditions on the data, only statistical procedures could be applied to find themore » best fit. This and other analyses of its type have been widely used in industry and government for the prediction of thermal plumes from steam power plants. Although the present model has many shortcomings, a recent independent and exhaustive assessment of such predictions revealed that in comparison with other analyses of its type the present analysis predicts the field situations more successfully.« less

Medical home services for children with behavioral health conditions.

PubMed

Sheldrick, Radley C; Perrin, Ellen C

2010-01-01

Whether medical services received by children and youth with behavioral health conditions are consistent with a Medical Home has not been systematically studied. The objectives of this study were to examine the variation among four behavioral health conditions in regard to services related to the Medical Home. Cross-sectional analyses of the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health were conducted. Multiple logistic regression analyses tested the impact of behavioral health conditions on medical needs, on Medical Home components, and on likelihood of having a Medical Home overall. Autism, Depression/Anxiety, and Behavior/Conduct problems were associated with reduced likelihood of having a Medical Home, whereas Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was associated with increased likelihood. All health conditions predicted increased access to a primary care physician (PCP) and a preventive visit in the past year. However, all were also associated with higher needs for specialty care and all behavioral health conditions except Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were associated with difficulties accessing this care. A detailed examination of the receipt of services among children and youth with behavioral health conditions reveals two primary reasons why such care is less likely to be consistent with a Medical Home model: (1) parents are more likely to report needing specialty care; and (2) these needs are less likely to be met. These data suggest that the reason why services received by children and youth with behavioral health conditions are not consistent with the Medical Home has more to do with difficulty accessing specialty care than with problems accessing quality primary care.

Complex investigation of body and clothing injuries during the identification of the assault instrument.

PubMed

Sitiene, R; Varnaite, J; Zakaras, A

2004-12-02

The value of complex analyses of body injuries and clothing has been proven by practice. The purpose of presented study is to discuss what additional information can be obtained during investigations of clothes in the area of injury. A case study, in which results of visual and stereomicroscopic morphological analysis of wounds, lesions of clothing and their comparison are presented. Examination of wounds revealed that some of them were made by blunt, others--by stabbing instrument. Lesions of clothes were made by secant instrument. Comparison of data enabled to determine characteristics of the instrument with greater precision--it was secant-stabbing tool. An experiment with suspected assault instrument--wheel wrench--under controlled conditions was performed. It was found that the head of this wheel wrench can be fixated when secant blow are performed, and it's sharp edge leaves secant-stabbing wounds. Our study revealed that precise knowledge of the assault circumstances enabled to select suitable conditions for experiment and this in turn enabled to identify the instrument of assault.

Descriptive and evaluative judgment processes: behavioral and electrophysiological indices of processing symmetry and aesthetics.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Thomas; Höfel, Lea

2003-12-01

Descriptive symmetry and evaluative aesthetic judgment processes were compared using identical stimuli in both judgment tasks. Electrophysiological activity was recorded while participants judged novel formal graphic patterns in a trial-by-trial cuing setting using binary responses (symmetric, not symmetric; beautiful, not beautiful). Judgment analyses of a Phase 1 test and main experiment performance resulted in individual models, as well as group models, of the participants' judgment systems. Symmetry showed a strong positive correlation with beautiful judgments and was the most important cue. Descriptive judgments were performed faster than evaluative judgments. The ERPs revealed a phasic, early frontal negativity for the not-beautiful judgments. A sustained posterior negativity was observed in the symmetric condition. All conditions showed late positive potentials (LPPs). Evaluative judgment LPPs revealed a more pronounced right lateralization. It is argued that the present aesthetic judgments engage a two-stage process consisting of early, anterior frontomedian impression formation after 300 msec and right-hemisphere evaluative categorization around 600 msec after onset of the graphic patterns.

Judgment of riskiness: impact of personality, naive theories and heuristic thinking among female students.

PubMed

Gana, Kamel; Lourel, Marcel; Trouillet, Raphaël; Fort, Isabelle; Mezred, Djamila; Blaison, Christophe; Boudjemadi, Valerian; K'Delant, Pascaline; Ledrich, Julie

2010-02-01

Three different studies were conducted to examine the impact of heuristic reasoning in the perception of health-related events: lifetime risk of breast cancer (Study 1, n = 468), subjective life expectancy (Study 2, n = 449), and subjective age of onset of menopause (Study 3, n = 448). In each study, three experimental conditions were set up: control, anchoring heuristic and availability heuristic. Analyses of Covariance controlling for optimism, depressive mood, Locus of Control, hypochondriac tendencies and subjective health, indicated significant effect of experimental conditions on perceived breast-cancer risk (p = 0.000), subjective life expectancy (p = 0.000) and subjective onset of menopause (p = 0.000). Indeed, all findings revealed that availability and anchoring heuristics were being used to estimate personal health-related events. The results revealed that some covariates, hypochondriac tendencies in Study 1, optimism, depressive mood and subjective health in Study 2 and internal locus of control in Study 3 had significant impact on judgment of riskiness.

Exploring visitor acceptability for hardening trails to sustain visitation and minimize impacts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cahill, K.L.; Marion, J.L.; Lawson, S.R.

2008-01-01

Protected natural area managers are challenged to provide high quality recreation opportunities and ensure the protection of resources from impacts associated with visitation. Development of visitor use facilities and application of site hardening practices are commonly applied tools for achieving these competing management objectives. This study applies stated choice analysis to examine visitor opinions on acceptability when they are asked to make tradeoffs among competing social, resource and management attributes in backcountry and frontcountry settings of Acadia National Park. This study demonstrates that asking visitors about recreation setting attributes uni-dimensionally, a common approach, can yield less informative responses. Analyses that considered direct tradeoffs revealed more divergent opinions on acceptability for setting attributes than a unidimensional approach. Findings revealed that visitors to an accessible and popular attraction feature supported trail development options to protect resource conditions with unrestricted visitor access. In contrast, visitors to a remote undeveloped island expressed stronger support for no or limited trail development and access restrictions to protect resource conditions.

Dynamics of Different Bacterial Communities Are Capable of Generating Sustainable Electricity from Microbial Fuel Cells with Organic Waste

PubMed Central

Yamamoto, Shuji; Suzuki, Kei; Araki, Yoko; Mochihara, Hiroki; Hosokawa, Tetsuya; Kubota, Hiroko; Chiba, Yusuke; Rubaba, Owen; Tashiro, Yosuke; Futamata, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The relationship between the bacterial communities in anolyte and anode biofilms and the electrochemical properties of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated when a complex organic waste-decomposing solution was continuously supplied to MFCs as an electron donor. The current density increased gradually and was maintained at approximately 100 to 150 mA m−2. Polarization curve analyses revealed that the maximum power density was 7.4 W m−3 with an internal resistance of 110 Ω. Bacterial community structures in the organic waste-decomposing solution and MFCs differed from each other. Clonal analyses targeting 16S rRNA genes indicated that bacterial communities in the biofilms on MFCs developed to specific communities dominated by novel Geobacter. Multidimensional scaling analyses based on DGGE profiles revealed that bacterial communities in the organic waste-decomposing solution fluctuated and had no dynamic equilibrium. Bacterial communities on the anolyte in MFCs had a dynamic equilibrium with fluctuations, while those of the biofilm converged to the Geobacter-dominated structure. These bacterial community dynamics of MFCs differed from those of control-MFCs under open circuit conditions. These results suggested that bacterial communities in the anolyte and biofilm have a gentle symbiotic system through electron flow, which resulted in the advance of current density from complex organic waste. PMID:24789988

Dynamics of different bacterial communities are capable of generating sustainable electricity from microbial fuel cells with organic waste.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Shuji; Suzuki, Kei; Araki, Yoko; Mochihara, Hiroki; Hosokawa, Tetsuya; Kubota, Hiroko; Chiba, Yusuke; Rubaba, Owen; Tashiro, Yosuke; Futamata, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The relationship between the bacterial communities in anolyte and anode biofilms and the electrochemical properties of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was investigated when a complex organic waste-decomposing solution was continuously supplied to MFCs as an electron donor. The current density increased gradually and was maintained at approximately 100 to 150 mA m(-2). Polarization curve analyses revealed that the maximum power density was 7.4 W m(-3) with an internal resistance of 110 Ω. Bacterial community structures in the organic waste-decomposing solution and MFCs differed from each other. Clonal analyses targeting 16S rRNA genes indicated that bacterial communities in the biofilms on MFCs developed to specific communities dominated by novel Geobacter. Multidimensional scaling analyses based on DGGE profiles revealed that bacterial communities in the organic waste-decomposing solution fluctuated and had no dynamic equilibrium. Bacterial communities on the anolyte in MFCs had a dynamic equilibrium with fluctuations, while those of the biofilm converged to the Geobacter-dominated structure. These bacterial community dynamics of MFCs differed from those of control-MFCs under open circuit conditions. These results suggested that bacterial communities in the anolyte and biofilm have a gentle symbiotic system through electron flow, which resulted in the advance of current density from complex organic waste.

Transcriptome analyses reveal genotype- and developmental stage-specific molecular responses to drought and salinity stresses in chickpea

PubMed Central

Garg, Rohini; Shankar, Rama; Thakkar, Bijal; Kudapa, Himabindu; Krishnamurthy, Lakshmanan; Mantri, Nitin; Varshney, Rajeev K.; Bhatia, Sabhyata; Jain, Mukesh

2016-01-01

Drought and salinity are the major factors that limit chickpea production worldwide. We performed whole transcriptome analyses of chickpea genotypes to investigate the molecular basis of drought and salinity stress response/adaptation. Phenotypic analyses confirmed the contrasting responses of the chickpea genotypes to drought or salinity stress. RNA-seq of the roots of drought and salinity related genotypes was carried out under control and stress conditions at vegetative and/or reproductive stages. Comparative analysis of the transcriptomes revealed divergent gene expression in the chickpea genotypes at different developmental stages. We identified a total of 4954 and 5545 genes exclusively regulated in drought-tolerant and salinity-tolerant genotypes, respectively. A significant fraction (~47%) of the transcription factor encoding genes showed differential expression under stress. The key enzymes involved in metabolic pathways, such as carbohydrate metabolism, photosynthesis, lipid metabolism, generation of precursor metabolites/energy, protein modification, redox homeostasis and cell wall component biogenesis, were affected by drought and/or salinity stresses. Interestingly, transcript isoforms showed expression specificity across the chickpea genotypes and/or developmental stages as illustrated by the AP2-EREBP family members. Our findings provide insights into the transcriptome dynamics and components of regulatory network associated with drought and salinity stress responses in chickpea. PMID:26759178

Mesenchymal stem cell's secretome promotes selective enrichment of cancer stem-like cells with specific cytogenetic profile.

PubMed

Jiménez, Gema; Hackenberg, Michael; Catalina, Purificación; Boulaiz, Houria; Griñán-Lisón, Carmen; García, María Ángel; Perán, Macarena; López-Ruiz, Elena; Ramírez, Alberto; Morata-Tarifa, Cynthia; Carrasco, Esther; Aguilera, Margarita; Marchal, Juan Antonio

2018-08-10

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis and cancer recurrence, however the involvement of microenvironment is crucial. Here, we have analyzed how human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived conditioned medium (CM) affect colon and melanoma CSCs enrichment and maintenance. Our results strongly suggest that the secretome of CM-MSCs selects and maintains subpopulations with high expression of CSCs markers and ALDH1 activity, low proliferation rates with G1 phase arrest, and notably retain in vivo these properties. Cytogenetic analyses indicated that CM-cultured cells contain alterations in chromosome 17 (17q25). Subsequent SKY-FISH analyses suggested that genes located in 17q25 might be involved in stem-cell maintenance. The characterization of secreted proteins present in CM-MSCs revealed that four cytokines and seven growth factors are directly linked to the CSCs enrichment reported in this study. Further analyses revealed that the combination of just IL6 and HGF is enough to provide cancer cells with better stemness properties. In conclusion, this study demonstrates how specific chromosomal alterations present in CSCs subpopulations might represent an advantage for their in vitro maintenance and in vivo stemness properties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phylogenetic estimation and morphological evolution of Arundinarieae (Bambusoideae: Poaceae) based on plastome phylogenomic analysis.

PubMed

Attigala, Lakshmi; Wysocki, William P; Duvall, Melvin R; Clark, Lynn G

2016-08-01

We explored phylogenetic relationships among the twelve lineages of the temperate woody bamboo clade (tribe Arundinarieae) based on plastid genome (plastome) sequence data. A representative sample of 28 taxa was used and maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses were conducted to estimate the Arundinarieae phylogeny. All the previously recognized clades of Arundinarieae were supported, with Ampelocalamus calcareus (Clade XI) as sister to the rest of the temperate woody bamboos. Well supported sister relationships between Bergbambos tessellata (Clade I) and Thamnocalamus spathiflorus (Clade VII) and between Kuruna (Clade XII) and Chimonocalmus (Clade III) were revealed by the current study. The plastome topology was tested by taxon removal experiments and alternative hypothesis testing and the results supported the current plastome phylogeny as robust. Neighbor-net analyses showed few phylogenetic signal conflicts, but suggested some potentially complex relationships among these taxa. Analyses of morphological character evolution of rhizomes and reproductive structures revealed that pachymorph rhizomes were most likely the ancestral state in Arundinarieae. In contrast leptomorph rhizomes either evolved once with reversions to the pachymorph condition or multiple times in Arundinarieae. Further, pseudospikelets evolved independently at least twice in the Arundinarieae, but the ancestral state is ambiguous. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction based on palynofacies analyses of the Cansona Formation (Late Cretaceous), Sinú-San Jacinto Basin, northwest Colombia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juliao-Lemus, Tatiana; Carvalho, Marcelo de Araujo; Torres, Diego; Plata, Angelo; Parra, Carlos

2016-08-01

To reconstruct the paleoenvironments of the Cansona Formation, a Cretaceous succession in Colombia that has controversial paleoenvironmental interpretation, occasionally deep marine and occasionally shallow marine, palynofacies analyses were conducted on 93 samples from four sections of the Sinú San Jacinto Basin in the north, midwest, and southwest sectors. For the palynofacies analyses, the kerogen categories were counted and subjected to cluster analyses. Four palynofacies associations were revealed for the four sections: Palynofacies Association I (PA I), which consisted of microforaminiferal linings, scolecodonts, dinoflagellate cysts, pollen grains, and fungi hyphae; PA II, which consisted of phytoclast translucent non-biostructured and biostructured, opaque phytoclasts (equidimensional and lath shaped); PA III, which consisted of pseudoamorphous particles, cuticles, resin, and fungal spores; and PA IV, which consisted of fluorescent and non-fluorescent amorphous organic matter and the fresh-water algae Botryococcus. In contrast to early studies that suggested a generalization of the depositional environment for the Cansona Formation (deep or shallow conditions), this study suggests that the formation reflects conspicuous stratigraphic and lateral changes and hence different depositional environments. The Cerro Cansona (CC4 section) and Chalán (AP section) areas are a more marine proximal settings (Early Campanian-Maastrichtian), and there is an intermediate setting for the Lorica area (SC section) and deeper conditions for the Montería area (CP2 section).

Who in Europe Works beyond the State Pension Age and under which Conditions? Results from SHARE.

PubMed

Wahrendorf, Morten; Akinwale, Bola; Landy, Rebecca; Matthews, Katey; Blane, David

2017-01-01

There is much research about those who exit the labour market prematurely, however, comparatively little is known about people working longer and about their employment and working conditions. In this paper, we describe the employment and working conditions of men and women working between 65 and 80 years, and compare them with previous conditions of those retired in the same age group. Analyses are based on wave 4 data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) with information collected between 2009 and 2011 from 17,625 older men and women across 16 European countries. Besides socio-demographic and health-related factors (physical and mental health), the focus lies on employment conditions (e.g. employment status, occupational position and working hours) and on stressful working conditions, measured in terms of low control at work and effort-reward imbalance. In case of retired people, information on working conditions refer to the last job before retirement. Following descriptive analyses, we then conduct multivariable analyses and investigate how working conditions and poor health are related to labour market participation (i.e. random intercept models accounting for country affiliation and adjusted for potential confounders). Results illustrate that people working between the ages of 65 and 80 are more likely to be self-employed (either with or without employees) and work in advantaged occupational positions. Furthermore, findings reveal that psychosocial working conditions are generally better than the conditions retired respondents had in their last job. Finally, in contrast to those who work, health tends to be worse among retired people. In conclusion, findings deliver empirical evidence that paid employment beyond age 65 is more common among self-employed workers throughout Europe, in advantaged occupations and under-favourable psychosocial circumstances, and that this group of workers are in considerably good mental and physical health. This highlights that policies aimed at increasing the state pension age beyond the age of 65 years put pressure on specific disadvantaged groups of men and women.

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

Stochaj, W.R.; Grossman, A.R.

One- and two-dimensional sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunological analyses were used to visualize differences in polypeptides synthesized by Symbiodinium sp. from the anemone Aiptasia pallida when grown in the cultured and endosymbiotic states (freshly isolated zooxanthellae). Surprisingly, a comparison of proteins in cultured and endosymbiotic Symbiodinium sp. revealed only four major polypeptides with similar isoelectric and molecular mass characteristics. Using monospecific antibodies, we demonstrated differences in specific proteins synthesized by the dinoflagellate in the two different growth states. The dimeric, 14 kDa form of the peripheral membrane peridinin-chlorophyll a binding protein predominates under endosymbiotic conditions, whereas the monomeric, 35more » kDa form predominates under the culture conditions used in this study. Antibodies to form II ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase revealed 62 and 60 kDa forms of this protein in the alga grown as an endosymbiont and in culture, respectively. Differences in the integral membrane peridinin-chlorophyll a-c-binding proteins were also observed. These results demonstrate that there are major changes in the populations of proteins synthesized by Symbiodinium sp. in response to the conditions in hospite. Such changes may reflect a developmental switch that tailors the physiology of the alga to the conditions encountered in the endosymbiotic state. 77 refs., 6 figs.« less

Cenomanian-Turonian transition in a shallow water sequence of the Sinai, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gertsch, B.; Keller, G.; Adatte, T.; Berner, Z.; Kassab, A. S.; Tantawy, A. A. A.; El-Sabbagh, A. M.; Stueben, D.

2010-01-01

Environmental and depositional changes across the Late Cenomanian oceanic anoxic event (OAE2) in the Sinai, Egypt, are examined based on biostratigraphy, mineralogy, δ13C values and phosphorus analyses. Comparison with the Pueblo, Colorado, stratotype section reveals the Whadi El Ghaib section as stratigraphically complete across the late Cenomanian-early Turonian. Foraminifera are dominated by high-stress planktic and benthic assemblages characterized by low diversity, low-oxygen and low-salinity tolerant species, which mark shallow-water oceanic dysoxic conditions during OAE2. Oyster biostromes suggest deposition occurred in less than 50 m depths in low-oxygen, brackish, and nutrient-rich waters. Their demise prior to the peak δ13C excursion is likely due to a rising sea-level. Characteristic OAE2 anoxic conditions reached this coastal region only at the end of the δ13C plateau in deeper waters near the end of the Cenomanian. Increased phosphorus accumulations before and after the δ13C excursion suggest higher oxic conditions and increased detrital input. Bulk-rock and clay mineralogy indicate humid climate conditions, increased continental runoff and a rising sea up to the first δ13C peak. Above this interval, a dryer and seasonally well-contrasted climate with intermittently dry conditions prevailed. These results reveal the globally synchronous δ13C shift, but delayed effects of OAE2 dependent on water depth.

Classification and regression tree (CART) analyses of genomic signatures reveal sets of tetramers that discriminate temperature optima of archaea and bacteria

PubMed Central

Dyer, Betsey D.; Kahn, Michael J.; LeBlanc, Mark D.

2008-01-01

Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was applied to genome-wide tetranucleotide frequencies (genomic signatures) of 195 archaea and bacteria. Although genomic signatures have typically been used to classify evolutionary divergence, in this study, convergent evolution was the focus. Temperature optima for most of the organisms examined could be distinguished by CART analyses of tetranucleotide frequencies. This suggests that pervasive (nonlinear) qualities of genomes may reflect certain environmental conditions (such as temperature) in which those genomes evolved. The predominant use of GAGA and AGGA as the discriminating tetramers in CART models suggests that purine-loading and codon biases of thermophiles may explain some of the results. PMID:19054742

Qualitative and quantitative studies of chemical composition of sandarac resin by GC-MS.

PubMed

Kononenko, I; de Viguerie, L; Rochut, S; Walter, Ph

2017-01-01

The chemical composition of sandarac resin was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Six compounds with labdane and pimarane skeletons were identified in the resin. The obtained mass spectra were interpreted and the mass spectrometric behaviour of these diterpenoids under EI conditions was described. Quantitative analysis by the method of internal standard revealed that identified diterpenoids represent only 10-30% of the analysed sample. The sandarac resin from different suppliers was analysed (from Kremer, Okhra, Color Rare, La Marchande de Couleurs, L'Atelier Montessori, Hevea). The analysis of different lumps of resins showed that the chemical composition differs from one lump to another, varying mainly in the relative distributions of the components.

Effect of added thiamine on the key odorant compounds and aroma of cooked ham.

PubMed

Thomas, Caroline; Mercier, Frédéric; Tournayre, Pascal; Martin, Jean-Luc; Berdagué, Jean-Louis

2015-04-15

This study shows that thiamine plays a major role in the formation of three key odorants of cooked ham: 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, 2-methyl-3-methyldithiofuran, and bis(2-methyl-3-furyl)disulphide. Analyses revealed that under identical cooking conditions, the productions of these three aroma compounds increase in a closely intercorrelated way when the dose of thiamine increases. Using a specific 2-methyl-3-furanthiol extraction-quantification method, it was possible to relate the amounts of thiamine added in model cooked hams to the amounts of 2-methyl-3-furanthiol produced in the cooking process. Sensory analyses highlighted the role of thiamine as a precursor of cooked ham aroma. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Stability and chaotification of vibration isolation floating raft systems with time-delayed feedback control.

PubMed

Li, Y L; Xu, D L; Fu, Y M; Zhou, J X

2011-09-01

This paper presents a systematic study on the stability of a two-dimensional vibration isolation floating raft system with a time-delayed feedback control. Based on the generalized Sturm criterion, the critical control gain for the delay-independent stability region and critical time delays for the stability switches are derived. The critical conditions can provide a theoretical guidance of chaotification design for line spectra reduction. Numerical simulations verify the correctness of the approach. Bifurcation analyses reveal that chaotification is more likely to occur in unstable region defined by these critical conditions, and the stiffness of the floating raft and mass ratio are the sensitive parameters to reduce critical control gain.

Genomic signatures of adaptation to wine biological ageing conditions in biofilm-forming flor yeasts.

PubMed

Coi, A L; Bigey, F; Mallet, S; Marsit, S; Zara, G; Gladieux, P; Galeote, V; Budroni, M; Dequin, S; Legras, J L

2017-04-01

The molecular and evolutionary processes underlying fungal domestication remain largely unknown despite the importance of fungi to bioindustry and for comparative adaptation genomics in eukaryotes. Wine fermentation and biological ageing are performed by strains of S. cerevisiae with, respectively, pelagic fermentative growth on glucose and biofilm aerobic growth utilizing ethanol. Here, we use environmental samples of wine and flor yeasts to investigate the genomic basis of yeast adaptation to contrasted anthropogenic environments. Phylogenetic inference and population structure analysis based on single nucleotide polymorphisms revealed a group of flor yeasts separated from wine yeasts. A combination of methods revealed several highly differentiated regions between wine and flor yeasts, and analyses using codon-substitution models for detecting molecular adaptation identified sites under positive selection in the high-affinity transporter gene ZRT1. The cross-population composite likelihood ratio revealed selective sweeps at three regions, including in the hexose transporter gene HXT7, the yapsin gene YPS6 and the membrane protein coding gene MTS27. Our analyses also revealed that the biological ageing environment has led to the accumulation of numerous mutations in proteins from several networks, including Flo11 regulation and divalent metal transport. Together, our findings suggest that the tuning of FLO11 expression and zinc transport networks are a distinctive feature of the genetic changes underlying the domestication of flor yeasts. Our study highlights the multiplicity of genomic changes underlying yeast adaptation to man-made habitats and reveals that flor/wine yeast lineage can serve as a useful model for studying the genomics of adaptive divergence. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Stability of spermine oxidase to thermal and chemical denaturation: comparison with bovine serum amine oxidase.

PubMed

Cervelli, Manuela; Leonetti, Alessia; Cervoni, Laura; Ohkubo, Shinji; Xhani, Marla; Stano, Pasquale; Federico, Rodolfo; Polticelli, Fabio; Mariottini, Paolo; Agostinelli, Enzo

2016-10-01

Spermine oxidase (SMOX) is a flavin-containing enzyme that specifically oxidizes spermine to produce spermidine, 3-aminopropanaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide. While no crystal structure is available for any mammalian SMOX, X-ray crystallography showed that the yeast Fms1 polyamine oxidase has a dimeric structure. Based on this scenario, we have investigated the quaternary structure of the SMOX protein by native gel electrophoresis, which revealed a composite gel band pattern, suggesting the formation of protein complexes. All high-order protein complexes are sensitive to reducing conditions, showing that disulfide bonds were responsible for protein complexes formation. The major gel band other than the SMOX monomer is the covalent SMOX homodimer, which was disassembled by increasing the reducing conditions, while being resistant to other denaturing conditions. Homodimeric and monomeric SMOXs are catalytically active, as revealed after gel staining for enzymatic activity. An engineered SMOX mutant deprived of all but two cysteine residues was prepared and characterized experimentally, resulting in a monomeric species. High-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry of SMOX was compared with that of bovine serum amine oxidase, to analyse their thermal stability. Furthermore, enzymatic activity assays and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to gain insight into the unfolding process.

Comparison of the validity of the use of the spontaneously hypertensive rat as a model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in males and females.

PubMed

Bayless, Daniel W; Perez, Maria C; Daniel, Jill M

2015-06-01

The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) is a commonly used and well-studied rodent model of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Sex differences in the cognitive symptoms of ADHD are reported. However, the female SHR rat is much less studied than its male counterpart. The goal of the current study was to assess the validity of the SHR rodent model of ADHD by examining attentional performance, inhibitory control, and hyperactivity in both male and female SHR rats. Adult SHR and control Wistar-Kyoto rats were trained on the 5-choice serial reaction time task, a self-paced test of attention and inhibitory control. This task requires animals to identify the location of a brief light stimulus among five possible locations under several challenging conditions. Analyses of percent correct revealed that attentional performance in SHR females was not significantly different from control females, whereas attentional performance in SHR males was significantly different from control males. Analyses of the number of premature responses revealed that SHR rats made more inhibitory control errors than did control rats and that this decrease in inhibitory control was present in both SHR males and females. Analyses of activity in the open field revealed that SHR rats were more hyperactive than were control rats and that this increased hyperactivity was present in both SHR males and females. The current findings have implications for the study of sex differences in ADHD and for the use of SHR rats as a model of ADHD in females. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multicomponent analysis of a digital Trail Making Test.

PubMed

Fellows, Robert P; Dahmen, Jessamyn; Cook, Diane; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

2017-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to use a newly developed digital tablet-based variant of the TMT to isolate component cognitive processes underlying TMT performance. Similar to the paper-based trail making test, this digital variant consists of two conditions, Part A and Part B. However, this digital version automatically collects additional data to create component subtest scores to isolate cognitive abilities. Specifically, in addition to the total time to completion and number of errors, the digital Trail Making Test (dTMT) records several unique components including the number of pauses, pause duration, lifts, lift duration, time inside each circle, and time between circles. Participants were community-dwelling older adults who completed a neuropsychological evaluation including measures of processing speed, inhibitory control, visual working memory/sequencing, and set-switching. The abilities underlying TMT performance were assessed through regression analyses of component scores from the dTMT with traditional neuropsychological measures. Results revealed significant correlations between paper and digital variants of Part A (r s  = .541, p < .001) and paper and digital versions of Part B (r s  = .799, p < .001). Regression analyses with traditional neuropsychological measures revealed that Part A components were best predicted by speeded processing, while inhibitory control and visual/spatial sequencing were predictors of specific components of Part B. Exploratory analyses revealed that specific dTMT-B components were associated with a performance-based medication management task. Taken together, these results elucidate specific cognitive abilities underlying TMT performance, as well as the utility of isolating digital components.

Autonomic dysregulation in burnout and depression: evidence for the central role of exhaustion.

PubMed

Kanthak, Magdalena K; Stalder, Tobias; Hill, LaBarron K; Thayer, Julian F; Penz, Marlene; Kirschbaum, Clemens

2017-09-01

Objectives Given the important role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in stress regulation, astonishingly little is known about ANS functioning in burnout, a condition arising after prolonged exposure to work-related stress. The current study sought to investigate ANS modulation, as indexed by vagally-mediated heart rate variability (HRV), in relation to burnout symptomatology to (i) distinguish associations between the three dimensions of burnout [emotional exhaustion (EE), cynicism, reduced personal accomplishment] and (ii) investigate overlap in associations with depressive symptomatology. Methods Assessments of vagally-mediated HRV (ie, root mean square of successive differences, RMSSD) were conducted in a large population-based sample from the Dresden Burnout Study [N=410, mean age 42.2, standard deviation (SD) 11.2 years; 33.4% male]. Vagally-mediated HRV was assessed for 90 seconds during an emotionally-arousing situation (venipuncture, recumbent), a 335-second recumbent recovery period, and a 335-second seated resting condition. Results Results from multiple linear regression analyses revealed that EE was negatively related to RMSSD during venipuncture (=β -0.11, P=0.03) and the seated rest (β= -0.09, P=0.04) even after accounting for established ANS modulators (eg, age, body mass index). This pattern was not observed for the other dimensions of burnout. Exploratory analyses of depressive symptomatology further revealed that RMSSD was significantly and inversely associated with burnout-related symptoms but not with the core criteria of depression (eg, depressed mood). Conclusions This study presents evidence for a link between exhaustion and reduced vagal function, both in burnout and depression, suggesting that ANS modulations may not be disorder-specific but rather a psychophysiological correlate of an underlying feature shared by both conditions.

Functional genomics of pH homeostasis in Corynebacterium glutamicum revealed novel links between pH response, oxidative stress, iron homeostasis and methionine synthesis

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background The maintenance of internal pH in bacterial cells is challenged by natural stress conditions, during host infection or in biotechnological production processes. Comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic analyses has been conducted in several bacterial model systems, yet questions remain as to the mechanisms of pH homeostasis. Results Here we present the comprehensive analysis of pH homeostasis in C. glutamicum, a bacterium of industrial importance. At pH values between 6 and 9 effective maintenance of the internal pH at 7.5 ± 0.5 pH units was found. By DNA microarray analyses differential mRNA patterns were identified. The expression profiles were validated and extended by 1D-LC-ESI-MS/MS based quantification of soluble and membrane proteins. Regulators involved were identified and thereby participation of numerous signaling modules in pH response was found. The functional analysis revealed for the first time the occurrence of oxidative stress in C. glutamicum cells at neutral and low pH conditions accompanied by activation of the iron starvation response. Intracellular metabolite pool analysis unraveled inhibition of the TCA and other pathways at low pH. Methionine and cysteine synthesis were found to be activated via the McbR regulator, cysteine accumulation was observed and addition of cysteine was shown to be toxic under acidic conditions. Conclusions Novel limitations for C. glutamicum at non-optimal pH values were identified by a comprehensive analysis on the level of the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome indicating a functional link between pH acclimatization, oxidative stress, iron homeostasis, and metabolic alterations. The results offer new insights into bacterial stress physiology and new starting points for bacterial strain design or pathogen defense. PMID:20025733

Microbial sulfate reduction and metal attenuation in pH 4 acid mine water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, C.D.; Wilkin, R.T.; Alpers, Charles N.; Rye, R.O.; Blaine, R.B.

2007-01-01

Sediments recovered from the flooded mine workings of the Penn Mine, a Cu-Zn mine abandoned since the early 1960s, were cultured for anaerobic bacteria over a range of pH (4.0 to 7.5). The molecular biology of sediments and cultures was studied to determine whether sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were active in moderately acidic conditions present in the underground mine workings. Here we document multiple, independent analyses and show evidence that sulfate reduction and associated metal attenuation are occurring in the pH-4 mine environment. Water-chemistry analyses of the mine water reveal: (1) preferential complexation and precipitation by H2S of Cu and Cd, relative to Zn; (2) stable isotope ratios of 34S/32S and 18O/16O in dissolved SO4 that are 2-3 ??? heavier in the mine water, relative to those in surface waters; (3) reduction/oxidation conditions and dissolved gas concentrations consistent with conditions to support anaerobic processes such as sulfate reduction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of sediment show 1.5-micrometer, spherical ZnS precipitates. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of Penn Mine sediment show a high biomass level with a moderately diverse community structure composed primarily of iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Cultures of sediment from the mine produced dissolved sulfide at pH values near 7 and near 4, forming precipitates of either iron sulfide or elemental sulfur. DGGE coupled with sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA gene segments showed populations of Desulfosporosinus and Desulfitobacterium in Penn Mine sediment and laboratory cultures. ?? 2007 Church et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Microbial sulfate reduction and metal attenuation in pH 4 acid mine water

PubMed Central

Church, Clinton D; Wilkin, Richard T; Alpers, Charles N; Rye, Robert O; McCleskey, R Blaine

2007-01-01

Sediments recovered from the flooded mine workings of the Penn Mine, a Cu-Zn mine abandoned since the early 1960s, were cultured for anaerobic bacteria over a range of pH (4.0 to 7.5). The molecular biology of sediments and cultures was studied to determine whether sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were active in moderately acidic conditions present in the underground mine workings. Here we document multiple, independent analyses and show evidence that sulfate reduction and associated metal attenuation are occurring in the pH-4 mine environment. Water-chemistry analyses of the mine water reveal: (1) preferential complexation and precipitation by H2S of Cu and Cd, relative to Zn; (2) stable isotope ratios of 34S/32S and 18O/16O in dissolved SO4 that are 2–3 ‰ heavier in the mine water, relative to those in surface waters; (3) reduction/oxidation conditions and dissolved gas concentrations consistent with conditions to support anaerobic processes such as sulfate reduction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses of sediment show 1.5-micrometer, spherical ZnS precipitates. Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of Penn Mine sediment show a high biomass level with a moderately diverse community structure composed primarily of iron- and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Cultures of sediment from the mine produced dissolved sulfide at pH values near 7 and near 4, forming precipitates of either iron sulfide or elemental sulfur. DGGE coupled with sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA gene segments showed populations of Desulfosporosinus and Desulfitobacterium in Penn Mine sediment and laboratory cultures. PMID:17956615

Mediators of Effects of a Selective Family-Focused Violence Prevention Approach for Middle School Students

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

This study examined how parenting and family characteristics targeted in a selective prevention program mediated effects on key youth proximal outcomes related to violence perpetration. The selective intervention was evaluated within the context of a multi-site trial involving random assignment of 37 schools to four conditions: a universal intervention composed of a student social-cognitive curriculum and teacher training, a selective family-focused intervention with a subset of high-risk students, a condition combining these two interventions, and a no-intervention control condition. Two cohorts of sixth-grade students (total N=1,062) exhibiting high levels of aggression and social influence were the sample for this study. Analyses of pre-post change compared to controls using intent-to-treat analyses found no significant effects. However, estimates incorporating participation of those assigned to the intervention and predicted participation among those not assigned revealed significant positive effects on student aggression, use of aggressive strategies for conflict management, and parental estimation of student’s valuing of achievement. Findings also indicated intervention effects on two targeted family processes: discipline practices and family cohesion. Mediation analyses found evidence that change in these processes mediated effects on some outcomes, notably aggressive behavior and valuing of school achievement. Results support the notion that changing parenting practices and the quality of family relationships can prevent the escalation in aggression and maintain positive school engagement for high-risk youth. PMID:21932067

Aerial somersault performance under three visual conditions.

PubMed

Hondzinski, J M; Darling, W G

2001-07-01

Experiments were designed to examine the visual contributions to performance of back aerial double somersaults by collegiate acrobats. Somersaults were performed on a trampoline under three visual conditions: (a) NORMAL acuity; (b) REDUCED acuity (subjects wore special contacts that blocked light reflected onto the central retina); and (c) NO VISION. Videotaped skill performances were rated by two NCAA judges and digitized for kinematic analyses. Subjects' performance scores were similar in NORMAL and REDUCED conditions and lowest in the NO VISION condition. Control of body movement, indicated by time-to-contact, was most variable in the NO VISION condition. Profiles of angular head and neck velocity revealed that when subjects could see, they slowed their heads prior to touchdown in time to process optical flow information and prepare for landing. There was not always enough time to process vision associated with object identification and prepare for touchdown. It was concluded that collegiate acrobats do not need to identify objects for their best back aerial double somersault performance.

Cadmium-isotopic evidence for increasing primary productivity during the Late Permian anoxic event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Georgiev, Svetoslav V.; Horner, Tristan J.; Stein, Holly J.; Hannah, Judith L.; Bingen, Bernard; Rehkämper, Mark

2015-01-01

Earth's most extreme extinction event near the end of the Late Permian decimated more than 90% of all extant marine species. Widespread and intensive oceanic anoxia almost certainly contributed to the catastrophe, though the driving mechanisms that sustained such conditions are still debated. Of particular interest is whether water column anoxia was a consequence of a 'stagnant ocean', or if it was controlled by increases in nutrient supply, primary productivity, and subsequent heterotrophic respiration. Testing these competing hypotheses requires deconvolving sedimentary/bottom water redox conditions from changes in surface water productivity in marine sediments. We address this issue by studying marine shales from East Greenland and the mid-Norwegian shelf and combining sedimentary redox proxies with cadmium-isotopic analyses. Sedimentary nitrogen-isotopic data, pyrite framboid analyses, and organic and inorganic shale geochemistry reveal sulfidic conditions with vigorous upwelling, and increasingly anoxic conditions with a strengthening upwelling in the Greenland and Norwegian sections, respectively. Detailed analysis of sedimentary metal budgets illustrates that Cd is primarily associated with organic carbon and records primary geochemical signatures, thus enabling reconstruction of surface water nutrient utilization. Cadmium-isotopic analyses of the authigenic shale fraction released by inverse aqua regia digestion yield an average δ114Cd110 of + 0.15 ± 0.01 ‰ (2 SE, n = 12; rel. NIST SRM 3108), indicative of incomplete surface water nutrient utilization up-section. The constant degree of nutrient utilization combined with strong upwelling requires increasing primary productivity - and not oceanic stagnation - to balance the larger nutrient fluxes to both study sites during the development of the Late Permian water column anoxia. Overall, our data illustrate that if bottom water redox and upwelling can be adequately constrained, Cd-isotopic analyses of organic-rich sediments can be used to provide valuable information on nutrient utilization and therefore past productivity.

Association of achondroplasia with Down syndrome: difficulty in prenatal diagnosis by sonographic and 3-D helical computed tomographic analyses.

PubMed

Kaga, Akimune; Murotsuki, Jun; Kamimura, Miki; Kimura, Masato; Saito-Hakoda, Akiko; Kanno, Junko; Hoshi, Kazuhiko; Kure, Shigeo; Fujiwara, Ikuma

2015-05-01

Achondroplasia and Down syndrome are relatively common conditions individually. But co-occurrence of both conditions in the same patient is rare and there have been no reports of fetal analysis of this condition by prenatal sonographic and three-dimensional (3-D) helical computed tomography (CT). Prenatal sonographic findings seen in persons with Down syndrome, such as a thickened nuchal fold, cardiac defects, and echogenic bowel were not found in the patient. A prenatal 3-D helical CT revealed a large head with frontal bossing, metaphyseal flaring of the long bones, and small iliac wings, which suggested achondroplasia. In a case with combination of achondroplasia and Down syndrome, it may be difficult to diagnose the co-occurrence prenatally without typical markers of Down syndrome. © 2014 Japanese Teratology Society.

Intervention Effects on Foster Preschoolers’ Attachment-Related Behaviors From a Randomized Trial

PubMed Central

Fisher, Philip A.; Kim, Hyoun K.

2008-01-01

This study examines change in attachment-related behaviors among foster preschoolers participating in a randomized trial of the Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care Program for Preschoolers (MTFC-P). Measures of secure, resistant, and avoidant behaviors were collected using a caregiver-report diary at 3-month intervals during the 12 months following a new foster placement. Children randomly assigned to the MTFC-P intervention condition (n = 57) showed significant increases in secure behavior and significant decreases in avoidant behavior relative to children assigned to a regular foster care condition (n = 60). Both groups showed significant decreases in resistant behavior over time. Analyses also revealed a significant interaction between treatment condition and age at first foster placement on change in secure behavior. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of early intervention and prevention services for foster preschoolers. PMID:17340186

Regional-scale drivers of marine nematode distribution in Southern Ocean continental shelf sediments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauquier, Freija; Verleyen, Elie; Tytgat, Bjorn; Vanreusel, Ann

2018-07-01

Many marine meiofauna taxa seem to possess cosmopolitan species distributions, despite their endobenthic lifestyle and restricted long-distance dispersal capacities. In light of this paradox we used a metacommunity framework to study spatial turnover in free-living nematode distribution and assess the importance of local environmental conditions in explaining differences between communities in surface and subsurface sediments of the Southern Ocean continental shelf. We analysed nematode community structure in two sediment layers (0-3 cm and 3-5 cm) of locations maximum 2400 km apart. We first focused on a subset of locations to evaluate whether the genus level is sufficiently taxonomically fine-grained to study large-scale patterns in nematode community structure. We subsequently used redundancy and variation partitioning analyses to quantify the unique and combined effects of local environmental conditions and spatial descriptors on genus-level community composition. Macroecological patterns in community structure were highly congruent at the genus and species level. Nematode community composition was highly divergent between both depth strata, likely as a result of local abiotic conditions. Variation in community structure between the different regions largely stemmed from turnover (i.e. genus/species replacement) rather than nestedness (i.e. genus/species loss). The level of turnover among communities increased with geographic distance and was more pronounced in subsurface layers compared to surface sediments. Variation partitioning analysis revealed that both environmental and spatial predictors significantly explained variation in community structure. Moreover, the shared fraction of both sets of variables was high, which suggested a substantial amount of spatially structured environmental variation. Additionally, the effect of space independent of environment was much higher than the effect of environment independent of space, which shows the importance of including spatial descriptors in meiofauna and nematode community ecology. Large-scale assessment of free-living nematode diversity and abundance in the Southern Ocean shelf zone revealed strong horizontal and vertical spatial structuring in response to local environmental conditions, in combination with (most likely) dispersal limitation.

Parametric analyses of summative scores may lead to conflicting inferences when comparing groups: A simulation study.

PubMed

Khan, Asaduzzaman; Chien, Chi-Wen; Bagraith, Karl S

2015-04-01

To investigate whether using a parametric statistic in comparing groups leads to different conclusions when using summative scores from rating scales compared with using their corresponding Rasch-based measures. A Monte Carlo simulation study was designed to examine between-group differences in the change scores derived from summative scores from rating scales, and those derived from their corresponding Rasch-based measures, using 1-way analysis of variance. The degree of inconsistency between the 2 scoring approaches (i.e. summative and Rasch-based) was examined, using varying sample sizes, scale difficulties and person ability conditions. This simulation study revealed scaling artefacts that could arise from using summative scores rather than Rasch-based measures for determining the changes between groups. The group differences in the change scores were statistically significant for summative scores under all test conditions and sample size scenarios. However, none of the group differences in the change scores were significant when using the corresponding Rasch-based measures. This study raises questions about the validity of the inference on group differences of summative score changes in parametric analyses. Moreover, it provides a rationale for the use of Rasch-based measures, which can allow valid parametric analyses of rating scale data.

A molecular genetic examination of the mating system of pumpkinseed sunfish reveals high pay-offs for specialized sneakers.

PubMed

Rios-Cardenas, Oscar; Webster, Michael S

2008-05-01

Intrasexual variation in reproductive behaviour and morphology are common in nature. Often, such variation appears to result from conditional strategies in which some individuals (e.g. younger males or those in poor condition) adopt a low pay-off phenotype as a 'best of a bad job'. Alternatively, reproductive polymorphisms can be maintained by balancing selection, with male phenotypes having equal fitnesses at equilibrium, but examples from nature are rare. Many species of sunfish (genus Lepomis) are thought to have alternative male reproductive behaviours, but most empirical work has focused on the bluegill sunfish and the mating systems of other sunfish remain poorly understood. We studied a population of pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) in upstate New York. Field observations confirm the existence of two male reproductive strategies: 'parentals' were relatively old and large males that maintained nests, and 'sneakers' were relatively young and small males that fertilize eggs by darting into nests of parentals during spawning. The sneaker and parental male strategies appear to be distinct life-history trajectories. Sneaker males represented 39% of the males observed spawning, and sneakers intruded on 43% of all mating attempts. Microsatellite analyses revealed that sneaker males fertilized an average of 15% of the eggs within a nest. This level of paternity by sneaker males appears to be higher than seen in most other fishes, and preliminary analyses suggest that the two male reproductive strategies are maintained as a balanced polymorphism.

Response of Burkholderia cenocepacia H111 to Micro-Oxia

PubMed Central

Pessi, Gabriella; Braunwalder, Rubina; Grunau, Alexander; Omasits, Ulrich; Ahrens, Christian H.; Eberl, Leo

2013-01-01

B. cenocepacia is an opportunistic human pathogen that is particularly problematic for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). In the CF lung bacteria grow to high densities within the viscous mucus that is limited in oxygen. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the dominant pathogen in CF patients, is known to grow and survive under oxygen-limited to anaerobic conditions by using micro-oxic respiration, denitrification and fermentative pathways. In contrast, inspection of the genome sequences of available B. cenocepacia strains suggested that B. cenocepacia is an obligate aerobic and non-fermenting bacterium. In accordance with the bioinformatics analysis we observed that B. cenocepacia H111 is able to grow with as little as 0.1% O2 but not under strictly anoxic conditions. Phenotypic analyses revealed that H111 produced larger amounts of biofilm, pellicle and proteases under micro-oxic conditions (0.5%–5% O2, i.e. conditions that mimic those encountered in CF lung infection), and was more resistant to several antibiotics. RNA-Seq and shotgun proteomics analyses of cultures of B. cenocepacia H111 grown under micro-oxic and aerobic conditions showed up-regulation of genes involved in the synthesis of the exopolysaccharide (EPS) cepacian as well as several proteases, two isocitrate lyases and other genes potentially important for life in micro-oxia. Data deposition: RNA-Seq raw data files are accessible through the GEO Series accession number GSE48585. MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange database (PXD000270). PMID:24023794

Response of Burkholderia cenocepacia H111 to micro-oxia.

PubMed

Pessi, Gabriella; Braunwalder, Rubina; Grunau, Alexander; Omasits, Ulrich; Ahrens, Christian H; Eberl, Leo

2013-01-01

B. cenocepacia is an opportunistic human pathogen that is particularly problematic for patients suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). In the CF lung bacteria grow to high densities within the viscous mucus that is limited in oxygen. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the dominant pathogen in CF patients, is known to grow and survive under oxygen-limited to anaerobic conditions by using micro-oxic respiration, denitrification and fermentative pathways. In contrast, inspection of the genome sequences of available B. cenocepacia strains suggested that B. cenocepacia is an obligate aerobic and non-fermenting bacterium. In accordance with the bioinformatics analysis we observed that B. cenocepacia H111 is able to grow with as little as 0.1% O2 but not under strictly anoxic conditions. Phenotypic analyses revealed that H111 produced larger amounts of biofilm, pellicle and proteases under micro-oxic conditions (0.5%-5% O2, i.e. conditions that mimic those encountered in CF lung infection), and was more resistant to several antibiotics. RNA-Seq and shotgun proteomics analyses of cultures of B. cenocepacia H111 grown under micro-oxic and aerobic conditions showed up-regulation of genes involved in the synthesis of the exopolysaccharide (EPS) cepacian as well as several proteases, two isocitrate lyases and other genes potentially important for life in micro-oxia. RNA-Seq raw data files are accessible through the GEO Series accession number GSE48585. MS data have been deposited in the ProteomeXchange database (PXD000270).

Increasing nondonors' intention to give blood: addressing common barriers.

PubMed

Balegh, Saharnaz; Marcus, Natania; Dubuc, Sophie; Godin, Gaston; France, Christopher R; Ditto, Blaine

2016-02-01

Recruiting new donors is a challenging experience for most blood collection agencies. A modest proportion of the population is eligible to give blood and few of these individuals volunteer. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of brief behavioral interventions on nondonors' intention to give blood, by addressing some commonly reported obstacles. A total of 244 young adults who were eligible to give blood but had never done so participated in the study. They were assigned randomly to an applied tension (AT) instruction condition, a relaxation instruction condition, a Web browsing condition, or a no-treatment control condition. After the 20-minute experimental intervention, half watched three short injection and blood draw videos and the others sat quietly. Intention to give blood and different cognitive constructs associated with blood donation were measured using a Theory of Planned Behavior questionnaire. Participants in all three active conditions had significantly greater increases in intention to donate blood compared to controls, although those who learned AT had greater increases than Web browsing. Bootstrapping tests of mediation indicated particular importance of increased perceived behavioral control in AT and relaxation treatment effects. Follow-up analyses revealed a significant association between degree of within-session increase in intention and subsequent blood clinic attendance. These results suggest that simple interventions can be effective in increasing nondonors' intention to donate blood and, perhaps, actual attendance. The mediational analyses suggest that interventions can selectively target different barriers associated with blood donation. © 2015 AABB.

Effectiveness of a selective intervention program targeting personality risk factors for alcohol misuse among young adolescents: results of a cluster randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Lammers, Jeroen; Goossens, Ferry; Conrod, Patricia; Engels, Rutger; Wiers, Reinout W; Kleinjan, Marloes

2015-07-01

The effectiveness of Preventure was tested on drinking behaviour of young adolescents in secondary education in the Netherlands. A cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out, with participants assigned randomly to a two-session coping skills intervention or a control no-intervention condition. Fifteen secondary schools throughout the Netherlands; seven schools in the intervention and eight schools in the control condition. A total of 699 adolescents aged 13-15 years participated, 343 allocated to the intervention and 356 to the control condition, with drinking experience and elevated scores in either negative thinking, anxiety sensitivity, impulsivity or sensation-seeking. Preventure is a selective school-based alcohol prevention programme targeting personality risk factors. The comparator was a no-intervention control. The effects of the intervention on the primary outcome past-month binge drinking, and the secondary outcomes binge drinking frequency, alcohol use, alcohol frequency and problem drinking, were examined. The primary analyses of interest were intervention main effects at 12 months post-intervention. In addition, intervention effects on the linear development of binge drinking using a latent-growth curve approach were examined. Binge drinking rates were not significantly different between the intervention (42.9%) and control group (49.2%) at 12 months follow-up [odds ratio (OR) = 1.05, confidence interval (CI) = 0.99, 1.11]. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed no significant intervention effects on alcohol use (53.9 versus 61.5%; OR = 0.99, CI = 0.86, 1.14) and problem drinking (37.0 versus 44.7%; OR = 1.03, CI = 0.92, 1.10) at 12 months follow-up. The post-hoc latent-growth analyses revealed significant effects on the development of binge drinking (β = -0.16, P = 0.05), and binge drinking frequency (β = -0.14, P = 0.05). The alcohol prevention programme, Preventure, appears to have little or no effect on overall prevalence of binge drinking in adolescents in the Netherlands but may reduce the development of binge drinking over time. © 2015 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Influence of yield surface curvature on the macroscopic yielding and ductile failure of isotropic porous plastic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dæhli, Lars Edvard Bryhni; Morin, David; Børvik, Tore; Hopperstad, Odd Sture

2017-10-01

Numerical unit cell models of an approximative representative volume element for a porous ductile solid are utilized to investigate differences in the mechanical response between a quadratic and a non-quadratic matrix yield surface. A Hershey equivalent stress measure with two distinct values of the yield surface exponent is employed as the matrix description. Results from the unit cell calculations are further used to calibrate a heuristic extension of the Gurson model which incorporates effects of the third deviatoric stress invariant. An assessment of the porous plasticity model reveals its ability to describe the unit cell response to some extent, however underestimating the effect of the Lode parameter for the lower triaxiality ratios imposed in this study when compared to unit cell simulations. Ductile failure predictions by means of finite element simulations using a unit cell model that resembles an imperfection band are then conducted to examine how the non-quadratic matrix yield surface influences the failure strain as compared to the quadratic matrix yield surface. Further, strain localization predictions based on bifurcation analyses and imperfection band analyses are undertaken using the calibrated porous plasticity model. These simulations are then compared to the unit cell calculations in order to elucidate the differences between the various modelling strategies. The current study reveals that strain localization analyses using an imperfection band model and a spatially discretized unit cell are in reasonable agreement, while the bifurcation analyses predict higher strain levels at localization. Imperfection band analyses are finally used to calculate failure loci for the quadratic and the non-quadratic matrix yield surface under a wide range of loading conditions. The underlying matrix yield surface is demonstrated to have a pronounced influence on the onset of strain localization.

Genome-Wide Association Study in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Results from the OCGAS

PubMed Central

Mattheisen, Manuel; Samuels, Jack F.; Wang, Ying; Greenberg, Benjamin D.; Fyer, Abby J.; McCracken, James T.; Geller, Daniel A.; Murphy, Dennis L.; Knowles, James A.; Grados, Marco A.; Riddle, Mark A.; Rasmussen, Steven A.; McLaughlin, Nicole C.; Nurmi, Erica; Askland, Kathleen D.; Qin, Hai-De; Cullen, Bernadette A.; Piacentini, John; Pauls, David L.; Bienvenu, O. Joseph; Stewart, S. Evelyn; Liang, Kung-Yee; Goes, Fernando S.; Maher, Brion; Pulver, Ann E.; Shugart, Yin-Yao; Valle, David; Lange, Cristoph; Nestadt, Gerald

2014-01-01

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by intrusive thoughts and urges and repetitive, intentional behaviors that cause significant distress and impair functioning. The OCD Collaborative Genetics Association Study (OCGAS) is comprised of comprehensively assessed OCD patients, with an early age of OCD onset. After application of a stringent quality control protocol, a total of 1 065 families (containing 1 406 patients with OCD), combined with population-based samples (resulting in a total sample of 5 061 individuals), were studied. An integrative analyses pipeline was utilized, involving association testing at SNP- and gene-levels (via a hybrid approach that allowed for combined analyses of the family- and population-based data). The smallest P-value was observed for a marker on chromosome 9 (near PTPRD, P=4.13×10−7). Pre-synaptic PTPRD promotes the differentiation of glutamatergic synapses and interacts with SLITRK3. Together, both proteins selectively regulate the development of inhibitory GABAergic synapses. Although no SNPs were identified as associated with OCD at genome-wide significance level, follow-up analyses of GWAS signals from a previously published OCD study identified significant enrichment (P=0.0176). Secondary analyses of high confidence interaction partners of DLGAP1 and GRIK2 (both showing evidence for association in our follow-up and the original GWAS study) revealed a trend of association (P=0.075) for a set of genes such as NEUROD6, SV2A, GRIA4, SLC1A2, and PTPRD. Analyses at the gene-level revealed association of IQCK and C16orf88 (both P<1×10−6, experiment-wide significant), as well as OFCC1 (P=6.29×10−5). The suggestive findings in this study await replication in larger samples. PMID:24821223

Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals Novel Regulators of Growth in Drosophila melanogaster

PubMed Central

Vonesch, Sibylle Chantal; Lamparter, David; Mackay, Trudy F. C.; Bergmann, Sven; Hafen, Ernst

2016-01-01

Organismal size depends on the interplay between genetic and environmental factors. Genome-wide association (GWA) analyses in humans have implied many genes in the control of height but suffer from the inability to control the environment. Genetic analyses in Drosophila have identified conserved signaling pathways controlling size; however, how these pathways control phenotypic diversity is unclear. We performed GWA of size traits using the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel of inbred, sequenced lines. We find that the top associated variants differ between traits and sexes; do not map to canonical growth pathway genes, but can be linked to these by epistasis analysis; and are enriched for genes and putative enhancers. Performing GWA on well-studied developmental traits under controlled conditions expands our understanding of developmental processes underlying phenotypic diversity. PMID:26751788

The influence of attention on mathematical knowledge of teachers and lecturers: a comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klymchuk, Sergiy; Thomas, Michael O. J.

2011-10-01

This article reports on some findings from the project 'Analysing the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Education in Mathematics'. One of the key variables in the school to university transition is the teacher/lecturer, and here, we deal with the data analysing secondary teachers' and tertiary lecturers' responses to four mathematics questions. Elsewhere, we consider knowledge, preparedness, teaching style, etc., but this article tracks the ability to use mathematical procedures. We hypothesize that this is a function of what we pay attention to, as described in Mason's discipline of noticing. The results reveal that many teachers and lecturers fail to notice the necessary conditions for problems that imply that procedures are not always applicable. Possible reasons for this along with implications for student learning are discussed.

Nuclear genomic sequences reveal that polar bears are an old and distinct bear lineage.

PubMed

Hailer, Frank; Kutschera, Verena E; Hallström, Björn M; Klassert, Denise; Fain, Steven R; Leonard, Jennifer A; Arnason, Ulfur; Janke, Axel

2012-04-20

Recent studies have shown that the polar bear matriline (mitochondrial DNA) evolved from a brown bear lineage since the late Pleistocene, potentially indicating rapid speciation and adaption to arctic conditions. Here, we present a high-resolution data set from multiple independent loci across the nuclear genomes of a broad sample of polar, brown, and black bears. Bayesian coalescent analyses place polar bears outside the brown bear clade and date the divergence much earlier, in the middle Pleistocene, about 600 (338 to 934) thousand years ago. This provides more time for polar bear evolution and confirms previous suggestions that polar bears carry introgressed brown bear mitochondrial DNA due to past hybridization. Our results highlight that multilocus genomic analyses are crucial for an accurate understanding of evolutionary history.

Analysis of antimycin A by reversed-phase liquid chromatography/nuclear magnetic-resonance spectrometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ha, Steven T.K.; Wilkins, Charles L.; Abidi, Sharon L.

1989-01-01

A mixture of closely related streptomyces fermentation products, antimycin A, Is separated, and the components are identified by using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with directly linked 400-MHz proton nuclear magnetic resonance detection. Analyses of mixtures of three amino acids, alanine, glycine, and valine, are used to determine optimal measurement conditions. Sensitivity increases of as much as a factor of 3 are achieved, at the expense of some loss in chromatographic resolution, by use of an 80-μL NMR cell, Instead of a smaller 14-μL cell. Analysis of the antimycin A mixture, using the optimal analytical high performance liquid chromatography/nuclear magnetic resonance conditions, reveals it to consist of at least 10 closely related components.

The fungus that came in from the cold: dry rot's pre-adapted ability to invade buildings.

PubMed

Balasundaram, S V; Hess, J; Durling, M B; Moody, S C; Thorbek, L; Progida, C; LaButti, K; Aerts, A; Barry, K; Grigoriev, I V; Boddy, L; Högberg, N; Kauserud, H; Eastwood, D C; Skrede, I

2018-03-01

Many organisms benefit from being pre-adapted to niches shaped by human activity, and have successfully invaded man-made habitats. One such species is the dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans, which has a wide distribution in buildings in temperate and boreal regions, where it decomposes coniferous construction wood. Comparative genomic analyses and growth experiments using this species and its wild relatives revealed that S. lacrymans evolved a very effective brown rot decay compared to its wild relatives, enabling an extremely rapid decay in buildings under suitable conditions. Adaptations in intracellular transport machineries promoting hyphal growth, and nutrient and water transport may explain why it is has become a successful invader of timber in houses. Further, we demonstrate that S. lacrymans has poor combative ability in our experimental setup, compared to other brown rot fungi. In sheltered indoor conditions, the dry rot fungus may have limited encounters with other wood decay fungi compared to its wild relatives. Overall, our analyses indicate that the dry rot fungus is an ecological specialist with poor combative ability against other fungi.

Let it go: the flexible engagement and disengagement of monitoring processes in a non-focal prospective memory task.

PubMed

Cohen, Anna-Lisa; Gordon, Aliza; Jaudas, Alexander; Hefer, Carmen; Dreisbach, Gesine

2017-03-01

Remembering to perform a delayed intention is referred to as prospective memory (PM). In two studies, participants performed an Eriksen flanker task with an embedded PM task (they had to remember to press F1 if a pre-specified cue appeared). In study 1, participants performed a flanker task with either a concurrent PM task or a delayed PM task (instructed to carry out the intention in a later different task). In the delayed PM condition, the PM cues appeared unexpectedly early and we examined whether attention would be captured by the PM cue even though they were not relevant. Results revealed ongoing task costs solely in the concurrent PM condition but no significant task costs in the delayed PM condition showing that attention was not captured by the PM cue when it appeared in an irrelevant context. In study 2, we compared a concurrent PM condition (exactly as in Study 1) to a PM forget condition in which participants were told at a certain point during the flanker task that they no longer had to perform the PM task. Analyses revealed that participants were able to switch off attending to PM cues when instructed to forget the PM task. Results from both studies demonstrate the flexibility of monitoring as evidenced by the presence versus absence of costs in the ongoing flanker task implying that selective attention, like a lens, can be adjusted to attend or ignore, depending on intention relevance.

Comparative physiological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses reveal mechanisms of improved abiotic stress resistance in bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L). Pers.] by exogenous melatonin

PubMed Central

Shi, Haitao; Jiang, Chuan; Ye, Tiantian; Tan, Dun-xian; Reiter, Russel J.; Zhang, Heng; Liu, Renyi; Chan, Zhulong

2015-01-01

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a well-known animal hormone, is also involved in plant development and abiotic stress responses. In this study, it is shown that exogenous application of melatonin conferred improved salt, drought, and cold stress resistances in bermudagrass. Moreover, exogenous melatonin treatment alleviated reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and cell damage induced by abiotic stress; this involved activation of several antioxidants. Additionally, melatonin-pre-treated plants exhibited higher concentrations of 54 metabolites, including amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols, than non-treated plants under abiotic stress conditions. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiling identified 3933 transcripts (2361 up-regulated and 1572 down-regulated) that were differentially expressed in melatonin-treated plants versus controls. Pathway and gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analyses revealed that genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, major carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid (TCA)/org transformation, transport, hormone metabolism, metal handling, redox, and secondary metabolism were over-represented after melatonin pre-treatment. Taken together, this study provides the first evidence of the protective roles of exogenous melatonin in the bermudagrass response to abiotic stresses, partially via activation of antioxidants and modulation of metabolic homeostasis. Notably, metabolic and transcriptomic analyses showed that the underlying mechanisms of melatonin could involve major reorientation of photorespiratory and carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism. PMID:25225478

Proteome analysis reveals differential expression of proteins involved in triacylglycerol accumulation by Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 after addition of methyl viologen.

PubMed

Dávila Costa, José Sebastián; Silva, Roxana A; Leichert, Lars; Alvarez, Héctor M

2017-03-01

Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 is able to degrade toxic compounds and accumulate high amounts of triacylglycerols (TAG) upon nitrogen starvation. These NADPH-dependent processes are essential for the adaptation of rhodococci to fluctuating environmental conditions. In this study, we used an MS-based, label-free and quantitative proteomic approach to better understand the integral response of R. jostii RHA1 to the presence of methyl viologen (MV) in relation to the synthesis and accumulation of TAG. The addition of MV promoted a decrease of TAG accumulation in comparison to cells cultivated under nitrogen-limiting conditions in the absence of this pro-oxidant. Proteomic analyses revealed that the abundance of key proteins of fatty acid biosynthesis, the Kennedy pathway, glyceroneogenesis and methylmalonyl-CoA pathway, among others, decreased in the presence of MV. In contrast, some proteins involved in lipolysis and β-oxidation of fatty acids were upregulated. Some metabolic pathways linked to the synthesis of NADPH remained activated during oxidative stress as well as under nitrogen starvation conditions. Additionally, exposure to MV resulted in the activation of complete antioxidant machinery comprising superoxide dismutases, catalases, mycothiol biosynthesis, mycothione reductase and alkyl hydroperoxide reductases, among others. Our study suggests that oxidative stress response affects TAG accumulation under nitrogen-limiting conditions through programmed molecular mechanisms when both stresses occur simultaneously.

Present-Day Genetic Structure of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) in Icelandic Rivers and Ice-Cap Retreat Models

PubMed Central

Olafsson, Kristinn; Pampoulie, Christophe; Hjorleifsdottir, Sigridur; Gudjonsson, Sigurdur; Hreggvidsson, Gudmundur O.

2014-01-01

Due to an improved understanding of past climatological conditions, it has now become possible to study the potential concordance between former climatological models and present-day genetic structure. Genetic variability was assessed in 26 samples from different rivers of Atlantic salmon in Iceland (total of 2,352 individuals), using 15 microsatellite loci. F-statistics revealed significant differences between the majority of the populations that were sampled. Bayesian cluster analyses using both prior information and no prior information on sampling location revealed the presence of two distinguishable genetic pools - namely, the Northern (Group 1) and Southern (Group 2) regions of Iceland. Furthermore, the random permutation of different allele sizes among allelic states revealed a significant mutational component to the genetic differentiation at four microsatellite loci (SsaD144, Ssa171, SSsp2201 and SsaF3), and supported the proposition of a historical origin behind the observed variation. The estimated time of divergence, using two different ABC methods, suggested that the observed genetic pattern originated from between the Last Glacial Maximum to the Younger Dryas, which serves as additional evidence of the relative immaturity of Icelandic fish populations, on account of the re-colonisation of this young environment following the Last Glacial Maximum. Additional analyses suggested the presence of several genetic entities which were likely to originate from the original groups detected. PMID:24498283

Sexual maturation and control issues among sexually abused and non-abused anorexia patients.

PubMed

Walsh, J; Burns, F

2000-09-01

To assess the relative salience of the maintenance of control and the avoidance of sexual maturation as sources of motivation for maintaining pathological eating behaviours among sexually abused anorexic patients. A two-factor mixed experimental design was employed. Three independent groups (sexually abused anorexics (N = 12); non-abused anorexics (N = 9); non-anorexic/non-abused controls (N = 12)) constituted the between-subjects factor. Allocation to abuse/non-abuse group was dependent upon replies to a questionnaire-based measure of unwanted sexual experience. The within-subjects factor comprised three conditions in which words of various colours were presented to participants for colour-naming (Stroop, 1935). The conditions were represented by lists of neutral words, sexual maturation words, and control-related words. Two trials were carried out in each condition and mean response times were measured. Within-group analyses revealed that interference was greater from sexual maturation words than from control-related words among the sexually-abused anorexics, but of equal magnitude among non-abused counterparts. Between-groups analyses found that abused patients experienced marginally greater cognitive interference from sexual maturation words than the non-abused patients. Theoretically, support is offered for elaborated schematic models of cognitive processing. Clinically, treatment interventions may need to pay particular attention to issues of sexual maturation among sexually abused anorexic patients.

Hepatitis-associated aplastic anaemia: a poor prognosis.

PubMed

Gonçalves, Vivian; Calado, Rita; Palaré, Maria João; Ferrão, Anabela; Morais, Anabela

2013-02-13

A 13-year-old boy presented with spontaneous skin and mucosal bleeds 3 weeks after acute hepatitis of unknown aetiology. Laboratory analyses revealed pancytopenia and bone marrow biopsy that confirmed the diagnosis of aplastic anaemia. Other causes of congenital and acquired aplastic anaemia were excluded. He was diagnosed with hepatitis-associated aplastic anaemia. He developed a critical clinical condition, becoming totally dependent on erythrocyte and platelet transfusions, and severe neutropenia, which led to invasive bacterial infection. He died due to sepsis with multiple organ failure 3 months after admission.

From Hippocampus to Whole-Brain: The Role of Integrative Processing in Episodic Memory Retrieval

PubMed Central

Geib, Benjamin R.; Stanley, Matthew L.; Dennis, Nancy A.; Woldorff, Marty G.; Cabeza, Roberto

2017-01-01

Multivariate functional connectivity analyses of neuroimaging data have revealed the importance of complex, distributed interactions between disparate yet interdependent brain regions. Recent work has shown that topological properties of functional brain networks are associated with individual and group differences in cognitive performance, including in episodic memory. After constructing functional whole-brain networks derived from an event-related fMRI study of memory retrieval, we examined differences in functional brain network architecture between forgotten and remembered words. This study yielded three main findings. First, graph theory analyses showed that successfully remembering compared to forgetting was associated with significant changes in the connectivity profile of the left hippocampus and a corresponding increase in efficient communication with the rest of the brain. Second, bivariate functional connectivity analyses indicated stronger interactions between the left hippocampus and a retrieval assembly for remembered versus forgotten items. This assembly included the left precuneus, left caudate, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, and the bilateral dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus. Integrative properties of the retrieval assembly were greater for remembered than forgotten items. Third, whole-brain modularity analyses revealed that successful memory retrieval was marginally significantly associated with a less segregated modular architecture in the network. The magnitude of the decreases in modularity between remembered and forgotten conditions was related to memory performance. These findings indicate that increases in integrative properties at the nodal, retrieval assembly, and whole-brain topological levels facilitate memory retrieval, while also underscoring the potential of multivariate brain connectivity approaches for providing valuable new insights into the neural bases of memory processes. PMID:28112460

Ecological characteristics of Simulium breeding sites in West Africa.

PubMed

Cheke, Robert A; Young, Stephen; Garms, Rolf

2017-03-01

Twenty-nine taxa of Simulium were identified amongst 527 collections of larvae and pupae from untreated rivers and streams in Liberia (362 collections in 1967-71 & 1989), Togo (125 in 1979-81), Benin (35 in 1979-81) and Ghana (5 in 1980-81). Presence or absence of associations between different taxa were used to group them into six clusters using Ward agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis. Environmental data associated with the pre-imaginal habitats were then analysed in relation to the six clusters by one way ANOVA. The results revealed significant effects in determining the clusters of maximum river width (all P<0.001 unless stated otherwise), water temperature, dry bulb air temperature, relative humidity, altitude, type of water (on a range from trickle to large river), water level, slope, current, vegetation, light conditions, discharge, length of breeding area, environs, terrain, river bed type (P<0.01), and the supports to which the insects were attached (P<0.01). When four non-significant contributors (wet bulb temperature, river features, height of waterfall and depth) were excluded and the reduced data-set analysed by principal components analysis (PCA), the first two principal components (PCs) accounted for 87% of the variance, with geographical features dominant in PC1 and hydrological characteristics in PC2. The analyses also revealed the ecological characteristics of each taxon's pre-imaginal habitats, which are discussed with particular reference to members of the Simulium damnosum species complex, whose breeding site distributions were further analysed by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA), a method also applied to the data on non-vector species. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Formoterol, a long-acting β2 adrenergic agonist, improves cognitive function and promotes dendritic complexity in a mouse model of Down syndrome.

PubMed

Dang, Van; Medina, Brian; Das, Devsmita; Moghadam, Sarah; Martin, Kara J; Lin, Bill; Naik, Priyanka; Patel, Devan; Nosheny, Rachel; Wesson Ashford, John; Salehi, Ahmad

2014-02-01

Down syndrome is associated with significant failure in cognitive function. Our previous investigation revealed age-dependent degeneration of locus coeruleus, a major player in contextual learning, in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome. We studied whether drugs already available for use in humans can be used to improve cognitive function in these mice. We studied the status of β adrenergic signaling in the dentate gyrus of the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome. Furthermore, we used fear conditioning to study learning and memory in these mice. Postmortem analyses included the analysis of synaptic density, dendritic arborization, and neurogenesis. We found significant atrophy of dentate gyrus and failure of β adrenergic signaling in the hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice. Our behavioral analyses revealed that formoterol, a long-acting β2 adrenergic receptor agonist, caused significant improvement in the cognitive function in Ts65Dn mice. Postmortem analyses revealed that the use of formoterol was associated with a significant improvement in the synaptic density and increased complexity of newly born dentate granule neurons in the hippocampus of Ts65Dn mice. Our data suggest that targeting β2 adrenergic receptors is an effective strategy for restoring synaptic plasticity and cognitive function in these mice. Considering its widespread use in humans and positive effects on cognition in Ts65Dn mice, formoterol or similar β2 adrenergic receptor agonists with ability to cross the blood brain barrier might be attractive candidates for clinical trials to improve cognitive function in individuals with Down syndrome. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Comparative Analyses of Nonpathogenic, Opportunistic, and Totally Pathogenic Mycobacteria Reveal Genomic and Biochemical Variabilities and Highlight the Survival Attributes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Singh, Yadvir; Kohli, Sakshi; Ahmad, Javeed; Ehtesham, Nasreen Z.; Tyagi, Anil K.

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Mycobacterial evolution involves various processes, such as genome reduction, gene cooption, and critical gene acquisition. Our comparative genome size analysis of 44 mycobacterial genomes revealed that the nonpathogenic (NP) genomes were bigger than those of opportunistic (OP) or totally pathogenic (TP) mycobacteria, with the TP genomes being smaller yet variable in size—their genomic plasticity reflected their ability to evolve and survive under various environmental conditions. From the 44 mycobacterial species, 13 species, representing TP, OP, and NP, were selected for genomic-relatedness analyses. Analysis of homologous protein-coding genes shared between Mycobacterium indicus pranii (NP), Mycobacterium intracellulare ATCC 13950 (OP), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (TP) revealed that 4,995 (i.e., ~95%) M. indicaus pranii proteins have homology with M. intracellulare, whereas the homologies among M. indicus pranii, M. intracellulare ATCC 13950, and M. tuberculosis H37Rv were significantly lower. A total of 4,153 (~79%) M. indicus pranii proteins and 4,093 (~79%) M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 proteins exhibited homology with the M. tuberculosis H37Rv proteome, while 3,301 (~82%) and 3,295 (~82%) M. tuberculosis H37Rv proteins showed homology with M. indicus pranii and M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 proteomes, respectively. Comparative metabolic pathway analyses of TP/OP/NP mycobacteria showed enzymatic plasticity between M. indicus pranii (NP) and M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 (OP), Mycobacterium avium 104 (OP), and M. tuberculosis H37Rv (TP). Mycobacterium tuberculosis seems to have acquired novel alternate pathways with possible roles in metabolism, host-pathogen interactions, virulence, and intracellular survival, and by implication some of these could be potential drug targets. PMID:25370496

Lower Limb Interjoint Postural Coordination One Year after First-Time Lateral Ankle Sprain.

PubMed

Doherty, Cailbhe; Bleakley, Chris; Hertel, Jay; Caulfield, Brian; Ryan, John; Sweeney, Kevin; Patterson, Matthew R; Delahunt, Eamonn

2015-11-01

Longitudinal analyses of participants with a history of lateral ankle sprain are lacking. This investigation combined measures of lower limb interjoint coordination and stabilometry to evaluate static unipedal stance with the eyes open (condition 1) and closed (condition 2) in a group of participants with chronic ankle instability (CAI) compared to lateral ankle sprain "copers" (both recruited 12 months after sustaining an acute first-time lateral ankle sprain) and a group of noninjured controls. Twenty-eight participants with CAI, 42 lateral ankle sprain "copers," and 20 noninjured controls completed three 20-s single-limb stance trials in conditions 1 and 2. An adjusted coefficient of multiple determination statistic was used to compare stance limb three-dimensional kinematic data for similarity to establish patterns of interjoint coordination. The fractal dimension of the stance limb center of pressure path was also calculated. Between-group analyses revealed that participants with CAI displayed notable increases in ankle-hip linked coordination compared with both lateral ankle sprain "copers" (-0.52 (1.05) vs 0.28 (0.9), P = 0.007) and controls (-0.52 (1.05) vs 0.63 (0.64), P = 0.006) in condition 1 and compared with controls only (0.62 (1.92) vs 0.1 (1.0) P = 0.002) in condition 2. Participants with CAI also exhibited a decrease in the fractal dimension of the center-of-pressure path during condition 2 compared with both controls and lateral ankle sprain "copers." Participants with CAI present with a hip-dominant strategy of eyes-open and eyes-closed static unipedal stance. This coincided with reduced complexity of the stance limb center of pressure path in the eyes-closed condition.

Data on xylem sap proteins from Mn- and Fe-deficient tomato plants obtained using shotgun proteomics.

PubMed

Ceballos-Laita, Laura; Gutierrez-Carbonell, Elain; Takahashi, Daisuke; Abadía, Anunciación; Uemura, Matsuo; Abadía, Javier; López-Millán, Ana Flor

2018-04-01

This article contains consolidated proteomic data obtained from xylem sap collected from tomato plants grown in Fe- and Mn-sufficient control, as well as Fe-deficient and Mn-deficient conditions. Data presented here cover proteins identified and quantified by shotgun proteomics and Progenesis LC-MS analyses: proteins identified with at least two peptides and showing changes statistically significant (ANOVA; p ≤ 0.05) and above a biologically relevant selected threshold (fold ≥ 2) between treatments are listed. The comparison between Fe-deficient, Mn-deficient and control xylem sap samples using a multivariate statistical data analysis (Principal Component Analysis, PCA) is also included. Data included in this article are discussed in depth in the research article entitled "Effects of Fe and Mn deficiencies on the protein profiles of tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum) xylem sap as revealed by shotgun analyses" [1]. This dataset is made available to support the cited study as well to extend analyses at a later stage.

Extended working hours and health.

PubMed

Raediker, Britta; Janssen, Daniela; Schomann, Carsten; Nachreiner, Friedhelm

2006-01-01

Statistical analyses of the relation between the amount of working hours and impairments to health, based on data from a European survey on working conditions in 2000, clearly reveal that there is a substantial correlation between the number of working hours per week and the frequencies of health complaints. This applies to both musculo-skeletal disorders as well as to psycho-vegetative complaints. The relationship of the duration of the exposure to working conditions to health impairments is moderated by a great number of individual (e.g., age) and situational (e.g., shift-work) variables, showing additive or interactive effects for which selected examples have been presented. In general, however, there is a consistent functional relationship between the number or working hours and their effects on the workers that holds over a great variety of conditions. It is argued that requests for extending working hours should thus be handled with care.

Can high-intensity exercise be more pleasant?: attentional dissociation using music and video.

PubMed

Jones, Leighton; Karageorghis, Costas I; Ekkekakis, Panteleimon

2014-10-01

Theories suggest that external stimuli (e.g., auditory and visual) may be rendered ineffective in modulating attention when exercise intensity is high. We examined the effects of music and parkland video footage on psychological measures during and after stationary cycling at two intensities: 10% of maximal capacity below ventilatory threshold and 5% above. Participants (N = 34) were exposed to four conditions at each intensity: music only, video only, music and video, and control. Analyses revealed main effects of condition and exercise intensity for affective valence and perceived activation (p < .001), state attention (p < .05), and exercise enjoyment (p < .001). The music-only and music-and-video conditions led to the highest valence and enjoyment scores during and after exercise regardless of intensity. Findings indicate that attentional manipulations can exert a salient influence on affect and enjoyment even at intensities slightly above ventilatory threshold.

Characterization of Francisella species isolated from the cooling water of an air conditioning system.

PubMed

Gu, Quan; Li, Xunde; Qu, Pinghua; Hou, Shuiping; Li, Juntao; Atwill, Edward R; Chen, Shouyi

2015-01-01

Strains of Francisella spp. were isolated from cooling water from an air conditioning system in Guangzhou, China. These strains are Gram negative, coccobacilli, non-motile, oxidase negative, catalase negative, esterase and lipid esterase positive. In addition, these bacteria grow on cysteine-supplemented media at 20 °C to 40 °C with an optimal growth temperature of 30 °C. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that these strains belong to the genus Francisella. Biochemical tests and phylogenetic and BLAST analyses of 16S rRNA, rpoB and sdhA genes indicated that one strain was very similar to Francisella philomiragia and that the other strains were identical or highly similar to the Francisella guangzhouensis sp. nov. strain 08HL01032 we previously described. Biochemical and molecular characteristics of these strains demonstrated that multiple Francisella species exist in air conditioning systems.

Context-dependent catalepsy intensification is due to classical conditioning and sensitization.

PubMed

Amtage, J; Schmidt, W J

2003-11-01

Haloperidol-induced catalepsy represents a model of neuroleptic-induced Parkinsonism. Daily administration of haloperidol, followed by testing for catalepsy on a bar and grid, results in a day-to-day increase in catalepsy that is completely context dependent, resulting in a strong placebo effect and in a failure of expression after a change in context. The aim of this study was to analyse the associative learning process that underlies context dependency. Catalepsy intensification was induced by a daily threshold dose of 0.25 mg/kg haloperidol. Extinction training and retesting under haloperidol revealed that sensitization was composed of two components: a context-conditioning component, which can be extinguished, and a context-dependent sensitization component, which cannot be extinguished. Context dependency of catalepsy thus follows precisely the same rules as context dependency of psychostimulant-induced sensitization. Catalepsy sensitization is therefore due to conditioning and sensitization.

Impact of environmental production conditions on productivity and efficiency: a case study of wheat farmers in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Rahman, Sanzidur; Hasan, M Kamrul

2008-09-01

Environmental conditions significantly affect production, but are often ignored in studies analysing productivity and efficiency leading to biased results. In this study, we examine the influence of selected environmental factors on productivity and efficiency in wheat farming in Bangladesh. Results reveal that environmental production conditions significantly affect the parameters of the production function and technical efficiency, as well as correlates of inefficiency. Controlling for environmental production conditions improves technical efficiency by 4 points (p<0.01) from 86% to 90%. Large farms are more efficient relative to small and medium sized farms (p<0.01 and 0.05), with no variation among regions. Policy implications include soil fertility improvement through soil conservation and crop rotation, improvement in managerial practices through extension services and adoption of modern technologies, promotion of education, strengthening the research-extension link, and development of new varieties that have higher yield potential and are also suitable for marginal areas.

A season-long team-building intervention: examining the effect of team goal setting on cohesion.

PubMed

Senécal, Julie; Loughead, Todd M; Bloom, Gordon A

2008-04-01

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the implementation of a season-long team-building intervention program using team goal setting increased perceptions of cohesion. The participants were 86 female high school basketball players from 8 teams. The teams were randomly assigned to either an experimental team goal-setting or control condition. Each participant completed the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron, Brawley, & Widmeyer, 2002; Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985), which assessed cohesion at both the beginning and end of the season. Overall, the results revealed a significant multivariate effect, Pillai's trace F(12, 438) = 2.68, p = .002. Post hoc analyses showed that at the beginning of the season, athletes from both conditions did not differ in their perceptions of cohesion. However, at the end of the season, athletes in the team goal-setting condition held higher perceptions of cohesion than athletes in the control condition. Overall, the results indicated that team goal setting was an effective team-building tool for influencing cohesiveness in sport teams.

Health among hospital employees in Europe: a cross-national study of the impact of work stress and work control.

PubMed

Pisljar, Tjasa; van der Lippe, Tanja; den Dulk, Laura

2011-03-01

This article analyses the effect of working conditions on the health of hospital employees across Europe. Hospital employees often have demanding jobs that increase their stress levels and, consequently, their risk of health problems. Work control - typified by employee autonomy and working time flexibility - helps them cope with high levels of work stress. Researchers have traditionally studied the relationship between working conditions, coping strategies and occupational health from an individual perspective. We argue that the individual work-health relationship is closely connected with the social and institutional context. This study explores how work stress and work control influence the health of hospital employees and aims to understand cross-country differences in this respect. Using data on over 1500 hospital employees who participated in the study 'Quality of work and life in a changing Europe' (2007) in eight European countries, we used ordinal regression analyses to test a range of hypotheses. The results show that work stress has a negative effect on the health of hospital employees, while work control is not found to have any effect on their health. Comparative analyses reveal that the effects of working conditions on health vary across European countries. While working overtime is more closely related to poorer health in Eastern European countries, we found evidence of a positive relationship between job autonomy and health in Western Europe only, indicating that circumstances in the working environment have differing effects on employee health in Eastern and Western Europe. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fluoride exposure and indicators of thyroid functioning in the Canadian population: implications for community water fluoridation

PubMed Central

Barberio, Amanda M; Hosein, F Shaun; Quiñonez, Carlos; McLaren, Lindsay

2017-01-01

Background There are concerns that altered thyroid functioning could be the result of ingesting too much fluoride. Community water fluoridation (CWF) is an important source of fluoride exposure. Our objectives were to examine the association between fluoride exposure and (1) diagnosis of a thyroid condition and (2) indicators of thyroid functioning among a national population-based sample of Canadians. Methods We analysed data from Cycles 2 and 3 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). Logistic regression was used to assess associations between fluoride from urine and tap water samples and the diagnosis of a thyroid condition. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between fluoride exposure and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level (low/normal/high). Other available variables permitted additional exploratory analyses among the subset of participants for whom we could discern some fluoride exposure from drinking water and/or dental products. Results There was no evidence of a relationship between fluoride exposure (from urine and tap water) and the diagnosis of a thyroid condition. There was no statistically significant association between fluoride exposure and abnormal (low or high) TSH levels relative to normal TSH levels. Rerunning the models with the sample constrained to the subset of participants for whom we could discern some source(s) of fluoride exposure from drinking water and/or dental products revealed no significant associations. Conclusion These analyses suggest that, at the population level, fluoride exposure is not associated with impaired thyroid functioning in a time and place where multiple sources of fluoride exposure, including CWF, exist. PMID:28839078

Heterogeneity of amygdala response in major depressive disorder: the impact of lifetime subthreshold mania.

PubMed

Fournier, J C; Keener, M T; Mullin, B C; Hafeman, D M; Labarbara, E J; Stiffler, R S; Almeida, J; Kronhaus, D M; Frank, E; Phillips, M L

2013-02-01

Patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) present with highly heterogeneous symptom profiles. We aimed to examine whether individual differences in amygdala activity to emotionally salient stimuli were related to heterogeneity in lifetime levels of depressive and subthreshold manic symptoms among adults with MDD. We compared age- and gender-matched adults with MDD (n = 26) with healthy controls (HC, n = 28). While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants performed an implicit emotional faces task: they labeled a color flash superimposed upon initially neutral faces that dynamically morphed into one of four emotions (angry, fearful, sad, happy). Region of interest analyses examined group differences in amygdala activity. For conditions in which adults with MDD displayed abnormal amygdala activity versus HC, within-group analyses examined amygdala activity as a function of scores on a continuous measure of lifetime depression-related and mania-related pathology. Adults with MDD showed significantly greater right-sided amygdala activity to angry and happy conditions than HC (p < 0.05, corrected). Multiple regression analyses revealed that greater right-amygdala activity to the happy condition in adults with MDD was associated with higher levels of subthreshold manic symptoms experienced across the lifespan (p = 0.002). Among depressed adults with MDD, lifetime features of subthreshold mania were associated with abnormally elevated amygdala activity to emerging happy faces. These findings are a first step toward identifying biomarkers that reflect individual differences in neural mechanisms in MDD, and challenge conventional mood disorder diagnostic boundaries by suggesting that some adults with MDD are characterized by pathophysiological processes that overlap with bipolar disorder.

Lack of correlation between reaction speed and analytical sensitivity in isothermal amplification reveals the value of digital methods for optimization: validation using digital real-time RT-LAMP

PubMed Central

Khorosheva, Eugenia M.; Karymov, Mikhail A.; Selck, David A.; Ismagilov, Rustem F.

2016-01-01

In this paper, we asked if it is possible to identify the best primers and reaction conditions based on improvements in reaction speed when optimizing isothermal reactions. We used digital single-molecule, real-time analyses of both speed and efficiency of isothermal amplification reactions, which revealed that improvements in the speed of isothermal amplification reactions did not always correlate with improvements in digital efficiency (the fraction of molecules that amplify) or with analytical sensitivity. However, we observed that the speeds of amplification for single-molecule (in a digital device) and multi-molecule (e.g. in a PCR well plate) formats always correlated for the same conditions. Also, digital efficiency correlated with the analytical sensitivity of the same reaction performed in a multi-molecule format. Our finding was supported experimentally with examples of primer design, the use or exclusion of loop primers in different combinations, and the use of different enzyme mixtures in one-step reverse-transcription loop-mediated amplification (RT-LAMP). Our results show that measuring the digital efficiency of amplification of single-template molecules allows quick, reliable comparisons of the analytical sensitivity of reactions under any two tested conditions, independent of the speeds of the isothermal amplification reactions. PMID:26358811

Effects of Choice on Intervention Outcomes for College Students Sanctioned for Campus Alcohol Policy Violations

PubMed Central

Carey, Kate B.; DeMartini, Kelly S.; Prince, Mark A.; Luteran, Carrie; Carey, Michael P.

2012-01-01

This study tested the hypothesis that client choice influences intervention outcomes. We recruited 288 student drinkers (60% male, 67% freshmen) required to participate in an intervention due to a violation of campus alcohol policy. Participants were randomized either to self-chosen or researcher-assigned interventions. In the choice condition they selected either a brief motivational intervention (BMI) or a computer-delivered educational program. In the assigned condition they received one of the two interventions, assigned randomly. Follow-up assessments at 1- and 2-months revealed that choice was associated with higher intervention satisfaction. However, the assigned and choice conditions did not differentially change on consumption or consequences across intervention type. Overall, change scores favored the BMI over the computer-delivered intervention on consumption and consequences. Exploratory analyses revealed that, given the choice of intervention, heavier drinking students self-selected into the face-to-face BMI. Furthermore, among the students who received a BMI, the students who chose it (despite their heavier drinking) reduced drinks per drinking day more than the assigned students. In sum, offering a choice of intervention to students mandated for campus alcohol violations increased the chance that at-risk students will select a more intensive and effective intervention. PMID:23046274

Bacterial diversity in saliva and oral health-related conditions: the Hisayama Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeshita, Toru; Kageyama, Shinya; Furuta, Michiko; Tsuboi, Hidenori; Takeuchi, Kenji; Shibata, Yukie; Shimazaki, Yoshihiro; Akifusa, Sumio; Ninomiya, Toshiharu; Kiyohara, Yutaka; Yamashita, Yoshihisa

2016-02-01

This population-based study determined the salivary microbiota composition of 2,343 adult residents of Hisayama town, Japan, using 16S rRNA gene next-generation high-throughput sequencing. Of 550 identified species-level operational taxonomic units (OTUs), 72 were common, in ≥75% of all individuals, as well as in ≥75% of the individuals in the lowest quintile of phylogenetic diversity (PD). These “core” OTUs constituted 90.9 ± 6.1% of each microbiome. The relative abundance profiles of 22 of the core OTUs with mean relative abundances ≥1% were stratified into community type I and community type II by partitioning around medoids clustering. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a lower PD was associated with better conditions for oral health, including a lower plaque index, absence of decayed teeth, less gingival bleeding, shallower periodontal pockets and not smoking, and was also associated with tooth loss. By contrast, multiple Poisson regression analysis demonstrated that community type II, as characterized by a higher ratio of the nine dominant core OTUs, including Neisseria flavescens, was implicated in younger age, lower body mass index, fewer teeth with caries experience, and not smoking. Our large-scale data analyses reveal variation in the salivary microbiome among Japanese adults and oral health-related conditions associated with the salivary microbiome.

The Use of the Data Assimilation Research Testbed for Initializing and Evaluating IPCC Decadal Forecasts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raeder, K.; Anderson, J. L.; Lauritzen, P. H.; Hoar, T. J.; Collins, N.

2010-12-01

DART (www.image.ucar.edu/DAReS/DART) is a general purpose, freely available, ensemble Kalman filter, data assimilation system, which is being used to generate state-of-the-art, partially coupled, ocean-atmosphere re-analyses in support of the decadal predictions planned for the next IPCC report. The resulting gridded product is directly comparable to the state variables output by POP and CAM (oceanic and atmospheric components of NCAR's Community Earth System Model climate model) because those are the assimilating models. Other models could also benefit from comparison against these reanalyses, since the ocean analyses are at the leading edge of ocean state estimation, and the atmospheric analyses are competitive with operational centers'. Such comparisons can reveal model biases and predictability characteristics, and do so in a quantitative way, since the ensemble nature of the analyses provides an objective estimate of the analysis error. The analyses will also be used as initial conditions for the decadal forecasts because they are the most realistic available. The generation of such analyses has revealed errors in model formulation for several versions of the finite volume core CAM, which has led to model improvements in each case. New models can be incorporated into DART in a matter of weeks, allowing them to be compared directly against available observations. The observations currently used in the assimilations include, for the ocean; temperature and salinity from the World Ocean Database (floats, drifters, moorings, autonomous pinipeds, and others), and for the atmosphere; temperature and winds from radiosondes, satellite drift winds, ACARS and aircraft. Observations of ocean currents and atmospheric moisture and pressure are also available. Global Positioning System profiles of atmospheric temperature and moisture are available for recent years. All that is required to add new observations to the suite is the forward operator, which generates an estimate of the observation from the model state. In summary, DART provides a flexible, convenient, rigorous environment for evaluating models in the context of real observations.

Imitating actions on objects in early-onset and regressive autism: Effects and implications of task characteristics on performance

PubMed Central

Rogers, Sally J.; Young, Gregory S.; Cook, Ian; Giolzetti, Angelo; Ozonoff, Sally

2010-01-01

This study was designed to examine the nature of object imitation performance in early autism. We hypothesized that imitation would be relatively preserved when behaviors on objects resulted in salient instrumental effects. We designed tasks in which, in one condition, the motor action resulted in a salient, meaningful effect on an object, whereas in the other condition, the same action resulted in a less salient effect because of differing object characteristics. The motor aspects of the tasks did not vary across conditions. Four participant groups of 2- to 5-year-olds were examined: 17 children with early-onset autism, 24 children with regressive onset autism, 22 children with developmental delays, and 22 children with typical development. Groups were matched on nonverbal skills, and differences in verbal development were examined as a moderator of imitative ability. Results revealed an interaction of group by condition, with the combined autism group failing more tasks than the combined comparison groups, and failing more tasks in the less salient condition than in the more salient condition, as hypothesized. Analyses of autism subgroups revealed these effects were primarily because of the regression onset group. Accuracy of motor performance was examined by analyzing errors. Among children passing imitative acts, there were no group differences and no condition effects in the number, type, or pattern of performance errors. Among children passing the tasks, the group with autism did not demonstrate more emulation errors (imitating the goal but not the means) than other groups. There was no evidence that either motor or attentional aspects of the tasks contributed to the poorer imitative performance of the children with autism. PMID:20102648

[Factors influencing users' destination upon discharge from a geriatric intermediate care facility in an urban area].

PubMed

Ishizaki, T; Kai, I; Hirayama, T

1995-02-01

Geriatric Intermediate Care Facilities (GICF) have been established to help the hospitalized elderly return home. Users of the GICF are elderly persons who do not need hospitalization, but are mentally or physically impaired. To determine what factors influence users' destinations upon discharge from GICF, we analyzed various characteristics such as age, sex, place of residence before admission, length of stay, intellectual impairment, ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) among users (N = 389) in a GICF in Chiba City. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that, compared with the users who were hospitalized, users who were male, admitted for home, stayed for long periods, and had a high ability to perform ADL were more likely to return home. The analyses also revealed that, compared with the users who were institutionalized, users who came from home, stayed for short periods, and had a high ability to perform ADL were more likely to return home. Evaluating a user's physical, mental, and socioeconomical conditions at an early stage of admission to a GICF may allow us to predict whether the user can be successfully discharged to his or her home or will have to remain at the GICF for an extended period.

Sexual Functioning Among a Cohort of Treatment-Seeking Canadian Military Personnel and Veterans With Psychiatric Conditions.

PubMed

McIntyre-Smith, Alexandra; St Cyr, Kate; King, Lisa

2015-07-01

The aim of this study was to assess potential predictors of sexual dysfunction and dissatisfaction in a sample of 99 current and former Canadian Forces members attending the Parkwood Hospital Operational Stress Injury Clinic for mental health treatment. Respondents completed a number of questionnaires assessing sexual functioning, post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity, health-related quality of life, and self-perceived masculinity traits. Regression analyses revealed that role limitations because of physical problems predicted erectile functioning (β = 0.107, p = 0.075), whereas vitality predicted orgasmic functioning (β = 0.044, p = 0.032). Hypermasculinity was the strongest predictor of sexual desire (β = 0.466, p = 0.036), and sexual satisfaction was significantly predicted by bodily pain (β = 0.036, p = 0.019). Preliminary analyses revealed a significant mediating effect of bodily pain on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder symptom severity. Results suggest a nuanced interplay between physical health and mental health factors regarding sexual functioning in treatment-seeking military personnel and veterans; however, further research is needed to better delineate the relationship between the 2. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Analyses to Identify Pathways Involved in Nanoparticle Generation in the Ubiquitous Marine Bacterium Alteromonas macleodii Under Elevated Copper Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cusick, K. D.; Dale, J.; Little, B.; Cockrell, A.; Biffinger, J.

2016-02-01

Alteromonas macleodii is a ubiquitous marine bacterium that clusters by molecular analyses into two ecotypes: surface and deep-water. Our group isolated a marine bacterium from copper coupons that generates nanoparticles (NPs) at elevated copper concentrations. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene identified it as an A. macleodii strain. In phylogenetic analyses based on the gyrB gene, it clustered with other surface isolates; however, it formed a unique cluster separate from that of other surface isolates based on rpoB gene sequences. Copper is commonly employed as an antifouling agent on the hulls of ships, and so copper tolerance and NP generation is under investigation in this strain. The overall goals of this study were: (1) to determine if copper tolerance is the result of changes at the genetic or transcriptional level and (2) to identify the genes involved in NP formation. Sub-cultures were established from the initial isolate in which copper concentrations were increased in .25 mM increments through multiple generations. These sub-cultures were assayed for NP formation in seawater medium supplemented with 3-4 mM copper. Scanning electron microscopy revealed large aggregates of NPs on the exterior surface of all sub-cultures. Additionally, a portion of the cells in all sub-cultures displayed an elongated morphology in comparison to the wild-type. No NPs were observed in wild-type controls grown without the addition of increased copper. Metagenomic sequencing of natural populations of A. macleodii revealed extreme divergence in several large genomic regions whose content includes genes coding for exopolysaccharide production and metal resistance. High-throughput sequencing is being used to determine whether copper tolerance and NP generation is the result of genetic or transcriptional changes. These results will be extended to natural communities to gain insights into the role of bacterial NPs during conditions of elevated metal concentrations in coastal systems.

The Taxonomic Status of Mazama bricenii and the Significance of the Táchira Depression for Mammalian Endemism in the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuela

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez, Eliécer E.; Maldonado, Jesús E.; Radosavljevic, Aleksandar; Molinari, Jesús; Patterson, Bruce D.; Martínez-C., Juan M.; Rutter, Amy R.; Hawkins, Melissa T. R.; Garcia, Franger J.; Helgen, Kristofer M.

2015-01-01

We studied the taxonomy and biogeography of Mazama bricenii, a brocket deer classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, drawing on qualitative and quantitative morphology and sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. We used Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to evaluate the hypothesis that M. bricenii of the Venezuelan Cordillera de Mérida (CM) might have become isolated from populations of its putative sister species, Mazama rufina, in the Colombian Cordillera Oriental (CO). This hypothesis assumes that warm, dry climatic conditions in the Táchira Depression were unsuitable for the species. Our analyses did not reveal morphological differences between specimens geographically attributable to M. bricenii and M. rufina, and phylogenetic analyses of molecular data recovered M. bricenii nested within the diversity of M. rufina. These results indicate that M. bricenii should be regarded as a junior synonym of M. rufina. ENM analyses revealed the existence of suitable climatic conditions for M. rufina in the Táchira Depression during the last glacial maximum and even at present, suggesting that gene flow between populations in the CO and CM may have occurred until at least the beginning of the current interglacial period and may continue today. Because this pattern might characterize other mammals currently considered endemic to the CM, we examined which of these species match two criteria that we propose herein to estimate if they can be regarded as endemic to the CM with confidence: (1) that morphological or molecular evidence exists indicating that the putative endemic taxon is distinctive from congeneric populations in the CO; and (2) that the putative endemic taxon is restricted to either cloud forest or páramo, or both. Only Aepeomys reigi, Cryptotis meridensis, and Nasuella meridensis matched both criteria; hence, additional research is necessary to assess the true taxonomic status and distribution of the remaining species thought to be CM endemics. PMID:26121688

The Taxonomic Status of Mazama bricenii and the Significance of the Táchira Depression for Mammalian Endemism in the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuela.

PubMed

Gutiérrez, Eliécer E; Maldonado, Jesús E; Radosavljevic, Aleksandar; Molinari, Jesús; Patterson, Bruce D; Martínez-C, Juan M; Rutter, Amy R; Hawkins, Melissa T R; Garcia, Franger J; Helgen, Kristofer M

2015-01-01

We studied the taxonomy and biogeography of Mazama bricenii, a brocket deer classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, drawing on qualitative and quantitative morphology and sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene. We used Ecological Niche Modeling (ENM) to evaluate the hypothesis that M. bricenii of the Venezuelan Cordillera de Mérida (CM) might have become isolated from populations of its putative sister species, Mazama rufina, in the Colombian Cordillera Oriental (CO). This hypothesis assumes that warm, dry climatic conditions in the Táchira Depression were unsuitable for the species. Our analyses did not reveal morphological differences between specimens geographically attributable to M. bricenii and M. rufina, and phylogenetic analyses of molecular data recovered M. bricenii nested within the diversity of M. rufina. These results indicate that M. bricenii should be regarded as a junior synonym of M. rufina. ENM analyses revealed the existence of suitable climatic conditions for M. rufina in the Táchira Depression during the last glacial maximum and even at present, suggesting that gene flow between populations in the CO and CM may have occurred until at least the beginning of the current interglacial period and may continue today. Because this pattern might characterize other mammals currently considered endemic to the CM, we examined which of these species match two criteria that we propose herein to estimate if they can be regarded as endemic to the CM with confidence: (1) that morphological or molecular evidence exists indicating that the putative endemic taxon is distinctive from congeneric populations in the CO; and (2) that the putative endemic taxon is restricted to either cloud forest or páramo, or both. Only Aepeomys reigi, Cryptotis meridensis, and Nasuella meridensis matched both criteria; hence, additional research is necessary to assess the true taxonomic status and distribution of the remaining species thought to be CM endemics.

Examining the long-term racial disparities in health and economic conditions among Hurricane Katrina survivors: policy implications for Gulf Coast recovery.

PubMed

Toldson, Ivory A; Ray, Kilynda; Hatcher, Schnavia Smith; Louis, Laura Straughn

2011-01-01

This study examines disparities in the long-term health, emotional well-being, and economic consequences of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes. Researchers analyzed the responses of 216 Black and 508 White Hurricane Katrina survivors who participated in the ABC News Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Poll in 2006. Self-reported data of the long-term negative impact of the hurricane on personal health, emotional well-being, and finances were regressed on race, income, and measures of loss, injury, family mortality, anxiety, and confidence in the government. Descriptive analyses, stepwise logistic regression, and analyses of variance revealed that Black hurricane survivors more frequently reported hurricane-related problems with personal health, emotional well-being, and finances. In addition, Blacks were more likely than Whites to report the loss of friends, relatives, and personal property.

Stress in 1st-year women teachers: the context of social support and coping.

PubMed

Schonfeld, I S

2001-05-01

The effects of adverse work environments were examined in the context of other risk/protective factors in this extension of a short-term longitudinal study involving 184 newly appointed women teachers. Regression analyses revealed that-adjusting for preemployment levels of the outcomes and negative affectivity-social support and adversity in the fall work environment were among the factors that affected spring depressive symptoms, self-esteem, job satisfaction, and motivation to teach. Support from nonwork sources was directly related to future improved symptom levels and self-esteem; supervisor and colleague support were directly related to future job satisfaction. Effects of occupational coping, professional efficacy, locus of control, and school factors (e.g., special vs. regular education) were largely nonsignificant. Structural equation analyses indicated that adverse working conditions began to seriously affect the women soon after they started teaching.

[Marketizing of the State, erosion of democracy and impoverishment of citizenship: global tendencies?].

PubMed

Giffin, Karen Mary

2007-01-01

This article analyses the advance of the neo-liberal regime, in order to contextualise the international formulation of policies focussed on poverty reduction. In recent debates, terms such as 'citizenship' and 'democracy' have been subject to critical scrutiny, revealing changes in the relations between citizens and the State which accompany the hegemony of economic criteria that put financial considerations at the centre of national states. We argue that analyses of such global processes require an ample political economy perspective, capable of illuminating how the substance of democracy and the legitimacy of state authority have been conditioned by the advance of new global entities that represent the interests of capital, favouring the concentration of wealth and the increase of poverty, inequality and exclusion, and installing a state of vital insecurity that affects the majority of the world's population.

Article retracted, but the message lives on.

PubMed

Greitemeyer, Tobias

2014-04-01

The retraction of an original article aims to ensure that readers are alerted to the fact that the findings are not trustworthy. However, the present research suggests that individuals still believe in the findings of an article even though they were later told that the data were fabricated and that the article was retracted. Participants in a debriefing condition and a no-debriefing condition learned about the scientific finding of an empirical article, whereas participants in a control condition did not. Afterward, participants in the debriefing condition were told that the article had been retracted because of fabricated data. Results showed that participants in the debriefing condition were less likely to believe in the findings than participants in the no-debriefing condition but were more likely to believe in the findings than participants in the control condition, suggesting that individuals do adjust their beliefs in the perceived truth of a scientific finding after debriefing-but insufficiently. Mediational analyses revealed that the availability of generated causal arguments underlies belief perseverance. These results suggest that a retraction note of an empirical article in a scientific journal is not sufficient to ensure that readers of the original article no longer believe in the article's conclusions.

A CBL-Interacting Protein Kinase TaCIPK2 Confers Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Tobacco Plants through Regulating the Stomatal Movement.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Sun, Tao; Li, Tingting; Wang, Meng; Yang, Guangxiao; He, Guangyuan

2016-01-01

In plants, the CBL-CIPK signaling pathways play key roles in the response to abiotic stresses. However, functional studies of CIPKs in the important staple crop wheat are very rare. In this study, we identified a CIPK gene from wheat, designated TaCIPK2. Expression analysis results showed that TaCIPK2 could be up-regulated in wheat leaves by polyethylene glycol, abscisic acid and H2O2 treatments. Subcellular localization analyses revealed that TaCIPK2 was present in whole wheat epidermal cells. A yeast two-hybrid assay indicated that TaCIPK2 interacted with TaCBL1, 2, 3 and 4 in vitro. Transgenic tobacco plants over-expressing TaCIPK2 exhibited increased drought tolerance, indicated by a larger proportion of green cotyledons and higher survival rates under the osmotic and drought stress conditions compared with control plants. Additionally, physiological index analyses revealed that the transgenic tobacco plants had lower water loss rates and ion leakage, accumulated less malondialdehyde and H2O2, and had higher catalase and superoxide dismutase activities than the control plants. The transgenic plants also exhibited faster stomatal closure following exposure to osmotic stress conditions. The seed germination rates and stomatal aperture of TaCIPK2-overexpressing tobacco plants decreased after exogenous abscisic acid treatment was applied, implying that the transgenic tobacco plants were more sensitive to exogenous abscisic acid than the control plants. Our results indicate that TaCIPK2 plays a positive regulatory role in drought stress responses in transgenic tobacco plants.

Crystallization kinetics of olivine-phyric shergottites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ennis, Megan E.; McSween, Harry Y.

2014-08-01

Crystal size distribution (CSD) and spatial distribution pattern (SDP) analyses are applied to the early crystallizing phases, olivine and pyroxene, in olivine-phyric shergottites (Elephant moraine [EET] 79001A, Dar al Gani [DaG] 476, and dhofar [Dho] 019) from each sampling locality inferred from Mars ejection ages. Trace element zonation patterns (P and Cr) in olivine are also used to characterize the crystallization history of these Martian basalts. Previously reported 2-D CSDs for these meteorites are re-evaluated using a newer stereographically corrected methodology. Kinks in the olivine CSD plots suggest several populations that crystallized under different conditions. CSDs for pyroxene in DaG 476 and EET 79001A reveal single populations that grew under steady-state conditions; pyroxenes in Dho 019 were too intergrown for CSD analysis. Magma chamber residence times of several days for small grains to several months for olivine megacrysts are calculated using the CSD slopes and growth rates inferred from previous experimental data. Phosphorus imaging in olivines in DaG 476 and Dho 019 indicate rapid growth of skeletal, sector-zoned, or patchy cores, probably in response to delayed nucleation, followed by slow growth, and finally rapid dendritic growth with back-filling to form oscillatory zoning in rims. SPD analyses indicate that olivine and pyroxene crystals grew or accumulated in clusters rather than as randomly distributed grains. These data reveal complex solidification histories for Martian basalts, and are generally consistent with the formation at depth of olivine megacryst cores, which were entrained in ascending magmas that crystallized pyroxenes, small olivines, and oscillatory rims on megacrysts.

Investigating the Role of Working Memory in Speech-in-noise Identification for Listeners with Normal Hearing.

PubMed

Füllgrabe, Christian; Rosen, Stuart

2016-01-01

With the advent of cognitive hearing science, increased attention has been given to individual differences in cognitive functioning and their explanatory power in accounting for inter-listener variability in understanding speech in noise (SiN). The psychological construct that has received most interest is working memory (WM), representing the ability to simultaneously store and process information. Common lore and theoretical models assume that WM-based processes subtend speech processing in adverse perceptual conditions, such as those associated with hearing loss or background noise. Empirical evidence confirms the association between WM capacity (WMC) and SiN identification in older hearing-impaired listeners. To assess whether WMC also plays a role when listeners without hearing loss process speech in acoustically adverse conditions, we surveyed published and unpublished studies in which the Reading-Span test (a widely used measure of WMC) was administered in conjunction with a measure of SiN identification. The survey revealed little or no evidence for an association between WMC and SiN performance. We also analysed new data from 132 normal-hearing participants sampled from across the adult lifespan (18-91 years), for a relationship between Reading-Span scores and identification of matrix sentences in noise. Performance on both tasks declined with age, and correlated weakly even after controlling for the effects of age and audibility (r = 0.39, p ≤ 0.001, one-tailed). However, separate analyses for different age groups revealed that the correlation was only significant for middle-aged and older groups but not for the young (< 40 years) participants.

Geochemical analyses reveal the importance of environmental history for blue carbon sequestration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelleway, J. J.; Saintilan, N.; Macreadie, P. I.; Baldock, J. A.; Heijnis, H.; Zawadzki, A.; Gadd, P.; Jacobsen, G.; Ralph, P. J.

2017-07-01

Coastal habitats including saltmarshes and mangrove forests can accumulate and store significant blue carbon stocks, which may persist for millennia. Despite this implied stability, the distribution and structure of intertidal-supratidal wetlands are known to respond to changes imposed by geomorphic evolution, climatic, sea level, and anthropogenic influences. In this study, we reconstruct environmental histories and biogeochemical conditions in four wetlands of similar contemporary vegetation in SE Australia. The objective is to assess the importance of historic factors to contemporary organic carbon (C) stocks and accumulation rates. Results from the four cores—two collected from marine-influenced saltmarshes (Wapengo marine site (WAP-M) and Port Stephens marine site (POR-M)) and two from fluvial influenced saltmarshes (Wapengo fluvial site (WAP-F) and Port Stephens fluvial site (POR-F))—highlight different environmental histories and preservation conditions. High C stocks are associated with the presence of a mangrove phase below the contemporary saltmarsh sediments in the POR-M and POR-F cores. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance analyses show this historic mangrove root C to be remarkably stable in its molecular composition despite its age, consistent with its position in deep sediments. WAP-M and WAP-F cores did not contain mangrove root C; however, significant preservation of char C (up to 46% of C in some depths) in WAP-F reveals the importance of historic catchment processes to this site. Together, these results highlight the importance of integrating historic ecosystem and catchment factors into attempts to upscale C accounting to broader spatial scales.

Community barcoding reveals little effect of ocean acidification on the composition of coastal plankton communities: Evidence from a long-term mesocosm study in the Gullmar Fjord, Skagerrak.

PubMed

Langer, Julia A F; Sharma, Rahul; Schmidt, Susanne I; Bahrdt, Sebastian; Horn, Henriette G; Algueró-Muñiz, María; Nam, Bora; Achterberg, Eric P; Riebesell, Ulf; Boersma, Maarten; Thines, Marco; Schwenk, Klaus

2017-01-01

The acidification of the oceans could potentially alter marine plankton communities with consequences for ecosystem functioning. While several studies have investigated effects of ocean acidification on communities using traditional methods, few have used genetic analyses. Here, we use community barcoding to assess the impact of ocean acidification on the composition of a coastal plankton community in a large scale, in situ, long-term mesocosm experiment. High-throughput sequencing resulted in the identification of a wide range of planktonic taxa (Alveolata, Cryptophyta, Haptophyceae, Fungi, Metazoa, Hydrozoa, Rhizaria, Straminipila, Chlorophyta). Analyses based on predicted operational taxonomical units as well as taxonomical compositions revealed no differences between communities in high CO2 mesocosms (~ 760 μatm) and those exposed to present-day CO2 conditions. Observed shifts in the planktonic community composition were mainly related to seasonal changes in temperature and nutrients. Furthermore, based on our investigations, the elevated CO2 did not affect the intraspecific diversity of the most common mesozooplankter, the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus acuspes. Nevertheless, accompanying studies found temporary effects attributed to a raise in CO2. Differences in taxa composition between the CO2 treatments could, however, only be observed in a specific period of the experiment. Based on our genetic investigations, no compositional long-term shifts of the plankton communities exposed to elevated CO2 conditions were observed. Thus, we conclude that the compositions of planktonic communities, especially those in coastal areas, remain rather unaffected by increased CO2.

Community barcoding reveals little effect of ocean acidification on the composition of coastal plankton communities: Evidence from a long-term mesocosm study in the Gullmar Fjord, Skagerrak

PubMed Central

Sharma, Rahul; Schmidt, Susanne I.; Bahrdt, Sebastian; Horn, Henriette G.; Algueró-Muñiz, María; Nam, Bora; Achterberg, Eric P.; Riebesell, Ulf; Boersma, Maarten; Thines, Marco; Schwenk, Klaus

2017-01-01

The acidification of the oceans could potentially alter marine plankton communities with consequences for ecosystem functioning. While several studies have investigated effects of ocean acidification on communities using traditional methods, few have used genetic analyses. Here, we use community barcoding to assess the impact of ocean acidification on the composition of a coastal plankton community in a large scale, in situ, long-term mesocosm experiment. High-throughput sequencing resulted in the identification of a wide range of planktonic taxa (Alveolata, Cryptophyta, Haptophyceae, Fungi, Metazoa, Hydrozoa, Rhizaria, Straminipila, Chlorophyta). Analyses based on predicted operational taxonomical units as well as taxonomical compositions revealed no differences between communities in high CO2 mesocosms (~ 760 μatm) and those exposed to present-day CO2 conditions. Observed shifts in the planktonic community composition were mainly related to seasonal changes in temperature and nutrients. Furthermore, based on our investigations, the elevated CO2 did not affect the intraspecific diversity of the most common mesozooplankter, the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus acuspes. Nevertheless, accompanying studies found temporary effects attributed to a raise in CO2. Differences in taxa composition between the CO2 treatments could, however, only be observed in a specific period of the experiment. Based on our genetic investigations, no compositional long-term shifts of the plankton communities exposed to elevated CO2 conditions were observed. Thus, we conclude that the compositions of planktonic communities, especially those in coastal areas, remain rather unaffected by increased CO2. PMID:28445483

Deconstructing events: The neural bases for space, time, and causality

PubMed Central

Kranjec, Alexander; Cardillo, Eileen R.; Lehet, Matthew; Chatterjee, Anjan

2013-01-01

Space, time, and causality provide a natural structure for organizing our experience. These abstract categories allow us to think relationally in the most basic sense; understanding simple events require one to represent the spatial relations among objects, the relative durations of actions or movements, and links between causes and effects. The present fMRI study investigates the extent to which the brain distinguishes between these fundamental conceptual domains. Participants performed a one-back task with three conditions of interest (SPACE, TIME and CAUSALITY). Each condition required comparing relations between events in a simple verbal narrative. Depending on the condition, participants were instructed to either attend to the spatial, temporal, or causal characteristics of events, but between participants, each particular event relation appeared in all three conditions. Contrasts compared neural activity during each condition against the remaining two and revealed how thinking about events is deconstructed neurally. Space trials recruited neural areas traditionally associated with visuospatial processing, primarily bilateral frontal and occipitoparietal networks. Causality trials activated areas previously found to underlie causal thinking and thematic role assignment, such as left medial frontal, and left middle temporal gyri, respectively. Causality trials also produced activations in SMA, caudate, and cerebellum; cortical and subcortical regions associated with the perception of time at different timescales. The TIME contrast however, produced no significant effects. This pattern, indicating negative results for TIME trials, but positive effects for CAUSALITY trials in areas important for time perception, motivated additional overlap analyses to further probe relations between domains. The results of these analyses suggest a closer correspondence between time and causality than between time and space. PMID:21861674

Petunia × hybrida floral scent production is negatively affected by high-temperature growth conditions.

PubMed

Cna'ani, Alon; Mühlemann, Joelle K; Ravid, Jasmin; Masci, Tania; Klempien, Antje; Nguyen, Thuong T H; Dudareva, Natalia; Pichersky, Eran; Vainstein, Alexander

2015-07-01

Increasing temperatures due to changing global climate are interfering with plant-pollinator mutualism, an interaction facilitated mainly by floral colour and scent. Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analyses revealed that increasing ambient temperature leads to a decrease in phenylpropanoid-based floral scent production in two Petunia × hybrida varieties, P720 and Blue Spark, acclimated at 22/16 or 28/22 °C (day/night). This decrease could be attributed to down-regulation of scent-related structural gene expression from both phenylpropanoid and shikimate pathways, and up-regulation of a negative regulator of scent production, emission of benzenoids V (EOBV). To test whether the negative effect of increased temperature on scent production can be reduced in flowers with enhanced metabolic flow in the phenylpropanoid pathway, we analysed floral volatile production by transgenic 'Blue Spark' plants overexpressing CaMV 35S-driven Arabidopsis thaliana production of anthocyanin pigments 1 (PAP1) under elevated versus standard temperature conditions. Flowers of 35S:PAP1 transgenic plants produced the same or even higher levels of volatiles when exposed to a long-term high-temperature regime. This phenotype was also evident when analysing relevant gene expression as inferred from sequencing the transcriptome of 35S:PAP1 transgenic flowers under the two temperature regimes. Thus, up-regulation of transcription might negate the adverse effects of temperature on scent production. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Discovery of novel cold-induced CISP genes encoding small RNA-binding proteins related to cold adaptation in barley.

PubMed

Ying, Mengchao; Kidou, Shin-Ichiro

2017-07-01

To adapt to cold conditions, barley plants rely on specific mechanisms, which have not been fully understood. In this study, we characterized a novel barley cold-induced gene identified using a PCR-based high coverage gene expression profiling method. The identified gene encodes a small protein that we named CISP1 (Cold-induced Small Protein 1). Homology searches of sequence databases revealed that CISP1 homologs (CISP2 and CISP3) exist in barley genome. Further database analyses showed that the CISP1 homologs were widely distributed in cold-tolerant plants such as wheat and rye. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR analyses indicated that the expression of barley CISP genes was markedly increased in roots exposed to cold conditions. In situ hybridization analyses showed that the CISP1 transcripts were localized in the root tip and lateral root primordium. We also demonstrated that the CISP1 protein bound to RNA. Taken together, these findings indicate that CISP1 and its homologs encoding small RNA-binding proteins may serve as RNA chaperones playing a vital role in the cold adaptation of barley root. This is the first report describing the likely close relationship between root-specific genes and the cold adaptation process, as well as the potential function of the identified genes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inversion and contrast polarity reversal affect both encoding and recognition processes of unfamiliar faces: a repetition study using ERPs.

PubMed

Itier, Roxane J; Taylor, Margot J

2002-02-01

Using ERPs in a face recognition task, we investigated whether inversion and contrast reversal, which seem to disrupt different aspects of face configuration, differentially affected encoding and memory for faces. Upright, inverted, and negative (contrast-reversed) unknown faces were either immediately repeated (0-lag) or repeated after 1 intervening face (1-lag). The encoding condition (new) consisted of the first presentation of items correctly recognized in the two repeated conditions. 0-lag faces were recognized better and faster than 1-lag faces. Inverted and negative pictures elicited longer reaction times, lower hit rates, and higher false alarm rates than upright faces. ERP analyses revealed that negative and inverted faces affected both early (encoding) and late (recognition) stages of face processing. Early components (N170, VPP) were delayed and enhanced by both inversion and contrast reversal which also affected P1 and P2 components. Amplitudes were higher for inverted faces at frontal and parietal sites from 350 to 600 ms. Priming effects were seen at encoding stages, revealed by shorter latencies and smaller amplitudes of N170 for repeated stimuli, which did not differ depending on face type. Repeated faces yielded more positive amplitudes than new faces from 250 to 450 ms frontally and from 400 to 600 ms parietally. However, ERP differences revealed that the magnitude of this repetition effect was smaller for negative and inverted than upright faces at 0-lag but not at 1-lag condition. Thus, face encoding and recognition processes were affected by inversion and contrast-reversal differently.

A model for estimating seasonal trends of ammonia emission from cattle manure applied to grassland in the Netherlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huijsmans, J. F. M.; Vermeulen, G. D.; Hol, J. M. G.; Goedhart, P. W.

2018-01-01

Field data on ammonia emission after liquid cattle manure ('slurry') application to grassland were statistically analysed to reveal the effect of manure and field characteristics and of weather conditions in eight consecutive periods after manure application. Logistic regression models, modelling the emission expressed as a percentage of the ammonia still present at the start of each period as the response variable, were developed separately for broadcast spreading, narrow band application (trailing shoe) and shallow injection. Wind speed, temperature, soil type, total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) content and dry matter content of the manure, application rate and grass height were selected as significant explanatory variables. Their effects differed for each application method and among periods. Temperature and wind speed were generally the most important drivers for emission. The fitted regression models were used to reveal seasonal trends in NH3 emission employing historical meteorological data for the years 1991-2014. The overall average emission was higher in early and midsummer than in early spring and late summer. This seasonal trend was most pronounced for broadcast spreading followed by narrow band application, and was almost absent for shallow injection. However, due to the large variation in weather conditions, emission on a particular day in early spring can be higher than on a particular day in summer. The analysis further revealed that, in a specific scenario and depending on the application technique, emission could be reduced with 20-30% by restricting manure application to favourable days, i.e. with weather conditions with minimal emission levels.

High-throughput syntheses of iron phosphite open frameworks in ionic liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhixiu; Mu, Ying; Wang, Yilin; Bing, Qiming; Su, Tan; Liu, Jingyao

2017-02-01

Three open-framework iron phosphites: Feп5(NH4)2(HPO3)6 (1), Feп2Fe♯(NH4)(HPO3)4 (2) and Fe♯2(HPO3)3 (3) have been synthesized under ionothermal conditions. How the different synthesis parameters, such as the gel concentrations, synthetic times, reaction temperatures and solvents affect the products have been monitored by using high-throughput approaches. Within each type of experiment, relevant products have been investigated. The optimal reaction conditions are obtained from a series of experiments by high-throughput approaches. All the structures are determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and further characterized by PXRD, TGA and FTIR analyses. Magnetic study reveals that those three compounds show interesting magnetic behavior at low temperature.

Ecological niche models reveal the importance of climate variability for the biogeography of protosteloid amoebae

PubMed Central

Aguilar, María; Lado, Carlos

2012-01-01

Habitat availability and environmental preferences of species are among the most important factors in determining the success of dispersal processes and therefore in shaping the distribution of protists. We explored the differences in fundamental niches and potential distributions of an ecological guild of slime moulds—protosteloid amoebae—in the Iberian Peninsula. A large set of samples collected in a north-east to south-west transect of approximately 1000 km along the peninsula was used to test the hypothesis that, together with the existence of suitable microhabitats, climate conditions may determine the probability of survival of species. Although protosteloid amoebae share similar morphologies and life history strategies, canonical correspondence analyses showed that they have varied ecological optima, and that climate conditions have an important effect in niche differentiation. Maxent environmental niche models provided consistent predictions of the probability of presence of the species based on climate data, and they were used to generate maps of potential distribution in an ‘everything is everywhere' scenario. The most important climatic factors were, in both analyses, variables that measure changes in conditions throughout the year, confirming that the alternation of fruiting bodies, cysts and amoeboid stages in the life cycles of protosteloid amoebae constitutes an advantage for surviving in a changing environment. Microhabitat affinity seems to be influenced by climatic conditions, which suggests that the micro-environment may vary at a local scale and change together with the external climate at a larger scale. PMID:22402402

Ecological niche models reveal the importance of climate variability for the biogeography of protosteloid amoebae.

PubMed

Aguilar, María; Lado, Carlos

2012-08-01

Habitat availability and environmental preferences of species are among the most important factors in determining the success of dispersal processes and therefore in shaping the distribution of protists. We explored the differences in fundamental niches and potential distributions of an ecological guild of slime moulds-protosteloid amoebae-in the Iberian Peninsula. A large set of samples collected in a north-east to south-west transect of approximately 1000 km along the peninsula was used to test the hypothesis that, together with the existence of suitable microhabitats, climate conditions may determine the probability of survival of species. Although protosteloid amoebae share similar morphologies and life history strategies, canonical correspondence analyses showed that they have varied ecological optima, and that climate conditions have an important effect in niche differentiation. Maxent environmental niche models provided consistent predictions of the probability of presence of the species based on climate data, and they were used to generate maps of potential distribution in an 'everything is everywhere' scenario. The most important climatic factors were, in both analyses, variables that measure changes in conditions throughout the year, confirming that the alternation of fruiting bodies, cysts and amoeboid stages in the life cycles of protosteloid amoebae constitutes an advantage for surviving in a changing environment. Microhabitat affinity seems to be influenced by climatic conditions, which suggests that the micro-environment may vary at a local scale and change together with the external climate at a larger scale.

Interrater Reliability of the Power Mobility Road Test in the Virtual Reality-Based Simulator-2.

PubMed

Kamaraj, Deepan C; Dicianno, Brad E; Mahajan, Harshal P; Buhari, Alhaji M; Cooper, Rory A

2016-07-01

To assess interrater reliability of the Power Mobility Road Test (PMRT) when administered through the Virtual Reality-based SIMulator-version 2 (VRSIM-2). Within-subjects repeated-measures design. Participants interacted with VRSIM-2 through 2 display options (desktop monitor vs immersive virtual reality screens) using 2 control interfaces (roller system vs conventional movement-sensing joystick), providing 4 different driving scenarios (driving conditions 1-4). Participants performed 3 virtual driving sessions for each of the 2 display screens and 1 session through a real-world driving course (driving condition 5). The virtual PMRT was conducted in a simulated indoor office space, and an equivalent course was charted in an open space for the real-world assessment. After every change in driving condition, participants completed a self-reported workload assessment questionnaire, the Task Load Index, developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A convenience sample of electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) athletes (N=21) recruited at the 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Not applicable. Total composite PMRT score. The PMRT had high interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]>.75) between the 2 raters in all 5 driving conditions. Post hoc analyses revealed that the reliability analyses had >80% power to detect high ICCs in driving conditions 1 and 4. The PMRT has high interrater reliability in conditions 1 and 4 and could be used to assess EPW driving performance virtually in VRSIM-2. However, further psychometric assessment is necessary to assess the feasibility of administering the PMRT using the different interfaces of VRSIM-2. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the effectiveness of ISJ and SSR markers and detection of outlier loci in conservation genetics of Pulsatilla patens populations

PubMed Central

Szczecińska, Monika

2016-01-01

Background Research into the protection of rare and endangered plant species involves genetic analyses to determine their genetic variation and genetic structure. Various categories of genetic markers are used for this purpose. Microsatellites, also known as simple sequence repeats (SSR), are the most popular category of markers in population genetics research. In most cases, microsatellites account for a large part of the noncoding DNA and exert a neutral effect on the genome. Neutrality is a desirable feature in evaluations of genetic differences between populations, but it does not support analyses of a population’s ability to adapt to a given environment or its evolutionary potential. Despite the numerous advantages of microsatellites, non-neutral markers may supply important information in conservation genetics research. They are used to evaluate adaptation to specific environmental conditions and a population’s adaptive potential. The aim of this study was to compare the level of genetic variation in Pulsatilla patens populations revealed by neutral SSR markers and putatively adaptive ISJ markers (intron-exon splice junction). Methods The experiment was conducted on 14 Polish populations of P. patens and three P. patens populations from the nearby region of Vitebsk in Belarus. A total of 345 individuals were examined. Analyses were performed with the use of eight SSR primers specific to P. patens and three ISJ primers. Results SSR markers revealed a higher level of genetic variation than ISJ markers (He = 0.609, He = 0.145, respectively). An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that, the overall genetic diversity between the analyzed populations defined by parameters FST and ΦPT for SSR (20%) and ΦPT for ISJ (21%) markers was similar. Analysis conducted in the Structure program divided analyzed populations into two groups (SSR loci) and three groups (ISJ markers). Mantel test revealed correlations between the geographic distance and genetic diversity of Polish populations of P. patens for ISJ markers, but not for SSR markers. Conclusions The results of the present study suggest that ISJ markers can complement the analyses based on SSRs. However, neutral and adaptive markers should not be alternatively applied. Neutral microsatellite markers cannot depict the full range of genetic variation in a population because they do not enable to analyze functional variation. Although ISJ markers are less polymorphic, they can contribute to the reliability of analyses based on SSRs. PMID:27833793

Negative density-dependent dispersal in the American black bear (Ursus americanus) revealed by noninvasive sampling and genotyping

PubMed Central

Roy, Justin; Yannic, Glenn; Côté, Steeve D; Bernatchez, Louis

2012-01-01

Although the dispersal of animals is influenced by a variety of factors, few studies have used a condition-dependent approach to assess it. The mechanisms underlying dispersal are thus poorly known in many species, especially in large mammals. We used 10 microsatellite loci to examine population density effects on sex-specific dispersal behavior in the American black bear, Ursus americanus. We tested whether dispersal increases with population density in both sexes. Fine-scale genetic structure was investigated in each of four sampling areas using Mantel tests and spatial autocorrelation analyses. Our results revealed male-biased dispersal pattern in low-density areas. As population density increased, females appeared to exhibit philopatry at smaller scales. Fine-scale genetic structure for males at higher densities may indicate reduced dispersal distances and delayed dispersal by subadults. PMID:22822432

NuSAP governs chromosome oscillation by facilitating the Kid-generated polar ejection force

PubMed Central

Li, Chenyu; Xue, Chenyi; Yang, Qiaoyun; Low, Boon Chuan; Liou, Yih-Cherng

2016-01-01

In vertebrate cells, chromosomes oscillate to align precisely during metaphase. NuSAP, a microtubule-associated protein, plays a critical role in stabilizing spindle microtubules. In this study, we utilize 3D time-lapse live-cell imaging to monitor the role of NuSAP in chromosome oscillation and identify NuSAP as a novel regulator of the chromokinesin, Kid. Depletion of NuSAP significantly suppresses the amplitude and velocity of chromosome oscillation. We analyse the effects of NuSAP and Kid depletion in monopolar and bipolar cells with or without kinetochore microtubule depletion. Twelve postulated conditions are deciphered to reveal the contribution of NuSAP to the polar force generated at kinetochore microtubules and to the regulation of the polar ejection force generated by Kid, thus revealing a pivotal role of NuSAP in chromosome oscillation. PMID:26839278

NuSAP governs chromosome oscillation by facilitating the Kid-generated polar ejection force.

PubMed

Li, Chenyu; Xue, Chenyi; Yang, Qiaoyun; Low, Boon Chuan; Liou, Yih-Cherng

2016-02-03

In vertebrate cells, chromosomes oscillate to align precisely during metaphase. NuSAP, a microtubule-associated protein, plays a critical role in stabilizing spindle microtubules. In this study, we utilize 3D time-lapse live-cell imaging to monitor the role of NuSAP in chromosome oscillation and identify NuSAP as a novel regulator of the chromokinesin, Kid. Depletion of NuSAP significantly suppresses the amplitude and velocity of chromosome oscillation. We analyse the effects of NuSAP and Kid depletion in monopolar and bipolar cells with or without kinetochore microtubule depletion. Twelve postulated conditions are deciphered to reveal the contribution of NuSAP to the polar force generated at kinetochore microtubules and to the regulation of the polar ejection force generated by Kid, thus revealing a pivotal role of NuSAP in chromosome oscillation.

Disclosure of the differences of Mesorhizobium loti under the free-living and symbiotic conditions by comparative proteome analysis without bacteroid isolation.

PubMed

Tatsukami, Yohei; Nambu, Mami; Morisaka, Hironobu; Kuroda, Kouichi; Ueda, Mitsuyoshi

2013-07-31

Rhizobia are symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria that show a symbiotic relationship with their host legume. Rhizobia have 2 different physiological conditions: a free-living condition in soil, and a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing condition in the nodule. The lifestyle of rhizobia remains largely unknown, although genome and transcriptome analyses have been carried out. To clarify the lifestyle of bacteria, proteome analysis is necessary because the protein profile directly reflects in vivo reactions of the organisms. In proteome analysis, high separation performance is required to analyze complex biological samples. Therefore, we used a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system, equipped with a long monolithic silica capillary column, which is superior to conventional columns. In this study, we compared the protein profile of Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099 under free-living condition to that of symbiotic conditions by using small amounts of crude extracts. We identified 1,533 and 847 proteins for M. loti under free-living and symbiotic conditions, respectively. Pathway analysis by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that many of the enzymes involved in the central carbon metabolic pathway were commonly detected under both conditions. The proteins encoded in the symbiosis island, the transmissible chromosomal region that includes the genes that are highly upregulated under the symbiotic condition, were uniquely detected under the symbiotic condition. The features of the symbiotic condition that have been reported by transcriptome analysis were confirmed at the protein level by proteome analysis. In addition, the genes of the proteins involved in cell surface structure were repressed under the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing condition. Furthermore, farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) was found to be biosynthesized only in rhizobia under the symbiotic condition. The obtained protein profile appeared to reflect the difference in phenotypes under the free-living and symbiotic conditions. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the cell surface structure of rhizobia was largely different under each condition, and surprisingly, rhizobia might provided FPP to the host as a source of secondary metabolism. M. loti changed its metabolism and cell surface structure in accordance with the surrounding conditions.

Disclosure of the differences of Mesorhizobium loti under the free-living and symbiotic conditions by comparative proteome analysis without bacteroid isolation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Rhizobia are symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria that show a symbiotic relationship with their host legume. Rhizobia have 2 different physiological conditions: a free-living condition in soil, and a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing condition in the nodule. The lifestyle of rhizobia remains largely unknown, although genome and transcriptome analyses have been carried out. To clarify the lifestyle of bacteria, proteome analysis is necessary because the protein profile directly reflects in vivo reactions of the organisms. In proteome analysis, high separation performance is required to analyze complex biological samples. Therefore, we used a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry system, equipped with a long monolithic silica capillary column, which is superior to conventional columns. In this study, we compared the protein profile of Mesorhizobium loti MAFF303099 under free-living condition to that of symbiotic conditions by using small amounts of crude extracts. Result We identified 1,533 and 847 proteins for M. loti under free-living and symbiotic conditions, respectively. Pathway analysis by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) revealed that many of the enzymes involved in the central carbon metabolic pathway were commonly detected under both conditions. The proteins encoded in the symbiosis island, the transmissible chromosomal region that includes the genes that are highly upregulated under the symbiotic condition, were uniquely detected under the symbiotic condition. The features of the symbiotic condition that have been reported by transcriptome analysis were confirmed at the protein level by proteome analysis. In addition, the genes of the proteins involved in cell surface structure were repressed under the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing condition. Furthermore, farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) was found to be biosynthesized only in rhizobia under the symbiotic condition. Conclusion The obtained protein profile appeared to reflect the difference in phenotypes under the free-living and symbiotic conditions. In addition, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the cell surface structure of rhizobia was largely different under each condition, and surprisingly, rhizobia might provided FPP to the host as a source of secondary metabolism. M. loti changed its metabolism and cell surface structure in accordance with the surrounding conditions. PMID:23898917

Somatic Embryogenesis in Peach Palm Using the Thin Cell Layer Technique: Induction, Morpho-histological Aspects and AFLP Analysis of Somaclonal Variation

PubMed Central

Steinmacher, D. A.; Krohn, N. G.; Dantas, A. C. M.; Stefenon, V. M.; Clement, C. R.; Guerra, M. P.

2007-01-01

Background and Aims The thin cell layer (TCL) technique is based on the use of very small explants and has allowed enhanced in vitro morphogenesis in several plant species. The present study evaluated the TCL technique as a procedure for somatic embryo production and plantlet regeneration of peach palm. Methods TCL explants from different positions in the shoot apex and leaf sheath of peach palm were cultivated in MS culture medium supplemented with 0–600 µm Picloram in the presence of activated charcoal. The production of primary calli and embryogenic calli was evaluated in these different conditions. Histological and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses were conducted to study in vitro morphogenetic responses and genetic stability, respectively, of the regenerated plantlets. Key Results Abundant primary callus induction was observed from TCLs of the shoot meristem in culture media supplemented with 150–600 µm Picloram (83–97 %, respectively). The production of embryogenic calli depends on Picloram concentration and explant position. The best response observed was 43 % embryogenic callus production from shoot meristem TCL on 300 µm Picloram. In maturation conditions, 34 ± 4 somatic embryos per embryogenic callus were obtained, and 45·0 ± 3·4 % of these fully developed somatic embryos were converted, resulting in plantlets ready for acclimatization, of which 80 % survived. Histological studies revealed that the first cellular division events occurred in cells adjacent to vascular tissue, resulting in primary calli, whose growth was ensured by a meristematic zone. A multicellular origin of the resulting somatic embryos arising from the meristematic zone is suggested. During maturation, histological analyses revealed bipolarization of the somatic embryos, as well as the development of new somatic embryos. AFLP analyses revealed that 92 % of the regenerated plantlets were true to type. The use of TCL explants considerably improves the number of calli and somatic embryos produced in comparison with previously described protocols for in vitro regeneration of peach palm. Conclusions The present study suggests that the TCL somatic embryogenesis protocol developed is feasible, although it still requires further optimization for in vitro multiplication of peach palm, especially the use of similar explants obtained from adult palm trees. PMID:17670751

A study on the reaction of Zircaloy-4 tube with hydrogen/steam mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ji-Min; Kook, Dong-Hak; Cho, Il-Je; Kim, Yong-Soo

2017-08-01

In order to fundamentally understand the secondary hydriding mechanism of zirconium alloy cladding, the reaction of commercial Zircaloy-4 tubes with hydrogen and steam mixture was studied using a thermo-gravimetric analyser with two variables, H2/H2O ratio and temperature. Phenomenological analysis revealed that in the steam starvation condition, i.e., when the H2/H2O ratio is greater than 104, hydriding is the dominant reaction and the weight gain increases linearly after a short incubation time. On the other hand, when the gas ratio is 5 × 102 or 103, both hydriding and oxidation reactions take place simultaneously, leading to three distinct regimes: primary hydriding, enhanced oxidation, and massive hydriding. Microstructural changes of oxide demonstrate that when the weight gain exceeds a certain critical value, massive hydriding takes place due to the significant localized crack development within the oxide, which possibly simulates the secondary hydriding failure in a defective fuel operation. This study reveals that the steam starvation condition above the critical H2/H2O ratio is only a necessary condition for the secondary hydriding failure and, as a sufficient condition, oxide needs to grow sufficiently to reach the critical thickness that produces substantial crack development. In other words, in a real defective fuel operation incident, the secondary failure is initiated only when both steam starvation and oxide degradation conditions are simultaneously met. Therefore, it is concluded that the indispensable time for the critical oxide growth primarily determines the triggering time of massive hydriding failure.

Raman Spectroscopic Analyses of Jaw Periosteal Cell Mineralization

PubMed Central

Brauchle, Eva; Carvajal Berrio, Daniel; Rieger, Melanie; Schenke-Layland, Katja; Reinert, Siegmar

2017-01-01

To achieve safer patient treatments, serum-free cell culture conditions have to be established for cell therapies. In previous studies, we demonstrated that serum-free culture favored the proliferation of MSCA-1+ osteoprogenitors derived from the jaw periosteum. In this study, the in vitro formation of bone-specific matrix by MSCA-1+ jaw periosteal cells (JPCs, 3 donors) was assessed and compared under serum-free and serum-containing media conditions using the marker-free Raman spectroscopy. Based on a standard fluorescence assay, JPCs from one patient were not able to mineralize under serum-containing culture conditions, whereas the other cells showed similar mineralization levels under both conditions. Raman spectra from mineralizing MSCA-1+ JPCs revealed higher levels of hydroxyapatite formation and higher mineral to matrix ratios under serum-free culture conditions. Higher carbonate to phosphate ratios and higher crystallinity in JPCs cultured under serum-containing conditions indicated immature bone formation. Due to reduced collagen production under serum-free conditions, we obtained significant differences in collagen maturity and proline to hydroxyproline ratios compared to serum-free conditions. We conclude that Raman spectroscopy is a useful tool for the assessment and noninvasive monitoring of in vitro mineralization of osteoprogenitor cells. Further studies should extend this knowledge and improve JPC mineralization by optimizing culture conditions. PMID:28232849

Anatomy of Some Non-Heinrich Events During The Last Glacial Maximum on Laurentian Fan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, I. M.; Keigwin, L. D.

2013-12-01

High-resolution diatom assemblage analyses coupled with oxygen and carbon isotopic records from a new 28 m piston core on Laurentian Fan reveal significant sedimentological and marine productivity changes related to variability of the nearby Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. Between 21.0 and 19.7 ka and between 18.8 and 18.6 ka, olive-grey clays intervals interrupt the usual glacial red-clays sedimentation. The timing of these two intervals corresponds to reported occurrence of layers low in detrital carbonate (LDC, considered as non-Heinrich events) that occurred between Heinrich Event 1 and 2. Diatoms are only abundant during those LDC - olive-grey clay intervals and suggest ice retreat (allowing light penetration necessary to diatoms). The species succession reveals also different environmental conditions. The 21.0 to 19.7 ka interval is divisible to two main periods: the first was characterized by environmental conditions dominated by ice, while the second period (starting at 20.2 ka) was warmer than the first. During the shorter 18.8 to 18.6 ka interval, conditions were even warmer than during the 20.2 to 19.7 ka sub-interval. Finally, the comparison of the interpreted oceanographic conditions with changes in Ice Rafted Debris and other records from the North Atlantic will bring a new insight into those episodes that precede the transition to deglaciation beginning ~18.2 ka on Laurentian Fan (based on δ18-O in N. pachyderma (s.)).

Mindfulness as a strategy for coping with cue-elicited cravings for alcohol: an experimental examination.

PubMed

Murphy, Cara M; MacKillop, James

2014-04-01

Mindfulness has been identified as a promising strategy for managing cravings for alcohol and other drugs, but little controlled experimental research has directly studied whether this approach is effective. The current study systematically examined the effects of an acute mindfulness manipulation on craving for alcohol during prolonged exposure to alcohol cues. Heavy drinkers (N = 84, 50% male) underwent a prolonged alcohol cue exposure paradigm in a simulated bar environment and received either a mindfulness-based strategy, a distraction (DST)-based strategy (active control), or no strategy (passive control) to cope with alcohol cravings and discomfort associated with craving. No baseline differences were present between conditions. Manipulation checks revealed that participants in the 2 active conditions reported using the recommended strategies. Across groups, the initial exposure to alcohol cues was associated with significant increases in craving, urge distress, and heart rate. Mixed analyses of variance on these indices following the experimental manipulation revealed significant differences based on condition over the course of the bar laboratory protocol. The DST strategy was significantly more effective at acutely reducing craving and urge distress than the other 2 conditions, which did not significantly differ from each other. Contrary to our prediction, these findings suggest that an acute DSTstrategy is beneficial for coping with alcohol cravings. The potential importance of protracted mindfulness training to detect significant effects on in vivo craving, additional implications, and methodological considerations are discussed. Copyright © 2013 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Exogenous vs. endogenous attention: Shifting the balance of fronto-parietal activity.

PubMed

Meyer, Kristin N; Du, Feng; Parks, Emily; Hopfinger, Joseph B

2018-03-01

Despite behavioral and electrophysiological evidence for dissociations between endogenous (voluntary) and exogenous (reflexive) attention, fMRI results have yet to consistently and clearly differentiate neural activation patterns between these two types of attention. This study specifically aimed to determine whether activity in the dorsal fronto-parietal network differed between endogenous and exogenous conditions. Participants performed a visual discrimination task in endogenous and exogenous attention conditions while undergoing fMRI scanning. Analyses revealed robust and bilateral activation throughout the dorsal fronto-parietal network for each condition, in line with many previous results. In order to investigate possible differences in the balance of neural activity within this network with greater sensitivity, a priori regions of interest (ROIs) were selected for analysis, centered on the frontal eye fields (FEF) and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) regions identified in previous studies. The results revealed a significant interaction between region, condition, and hemisphere. Specifically, in the left hemisphere, frontal areas were more active than parietal areas, but only during endogenous attention. Activity in the right hemisphere, in contrast, remained relatively consistent for these regions across conditions. Analysis of this activity over time indicates that this left-hemispheric regional imbalance is present within the FEF early, at 3-6.5 s post-stimulus presentation, whereas a regional imbalance in the exogenous condition is not evident until 6.5-8 s post-stimulus presentation. Overall, our results provide new evidence that although the dorsal fronto-parietal network is indeed associated with both types of attentional orienting, regions of the network are differentially engaged over time and across hemispheres depending on the type of attention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative physiological, metabolomic, and transcriptomic analyses reveal mechanisms of improved abiotic stress resistance in bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L). Pers.] by exogenous melatonin.

PubMed

Shi, Haitao; Jiang, Chuan; Ye, Tiantian; Tan, Dun-Xian; Reiter, Russel J; Zhang, Heng; Liu, Renyi; Chan, Zhulong

2015-02-01

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine), a well-known animal hormone, is also involved in plant development and abiotic stress responses. In this study, it is shown that exogenous application of melatonin conferred improved salt, drought, and cold stress resistances in bermudagrass. Moreover, exogenous melatonin treatment alleviated reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst and cell damage induced by abiotic stress; this involved activation of several antioxidants. Additionally, melatonin-pre-treated plants exhibited higher concentrations of 54 metabolites, including amino acids, organic acids, sugars, and sugar alcohols, than non-treated plants under abiotic stress conditions. Genome-wide transcriptomic profiling identified 3933 transcripts (2361 up-regulated and 1572 down-regulated) that were differentially expressed in melatonin-treated plants versus controls. Pathway and gene ontology (GO) term enrichment analyses revealed that genes involved in nitrogen metabolism, major carbohydrate metabolism, tricarboxylic acid (TCA)/org transformation, transport, hormone metabolism, metal handling, redox, and secondary metabolism were over-represented after melatonin pre-treatment. Taken together, this study provides the first evidence of the protective roles of exogenous melatonin in the bermudagrass response to abiotic stresses, partially via activation of antioxidants and modulation of metabolic homeostasis. Notably, metabolic and transcriptomic analyses showed that the underlying mechanisms of melatonin could involve major reorientation of photorespiratory and carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Study of the electrochemical oxidation and reduction of C.I. Reactive Orange 4 in sodium sulphate alkaline solutions.

PubMed

del Río, A I; Molina, J; Bonastre, J; Cases, F

2009-12-15

Synthetic solutions of hydrolysed C.I. Reactive Orange 4, a monoazo textile dye commercially named Procion Orange MX-2R (PMX2R) and colour index number C.I. 18260, was exposed to electrochemical treatment under galvanostatic conditions and Na2SO4 as electrolyte. The influence of the electrochemical process as well as the applied current density was evaluated. Ti/SnO2-Sb-Pt and stainless steel electrodes were used as anode and cathode, respectively, and the intermediates generated on the cathode during electrochemical reduction were investigated. Aliquots of the solutions treated were analysed by UV-visible and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy confirming the presence of aromatic structures in solution when an electro-reduction was carried out. Electro-oxidation degraded both the azo group and aromatic structures. HPLC measures revealed that all processes followed pseudo-first order kinetics and decolourisation rates showed a considerable dependency on the applied current density. CV experiments and XPS analyses were carried out to study the behaviour of both PMX2R and intermediates and to analyse the state of the cathode after the electrochemical reduction, respectively. It was observed the presence of a main intermediate in solution after an electrochemical reduction whose chemical structure is similar to 2-amino-1,5-naphthalenedisulphonic acid. Moreover, the analysis of the cathode surface after electrochemical reduction reveals the presence of a coating layer with organic nature.

Impacts of extreme heat on emergency medical service calls in King County, Washington, 2007-2012: relative risk and time series analyses of basic and advanced life support.

PubMed

Calkins, Miriam M; Isaksen, Tania Busch; Stubbs, Benjamin A; Yost, Michael G; Fenske, Richard A

2016-01-28

Exposure to excessive heat kills more people than any other weather-related phenomenon, aggravates chronic diseases, and causes direct heat illness. Strong associations between extreme heat and health have been identified through increased mortality and hospitalizations and there is growing evidence demonstrating increased emergency department visits and demand for emergency medical services (EMS). The purpose of this study is to build on an existing regional assessment of mortality and hospitalizations by analyzing EMS demand associated with extreme heat, using calls as a health metric, in King County, Washington (WA), for a 6-year period. Relative-risk and time series analyses were used to characterize the association between heat and EMS calls for May 1 through September 30 of each year for 2007-2012. Two EMS categories, basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS), were analyzed for the effects of heat on health outcomes and transportation volume, stratified by age. Extreme heat was model-derived as the 95th (29.7 °C) and 99th (36.7 °C) percentile of average county-wide maximum daily humidex for BLS and ALS calls respectively. Relative-risk analyses revealed an 8 % (95 % CI: 6-9 %) increase in BLS calls, and a 14 % (95 % CI: 9-20 %) increase in ALS calls, on a heat day (29.7 and 36.7 °C humidex, respectively) versus a non-heat day for all ages, all causes. Time series analyses found a 6.6 % increase in BLS calls, and a 3.8 % increase in ALS calls, per unit-humidex increase above the optimum threshold, 40.7 and 39.7 °C humidex respectively. Increases in "no" and "any" transportation were found in both relative risk and time series analyses. Analysis by age category identified significant results for all age groups, with the 15-44 and 45-64 year old age groups showing some of the highest and most frequent increases across health conditions. Multiple specific health conditions were associated with increased risk of an EMS call including abdominal/genito-urinary, alcohol/drug, anaphylaxis/allergy, cardiovascular, metabolic/endocrine, diabetes, neurological, heat illness and dehydration, and psychological conditions. Extreme heat increases the risk of EMS calls in King County, WA, with effects demonstrated in relatively younger populations and more health conditions than those identified in previous analyses.

From hippocampus to whole-brain: The role of integrative processing in episodic memory retrieval.

PubMed

Geib, Benjamin R; Stanley, Matthew L; Dennis, Nancy A; Woldorff, Marty G; Cabeza, Roberto

2017-04-01

Multivariate functional connectivity analyses of neuroimaging data have revealed the importance of complex, distributed interactions between disparate yet interdependent brain regions. Recent work has shown that topological properties of functional brain networks are associated with individual and group differences in cognitive performance, including in episodic memory. After constructing functional whole-brain networks derived from an event-related fMRI study of memory retrieval, we examined differences in functional brain network architecture between forgotten and remembered words. This study yielded three main findings. First, graph theory analyses showed that successfully remembering compared to forgetting was associated with significant changes in the connectivity profile of the left hippocampus and a corresponding increase in efficient communication with the rest of the brain. Second, bivariate functional connectivity analyses indicated stronger interactions between the left hippocampus and a retrieval assembly for remembered versus forgotten items. This assembly included the left precuneus, left caudate, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, and the bilateral dorsolateral superior frontal gyrus. Integrative properties of the retrieval assembly were greater for remembered than forgotten items. Third, whole-brain modularity analyses revealed that successful memory retrieval was marginally significantly associated with a less segregated modular architecture in the network. The magnitude of the decreases in modularity between remembered and forgotten conditions was related to memory performance. These findings indicate that increases in integrative properties at the nodal, retrieval assembly, and whole-brain topological levels facilitate memory retrieval, while also underscoring the potential of multivariate brain connectivity approaches for providing valuable new insights into the neural bases of memory processes. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2242-2259, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ocean acidification impacts bacteria-phytoplankton coupling at low-nutrient conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hornick, Thomas; Bach, Lennart T.; Crawfurd, Katharine J.; Spilling, Kristian; Achterberg, Eric P.; Woodhouse, Jason N.; Schulz, Kai G.; Brussaard, Corina P. D.; Riebesell, Ulf; Grossart, Hans-Peter

2017-01-01

The oceans absorb about a quarter of the annually produced anthropogenic atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), resulting in a decrease in surface water pH, a process termed ocean acidification (OA). Surprisingly little is known about how OA affects the physiology of heterotrophic bacteria or the coupling of heterotrophic bacteria to phytoplankton when nutrients are limited. Previous experiments were, for the most part, undertaken during productive phases or following nutrient additions designed to stimulate algal blooms. Therefore, we performed an in situ large-volume mesocosm ( ˜ 55 m3) experiment in the Baltic Sea by simulating different fugacities of CO2 (fCO2) extending from present to future conditions. The study was conducted in July-August after the nominal spring bloom, in order to maintain low-nutrient conditions throughout the experiment. This resulted in phytoplankton communities dominated by small-sized functional groups (picophytoplankton). There was no consistent fCO2-induced effect on bacterial protein production (BPP), cell-specific BPP (csBPP) or biovolumes (BVs) of either free-living (FL) or particle-associated (PA) heterotrophic bacteria, when considered as individual components (univariate analyses). Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) revealed a significant effect of the fCO2 treatment on entire assemblages of dissolved and particulate nutrients, metabolic parameters and the bacteria-phytoplankton community. However, distance-based linear modelling only identified fCO2 as a factor explaining the variability observed amongst the microbial community composition, but not for explaining variability within the metabolic parameters. This suggests that fCO2 impacts on microbial metabolic parameters occurred indirectly through varying physicochemical parameters and microbial species composition. Cluster analyses examining the co-occurrence of different functional groups of bacteria and phytoplankton further revealed a separation of the four fCO2-treated mesocosms from both control mesocosms, indicating that complex trophic interactions might be altered in a future acidified ocean. Possible consequences for nutrient cycling and carbon export are still largely unknown, in particular in a nutrient-limited ocean.

Combining multiple approaches and optimized data resolution for an improved understanding of stream temperature dynamics of a forested headwater basin in the Southern Appalachians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belica, L.; Mitasova, H.; Caldwell, P.; McCarter, J. B.; Nelson, S. A. C.

2017-12-01

Thermal regimes of forested headwater streams continue to be an area of active research as climatic, hydrologic, and land cover changes can influence water temperature, a key aspect of aquatic ecosystems. Widespread monitoring of stream temperatures have provided an important data source, yielding insights on the temporal and spatial patterns and the underlying processes that influence stream temperature. However, small forested streams remain challenging to model due to the high spatial and temporal variability of stream temperatures and the climatic and hydrologic conditions that drive them. Technological advances and increased computational power continue to provide new tools and measurement methods and have allowed spatially explicit analyses of dynamic natural systems at greater temporal resolutions than previously possible. With the goal of understanding how current stream temperature patterns and processes may respond to changing landcover and hydroclimatoligical conditions, we combined high-resolution, spatially explicit geospatial modeling with deterministic heat flux modeling approaches using data sources that ranged from traditional hydrological and climatological measurements to emerging remote sensing techniques. Initial analyses of stream temperature monitoring data revealed that high temporal resolution (5 minutes) and measurement resolutions (<0.1°C) were needed to adequately describe diel stream temperature patterns and capture the differences between paired 1st order and 4th order forest streams draining north and south facing slopes. This finding along with geospatial models of subcanopy solar radiation and channel morphology were used to develop hypotheses and guide field data collection for further heat flux modeling. By integrating multiple approaches and optimizing data resolution for the processes being investigated, small, but ecologically significant differences in stream thermal regimes were revealed. In this case, multi-approach research contributed to the identification of the dominant mechanisms driving stream temperature in the study area and advanced our understanding of the current thermal fluxes and how they may change as environmental conditions change in the future.

Feeding behavior of Aplysia: a model system for comparing cellular mechanisms of classical and operant conditioning.

PubMed

Baxter, Douglas A; Byrne, John H

2006-01-01

Feeding behavior of Aplysia provides an excellent model system for analyzing and comparing mechanisms underlying appetitive classical conditioning and reward operant conditioning. Behavioral protocols have been developed for both forms of associative learning, both of which increase the occurrence of biting following training. Because the neural circuitry that mediates the behavior is well characterized and amenable to detailed cellular analyses, substantial progress has been made toward a comparative analysis of the cellular mechanisms underlying these two forms of associative learning. Both forms of associative learning use the same reinforcement pathway (the esophageal nerve, En) and the same reinforcement transmitter (dopamine, DA). In addition, at least one cellular locus of plasticity (cell B51) is modified by both forms of associative learning. However, the two forms of associative learning have opposite effects on B51. Classical conditioning decreases the excitability of B51, whereas operant conditioning increases the excitability of B51. Thus, the approach of using two forms of associative learning to modify a single behavior, which is mediated by an analytically tractable neural circuit, is revealing similarities and differences in the mechanisms that underlie classical and operant conditioning.

X-ray Crystal Truncation Rod Studies of Surface Oxidation and Reduction on Pt(111)

DOE PAGES

Liu, Yihua; Barbour, Andi; Komanicky, Vladimir; ...

2016-02-26

Here, we present X-ray crystal truncation rods measurements of Pt(111) surface under electrochemical conditions. Analyses of crystal truncation rods reveal that surface oxide formation buckles the top surface layer of platinum to two different heights at the potential (0.95 V vs RHE) below the so-called place-exchange potential. While the anti-Bragg intensity, sensitive to the top surface layer, drops in response to the anodic charge transfers, its responses to the cathodic charge transfers are significantly delayed. Implications to the surface oxidation and reduction behaviors are discussed.

[Daily practice using the guidelines for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Effectiveness of exercise for preventing and treating osteoporosis].

PubMed

Miyakoshi, Naohisa

2008-08-01

There is increasing evidence that exercise is an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. The randomized controlled trials and their meta-analyses to date, evaluating the effects of exercise on osteoporosis reveal that the exercise is effective in preserving bone mass, preventing fractures and falls, and improving quality of life in patients with osteoporosis. Emphasis is also given to the importance of the specific protocols of exercises needed to achieve positive effects safely, keeping in view the age and general physical condition of the person.

Surface coating metrology of carbides of cutting tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parfenov, V. D.; Basova, G. D.

2017-10-01

The coatings were studied by their main sign of the micrometric thickness by means of coating destruction and electron microscopical study of cleavage surfaces. Shock stress ruptures of heated carbides of cutting tools were performed. The discovery of the coating technology and creation of the coating structure for nonuniform and nonequilibrium conditions of the cutting process were dealt with. Multifracture microdestruction of nitride coatings, caused by complex external influences, was analysed to reveal the mechanism of interaction of elementary failures. Positive results were obtained in the form of improving the strength and wear resistance of the product, crack resistance increasing.

Structural Testing at the NWTC Helps Improve Blade Design and Increase System Reliability; NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

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

None

2015-08-01

Since 1990, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL's) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) has tested more than 150 wind turbine blades. NWTC researchers can test full-scale and subcomponent articles, conduct data analyses, and provide engineering expertise on best design practices. Structural testing of wind turbine blades enables designers, manufacturers, and owners to validate designs and assess structural performance to specific load conditions. Rigorous structural testing can reveal design and manufacturing problems at an early stage of development that can lead to overall improvements in design and increase system reliability.

[Expenditures for members of a health insurance company suffering from alcoholism - a payer's view].

PubMed

Stamm, Klaus; Merkel, Silke; Mann, Karl; Salize, Hans Joachim

2007-05-01

In this study, expenditures of a health insurance company for alcoholics are calculated and analysed. Data are derived from the company's records. To participate in this study, subjects had to have a clearly alcohol-related diagnosis during a stay in hospital or a time-off work in 2001 (index-year). 127 Persons were identified according to these criteria. The sample was divided into two groups, those with an alcohol-related diagnosis only in 2001 (Group 1) and those with an alcohol-related diagnosis in at least one other year (Group 2, chronic condition). Expenditures are calculated, cost figures are compared with the health insurance company's average means. For Group 1, the course of costs is examined. Also, cost-predictors are identified. The results show increased costs for alcoholics for all sectors included. Further analyses revealed higher expenditures for persons with a chronic condition (Group 2) and older age. The course of costs for Group 1 shows that expenditures here are clearly increased in the index-year, but not in the other years. A recurrent diagnosis of alcoholism leads to high costs for health insurance companies. Investments in effective prevention and treatment strategies are recommended to reduce the financial burden.

Solubility and dissolution performances of spray-dried solid dispersion of Efavirenz in Soluplus.

PubMed

Lavra, Zênia Maria Maciel; Pereira de Santana, Davi; Ré, Maria Inês

2017-01-01

Efavirenz (EFV), a first-line anti-HIV drug largely used as part of antiretroviral therapies, is practically insoluble in water and belongs to BCS class II (low solubility/high permeability). The aim of this study was to improve the solubility and dissolution performances of EFV by formulating an amorphous solid dispersion of the drug in polyvinyl caprolactam-polyvinyl acetate-polyethylene glycol graft copolymer (Soluplus ® ) using spray-drying technique. To this purpose, spray-dried dispersions of EFV in Soluplus ® at different mass ratios (1:1.25, 1:7, 1:10) were prepared and characterized using particle size measurements, SEM, XRD, DSC, FTIR and Raman microscopy mapping. Solubility and dissolution were determined in different media. Stability was studied at accelerated conditions (40 °C/75% RH) and ambient conditions for 12 months. DSC and XRD analyses confirmed the EFV amorphous state. FTIR spectroscopy analyses revealed possible drug-polymer molecular interaction. Solubility and dissolution rate of EFV was enhanced remarkably in the developed spray-dried solid dispersions, as a function of the polymer concentration. Spray-drying was concluded to be a proper technique to formulate a physically stable dispersion of amorphous EFV in Soluplus ® , when protected from moisture.

Injury-related visits and comorbid conditions among homeless persons presenting to emergency departments.

PubMed

Hammig, Bart; Jozkowski, Kristen; Jones, Ches

2014-04-01

The authors examined the clinical characteristics of homeless patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) in the United States, with a focus on unintentional and intentional injury events and related comorbid conditions. The study included a nationally representative sample of patients presenting to EDs with data obtained from the 2007 through 2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS). Descriptive and analytical epidemiologic analyses were employed to examine injuries among homeless patients. Homeless persons made 603,000 visits annually to EDs, 55% of which were for injuries, with the majority related to unintentional (52%) and self-inflicted (23%) injuries. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that homeless patients had a higher odds of presenting with injuries related to unintentional (odds ratio [OR]=1.4. 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.1 to 1.9), self-inflicted (OR=6.0, 95% CI=3.7 to 9.5), and assault (OR=3.0, 95% CI=1.5 to 5.9) injuries. A better understanding of the injuries affecting homeless populations may provide medical and public health professionals insight into more effective ways to intervene and limit further morbidity and mortality related to specific injury outcomes. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Fluoride exposure and indicators of thyroid functioning in the Canadian population: implications for community water fluoridation.

PubMed

Barberio, Amanda M; Hosein, F Shaun; Quiñonez, Carlos; McLaren, Lindsay

2017-10-01

There are concerns that altered thyroid functioning could be the result of ingesting too much fluoride. Community water fluoridation (CWF) is an important source of fluoride exposure. Our objectives were to examine the association between fluoride exposure and (1) diagnosis of a thyroid condition and (2) indicators of thyroid functioning among a national population-based sample of Canadians. We analysed data from Cycles 2 and 3 of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). Logistic regression was used to assess associations between fluoride from urine and tap water samples and the diagnosis of a thyroid condition. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between fluoride exposure and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level (low/normal/high). Other available variables permitted additional exploratory analyses among the subset of participants for whom we could discern some fluoride exposure from drinking water and/or dental products. There was no evidence of a relationship between fluoride exposure (from urine and tap water) and the diagnosis of a thyroid condition. There was no statistically significant association between fluoride exposure and abnormal (low or high) TSH levels relative to normal TSH levels. Rerunning the models with the sample constrained to the subset of participants for whom we could discern some source(s) of fluoride exposure from drinking water and/or dental products revealed no significant associations. These analyses suggest that, at the population level, fluoride exposure is not associated with impaired thyroid functioning in a time and place where multiple sources of fluoride exposure, including CWF, exist. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Sex differences in the stability of conditioned pain modulation (CPM) among patients with chronic pain.

PubMed

Martel, Marc O; Wasan, Ajay D; Edwards, Robert R

2013-11-01

To examine the temporal stability of conditioned pain modulation (CPM), formerly termed diffuse noxious inhibitory controls, among a sample of patients with chronic pain. The study also examined the factors that might be responsible for the stability of CPM. In this test-retest study, patients underwent a series of standardized psychophysical pain-testing procedures designed to assess CPM on two separate occasions (i.e., baseline and follow up). Patients also completed self-report measures of catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS] and negative affect [NA]). Overall, results provided evidence for the stability of CPM among patients with chronic pain. Results, however, revealed considerable sex differences in the stability of CPM. For women, results revealed a significant test-retest correlation between baseline and follow-up CPM scores. For men, however, the test-retest correlation between baseline and follow-up CPM scores was not significant. Results of a Fisher's Z-test revealed that the stability of CPM was significantly greater for women than for men. Follow-up analyses revealed that the difference between men and women in the stability of CPM could not be accounted for by any demographic (e.g., age) and/or psychological factors (PCS and NA). Our findings suggest that CPM paradigms possess sufficient reliability to be incorporated into bedside clinical evaluation of patients with chronic pain, but only among women. The lack of CPM reproducibility/stability observed among men places limits on the potential use of CPM paradigms in clinical settings for the assessment of men's endogenous pain-inhibitory function. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sex differences in the stability of conditioned pain modulation (CPM) among patients with chronic pain

PubMed Central

Martel, MO; Wasan, AD; Edwards, RR

2013-01-01

Objectives To examine the temporal stability of conditioned pain modulation (CPM), formerly termed diffuse noxious inhibitory controls (DNIC), among a sample of patients with chronic pain. The study also examined the factors that might be responsible for the stability of CPM. Design & subjects, and methods In this test-retest study, patients underwent a series of standardized psychophysical pain testing procedures designed to assess CPM on two separate occasions (i.e., baseline, follow-up). Patients also completed self-report measures of catastrophizing (PCS) and negative affect (NA). Results Overall, results provided evidence for the stability of CPM among patients with chronic pain. Results, however, revealed considerable sex differences in the stability of CPM. For women, results revealed a significant test-retest correlation between baseline and follow-up CPM scores. For men, however, the test-retest correlation between baseline and follow-up CPM scores was not significant. Results of a Fisher’s Z-test revealed that the stability of CPM was significantly greater for women than for men. Follow-up analyses revealed that the difference between men and women in the stability of CPM could not be accounted for by any demographic (e.g., age) and/or psychologic factors (PCS, NA). Conclusions Our findings suggest that CPM paradigms possess sufficient reliability to be incorporated into bedside clinical evaluation of patients with chronic pain, but only among women. The lack of CPM reproducibility/stability observed among men places limits on the potential use of CPM paradigms in clinical settings for the assessment of men’s endogenous pain-inhibitory function. PMID:23924369

The proteins of the grape (Vitis vinifera L.) seed endosperm: fractionation and identification of the major components.

PubMed

Gazzola, Diana; Vincenzi, Simone; Gastaldon, Luca; Tolin, Serena; Pasini, Gabriella; Curioni, Andrea

2014-07-15

In the present study, grape (Vitis vinifera L.) seed endosperm proteins were characterized after sequential fractionation, according to a modified Osborne procedure. The salt-soluble fraction (albumins and globulins) comprised the majority (58.4%) of the total extracted protein. The protein fractions analysed by SDS-PAGE showed similar bands, indicating different solubility of the same protein components. SDS-PAGE in non-reducing and reducing conditions revealed the polypeptide composition of the protein bands. The main polypeptides, which were similar in all the grape varieties analysed, were identified by LC-MS/MS as homologous to the 11S globulin-like seed storage proteins of other plant species, while a monomeric 43 kDa protein presented high homology with the 7S globulins of legume seeds. The results provide new insights about the identity, structure and polypeptide composition of the grape seed storage proteins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ancient DNA reveals Holocene loss of genetic diversity in a South American rodent

PubMed Central

Chan, Yvonne L; Lacey, Eileen A; Pearson, Oliver P; Hadly, Elizabeth A

2005-01-01

Understanding how animal populations have evolved in response to palaeoenvironmental conditions is essential for predicting the impact of future environmental change on current biodiversity. Analyses of ancient DNA provide a unique opportunity to track population responses to prehistoric environments. We explored the effects of palaeoenvironmental change on the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis), a highly endemic species of Patagonian rodent that is currently listed as threatened by the IUCN. By combining surveys of modern genetic variation from throughout this species' current geographic range with analyses of DNA samples from fossil material dating back to 10 000 ybp, we demonstrate a striking decline in genetic diversity that is concordant with environmental events in the study region. Our results highlight the importance of non-anthropogenic factors in loss of diversity, including reductions in smaller mammals such as rodents. PMID:17148223

Homosexuality as a Discrete Class.

PubMed

Norris, Alyssa L; Marcus, David K; Green, Bradley A

2015-12-01

Previous research on the latent structure of sexual orientation has returned conflicting results, with some studies finding a dimensional structure (i.e., ranging quantitatively along a spectrum) and others a taxonic structure (i.e., categories of individuals with distinct orientations). The current study used a sample (N = 33,525) from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). A series of taxometric analyses were conducted using three indicators of sexual orientation: identity, behavior, and attraction. These analyses, performed separately for women and men, revealed low-base-rate same-sex-oriented taxa for men (base rate = 3.0%) and women (base rate = 2.7%). Generally, taxon membership conferred an increased risk for psychiatric and substance-use disorders. Although taxa were present for men and women, women demonstrated greater sexual fluidity, such that any level of same-sex sexuality conferred taxon membership for men but not for women. © The Author(s) 2015.

An in vitro study of the microstructure, composition and nanoindentation mechanical properties of remineralizing human dental enamel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arsecularatne, J. A.; Hoffman, M.

2014-08-01

This paper describes the results of an in vitro investigation on the interrelations among microstructure, composition and mechanical properties of remineralizing human dental enamel. Polished enamel samples have been demineralized for 10 min in an acetic acid solution (at pH 3) followed by remineralization in human saliva for 30 and 120 min. Microstructure variations of sound, demineralized and remineralized enamel samples have been analysed using focused ion beam, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, while their compositions have been analysed using energy dispersive x-ray. Variations in the mechanical properties of enamel samples have been assessed using nanoindentation. The results reveal that, under the selected conditions, only partial remineralization of the softened enamel surface layer occurs where some pores remain unrepaired. As a result, while the nanoindentation elastic modulus shows an improvement following remineralization, hardness does not.

Aging, selective attention, and feature integration.

PubMed

Plude, D J; Doussard-Roosevelt, J A

1989-03-01

This study used feature-integration theory as a means of determining the point in processing at which selective attention deficits originate. The theory posits an initial stage of processing in which features are registered in parallel and then a serial process in which features are conjoined to form complex stimuli. Performance of young and older adults on feature versus conjunction search is compared. Analyses of reaction times and error rates suggest that elderly adults in addition to young adults, can capitalize on the early parallel processing stage of visual information processing, and that age decrements in visual search arise as a result of the later, serial stage of processing. Analyses of a third, unconfounded, conjunction search condition reveal qualitatively similar modes of conjunction search in young and older adults. The contribution of age-related data limitations is found to be secondary to the contribution of age decrements in selective attention.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analyses of Glycogen in Human Milk.

PubMed

Matsui-Yatsuhashi, Hiroko; Furuyashiki, Takashi; Takata, Hiroki; Ishida, Miyuki; Takumi, Hiroko; Kakutani, Ryo; Kamasaka, Hiroshi; Nagao, Saeko; Hirose, Junko; Kuriki, Takashi

2017-02-22

Identification as well as a detailed analysis of glycogen in human milk has not been shown yet. The present study confirmed that glycogen is contained in human milk by qualitative and quantitative analyses. High-performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC) and high-performance size exclusion chromatography with a multiangle laser light scattering detector (HPSEC-MALLS) were used for qualitative analysis of glycogen in human milk. Quantitative analysis was carried out by using samples obtained from the individual milks. The result revealed that the concentration of human milk glycogen varied depending on the mother's condition-such as the period postpartum and inflammation. The amounts of glycogen in human milk collected at 0 and 1-2 months postpartum were higher than in milk collected at 3-14 months postpartum. In the milk from mothers with severe mastitis, the concentration of glycogen was about 40 times higher than that in normal milk.

Liquid cooled plate heat exchanger for battery cooling of an electric vehicle (EV)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, M. M.; Rahman, H. Y.; Mahlia, T. M. I.; Sheng, J. L. Y.

2016-03-01

A liquid cooled plate heat exchanger was designed to improve the battery life of an electric vehicle which suffers from premature aging or degradation due to the heat generation during discharging and charging period. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used as a tool to analyse the temperature distribution when a constant surface heat flux was set at the bottom surface of the battery. Several initial and boundary conditions were set based on the past studies on the plate heat exchanger in the simulation software. The design of the plate heat exchanger was based on the Nissan Leaf battery pack to analyse the temperature patterns. Water at different mass flow rates was used as heat transfer fluid. The analysis revealed the designed plate heat exchanger could maintain the surface temperature within the range of 20 to 40°C which is within the safe operating temperature of the battery.

Insights into an adipocyte whitening program

PubMed Central

Hill, Bradford G

2015-01-01

White adipose tissue plays a critical role in regulating systemic metabolism and can remodel rapidly in response to changes in nutrient availability. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the metabolic changes occurring in adipocytes during obesity. Our laboratory recently addressed this issue in a commonly used, high-fat-diet mouse model of obesity. We found remarkable changes in adipocyte metabolism that occur prior to infiltration of macrophages in expanding adipose tissue. Results of metabolomic analyses, adipose tissue respirometry, electron microscopy, and expression analyses of key genes and proteins revealed dysregulation of several metabolic pathways, loss of mitochondrial biogenetic capacity, and apparent activation of mitochondrial autophagy which were followed in time by downregulation of numerous mitochondrial proteins important for maintaining oxidative capacity. These findings demonstrate the presence of an adipocyte whitening program that may be critical for regulating adipose tissue remodeling under conditions of chronic nutrient excess. PMID:26167407

Experimental analysis of energy absorption behaviour of Al-tube filled with pumice lightweight concrete under axial loading condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajak, D. K.; Deshpande, P. G.; Kumaraswamidhas, L. A.

2017-08-01

This Paper aimed at experimental investigation of compressive behaviour of square tube filled with pumice lightweight concrete (PLC). Square section of 20×20×30 mm is investigated, which is the backbone structure. The compression deformation result shows the better folding mechanism, displacement value, and energy absorption. PLC concrete filled with aluminium thin-wall tubes has been revealed superior energy absorption capacity (EAC) under low strain rate at room temperature. Superior EAC resulted as a result of mutual deformation benefit between aluminium section and PLC is also analysed. PLC was characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDX) analysis for better understanding of material behaviour. Individual and comparative load bearing graphs is logged for better prospective of analysing. Novel approach aimed at validation of porous lightweight concrete for better lightweight EA filler material.

An experimental study on premixed CNG/H2/CO2 mixture flames

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yilmaz, Ilker; Yilmaz, Harun; Cam, Omer

2018-03-01

In this study, the effect of swirl number, gas composition and CO2 dilution on combustion and emission behaviour of CNG/H2/CO2 gas mixtures was experimentally investigated in a laboratory scale combustor. Irrespective of the gas composition, thermal power of the combustor was kept constant (5 kW). All experiments were conducted at or near stoichiometric and the local atmospheric conditions of the city of Kayseri, Turkey. During experiments, swirl number was varied and the combustion performance of this combustor was analysed by means of centreline temperature distributions. On the other hand, emission behaviour was examined with respect to emitted CO, CO2 and NOx levels. Dynamic flame behaviour was also evaluated by analysing instantaneous flame images. Results of this study revealed the great impact of swirl number and gas composition on combustion and emission behaviour of studied flames.

Flexible Magnets Are Not Effective in Decreasing Pain Perception and Recovery Time After Muscle Microinjury

PubMed Central

Borsa, Paul A.; Liggett, Charles L.

1998-01-01

Objective: To assess the therapeutic effects of flexible magnets on pain perception, intramuscular swelling, range of motion, and muscular strength in individuals with a muscle microinjury. Design and Setting: This experiment was a single-blind, placebo study using a repeated-measures design. Subjects performed an intense exercise protocol to induce a muscle microinjury. After pretreatment measurements were recorded, subjects were randomly assigned to an experimental (magnet), placebo (imitation magnet), or control (no magnet) group. Posttreatment measurements were repeated at 24, 48, and 72 hours. Subjects: Forty-five healthy subjects participated in the study. Measurements: Subjects were measured repeatedly for pain perception, upper arm girth, range of motion, and static force production. Four separate univariate analyses of variances were used to reveal statistically significant mean (±SD) differences between variables over time. Interaction effects were analyzed using Scheffe post hoc analysis. Results: Analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant (P > .05) mean differences between conditions for any dependent pretreatment and posttreatment measurements. No significant interaction effects were demonstrated between conditions and times. Conclusions: No significant therapeutic effects on pain control and muscular dysfunction were observed in subjects wearing flexible magnets. ImagesFig 2.Fig 3. PMID:16558503

Aversive Learning Modulates Cortical Representations of Object Categories

PubMed Central

Dunsmoor, Joseph E.; Kragel, Philip A.; Martin, Alex; LaBar, Kevin S.

2014-01-01

Experimental studies of conditioned learning reveal activity changes in the amygdala and unimodal sensory cortex underlying fear acquisition to simple stimuli. However, real-world fears typically involve complex stimuli represented at the category level. A consequence of category-level representations of threat is that aversive experiences with particular category members may lead one to infer that related exemplars likewise pose a threat, despite variations in physical form. Here, we examined the effect of category-level representations of threat on human brain activation using 2 superordinate categories (animals and tools) as conditioned stimuli. Hemodynamic activity in the amygdala and category-selective cortex was modulated by the reinforcement contingency, leading to widespread fear of different exemplars from the reinforced category. Multivariate representational similarity analyses revealed that activity patterns in the amygdala and object-selective cortex were more similar among exemplars from the threat versus safe category. Learning to fear animate objects was additionally characterized by enhanced functional coupling between the amygdala and fusiform gyrus. Finally, hippocampal activity co-varied with object typicality and amygdala activation early during training. These findings provide novel evidence that aversive learning can modulate category-level representations of object concepts, thereby enabling individuals to express fear to a range of related stimuli. PMID:23709642

Lack of correlation between reaction speed and analytical sensitivity in isothermal amplification reveals the value of digital methods for optimization: validation using digital real-time RT-LAMP.

PubMed

Khorosheva, Eugenia M; Karymov, Mikhail A; Selck, David A; Ismagilov, Rustem F

2016-01-29

In this paper, we asked if it is possible to identify the best primers and reaction conditions based on improvements in reaction speed when optimizing isothermal reactions. We used digital single-molecule, real-time analyses of both speed and efficiency of isothermal amplification reactions, which revealed that improvements in the speed of isothermal amplification reactions did not always correlate with improvements in digital efficiency (the fraction of molecules that amplify) or with analytical sensitivity. However, we observed that the speeds of amplification for single-molecule (in a digital device) and multi-molecule (e.g. in a PCR well plate) formats always correlated for the same conditions. Also, digital efficiency correlated with the analytical sensitivity of the same reaction performed in a multi-molecule format. Our finding was supported experimentally with examples of primer design, the use or exclusion of loop primers in different combinations, and the use of different enzyme mixtures in one-step reverse-transcription loop-mediated amplification (RT-LAMP). Our results show that measuring the digital efficiency of amplification of single-template molecules allows quick, reliable comparisons of the analytical sensitivity of reactions under any two tested conditions, independent of the speeds of the isothermal amplification reactions. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Self-healing atmospheric plasma sprayed Mn1.0Co1.9Fe0.1O4 protective interconnector coatings for solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grünwald, Nikolas; Sebold, Doris; Sohn, Yoo Jung; Menzler, Norbert Heribert; Vaßen, Robert

2017-09-01

Dense coatings on metallic interconnectors are necessary to suppress chromium poisoning of SOFC cathodes. Atmospherically plasma sprayed (APS) Mn1.0Co1.9Fe0.1O4 (MCF) protective layers demonstrated reduced chromium related degradation in laboratory and stack tests. Previous analyses revealed strong microstructural changes comparing the coating's as-sprayed and operated condition. This work concentrates on the layer-densification and crack-healing observed by annealing APS-MCF in air, which simulates the cathode operation conditions. The effect is described by a volume expansion induced by a phase transformation. Reducing conditions during the spray process lead to a deposition of the MCF in a metastable rock salt configuration. Annealing in air activates diffusion processes for a phase transformation to the low temperature stable spinel phase (T < 1050 °C). This transformation is connected to an oxygen incorporation which occurs at regions facing high oxygen partial pressures, as there are the sample surface, cracks and pore surfaces. Calculations reveal a volume expansion induced by the oxygen uptake which seals the cracks and densifies the coating. The process decelerates when the cracks are closed, as the gas route is blocked and further oxidation continues over solid state diffusion. The self-healing abilities of metastable APS coatings could be interesting for other applications.

Holocene evolution of the River Nile drainage system as revealed from the Lake Dendi sediment record, central Ethiopian highlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, B.; Viehberg, F. A.; Wennrich, V.; Junginger, A.; Kolvenbach, A.; Rethemeyer, J.; Schaebitz, F.; Schmiedl, G. H.

2015-12-01

A 12 m long sediment sequence from Dendi Crater lakes, located on the central Ethiopian Plateau, was analysed with sedimentological and geochemical methods to reconstruct the regional environmental history. Bulk organic carbon samples from 23 horizons throughout the sequence were used for AMS radiocarbon dating and indicate that the sediment sequence spans the last ca. 12 cal kyr BP. Microscope analyses and sedimentological data reveal three tephra layers, of which the most prominent layer with a thickness of ~2 m was deposited at 10.2 cal kyr BP and probably originates from an eruption of the Wenchi crater 12 km to the west of the Dendi lakes. Sedimentological data of the pelagic deposits indicate shifts in erosion and rainfall throughout the record. A decrease in Ca and Sr at 11.6 cal kyr BP is related to the shift of less humid condition during the Younger Dryas (YD) to the return to full humid conditions of the African Humid Period (AHP). Single thin horizons with high carbonate content or high Ti and K imply that short spells of dry conditions and significantly increased rainfall superimpose the generally more humid conditions during the AHP. The end of the AHP is gradual. Relatively stable and less humid conditions characterised the Dendi Crater lakes until around 3.9 cal kyr BP. A highly variable increase in clastic matter over the last 1500 years indicates higher erosion due to short-term variations in precipitation within the Dendi catchment. Overall, the sediment record suggests moderate change of precipitation during the Holocene, which is probably due to their exposed location in the Ethiopian highlands. The data from the Dendi Crater lakes show, in concert with other records from the Nile catchment and the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS), that the Blue Nile provided the main freshwater source for maintaining EMS stratification and sapropel S1 formation between ca. 10.0 and 8.7 cal kyr BP. Subsequent aridification is recorded from equatorial East Africa to the northeastern Mediterranean and peaked with some regional differences between ca. 4.0 and 2.6 cal kyr BP. Significant higher discharge in the Blue Nile hydraulic regime after 2.6 cal kyr BP is probably triggered by more local changes in precipitation, which are tentatively caused by a change in the influence of the Indian Ocean.

Isolation and molecular identification of endophytic diazotrophs from seeds and stems of three cereal crops.

PubMed

Liu, Huawei; Zhang, Lei; Meng, Aihua; Zhang, Junbiao; Xie, Miaomiao; Qin, Yaohong; Faulk, Dylan Chase; Zhang, Baohong; Yang, Shushen; Qiu, Li

2017-01-01

Ten strains of endophytic diazotroph were isolated and identified from the plants collected from three different agricultural crop species, wheat, rice and maize, using the nitrogen-free selective isolation conditions. The nitrogen-fixing ability of endophytic diazotroph was verified by the nifH-PCR assay that showed positive nitrogen fixation ability. These identified strains were classified by 879F-RAPD and 16S rRNA sequence analysis. RAPD analyses revealed that the 10 strains were clustered into seven 879F-RAPD groups, suggesting a clonal origin. 16S rRNA sequencing analyses allowed the assignment of the 10 strains to known groups of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, including organisms from the genera Paenibacillus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella and Pantoea. These representative genus are not endophytic diazotrophs in the conventional sense. They may have obtained nitrogen fixation ability through lateral gene transfer, however, the evolutionary forces of lateral gene transfer are not well known. Molecular identification results from 16S rRNA analyses were also confirmed by morphological and biochemical data. The test strains SH6A and MZB showed positive effect on the growth of plants.

Characterization of the ionosphere above the Murchison Radio Observatory using the Murchison Widefield Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, C. H.; Murray, S.; Trott, C. M.; Wayth, R. B.; Mitchell, D. A.; Rahimi, M.; Pindor, B.; Procopio, P.; Morgan, J.

2017-11-01

We detail new techniques for analysing ionospheric activity, using Epoch of Reionization data sets obtained with the Murchison Widefield Array, calibrated by the `real-time system' (RTS). Using the high spatial- and temporal-resolution information of the ionosphere provided by the RTS calibration solutions over 19 nights of observing, we find four distinct types of ionospheric activity, and have developed a metric to provide an `at a glance' value for data quality under differing ionospheric conditions. For each ionospheric type, we analyse variations of this metric as we reduce the number of pierce points, revealing that a modest number of pierce points is required to identify the intensity of ionospheric activity; it is possible to calibrate in real-time, providing continuous information of the phase screen. We also analyse temporal correlations, determine diffractive scales, examine the relative fractions of time occupied by various types of ionospheric activity and detail a method to reconstruct the total electron content responsible for the ionospheric data we observe. These techniques have been developed to be instrument agnostic, useful for application on LOw Frequency ARray and Square Kilometre Array-Low.

Screening and structural elucidation of the zwitterionic cocrystal o-picolinic acid with p-nitro aniline

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mekala, R.; Jagdish, P.; Mathammal, R.; Sangeetha, K.

2017-04-01

The cocrystal was screened by solvent drop grinding method and the crystals were grown by slow evaporation method at ambient conditions. The cocrystal formation of o-picolinic acid with p-nitro aniline was initially analysed by powder X-ray diffraction. Further the structural properties of the grown crystal were confirmed by the single X-ray diffraction which indicates that the cocrystal were connected by the strong N+sbnd H-⋯O hydrogen bond interaction. The cell parameters of the grown crystal were a = 14.2144(5) Å, b = 5.7558(2) Å, c = 16.0539(6) Å. The functional groups were identified using Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectral analysis. The excitation and emission state of the sample was analysed by the UV-Visible and Fluorescence studies. The red emission was observed from the Fluorescence studies. NMR studies revealed the chemical shift of the cocrystal. Thermal stability and its melting behaviour were studied by TGA and DSC analytical techniques. Electrical behaviour was studied using the dielectric studies. The intermolecular charge transfer within the molecule were analysed using HOMO- LUMO plots.

Adjusting membrane lipids under salt stress: the case of the moderate halophilic organism Halobacillus halophilus.

PubMed

Lopalco, Patrizia; Angelini, Roberto; Lobasso, Simona; Köcher, Saskia; Thompson, Melanie; Müller, Volker; Corcelli, Angela

2013-04-01

The lipid composition of Halobacillus halophilus was investigated by combined thin-layer chromatography and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analyses of the total lipid extract. Main polar lipids were found to be sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol, while cardiolipin was a minor lipid together with phosphatidic acid, alanyl-phosphatidylglycerol and two not yet fully identified lipid components. In addition the analyses of residual lipids, associated with denatured proteins after the lipid extraction, revealed the presence of significant amounts of cardiolipin, indicating that it is a not readily extractable phospholipid. Post decay source mass spectrometry analyses allowed the determination of acyl chains of main lipid components. On increasing the culture medium salinity, an increase in the shorter chains and the presence of chain unsaturations were observed. These changes in the lipid core structures might compensate for the increase in packing and rigidity of phospholipid and sulfoglycolipid polar heads in high-salt medium, therefore contributing to the homeostasis of membrane fluidity and permeability in salt stress conditions. © 2012 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Rates of evolution in stress-related genes are associated with habitat preference in two Cardamine lineages

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Elucidating the selective and neutral forces underlying molecular evolution is fundamental to understanding the genetic basis of adaptation. Plants have evolved a suite of adaptive responses to cope with variable environmental conditions, but relatively little is known about which genes are involved in such responses. Here we studied molecular evolution on a genome-wide scale in two species of Cardamine with distinct habitat preferences: C. resedifolia, found at high altitudes, and C. impatiens, found at low altitudes. Our analyses focussed on genes that are involved in stress responses to two factors that differentiate the high- and low-altitude habitats, namely temperature and irradiation. Results High-throughput sequencing was used to obtain gene sequences from C. resedifolia and C. impatiens. Using the available A. thaliana gene sequences and annotation, we identified nearly 3,000 triplets of putative orthologues, including genes involved in cold response, photosynthesis or in general stress responses. By comparing estimated rates of molecular substitution, codon usage, and gene expression in these species with those of Arabidopsis, we were able to evaluate the role of positive and relaxed selection in driving the evolution of Cardamine genes. Our analyses revealed a statistically significant higher rate of molecular substitution in C. resedifolia than in C. impatiens, compatible with more efficient positive selection in the former. Conversely, the genome-wide level of selective pressure is compatible with more relaxed selection in C. impatiens. Moreover, levels of selective pressure were heterogeneous between functional classes and between species, with cold responsive genes evolving particularly fast in C. resedifolia, but not in C. impatiens. Conclusions Overall, our comparative genomic analyses revealed that differences in effective population size might contribute to the differences in the rate of protein evolution and in the levels of selective pressure between the C. impatiens and C. resedifolia lineages. The within-species analyses also revealed evolutionary patterns associated with habitat preference of two Cardamine species. We conclude that the selective pressures associated with the habitats typical of C. resedifolia may have caused the rapid evolution of genes involved in cold response. PMID:22257588

Cognitive–Behavioral Treatment for Depression in Smoking Cessation

PubMed Central

Brown, Richard A.; Kahler, Christopher W.; Niaura, Raymond; Abrams, David B.; Sales, Suzanne D.; Ramsey, Susan E.; Goldstein, Michael G.; Burgess, Ellen S.; Miller, Ivan W.

2007-01-01

Cigarette smokers with past major depressive disorder (MDD) received 8 group sessions of standard, cognitive–behavioral smoking cessation treatment (ST; n = 93) or standard, cognitive–behavioral smoking cessation treatment plus cognitive–behavioral treatment for depression (CBT-D; n = 86). Although abstinence rates were high in both conditions (ST, 24.7%; CBT-D, 32.5%, at 1 year) for these nonpharmacological treatments, no main effect of treatment was found. However, secondary analyses revealed significant interactions between treatment condition and both recurrent depression history and heavy smoking (≥25 cigarettes a day) at baseline. Smokers with recurrent MDD and heavy smokers who received CBT-D were significantly more likely to be abstinent than those receiving ST (odds ratios = 2.3 and 2.6, respectively). Results suggest that CBT-D provides specific benefits for some, but not all, smokers with a history of MDD. PMID:11495176

First insights into macro- and meiofaunal colonisation patterns on paired wood/slate substrata at Atlantic deep-sea hydrothermal vents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuvelier, Daphne; Beesau, Julie; Ivanenko, Viatcheslav N.; Zeppilli, Daniela; Sarradin, Pierre-Marie; Sarrazin, Jozée

2014-05-01

In 2006, paired wood and slate panels, each equipped with a temperature probe, were deployed on three different localities on and around the Eiffel Tower edifice (Lucky Strike vent field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge) within close proximity of visible hydrothermal activity. Recovery of these panels took place in 2008. For this two-year deployment period, the composition of colonising organisms (both macro-and meiofauna) was assessed, along with image analyses of the deployment sites in 2006 and 2008. Very few significant differences in colonisation between organic (wood) and inorganic (slate) panels were revealed. Rather, the locality of deployment and the local environmental conditions and hydrothermal activity were found to influence taxonomic composition. Variability in microhabitat conditions and biological interactions were hypothesised to interact jointly in shaping new faunal communities on the colonisation substrata.

Pancreas of C57 black mice after long-term space flight (Bion-M1 Space Mission)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proshchina, A. E.; Krivova, Y. S.; Saveliev, S. C.

2015-11-01

In this study, we analysed the pancreases of C57BL/6N mice in order to estimate the effects of long-term space flights. Mice were flown aboard the Bion-M1 biosatellite, or remained on ground in the control experiment that replicated environmental and housing conditions in the spacecraft. Vivarium control group was used to account for housing effects. Each of the groups included mice designated for recovery studies. Mice pancreases were dissected for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. Using a morphometry and statistical analysis, a strong correlation between the mean islet size and the mean body weight was revealed in all groups. Therefore, we propose that hypokinesia and an increase in nutrition play an important role in alterations of the endocrine pancreas, both in space flight and terrestrial conditions.

Future health-related behavioral intention formation: the role of affect and cognition.

PubMed

Richardson, Jessica G; Trafimow, David; Madson, Laura

2012-01-01

This study investigated the differential contribution of affect and cognition to behavioral intention formation during pursuit of future health-related goals. Cognitive evaluations, affective evaluations and behavioral intentions were measured for each of 32 health-related behaviors. The timeframes of the cognitive/affective measures and the behavioral intention measure were varied between current and future timeframes creating four different conditions. Within-participants correlations between affect and intentions and cognition and intentions were calculated to determine the contribution of each factor to behavioral intention formation in the different timeframes. Results did not support the hypothesis that a shift from a reliance on affect to a reliance on cognition would occur as temporal distance increased. Within-participants analyses revealed a decrease in the contribution of cognition to behavioral intention formation when forming attitudes in the future condition.

Inside a Collapsing Bubble: Sonoluminescence and the Conditions During Cavitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suslick, Kenneth S.; Flannigan, David J.

2008-05-01

Acoustic cavitation, the growth and rapid collapse of bubbles in a liquid irradiated with ultrasound, is a unique source of energy for driving chemical reactions with sound, a process known as sonochemistry. Another consequence of acoustic cavitation is the emission of light [sonoluminescence (SL)]. Spectroscopic analyses of SL from single bubbles as well as a cloud of bubbles have revealed line and band emission, as well as an underlying continuum arising from a plasma. Application of spectrometric methods of pyrometry as well as tools of plasma diagnostics to relative line intensities, profiles, and peak positions have allowed the determination of intracavity temperatures and pressures. These studies have shown that extraordinary conditions (temperatures up to 20,000 K; pressures of several thousand bar; and heating and cooling rates of >1012 K s1) are generated within an otherwise cold liquid.

Neuronal effects of auditory distraction on visual attention

PubMed Central

Smucny, Jason; Rojas, Donald C.; Eichman, Lindsay C.; Tregellas, Jason R.

2013-01-01

Selective attention in the presence of distraction is a key aspect of healthy cognition. The underlying neurobiological processes, have not, however, been functionally well characterized. In the present study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine how ecologically relevant distracting noise affects cortical activity in 27 healthy adults during two versions of the visual sustained attention to response task (SART) that differ in difficulty (and thus attentional load). A significant condition (noise or silence) by task (easy or difficult) interaction was observed in several areas, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), fusiform gyrus (FG), posterior cingulate (PCC), and pre-supplementary motor area (PreSMA). Post-hoc analyses of interaction effects revealed deactivation of DLPFC, PCC, and PreSMA during distracting noise under conditions of low attentional load, and activation of FG and PCC during distracting noise under conditions of high attentional load. These results suggest that distracting noise may help alert subjects to task goals and reduce demands on cortical resources during tasks of low difficulty and attentional load. Under conditions of higher load, however, additional cognitive resources may be required in the presence of noise. PMID:23291265

Event-related potentials elicited during working memory are altered in mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

López Zunini, Rocío A; Knoefel, Frank; Lord, Courtney; Dzuali, Fiatsogbe; Breau, Michael; Sweet, Lisa; Goubran, Rafik; Taler, Vanessa

2016-11-01

Persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) can experience deficits in working memory. In the present study, we investigated working memory in persons with MCI and cognitively healthy older adults using event-related potentials (ERPs). Participants performed an n-back working memory task with baseline (0-back), low load (1-back), and high load (2-back) working memory conditions. MCI participants' performance was less accurate than that of healthy older adults in both the 1-back and 2-back conditions, and reaction times were longer in MCI than control participants in the 0-back, 1-back and 2-back conditions. ERP analyses revealed delayed P200 and N200 latencies and smaller P300 amplitudes in MCI relative to control participants in the 0-back, 1-back and 2-back conditions. Deterioration in working memory performance concomitant with marked electrophysiological alterations suggests that persons with MCI exhibit deficits in several cognitive processes that include early attention, stimulus discrimination and classification, and updating and manipulation of information held in working memory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chosen risk level during car-following in adverse weather conditions.

PubMed

Hjelkrem, Odd André; Ryeng, Eirin Olaussen

2016-10-01

This study examines how precipitation, light conditions and surface conditions affect the drivers' risk perception. An indicator CRI (Chosen Risk Index) is defined, which describes the chosen risk level for drivers in a car-following situation. The dataset contains about 70 000 observations of driver behaviour and weather status on a rural road. Based on the theory of risk homeostasis and an assumption that driving behaviour in situations with daylight, dry road and no precipitation reflects drivers' target level of risk, generalised linear models (GLM) were estimated for cars and trucks separately to reveal the effect of adverse weather conditions on risk perception. The analyses show that both car and truck drivers perceive the highest risk when driving on snow covered roads. For car drivers, a snow covered road in combination with moderate rain or light snow are the factors which lowers the CRI the most. For trucks, snow cover and partially covered roads significantly lowers the CRI, while precipitation did not seem to impose any higher risk. Interaction effects were found for car drivers only. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acid-base balance and changes in haemolymph properties of the South African rock lobsters, Jasus lalandii, a palinurid decapod, during chronic hypercapnia.

PubMed

Knapp, Jarred L; Bridges, Christopher R; Krohn, Janina; Hoffman, Louwrens C; Auerswald, Lutz

2015-06-05

Few studies exist reporting on long-term exposure of crustaceans to hypercapnia. We exposed juvenile South African rock lobsters, Jasus lalandii, to hypercapnic conditions of pH 7.3 for 28 weeks and subsequently analysed changes in the extracellular fluid (haemolymph). Results revealed, for the first time, adjustments in the haemolymph of a palinurid crustacean during chronic hypercapnic exposure: 1) acid-base balance was adjusted and sustained by increased bicarbonate and 2) quantity and oxygen binding properties of haemocyanin changed. Compared with lobsters kept under normocapnic conditions (pH 8.0), during prolonged hypercapnia, juvenile lobsters increased bicarbonate buffering of haemolymph. This is necessary to provide optimum pH conditions for oxygen binding of haemocyanin and functioning of respiration in the presence of a strong Bohr Effect. Furthermore, modification of the intrinsic structure of the haemocyanin molecule, and not the presence of molecular modulators, seems to improve oxygen affinity under conditions of elevated pCO2. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microbial populations in contaminant plumes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haack, S.K.; Bekins, B.A.

2000-01-01

Efficient biodegradation of subsurface contaminants requires two elements: (1) microbial populations with the necessary degradative capabilities, and (2) favorable subsurface geochemical and hydrological conditions. Practical constraints on experimental design and interpretation in both the hydrogeological and microbiological sciences have resulted in limited knowledge of the interaction between hydrogeological and microbiological features of subsurface environments. These practical constraints include: (1) inconsistencies between the scales of investigation in the hydrogeological and microbiological sciences, and (2) practical limitations on the ability to accurately define microbial populations in environmental samples. However, advances in application of small-scale sampling methods and interdisciplinary approaches to site investigations are beginning to significantly improve understanding of hydrogeological and microbiological interactions. Likewise, culture-based and molecular analyses of microbial populations in subsurface contaminant plumes have revealed significant adaptation of microbial populations to plume environmental conditions. Results of recent studies suggest that variability in subsurface geochemical and hydrological conditions significantly influences subsurface microbial-community structure. Combined investigations of site conditions and microbial-community structure provide the knowledge needed to understand interactions between subsurface microbial populations, plume geochemistry, and contaminant biodegradation.

The inviscid stability of supersonic flow past a sharp cone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duck, Peter W.; Shaw, Stephen J.

1990-01-01

The laminar boundary layer which forms on a sharp cone in a supersonic freestream, where lateral curvature plays a key role in the physics of the problem is considered. This flow is then analyzed from the point of view of linear, temporal, inviscid stability. The basic, non-axisymmetric disturbance equations are derived for general flows of this class, and a so called triply generalized inflexion condition is found for the existence of subsonic neutral modes of instability. This condition is analogous to the well-known generalized inflexion condition found in planar flows, although in the present case the condition depends on both axial and aximuthal wavenumbers. Extensive numerical results are presented for the stability problem at a freestream Mach number of 3.8, for a range of streamwise locations. These results reveal that a new mode of instability may occur, peculiar to flows of this type involving curvature. Additionally, asymptotic analyses valid close to the tip of the cone, far downstream of the cone are presented, and these give a partial (asymptotic) description of this additional mode of instability.

Neighborhood Greenness and Chronic Health Conditions in Medicare Beneficiaries.

PubMed

Brown, Scott C; Lombard, Joanna; Wang, Kefeng; Byrne, Margaret M; Toro, Matthew; Plater-Zyberk, Elizabeth; Feaster, Daniel J; Kardys, Jack; Nardi, Maria I; Perez-Gomez, Gianna; Pantin, Hilda M; Szapocznik, José

2016-07-01

Prior studies suggest that exposure to the natural environment may impact health. The present study examines the association between objective measures of block-level greenness (vegetative presence) and chronic medical conditions, including cardiometabolic conditions, in a large population-based sample of Medicare beneficiaries in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The sample included 249,405 Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years whose location (ZIP+4) within Miami-Dade County, Florida, did not change, from 2010 to 2011. Data were obtained in 2013 and multilevel analyses conducted in 2014 to examine relationships between greenness, measured by mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from satellite imagery at the Census block level, and chronic health conditions in 2011, adjusting for neighborhood median household income, individual age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Higher greenness was significantly associated with better health, adjusting for covariates: An increase in mean block-level Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from 1 SD less to 1 SD more than the mean was associated with 49 fewer chronic conditions per 1,000 individuals, which is approximately similar to a reduction in age of the overall study population by 3 years. This same level of increase in mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was associated with a reduced risk of diabetes by 14%, hypertension by 13%, and hyperlipidemia by 10%. Planned post-hoc analyses revealed stronger and more consistently positive relationships between greenness and health in lower- than higher-income neighborhoods. Greenness or vegetative presence may be effective in promoting health in older populations, particularly in poor neighborhoods, possibly due to increased time outdoors, physical activity, or stress mitigation. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predictors of prescribed medication use for depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep problems in mid-aged Australian women.

PubMed

Schofield, Margot J; Khan, Asaduzzaman

2014-11-01

The study examined prevalence of self-reported use of medication recommended or prescribed by a doctor for depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep problems; and modelled baseline factors that predicted use over 3 years for each condition. Analyses were undertaken on the 2001 and 2004 surveys of mid-aged women in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Dependent variables were self-reported use in past 4 weeks of medications recommended or prescribed by a doctor for depression, anxiety, stress, or sleep problems in 2001 and 2004. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to predict medication use for each condition over 3 years. Prevalence of prescribed medication use (2001, 2004) for each condition was depression (7.2, 8.9 %), anxiety (7.4, 9.0 %), stress (4.8, 5.7 %), and sleep problems (8.7, 9.5 %). Multivariable analyses revealed that odds of medication use across 3 years in all four conditions were higher for women with poorer mental and physical health, using hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or having seen a counsellor; and increased over time for depression, anxiety, and stress models. Medication use for depression was also higher for overweight/obese women, ex-smokers, and unmarried. Medication use for anxiety was higher for unmarried and non-working/low occupational women. Medication use for stress was higher for non-working women. Additional predictors of medication for sleep were surgical menopause, and area of residence. Self-reported use of prescribed medication for four mental health conditions is increased over time after controlling for mental and physical health and other variables. Research needs to explore decision-making processes influencing differential rates of psychoactive medication use and their relationship with health outcomes.

Effect of investigator observation on gait parameters in individuals with and without chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Vickers, Joshua; Reed, Austin; Decker, Robert; Conrad, Bryan P; Olegario-Nebel, Marissa; Vincent, Heather K

2017-03-01

Despite the ubiquity of gait assessment in clinic and research, it is unclear how observation impacts gait, particularly in persons with chronic pain and psychological stress. We compared temporal spatial gait patterns in people with and without chronic low back pain (CLBP) when they were aware and unaware of being observed. This was a repeated-measures, deception study in 55 healthy persons (32.0±12.4 yr, 24.2±2.7kg/m 2 ) and persons with CLBP (51.9±17.9 yr, 27.8±4.4kg/m 2 ). Participants performed one condition in which they were unaware of observation (UNW), and three conditions under investigator observation: (1) aware of observation (AWA), (2) investigators watching cadence, (3) investigators watching step length. Participants walked across an 8.4m gait mat, while temporal spatial parameters of gait were collected. The Medical Outcomes Short Form (SF-12), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were completed. Significant condition by group interactions were found for velocity and step length (p<0.05). Main effects of study condition existed for all gait variables except for step width. Main effects of group (healthy, LBP) were significant for all variables except for step width (p<0.05). Regression analyses revealed that after accounting for age, sex, and SF-12 mental component score, BDI scores predict velocity changes during walking from the UNW to AWA conditions. These findings show that people change their gait patterns when being observed. Gait analyses may require additional trials before data can reliably be interpreted and used for clinical decision-making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intensive lifestyle intervention improves physical function among obese adults with knee pain: findings from the Look AHEAD trial.

PubMed

Foy, Capri G; Lewis, Cora E; Hairston, Kristen G; Miller, Gary D; Lang, Wei; Jakicic, John M; Rejeski, W Jack; Ribisl, Paul M; Walkup, Michael P; Wagenknecht, Lynne E

2011-01-01

Lifestyle interventions have resulted in weight loss or improved physical fitness among individuals with obesity, which may lead to improved physical function. This prospective investigation involved participants in the Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial who reported knee pain at baseline (n = 2,203). The purposes of this investigation were to determine whether an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (ILI) condition resulted in improvement in self-reported physical function from baseline to 12 months vs. a Diabetes Support and Education (DSE) condition, and whether changes in weight or fitness mediated the effect of the ILI. Outcome measures included the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain, stiffness, and physical function subscales, and WOMAC summary score. ILI participants exhibited greater adjusted mean weight loss (s.e.) vs. DSE participants (-9.02 kg (0.48) vs. -0.78 kg (0.49); P < 0.001)). ILI participants also demonstrated more favorable change in WOMAC summary scores vs. DSE participants (β (s.e.) = -1.81 (0.63); P = 0.004). Multiple regression mediation analyses revealed that weight loss was a mediator of the effect of the ILI intervention on change in WOMAC pain, function, and summary scores (P < 0.001). In separate analyses, increased fitness also mediated the effect of the ILI intervention upon WOMAC summary score (P < 0.001). The ILI condition resulted in significant improvement in physical function among overweight and obese adults with diabetes and knee pain. The ILI condition also resulted in significant weight loss and improved fitness, which are possible mechanisms through which the ILI condition improved physical function.

Gravitropism in leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

PubMed

Mano, Eriko; Horiguchi, Gorou; Tsukaya, Hirokazu

2006-02-01

In higher plants, stems and roots show negative and positive gravitropism, respectively. However, current knowledge on the graviresponse of leaves is lacking. In this study, we analyzed the positioning and movement of rosette leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana under light and dark conditions. We found that the radial positioning of rosette leaves was not affected by the direction of gravity under continuous white light. In contrast, when plants were shifted to darkness, the leaves moved upwards, suggesting negative gravitropism. Analysis of the phosphoglucomutase and shoot gravitropism 2-1 mutants revealed that the sedimenting amyloplasts in the leaf petiole are important for gravity perception, as is the case in stems and roots. In addition, our detailed physiological analyses revealed a unique feature of leaf movement after the shift to darkness, i.e. movement could be divided into negative gravitropism and nastic movement. The orientation of rosette leaves is ascribed to a combination of these movements.

Genetic variability in environmental isolates of Legionella pneumophila from Comunidad Valenciana (Spain).

PubMed

Coscollá, Mireia; Gosalbes, María José; Catalán, Vicente; González-Candelas, Fernando

2006-06-01

Legionella pneumophila is associated to recurrent outbreaks in several Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) localities, especially in Alcoi, where social and climatic conditions seem to provide an excellent environment for bacterial growth. We have analysed the nucleotide sequences of three loci from 25 environmental isolates from Alcoi and nearby locations sampled over 3 years. The analysis of these isolates has revealed a substantial level of genetic variation, with consistent patterns of variability across loci, and comparable to that found in a large, European-wide sampling of clinical isolates. Among the tree loci studied, fliC showed the highest level of nucleotide diversity. The analysis of isolates sampled in different years revealed a clear differentiation, with samples from 2001 being significantly distinct from those obtained in 2002 and 2003. Furthermore, although linkage disequilibrium measures indicate a clonal nature for population structure in this sample, the presence of some recombination events cannot be ruled out.

Sinter-Resistant Platinum Catalyst Supported by Metal-Organic Framework

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

Kim, In Soo; Li, Zhanyong; Zheng, Jian

Installed on the zirconia nodes of a metal-organic framework (MOF) NU-1000 via targeted vapor-phase synthesis. The catalytic Pt clusters, site-isolated by organic linkers, are shown to exhibit high catalytic activity for ethylene hydrogenation while exhibiting resistance to sintering up to 200 degrees C. In situ IR spectroscopy reveals the presence of both single atoms and few-atom clusters that depend upon synthesis conditions. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy and Xray pair distribution analyses reveal unique changes in chemical bonding environment and cluster size stability while on stream. Density functional theory calculations elucidate a favorable reaction pathway for ethylene hydrogenation with the novelmore » catalyst. These results provide evidence that atomic layer deposition (ALD) in MOFs is a versatile approach to the rational synthesis of size-selected clusters, including noble metals, on a high surface area support.« less

Cell culture-based profiling across mammals reveals DNA repair and metabolism as determinants of species longevity.

PubMed

Ma, Siming; Upneja, Akhil; Galecki, Andrzej; Tsai, Yi-Miau; Burant, Charles F; Raskind, Sasha; Zhang, Quanwei; Zhang, Zhengdong D; Seluanov, Andrei; Gorbunova, Vera; Clish, Clary B; Miller, Richard A; Gladyshev, Vadim N

2016-11-22

Mammalian lifespan differs by >100 fold, but the mechanisms associated with such longevity differences are not understood. Here, we conducted a study on primary skin fibroblasts isolated from 16 species of mammals and maintained under identical cell culture conditions. We developed a pipeline for obtaining species-specific ortholog sequences, profiled gene expression by RNA-seq and small molecules by metabolite profiling, and identified genes and metabolites correlating with species longevity. Cells from longer lived species up-regulated genes involved in DNA repair and glucose metabolism, down-regulated proteolysis and protein transport, and showed high levels of amino acids but low levels of lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine. The amino acid patterns were recapitulated by further analyses of primate and bird fibroblasts. The study suggests that fibroblast profiling captures differences in longevity across mammals at the level of global gene expression and metabolite levels and reveals pathways that define these differences.

Neighborhood residential segregation and physical health among Hispanic Americans: good, bad, or benign?

PubMed

Lee, Min-Ah; Ferraro, Kenneth F

2007-06-01

Although considerable evidence shows that residential segregation is deleterious to the health of African Americans, findings regarding segregation and health for Hispanic Americans are inconsistent. Competing hypotheses regarding the effects of neighborhood segregation on health are tested with data from Puerto Rican and Mexican American residents of Chicago. Multilevel analyses reveal that segregation is associated with more health problems for Puerto Rican Americans but not for Mexican Americans. In addition, the relationship between segregation and health was conditioned by generational status for Mexican Americans: Second- or later-generation Mexican Americans living in highly segregated neighborhoods had better health than first-generation Mexican Americans in such neighborhoods. These findings reveal that residential segregation has differential effects across Hispanic groups and suggest that a high degree of contact with Mexican Americans promotes health by facilitating flow of informal health resources and social support.

Topology and geometry of the dark matter web: A multi-stream view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramachandra, Nesar S.; Shandarin, Sergei F.

2017-05-01

Topological connections in the single-streaming voids and multistreaming filaments and walls reveal a cosmic web structure different from traditional mass density fields. A single void structure not only percolates the multistream field in all the directions, but also occupies over 99 per cent of all the single-streaming regions. Sub-grid analyses on scales smaller than simulation resolution reveal tiny pockets of voids that are isolated by membranes of the structure. For the multistreaming excursion sets, the percolating structure is significantly thinner than the filaments in overdensity excursion approach. Hessian eigenvalues of the multistream field are used as local geometrical indicators of dark matter structures. Single-streaming regions have most of the zero eigenvalues. Parameter-free conditions on the eigenvalues in the multistream region may be used to delineate primitive geometries with concavities corresponding to filaments, walls and haloes.

Predicting the 'where' and resolving the 'what' of a moving target: a dichotomy of abilities.

PubMed

Long, G M; Vogel, C A

1998-01-01

Anticipation timing (AT) and dynamic visual acuity (DVA) were assessed in a group of college students (n = 60) under a range of velocity and duration conditions. Subjects participated in two identical sessions 1 week apart. Consistently with previous work, DVA performance worsened as velocity increased and as target duration decreased; and there was a significant improvement from the first to the second session. In contrast, AT performance improved as velocity increased, whereas no improvement from the first to the second session was indicated; but increasing duration again benefited performance. Correlational analyses comparing DVA and AT did not reveal any systematic relationship between the two visual tasks. A follow-up study with different instructions on the AT task revealed the same pattern of AT performance, suggesting the generalizability of the obtained stimulus relationships for the AT task. The importance of the often-overlooked role of stimulus variables on the AT task is discussed.

T cell regulation in microgravity - The current knowledge from in vitro experiments conducted in space, parabolic flights and ground-based facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauschild, Swantje; Tauber, Svantje; Lauber, Beatrice; Thiel, Cora S.; Layer, Liliana E.; Ullrich, Oliver

2014-11-01

Dating back to the Apollo and Skylab missions, it has been reported that astronauts suffered from bacterial and viral infections during space flight or after returning to Earth. Blood analyses revealed strongly reduced capability of human lymphocytes to become active upon mitogenic stimulation. Since then, a large number of in vitro studies on human immune cells have been conducted in space, in parabolic flights, and in ground-based facilities. It became obvious that microgravity affects cell morphology and important cellular functions. Observed changes include cell proliferation, the cytoskeleton, signal transduction and gene expression. This review gives an overview of the current knowledge of T cell regulation under altered gravity conditions obtained by in vitro studies with special emphasis on the cell culture conditions used. We propose that future in vitro experiments should follow rigorous standardized cell culture conditions, which allows better comparison of the results obtained in different flight- and ground-based experiment platforms.

Stabilization process in Saccharomyces intra and interspecific hybrids in fermentative conditions.

PubMed

Pérez-Través, Laura; Lopes, Christian A; Barrio, Eladio; Querol, Amparo

2014-12-01

We evaluated the genetic stabilization of artificial intra- (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and interspecific (S. cerevisiae × S. kudriavzevii) hybrids under wine fermentative conditions. Large-scale transitions in genome size and genome reorganizations were observed during this process. Interspecific hybrids seem to need fewer generations to reach genetic stability than intraspecific hybrids. The largest number of molecular patterns recovered among the derived clones was observed for intraspecific hybrids, particularly for those obtained by rare-mating. Molecular marker analyses revealed that unstable clones could change during the industrial process to obtain active dry yeast. When no changes in molecular markers and ploidy were observed after this process, no changes in genetic composition were confirmed by comparative genome hybridization, considering the clone as a stable hybrid. According to our results, under these conditions, fermentation steps 3 and 5 (30-50 generations) would suffice to obtain genetically stable interspecific and intraspecific hybrids, respectively. Copyright© by the Spanish Society for Microbiology and Institute for Catalan Studies.

Influences of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on warm season temperature and crop yields in the southwestern US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myoung, B.; Kim, S.; Kim, J.; Kafatos, M.

2013-12-01

Despite advancements in agricultural technology, agricultural productivity remains vulnerable to extreme meteorological conditions. This study has found significant impacts of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on extreme temperatures and in turn on crop yields in the Southwestern United States (SW US) region. Analyses of multi-year data of observed temperatures and simulated maize yields reveal that NAO affects positively the daily temperature maxima and minima in the green-up periods (March-June) and that the response of maize yields to NAO varies according to the climatological mean temperatures. In warmer regions, a combination of above-normal NAO in the planting periods and below-normal NAO in the growing periods is favorable for high maize yields by reducing extremely cold days during the planting periods and extremely hot days in the later periods, respectively. In colder regions, continuously above-normal NAO conditions favor higher yields via above normal thermal conditions. Results in this study suggest that NAO predictions can benefit agricultural planning in SW US.

The interactive bending wrinkling behaviour of inflated beams

PubMed Central

Liu, Y. P.; Tan, H. F.; Wadee, M. K.

2016-01-01

A model is proposed based on a Fourier series method to analyse the interactive bending wrinkling behaviour of inflated beams. The whole wrinkling evolution is tracked and divided into three stages by identifying the bifurcations of the equilibrium path. The critical wrinkling and failure moments of the inflated beam can then be predicted. The global–local interactive buckling pattern is elucidated by the proposed theoretical model and also verified by non-contact experimental tests. The effects of geometric parameters, internal pressure and boundary conditions on the buckling of inflated beams are investigated finally. The results reveal that the interactive buckling characteristics of an inflated beam under bending are more sensitive to the dimensions of the structure and boundary conditions. We find that for beams which are simply supported at both ends or clamped and simply supported, boundary conditions may prevent the wrinkling formation. The results provide significant support for our understanding of the bending wrinkling behaviour of inflated beams. PMID:27713665

Examining the neural correlates of active and passive forms of verbal-spatial binding in working memory.

PubMed

Grot, Stéphanie; Leclerc, Marie-Eve; Luck, David

2018-05-23

We designed an fMRI study to pinpoint the neural correlates of active and passive binding in working memory. Participants were instructed to memorize three words and three spatial locations. In the passive binding condition, words and spatial locations were directly presented as bound. Conversely, in the active binding condition, words and spatial locations were presented as separated, and participants were directed to intentionally create associations between them. Our results showed that participants performed better on passive binding relative to active binding. FMRI analysis revealed that both binding conditions induced greater activity within the hippocampus. Additionally, our analyses divulged regions specifically engaged in passive and active binding. Altogether, these data allow us to propose the hippocampus as a central candidate for working memory binding. When needed, a frontal-parietal network can contribute to the rearrangement of information. These findings may inform theories of working memory binding. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Co-Consumption of Methanol and Succinate by Methylobacterium extorquens AM1

PubMed Central

Peyraud, Rémi; Kiefer, Patrick; Christen, Philipp; Portais, Jean-Charles; Vorholt, Julia A.

2012-01-01

Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 is a facultative methylotrophic Alphaproteobacterium and has been subject to intense study under pure methylotrophic as well as pure heterotrophic growth conditions in the past. Here, we investigated the metabolism of M. extorquens AM1 under mixed substrate conditions, i.e., in the presence of methanol plus succinate. We found that both substrates were co-consumed, and the carbon conversion was two-thirds from succinate and one-third from methanol relative to mol carbon. 13C-methanol labeling and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analyses revealed the different fates of the carbon from the two substrates. Methanol was primarily oxidized to CO2 for energy generation. However, a portion of the methanol entered biosynthetic reactions via reactions specific to the one-carbon carrier tetrahydrofolate. In contrast, succinate was primarily used to provide precursor metabolites for bulk biomass production. This work opens new perspectives on the role of methylotrophy when substrates are simultaneously available, a situation prevailing under environmental conditions. PMID:23133625

Speleothem records decadal to multidecadal hydroclimate variations in southwestern Morocco during the last millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ait Brahim, Yassine; Cheng, Hai; Sifeddine, Abdelfettah; Wassenburg, Jasper A.; Cruz, Francisco W.; Khodri, Myriam; Sha, Lijuan; Pérez-Zanón, Núria; Beraaouz, El Hassane; Apaéstegui, James; Guyot, Jean-Loup; Jochum, Klaus Peter; Bouchaou, Lhoussaine

2017-10-01

This study presents the first well-dated high resolution stable isotope (δ18 O and δ13 C) and trace element (Mg and Sr) speleothem records from southwestern Morocco covering the last 1000 yrs. Our records reveal substantial decadal to multidecadal swings between dry and humid periods, consistent with regional paleorecords with prevailing dry conditions during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA), wetter conditions during the second part of the Little Ice Age (LIA), and a trend towards dry conditions during the current warm period. These coherent regional climate signals suggest common climate controls. Statistical analyses indicate that the climate of southwestern Morocco remained under the combined influence of both the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) over the last millennium. Interestingly, the generally warmer MCA and colder LIA at longer multidecadal timescales probably influenced the regional climate in North Africa through the influence on Sahara Low which weakened and strengthened the mean moisture inflow from the Atlantic Ocean during the MCA and LIA respectively.

Effects of machining conditions on the specific cutting energy of carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, A. I.; Syahmi, A. Z.; Naquib, M.; Lih, T. C.; Mansor, A. F.; Khalil, A. N. M.

2017-10-01

This article presents an approach to evaluate the effects of different machining conditions on the specific cutting energy of carbon fibre reinforced polymer composites (CFRP). Although research works in the machinability of CFRP composites have been very substantial, the present literature rarely discussed the topic of energy consumption and the specific cutting energy. A series of turning experiments were carried out on two different CFRP composites in order to determine the power and specific energy constants and eventually evaluate their effects due to the changes in machining conditions. A good agreement between the power and material removal rate using a simple linear relationship. Further analyses revealed that a power law function is best to describe the effect of feed rate on the changes in the specific cutting energy. At lower feed rate, the specific cutting energy increases exponentially due to the nature of finishing operation, whereas at higher feed rate, the changes in specific cutting energy is minimal due to the nature of roughing operation.

Narrative Discourse in Young and Older Adults: Behavioral and NIRS Analyses.

PubMed

Martin, Charles-Olivier; Pontbriand-Drolet, Stéphanie; Daoust, Valérie; Yamga, Eric; Amiri, Mahnoush; Hübner, Lilian C; Ska, Bernadette

2018-01-01

Discourse comprehension is at the core of communication capabilities, making it an important component of elderly populations' quality of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in discourse comprehension and the underlying brain activity. Thirty-six participants read short stories and answered related probes in three conditions: micropropositions, macropropositions and situation models. Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), the variation in oxyhemoglobin (HbO 2 ) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) concentrations was assessed throughout the task. The results revealed that the older adults performed with equivalent accuracy to the young ones at the macroproposition level of discourse comprehension, but were less accurate at the microproposition and situation model levels. Similar to what is described in the compensation-related utilization of neural circuits hypothesis (CRUNCH) model, older participants tended to have greater activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while reading in all conditions. Although it did not enable them to perform similarly to younger participants in all conditions, this over-activation could be interpreted as a compensation mechanism.

Narrative Discourse in Young and Older Adults: Behavioral and NIRS Analyses

PubMed Central

Martin, Charles-Olivier; Pontbriand-Drolet, Stéphanie; Daoust, Valérie; Yamga, Eric; Amiri, Mahnoush; Hübner, Lilian C.; Ska, Bernadette

2018-01-01

Discourse comprehension is at the core of communication capabilities, making it an important component of elderly populations’ quality of life. The aim of this study is to evaluate changes in discourse comprehension and the underlying brain activity. Thirty-six participants read short stories and answered related probes in three conditions: micropropositions, macropropositions and situation models. Using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), the variation in oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) concentrations was assessed throughout the task. The results revealed that the older adults performed with equivalent accuracy to the young ones at the macroproposition level of discourse comprehension, but were less accurate at the microproposition and situation model levels. Similar to what is described in the compensation-related utilization of neural circuits hypothesis (CRUNCH) model, older participants tended to have greater activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex while reading in all conditions. Although it did not enable them to perform similarly to younger participants in all conditions, this over-activation could be interpreted as a compensation mechanism. PMID:29615892

Siblings of Children With a Complex Chronic Health Condition: Maternal Posttraumatic Growth as a Predictor of Changes in Child Behavior Problems.

PubMed

Stephenson, Ellen; DeLongis, Anita; Steele, Rose; Cadell, Susan; Andrews, Gail S; Siden, Harold

2017-01-01

The present study examined the role of maternal posttraumatic growth in changes in behavioral problems among the siblings of children with complex chronic health conditions. Data were collected from a sample of 70 siblings from 58 families with at least one child diagnosed with a life-threatening genetic, metabolic, or neurological condition. Every 6 months for up to 4 years, sibling behavior problems were assessed through both parent-reports and youth self-reports. At each visit, mothers also completed self-reports of posttraumatic growth. Time-lagged multilevel regression analyses revealed that higher levels of maternal posttraumatic growth predicted subsequent declines in parent-reported internalizing, externalizing, and total behavior problems among healthy siblings. These findings were partially replicated using youth self-reports of their own behavior problems. The findings suggest that the benefits of posttraumatic growth may extend beyond the self to other family members, particularly to children in the family.

Visualizing in situ translational activity for identifying and sorting slow-growing archaeal−bacterial consortia

PubMed Central

Hatzenpichler, Roland; Connon, Stephanie A.; Goudeau, Danielle; Malmstrom, Rex R.; Woyke, Tanja; Orphan, Victoria J.

2016-01-01

To understand the biogeochemical roles of microorganisms in the environment, it is important to determine when and under which conditions they are metabolically active. Bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) can reveal active cells by tracking the incorporation of synthetic amino acids into newly synthesized proteins. The phylogenetic identity of translationally active cells can be determined by combining BONCAT with rRNA-targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization (BONCAT-FISH). In theory, BONCAT-labeled cells could be isolated with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (BONCAT-FACS) for subsequent genetic analyses. Here, in the first application, to our knowledge, of BONCAT-FISH and BONCAT-FACS within an environmental context, we probe the translational activity of microbial consortia catalyzing the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), a dominant sink of methane in the ocean. These consortia, which typically are composed of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria, have been difficult to study due to their slow in situ growth rates, and fundamental questions remain about their ecology and diversity of interactions occurring between ANME and associated partners. Our activity-correlated analyses of >16,400 microbial aggregates provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that AOM consortia affiliated with all five major ANME clades are concurrently active under controlled conditions. Surprisingly, sorting of individual BONCAT-labeled consortia followed by whole-genome amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed previously unrecognized interactions of ANME with members of the poorly understood phylum Verrucomicrobia. This finding, together with our observation that ANME-associated Verrucomicrobia are found in a variety of geographically distinct methane seep environments, suggests a broader range of symbiotic relationships within AOM consortia than previously thought. PMID:27357680

Visualizing in situ translational activity for identifying and sorting slow-growing archaeal-bacterial consortia

DOE PAGES

Hatzenpichler, Roland; Connon, Stephanie A.; Goudeau, Danielle; ...

2016-06-28

To understand the biogeochemical roles of microorganisms in the environment, it is important to determine when and under which conditions they are metabolically active. Bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) can reveal active cells by tracking the incorporation of synthetic amino acids into newly synthesized proteins. The phylogenetic identity of translationally active cells can be determined by combining BONCAT with rRNA-targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization (BONCAT-FISH). In theory, BONCAT-labeled cells could be isolated with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (BONCAT-FACS) for subsequent genetic analyses. Here, in the first application, to our knowledge, of BONCAT-FISH and BONCAT-FACS within an environmental context, we probemore » the translational activity of microbial consortia catalyzing the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), a dominant sink of methane in the ocean. These consortia, which typically are composed of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria, have been difficult to study due to their slow in situ growth rates, and fundamental questions remain about their ecology and diversity of interactions occurring between ANME and associated partners. Our activity-correlated analyses of > 16,400 microbial aggregates provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that AOM consortia affiliated with all five major ANME clades are concurrently active under controlled conditions. Surprisingly, sorting of individual BONCAT-labeled consortia followed by whole-genome amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed previously unrecognized interactions of ANME with members of the poorly understood phylum Verrucomicrobia. This finding, together with our observation that ANME-associated Verrucomicrobia are found in a variety of geographically distinct methane seep environments, suggests a broader range of symbiotic relationships within AOM consortia than previously thought.« less

fMRI during natural sleep as a method to study brain function during early childhood.

PubMed

Redcay, Elizabeth; Kennedy, Daniel P; Courchesne, Eric

2007-12-01

Many techniques to study early functional brain development lack the whole-brain spatial resolution that is available with fMRI. We utilized a relatively novel method in which fMRI data were collected from children during natural sleep. Stimulus-evoked responses to auditory and visual stimuli as well as stimulus-independent functional networks were examined in typically developing 2-4-year-old children. Reliable fMRI data were collected from 13 children during presentation of auditory stimuli (tones, vocal sounds, and nonvocal sounds) in a block design. Twelve children were presented with visual flashing lights at 2.5 Hz. When analyses combined all three types of auditory stimulus conditions as compared to rest, activation included bilateral superior temporal gyri/sulci (STG/S) and right cerebellum. Direct comparisons between conditions revealed significantly greater responses to nonvocal sounds and tones than to vocal sounds in a number of brain regions including superior temporal gyrus/sulcus, medial frontal cortex and right lateral cerebellum. The response to visual stimuli was localized to occipital cortex. Furthermore, stimulus-independent functional connectivity MRI analyses (fcMRI) revealed functional connectivity between STG and other temporal regions (including contralateral STG) and medial and lateral prefrontal regions. Functional connectivity with an occipital seed was localized to occipital and parietal cortex. In sum, 2-4 year olds showed a differential fMRI response both between stimulus modalities and between stimuli in the auditory modality. Furthermore, superior temporal regions showed functional connectivity with numerous higher-order regions during sleep. We conclude that the use of sleep fMRI may be a valuable tool for examining functional brain organization in young children.

Evaluation of flocculating performance of a thermostable bioflocculant produced by marine Bacillus sp.

PubMed

Okaiyeto, Kunle; Nwodo, Uchechukwu U; Mabinya, Leonard V; Okoli, Arinze S; Okoh, Anthony I

2016-01-01

This study assessed the bioflocculant (named MBF-W7) production potential of a bacterial isolate obtained from Algoa Bay, Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The 16S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acids gene sequence analysis showed 98% sequence similarity to Bacillus licheniformis strain W7. Optimum culture conditions for MBF-W7 production include 5% (v/v) inoculum size, maltose and NH4NO3 as carbon and nitrogen sources of choice, medium pH of 6 as the initial pH of the growth medium. Under these optimal conditions, maximum flocculating activity of 94.9% was attained after 72 h of cultivation. Chemical composition analyses showed that the purified MBF-W7 was a glycoprotein which was predominantly composed of polysaccharides 73.7% (w/w) and protein 6.2% (w/w). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and amino groups as the main functional groups identified in the bioflocculant molecules. Thermogravimetric analyses showed the thermal decomposition profile of MBF-W7. Scanning electron microscopy imaging revealed that bridging played an important role in flocculation. MBF-W7 exhibited excellent flocculating activity for kaolin clay suspension at 0.2 mg/ml over a wide pH range of 3-11; with the maximal flocculation rate of 85.8% observed at pH 3 in the presence of Mn(2+). It maintained and retained high flocculating activity of over 70% after heating at 100°C for 60 min. MBF-W7 showed good turbidity removal potential (86.9%) and chemical oxygen demand reduction efficiency (75.3%) in Tyume River. The high flocculating rate of MBF-W7 makes it an attractive candidate to replace chemical flocculants utilized in water treatment.

Visualizing in situ translational activity for identifying and sorting slow-growing archaeal-bacterial consortia

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

Hatzenpichler, Roland; Connon, Stephanie A.; Goudeau, Danielle

To understand the biogeochemical roles of microorganisms in the environment, it is important to determine when and under which conditions they are metabolically active. Bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) can reveal active cells by tracking the incorporation of synthetic amino acids into newly synthesized proteins. The phylogenetic identity of translationally active cells can be determined by combining BONCAT with rRNA-targeted fluorescence in situ hybridization (BONCAT-FISH). In theory, BONCAT-labeled cells could be isolated with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (BONCAT-FACS) for subsequent genetic analyses. Here, in the first application, to our knowledge, of BONCAT-FISH and BONCAT-FACS within an environmental context, we probemore » the translational activity of microbial consortia catalyzing the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), a dominant sink of methane in the ocean. These consortia, which typically are composed of anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) and sulfate-reducing bacteria, have been difficult to study due to their slow in situ growth rates, and fundamental questions remain about their ecology and diversity of interactions occurring between ANME and associated partners. Our activity-correlated analyses of > 16,400 microbial aggregates provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that AOM consortia affiliated with all five major ANME clades are concurrently active under controlled conditions. Surprisingly, sorting of individual BONCAT-labeled consortia followed by whole-genome amplification and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed previously unrecognized interactions of ANME with members of the poorly understood phylum Verrucomicrobia. This finding, together with our observation that ANME-associated Verrucomicrobia are found in a variety of geographically distinct methane seep environments, suggests a broader range of symbiotic relationships within AOM consortia than previously thought.« less

Identification of a Retroelement from the Resurrection Plant Boea hygrometrica That Confers Osmotic and Alkaline Tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

PubMed Central

Shen, Chun-Ying; Xu, Guang-Hui; Chen, Shi-Xuan; Song, Li-Zhen; Li, Mei-Jing; Wang, Li-Li; Zhu, Yan; Lv, Wei-Tao; Gong, Zhi-Zhong; Liu, Chun-Ming; Deng, Xin

2014-01-01

Functional genomic elements, including transposable elements, small RNAs and non-coding RNAs, are involved in regulation of gene expression in response to plant stress. To identify genomic elements that regulate dehydration and alkaline tolerance in Boea hygrometrica, a resurrection plant that inhabits drought and alkaline Karst areas, a genomic DNA library from B. hygrometrica was constructed and subsequently transformed into Arabidopsis using binary bacterial artificial chromosome (BIBAC) vectors. Transgenic lines were screened under osmotic and alkaline conditions, leading to the identification of Clone L1-4 that conferred osmotic and alkaline tolerance. Sequence analyses revealed that L1-4 contained a 49-kb retroelement fragment from B. hygrometrica, of which only a truncated sequence was present in L1-4 transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Additional subcloning revealed that activity resided in a 2-kb sequence, designated Osmotic and Alkaline Resistance 1 (OAR1). In addition, transgenic Arabidopsis lines carrying an OAR1-homologue also showed similar stress tolerance phenotypes. Physiological and molecular analyses demonstrated that OAR1-transgenic plants exhibited improved photochemical efficiency and membrane integrity and biomarker gene expression under both osmotic and alkaline stresses. Short transcripts that originated from OAR1 were increased under stress conditions in both B. hygrometrica and Arabidopsis carrying OAR1. The relative copy number of OAR1 was stable in transgenic Arabidopsis under stress but increased in B. hygrometrica. Taken together, our results indicated a potential role of OAR1 element in plant tolerance to osmotic and alkaline stresses, and verified the feasibility of the BIBAC transformation technique to identify functional genomic elements from physiological model species. PMID:24851859

Mineral Types and Tree Species Determine the Functional and Taxonomic Structures of Forest Soil Bacterial Communities.

PubMed

Colin, Y; Nicolitch, O; Turpault, M-P; Uroz, S

2017-03-01

Although minerals represent important soil constituents, their impact on the diversity and structure of soil microbial communities remains poorly documented. In this study, pure mineral particles with various chemistries (i.e., obsidian, apatite, and calcite) were considered. Each mineral type was conditioned in mesh bags and incubated in soil below different tree stands (beech, coppice with standards, and Corsican pine) for 2.5 years to determine the relative impacts of mineralogy and mineral weatherability on the taxonomic and functional diversities of mineral-associated bacterial communities. After this incubation period, the minerals and the surrounding bulk soil were collected to determine mass loss and to perform soil analyses, enzymatic assays, and cultivation-dependent and -independent analyses. Notably, our 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analyses revealed that after the 2.5-year incubation period, the mineral-associated bacterial communities strongly differed from those of the surrounding bulk soil for all tree stands considered. When focusing only on minerals, our analyses showed that the bacterial communities associated with calcite, the less recalcitrant mineral type, significantly differed from those that colonized obsidian and apatite minerals. The cultivation-dependent analysis revealed significantly higher abundances of effective mineral-weathering bacteria on the most recalcitrant minerals (i.e., apatite and obsidian). Together, our data showed an enrichment of Betaproteobacteria and effective mineral-weathering bacteria related to the Burkholderia and Collimonas genera on the minerals, suggesting a key role for these taxa in mineral weathering and nutrient cycling in nutrient-poor forest ecosystems. IMPORTANCE Forests are usually developed on nutrient-poor and rocky soils, while nutrient-rich soils have been dedicated to agriculture. In this context, nutrient recycling and nutrient access are key processes in such environments. Deciphering how soil mineralogy influences the diversity, structure, and function of soil bacterial communities in relation to the soil conditions is crucial to better understanding the relative role of the soil bacterial communities in nutrient cycling and plant nutrition in nutrient-poor environments. The present study determined in detail the diversity and structure of bacterial communities associated with different mineral types incubated for 2.5 years in the soil under different tree species using cultivation-dependent and -independent analyses. Our data showed an enrichment of specific bacterial taxa on the minerals, specifically on the most weathered minerals, suggesting that they play key roles in mineral weathering and nutrient cycling in nutrient-poor forest ecosystems. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Mineral Types and Tree Species Determine the Functional and Taxonomic Structures of Forest Soil Bacterial Communities

PubMed Central

Colin, Y.; Nicolitch, O.; Turpault, M.-P.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Although minerals represent important soil constituents, their impact on the diversity and structure of soil microbial communities remains poorly documented. In this study, pure mineral particles with various chemistries (i.e., obsidian, apatite, and calcite) were considered. Each mineral type was conditioned in mesh bags and incubated in soil below different tree stands (beech, coppice with standards, and Corsican pine) for 2.5 years to determine the relative impacts of mineralogy and mineral weatherability on the taxonomic and functional diversities of mineral-associated bacterial communities. After this incubation period, the minerals and the surrounding bulk soil were collected to determine mass loss and to perform soil analyses, enzymatic assays, and cultivation-dependent and -independent analyses. Notably, our 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analyses revealed that after the 2.5-year incubation period, the mineral-associated bacterial communities strongly differed from those of the surrounding bulk soil for all tree stands considered. When focusing only on minerals, our analyses showed that the bacterial communities associated with calcite, the less recalcitrant mineral type, significantly differed from those that colonized obsidian and apatite minerals. The cultivation-dependent analysis revealed significantly higher abundances of effective mineral-weathering bacteria on the most recalcitrant minerals (i.e., apatite and obsidian). Together, our data showed an enrichment of Betaproteobacteria and effective mineral-weathering bacteria related to the Burkholderia and Collimonas genera on the minerals, suggesting a key role for these taxa in mineral weathering and nutrient cycling in nutrient-poor forest ecosystems. IMPORTANCE Forests are usually developed on nutrient-poor and rocky soils, while nutrient-rich soils have been dedicated to agriculture. In this context, nutrient recycling and nutrient access are key processes in such environments. Deciphering how soil mineralogy influences the diversity, structure, and function of soil bacterial communities in relation to the soil conditions is crucial to better understanding the relative role of the soil bacterial communities in nutrient cycling and plant nutrition in nutrient-poor environments. The present study determined in detail the diversity and structure of bacterial communities associated with different mineral types incubated for 2.5 years in the soil under different tree species using cultivation-dependent and -independent analyses. Our data showed an enrichment of specific bacterial taxa on the minerals, specifically on the most weathered minerals, suggesting that they play key roles in mineral weathering and nutrient cycling in nutrient-poor forest ecosystems. PMID:28003192

Nondestructive and intuitive determination of circadian chlorophyll rhythms in soybean leaves using multispectral imaging

PubMed Central

Pan, Wen-Juan; Wang, Xia; Deng, Yong-Ren; Li, Jia-Hang; Chen, Wei; Chiang, John Y.; Yang, Jian-Bo; Zheng, Lei

2015-01-01

The circadian clock, synchronized by daily cyclic environmental cues, regulates diverse aspects of plant growth and development and increases plant fitness. Even though much is known regarding the molecular mechanism of circadian clock, it remains challenging to quantify the temporal variation of major photosynthesis products as well as their metabolic output in higher plants in a real-time, nondestructive and intuitive manner. In order to reveal the spatial-temporal scenarios of photosynthesis and yield formation regulated by circadian clock, multispectral imaging technique has been employed for nondestructive determination of circadian chlorophyll rhythms in soybean leaves. By utilizing partial least square regression analysis, the determination coefficients R2, 0.9483 for chlorophyll a and 0.8906 for chlorophyll b, were reached, respectively. The predicted chlorophyll contents extracted from multispectral data showed an approximately 24-h rhythm which could be entrained by external light conditions, consistent with the chlorophyll contents measured by chemical analyses. Visualization of chlorophyll map in each pixel offers an effective way to analyse spatial-temporal distribution of chlorophyll. Our results revealed the potentiality of multispectral imaging as a feasible nondestructive universal assay for examining clock function and robustness, as well as monitoring chlorophyll a and b and other biochemical components in plants. PMID:26059057

Nondestructive and intuitive determination of circadian chlorophyll rhythms in soybean leaves using multispectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Wen-Juan; Wang, Xia; Deng, Yong-Ren; Li, Jia-Hang; Chen, Wei; Chiang, John Y.; Yang, Jian-Bo; Zheng, Lei

2015-06-01

The circadian clock, synchronized by daily cyclic environmental cues, regulates diverse aspects of plant growth and development and increases plant fitness. Even though much is known regarding the molecular mechanism of circadian clock, it remains challenging to quantify the temporal variation of major photosynthesis products as well as their metabolic output in higher plants in a real-time, nondestructive and intuitive manner. In order to reveal the spatial-temporal scenarios of photosynthesis and yield formation regulated by circadian clock, multispectral imaging technique has been employed for nondestructive determination of circadian chlorophyll rhythms in soybean leaves. By utilizing partial least square regression analysis, the determination coefficients R2, 0.9483 for chlorophyll a and 0.8906 for chlorophyll b, were reached, respectively. The predicted chlorophyll contents extracted from multispectral data showed an approximately 24-h rhythm which could be entrained by external light conditions, consistent with the chlorophyll contents measured by chemical analyses. Visualization of chlorophyll map in each pixel offers an effective way to analyse spatial-temporal distribution of chlorophyll. Our results revealed the potentiality of multispectral imaging as a feasible nondestructive universal assay for examining clock function and robustness, as well as monitoring chlorophyll a and b and other biochemical components in plants.

Diversity of Phylogenetic Information According to the Locus and the Taxonomic Level: An Example from a Parasitic Mesostigmatid Mite Genus

PubMed Central

Roy, Lise; Dowling, Ashley P.G.; Chauve, Claude Marie; Buronfosse, Thierry

2010-01-01

Molecular markers for cladistic analyses may perform differently according to the taxonomic group considered and the historical level under investigation. Here we evaluate the phylogenetic potential of five different markers for resolving evolutionary relationships within the ectoparasitic genus Dermanyssus at the species level, and their ability to address questions about the evolution of specialization. COI provided 9–18% divergence between species (up to 9% within species), 16S rRNA 10–16% (up to 4% within species), ITS1 and 2 2–9% (up to 1% within species) and Tropomyosin intron n 8–20% (up to 6% within species). EF-1α revealed different non-orthologous copies within individuals of Dermanyssus and Ornithonyssus. Tropomyosin intron n was shown containing consistent phylogenetic signal at the specific level within Dermanyssus and represents a promising marker for future prospects in phylogenetics of Acari. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the generalist condition is apomorphic and D. gallinae might represent a complex of hybridized lineages. The split into hirsutus-group and gallinae-group in Dermanyssus does not seem to be appropriate based upon these results and D. longipes appears to be composed of two different entities. PMID:20480038

Pigmented anatomy in Carboniferous cyclostomes and the evolution of the vertebrate eye.

PubMed

Gabbott, Sarah E; Donoghue, Philip C J; Sansom, Robert S; Vinther, Jakob; Dolocan, Andrei; Purnell, Mark A

2016-08-17

The success of vertebrates is linked to the evolution of a camera-style eye and sophisticated visual system. In the absence of useful data from fossils, scenarios for evolutionary assembly of the vertebrate eye have been based necessarily on evidence from development, molecular genetics and comparative anatomy in living vertebrates. Unfortunately, steps in the transition from a light-sensitive 'eye spot' in invertebrate chordates to an image-forming camera-style eye in jawed vertebrates are constrained only by hagfish and lampreys (cyclostomes), which are interpreted to reflect either an intermediate or degenerate condition. Here, we report-based on evidence of size, shape, preservation mode and localized occurrence-the presence of melanosomes (pigment-bearing organelles) in fossil cyclostome eyes. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses reveal secondary ions with a relative intensity characteristic of melanin as revealed through principal components analyses. Our data support the hypotheses that extant hagfish eyes are degenerate, not rudimentary, that cyclostomes are monophyletic, and that the ancestral vertebrate had a functional visual system. We also demonstrate integument pigmentation in fossil lampreys, opening up the exciting possibility of investigating colour patterning in Palaeozoic vertebrates. The examples we report add to the record of melanosome preservation in Carboniferous fossils and attest to surprising durability of melanosomes and biomolecular melanin. © 2016 The Authors.

Pigmented anatomy in Carboniferous cyclostomes and the evolution of the vertebrate eye

PubMed Central

Gabbott, Sarah E.; Sansom, Robert S.; Vinther, Jakob; Dolocan, Andrei; Purnell, Mark A.

2016-01-01

The success of vertebrates is linked to the evolution of a camera-style eye and sophisticated visual system. In the absence of useful data from fossils, scenarios for evolutionary assembly of the vertebrate eye have been based necessarily on evidence from development, molecular genetics and comparative anatomy in living vertebrates. Unfortunately, steps in the transition from a light-sensitive ‘eye spot’ in invertebrate chordates to an image-forming camera-style eye in jawed vertebrates are constrained only by hagfish and lampreys (cyclostomes), which are interpreted to reflect either an intermediate or degenerate condition. Here, we report—based on evidence of size, shape, preservation mode and localized occurrence—the presence of melanosomes (pigment-bearing organelles) in fossil cyclostome eyes. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses reveal secondary ions with a relative intensity characteristic of melanin as revealed through principal components analyses. Our data support the hypotheses that extant hagfish eyes are degenerate, not rudimentary, that cyclostomes are monophyletic, and that the ancestral vertebrate had a functional visual system. We also demonstrate integument pigmentation in fossil lampreys, opening up the exciting possibility of investigating colour patterning in Palaeozoic vertebrates. The examples we report add to the record of melanosome preservation in Carboniferous fossils and attest to surprising durability of melanosomes and biomolecular melanin. PMID:27488650

Genomic Analyses Reveal Potential Independent Adaptation to High Altitude in Tibetan Chickens.

PubMed

Wang, Ming-Shan; Li, Yan; Peng, Min-Sheng; Zhong, Li; Wang, Zong-Ji; Li, Qi-Ye; Tu, Xiao-Long; Dong, Yang; Zhu, Chun-Ling; Wang, Lu; Yang, Min-Min; Wu, Shi-Fang; Miao, Yong-Wang; Liu, Jian-Ping; Irwin, David M; Wang, Wen; Wu, Dong-Dong; Zhang, Ya-Ping

2015-07-01

Much like other indigenous domesticated animals, Tibetan chickens living at high altitudes (2,200-4,100 m) show specific physiological adaptations to the extreme environmental conditions of the Tibetan Plateau, but the genetic bases of these adaptations are not well characterized. Here, we assembled a de novo genome of a Tibetan chicken and resequenced whole genomes of 32 additional chickens, including Tibetan chickens, village chickens, game fowl, and Red Junglefowl, and found that the Tibetan chickens could broadly be placed into two groups. Further analyses revealed that several candidate genes in the calcium-signaling pathway are possibly involved in adaptation to the hypoxia experienced by these chickens, as these genes appear to have experienced directional selection in the two Tibetan chicken populations, suggesting a potential genetic mechanism underlying high altitude adaptation in Tibetan chickens. The candidate selected genes identified in this study, and their variants, may be useful targets for clarifying our understanding of the domestication of chickens in Tibet, and might be useful in current breeding efforts to develop improved breeds for the highlands. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Chemical modifications of therapeutic proteins induced by residual ethylene oxide.

PubMed

Chen, Louise; Sloey, Christopher; Zhang, Zhongqi; Bondarenko, Pavel V; Kim, Hyojin; Ren, Da; Kanapuram, Sekhar

2015-02-01

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is widely used in sterilization of drug product primary containers and medical devices. The impact of residual EtO on protein therapeutics is of significant interest in the biopharmaceutical industry. The potential for EtO to modify individual amino acids in proteins has been previously reported. However, specific identification of EtO adducts in proteins and the effect of residual EtO on the stability of therapeutic proteins has not been reported to date. This paper describes studies of residual EtO with two therapeutic proteins, a PEGylated form of the recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (Peg-GCSF) and recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) formulated with human serum albumin (HSA). Peg-GCSF was filled in an EtO sterilized delivery device and incubated at accelerated stress conditions. Glu-C peptide mapping and LC-MS analyses revealed residual EtO reacted with Peg-GCSF and resulted in EtO modifications at two methionine residues (Met-127 and Met-138). In addition, tryptic peptide mapping and LC-MS analyses revealed residual EtO in plastic vials reacted with HSA in EPO formulation at Met-328 and Cys-34. This paper details the work conducted to understand the effects of residual EtO on the chemical stability of protein therapeutics. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

Internal and external spatial attention examined with lateralized EEG power spectra.

PubMed

Van der Lubbe, Rob H J; Bundt, Carsten; Abrahamse, Elger L

2014-10-02

Several authors argued that retrieval of an item from visual short term memory (internal spatial attention) and focusing attention on an externally presented item (external spatial attention) are similar. Part of the neuroimaging support for this view may be due to the employed experimental procedures. Furthermore, as internal spatial attention may have a more induced than evoked nature some effects may not have been visible in event related analyses of the electroencephalogram (EEG), which limits the possibility to demonstrate differences. In the current study, a colored frame cued which stimulus, one out of four presented in separate quadrants, required a response, which depended on the form of the cued stimulus (circle or square). Importantly, the frame occurred either before (precue), simultaneously with (simultaneous cue), or after the stimuli (postcue). The precue and simultaneous cue condition both concern external attention, while the postcue condition implies the involvement of internal spatial attention. Event-related lateralizations (ERLs), reflecting evoked effects, and lateralized power spectra (LPS), reflecting both evoked and induced effects, were determined. ERLs revealed a posterior contralateral negativity (PCN) only in the precue condition. LPS analyses on the raw EEG showed early increased contralateral theta power at posterior sites and later increased ipsilateral alpha power at occipito-temporal sites in all cue conditions. Responses were faster when the internally or externally attended location corresponded with the required response side than when not. These findings provide further support for the view that internal and external spatial attention share their underlying mechanism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Colour-induced relationship between affect and reaching kinematics during a goal-directed aiming task.

PubMed

Williams, Camille K; Grierson, Lawrence E M; Carnahan, Heather

2011-08-01

A link between affect and action has been supported by the discovery that threat information is prioritized through an action-centred pathway--the dorsal visual stream. Magnocellular afferents, which originate from the retina and project to dorsal stream structures, are suppressed by exposure to diffuse red light, which diminishes humans' perception of threat-based images. In order to explore the role of colour in the relationship between affect and action, participants donned different pairs of coloured glasses (red, yellow, green, blue and clear) and completed Positive and Negative Affect Scale questionnaires as well as a series of target-directed aiming movements. Analyses of affect scores revealed a significant main effect for affect valence and a significant interaction between colour and valence: perceived positive affect was significantly smaller for the red condition. Kinematic analyses of variable error in the primary movement direction and Pearson correlation analyses between the displacements travelled prior to and following peak velocity indicated reduced accuracy and application of online control processes while wearing red glasses. Variable error of aiming was also positively and significantly correlated with negative affect scores under the red condition. These results suggest that only red light modulates the affect-action link by suppressing magnocellular activity, which disrupts visual processing for movement control. Furthermore, previous research examining the effect of the colour red on psychomotor tasks and perceptual acceleration of threat-based imagery suggest that stimulus-driven motor performance tasks requiring online control may be particularly susceptible to this effect.

Correct, fake and absent pre-information does not affect the occurrence and magnitude of the bilateral force deficit.

PubMed

Donath, Lars; Siebert, Tobias; Faude, Oliver; Puta, Christian

2014-05-01

The present study examined whether different pre-information conditions could lead to a volitional modulation of the occurrence and magnitude of the bilateral force deficit (BFD) during isometric leg press. Twenty trained male adults (age: 24.5 ± 1.7 years; weight: 77.5 ± 7.1 kg; height: 1.81 ± 0.05 m) were examined on three days within a week. Isometric leg press was performed on a negatively inclined leg press slide. Each participant completed three maximal isometric strength test sessions with different pre-information conditions given in a graphical chart: no pre-information (NPI; first day), false pre-information (FPI; bilateral force > sum of unilateral forces; second or third day) and correct pre-information (CPI; bilateral force < sum of unilateral forces; second or third day) during bilateral, unilateral-left and unilateral-right leg-press. The sum of left- and right-sided force values were calculated for bilateral (FBL = FBL_left + FBL_right) and unilateral (FUL = FUL_left + FUL_right) analyses. Force data for NPI revealed: Mean (SD): FUL_NPI = 3023 N (435) vs. FBL_NPI = 2812 (453); FPI showed FUL_FPI = 3013 N (459) vs. FBL_FPI = 2843 (446) and the CPI revealed FUL_CPI = 3035 (425) vs. FBL_CPI = 2844 (385). The three (no, false, correct) x 2 (FUL, FBL) rANOVA revealed a high significant main effect of Force (F = 61.82, p < 0.001). No significant main effect of the factor Condition and no significant interaction between Force x Condition was observed. The BFD does not rely on the trueness of the given pre-information (no, false, correct). Cognition-based volitional influences on the BFD on supra-spinal level seem negligible. Key pointsBFD is reliable occurring phenomenonAvailable theoretical knowledge does not affect the BFDAlternating sport should include alternating strength exercises.

Performance profile of NCAA Division I men's basketball games and training sessions.

PubMed

Conte, D; Tessitore, A; Smiley, K; Thomas, C; Favero, T G

2016-06-01

This study aimed to analyse live and stoppage time phases, their ratio, and action played on half and full court in college basketball games. Differences were assessed for the entire games and between halves. Moreover, differences of the live/stoppage time ratio were analysed between games and game-based conditioning drills. Ten games as well as fifteen defensive, fourteen offensive and six scrimmage-type drills of the same division I men's college team (13 players) were analysed using time-motion analysis technique. Live and stoppage time were classified in five classes of duration: 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, >80 seconds. Half court actions started and finished in the same half court. Full court actions were classified as transfer (TR) phases when at least 3 teammates crossed the mid-court line. TR phases were then classified in 5 classes of frequency: 1TR, 2TR, 3TR, 4TR, and >4TR. The results revealed no statistically significant differences between games or between halves for the considered parameters. The only significant difference was observed for live/stoppage time ratio between halves (p<0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference of the live/stoppage ratio was found between games and game-based drills (p<0.01). Post-hoc analysis demonstrated significant differences of scrimmage-type drills in comparison to games, and defensive and offensive drills (p<0.05), whereas no differences emerged for the other pairwise comparisons. The absence of differences between games in the analysed parameters might be important to characterize the model of performance in division I men's college games. Furthermore, these results encourage coaches to use game-based conditioning drills to replicate the LT/ST ratio documented during games.

Inter-joint coordination strategies during unilateral stance 6-months following first-time lateral ankle sprain.

PubMed

Doherty, Cailbhe; Bleakley, Chris; Hertel, Jay; Caulfield, Brian; Ryan, John; Sweeney, Kevin; Delahunt, Eamonn

2015-02-01

Longitudinal analyses of participants with a history of lateral ankle sprain are lacking. This investigation combined measures of inter-joint coordination and stabilometry to evaluate eyes-open (condition 1) and eyes-closed (condition 2) static unilateral stance performance in a group of participants, 6-months after they sustained an acute, first-time lateral ankle sprain in comparison to a control group. Sixty-nine participants with a 6-month history of first-time lateral ankle sprain and 20 non-injured controls completed three 20-second unilateral stance task trials in conditions 1 and 2. An adjusted coefficient of multiple determination statistic was used to compare stance limb 3-dimensional kinematic data for similarity in the aim of establishing patterns of lower-limb inter-joint coordination. The fractal dimension of the stance limb centre of pressure path was also calculated. Between-group analyses revealed significant differences in stance limb inter-joint coordination strategies for conditions 1 and 2, and in the fractal dimension of the centre-of-pressure path for condition 2 only. Injured participants displayed increases in ankle-hip linked coordination compared to controls in condition 1 (sagittal/frontal plane: 0.15 [0.14] vs 0.06 [0.04]; η(2)=.19; sagittal/transverse plane: 0.14 [0.11] vs 0.09 [0.05]; η(2)=0.14) and condition 2 (sagittal/frontal plane: 0.15 [0.12] vs 0.08 [0.06]; η(2)=0.23), with an associated decrease in the fractal dimension of the centre-of-pressure path (injured limb: 1.23 [0.13] vs 1.36 [0.13]; η(2)=0.20). Participants with a 6-month history of first-time lateral ankle sprain exhibit a hip-dominant coordination strategy for static unilateral stance compared to non-injured controls. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Test the Effectiveness of an Immersive 3D Video Game for Anxiety Prevention among Adolescents

PubMed Central

Scholten, Hanneke; Malmberg, Monique; Lobel, Adam; Engels, Rutger C. M. E.; Granic, Isabela

2016-01-01

Adolescent anxiety is debilitating, the most frequently diagnosed adolescent mental health problem, and leads to substantial long-term problems. A randomized controlled trial (n = 138) was conducted to test the effectiveness of a biofeedback video game (Dojo) for adolescents with elevated levels of anxiety. Adolescents (11–15 years old) were randomly assigned to play Dojo or a control game (Rayman 2: The Great Escape). Initial screening for anxiety was done on 1,347 adolescents in five high schools; only adolescents who scored above the “at-risk” cut-off on the Spence Children Anxiety Survey were eligible. Adolescents’ anxiety levels were assessed at pre-test, post-test, and at three month follow-up to examine the extent to which playing Dojo decreased adolescents’ anxiety. The present study revealed equal improvements in anxiety symptoms in both conditions at follow-up and no differences between Dojo and the closely matched control game condition. Latent growth curve models did reveal a steeper decrease of personalized anxiety symptoms (not of total anxiety symptoms) in the Dojo condition compared to the control condition. Moderation analyses did not show any differences in outcomes between boys and girls nor did age differentiate outcomes. The present results are of importance for prevention science, as this was the first full-scale randomized controlled trial testing indicated prevention effects of a video game aimed at reducing anxiety. Future research should carefully consider the choice of control condition and outcome measurements, address the potentially high impact of participants’ expectations, and take critical design issues into consideration, such as individual- versus group-based intervention and contamination issues. PMID:26816292

The impacts of racial group membership on people's distributive justice: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Tang, Yi-Yuan; Deng, Yuqin

2014-04-16

How individuals and societies distribute benefits has long been studied by psychologists and sociologists. Previous work has highlighted the importance of social identity on people's justice concerns. However, it is not entirely clear how racial in-group/out-group relationship affects the brain activity in distributive justice. In this study, event-related potentials were recorded while participants made their decisions about donation allocation. Behavioral results showed that racial in-group factor affected participants' decisions on justice consideration. Participants were more likely to make relatively equity decisions when racial in-group factor was congruent with equity compared with the corresponding incongruent condition. Moreover, this incongruent condition took longer response times than congruent condition. Meanwhile, less equity decisions were made when efficiency was larger in the opposite side to equity than it was equal between the two options. Scalp event-related potential analyses revealed that greater P300 and late positive potential amplitudes were elicited by the incongruent condition compared with the congruent condition. These findings suggest that the decision-making of distributive justice could be modulated by racial group membership, and greater attentional resources or cognitive efforts are required when racial in-group factor and equity conflict with each other.

Adjustment modes in the trajectory of progressive multiple sclerosis: a qualitative study and conceptual model.

PubMed

Bogosian, Angeliki; Morgan, Myfanwy; Bishop, Felicity L; Day, Fern; Moss-Morris, Rona

2017-03-01

We examined cognitive and behavioural challenges and adaptations for people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and developed a preliminary conceptual model of changes in adjustment over time. Using theoretical sampling, 34 semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with MS. Participants were between 41 and 77 years of age. Thirteen were diagnosed with primary progressive MS and 21 with secondary progressive MS. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Participants described initially bracketing the illness off and carrying on their usual activities but this became problematic as the condition progressed and they employed different adjustment modes to cope with increased disabilities. Some scaled back their activities to live a more comfortable life, others identified new activities or adapted old ones, whereas at times, people disengaged from the adjustment process altogether and resigned to their condition. Relationships with partners, emotional reactions, environment and perception of the environment influenced adjustment, while people were often flexible and shifted among modes. Adjusting to a progressive condition is a fluid process. Future interventions can be tailored to address modifiable factors at different stages of the condition and may involve addressing emotional reactions concealing/revealing the condition and perceptions of the environment.

The ACTIV study: acupuncture treatment in provoked vestibulodynia.

PubMed

Curran, Stephanie; Brotto, Lori A; Fisher, Harris; Knudson, Gail; Cohen, Trevor

2010-02-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a distressing genital pain condition affecting 12% of women. Treatment modalities vary and although vestibulectomy has the highest efficacy rates, it is usually not a first-line option. Acupuncture has a long history in the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) system and operates on the premise that pain results from the blockage or imbalance of important channels. The main principle of treatment is to move Qi and blood to cease genital pain. To explore effect sizes and feasibility in a pilot study of acupuncture for women with PVD. Eight women with PVD (mean age 30 years) underwent 10 1-hour acupuncture sessions. Specific placement of the needles depended on the woman's individual TCM diagnosis. TCM practitioners made qualitative notes on participants' feedback after each session. Main Outcome Measures. Self-reported pain (investigator-developed), pain-associated cognitions (Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS], Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire), and sexual response (Female Sexual Function Index) were measured before and after treatment sessions 5 and 10. Qualitative analyses of TCM practitioner notes were performed along with one in-depth case report on the experience of a participant. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant decreases in pain with manual genital stimulation and helplessness on the PCS. An examination of effect sizes also revealed strong (though nonsignificant) effects for improved ability to have intercourse and sexual desire. Qualitative analyses were overall more positive and revealed an improvement in perceived sexual health, reduced pain, and improved mental well-being in the majority of participants. Effect sizes and qualitative analyses of practitioner-initiated interviews showed overall positive effects of acupuncture, but there were statistically significant improvements only in pain with manual genital stimulation and helplessness. These findings require replication in a larger, controlled trial before any definitive conclusions on the efficacy of acupuncture for PVD can be made.

The effect of grinding on the mechanical behavior of Y-TZP ceramics: A systematic review and meta-analyses.

PubMed

Pereira, G K R; Fraga, S; Montagner, A F; Soares, F Z M; Kleverlaan, C J; Valandro, L F

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to assess the effect of grinding on the mechanical properties, structural stability and superficial characteristics of Y-TZP ceramics. The MEDLINE via PubMed and Web of Science (ISI - Web of Knowledge) electronic databases were searched with included peer-reviewed publications in English language and with no publication year limit. From 342 potentially eligible studies, 73 were selected for full-text analysis, 30 were included in the systematic review with 20 considered in the meta-analysis. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the risk of bias. Statistical analyses were performed using RevMan 5.1, with random effects model, at a significance level of 0.05. A descriptive analysis considering phase transformation, Y-TZP grain size, Vickers hardness, residual stress and aging of all included studies were executed. Four outcomes were considered in the meta-analyses (factor: grinding x as-sintered) in global and subgroups analyses (grinding tool, grit-size and cooling) for flexural strength and roughness (Ra) data. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed in the global analysis for strength, favoring as-sintered; subgroup analyses revealed that different parameters lead to different effects on strength. In the global analysis for roughness, a significant difference (p<0.05) was observed between conditions, favoring grinding; subgroup analyses revealed that different parameters also lead to different effects on roughness. High heterogeneity was found in some comparisons. Generally grinding promotes decrease in strength and increase in roughness of Y-TZP ceramics. However, the use of a grinding tool that allows greater accuracy of the movement (i.e. contra angle hand-pieces coupled to slowspeed turbines), small grit size (<50μm) and the use of plenty coolant seem to be the main factors to decrease the defect introduction and allow the occurrence of the toughening transformation mechanism, decreasing the risk of deleterious impact on Y-TZP mechanical properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil response to long-term projections of extreme temperature and precipitation in the southern La Plata Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pántano, Vanesa C.; Penalba, Olga C.

2017-12-01

Projected changes were estimated considering the main variables which take part in soil-atmosphere interaction. The analysis was focused on the potential impact of these changes on soil hydric condition under extreme precipitation and evapotranspiration, using the combination of Global Climate Models (GCMs) and observational data. The region of study is the southern La Plata Basin that covers part of Argentine territory, where rainfed agriculture production is one of the most important economic activities. Monthly precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures were used from high quality-controlled observed data from 46 meteorological stations and the ensemble of seven CMIP5 GCMs in two periods: 1970-2005 and 2065-2100. Projected changes in monthly effective temperature and precipitation were analysed. These changes were combined with observed series for each probabilistic interval. The result was used as input variables for the water balance model in order to obtain consequent soil hydric condition (deficit or excess). Effective temperature and precipitation are expected to increase according to the projections of GCMs, with few exceptions. The analysis revealed increase (decrease) in the prevalence of evapotranspiration over precipitation, during spring (winter). Projections for autumn months show precipitation higher than potential evapotranspiration more frequently. Under dry extremes, the analysis revealed higher projected deficit conditions, impacting on crop development. On the other hand, under wet extremes, excess would reach higher values only in particular months. During December, projected increase in temperatures reduces the impact of extreme high precipitation but favours deficit conditions, affecting flower-fructification stage of summer crops.

Binary Interactions of Antagonistic Bacteria with Candida albicans Under Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditions.

PubMed

Benadé, Eliska; Stone, Wendy; Mouton, Marnel; Postma, Ferdinand; Wilsenach, Jac; Botha, Alfred

2016-04-01

We used both aerobic and anaerobic liquid co-cultures, prepared with Luria Bertani broth, to study the effect of bacteria on the survival of Candida albicans in the external environment, away from an animal host. The bacteria were represented by Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium, Enterobacter, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Kluyvera ascorbata and Serratia marcescens. Under aerobic conditions, the yeast's growth was inhibited in the presence of bacterial growth; however, under anaerobic conditions, yeast and bacterial growth in co-cultures was similar to that observed for pure cultures. Subsequent assays revealed that the majority of bacterial strains aerobically produced extracellular hydrolytic enzymes capable of yeast cell wall hydrolysis, including chitinases and mannan-degrading enzymes. In contrast, except for the A. hydrophila strain, these enzymes were not detected in anaerobic bacterial cultures, nor was the antimicrobial compound prodigiosin found in anaerobic cultures of S. marcescens. When we suspended C. albicans cells in crude extracellular enzyme preparations from K. pneumoniae and S. marcescens, we detected no negative effect on yeast viability. However, we found that these preparations enhance the toxicity of prodigiosin towards the yeast, especially in combination with mannan-degrading enzymes. Analyses of the chitin and mannan content of yeast cell walls revealed that less chitin was produced under anaerobic than aerobic conditions; however, the levels of mannan, known for its low permeability, remained the same. The latter phenomenon, as well as reduced production of the bacterial enzymes and prodigiosin, may contribute to anaerobic growth and survival of C. albicans in the presence of bacteria.

Written accounts of living with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: A thematic analysis.

PubMed

Rawlings, Gregg H; Brown, Ian; Stone, Brendan; Reuber, Markus

2017-08-01

Qualitative studies examining lived experiences of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) have predominantly relied on datasets collected using clinical or research interviews. This study pursued a different approach by investigating individuals' written accounts of their condition. Participants (n=19) were recruited from membership-led organisations for individuals living with seizures and from a United Kingdom hospital. Participants were instructed to produce four pieces of writing: 1) about their thoughts and feelings about their condition; 2) a letter to their condition; 3) a letter to their younger self; and 4) about a personal value. All writings were analysed using thematic analysis. Six main-themes emerged from the data. Theme 1: 'living with PNES' demonstrated that all participants presented the condition as having a debilitating effect. Theme 2: 'Emotions' revealed that individuals were struggling with anxiety, low mood and self-worth. Theme 3: 'Seizure symptoms' showed variability was a prominent feature in the description of ictal events. Theme 4: 'Treatment and outcomes' demonstrated that individual's perception of diagnosis and therapy differed greatly. Theme 5: 'Causation and development' revealed that the majority of participants spontaneously reported experiencing a traumatic event in the past. Theme 6: 'Lack of understanding' by themselves, the public and healthcare professionals appeared to pose considerable challenges to participants. Qualitative research has an important role to play for improving our understanding of PNES. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the nature of stigma that people with PNES experience, and also their proneness to demonstrate problems with self-worth. Copyright © 2017 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expectancy Effects on Conditioned Pain Modulation Are Not Influenced by Naloxone or Morphine.

PubMed

France, Christopher R; Burns, John W; Gupta, Rajnish K; Buvanendran, Asokumar; Chont, Melissa; Schuster, Erik; Orlowska, Daria; Bruehl, Stephen

2016-08-01

Recent studies suggest that participant expectations influence pain ratings during conditioned pain modulation testing. The present study extends this work by examining expectancy effects among individuals with and without chronic back pain after administration of placebo, naloxone, or morphine. This study aims to identify the influence of individual differences in expectancy on changes in heat pain ratings obtained before, during, and after a forearm ischemic pain stimulus. Participants with chronic low back pain (n = 88) and healthy controls (n = 100) rated heat pain experience (i.e., "test stimulus") before, during, and after exposure to ischemic pain (i.e., "conditioning stimulus"). Prior to testing, participants indicated whether they anticipated that their heat pain would increase, decrease, or remain unchanged during ischemic pain. Analysis of the effects of expectancy (pain increase, decrease, or no change), drug (placebo, naloxone, or morphine), and group (back pain, healthy) on changes in heat pain revealed a significant main effect of expectancy (p = 0.001), but no other significant main effects or interactions. Follow-up analyses revealed that individuals who expected lower pain during ischemia reported significantly larger decreases in heat pain as compared with those who expected either no change (p = 0.004) or increased pain (p = 0.001). The present findings confirm that expectancy is an important contributor to conditioned pain modulation effects, and therefore significant caution is needed when interpreting findings that do not account for this individual difference. Opioid mechanisms do not appear to be involved in these expectancy effects.

Provenance effect on carbon assimilation, photochemistry and leaf morphology in Mediterranean Cistus species under chilling stress.

PubMed

Puglielli, G; Cuevas Román, F J; Catoni, R; Moreno Rojas, J M; Gratani, L; Varone, L

2017-07-01

The potential resilience of shrub species to environmental change deserves attention in those areas threatened by climate change, such as the Mediterranean Basin. We asked if leaves produced under different climate conditions through the winter season to spring can highlight the leaf traits involved in determining potential resilience of three Cistus spp. to changing environmental conditions and to what extent intraspecific differences affect such a response. We analysed carbon assimilation, maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (F v /F m ) and leaf morphological control of the photosynthetic process in leaves formed through the winter season into spring in C. creticus subsp. eriocephalus (CE), C. salvifolius (CS) and C. monspeliensis (CM) grown from seed of different provenances under common garden conditions. Intraspecific differences were found in F v /F m for CE and CS. Carbon assimilation-related parameters were not affected by provenance. Moreover, our analysis highlighted that the functional relationships investigated can follow seasonal changes and revealed patterns originating from species-specific differences in LMA arising during the favourable period. Cistus spp. have great ability to modify the structure and function of their leaves in the mid-term in order to cope with changing environmental conditions. The F v /F m response to chilling reveals that susceptibility to photoinhibition is a trait under selection in Cistus species. Concerning carbon assimilation, differing ability to control stomatal opening was highlighted between species. Moreover, seasonal changes of the functional relationships investigated can have predictable consequences on species leaf turnover strategies. © 2017 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Alien Phytogeographic Regions of Southern Africa: Numerical Classification, Possible Drivers, and Regional Threats

PubMed Central

Hugo, Sanet; Van Rensburg, Berndt J.; Van Wyk, Abraham E.; Steenkamp, Yolande

2012-01-01

The distributions of naturalised alien plant species that have invaded natural or semi-natural habitat are often geographically restricted by the environmental conditions in their new range, implying that alien species with similar environmental requirements and tolerances may form assemblages and characterise particular areas. The aim of this study was to use objective numerical techniques to reveal any possible alien phytogeographic regions (i.e. geographic areas with characteristic alien plant assemblages) in southern Africa. Quarter degree resolution presence records of naturalised alien plant species of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana were analysed through a divisive hierarchical classification technique, and the output was plotted on maps for further interpretation. The analyses revealed two main alien phytogeographic regions that could be subdivided into eight lower level phytogeographic regions. Along with knowledge of the environmental requirements of the characteristic species and supported by further statistical analyses, we hypothesised on the main drivers of alien phytogeographic regions, and suggest that environmental features such as climate and associated biomes were most important, followed by human activities that modify climatic and vegetation features, such as irrigation and agriculture. Most of the characteristic species are not currently well-known as invasive plant species, but many may have potential to become troublesome in the future. Considering the possibility of biotic homogenization, these findings have implications for predicting the characteristics of the plant assemblages of the future. However, the relatively low quality of the dataset necessitates further more in-depth studies with improved data before the findings could be directly beneficial for management. PMID:22574145

Disentangling mechanisms that mediate the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes in microbial succession.

PubMed

Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Stegen, James C; van Elsas, Jan Dirk; Salles, Joana Falcão

2015-03-17

Ecological succession and the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes are two major themes within microbial ecology, but these conceptual domains have mostly developed independent of each other. Here we provide a framework that integrates shifts in community assembly processes with microbial primary succession to better understand mechanisms governing the stochastic/deterministic balance. Synthesizing previous work, we devised a conceptual model that links ecosystem development to alternative hypotheses related to shifts in ecological assembly processes. Conceptual model hypotheses were tested by coupling spatiotemporal data on soil bacterial communities with environmental conditions in a salt marsh chronosequence spanning 105 years of succession. Analyses within successional stages showed community composition to be initially governed by stochasticity, but as succession proceeded, there was a progressive increase in deterministic selection correlated with increasing sodium concentration. Analyses of community turnover among successional stages--which provide a larger spatiotemporal scale relative to within stage analyses--revealed that changes in the concentration of soil organic matter were the main predictor of the type and relative influence of determinism. Taken together, these results suggest scale-dependency in the mechanisms underlying selection. To better understand mechanisms governing these patterns, we developed an ecological simulation model that revealed how changes in selective environments cause shifts in the stochastic/deterministic balance. Finally, we propose an extended--and experimentally testable--conceptual model integrating ecological assembly processes with primary and secondary succession. This framework provides a priori hypotheses for future experiments, thereby facilitating a systematic approach to understand assembly and succession in microbial communities across ecosystems.

Characteristics of amorphous kerogens fractionated from terrigenous sedimentary rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Noriyuki

1984-02-01

A preliminary attempt to fractionate amorphous kerogens from terrigenous bulk kerogen by a benzene-water two phase partition method under acidic condition was made. Microscopic observation revealed that amorphous kerogens and structured kerogens were fractionated effectively by this method. Characteristics of the amorphous and structured kerogens fractionated by this method were examined by some chemical analyses and compared with those of the bulk kerogen and humic acid isolated from the same rock sample (Haizume Formation, Pleistocene, Japan). The elemental and infrared (IR) analyses showed that the amorphous kerogen fraction had the highest atomic H/C ratio and the lowest atomic N/C ratio and was the richest in aliphatic structures and carbonyl and carboxyl functional groups. Quantities of fatty acids from the saponification products of each geopolymer were in agreement with the results of elemental and IR analyses. Distribution of the fatty acids was suggestive that more animal lipids participate in the formation of amorphous kerogens because of the abundance of relatively lower molecular weight fatty acids (such as C 16 and C 18 acids) in saponification products of amorphous kerogens. On the other hand, although the amorphous kerogen fraction tends to be rich in aliphatic structures compared with bulk kerogen of the same rock samples, van Krevelen plots of elemental compositions of kerogens from the core samples (Nishiyama Oil Field, Tertiary, Japan) reveal that the amorphous kerogen fraction is not necessarily characterized by markedly high atomic H/C ratio. This was attributed to the oxic environment of deposition and the abundance of biodegraded terrestrial amorphous organic matter in the amorphous kerogen fraction used in this work.

Proteome Analysis Reveals Extensive Light Stress-Response Reprogramming in the Seagrass Zostera muelleri (Alismatales, Zosteraceae) Metabolism

PubMed Central

Kumar, Manoj; Padula, Matthew P.; Davey, Peter; Pernice, Mathieu; Jiang, Zhijian; Sablok, Gaurav; Contreras-Porcia, Loretto; Ralph, Peter J.

2017-01-01

Seagrasses are marine ecosystem engineers that are currently declining in abundance at an alarming rate due to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in ecological niches. Despite reports on the morphological and physiological adaptations of seagrasses to extreme environments, little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying photo-acclimation, and/or tolerance in these marine plants. This study applies the two-dimensional isoelectric focusing (2D-IEF) proteomics approach to identify photo-acclimation/tolerance proteins in the marine seagrass Zostera muelleri. For this, Z. muelleri was exposed for 10 days in laboratory mesocosms to saturating (control, 200 μmol photons m−2 s−1), super-saturating (SSL, 600 μmol photons m−2 s−1), and limited light (LL, 20 μmol photons m−2 s−1) irradiance conditions. Using LC-MS/MS analysis, 93 and 40 protein spots were differentially regulated under SSL and LL conditions, respectively, when compared to the control. In contrast to the LL condition, Z. muelleri robustly tolerated super-saturation light than control conditions, evidenced by their higher relative maximum electron transport rate and minimum saturating irradiance values. Proteomic analyses revealed up-regulation and/or appearances of proteins belonging to the Calvin-Benson and Krebs cycle, glycolysis, the glycine cleavage system of photorespiration, and the antioxidant system. These proteins, together with those from the inter-connected glutamate-proline-GABA pathway, shaped Z. muelleri photosynthesis and growth under SSL conditions. In contrast, the LL condition negatively impacted the metabolic activities of Z. muelleri by down-regulating key metabolic enzymes for photosynthesis and the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids, which is consistent with the observation with lower photosynthetic performance under LL condition. This study provides novel insights into the underlying molecular photo-acclimation mechanisms in Z. muelleri, in addition to identifying protein-based biomarkers that could be used as early indicators to detect acute/chronic light stress in seagrasses to monitor seagrass health. PMID:28144245

Modulation of the Major Paths of Carbon in Photorespiratory Mutants of Synechocystis

PubMed Central

Huege, Jan; Goetze, Jan; Schwarz, Doreen; Bauwe, Hermann; Hagemann, Martin; Kopka, Joachim

2011-01-01

Background Recent studies using transcript and metabolite profiles of wild-type and gene deletion mutants revealed that photorespiratory pathways are essential for the growth of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under atmospheric conditions. Pool size changes of primary metabolites, such as glycine and glycolate, indicated a link to photorespiration. Methodology/Principal Findings The 13C labelling kinetics of primary metabolites were analysed in photoautotrophically grown cultures of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to demonstrate the link with photorespiration. Cells pre-acclimated to high CO2 (5%, HC) or limited CO2 (0.035%, LC) conditions were pulse-labelled under very high (2% w/w) 13C-NaHCO3 (VHC) conditions followed by treatment with ambient 12C at HC and LC conditions, respectively. The 13C enrichment, relative changes in pool size, and 13C flux of selected metabolites were evaluated. We demonstrate two major paths of CO2 assimilation via Rubisco in Synechocystis, i.e., from 3PGA via PEP to aspartate, malate and citrate or, to a lesser extent, from 3PGA via glucose-6-phosphate to sucrose. The results reveal evidence of carbon channelling from 3PGA to the PEP pool. Furthermore, 13C labelling of glycolate was observed under conditions thought to suppress photorespiration. Using the glycolate-accumulating ΔglcD1 mutant, we demonstrate enhanced 13C partitioning into the glycolate pool under conditions favouring photorespiration and enhanced 13C partitioning into the glycine pool of the glycine-accumulating ΔgcvT mutant. Under LC conditions, the photorespiratory mutants ΔglcD1 and ΔgcvT showed enhanced activity of the additional carbon-fixing PEP carboxylase pathway. Conclusions/Significance With our approach of non-steady-state 13C labelling and analysis of metabolite pool sizes with respective 13C enrichments, we identify the use and modulation of major pathways of carbon assimilation in Synechocystis in the presence of high and low inorganic carbon supplies. PMID:21283704

Proteome Analysis Reveals Extensive Light Stress-Response Reprogramming in the Seagrass Zostera muelleri (Alismatales, Zosteraceae) Metabolism.

PubMed

Kumar, Manoj; Padula, Matthew P; Davey, Peter; Pernice, Mathieu; Jiang, Zhijian; Sablok, Gaurav; Contreras-Porcia, Loretto; Ralph, Peter J

2016-01-01

Seagrasses are marine ecosystem engineers that are currently declining in abundance at an alarming rate due to both natural and anthropogenic disturbances in ecological niches. Despite reports on the morphological and physiological adaptations of seagrasses to extreme environments, little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying photo-acclimation, and/or tolerance in these marine plants. This study applies the two-dimensional isoelectric focusing (2D-IEF) proteomics approach to identify photo-acclimation/tolerance proteins in the marine seagrass Zostera muelleri . For this, Z. muelleri was exposed for 10 days in laboratory mesocosms to saturating (control, 200 μmol photons m -2 s -1 ), super-saturating (SSL, 600 μmol photons m -2 s -1 ), and limited light (LL, 20 μmol photons m -2 s -1 ) irradiance conditions. Using LC-MS/MS analysis, 93 and 40 protein spots were differentially regulated under SSL and LL conditions, respectively, when compared to the control. In contrast to the LL condition, Z. muelleri robustly tolerated super-saturation light than control conditions, evidenced by their higher relative maximum electron transport rate and minimum saturating irradiance values. Proteomic analyses revealed up-regulation and/or appearances of proteins belonging to the Calvin-Benson and Krebs cycle, glycolysis, the glycine cleavage system of photorespiration, and the antioxidant system. These proteins, together with those from the inter-connected glutamate-proline-GABA pathway, shaped Z. muelleri photosynthesis and growth under SSL conditions. In contrast, the LL condition negatively impacted the metabolic activities of Z. muelleri by down-regulating key metabolic enzymes for photosynthesis and the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids, which is consistent with the observation with lower photosynthetic performance under LL condition. This study provides novel insights into the underlying molecular photo-acclimation mechanisms in Z. muelleri , in addition to identifying protein-based biomarkers that could be used as early indicators to detect acute/chronic light stress in seagrasses to monitor seagrass health.

Musical Tasks and Energetic Arousal.

PubMed

Lim, Hayoung A; Watson, Angela L

2018-03-08

Music is widely recognized as a motivating stimulus. Investigators have examined the use of music to improve a variety of motivation-related outcomes; however, these studies have focused primarily on passive music listening rather than active participation in musical activities. To examine the influence of participation in musical tasks and unique participant characteristics on energetic arousal. We used a one-way Welch's ANOVA to examine the influence of musical participation (i.e., a non-musical control and four different musical task conditions) upon energetic arousal. In addition, ancillary analyses of participant characteristics including personality, age, gender, sleep, musical training, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol revealed their possible influence upon pretest and posttest energetic arousal scores. Musical participation yielded a significant relationship with energetic arousal, F(4, 55.62) = 44.38, p = .000, estimated ω2 = 0.60. Games-Howell post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed statistically significant differences between five conditions. Descriptive statistics revealed expected differences between introverts' and extraverts' energetic arousal scores at the pretest, F(1, 115) = 6.80, p = .010, partial η2= .06; however, mean differences failed to reach significance at the posttest following musical task participation. No other measured participant characteristics yielded meaningful results. Passive tasks (i.e., listening to a story or song) were related to decreased energetic arousal, while active musical tasks (i.e., singing, rhythm tapping, and keyboard playing) were related to increased energetic arousal. Musical task participation appeared to have a differential effect for individuals with certain personality traits (i.e., extroverts and introverts).

Preventive intervention for preschoolers at high risk for antisocial behavior: long-term effects on child physical aggression and parenting practices.

PubMed

Brotman, Laurie Miller; Gouley, Kathleen Kiely; Huang, Keng-Yen; Rosenfelt, Amanda; O'Neal, Colleen; Klein, Rachel G; Shrout, Patrick

2008-04-01

This article presents long-term effects of a preventive intervention for young children at high risk for antisocial behavior. Ninety-two children (M age = 4 years) were randomly assigned to an 8-month family intervention or no-intervention control condition and assessed 4 times over a 24-month period. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed significant intervention effects on observed child physical aggression, and significant intervention effects found at the end of the program were maintained at follow-up for responsive parenting, harsh parenting and stimulation for learning. Parent ratings of child aggression did not show significant effects of intervention.

Religiosity and Well-Being among Older Jewish Israelis: Findings from SHARE.

PubMed

Litwin, Howard; Schwartz, Ella; Avital, Dana

2017-01-01

This study examined the correlates of religiosity among Jewish Israelis aged 50 and older. Based on the second wave of Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, the findings show that almost half the Jewish respondents never pray and that, on average, prayer frequency is lower among Jewish Israelis than it is among most of their European counterparts. Multivariate logistic analyses revealed that those who pray more often have more health conditions, are less able to make ends meet financially and have fewer years of education. However, when facing ill health those who pray more often display a relatively lesser decline in their sense of well being.

Global resilience analysis of water distribution systems.

PubMed

Diao, Kegong; Sweetapple, Chris; Farmani, Raziyeh; Fu, Guangtao; Ward, Sarah; Butler, David

2016-12-01

Evaluating and enhancing resilience in water infrastructure is a crucial step towards more sustainable urban water management. As a prerequisite to enhancing resilience, a detailed understanding is required of the inherent resilience of the underlying system. Differing from traditional risk analysis, here we propose a global resilience analysis (GRA) approach that shifts the objective from analysing multiple and unknown threats to analysing the more identifiable and measurable system responses to extreme conditions, i.e. potential failure modes. GRA aims to evaluate a system's resilience to a possible failure mode regardless of the causal threat(s) (known or unknown, external or internal). The method is applied to test the resilience of four water distribution systems (WDSs) with various features to three typical failure modes (pipe failure, excess demand, and substance intrusion). The study reveals GRA provides an overview of a water system's resilience to various failure modes. For each failure mode, it identifies the range of corresponding failure impacts and reveals extreme scenarios (e.g. the complete loss of water supply with only 5% pipe failure, or still meeting 80% of demand despite over 70% of pipes failing). GRA also reveals that increased resilience to one failure mode may decrease resilience to another and increasing system capacity may delay the system's recovery in some situations. It is also shown that selecting an appropriate level of detail for hydraulic models is of great importance in resilience analysis. The method can be used as a comprehensive diagnostic framework to evaluate a range of interventions for improving system resilience in future studies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

High-Density SNP Screening of the Major Histocompatibility Complex in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Demonstrates Strong Evidence for Independent Susceptibility Regions

PubMed Central

Barcellos, Lisa F.; May, Suzanne L.; Ramsay, Patricia P.; Quach, Hong L.; Lane, Julie A.; Nititham, Joanne; Noble, Janelle A.; Taylor, Kimberly E.; Quach, Diana L.; Chung, Sharon A.; Kelly, Jennifer A.; Moser, Kathy L.; Behrens, Timothy W.; Seldin, Michael F.; Thomson, Glenys; Harley, John B.; Gaffney, Patrick M.; Criswell, Lindsey A.

2009-01-01

A substantial genetic contribution to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk is conferred by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene(s) on chromosome 6p21. Previous studies in SLE have lacked statistical power and genetic resolution to fully define MHC influences. We characterized 1,610 Caucasian SLE cases and 1,470 parents for 1,974 MHC SNPs, the highly polymorphic HLA-DRB1 locus, and a panel of ancestry informative markers. Single-marker analyses revealed strong signals for SNPs within several MHC regions, as well as with HLA-DRB1 (global p = 9.99×10−16). The most strongly associated DRB1 alleles were: *0301 (odds ratio, OR = 2.21, p = 2.53×10−12), *1401 (OR = 0.50, p = 0.0002), and *1501 (OR = 1.39, p = 0.0032). The MHC region SNP demonstrating the strongest evidence of association with SLE was rs3117103, with OR = 2.44 and p = 2.80×10−13. Conditional haplotype and stepwise logistic regression analyses identified strong evidence for association between SLE and the extended class I, class I, class III, class II, and the extended class II MHC regions. Sequential removal of SLE–associated DRB1 haplotypes revealed independent effects due to variation within OR2H2 (extended class I, rs362521, p = 0.006), CREBL1 (class III, rs8283, p = 0.01), and DQB2 (class II, rs7769979, p = 0.003, and rs10947345, p = 0.0004). Further, conditional haplotype analyses demonstrated that variation within MICB (class I, rs3828903, p = 0.006) also contributes to SLE risk independent of HLA-DRB1*0301. Our results for the first time delineate with high resolution several MHC regions with independent contributions to SLE risk. We provide a list of candidate variants based on biologic and functional considerations that may be causally related to SLE risk and warrant further investigation. PMID:19851445

Inter-joint coordination strategies during unilateral stance following first-time, acute lateral ankle sprain: A brief report.

PubMed

Doherty, Cailbhe; Bleakley, Chris; Hertel, Jay; Caulfield, Brian; Ryan, John; Sweeney, Kevin; Delahunt, Eamonn

2015-07-01

This investigation combined measures of inter-joint coordination and stabilometry to evaluate eyes-open (condition 1) and eyes-closed (condition 2) static unilateral stance performance in a group of participants with an acute, first-time lateral ankle sprain injury in comparison to a control group. Sixty-six participants with an acute first-time lateral ankle sprain and 19 non-injured controls completed three 20-second unilateral stance task trials in conditions 1 and 2. An adjusted coefficient of multiple determination statistic was used to compare stance limb 3-D kinematic data for similarity in the aim of establishing patterns of inter-joint coordination for these groups. Between-group analyses revealed significant differences in stance limb inter-joint coordination strategies for conditions 1 and 2. Injured participants displayed increases in ankle-hip linked coordination compared to controls in condition 1 (sagittal/frontal plane: 0.12 [0.09] vs 0.06 [0.04]; η(2)=.16) and condition 2 (sagittal/frontal plane: 0.18 [0.13] vs 0.08 [0.06]; η(2)=0.37). Participants with acute first-time lateral ankle sprain exhibit a hip-dominant coordination strategy for static unilateral stance compared to non-injured controls. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a fermented ice-cream as influenced by in situ exopolysaccharide production: Rheological, molecular, microstructural and sensory characterization.

PubMed

Dertli, Enes; Toker, Omer S; Durak, M Zeki; Yilmaz, Mustafa T; Tatlısu, Nevruz Berna; Sagdic, Osman; Cankurt, Hasan

2016-01-20

This study aimed to investigate the role of in situ exopolysaccharide (EPS) production by EPS(+)Streptococcus thermophilus strains on physicochemical, rheological, molecular, microstructural and sensory properties of ice cream in order to develop a fermented and consequently functional ice-cream in which no stabilizers would be required in ice-cream production. For this purpose, the effect of EPS producing strains (control, strain 1, strain 2 and mixture) and fermentation conditions (fermentation temperature; 32, 37 and 42 °C and time; 2, 3 and 4h) on pH, S. thermophilus count, EPS amount, consistency coefficient (K), and apparent viscosity (η50) were investigated and optimized using single and multiple response optimization tools of response surface methodology. Optimization analyses indicated that functional ice-cream should be fermented with strain 1 or strain mixture at 40-42 °C for 4h in order to produce the most viscous ice-cream with maximum EPS content. Optimization analysis results also revealed that strain specific conditions appeared to be more effective factor on in situ EPS production amount, K and η50 parameters than did fermentation temperature and time. The rheological analysis of the ice-cream produced by EPS(+) strains revealed its high viscous and pseudoplastic non-Newtonian fluid behavior, which demonstrates potential of S. thermophilus EPS as thickening and gelling agent in dairy industry. FTIR analysis proved that the EPS in ice-cream corresponded to a typical EPS, as revealed by the presence of carboxyl, hydroxyl and amide groups with additional α-glycosidic linkages. SEM studies demonstrated that it had a web-like compact microstructure with pores in ice-cream, revealing its application possibility in dairy products to improve their rheological properties. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Metamorphic records for subduction erosion and subsequent underplating processes revealed by garnet-staurolite-muscovite schists in central Qiangtang, Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiu-Zheng; Dong, Yong-Sheng; Wang, Qiang; Dan, Wei; Zhang, Chunfu; Xu, Wang; Huang, Ming-Liang

2017-01-01

Subduction erosion is confirmed as a crucial geodynamic process of crustal recycling based on geological, geochemical, and geophysical observations at modern convergent plate margins. So far, not a single metamorphic record has been used for constraining a general tectonic evolution for subduction erosion. Here we first revealed metamorphic records for a subduction erosion process based on our study of the Late Paleozoic garnet-staurolite-muscovite schists in the central Qiangtang block, Tibet. Provenance analyses suggest that the protoliths of garnet-staurolite-muscovite schists have the Northern Qiangtang-affinity and were deposited in an active continental margin setting. Mineral inclusion data show that the early metamorphic stage (M1) recorded blueschist facies pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions of 0.8-1.1 GPa and 402-441°C, indicating that a part of the material from the overriding plate had been abraded into the subduction channel and undergone high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphism. The peak metamorphic stage (M2) recorded amphibolite facies P-T conditions of 0.3-0.5 GPa and 470-520°C. The 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages (263-259 Ma) yielded from muscovite suggest the amphibolite facies metamorphism (>263 Ma) occurred at oceanic subduction stage. The distinctly staged metamorphism defines a clockwise and warming decompression P-T-t path which reveals an underplating process following the early subduction erosion. During the tectonic process, the eroded low-density material escaped from the cold subduction channel and rise upward into the warm middle-lower crust of the upper plate, undergoing amphibolite facies metamorphism. Our new results revealed a complete evolutional process from the early subduction erosion to the subsequent underplating during the northward subduction of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean.

Detecting temporal change in watershed nutrient yields

Treesearch

James D. Wickham; Timothy G. Wade; Kurt H. Riitters

2008-01-01

Meta-analyses reveal that nutrient yields tend to be higher for watersheds dominated by anthropogenic uses (e.g., urban, agriculture) and lower for watersheds dominated by natural vegetation. One implication of this pattern is that loss of natural vegetation will produce increases in watershed nutrient yields. Yet, the same meta-analyses also reveal that, absent land-...

Detecting Temporal Change in Watershed Nutrient Yields

Treesearch

James D. Wickham; Timothy G. Wade; Kurt H. Riitters

2008-01-01

Meta-analyses reveal that nutrient yields tend to be higher for watersheds dominated by anthropogenic uses (e.g., urban, agriculture) and lower for watersheds dominated by natural vegetation. One implication of this pattern is that loss of natural vegetation will produce increases in watershed nutrient yields. Yet, the same meta-analyses also reveal that, absent land-...

Comparing Distance vs. Campus-Based Delivery of Research Methods Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Girod, Mark; Wojcikiewicz, Steve

2009-01-01

A causal-comparative pre-test, post-test design was used to investigate differences in learning in a research methods course for face-to-face and web-based delivery models. Analyses of participant achievement (N = 205) revealed almost no differences but post-hoc analyses revealed important differences in pedagogy between delivery models despite…

Mercury (II) reduction and co-precipitation of metallic mercury on hydrous ferric oxide in contaminated groundwater.

PubMed

Richard, Jan-Helge; Bischoff, Cornelia; Ahrens, Christian G M; Biester, Harald

2016-01-01

Mercury (Hg) speciation and sorption analyses in contaminated aquifers are useful for understanding transformation, retention, and mobility of Hg in groundwater. In most aquifers hydrous ferric oxides (HFOs) are among the most important sorbents for trace metals; however, their role in sorption or mobilization of Hg in aquifers has been rarely analyzed. In this study, we investigated Hg chemistry and Hg sorption to HFO under changing redox conditions in a highly HgCl2-contaminated aquifer (up to 870μgL(-1) Hg). Results from aqueous and solid phase Hg measurements were compared to modeled (PHREEQC) data. Speciation analyses of dissolved mercury indicated that Hg(II) forms were reduced to Hg(0) under anoxic conditions, and adsorbed to or co-precipitated with HFO. Solid phase Hg thermo-desorption measurements revealed that between 55 and 93% of Hg bound to HFO was elemental Hg (Hg(0)). Hg concentrations in precipitates reached more than 4 weight %, up to 7000 times higher than predicted by geochemical models that do not consider unspecific sorption to and co-precipitation of elemental Hg with HFO. The observed process of Hg(II) reduction and Hg(0) formation, and its retention and co-precipitation by HFO is thought to be crucial in HgCl2-contaminated aquifers with variable redox-conditions regarding the related decrease in Hg solubility (factor of ~10(6)), and retention of Hg in the aquifer. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Family-centered prevention ameliorates the association between adverse childhood experiences and prediabetes status in young black adults.

PubMed

Brody, Gene H; Yu, Tianyi; Chen, Edith; Miller, Gregory E

2017-07-01

Individuals exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are vulnerable to various health problems later in life. This study was designed to determine whether participation in an efficacious program to enhance supportive parenting would ameliorate the association between ACEs and prediabetes status at age 25. Rural African American parents and their 11-year-old children (N=390) participated in the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program or a control condition. Each youth at age 25 provided a total ACEs score and a blood sample from which overnight fasting glucose was assayed. Logistic regression equations were used to test the hypotheses. The logistic regression analyses revealed a significant interaction between total ACEs and random assignment to SAAF or control, OR=0.56, 95% CI [0.36, 0.88]. Follow-up analyses indicated that, for participants in the control condition, a 1-point increase in ACEs was associated with a 37.3% increase in risk of having prediabetes. ACEs were not associated with the likelihood of having prediabetes among participants in the SAAF condition. Control participants with high total ACEs scores were 3.54 times more likely to have prediabetes than were SAAF participants with similar scores. This study indicated that participation at age 11 in a randomized controlled trial designed to enhance supportive parenting ameliorated the association of ACEs with prediabetes at age 25. If substantiated, these findings may provide a strategy for preventing negative health consequences of ACEs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Data modelling in corpus linguistics: how low may we go?

PubMed

van Velzen, Marjolein H; Nanetti, Luca; de Deyn, Peter P

2014-06-01

Corpus linguistics allows researchers to process millions of words. However, the more words we analyse, i.e., the more data we acquire, the more urgent the call for correct data interpretation becomes. In recent years, a number of studies saw the light attempting to profile some prolific authors' linguistic decline, linking this decline to pathological conditions such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, in line with the nature of the (literary) work that was analysed, numbers alone do not suffice to 'tell the story'. The one and only objective of using statistical methods for the analysis of research data is to tell a story--what happened, when, and how. In the present study we describe a computerised but individualised approach to linguistic analysis--we propose a unifying approach, with firm grounds in Information Theory, that, independently from the specific parameter being investigated, guarantees to produce a robust model of the temporal dynamics of an author's linguistic richness over his or her lifetime. We applied this methodology to six renowned authors with an active writing life of four decades or more: Iris Murdoch, Gerard Reve, Hugo Claus, Agatha Christie, P.D. James, and Harry Mulisch. The first three were diagnosed with probable Alzheimer Disease, confirmed post-mortem for Iris Murdoch; this same condition was hypothesized for Agatha Christie. Our analysis reveals different evolutive patterns of lexical richness, in turn plausibly correlated with the authors' different conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Local Fitness Landscapes Predict Yeast Evolutionary Dynamics in Directionally Changing Environments.

PubMed

Gorter, Florien A; Aarts, Mark G M; Zwaan, Bas J; de Visser, J Arjan G M

2018-01-01

The fitness landscape is a concept that is widely used for understanding and predicting evolutionary adaptation. The topography of the fitness landscape depends critically on the environment, with potentially far-reaching consequences for evolution under changing conditions. However, few studies have assessed directly how empirical fitness landscapes change across conditions, or validated the predicted consequences of such change. We previously evolved replicate yeast populations in the presence of either gradually increasing, or constant high, concentrations of the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn), and analyzed their phenotypic and genomic changes. Here, we reconstructed the local fitness landscapes underlying adaptation to each metal by deleting all repeatedly mutated genes both by themselves and in combination. Fitness assays revealed that the height, and/or shape, of each local fitness landscape changed considerably across metal concentrations, with distinct qualitative differences between unconditionally (Cd) and conditionally toxic metals (Ni and Zn). This change in topography had particularly crucial consequences in the case of Ni, where a substantial part of the individual mutational fitness effects changed in sign across concentrations. Based on the Ni landscape analyses, we made several predictions about which mutations had been selected when during the evolution experiment. Deep sequencing of population samples from different time points generally confirmed these predictions, demonstrating the power of landscape reconstruction analyses for understanding and ultimately predicting evolutionary dynamics, even under complex scenarios of environmental change. Copyright © 2018 by the Genetics Society of America.

Delaying precipitation and lightning by air pollution over the Pearl River Delta. Part I: Observational analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jianping; Deng, Minjun; Lee, Seoung Soo; Wang, Fu; Li, Zhanqing; Zhai, Panmao; Liu, Huan; Lv, Weitao; Yao, Wen; Li, Xiaowen

2016-06-01

The radiative and microphysical effects of aerosols can affect the development of convective clouds. The objective of this study is to reveal if the overall aerosol effects have any discernible impact on the diurnal variations in precipitation and lightning by means of both observational analysis and modeling. As the first part of two companion studies, this paper is concerned with analyzing hourly PM10, precipitation, and lightning data collected during the summers of 2008-2012 in the Pearl River Delta region. Daily PM10 data were categorized as clean, medium, or polluted so that any differences in the diurnal variations in precipitation and lightning could be examined. Heavy precipitation and lightning were found to occur more frequently later in the day under polluted conditions than under clean conditions. Analyses of the diurnal variations in several meteorological factors such as air temperature, vertical velocity, and wind speed were also performed. They suggest that the influence of aerosol radiative and microphysical effects serve to suppress and enhance convective activities, respectively. Under heavy pollution conditions, the reduction in solar radiation reaching the surface delays the occurrence of strong convection and postpones heavy precipitation to late in the day when the aerosol invigoration effect more likely comes into play. Although the effect of aerosol particles can be discernible on the heavy precipitation through the daytime, the influence of concurrent atmospheric dynamics and thermodynamics cannot be ruled out.

Psychosocial conditions on and off the job and psychological ill health: depressive symptoms, impaired psychological wellbeing, heavy consumption of alcohol.

PubMed

Michélsen, H; Bildt, C

2003-07-01

Psychiatric epidemiology has revealed a number of associations between gender, socioeconomic status, and psychiatric disorders. To examine psychosocial conditions on and off the job in relation to psychological ill health. Longitudinal design with 24 year follow up of employed persons (190 women, 177 men). Interview and questionnaire data on work and leisure conditions were collected in 1969 and 1993. Risk analyses were performed in relation to three outcomes in 1993: depression within the preceding 12 months, impaired psychological wellbeing, and heavy alcohol use. Thirteen per cent of the women and 11% of the men showed symptoms of depression, 21% and 22% had impaired psychological wellbeing, and 7% and 15% respectively were heavy alcohol users. Dissatisfaction with the quality (women) or quantity (men) of social contacts 24 years earlier was a significant risk factor for depression. Dissatisfaction with the quality of social contacts was also associated with impaired psychological wellbeing (among women), and dissatisfaction with leisure time activities was associated with heavy alcohol use (among men). Frequent overtime work 24 years earlier was associated with heavy alcohol use among women. Cross sectional analyses also showed associations between psychological ill health and some work related factors (mentally demanding work and lack of job pride). Perceived inadequacies in social contacts, and practical obstacles to social relationships are viewed as risk factors for depression. In this longitudinal study, work related factors, including mental demands and time pressure, do not appear sufficiently associated with psychological ill health.

Metaphorical expressions used in Swedish news media narratives to portray the shortage of nurses and their working conditions.

PubMed

Blomberg, Helena; Stier, Jonas

2016-02-01

The aim of the study is to uncover and reveal how nurses as a profession and their working conditions are dramatized and portrayed in Swedish media narratives about the shortage of nurses. The media is an arena where stakeholders can air their views of the healthcare sector in general and the situation for nurses in particular. The focus in this study is the debate in Sweden on the shortage of nurses. Qualitative discursive study. A discourse analysis of media narratives about nurses and their working conditions published in several Swedish newspapers from 2009-2014. 1779 articles were included in the study. A selection (113 articles) of these articles was further analysed using a qualitative discursive psychological approach. Nurses are portrayed as being good, concerned about and critical of healthcare managers and politicians for not taking action. The accused actors justify their actions by partially accepting or displacing responsibility. The shortage of nurses is framed as a social problem - a threat to patients' safety. Seven different types of metaphorical expression frame the problem as inevitable, beyond control, abstract, an individual and collegial problem and nurses as replaceable. In addition, nurses and patients are dehumanized and no-one is held responsible. This study analyses the role of the media in emphasizing the seriousness or obscurity of the problem and possible solutions to it. Alternative narratives are needed to re-frame the nursing shortage and to find sustainable solutions. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Presence of exclusively bacteriochlorophyll-c containing substrain in the culture of green sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Chlorobium vibrioforme strain NCIB 8327 producing bacteriochlorophyll-d.

PubMed

Saga, Yoshitaka; Oh-oka, Hirozo; Hayashi, Takashi; Tamiaki, Hitoshi

2003-12-01

The light-dependent composition change of light harvesting bacteriochlorophyll(BChl)s in the present culture of a green sulfur photosynthetic bacterium Chlorobium (Chl.) vibrioforme f. sp. thiosulfatophilum strain NCIB 8327 was investigated by visible absorption spectroscopy and HPLC analyses. When the culture was repeatedly grown in liquid media under a low light condition, both the Soret and Qy absorption bands of the in vivo spectrum were shifted to longer wavelengths. Analysis of the extracted pigments by HPLC revealed that the ratio of the amount of BChl-c to that of BChl-d molecules gradually increased during repeated cultivation. In contrast, when the culture grown under a low light intensity was transferred to a high light condition and continued to be grown, the absorption bands were shifted to shorter wavelengths and the ratio of BChls-c/d decreased finally to the almost original value. Colonies were prepared on solid agar media from the liquid culture containing both BChls-c and d, which was grown under a low light intensity. Each colony obtained was found to contain either BChl-c or d, but not both of them. Two types of cells isolated in this study were derived from the same clone, judged from their genetic analyses. The variation of pigment composition in our liquid culture observed here could be ascribed to the difference of growth rates between two substrains containing BChl-c and BChl-d, respectively, depending on light conditions.

Adolescent precursors of adult borderline personality pathology in a high-risk community sample.

PubMed

Conway, Christopher C; Hammen, Constance; Brennan, Patricia A

2015-06-01

Longitudinal studies of the exact environmental conditions and personal attributes contributing to the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are rare. Furthermore, existing research typically examines risk factors in isolation, limiting our knowledge of the relative effect sizes of different risk factors and how they act in concert to bring about borderline personality pathology. The present study investigated the prospective effects of diverse acute and chronic stressors, proband psychopathology, and maternal psychopathology on BPD features in a high-risk community sample (N = 700) of youth followed from mid-adolescence to young adulthood. Multivariate analyses revealed significant effects of maternal externalizing disorder history, offspring internalizing disorder history, family stressors, and school-related stressors on BPD risk. Contrary to expectations, no interactions between chronically stressful environmental conditions and personal characteristics in predicting borderline personality features were detected. Implications of these findings for etiological theories of BPD and early screening efforts are discussed.

Modification of irrational ideas and test anxiety through rational stage directed hypnotherapy [RSDH].

PubMed

Boutin, G E; Tosi, D J

1983-05-01

Examined the effects of four treatment conditions on the modification of Irrational Ideas and test anxiety in female nursing students. The treatments were Rational Stage Directed Hypnotherapy, a cognitive behavioral approach that utilized hypnosis and vivid-emotive-imagery, a hypnosis-only treatment, a placebo condition, and a no-treatment control. The 48 Ss were assigned randomly to one of these treatment groups, which met for 1 hour per week for 6 consecutive weeks with in-vivo homework assignments also utilized. Statistically significant treatment effects on cognitive, affective, behavioral, and physiological measures were noted for both the RSDH and hypnosis group at the posttest and at a 2-month follow-up. Post-hoc analyses revealed the RSDH treatment group to be significantly more effective than the hypnosis only group on both the post- and follow-up tests. The placebo and control groups showed no significant effects either at post-treatment or at follow-up.

Crowding Shifts the FMN Recognition Mechanism of Riboswitch Aptamer from Conformational Selection to Induced Fit.

PubMed

Rode, Ambadas B; Endoh, Tamaki; Sugimoto, Naoki

2018-06-04

In bacteria, the binding between the riboswitch aptamer domain and ligand is regulated by environmental cues, such as low Mg 2+ in macrophages during pathogenesis to ensure spatiotemporal expression of virulence genes. Binding was investigated between the flavin mononucleotide (FMN) riboswitch aptamer and its anionic ligand in the presence of molecular crowding agent without Mg 2+ ion, which mimics pathogenic conditions. Structural, kinetic, and thermodynamic analyses under the crowding revealed more dynamic conformational rearrangements of the FMN riboswitch aptamer compared to dilute Mg 2+ -containing solution. It is hypothesized that under crowding conditions FMN binds through an induced fit mechanism in contrast to the conformational selection mechanism previously demonstrated in dilute Mg 2+ solution. Since these two mechanisms involve different conformational intermediates and rate constants, these findings have practical significance in areas such as drug design and RNA engineering. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Shallow-storage conditions for the rhyolite of the 1912 eruption at Novarupta, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coombs, Michelle L.; Gardner, James E.

2001-01-01

Recent studies have proposed contrasting models for the plumbing system that fed the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, Alaska. Here, we investigate the conditions under which the rhyolitic part of the erupted magma last resided in the crust prior to eruption. Geothermometry suggests that the rhyolite was held at ∼800-850 °C, and analyses of melt inclusions suggest that it was fluid saturated and contained ∼4 wt% water. Hydrothermal, water-saturated experiments on rhyolite pumice reveal that at those temperatures the rhyolite was stable between 40 and 100 MPa, or a depth of 1.8-4.4 km. These results suggest that pre-eruptive storage and crystal growth of the rhyolite were shallow; if the rhyolite ascended from greater depths, it did so slowly enough for unzoned phenocrysts to grow as it passed through the shallow crust.

Sex-related differences in amygdala functional connectivity during resting conditions.

PubMed

Kilpatrick, L A; Zald, D H; Pardo, J V; Cahill, L F

2006-04-01

Recent neuroimaging studies have established a sex-related hemispheric lateralization of amygdala involvement in memory for emotionally arousing material. Here, we examine the possibility that sex-related differences in amygdala involvement in memory for emotional material develop from differential patterns of amygdala functional connectivity evident in the resting brain. Seed voxel partial least square analyses of regional cerebral blood flow data revealed significant sex-related differences in amygdala functional connectivity during resting conditions. The right amygdala was associated with greater functional connectivity in men than in women. In contrast, the left amygdala was associated with greater functional connectivity in women than in men. Furthermore, the regions displaying stronger functional connectivity with the right amygdala in males (sensorimotor cortex, striatum, pulvinar) differed from those displaying stronger functional connectivity with the left amygdala in females (subgenual cortex, hypothalamus). These differences in functional connectivity at rest may link to sex-related differences in medical and psychiatric disorders.

Precipitation hardening behaviour of Al-Mg-Si alloy processed by cryorolling and room temperature rolling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Maruff; Nageswara rao, P.; Singh, Dharmendra; Jayaganthan, R.

2018-04-01

The precipitation hardenable aluminium alloy (Al-Mg-Si) plates were solutionized and subjected to rolling at room temperature and liquid nitrogen temperature (RTR, CR) up to a true strain of ∼2.7. The rolled sheets were uniformly aged at room temperature and above room temperature (125 °C) to induce precipitation. The rolled and aged samples were analysed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), hardness and tensile tests. The strength and ductility were simultaneously improved after controlled ageing of the cryorolled (CR) and room temperature rolled (RTR) samples. However, the increment in strength is more in RTR material than CR material with same ductility. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the formation of ultrafine grains (UFG) filled with dislocations and nanosized precipitates in the CR and RTR conditions after ageing treatment. The behaviour of CR and RTR alloy is same under natural ageing conditions.

Effects of Varying Photoperiodic Regimens on Critical Biological Fitness Traits of Culex quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquito Vector

PubMed Central

Ukubuiwe, Azubuike Christian; Olayemi, Israel Kayode; Omalu, Innocent Chukwuemeka James; Arimoro, Francis Ofurum; Baba, Bulus Musa; Ukubuiwe, Chinenye Catherine

2018-01-01

This study investigated the effects of varying photoperiodic conditions on critical life stages’ parameters of Culex quinquefasciatus. To this end, first larval stage was reared under different constant photoperiodic regimens: 0, 6 (short), 12 (equal), 13 (prevailing condition), and 18 and 24 (long) hours of light (hL). Duration of development, survivorship, emergence successes, adult longevity, caloric indices (CIs), and utilisation of teneral reserves for metamorphosis at each regimen were monitored. Analyses revealed significant negative effects of increasing photoperiod on all entomological variables measured. Short photo-phases elicited faster development times, increased life stages’ survivorship and number at emergence, adult longevity, and CI for all life stages while increasing teneral components for adult life traits. The information generated in this study is important in understanding the role played by photoperiod in disease transmission and for development of integrated vector control strategies based on environmental manipulation. PMID:29636636

Pancreas of C57 black mice after long-term space flight (Bion-M1 Space Mission).

PubMed

Proshchina, A E; Krivova, Y S; Saveliev, S C

2015-11-01

In this study, we analysed the pancreases of C57BL/6N mice in order to estimate the effects of long-term space flights. Mice were flown aboard the Bion-M1 biosatellite, or remained on ground in the control experiment that replicated environmental and housing conditions in the spacecraft. Vivarium control group was used to account for housing effects. Each of the groups included mice designated for recovery studies. Mice pancreases were dissected for histological and immunohistochemical examinations. Using a morphometry and statistical analysis, a strong correlation between the mean islet size and the mean body weight was revealed in all groups. Therefore, we propose that hypokinesia and an increase in nutrition play an important role in alterations of the endocrine pancreas, both in space flight and terrestrial conditions. Copyright © 2015 The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Culture in the Courtroom: Ethnocentrism and Juror Decision-Making

PubMed Central

Maeder, Evelyn M.; Yamamoto, Susan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a culturally-based argument in a non-insane automatism defense would be detrimental or beneficial to the defendant. We also examined how juror ethnocentrism might affect perceptions of such a defense. Participants read a fictional filicide homicide case in which the defendant claimed to have blacked out during the crime; we manipulated whether culture was used as an explanation for what precipitated the defendant’s blackout. We conducted path analyses to assess the role of ethnocentrism in predicting lower defendant credibility, and harsher verdict decisions. Results revealed an interaction between ethnocentrism and defense type, such that ethnocentrism related to lower perceived defendant credibility in the cultural condition, but not in the standard automatism condition. This study marks a starting point for empirically investigating the role of culture in the courtroom, which may aid scholars in discussing the merits of a standalone cultural defense. PMID:26353122

Dynamic functional connectivity using state-based dynamic community structure: method and application to opioid analgesia.

PubMed

Robinson, Lucy F; Atlas, Lauren Y; Wager, Tor D

2015-03-01

We present a new method, State-based Dynamic Community Structure, that detects time-dependent community structure in networks of brain regions. Most analyses of functional connectivity assume that network behavior is static in time, or differs between task conditions with known timing. Our goal is to determine whether brain network topology remains stationary over time, or if changes in network organization occur at unknown time points. Changes in network organization may be related to shifts in neurological state, such as those associated with learning, drug uptake or experimental conditions. Using a hidden Markov stochastic blockmodel, we define a time-dependent community structure. We apply this approach to data from a functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment examining how contextual factors influence drug-induced analgesia. Results reveal that networks involved in pain, working memory, and emotion show distinct profiles of time-varying connectivity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the conditions of exponential stability in active disturbance rejection control based on singular perturbation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, S.; Gao, Z.

2017-10-01

Stability of active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is analysed in the presence of unknown, nonlinear, and time-varying dynamics. In the framework of singular perturbations, the closed-loop error dynamics are semi-decoupled into a relatively slow subsystem (the feedback loop) and a relatively fast subsystem (the extended state observer), respectively. It is shown, analytically and geometrically, that there exists a unique exponential stable solution if the size of the initial observer error is sufficiently small, i.e. in the same order of the inverse of the observer bandwidth. The process of developing the uniformly asymptotic solution of the system reveals the condition on the stability of the ADRC and the relationship between the rate of change in the total disturbance and the size of the estimation error. The differentiability of the total disturbance is the only assumption made.

Host nutrition alters the variance in parasite transmission potential

PubMed Central

Vale, Pedro F.; Choisy, Marc; Little, Tom J.

2013-01-01

The environmental conditions experienced by hosts are known to affect their mean parasite transmission potential. How different conditions may affect the variance of transmission potential has received less attention, but is an important question for disease management, especially if specific ecological contexts are more likely to foster a few extremely infectious hosts. Using the obligate-killing bacterium Pasteuria ramosa and its crustacean host Daphnia magna, we analysed how host nutrition affected the variance of individual parasite loads, and, therefore, transmission potential. Under low food, individual parasite loads showed similar mean and variance, following a Poisson distribution. By contrast, among well-nourished hosts, parasite loads were right-skewed and overdispersed, following a negative binomial distribution. Abundant food may, therefore, yield individuals causing potentially more transmission than the population average. Measuring both the mean and variance of individual parasite loads in controlled experimental infections may offer a useful way of revealing risk factors for potential highly infectious hosts. PMID:23407498

Host nutrition alters the variance in parasite transmission potential.

PubMed

Vale, Pedro F; Choisy, Marc; Little, Tom J

2013-04-23

The environmental conditions experienced by hosts are known to affect their mean parasite transmission potential. How different conditions may affect the variance of transmission potential has received less attention, but is an important question for disease management, especially if specific ecological contexts are more likely to foster a few extremely infectious hosts. Using the obligate-killing bacterium Pasteuria ramosa and its crustacean host Daphnia magna, we analysed how host nutrition affected the variance of individual parasite loads, and, therefore, transmission potential. Under low food, individual parasite loads showed similar mean and variance, following a Poisson distribution. By contrast, among well-nourished hosts, parasite loads were right-skewed and overdispersed, following a negative binomial distribution. Abundant food may, therefore, yield individuals causing potentially more transmission than the population average. Measuring both the mean and variance of individual parasite loads in controlled experimental infections may offer a useful way of revealing risk factors for potential highly infectious hosts.

Nanodiamond finding in the hyblean shallow mantle xenoliths.

PubMed

Simakov, S K; Kouchi, A; Mel'nik, N N; Scribano, V; Kimura, Y; Hama, T; Suzuki, N; Saito, H; Yoshizawa, T

2015-06-01

Most of Earth's diamonds are connected with deep-seated mantle rocks; however, in recent years, μm-sized diamonds have been found in shallower metamorphic rocks, and the process of shallow-seated diamond formation has become a hotly debated topic. Nanodiamonds occur mainly in chondrite meteorites associated with organic matter and water. They can be synthesized in the stability field of graphite from organic compounds under hydrothermal conditions. Similar physicochemical conditions occur in serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal systems. Herein, we report the first finding of nanodiamonds, primarily of 6 and 10 nm, in Hyblean asphaltene-bearing serpentinite xenoliths (Sicily, Italy). The discovery was made by electron microscopy observations coupled with Raman spectroscopy analyses. The finding reveals new aspects of carbon speciation and diamond formation in shallow crustal settings. Nanodiamonds can grow during the hydrothermal alteration of ultramafic rocks, as well as during the lithogenesis of sediments bearing organic matter.

Elderly and technology tools: a fuzzyset qualitative comparative analysis.

PubMed

Mostaghel, Rana; Oghazi, Pejvak

2017-01-01

The number of senior citizens is growing globally and governments are striving to find innovative solutions to deal with complex care demands of this part of the population. Technology has been an answer to this situation; however, it is very important that the elderly accept and actually use the technology. This paper empirically tests the senior technology acceptance model using the fsQCA method to analyse data with a sample of 811 seniors aged 60 and over living in Sweden. The results revealed that the necessary conditions for high "perceived ease of use" and "perceived usefulness" are gerontechnology self-efficacy, gerontechnology anxiety, and cognitive abilities; however, each of these is not sufficient on its own. Self-reported health conditions and physical function also play a peripheral role in achieving the desired outcome. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed at the end of the paper.

Working memory training in healthy young adults: Support for the null from a randomized comparison to active and passive control groups.

PubMed

Clark, Cameron M; Lawlor-Savage, Linette; Goghari, Vina M

2017-01-01

Training of working memory as a method of increasing working memory capacity and fluid intelligence has received much attention in recent years. This burgeoning field remains highly controversial with empirically-backed disagreements at all levels of evidence, including individual studies, systematic reviews, and even meta-analyses. The current study investigated the effect of a randomized six week online working memory intervention on untrained cognitive abilities in a community-recruited sample of healthy young adults, in relation to both a processing speed training active control condition, as well as a no-contact control condition. Results of traditional null hypothesis significance testing, as well as Bayesian factor analyses, revealed support for the null hypothesis across all cognitive tests administered before and after training. Importantly, all three groups were similar at pre-training for a variety of individual variables purported to moderate transfer of training to fluid intelligence, including personality traits, motivation to train, and expectations of cognitive improvement from training. Because these results are consistent with experimental trials of equal or greater methodological rigor, we suggest that future research re-focus on: 1) other promising interventions known to increase memory performance in healthy young adults, and; 2) examining sub-populations or alternative populations in which working memory training may be efficacious.

Exploring the roles of DNA methylation in the metal-reducing bacterium Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

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

Bendall, Matthew L.; Luong, Khai; Wetmore, Kelly M.

2013-08-30

We performed whole genome analyses of DNA methylation in Shewanella 17 oneidensis MR-1 to examine its possible role in regulating gene expression and 18 other cellular processes. Single-Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing 19 revealed extensive methylation of adenine (N6mA) throughout the 20 genome. These methylated bases were located in five sequence motifs, 21 including three novel targets for Type I restriction/modification enzymes. The 22 sequence motifs targeted by putative methyltranferases were determined via 23 SMRT sequencing of gene knockout mutants. In addition, we found S. 24 oneidensis MR-1 cultures grown under various culture conditions displayed 25 different DNA methylation patterns.more » However, the small number of differentially 26 methylated sites could not be directly linked to the much larger number of 27 differentially expressed genes in these conditions, suggesting DNA methylation is 28 not a major regulator of gene expression in S. oneidensis MR-1. The enrichment 29 of methylated GATC motifs in the origin of replication indicate DNA methylation 30 may regulate genome replication in a manner similar to that seen in Escherichia 31 coli. Furthermore, comparative analyses suggest that many 32 Gammaproteobacteria, including all members of the Shewanellaceae family, may 33 also utilize DNA methylation to regulate genome replication.« less

A wind proxy based on migrating dunes at the Baltic coast: statistical analysis of the link between wind conditions and sand movement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bierstedt, Svenja E.; Hünicke, Birgit; Zorita, Eduardo; Ludwig, Juliane

2017-07-01

We statistically analyse the relationship between the structure of migrating dunes in the southern Baltic and the driving wind conditions over the past 26 years, with the long-term aim of using migrating dunes as a proxy for past wind conditions at an interannual resolution. The present analysis is based on the dune record derived from geo-radar measurements by Ludwig et al. (2017). The dune system is located at the Baltic Sea coast of Poland and is migrating from west to east along the coast. The dunes present layers with different thicknesses that can be assigned to absolute dates at interannual timescales and put in relation to seasonal wind conditions. To statistically analyse this record and calibrate it as a wind proxy, we used a gridded regional meteorological reanalysis data set (coastDat2) covering recent decades. The identified link between the dune annual layers and wind conditions was additionally supported by the co-variability between dune layers and observed sea level variations in the southern Baltic Sea. We include precipitation and temperature into our analysis, in addition to wind, to learn more about the dependency between these three atmospheric factors and their common influence on the dune system. We set up a statistical linear model based on the correlation between the frequency of days with specific wind conditions in a given season and dune migration velocities derived for that season. To some extent, the dune records can be seen as analogous to tree-ring width records, and hence we use a proxy validation method usually applied in dendrochronology, cross-validation with the leave-one-out method, when the observational record is short. The revealed correlations between the wind record from the reanalysis and the wind record derived from the dune structure is in the range between 0.28 and 0.63, yielding similar statistical validation skill as dendroclimatological records.

Evaluating Cognitive Action Control Using Eye-Movement Analysis: An Oculomotor Adaptation of the Simon Task.

PubMed

Duprez, Joan; Houvenaghel, Jean-François; Naudet, Florian; Dondaine, Thibaut; Auffret, Manon; Robert, Gabriel; Drapier, Dominique; Argaud, Soizic; Vérin, Marc; Sauleau, Paul

2016-01-01

Cognitive action control has been extensively studied using conflict tasks such as the Simon task. In most recent studies, this process has been investigated in the light of the dual route hypothesis and more specifically of the activation-suppression model using distributional analyses. Some authors have suggested that cognitive action control assessment is not specific to response modes. In this study we adapted the Simon task, using oculomotor responses instead of manual responses, in order to evaluate whether the resolution of conflict induced by a two-dimensional stimulus yielded similar results to what is usually reported in tasks with manual responses. Results obtained from 43 young healthy participants revealed the typical congruence effect, with longer reaction times (RT) and lesser accuracy in the incongruent condition. Conditional accuracy functions (CAF) also revealed a higher proportion of fast errors in the incongruent condition and delta plots confirmed that conflict resolution was easier, as the time taken to respond increased. These results are very similar to what has been reported in the literature. Furthermore, our observations are in line with the assumptions of the activation-suppression model, in which automatic activation in conflict situations is captured in the fastest responses and selective inhibition of cognitive action control needs time to build up. Altogether, our results suggest that conflict resolution has core mechanisms whatever the response mode, manual or oculomotor. Using oculomotor responses in such tasks could be of interest when investigating cognitive action control in patients with severe motor disorders.

Quartz grains reveal sedimentary palaeoenvironment and past storm events: A case study from eastern Baltic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalińska-Nartiša, Edyta; Stivrins, Normunds; Grudzinska, Ieva

2018-01-01

Sediment record collected from the coastal lake serves as a powerful tool for reconstructing changes in palaeoenvironment and understanding the potential signals of past storminess. In this study, we use several proxies from sediment of the Holocene Thermal Maximum at coastal Lake Lilaste, Latvia. We focus on surface texture of quartz grains from the mineral inorganic fraction as indicators of depositional environments. We then use this as a proxy for potential storm transport and combine with information on granulometry, diatom stratigraphy and chronology to answer the question whether flux of quartz grains in the lake originated from the sea or from the land. Analyses in a binocular and scanning electron microscope reveal that most of the investigated quartz grains originate from dwelling in the seawater and wave action in the nearshore zone. Grains representing very energetic subaqueous environment similar to storm events are also present. Terrestrial record is of minor significance and visible through occurrence of aeolian quartz grains. During drier and colder conditions, an influx of sand with aeolian imprint was delivered to the lake between 8500 and 7800 cal yr BP. Marine and terrestrial conditions alternated between 7800 and 6000 cal yr BP. Storm-induced grains were likely deposited three times: at 7300 cal yr BP, 6600-6400 cal yr BP, and 6200-6000 cal yr BP. Overall stable marine environmental conditions prevailed between 6000 and 4000 cal yr BP except of the last portion of terrestrial-induced sediment at 4100 cal yr BP.

Optimization of Microencapsulation of Human Milk Fat Substitute by Response Surface Methodology.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Cao, Jun; Bai, Xinpeng; Jiang, Zefang; Shen, Xuanri

2018-04-01

Human milk fat substitutes (HMFS) are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids which upon microencapsulation, can be used as a source of high quality lipids in infant formula. The response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the microencapsulation condition of HMFS as a functional product. The microencapsulation efficiency (MEE) of microencapsulated HMFS was investigated with respect to four variables including concentration of soy lecithin (A), ratio of demineralized whey powder to malt dextrin (B), HFMS concentration (C), and homogenizing pressure (D). The optimum conditions for efficient microencapsulation of HMFS by the spray drying technique were determined as follows: the amount of soybean lecithin-0.96%, ratio of desalted whey powder to malt dextrin-2.04:1, oil content-17.37% and homogeneous pressure-0.46MPa. Under these conditions, the MEE was 84.72%, and the basic indices of the microcapsules were good. The structure of the microcapsules, as observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealed spherical, smooth-surfaced capsules with diameters ranging between 10-50 μm. Compared with HFMS, the peroxide value (POV) and acid value (AV) of the microcapsule were significantly lower during storage indicating that the microencapsulation process increases stability and shelf life. Infrared spectroscopic analyses indicated that HFMS had the same characteristic functional groups as the oil extracted from microcapsules. Simulated in vitro digestion revealed that the microcapsules were digested completely within 2h with maximum lipid absorption rate of 64%. Furthermore, these results advocate the embedding process of HFMS by RSM due to its efficacy.

Fungal contamination in hospital environments.

PubMed

Perdelli, F; Cristina, M L; Sartini, M; Spagnolo, A M; Dallera, M; Ottria, G; Lombardi, R; Grimaldi, M; Orlando, P

2006-01-01

To assess the degree of fungal contamination in hospital environments and to evaluate the ability of air conditioning systems to reduce such contamination. We monitored airborne microbial concentrations in various environments in 10 hospitals equipped with air conditioning. Sampling was performed with a portable Surface Air System impactor with replicate organism detection and counting plates containing a fungus-selective medium. The total fungal concentration was determined 72-120 hours after sampling. The genera most involved in infection were identified by macroscopic and microscopic observation. The mean concentration of airborne fungi in the set of environments examined was 19 +/- 19 colony-forming units (cfu) per cubic meter. Analysis of the fungal concentration in the different types of environments revealed different levels of contamination: the lowest mean values (12 +/- 14 cfu/m(3)) were recorded in operating theaters, and the highest (45 +/- 37 cfu/m(3)) were recorded in kitchens. Analyses revealed statistically significant differences between median values for the various environments. The fungal genus most commonly encountered was Penicillium, which, in kitchens, displayed the highest mean airborne concentration (8 +/- 2.4 cfu/m(3)). The percentage (35%) of Aspergillus documented in the wards was higher than that in any of the other environments monitored. The fungal concentrations recorded in the present study are comparable to those recorded in other studies conducted in hospital environments and are considerably lower than those seen in other indoor environments that are not air conditioned. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of air-handling systems in reducing fungal contamination.

Surfing wave climate variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espejo, Antonio; Losada, Iñigo J.; Méndez, Fernando J.

2014-10-01

International surfing destinations are highly dependent on specific combinations of wind-wave formation, thermal conditions and local bathymetry. Surf quality depends on a vast number of geophysical variables, and analyses of surf quality require the consideration of the seasonal, interannual and long-term variability of surf conditions on a global scale. A multivariable standardized index based on expert judgment is proposed for this purpose. This index makes it possible to analyze surf conditions objectively over a global domain. A summary of global surf resources based on a new index integrating existing wave, wind, tides and sea surface temperature databases is presented. According to general atmospheric circulation and swell propagation patterns, results show that west-facing low to middle-latitude coasts are more suitable for surfing, especially those in the Southern Hemisphere. Month-to-month analysis reveals strong seasonal variations in the occurrence of surfable events, enhancing the frequency of such events in the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. Interannual variability was investigated by comparing occurrence values with global and regional modes of low-frequency climate variability such as El Niño and the North Atlantic Oscillation, revealing their strong influence at both the global and the regional scale. Results of the long-term trends demonstrate an increase in the probability of surfable events on west-facing coasts around the world in recent years. The resulting maps provide useful information for surfers, the surf tourism industry and surf-related coastal planners and stakeholders.

A general method to eliminate laboratory induced recombinants during massive, parallel sequencing of cDNA library.

PubMed

Waugh, Caryll; Cromer, Deborah; Grimm, Andrew; Chopra, Abha; Mallal, Simon; Davenport, Miles; Mak, Johnson

2015-04-09

Massive, parallel sequencing is a potent tool for dissecting the regulation of biological processes by revealing the dynamics of the cellular RNA profile under different conditions. Similarly, massive, parallel sequencing can be used to reveal the complexity of viral quasispecies that are often found in the RNA virus infected host. However, the production of cDNA libraries for next-generation sequencing (NGS) necessitates the reverse transcription of RNA into cDNA and the amplification of the cDNA template using PCR, which may introduce artefact in the form of phantom nucleic acids species that can bias the composition and interpretation of original RNA profiles. Using HIV as a model we have characterised the major sources of error during the conversion of viral RNA to cDNA, namely excess RNA template and the RNaseH activity of the polymerase enzyme, reverse transcriptase. In addition we have analysed the effect of PCR cycle on detection of recombinants and assessed the contribution of transfection of highly similar plasmid DNA to the formation of recombinant species during the production of our control viruses. We have identified RNA template concentrations, RNaseH activity of reverse transcriptase, and PCR conditions as key parameters that must be carefully optimised to minimise chimeric artefacts. Using our optimised RT-PCR conditions, in combination with our modified PCR amplification procedure, we have developed a reliable technique for accurate determination of RNA species using NGS technology.

Genetic analyses reveal unusually high diversity of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in rainbow trout aquaculture

USGS Publications Warehouse

Troyer, Ryan M.; LaPatra, Scott E.; Kurath, Gael

2000-01-01

Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is the most significant virus pathogen of salmon and trout in North America. Previous studies have shown relatively low genetic diversity of IHNV within large geographical regions. In this study, the genetic heterogeneity of 84 IHNV isolates sampled from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) over a 20 year period at four aquaculture facilities within a 12 mile stretch of the Snake River in Idaho, USA was investigated. The virus isolates were characterized using an RNase protection assay (RPA) and nucleotide sequence analyses. Among the 84 isolates analysed, 46 RPA haplotypes were found and analyses revealed a high level of genetic heterogeneity relative to that detected in other regions. Sequence analyses revealed up to 7·6% nucleotide divergence, which is the highest level of diversity reported for IHNV to date. Phylogenetic analyses identified four distinct monophyletic clades representing four virus lineages. These lineages were distributed across facilities, and individual facilities contained multiple lineages. These results suggest that co-circulating IHNV lineages of relatively high genetic diversity are present in the IHNV populations in this rainbow trout culture study site. Three of the four lineages exhibited temporal trends consistent with rapid evolution.

Longitudinal patterns and response lengths of algae in riverine ecosystems: A model analysis emphasising benthic-pelagic interactions.

PubMed

Jäger, Christoph G; Borchardt, Dietrich

2018-04-07

In riverine ecosystems primary production is principally possible in two habitats: in the benthic layer by sessile algae and in the surface water by planktonic algae being transported downstream. The relevance of these two habitats generally changes along the rivers' continuum. However, analyses of the interaction of algae in these two habitats and their controlling factors in riverine ecosystems are, so far, very rare. We use a simplified advection-diffusion model system combined with ecological process kinetics to analyse the interaction of benthic and planktonic algae and nutrients along idealised streams and rivers at regional to large scales. Because many of the underlying processes affecting algal dynamics are influenced by depth, we focus particularly on the impact of river depth on this interaction. At constant environmental conditions all state variables approach stable spatial equilibria along the river, independent of the boundary conditions at the upstream end. Because our model is very robust against changes of turbulent diffusion and stream velocity, these spatial equilibria can be analysed by a simplified ordinary differential equation (ode) version of our model. This model variant reveals that at shallower river depths, phytoplankton can exist only when it is subsidised by detaching benthic algae, and in turn, at deeper river depths, benthic algae can exist only in low biomasses which are subsidised by sinking planktonic algae. We generalise the spatial dynamics of the model system using different conditions at the upstream end of the model, which mimic various natural or anthropogenic factors (pristine source, dam, inflow of a waste water treatment plant, and dilution from e.g. a tributary) and analyse how these scenarios influence different aspects of the longitudinal spatial dynamics of the full spatial model: the relation of spatial equilibrium to spatial maximum, the distance to the spatial maximum, and the response length. Generally, our results imply that shallow systems recover within significantly shorter distances from spatially distinct disturbances when compared to deep systems, independent of the type of disturbance. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Demographic response of cutlassfish (Trichiurus japonicus and T. nanhaiensis) to fluctuating palaeo-climate and regional oceanographic conditions in the China seas.

PubMed

He, Lijun; Zhang, Aibing; Weese, David; Li, Shengfa; Li, Jiansheng; Zhang, Jing

2014-09-16

Glacial cycles of the Quaternary have heavily influenced the demographic history of various species. To test the evolutionary impact of palaeo-geologic and climatic events on the demographic history of marine taxa from the coastal Western Pacific, we investigated the population structure and demographic history of two economically important fish (Trichiurus japonicus and T. nanhaiensis) that inhabit the continental shelves of the East China and northern South China Seas using the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences and Bayesian Skyline Plot analyses. A molecular rate of 2.03% per million years, calibrated to the earliest flooding of the East China Sea shelf (70-140 kya), revealed a strong correlation between population sizes and primary production. Furthermore, comparison of the demographic history of T. japonicus populations from the East China and South China Seas provided evidence of the postglacial development of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Delta. In the South China Sea, interspecific comparisons between T. japonicus and T. nanhaiensis indicated possible evolutionary responses to changes in palaeo-productivity that were influenced by East Asian winter monsoons. This study not only provides insight into the demographic history of cutlassfish but also reveals potential clues regarding the historic productivity and regional oceanographic conditions of the Western Pacific marginal seas.

The proximal experience of gratitude

PubMed Central

Layous, Kristin; Sweeny, Kate; Armenta, Christina; Na, Soojung; Choi, Incheol; Lyubomirsky, Sonja

2017-01-01

Although a great deal of research has tested the longitudinal effects of regularly practicing gratitude, much less attention has been paid to the emotional landscape directly following engagement in gratitude exercises. In three studies, we explored the array of discrete emotions people experience after being prompted to express or recall gratitude. In Studies 1 and 2, two different gratitude exercises produced not only greater feelings of gratitude relative to two positive emotion control conditions (i.e., recalling relief), but also higher levels of other socially relevant states like elevation, connectedness, and indebtedness. In a third study, conducted in both the U.S. and S. Korea, we compared a gratitude exercise to another positive emotion elicitation (i.e., recalling a kind act) and to a neutral task, and again found that the gratitude exercise prompted greater gratitude, elevation, indebtedness, and guilt, but no more embarrassment or shame, than the two comparison conditions. Additionally, in all three studies, emodiversity and cluster analyses revealed that gratitude exercises led to the simultaneous experience of both pleasant and unpleasant socially-relevant states. In sum, although it may seem obvious that gratitude exercises would evoke grateful, positive states, a meta-analysis of our three studies revealed that gratitude exercises actually elicit a mixed emotional experience—one that simultaneously leads individuals to feel uplifted and indebted. PMID:28686593

The proximal experience of gratitude.

PubMed

Layous, Kristin; Sweeny, Kate; Armenta, Christina; Na, Soojung; Choi, Incheol; Lyubomirsky, Sonja

2017-01-01

Although a great deal of research has tested the longitudinal effects of regularly practicing gratitude, much less attention has been paid to the emotional landscape directly following engagement in gratitude exercises. In three studies, we explored the array of discrete emotions people experience after being prompted to express or recall gratitude. In Studies 1 and 2, two different gratitude exercises produced not only greater feelings of gratitude relative to two positive emotion control conditions (i.e., recalling relief), but also higher levels of other socially relevant states like elevation, connectedness, and indebtedness. In a third study, conducted in both the U.S. and S. Korea, we compared a gratitude exercise to another positive emotion elicitation (i.e., recalling a kind act) and to a neutral task, and again found that the gratitude exercise prompted greater gratitude, elevation, indebtedness, and guilt, but no more embarrassment or shame, than the two comparison conditions. Additionally, in all three studies, emodiversity and cluster analyses revealed that gratitude exercises led to the simultaneous experience of both pleasant and unpleasant socially-relevant states. In sum, although it may seem obvious that gratitude exercises would evoke grateful, positive states, a meta-analysis of our three studies revealed that gratitude exercises actually elicit a mixed emotional experience-one that simultaneously leads individuals to feel uplifted and indebted.

Memory-induced nonlinear dynamics of excitation in cardiac diseases.

PubMed

Landaw, Julian; Qu, Zhilin

2018-04-01

Excitable cells, such as cardiac myocytes, exhibit short-term memory, i.e., the state of the cell depends on its history of excitation. Memory can originate from slow recovery of membrane ion channels or from accumulation of intracellular ion concentrations, such as calcium ion or sodium ion concentration accumulation. Here we examine the effects of memory on excitation dynamics in cardiac myocytes under two diseased conditions, early repolarization and reduced repolarization reserve, each with memory from two different sources: slow recovery of a potassium ion channel and slow accumulation of the intracellular calcium ion concentration. We first carry out computer simulations of action potential models described by differential equations to demonstrate complex excitation dynamics, such as chaos. We then develop iterated map models that incorporate memory, which accurately capture the complex excitation dynamics and bifurcations of the action potential models. Finally, we carry out theoretical analyses of the iterated map models to reveal the underlying mechanisms of memory-induced nonlinear dynamics. Our study demonstrates that the memory effect can be unmasked or greatly exacerbated under certain diseased conditions, which promotes complex excitation dynamics, such as chaos. The iterated map models reveal that memory converts a monotonic iterated map function into a nonmonotonic one to promote the bifurcations leading to high periodicity and chaos.

Demographic response of cutlassfish (Trichiurus japonicus and T. nanhaiensis) to fluctuating palaeo-climate and regional oceanographic conditions in the China seas

PubMed Central

He, Lijun; Zhang, Aibing; Weese, David; Li, Shengfa; Li, Jiansheng; Zhang, Jing

2014-01-01

Glacial cycles of the Quaternary have heavily influenced the demographic history of various species. To test the evolutionary impact of palaeo-geologic and climatic events on the demographic history of marine taxa from the coastal Western Pacific, we investigated the population structure and demographic history of two economically important fish (Trichiurus japonicus and T. nanhaiensis) that inhabit the continental shelves of the East China and northern South China Seas using the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences and Bayesian Skyline Plot analyses. A molecular rate of 2.03% per million years, calibrated to the earliest flooding of the East China Sea shelf (70–140 kya), revealed a strong correlation between population sizes and primary production. Furthermore, comparison of the demographic history of T. japonicus populations from the East China and South China Seas provided evidence of the postglacial development of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Delta. In the South China Sea, interspecific comparisons between T. japonicus and T. nanhaiensis indicated possible evolutionary responses to changes in palaeo-productivity that were influenced by East Asian winter monsoons. This study not only provides insight into the demographic history of cutlassfish but also reveals potential clues regarding the historic productivity and regional oceanographic conditions of the Western Pacific marginal seas. PMID:25223336

Assessing physio-macromolecular effects of lactic acid on Zygosaccharomyces bailii cells during microaerobic fermentation.

PubMed

Kuanyshev, Nurzhan; Ami, Diletta; Signori, Lorenzo; Porro, Danilo; Morrissey, John P; Branduardi, Paola

2016-08-01

The ability of Zygosaccharomyces bailii to grow at low pH and in the presence of considerable amounts of weak organic acids, at lethal condition for Saccharomyces cerevisiae, increased the interest in the biotechnological potential of the yeast. To understand the mechanism of tolerance and growth effect of weak acids on Z. bailii, we evaluated the physiological and macromolecular changes of the yeast exposed to sub lethal concentrations of lactic acid. Lactic acid represents one of the important commodity chemical which can be produced by microbial fermentation. We assessed physiological effect of lactic acid by bioreactor fermentation using synthetic media at low pH in the presence of lactic acid. Samples collected from bioreactors were stained with propidium iodide (PI) which revealed that, despite lactic acid negatively influence the growth rate, the number of PI positive cells is similar to that of the control. Moreover, we have performed Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) microspectroscopy analysis on intact cells of the same samples. This technique has been never applied before to study Z. bailii under this condition. The analyses revealed lactic acid induced macromolecular changes in the overall cellular protein secondary structures, and alterations of cell wall and membrane physico-chemical properties. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Memory-induced nonlinear dynamics of excitation in cardiac diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landaw, Julian; Qu, Zhilin

2018-04-01

Excitable cells, such as cardiac myocytes, exhibit short-term memory, i.e., the state of the cell depends on its history of excitation. Memory can originate from slow recovery of membrane ion channels or from accumulation of intracellular ion concentrations, such as calcium ion or sodium ion concentration accumulation. Here we examine the effects of memory on excitation dynamics in cardiac myocytes under two diseased conditions, early repolarization and reduced repolarization reserve, each with memory from two different sources: slow recovery of a potassium ion channel and slow accumulation of the intracellular calcium ion concentration. We first carry out computer simulations of action potential models described by differential equations to demonstrate complex excitation dynamics, such as chaos. We then develop iterated map models that incorporate memory, which accurately capture the complex excitation dynamics and bifurcations of the action potential models. Finally, we carry out theoretical analyses of the iterated map models to reveal the underlying mechanisms of memory-induced nonlinear dynamics. Our study demonstrates that the memory effect can be unmasked or greatly exacerbated under certain diseased conditions, which promotes complex excitation dynamics, such as chaos. The iterated map models reveal that memory converts a monotonic iterated map function into a nonmonotonic one to promote the bifurcations leading to high periodicity and chaos.

Behavioral manifestations of audiometrically-defined "slight" or "hidden" hearing loss revealed by measures of binaural detection.

PubMed

Bernstein, Leslie R; Trahiotis, Constantine

2016-11-01

This study assessed whether audiometrically-defined "slight" or "hidden" hearing losses might be associated with degradations in binaural processing as measured in binaural detection experiments employing interaurally delayed signals and maskers. Thirty-one listeners participated, all having no greater than slight hearing losses (i.e., no thresholds greater than 25 dB HL). Across the 31 listeners and consistent with the findings of Bernstein and Trahiotis [(2015). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 138, EL474-EL479] binaural detection thresholds at 500 Hz and 4 kHz increased with increasing magnitude of interaural delay, suggesting a loss of precision of coding with magnitude of interaural delay. Binaural detection thresholds were consistently found to be elevated for listeners whose absolute thresholds at 4 kHz exceeded 7.5 dB HL. No such elevations were observed in conditions having no binaural cues available to aid detection (i.e., "monaural" conditions). Partitioning and analyses of the data revealed that those elevated thresholds (1) were more attributable to hearing level than to age and (2) result from increased levels of internal noise. The data suggest that listeners whose high-frequency monaural hearing status would be classified audiometrically as being normal or "slight loss" may exhibit substantial and perceptually meaningful losses of binaural processing.

Hydrogeology of an alpine rockfall aquifer system and its role in flood attenuation and maintaining baseflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauber, U.; Kotyla, P.; Morche, D.; Goldscheider, N.

2014-06-01

The frequency and intensity of extreme hydrological events in alpine regions is projected to increase with climate change. The goal of this study was to better understand the functioning of aquifers composed of complex alluvial and rockfall deposits in alpine valleys and to quantify the role of these natural storage spaces in flood attenuation and baseflow maintenance. Geomorphological and hydrogeological mapping, tracer tests, and continuous flow measurements were conducted in the Reintal valley (German Alps), where runoff from a karst spring infiltrates into a series of postglacial alluvial/rockfall aquifers. During high-flow conditions, groundwater velocities of 30 m h-1 were determined along 500 m; hydrograph analyses revealed short lag times (5 h) between discharge peaks upstream and downstream from the aquifer series; the maximum discharge ratio downstream (22) and the peak recession coefficient (0.196 d-1) are low compared with other alpine catchments. During low-flow conditions, the underground flow path length increased to 2 km and groundwater velocities decreased to 13 m h-1. Downstream hydrographs revealed a delayed discharge response after 101 h and peaks dampened by a factor of 1.5. These results indicate that alluvial/rockfall aquifers might play an important role in the flow regime and attenuation of floods in alpine regions.

Hydrogeology of an Alpine rockfall aquifer system and its role in flood attenuation and maintaining baseflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauber, U.; Kotyla, P.; Morche, D.; Goldscheider, N.

2014-11-01

The frequency and intensity of extreme hydrological events in Alpine regions is projected to increase with climate change. The goal of this study is to better understand the functioning of aquifers composed of complex alluvial and rockfall deposits in Alpine valleys and to quantify the role of these natural storage spaces in flood attenuation and baseflow maintenance. Geomorphological and hydrogeological mapping, tracer tests, and continuous flow measurements were conducted in the Reintal (German Alps), where runoff from a karst spring infiltrates a series of postglacial alluvial/rockfall aquifers. During high-flow conditions, groundwater velocities of 30 m h-1 were determined along 500 m; hydrograph analyses revealed short lag times (5 h) between discharge peaks upstream and downstream from the aquifer series; the maximum discharge ratio downstream (22) and the peak recession coefficient (0.196 d-1) are low compared with other Alpine catchments. During low-flow conditions, the underground flow path length increased to 2 km and groundwater velocities decreased to 13 m h-1. Downstream hydrographs revealed a delayed discharge response after 101 h and peaks damped by a factor of 1.5. These results indicate that alluvial/rockfall aquifers might play an important role in the flow regime and attenuation of floods in Alpine regions.

Genetic analysis of tachyzoite to bradyzoite differentiation mutants in Toxoplasma gondii reveals a hierarchy of gene induction.

PubMed

Singh, Upinder; Brewer, Jeremy L; Boothroyd, John C

2002-05-01

Developmental switching in Toxoplasma gondii, from the virulent tachyzoite to the relatively quiescent bradyzoite stage, is responsible for disease propagation and reactivation. We have generated tachyzoite to bradyzoite differentiation (Tbd-) mutants in T. gondii and used these in combination with a cDNA microarray to identify developmental pathways in bradyzoite formation. Four independently generated Tbd- mutants were analysed and had defects in bradyzoite development in response to multiple bradyzoite-inducing conditions, a stable phenotype after in vivo passages and a markedly reduced brain cyst burden in a murine model of chronic infection. Transcriptional profiles of mutant and wild-type parasites, growing under bradyzoite conditions, revealed a hierarchy of developmentally regulated genes, including many bradyzoite-induced genes whose transcripts were reduced in all mutants. A set of non-developmentally regulated genes whose transcripts were less abundant in Tbd- mutants were also identified. These may represent genes that mediate downstream effects and/or whose expression is dependent on the same transcription factors as the bradyzoite-induced set. Using these data, we have generated a model of transcription regulation during bradyzoite development in T. gondii. Our approach shows the utility of this system as a model to study developmental biology in single-celled eukaryotes including protozoa and fungi.

Sporadic nesting reveals long distance colonisation in the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).

PubMed

Carreras, Carlos; Pascual, Marta; Tomás, Jesús; Marco, Adolfo; Hochscheid, Sandra; Castillo, Juan José; Gozalbes, Patricia; Parga, Mariluz; Piovano, Susanna; Cardona, Luis

2018-01-23

The colonisation of new suitable habitats is crucial for species survival at evolutionary scale under changing environmental conditions. However, colonisation potential may be limited by philopatry that facilitates exploiting successful habitats across generations. We examine the mechanisms of long distance dispersal of the philopatric loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) by analysing 40 sporadic nesting events in the western Mediterranean. The analysis of a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA and 7 microsatellites of 121 samples from 18 of these nesting events revealed that these nests were colonising events associated with juveniles from distant populations feeding in nearby foraging grounds. Considering the temperature-dependent sex determination of the species, we simulated the effect of the incubation temperature and propagule pressure on a potential colonisation scenario. Our results indicated that colonisation will succeed if warm temperature conditions, already existing in some of the beaches in the area, extend to the whole western Mediterranean. We hypothesize that the sporadic nesting events in developmental foraging grounds may be a mechanism to overcome philopatry limitations thus increasing the dispersal capabilities of the species and the adaptability to changing environments. Sporadic nesting in the western Mediterranean can be viewed as potential new populations in a scenario of rising temperatures.

Structure of selenium incorporated in pyrite and mackinawite as determined by XAFS analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diener, A.; Neumann, T.; Kramar, U.; Schild, D.

2012-05-01

Selenium has a toxic potential leading to diseases by ingestion and a radiotoxic potential as 79Se radionuclide if discharged from a high-level nuclear waste repository in deep geological formations into the biosphere. Selenium is often associated with sulfides, such as pyrite, the most important near-surface iron sulfide and constituent of host rocks and bentonite backfills considered for radioactive waste disposal. This study was aimed at investigating the incorporation of Se2- and Se4+ into pyrite and mackinawite to determine the relevance of iron sulfides to Se retention and the type of structural bonding. The syntheses of pyrite and mackinawite occurred via direct precipitation in batches and also produced coatings on natural pyrite in mixed-flow reactor experiments (MFR) under anoxic conditions at Se concentrations in the solutions of up to 10- 3 mol/L. Mineralogical analyses by SEM and XRD reveal the formation of pyrite and mackinawite phases. The average Se2- uptake in pyrite in batch experiments amounts to 98.6%. In MFR syntheses, it reaches 99.5%, both suggesting a high potential for retention. XAFS results indicate a substitution of sulfur by selenide during instantaneous precipitation in highly supersaturated solutions only. In selenide-doted mackinawite S2- was substituted by Se2-, resulting in a mackinawite-type compound. S- is substituted by Se- in selenide-doted pyrite, yielding a FeSSe compound as a slightly distorted pyrite structure. Under slighter supersaturated conditions, XAFS results indicate an incorporation of Se2- and Se4+ predominantly as Se0. This study shows that a substitution of S by Se in iron sulfides is probable only for highly supersaturated solutions under acidic and anoxic conditions. Under closer equilibrium conditions, Se0 is expected to be the most stable species.

A high-altitude peatland record of environmental changes in the NW Argentine Andes (24 ° S) over the last 2100 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schittek, Karsten; Kock, Sebastian T.; Lücke, Andreas; Hense, Jonathan; Ohlendorf, Christian; Kulemeyer, Julio J.; Lupo, Liliana C.; Schäbitz, Frank

2016-05-01

High-altitude cushion peatlands are versatile archives for high-resolution palaeoenvironmental studies, due to their high accumulation rates, range of proxies, and sensitivity to climatic and/or human-induced changes. Especially within the Central Andes, the knowledge about climate conditions during the Holocene is limited. In this study, we present the environmental and climatic history for the last 2100 years of Cerro Tuzgle peatland (CTP), located in the dry Puna of NW Argentina, based on a multi-proxy approach. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), stable isotope and element content analyses (δ13C, δ15N, TN and TOC) were conducted to analyse the inorganic geochemistry throughout the sequence, revealing changes in the peatlands' past redox conditions. Pollen assemblages give an insight into substantial environmental changes on a regional scale. The palaeoclimate varied significantly during the last 2100 years. The results reflect prominent late Holocene climate anomalies and provide evidence that in situ moisture changes were coupled to the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). A period of sustained dry conditions prevailed from around 150 BC to around AD 150. A more humid phase dominated between AD 200 and AD 550. Afterwards, the climate was characterised by changes between drier and wetter conditions, with droughts at around AD 650-800 and AD 1000-1100. Volcanic forcing at the beginning of the 19th century (1815 Tambora eruption) seems to have had an impact on climatic settings in the Central Andes. In the past, the peatland recovered from climatic perturbations. Today, CTP is heavily degraded by human interventions, and the peat deposit is becoming increasingly susceptible to erosion and incision.

Systems Level Analyses Reveal Multiple Regulatory Activities of CodY Controlling Metabolism, Motility and Virulence in Listeria monocytogenes

PubMed Central

Lobel, Lior; Herskovits, Anat A.

2016-01-01

Bacteria sense and respond to many environmental cues, rewiring their regulatory network to facilitate adaptation to new conditions/niches. Global transcription factors that co-regulate multiple pathways simultaneously are essential to this regulatory rewiring. CodY is one such global regulator, controlling expression of both metabolic and virulence genes in Gram-positive bacteria. Branch chained amino acids (BCAAs) serve as a ligand for CodY and modulate its activity. Classically, CodY was considered to function primarily as a repressor under rich growth conditions. However, our previous studies of the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes revealed that CodY is active also when the bacteria are starved for BCAAs. Under these conditions, CodY loses the ability to repress genes (e.g., metabolic genes) and functions as a direct activator of the master virulence regulator gene, prfA. This observation raised the possibility that CodY possesses multiple functions that allow it to coordinate gene expression across a wide spectrum of metabolic growth conditions, and thus better adapt bacteria to the mammalian niche. To gain a deeper understanding of CodY’s regulatory repertoire and identify direct target genes, we performed a genome wide analysis of the CodY regulon and DNA binding under both rich and minimal growth conditions, using RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq techniques. We demonstrate here that CodY is indeed active (i.e., binds DNA) under both conditions, serving as a repressor and activator of different genes. Further, we identified new genes and pathways that are directly regulated by CodY (e.g., sigB, arg, his, actA, glpF, gadG, gdhA, poxB, glnR and fla genes), integrating metabolism, stress responses, motility and virulence in L. monocytogenes. This study establishes CodY as a multifaceted factor regulating L. monocytogenes physiology in a highly versatile manner. PMID:26895237

Effect of Human Myotubes-Derived Media on Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion.

PubMed

Mizgier, Maria L; Cataldo, Luis R; Gutierrez, Juan; Santos, José L; Casas, Mariana; Llanos, Paola; Contreras-Ferrat, Ariel E; Moro, Cedric; Bouzakri, Karim; Galgani, Jose E

2017-01-01

Fasting to postprandial transition requires a tight adjustment of insulin secretion to its demand, so tissue (e.g., skeletal muscle) glucose supply is assured while hypo-/hyperglycemia are prevented. High muscle glucose disposal after meals is pivotal for adapting to increased glycemia and might drive insulin secretion through muscle-released factors (e.g., myokines). We hypothesized that insulin influences myokine secretion and then increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). In conditioned media from human myotubes incubated with/without insulin (100 nmol/L) for 24 h, myokines were qualitatively and quantitatively characterized using an antibody-based array and ELISA-based technology, respectively. C57BL6/J mice islets and Wistar rat beta cells were incubated for 24 h with control and conditioned media from noninsulin- and insulin-treated myotubes prior to GSIS determination. Conditioned media from insulin-treated versus nontreated myotubes had higher RANTES but lower IL6, IL8, and MCP1 concentration. Qualitative analyses revealed that conditioned media from noninsulin- and insulin-treated myotubes expressed 32 and 23 out of 80 myokines, respectively. Islets incubated with conditioned media from noninsulin-treated myotubes had higher GSIS versus control islets ( p < 0.05). Meanwhile, conditioned media from insulin-treated myotubes did not influence GSIS. In beta cells, GSIS was similar across conditions. In conclusion, factors being present in noninsulin-stimulated muscle cell-derived media appear to influence GSIS in mice islets.

Effect of Human Myotubes-Derived Media on Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion

PubMed Central

Cataldo, Luis R.; Gutierrez, Juan; Santos, José L.; Casas, Mariana; Contreras-Ferrat, Ariel E.; Moro, Cedric; Bouzakri, Karim

2017-01-01

Fasting to postprandial transition requires a tight adjustment of insulin secretion to its demand, so tissue (e.g., skeletal muscle) glucose supply is assured while hypo-/hyperglycemia are prevented. High muscle glucose disposal after meals is pivotal for adapting to increased glycemia and might drive insulin secretion through muscle-released factors (e.g., myokines). We hypothesized that insulin influences myokine secretion and then increases glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). In conditioned media from human myotubes incubated with/without insulin (100 nmol/L) for 24 h, myokines were qualitatively and quantitatively characterized using an antibody-based array and ELISA-based technology, respectively. C57BL6/J mice islets and Wistar rat beta cells were incubated for 24 h with control and conditioned media from noninsulin- and insulin-treated myotubes prior to GSIS determination. Conditioned media from insulin-treated versus nontreated myotubes had higher RANTES but lower IL6, IL8, and MCP1 concentration. Qualitative analyses revealed that conditioned media from noninsulin- and insulin-treated myotubes expressed 32 and 23 out of 80 myokines, respectively. Islets incubated with conditioned media from noninsulin-treated myotubes had higher GSIS versus control islets (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, conditioned media from insulin-treated myotubes did not influence GSIS. In beta cells, GSIS was similar across conditions. In conclusion, factors being present in noninsulin-stimulated muscle cell-derived media appear to influence GSIS in mice islets. PMID:28286777

The effects of question-generation training on metacognitive knowledge, self regulation and learning approaches in science.

PubMed

Cano García, Francisco; García, Ángela; Berbén, A B G; Pichardo, M C; Justicia, Fernando

2014-01-01

Although much research has examined the impact of question generation on students' reading comprehension and learning from lectures, far less research has analysed its influence on how students learn and study science. The present study aims to bridge this knowledge gap. Using a quasi-experimental design, three complete ninth-grade science classes, with a total of 72 students, were randomly assigned to three conditions (groups): (G1) questioning-training by providing prompts; (G2) question-generation without any explicit instruction; and (G3) no question control. Participants' pre-test and post-test self-reported measures of metacognitive knowledge, self-regulation and learning approaches were collected and data analysed with multivariate and univariate analyses of covariance. (a) MANCOVA revealed a significant effect for group; (b) ANCOVAs showed the highest average gains for G1 and statistically significant between-group differences in the two components of metacognition: metacognitive knowledge and self-regulation; and (c) the direction of these differences seemed to vary in each of these components. Question-generation training influenced how students learned and studied, specifically their metacognition, and it had a medium to large effect size, which was somewhat related to the prompts used.

[Characteristics and determinants of informal care in chronic diseases in Hungary: a comparative analysis].

PubMed

Beretzky, Zsuzsanna; Péntek, Márta

2017-12-01

Informal care plays an important role in ageing societies. To analyse informal care use and its determinants among patients with chronic diseases in Hungary. Patient level data from previous studies in 14 diagnoses were analysed including patients' EQ-5D-3L health status. Descriptive statistics were performed and a linear regression model was built to analyse determinants of informal care time. 2047 patients (female: 58%) with mean age of 58.9 (SD = 16.3) years and EQ-5D-3L index score of 0.64 (SD = 0.33) were involved. 27% received informal care, the average time of care was 7.54 (SD = 26.36) hours/week. Both the rate of informal care use and its time differed significantly between the diagnoses (p<0.05), the highest were in dementia, Parkinsons' disease and in chronic inflammatory immunological diseases. Significant determinants were age, EQ-5D-3L scores, gender and certain diagnosis dummys (R 2 = 0.111). Informal care use is significant in chronic debilitating conditions. Future studies are encouraged to reveal unmet needs, preferences and further explanatory factors. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(52): 2068-2078.

Environmental, Human Health and Socio-Economic Effects of Cement Powders: The Multicriteria Analysis as Decisional Methodology.

PubMed

Moretti, Laura; Di Mascio, Paola; Bellagamba, Simona

2017-06-16

The attention to sustainability-related issues has grown fast in recent decades. The experience gained with these themes reveals the importance of considering this topic in the construction industry, which represents an important sector throughout the world. This work consists on conducting a multicriteria analysis of four cement powders, with the objective of calculating and analysing the environmental, human health and socio-economic effects of their production processes. The economic, technical, environmental and safety performances of the examined powders result from official, both internal and public, documents prepared by the producers. The Analytic Hierarchy Process permitted to consider several indicators (i.e., environmental, human health related and socio-economic parameters) and to conduct comprehensive and unbiased analyses which gave the best, most sustainable cement powder. As assumed in this study, the contribution of each considered parameter to the overall sustainability has a different incidence, therefore the procedure could be used to support on-going sustainability efforts under different conditions. The results also prove that it is not appropriate to regard only one parameter to identify the 'best' cement powder, but several impact categories should be considered and analysed if there is an interest for pursuing different, often conflicting interests.

Searching for Extraterrestrial Amino Acids in a Contaminated Meteorite: Amino Acid Analyses of the Canakkale L6 Chondrite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burton, A. S.; Elsila, J. E.; Glavin, D. P.; Dworkin, J. P.; Ornek, C. Y.; Esenoglu, H. H.; Unsalan, O.; Ozturk, B.

2016-01-01

Amino acids can serve as important markers of cosmochemistry, as their abundances and isomeric and isotopic compositions have been found to vary predictably with changes in parent body chemistry and alteration processes. Amino acids are also of astrobiological interest because they are essential for life on Earth. Analyses of a range of meteorites, including all groups of carbonaceous chondrites, along with H, R, and LL chondrites, ureilites, and a martian shergottite, have revealed that amino acids of plausible extraterrestrial origin can be formed in and persist after a wide range of parent body conditions. However, amino acid analyses of L6 chondrites to date have not provided evidence for indigenous amino acids. In the present study, we performed amino acid analysis on larger samples of a different L6 chondite, Canakkale, to determine whether or not trace levels of indigenous amino acids could be found. The Canakkale meteor was an observed fall in late July, 1964, near Canakkale, Turkey. The meteorite samples (1.36 and 1.09 g) analyzed in this study were allocated by C. Y. Ornek, along with a soil sample (1.5 g) collected near the Canakkale recovery site.

Single-cell analyses of transcriptional heterogeneity during drug tolerance transition in cancer cells by RNA sequencing.

PubMed

Lee, Mei-Chong Wendy; Lopez-Diaz, Fernando J; Khan, Shahid Yar; Tariq, Muhammad Akram; Dayn, Yelena; Vaske, Charles Joseph; Radenbaugh, Amie J; Kim, Hyunsung John; Emerson, Beverly M; Pourmand, Nader

2014-11-04

The acute cellular response to stress generates a subpopulation of reversibly stress-tolerant cells under conditions that are lethal to the majority of the population. Stress tolerance is attributed to heterogeneity of gene expression within the population to ensure survival of a minority. We performed whole transcriptome sequencing analyses of metastatic human breast cancer cells subjected to the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel at the single-cell and population levels. Here we show that specific transcriptional programs are enacted within untreated, stressed, and drug-tolerant cell groups while generating high heterogeneity between single cells within and between groups. We further demonstrate that drug-tolerant cells contain specific RNA variants residing in genes involved in microtubule organization and stabilization, as well as cell adhesion and cell surface signaling. In addition, the gene expression profile of drug-tolerant cells is similar to that of untreated cells within a few doublings. Thus, single-cell analyses reveal the dynamics of the stress response in terms of cell-specific RNA variants driving heterogeneity, the survival of a minority population through generation of specific RNA variants, and the efficient reconversion of stress-tolerant cells back to normalcy.

Single-cell analyses of transcriptional heterogeneity during drug tolerance transition in cancer cells by RNA sequencing

PubMed Central

Lee, Mei-Chong Wendy; Lopez-Diaz, Fernando J.; Khan, Shahid Yar; Tariq, Muhammad Akram; Dayn, Yelena; Vaske, Charles Joseph; Radenbaugh, Amie J.; Kim, Hyunsung John; Emerson, Beverly M.; Pourmand, Nader

2014-01-01

The acute cellular response to stress generates a subpopulation of reversibly stress-tolerant cells under conditions that are lethal to the majority of the population. Stress tolerance is attributed to heterogeneity of gene expression within the population to ensure survival of a minority. We performed whole transcriptome sequencing analyses of metastatic human breast cancer cells subjected to the chemotherapeutic agent paclitaxel at the single-cell and population levels. Here we show that specific transcriptional programs are enacted within untreated, stressed, and drug-tolerant cell groups while generating high heterogeneity between single cells within and between groups. We further demonstrate that drug-tolerant cells contain specific RNA variants residing in genes involved in microtubule organization and stabilization, as well as cell adhesion and cell surface signaling. In addition, the gene expression profile of drug-tolerant cells is similar to that of untreated cells within a few doublings. Thus, single-cell analyses reveal the dynamics of the stress response in terms of cell-specific RNA variants driving heterogeneity, the survival of a minority population through generation of specific RNA variants, and the efficient reconversion of stress-tolerant cells back to normalcy. PMID:25339441

Socioeconomic inequalities in health in older women.

PubMed

Rostad, Berit; Deeg, Dorly J H; Schei, Berit

2009-03-01

Socioeconomic status differentials in health are well documented. Less is known about the socioeconomic variation in health in older people, and in older women in particular. The aim of the study was to examine the association between socioeconomic status and health in older women in relation to two indicators of socioeconomic status and three measures of health, and further, to investigate whether socioeconomic differences in health increase or decrease with advancing age. Data from a cross-sectional population based health survey inviting all women ≥70 years were analysed; 6,380 women aged 70-103 years participated. Logistic regression was applied to analyse variation in health by socioeconomic status. Disadvantaged socioeconomic status (i.e. lower educational levels and previous manual or never been in paid work) was significantly associated with poorer health outcomes, whether measured as self-assessed health or depression. Limiting long-standing illness was significantly associated with never been in paid work. The associations were not attenuated by simultaneous adjustments for health behavioural factors, social support, and marital status. Additional adjustments for medical conditions did only alter the significant association between employment status and limiting long-standing illness. The analyses revealed that educational inequalities did not decrease with advancing age, whereas the results for employment varied across age groups. Our findings suggest an enduring relation between socioeconomic status and health in later life. The study adds to the understanding of the consistent associations between poorer health and social disadvantages at older age. We are not aware of any previous study showing the persistence of social inequalities in health upon adjustments for medical conditions.

Transcriptome Analysis of Salt Tolerant Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under Saline Conditions

PubMed Central

Hiz, Mahmut Can; Canher, Balkan; Niron, Harun; Turet, Muge

2014-01-01

Salinity is one of the important abiotic stress factors that limit crop production. Common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., a major protein source in developing countries, is highly affected by soil salinity and the information on genes that play a role in salt tolerance is scarce. We aimed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and related pathways by comprehensive analysis of transcriptomes of both root and leaf tissues of the tolerant genotype grown under saline and control conditions in hydroponic system. We have generated a total of 158 million high-quality reads which were assembled into 83,774 all-unigenes with a mean length of 813 bp and N50 of 1,449 bp. Among the all-unigenes, 58,171 were assigned with Nr annotations after homology analyses. It was revealed that 6,422 and 4,555 all-unigenes were differentially expressed upon salt stress in leaf and root tissues respectively. Validation of the RNA-seq quantifications (RPKM values) was performed by qRT-PCR (Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR) analyses. Enrichment analyses of DEGs based on GO and KEGG databases have shown that both leaf and root tissues regulate energy metabolism, transmembrane transport activity, and secondary metabolites to cope with salinity. A total of 2,678 putative common bean transcription factors were identified and classified under 59 transcription factor families; among them 441 were salt responsive. The data generated in this study will help in understanding the fundamentals of salt tolerance in common bean and will provide resources for functional genomic studies. PMID:24651267

21 CFR 814.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

..., reports of adverse events, or new analyses of previously submitted data (e.g., meta-analyses) if the studies, events or analyses reveal risks of a different type or greater severity or frequency than... per year. (o) Newly acquired information means data, analyses, or other information not previously...

Context conditioning and extinction in humans: differential contribution of the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex

PubMed Central

Lang, Simone; Kroll, Alexander; Lipinski, Slawomira J; Wessa, Michèle; Ridder, Stephanie; Christmann, Christoph; Schad, Lothar R; Flor, Herta

2009-01-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to investigate the role of the hippocampus, amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in a contextual conditioning and extinction paradigm provoking anxiety. Twenty-one healthy persons participated in a differential context conditioning procedure with two different background colours as contexts. During acquisition increased activity to the conditioned stimulus (CS+) relative to the CS− was found in the left hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The amygdala, insula and inferior frontal cortex were differentially active during late acquisition. Extinction was accompanied by enhanced activation to CS+ vs. CS− in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The results are in accordance with animal studies and provide evidence for the important role of the hippocampus in contextual learning in humans. Connectivity analyses revealed correlated activity between the left posterior hippocampus and dACC (BA32) during early acquisition and the dACC, left posterior hippocampus and right amygdala during extinction. These data are consistent with theoretical models that propose an inhibitory effect of the mPFC on the amygdala. The interaction of the mPFC with the hippocampus may reflect the context-specificity of extinction learning. PMID:19200075

Are children conservative, liberal, or metacognitive? Preliminary evidence for the involvement of the distinctiveness heuristic in decision making.

PubMed

Geurten, Marie; Willems, Sylvie; Meulemans, Thierry

2015-04-01

The experiment tested whether young children are able to reduce their false recognition rate after distinctive encoding by implementing a strategic metacognitive rule. The participants, 72 children aged 4, 6, and 9 years, studied two lists of unrelated items. One of these lists was visually displayed (picture condition), whereas the other was presented auditorily (word condition). After each study phase, participants completed recognition tests. Finally, they answered questions about their explicit knowledge of the distinctive encoding effect. The results revealed that even the youngest children in our sample showed a smaller proportion of intrusions in the picture condition than in the word condition. Furthermore, the results of the signal detection analyses were consistent with the hypothesis that the lower rate of false recognitions after picture encoding results from the implementation of a conservative response criterion based on metacognitive expectations (distinctiveness heuristic). Moreover, the absence of correlation between children's explicit knowledge of the distinctiveness rule and their effective use of this metacognitive heuristic seems to indicate that its involvement in memory decisions could be mediated by implicit mechanisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An emotional processing writing intervention and heart rate variability: the role of emotional approach.

PubMed

Seeley, Saren H; Yanez, Betina; Stanton, Annette L; Hoyt, Michael A

2017-08-01

Expressing and understanding one's own emotional responses to negative events, particularly those that challenge the attainment of important life goals, is thought to confer physiological benefit. Individual preferences and/or abilities in approaching emotions might condition the efficacy of interventions designed to encourage written emotional processing (EP). This study examines the physiological impact (as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV)) of an emotional processing writing (EPW) task as well as the moderating influence of a dispositional preference for coping through emotional approach (EP and emotional expression (EE)), in response to a laboratory stress task designed to challenge an important life goal. Participants (n = 98) were randomly assigned to either EPW or fact control writing (FCW) following the stress task. Regression analyses revealed a significant dispositional EP by condition interaction, such that high EP participants in the EPW condition demonstrated higher HRV after writing compared to low EP participants. No significant main effects of condition or EE coping were observed. These findings suggest that EPW interventions may be best suited for those with preference or ability to process emotions related to a stressor or might require adaptation for those who less often cope through emotional approach.

Effort testing in children: can cognitive and symptom validity measures differentiate malingered performances?

PubMed

Rambo, Philip L; Callahan, Jennifer L; Hogan, Lindsey R; Hullmann, Stephanie; Wrape, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Recent efforts have contributed to significant advances in the detection of malingered performances in adults during cognitive assessment. However, children's ability to purposefully underperform has received relatively little attention. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine children's performances on common intellectual measures, as well as two symptom validity measures: the Test of Memory Malingering and the Dot-Counting Test. This was accomplished through the administration of measures to children ages 6 to 12 years old in randomly assigned full-effort (control) and poor-effort (treatment) conditions. Prior to randomization, children's general intellectual functioning (i.e., IQ) was estimated via administration of the Kaufman Brief Intellectual Battery-Second Edition (KBIT-2). Multivariate analyses revealed that the conditions significantly differed on some but not all administered measures. Specifically, children's estimated IQ in the treatment condition significantly differed from the full-effort IQ initially obtained from the same children on the KBIT-2, as well as from the IQs obtained in the full-effort control condition. These findings suggest that children are fully capable of willfully underperforming during cognitive testing; however, consistent with prior investigations, some measures evidence greater sensitivity than others in evaluating effort.

Temperature and field direction dependences of first-order reversal curve (FORC) diagrams of hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yomogita, Takahiro; Okamoto, Satoshi; Kikuchi, Nobuaki; Kitakami, Osamu; Sepehri-Amin, Hossein; Ohkubo, Tadakatsu; Hono, Kazuhiro; Akiya, Takahiro; Hioki, Keiko; Hattori, Atsushi

2018-02-01

First-order reversal curve (FORC) diagram has been previously adopted for the analyses of magnetization reversal process and/or quantitative evaluation of coercivity and interaction field dispersions in various magnetic samples. Although these kinds of information are valuable for permanent magnets, previously reported FORC diagrams of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets exhibit very complicated patterns. In this paper, we have studied the FORC diagrams of hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnets under various conditions. Contrary to the previous reports on sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets, the FORC diagram of the hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnet exhibits a very simple pattern consisting of a strong spot and a weak line. From this FORC diagram pattern, it is revealed that the coercivity dispersion of the hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnets is surprisingly small. Moreover, this feature of the FORC diagram pattern is very robust and unaffected by changes in various conditions such as grain boundary diffusion process, temperature, and field direction, whereas these conditions significantly change the coercivity and the shape of magnetization curve. This fact indicates that the magnetization reversal process of the hot-deformed Nd-Fe-B magnets is almost unchanged against these conditions.

Bacillus thuringiensis Conjugation in Simulated Microgravity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beuls, Elise; van Houdt, Rob; Leys, Natalie; Dijkstra, Camelia; Larkin, Oliver; Mahillon, Jacques

2009-10-01

Spaceflight experiments have suggested a possible effect of microgravity on the plasmid transfer among strains of the Gram-positive Bacillus thuringiensis, as opposed to no effect recorded for Gram-negative conjugation. To investigate these potential effects in a more affordable experimental setup, three ground-based microgravity simulators were tested: the Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV), the Random Positioning Machine (RPM), and a superconducting magnet. The bacterial conjugative system consisted in biparental matings between two B. thuringiensis strains, where the transfer frequencies of the conjugative plasmid pAW63 and its ability to mobilize the nonconjugative plasmid pUB110 were assessed. Specifically, potential plasmid transfers in a 0-g position (simulated microgravity) were compared to those obtained under 1-g (normal gravity) condition in each device. Statistical analyses revealed no significant difference in the conjugative and mobilizable transfer frequencies between the three different simulated microgravitational conditions and our standard laboratory condition. These important ground-based observations emphasize the fact that, though no stimulation of plasmid transfer was observed, no inhibition was observed either. In the case of Gram-positive bacteria, this ability to exchange plasmids in weightlessness, as occurs under Earth's conditions, should be seen as particularly relevant in the scope of spread of antibiotic resistances and bacterial virulence.

Bacillus thuringiensis conjugation in simulated microgravity.

PubMed

Beuls, Elise; Van Houdt, Rob; Leys, Natalie; Dijkstra, Camelia; Larkin, Oliver; Mahillon, Jacques

2009-10-01

Spaceflight experiments have suggested a possible effect of microgravity on the plasmid transfer among strains of the Gram-positive Bacillus thuringiensis, as opposed to no effect recorded for Gram-negative conjugation. To investigate these potential effects in a more affordable experimental setup, three ground-based microgravity simulators were tested: the Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV), the Random Positioning Machine (RPM), and a superconducting magnet. The bacterial conjugative system consisted in biparental matings between two B. thuringiensis strains, where the transfer frequencies of the conjugative plasmid pAW63 and its ability to mobilize the nonconjugative plasmid pUB110 were assessed. Specifically, potential plasmid transfers in a 0 g position (simulated microgravity) were compared to those obtained under 1 g (normal gravity) condition in each device. Statistical analyses revealed no significant difference in the conjugative and mobilizable transfer frequencies between the three different simulated microgravitational conditions and our standard laboratory condition. These important ground-based observations emphasize the fact that, though no stimulation of plasmid transfer was observed, no inhibition was observed either. In the case of Gram-positive bacteria, this ability to exchange plasmids in weightlessness, as occurs under Earth's conditions, should be seen as particularly relevant in the scope of spread of antibiotic resistances and bacterial virulence.

Comparative analyses of nonpathogenic, opportunistic, and totally pathogenic mycobacteria reveal genomic and biochemical variabilities and highlight the survival attributes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Rahman, Syed Asad; Singh, Yadvir; Kohli, Sakshi; Ahmad, Javeed; Ehtesham, Nasreen Z; Tyagi, Anil K; Hasnain, Seyed E

2014-11-04

Mycobacterial evolution involves various processes, such as genome reduction, gene cooption, and critical gene acquisition. Our comparative genome size analysis of 44 mycobacterial genomes revealed that the nonpathogenic (NP) genomes were bigger than those of opportunistic (OP) or totally pathogenic (TP) mycobacteria, with the TP genomes being smaller yet variable in size--their genomic plasticity reflected their ability to evolve and survive under various environmental conditions. From the 44 mycobacterial species, 13 species, representing TP, OP, and NP, were selected for genomic-relatedness analyses. Analysis of homologous protein-coding genes shared between Mycobacterium indicus pranii (NP), Mycobacterium intracellulare ATCC 13950 (OP), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (TP) revealed that 4,995 (i.e., ~95%) M. indicaus pranii proteins have homology with M. intracellulare, whereas the homologies among M. indicus pranii, M. intracellulare ATCC 13950, and M. tuberculosis H37Rv were significantly lower. A total of 4,153 (~79%) M. indicus pranii proteins and 4,093 (~79%) M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 proteins exhibited homology with the M. tuberculosis H37Rv proteome, while 3,301 (~82%) and 3,295 (~82%) M. tuberculosis H37Rv proteins showed homology with M. indicus pranii and M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 proteomes, respectively. Comparative metabolic pathway analyses of TP/OP/NP mycobacteria showed enzymatic plasticity between M. indicus pranii (NP) and M. intracellulare ATCC 13950 (OP), Mycobacterium avium 104 (OP), and M. tuberculosis H37Rv (TP). Mycobacterium tuberculosis seems to have acquired novel alternate pathways with possible roles in metabolism, host-pathogen interactions, virulence, and intracellular survival, and by implication some of these could be potential drug targets. The complete sequence analysis of Mycobacterium indicus pranii, a novel species of Mycobacterium shown earlier to have strong immunomodulatory properties and currently in use for the treatment of leprosy, places it evolutionarily at the point of transition to pathogenicity. With the purpose of establishing the importance of M. indicus pranii in providing insight into the virulence mechanism of tuberculous and nontuberculous mycobacteria, we carried out comparative genomic and proteomic analyses of 44 mycobacterial species representing nonpathogenic (NP), opportunistic (OP), and totally pathogenic (TP) mycobacteria. Our results clearly placed M. indicus pranii as an ancestor of the M. avium complex. Analyses of comparative metabolic pathways between M. indicus pranii (NP), M. tuberculosis (TP), and M. intracellulare (OP) pointed to the presence of novel alternative pathways in M. tuberculosis with implications for pathogenesis and survival in the human host and identification of new drug targets. Copyright © 2014 Rahman et al.

Nutritional status of under-five children in Bangladesh: a multilevel analysis.

PubMed

Alom, Jahangir; Quddus, Md Abdul; Islam, Mohammad Amirul

2012-09-01

The nutritional status of under-five children is a sensitive sign of a country's health status as well as economic condition. This study investigated the differential impact of some demographic, socioeconomic, environmental and health-related factors on the nutritional status among under-five children in Bangladesh using Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2007 data. Two-level random intercept binary logistic regression models were used to identify the determinants of under-five malnutrition. The analyses revealed that 16% of the children were severely stunted and 25% were moderately stunted. Among the children under five years of age 3% were severely wasted and 14% were moderately wasted. Furthermore, 11% of the children were severely underweight and 28% were moderately underweight. The main contributing factors for under-five malnutrition were found to be child's age, mother's education, father's education, father's occupation, family wealth index, currently breast-feeding, place of delivery and division. Significant community-level variations were found in the analyses.

Effect of joint spacing and joint dip on the stress distribution around tunnels using different numerical methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikadat, Nooraddin; Fatehi Marji, Mohammad; Rahmannejad, Reza; Yarahmadi Bafghi, Alireza

2016-11-01

Different conditions may affect the stability of tunnels by the geometry (spacing and orientation) of joints in the surrounded rock mass. In this study, by comparing the results obtained by the three novel numerical methods i.e. finite element method (Phase2), discrete element method (UDEC) and indirect boundary element method (TFSDDM), the effects of joint spacing and joint dips on the stress distribution around rock tunnels are numerically studied. These comparisons indicate the validity of the stress analyses around circular rock tunnels. These analyses also reveal that for a semi-continuous environment, boundary element method gives more accurate results compared to the results of finite element and distinct element methods. In the indirect boundary element method, the displacements due to joints of different spacing and dips are estimated by using displacement discontinuity (DD) formulations and the total stress distribution around the tunnel are obtained by using fictitious stress (FS) formulations.

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

Che, Guang-Bo, E-mail: guangboche@jlnu.edu.cn; Liu, Shu-Yu; Zhang, Qing

Four new lanthanide complexes [Ln(O–NCP){sub 2}(NO{sub 3})]{sub n} based on multifunctional N,O-donor ligand 2-(2-carboxyphenyl)imidazo(4,5-f)-(1,10)phenanthroline (O–HNCP) and Ln(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}·6H{sub 2}O (Ln=Nd(1), La(2), Sm(3), Eu(4)) have been achieved under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by elemental analyses, infrared spectra and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Structural analyses revealed that all of these four complexes possess similar two-dimensional layer structures. In addition, thermal stability and luminescent properties of these complexes were also investigated. - Graphical abstract: A series of lanthanide(III) coordination polymers with intriguing structures based on 2-(2-carboxyphenyl)imidazo(4,5-f)-(1,10)phenanthroline ligand have been hydrothermally synthesized. The thermal stabilities and photoluminescence properties of these complexes have beenmore » investigated. - Highlights: • Four lanthanide(III) complexes have been hydrothermally synthesized. • The N,O-donor O–HNCP was used as the ligand. • TGA and PL properties of complexes 1–4 have been investigated.« less

In Vivo Assessment of Cold Tolerance through Chlorophyll-a Fluorescence in Transgenic Zoysiagrass Expressing Mutant Phytochrome A

PubMed Central

Gururani, Mayank Anand; Venkatesh, Jelli; Ganesan, Markkandan; Strasser, Reto Jörg; Han, Yunjeong; Kim, Jeong-Il; Lee, Hyo-Yeon; Song, Pill-Soon

2015-01-01

Chlorophyll-a fluorescence analysis provides relevant information about the physiology of plants growing under abiotic stress. In this study, we evaluated the influence of cold stress on the photosynthetic machinery of transgenic turfgrass, Zoysia japonica, expressing oat phytochrome A (PhyA) or a hyperactive mutant phytochrome A (S599A) with post-translational phosphorylation blocked. Biochemical analysis of zoysiagrass subjected to cold stress revealed reduced levels of hydrogen peroxide, increased proline accumulation, and enhanced specific activities of antioxidant enzymes compared to those of control plants. Detailed analyses of the chlorophyll-a fluorescence data through the so-called OJIP test exhibited a marked difference in the physiological status among transgenic and control plants. Overall, these findings suggest an enhanced level of cold tolerance in S599A zoysiagrass cultivars as reflected in the biochemical and physiological analyses. Further, we propose that chlorophyll-a fluorescence analysis using OJIP test is an efficient tool in determining the physiological status of plants under cold stress conditions. PMID:26010864

Software development for the analysis of heartbeat sounds with LabVIEW in diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Topal, Taner; Polat, Hüseyin; Güler, Inan

2008-10-01

In this paper, a time-frequency spectral analysis software (Heart Sound Analyzer) for the computer-aided analysis of cardiac sounds has been developed with LabVIEW. Software modules reveal important information for cardiovascular disorders, it can also assist to general physicians to come up with more accurate and reliable diagnosis at early stages. Heart sound analyzer (HSA) software can overcome the deficiency of expert doctors and help them in rural as well as urban clinics and hospitals. HSA has two main blocks: data acquisition and preprocessing, time-frequency spectral analyses. The heart sounds are first acquired using a modified stethoscope which has an electret microphone in it. Then, the signals are analysed using the time-frequency/scale spectral analysis techniques such as STFT, Wigner-Ville distribution and wavelet transforms. HSA modules have been tested with real heart sounds from 35 volunteers and proved to be quite efficient and robust while dealing with a large variety of pathological conditions.

Hydration state of calcium sulfates in Gale crater, Mars: Identification of bassanite veins

DOE PAGES

Rapin, W.; Meslin, P. -Y.; Maurice, S.; ...

2016-08-17

In-situ analyses reveal the presence of hydrogen within calcium sulfate veins crosscutting the sediments found in Gale crater. Laboratory experiments were performed to calibrate the hydrogen signal measured by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in a range applicable to martian data. The analyses indicate that all veins targeted so far at Gale consist predominantly of bassanite which most likely formed by dehydration of gypsum. This scenario thus suggests that the percolating water produced gypsum, possibly by hydration of anhydrite in aqueous solution, and remained at temperatures below ~60 °C at that time. Desiccating conditions followed, consistent with a hyperarid climatemore » and favored by burial or impacts. In addition, anhydrite with lesser bassanite has been found by XRD in samples of sediments hosting the veins. Our result suggests bassanite is likely found in the veins and anhydrite may be more common as a fine-grained component within the sediments.« less

Hydration state of calcium sulfates in Gale crater, Mars: Identification of bassanite veins

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

Rapin, W.; Meslin, P. -Y.; Maurice, S.

In-situ analyses reveal the presence of hydrogen within calcium sulfate veins crosscutting the sediments found in Gale crater. Laboratory experiments were performed to calibrate the hydrogen signal measured by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in a range applicable to martian data. The analyses indicate that all veins targeted so far at Gale consist predominantly of bassanite which most likely formed by dehydration of gypsum. This scenario thus suggests that the percolating water produced gypsum, possibly by hydration of anhydrite in aqueous solution, and remained at temperatures below ~60 °C at that time. Desiccating conditions followed, consistent with a hyperarid climatemore » and favored by burial or impacts. In addition, anhydrite with lesser bassanite has been found by XRD in samples of sediments hosting the veins. Our result suggests bassanite is likely found in the veins and anhydrite may be more common as a fine-grained component within the sediments.« less

Preparation of Nano-sized Bismuth-Doped Fe3O4 as an Excellent Magnetic Material for Supercapacitor Electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghazadeh, Mustafa; Karimzadeh, Isa; Ganjali, Mohammad Reza

2018-03-01

Nano-sized Bi3+-doped iron oxide (n-Bi-IO) particles were prepared through a one-pot electrochemical procedure, and the product was evaluated using x-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Based on the analyses, the average size of the n-Bi-IO was determined to be 10 nm. Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) evaluations revealed that the specific capacitance of the material reached 235 F g-1 at a discharge condition of 0.2 A g-1. n-Bi-IO had a 94.2% capacity retention after 2000 GCD cycles. Further vibrating sample magnetometery analyses showed that the product has enhanced superparamagnetic qualities (i.e. M r = 0.15 emu g-1 and H Ci = 2.71 G) in comparison to iron oxide nanoparticles (i.e. M r = 0.95 emu g-1 and H Ci = 14.62 G). Given the results, the product is considered to be a promising material for developing high performance supercapacitor electrodes.

Emotional state talk and emotion understanding: a training study with preschool children.

PubMed

Gavazzi, Ilaria Grazzani; Ornaghi, Veronica

2011-11-01

ABSTRACTThe present study investigates whether training preschool children in the active use of emotional state talk plays a significant role in bringing about greater understanding of emotion terms and improved emotion comprehension. Participants were 100 preschool children (M=52 months; SD=9·9; range: 35-70 months), randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. They were pre- and post-tested to assess their language comprehension, metacognitive language comprehension and emotion understanding. Analyses of pre-test data did not show any significant differences between experimental and control groups. During the intervention phase, the children were read stories enriched with emotional lexicon. After listening to the stories, children in the experimental group took part in conversational language games designed to stimulate use of the selected emotional terms. In contrast, the control group children did not take part in any special linguistic activities after the story readings. Analyses revealed that the experimental group outperformed the control group in the understanding of inner state language and in the comprehension of emotion.

Insights into teichoic acid biosynthesis by Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010.

PubMed

Colagiorgi, Angelo; Turroni, Francesca; Mancabelli, Leonardo; Serafini, Fausta; Secchi, Andrea; van Sinderen, Douwe; Ventura, Marco

2015-09-01

Bifidobacteria are colonizers of the human gut, where they are interacting with their host as well as with other members of the intestinal microbiota. Teichoic acids (TAs) have previously been shown to play an important role in modulating microbe-host interactions in the human gut. However, so far, there is a paucity of information regarding the presence of TAs in the cell envelope of bifidobacteria. In silico analyses targeting the chromosomes of all 48 (sub)species that currently represent the genus Bifidobacterium revealed the presence of genes responsible for TA biosynthesis, suggesting that bifidobacteria contain both wall TAs and lipoteichoic acids. Transcriptome analyses of the infant gut commensal Bifidobacterium bifidum PRL2010 highlighted that the transcription of the presumptive TA biosynthetic loci is modulated in response to environmental conditions reflecting those of the human gut. Furthermore, chemical characterization of TAs produced by PRL2010 indicates the presence of lipoteichoic acids. © FEMS 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A zebrafish (Danio rerio) model of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) infection

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

Xu Xiaopeng; Zhang Lichun; Weng Shaoping

2008-06-20

Zebrafish is a model animal for studies of genetics, development, toxicology, oncology, and immunology. In this study, infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) was used to establish an infection in zebrafish, and the experimental conditions were established and characterized. Mortality of adult zebrafish infected with ISKNV by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection exceeded 60%. ISKNV can be passed stably in zebrafish for over ten passages. The ailing zebrafish displayed petechial hemorrhaging and scale protrusion. Histological analysis of moribund fish revealed necrosis of tissue and enlarged cells in kidney and spleen. The real-time RT-PCR analysis of mRNA level confirmed that ISKNV wasmore » replicated in zebrafish. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses further confirmed the presence of ISKNV-infected cells in almost all organs of the infected fish. Electron microscope analyses showed that the ISKNV particle was present in the infected tissues. The establishment of zebrafish infection model of ISKNV can offer a valuable tool for studying the interactions between ISKNV and its host.« less

Occurrence of inorganic arsenic in edible Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) products.

PubMed

Llorente-Mirandes, Toni; Barbero, Mercedes; Rubio, Roser; López-Sánchez, José Fermín

2014-09-01

The present study reports arsenic speciation analysis in edible Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) products. The study focused on the extraction, and accurate quantification of inorganic arsenic (iAs), the most toxic form of arsenic, which was selectively separated and determined using anion exchange LC-ICPMS. A wide variety of edible Shiitake products (fresh mushrooms, food supplements, canned and dehydrated) were purchased and analysed. A cultivated Shiitake grown under controlled conditions was also analysed. The extraction method showed satisfactory extraction efficiencies (>90%) and column recoveries (>85%) for all samples. Arsenic speciation revealed that iAs was the major As compound up to 1.38 mg As kg(-1) dm (with a mean percentage of 84% of the total arsenic) and other organoarsenicals were found as minor species. Shiitake products had high proportions of iAs and therefore should not be ignored as potential contributors to dietary iAs exposure in populations with a high intake of Shiitake products. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Linear, Inviscid, Viscous, and Reduced-Order Modeling Aeroelastic Solutions of the AGARD 445.6 Wing Using Root Locus Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Silva, Walter A.; Perry, Boyd III; Chwalowski, Pawel

2014-01-01

Reduced-order modeling (ROM) methods are applied to the CFD-based aeroelastic analysis of the AGARD 445.6 wing in order to gain insight regarding well-known discrepancies between the aeroelastic analyses and the experimental results. The results presented include aeroelastic solutions using the inviscid CAP-TSD code and the FUN3D code (Euler and Navier-Stokes). Full CFD aeroelastic solutions and ROM aeroelastic solutions, computed at several Mach numbers, are presented in the form of root locus plots in order to better reveal the aeroelastic root migrations with increasing dynamic pressure. Important conclusions are drawn from these results including the ability of the linear CAP-TSD code to accurately predict the entire experimental flutter boundary (repeat of analyses performed in the 1980's), that the Euler solutions at supersonic conditions indicate that the third mode is always unstable, and that the FUN3D Navier-Stokes solutions stabilize the unstable third mode seen in the Euler solutions.

Prediction of Advisability of Returning Home Using the Home Care Score

PubMed Central

Matsugi, Akiyoshi; Tani, Keisuke; Tamaru, Yoshiki; Yoshioka, Nami; Yamashita, Akira; Mori, Nobuhiko; Oku, Kosuke; Ikeda, Masashi; Nagano, Kiyoshi

2015-01-01

Purpose. The aim of this study was to assess whether the home care score (HCS), which was developed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Japan in 1992, is useful for the prediction of advisability of home care. Methods. Subjects living at home and in assisted-living facilities were analyzed. Binominal logistic regression analyses, using age, sex, the functional independence measure score, and the HCS, along with receiver operating characteristic curve analyses, were conducted. Findings/Conclusions. Only HCS was selected for the regression equation. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that the area under the curve (0.9), sensitivity (0.82), specificity (0.83), and positive predictive value (0.84) for HCS were higher than those for the functional independence measure, indicating that the HCS is a powerful predictor for advisability of home care. Clinical Relevance. Comprehensive measurements of the condition of provided care and the activities of daily living of the subjects, which are included in the HCS, are required for the prediction of advisability of home care. PMID:26491568

The Role of Self-Efficacy in HIV Treatment Adherence: Validation of the HIV Treatment Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale (HIV-ASES)

PubMed Central

Johnson, Mallory O.; Neilands, Torsten B.; Dilworth, Samantha; Morin, Stephen F.; Remien, Robert H.; Chesney, Margaret A.

2008-01-01

Adherence to HIV treatment, including adherence to antiretroviral (ART) medication regimens, is paramount in the management of HIV. Self-efficacy for treatment adherence has been identified as an important correlate of medication adherence in the treatment of HIV and other medical conditions. This paper describes the validation of the HIV Treatment Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale (HIV-ASES) with two samples of HIV+ adults on ART. Factor analyses support subscales measuring Adherence Integration (eigenvalue = 6.12) and Adherence Perseverance (eigenvalue = 1.16), accounting for 61% of the variance in scale items. The HIV-ASES demonstrates robust internal consistency (ρs > .90) and 3-month (rs > .70) and 15-month (rs > .40) test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity analyses revealed relationships with psychosocial measures, ART adherence, clinical status, and healthcare utilization. Findings support the use of the HIV-ASES and provide guidance for further investigation of adherence self-efficacy in the context of treatment for HIV and other diseases. PMID:17588200

Sports medicine, confidentiality and the press.

PubMed

Ribbans, Bill; Ribbans, Hannah; Nightingale, Craig; McNamee, Michael

2013-01-01

To analyse athletes' medical information disclosed by English newspapers. Ten daily national newspapers, nine Sunday newspapers and one local newspaper were studied during March 2010 for media releases relating to the medical conditions of athletes. Three hundred and thirty-three newspapers were reviewed revealing 5640 specific bulletins regarding athletes' health. Daily national newspapers averaged 18.72 daily bulletins, Sunday newspapers 11.86 and one local newspaper reviewed 6.07. The frequency with which various sports had their athletes' medical details published was analysed. Football accounted for 83.78%. The information source in 77.32% of articles is not clearly stated. The patient was only responsible in 6.10% of cases, where the source of attribution is clear. English newspapers are replete with athletes' medical details, with football dominant. A significant risk to clinicians' professional status exists if they collude to release the un-consented confidential medical information to those with no direct involvement in athletes' medical care. Athletes' education as to their rights as patients and to sports medicine professionals as to their obligations are urgently required.

Association between heavy precipitation events and waterborne outbreaks in four Nordic countries, 1992-2012.

PubMed

Guzman Herrador, Bernardo; de Blasio, Birgitte Freiesleben; Carlander, Anneli; Ethelberg, Steen; Hygen, Hans Olav; Kuusi, Markku; Lund, Vidar; Löfdahl, Margareta; MacDonald, Emily; Martinez-Urtaza, Jaime; Nichols, Gordon; Schönning, Caroline; Sudre, Bertrand; Trönnberg, Linda; Vold, Line; Semenza, Jan C; Nygård, Karin

2016-12-01

We conducted a matched case-control study to examine the association between heavy precipitation events and waterborne outbreaks (WBOs) by linking epidemiological registries and meteorological data between 1992 and 2012 in four Nordic countries. Heavy precipitation events were defined by above average (exceedance) daily rainfall during the preceding weeks using local references. We performed conditional logistic regression using the four previous years as the controls. Among WBOs with known onset date (n = 89), exceedance rainfall on two or more days was associated with occurrence of outbreak, OR = 3.06 (95% CI 1.38-6.78), compared to zero exceedance days. Stratified analyses revealed a significant association with single household water supplies, ground water as source and for outbreaks occurring during spring and summer. These findings were reproduced in analyses including all WBOs with known outbreak month (n = 186). The vulnerability of single households to WBOs associated with heavy precipitation events should be communicated to homeowners and implemented into future policy planning to reduce the risk of waterborne illness.

Chemically grafted carbon-coated LiFePO4 using diazonium chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delaporte, Nicolas; Perea, Alexis; Amin, Ruhul; Zaghib, Karim; Bélanger, Daniel

2015-04-01

The effect of surface functionalization of aminophenyl and bromophenyl groups on carbon-coated LiFePO4 and the electrochemical properties of composite electrode containing these materials are reported. The functionalization was performed by spontaneous reduction of the corresponding in situ generated diazonium ions. The resulting chemically grafted LiFePO4/C materials were characterized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to confirm the presence of the surface organic species. XRD analyses indicated the cathode material was partially oxidized. Thermogravimetric and elemental analyses revealed the loading of grafted molecules was between 0.2 and 1.1 wt.% depending on the reaction conditions. Interestingly, the electrochemical performances of the modified LiFePO4/C are not adversely affected by the presence of either aminophenyl and bromophenyl groups at the carbon surface, and in fact the grafted LiFePO4/C displayed slightly superior discharge capacity at the highest C rate investigated for a low loading of organic molecules.

Composition and diversity of nifH genes of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria associated with boreal forest feather mosses.

PubMed

Ininbergs, Karolina; Bay, Guillaume; Rasmussen, Ulla; Wardle, David A; Nilsson, Marie-Charlotte

2011-10-01

Recent studies have revealed that nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria living in association with feather mosses is a major input of nitrogen to boreal forests. We characterized the community composition and diversity of cyanobacterial nifH phylotypes associated with each of two feather moss species (Pleurozium schreberi and Hylocomium splendens) on each of 30 lake islands varying in ecosystem properties in northern Sweden. Nitrogen fixation was measured using acetylene reduction, and nifH sequences were amplified using general and cyanobacterial selective primers, separated and analyzed using density gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) or cloning, and further sequenced for phylogenetic analyses. Analyses of DGGE fingerprinting patterns revealed two host-specific clusters (one for each moss species), and sequence analysis showed five clusters of nifH phylotypes originating from heterocystous cyanobacteria. For H. splendens only, N(2) fixation was related to both nifH composition and diversity among islands. We demonstrated that the cyanobacterial communities associated with feather mosses show a high degree of host specificity. However, phylotype composition and diversity, and nitrogen fixation, did not differ among groups of islands that varied greatly in their availability of resources. These results suggest that moss species identity, but not extrinsic environmental conditions, serves as the primary determinant of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial communities that inhabit mosses. © 2011 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2011 New Phytologist Trust.

Loss of Osteoblast Runx3 Produces Severe Congenital Osteopenia

PubMed Central

Bauer, Omri; Sharir, Amnon; Kimura, Ayako; Hantisteanu, Shay; Takeda, Shu

2015-01-01

Congenital osteopenia is a bone demineralization condition that is associated with elevated fracture risk in human infants. Here we show that Runx3, like Runx2, is expressed in precommitted embryonic osteoblasts and that Runx3-deficient mice develop severe congenital osteopenia. Runx3-deficient osteoblast-specific (Runx3fl/fl/Col1α1-cre), but not chondrocyte-specific (Runx3fl/fl/Col1α2-cre), mice are osteopenic. This demonstrates that an osteoblastic cell-autonomous function of Runx3 is required for proper osteogenesis. Bone histomorphometry revealed that decreased osteoblast numbers and reduced mineral deposition capacity in Runx3-deficient mice cause this bone formation deficiency. Neonatal bone and cultured primary osteoblast analyses revealed a Runx3-deficiency-associated decrease in the number of active osteoblasts resulting from diminished proliferation and not from enhanced osteoblast apoptosis. These findings are supported by Runx3-null culture transcriptome analyses showing significant decreases in the levels of osteoblastic markers and increases in the levels of Notch signaling components. Thus, while Runx2 is mandatory for the osteoblastic lineage commitment, Runx3 is nonredundantly required for the proliferation of these precommitted cells, to generate adequate numbers of active osteoblasts. Human RUNX3 resides on chromosome 1p36, a region that is associated with osteoporosis. Therefore, RUNX3 might also be involved in human bone mineralization. PMID:25605327

Volatile organic compounds produced by a soil-isolate, Bacillus subtilis FA26 induce adverse ultra-structural changes to the cells of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus, the causal agent of bacterial ring rot of potato.

PubMed

Rajer, Faheem Uddin; Wu, Huijun; Xie, Yongli; Xie, Shanshan; Raza, Waseem; Tahir, Hafiz Abdul Samad; Gao, Xuewen

2017-04-01

Rhizobacterial volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play an important role in the suppression of soil-borne phytopathogens. In this study, the VOCs produced by a soil-isolate, Bacillus subtilis FA26, were evaluated in vitro for their antibacterial activity against Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus (Cms), the causal agent of bacterial ring rot of potato. The VOCs emitted by FA26 inhibited the growth of Cms significantly compared with the control. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed distorted colony morphology and a wide range of abnormalities in Cms cells exposed to the VOCs of FA26. Varying the inoculation strategy and inoculum size showed that the production and activity of the antibacterial VOCs of FA26 were dependent on the culture conditions. Headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses revealed that FA26 produced 11 VOCs. Four VOCs (benzaldehyde, nonanal, benzothiazole and acetophenone) were associated with the antibacterial activity against Cms. The results suggested that the VOCs produced by FA26 could control the causal agent of bacterial ring rot of potato. This information will increase our understanding of the microbial interactions mediated by VOCs in nature and aid the development of safer strategies for controlling plant disease.

Quenching of light flickering in synthetic guanine crystals in aqueous solutions under strong static magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mootha, A.; Takanezawa, Y.; Iwasaka, M.

2018-05-01

The present study focused on the vibration of micro crystal particles of guanine due to Brownian motion. The organic particle has a refractive index of 1.83 and caused a flickering of light. To test the possibility of using magnetic properties under wet conditions, changes in the frequency of particle vibration by applying magnetic fields were investigated. At first, we found that the exposure at 5 T inhibited the flickering light intensities and the particle vibration slightly decreased. Next, we carried out a high speed camera measurement of the Brownian motion of the particle with a time resolution of 100 flame per second (fps) with and without magnetic field exposures. It was revealed that the vibrational speed of synthetic particles was enhanced at 500 mT. Detailed analyses of the particle vibration by changing the direction of magnetic fields versus the light source revealed that the Brownian motion's vibrational frequency was entrained under magnetic fields at 500 mT, and an increase in vibration speed to 20Hz was observed. Additional measurements of light scattering fluctuation using photo-detector and analyses on auto-correlation also confirmed this speculation. The studied Brownian vibration may be influenced by the change in mechanical interactions between the vibration particles and surrounding medium. The discovered phenomena can be applied for molecular and biological interactions in future studies.

RNA-seq analyses reveal insights into the function of respiratory nitrate reductase of the diazotroph Herbaspirillum seropedicae.

PubMed

Bonato, Paloma; Batista, Marcelo B; Camilios-Neto, Doumit; Pankievicz, Vânia C S; Tadra-Sfeir, Michelle Z; Monteiro, Rose Adele; Pedrosa, Fabio O; Souza, Emanuel M; Chubatsu, Leda S; Wassem, Roseli; Rigo, Liu Un

2016-09-01

Herbaspirillum seropedicae is a nitrogen-fixing β-proteobacterium that associates with roots of gramineous plants. In silico analyses revealed that H. seropedicae genome has genes encoding a putative respiratory (NAR) and an assimilatory nitrate reductase (NAS). To date, little is known about nitrate metabolism in H. seropedicae, and, as this bacterium cannot respire nitrate, the function of NAR remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the function of NAR in H. seropedicae and how it metabolizes nitrate in a low aerated-condition. RNA-seq transcriptional profiling in the presence of nitrate allowed us to pinpoint genes important for nitrate metabolism in H. seropedicae, including nitrate transporters and regulatory proteins. Additionally, both RNA-seq data and physiological characterization of a mutant in the catalytic subunit of NAR (narG mutant) showed that NAR is not required for nitrate assimilation but is required for: (i) production of high levels of nitrite, (ii) production of NO and (iii) dissipation of redox power, which in turn lead to an increase in carbon consumption. In addition, wheat plants showed an increase in shoot dry weight only when inoculated with H. seropedicae wild type, but not with the narG mutant, suggesting that NAR is important to H. seropedicae-wheat interaction. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

3-Hydroxyisobutyrate Dehydrogenase Is Involved in Both, Valine and Isoleucine Degradation in Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Schertl, Peter; Danne, Lennart; Braun, Hans-Peter

2017-09-01

In plants, amino acid catabolism is especially relevant in metabolic stress situations (e.g. limited carbohydrate availability during extended darkness). Under these conditions, amino acids are used as alternative substrates for respiration. Complete oxidation of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) leucine, isoleucine (Ile), and valine (Val) in the mitochondria efficiently allows the formation of ATP by oxidative phosphorylation. However, the metabolic pathways for BCAA breakdown are largely unknown so far in plants. A systematic search for Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) genes encoding proteins resembling enzymes involved in BCAA catabolism in animals, fungi, and bacteria as well as proteomic analyses of mitochondrial fractions from Arabidopsis allowed the identification of a putative 3-hydroxyisobutyrate dehydrogenase, AtHDH1 (At4g20930), involved in Val degradation. Systematic substrate screening analyses revealed that the protein uses 3-hydroxyisobutyrate but additionally 3-hydroxypropionate as substrates. This points to a role of the enzyme not only in Val but possibly also in Ile metabolism. At4g20930 knockdown plants were characterized to test this conclusion. Root toxicity assays revealed increased root growth inhibition of the mutants if cultivated in the presence of Val or Ile but not in the presence of leucine. We conclude that AtHDH1 has a dual role in BCAA metabolism in plants. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

Stability and Workload of the Virtual Reality-Based Simulator-2.

PubMed

Kamaraj, Deepan C; Dicianno, Brad E; Mahajan, Harshal P; Buhari, Alhaji M; Cooper, Rory A

2016-07-01

To assess the stability of clinicians' and users' rating of electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) driving while using 4 different human-machine interfaces (HMIs) within the Virtual Reality-based SIMulator-version 2 (VRSIM-2) and in the real world (accounting for a total of 5 unique driving conditions). Within-subjects repeated-measures design. Simulation-based assessment in a research laboratory. A convenience sample of EPW athletes (N=21) recruited at the 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Not applicable. Composite PMRT scores from the Power Mobility Road Test (PMRT); Raw Task Load Index; and the 6 subscale scores from the Task Load Index developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA-TLX). There was moderate stability (intraclass correlation coefficient between .50 and .75) in the total composite PMRT scores (P<.001) and the users' self-reported performance scores (P<.001) among the 5 driving conditions. There was a significant difference in the workload among the 5 different driving conditions as reflected by the Raw Task Load Index (P=.009). Subanalyses revealed this difference was due to the difference in the mental demand (P=.007) and frustration (P=.007) subscales. Post hoc analyses revealed that these differences in the NASA-TLX subscale scores were due to the differences between real-world and virtual driving scores, particularly attributable to the conditions (1 and 3) that lacked the rollers as a part of the simulation. Further design improvements in the simulator to increase immersion experienced by the EPW user, along with a standardized training program for clinicians to deliver PMRT in VRSIM-2, could improve the stability between the different HMIs and real-world driving. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Physiological characteristics of tropical rain forest tree species: a basis for the development of silvicultural technology.

PubMed

Sasaki, Satohiko

2008-01-01

The physiological characteristics of the dominant tree species in the tropical rain forest mainly belonging to dipterocarps as well as the environmental conditions especially for the light in the forest were studied to establish the silvicultural system for the forest regeneration in the tropical South Asia. The flowering patterns of the dipterocarp trees are usually irregular and unpredictable, which make difficult to collect sufficient seeds for raising the seedlings. The field survey revealed the diverged features of the so-called gregarious or simultaneous flowering of various species of this group. Appropriate conditions and methods for the storage of the seeds were established according to the detailed analyses of the morphological and physiological characteristics of the seeds such as the low temperature tolerance and the moisture contents. The intensity and spectra of the light in the forest primarily determine the growth and the morphological development of the seedlings under the canopy. Based on the measurements of the diffused light at the sites in the tropical forest in the varying sunlight, the parameters such as "the steady state of the diffuse light" and "the turning point" were defined, which were useful to evaluate the light conditions in the forest. To improve the survival of the transplanted seedlings, a planting method of "the bare-root seedlings", the seedlings easy to be handled by removal of all leaves, soil and pots, was developed. Its marked efficiency was proved with various dipterocarps and other tropical trees by the field trial in the practical scale. Tolerance of the various species to the extreme environmental conditions such as fires, acid soils and drought were examined by the experiments and the field survey, which revealed marked adaptability of Shorea roxburghii as a potential species for regeneration of the tropical forests.

Nucleation and Crystallization of Globular Proteins: What we Know and What is Missing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosenberger, F.; Vekilov, P. G.; Muschol, M.; Thomas, B. R.

1996-01-01

Recently. much progress has been made in understanding the nucleation and crystallization of globular proteins, including the formation of compositional and structural crystal defects, Insight into the interactions of (screened) protein macro-ions in solution, obtained from light scattering, small angle X-ray scattering and osmotic pressure studies. can guide the search for crystallization conditions. These studies show that the nucleation of globular proteins is governed by the same principles as that of small molecules. However, failure to account for direct and indirect (hydrodynamic) protein interactions in the solutions results in unrealistic aggregation scenarios. Microscopic studies of numerous proteins reveal that crystals grow by the attachment of growth units through the same layer-spreading mechanisms as inorganic crystals. Investigations of the growth kinetics of hen-egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) reveal non-steady behavior under steady external conditions. Long-term variations in growth rates are due to changes in step-originating dislocation groups. Fluctuations on a shorter timescale reflect the non-linear dynamics of layer growth that results from the interplay between interfacial kinetics and bulk transport. Systematic gel electrophoretic analyses suggest that most HEWL crystallization studies have been performed with material containing other proteins at percent levels. Yet, sub-percent levels of protein impurities impede growth step propagation and play a role in the formation of structural/compositional inhomogeneities. In crystal growth from highly purified HEWL solutions, however, such inhomogeneities are much weaker and form only in response to unusually large changes in growth conditions. Equally important for connecting growth conditions to crystal perfection and diffraction resolution are recent advances in structural characterization through high-resolution Bragg reflection profiling and X-ray topography.

Microscopic origin of lattice contraction and expansion in undoped rutile TiO2 nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santara, Batakrushna; Giri, P. K.; Imakita, Kenji; Fujii, Minoru

2014-05-01

We have investigated the microscopic origin of lattice expansion and contraction in undoped rutile TiO2 nanostructures by employing several structural and optical spectroscopic tools. Rutile TiO2 nanostructures with morphologies such as nanorods, nanopillars and nanoflowers, depending upon the growth conditions, are synthesized by an acid-hydrothermal process. Depending on the growth conditions and post-growth annealing, lattice contraction and expansion are observed in the nanostructures and it is found to correlate with the nature and density of intrinsic defects in rutile TiO2. The change in lattice volume correlates well with the optical bandgap energy. Irrespective of growth conditions, theTiO2 nanostructures exhibit strong near infrared (NIR) photoluminescence (PL) at 1.43 eV and a weak visible PL, which are attributed to the Ti interstitials and O vacancies, respectively, in rutile TiO2 nanostructures. Further, ESR study reveals the presence of singly ionized oxygen vacancy defects. It is observed that lattice distortion depends systematically on the relative concentration and type of defects such as oxygen vacancies and Ti interstitials. XPS analyses revealed a downshift in energy for both Ti 2p and O 1s core level spectra for various growth conditions, which is believed to arise from the lattice distortions. It is proposed that the Ti4+ interstitial and F+ oxygen vacancy defects are primarily responsible for lattice expansion, whereas the electrostatic attraction between Ti4+ interstitial and O2- interstitial defects causes the lattice contraction in the undoped TiO2 nanostructures. The control of lattice parameters through the intrinsic defects may provide new routes to achieving novel functionalities in advanced materials that can be tailored for future technological applications.

Rough and smooth morphotypes isolated from Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM I-3699 are two closely-related variants.

PubMed

Tareb, Raouf; Bernardeau, Marion; Horvath, Philippe; Vernoux, Jean-Paul

2015-01-16

This study focused on a pleomorphic strain Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM I-3699 known as probiotic for animal applications. On plating, this strain was characterized by the presence of rough and smooth morphotypes depending on experimental conditions. Dominant smooth (S) form, bright white, having smooth edges with moist, ropy, and creamy along with rough (R) form, pale white, having irregular edges and a dry and granular aspect were always obtained from the parent strain under aerobic culture conditions. In anaerobic conditions, only S form growth was observed. Biochemical dosage of capsular exopolysaccharides showed a significant difference between S and R forms (p<0.01), in agreement with a ropy or non ropy phenotype for the S or R form, respectively. These differences were confirmed by transmission electronic microscopy. The auto-aggregation profile revealed major differences in cultural behaviors. The R morphotype presented a highly auto-aggregative ability contrary to the S morphotype. However, biochemical and molecular analyses revealed that R and S morphotypes: 1) shared the same sugar fermentation pattern; 2) belonged to L. farciminis species using 16S rDNA sequencing; 3) had identical PFGE patterns using NotI and ApaI endonucleases; and 4) had identical CRISPR loci but different from those of other L. farciminis strains. Furthermore, the novelty and uniqueness of CRISPR spacer sequences in CNCM I-3699 provides a genetic support for the development of a molecular tracking tool for CNCM I-3699 and its variants. In conclusion, L. farciminis CNCM I-3699 is a pleomorphic strain giving reproducibly rise to two phenotypically distinct morphotypes R and S. This phenomenon may explain survival and growth abilities in in vitro fluctuating aerobic-anaerobic conditions along with modulation of exopolysaccharide synthesis and autoaggregation profile. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Audio–visual interactions for motion perception in depth modulate activity in visual area V3A

PubMed Central

Ogawa, Akitoshi; Macaluso, Emiliano

2013-01-01

Multisensory signals can enhance the spatial perception of objects and events in the environment. Changes of visual size and auditory intensity provide us with the main cues about motion direction in depth. However, frequency changes in audition and binocular disparity in vision also contribute to the perception of motion in depth. Here, we presented subjects with several combinations of auditory and visual depth-cues to investigate multisensory interactions during processing of motion in depth. The task was to discriminate the direction of auditory motion in depth according to increasing or decreasing intensity. Rising or falling auditory frequency provided an additional within-audition cue that matched or did not match the intensity change (i.e. intensity-frequency (IF) “matched vs. unmatched” conditions). In two-thirds of the trials, a task-irrelevant visual stimulus moved either in the same or opposite direction of the auditory target, leading to audio–visual “congruent vs. incongruent” between-modalities depth-cues. Furthermore, these conditions were presented either with or without binocular disparity. Behavioral data showed that the best performance was observed in the audio–visual congruent condition with IF matched. Brain imaging results revealed maximal response in visual area V3A when all cues provided congruent and reliable depth information (i.e. audio–visual congruent, IF-matched condition including disparity cues). Analyses of effective connectivity revealed increased coupling from auditory cortex to V3A specifically in audio–visual congruent trials. We conclude that within- and between-modalities cues jointly contribute to the processing of motion direction in depth, and that they do so via dynamic changes of connectivity between visual and auditory cortices. PMID:23333414

Factorial-based response-surface modeling with confidence intervals for optimizing thermal-optical transmission analysis of atmospheric black carbon.

PubMed

Conny, J M; Norris, G A; Gould, T R

2009-03-09

Thermal-optical transmission (TOT) analysis measures black carbon (BC) in atmospheric aerosol on a fibrous filter. The method pyrolyzes organic carbon (OC) and employs laser light absorption to distinguish BC from the pyrolyzed OC; however, the instrument does not necessarily separate the two physically. In addition, a comprehensive temperature protocol for the analysis based on the Beer-Lambert Law remains elusive. Here, empirical response-surface modeling was used to show how the temperature protocol in TOT analysis can be modified to distinguish pyrolyzed OC from BC based on the Beer-Lambert Law. We determined the apparent specific absorption cross sections for pyrolyzed OC (sigma(Char)) and BC (sigma(BC)), which accounted for individual absorption enhancement effects within the filter. Response-surface models of these cross sections were derived from a three-factor central-composite factorial experimental design: temperature and duration of the high-temperature step in the helium phase, and the heating increase in the helium-oxygen phase. The response surface for sigma(BC), which varied with instrument conditions, revealed a ridge indicating the correct conditions for OC pyrolysis in helium. The intersection of the sigma(BC) and sigma(Char) surfaces indicated the conditions where the cross sections were equivalent, satisfying an important assumption upon which the method relies. 95% confidence interval surfaces defined a confidence region for a range of pyrolysis conditions. Analyses of wintertime samples from Seattle, WA revealed a temperature between 830 degrees C and 850 degrees C as most suitable for the helium high-temperature step lasting 150s. However, a temperature as low as 750 degrees C could not be rejected statistically.

An Evaluation of a Theoretical Model Predicting Dieting Behaviors: Tests of Measurement and Structural Invariance across Ethnicity and Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boie, Ioana; Lopez, Anna L.; Sass, Daniel A.

2013-01-01

This study evaluated a model linking internalization and dieting behaviors in a sample ("n" = 499) of Latina/o and White college students. Analyses revealed that the scales were invariant across ethnic and gender groups and generally supported the invariance of the proposed model across these groups. Analyses also revealed no ethnic mean…

Junk food advertising moderates the indirect effect of reward sensitivity and food consumption via the urge to eat.

PubMed

Kidd, Chloe; Loxton, Natalie J

2018-05-01

The current study aimed to identify how underlying individual differences increases vulnerability to television food advertising. In particular, this study examined how reward sensitivity, a biologically-based predisposition to approach rewards (such as appetitive foods) in the environment, influenced participants' vulnerability to television food advertising and subsequent food consumption. Ninety-eight participants were randomly assigned to a cue condition (food cues versus non-food cues) and then viewed a 30 min documentary interrupted by advertising featuring a mix of food and neutral advertising (food cue condition) or only neutral advertising (non-food cue condition). Participants' reward sensitivity, approach motivation measured as urge to eat, and food consumption were recorded. Moderated mediation regression analyses revealed the positive association between reward sensitivity and food consumption was mediated by an increase in urge to eat, but only when participants were exposed to food advertising. These findings suggest heightened reward sensitivity, exposure to appetitive food cues, and approach motivation are key interacting mechanisms that may lead to maladaptive eating behaviours. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

One-Year Outcomes and Mediators of a Brief Intervention for Drug Abusing Adolescents

PubMed Central

Winters, Ken C.; Lee, Susanne; Botzet, Andria; Fahnhorst, Tamara; Nicholson, Ali

2014-01-01

Two manually-guided brief interventions were evaluated with a randomized controlled trial. Adolescents (aged 13-17 years) suspected of abusing alcohol and other drugs and their parent were randomly assigned to receive either a 2-session adolescent only (BI-A), 2-session adolescent and additional parent session (BI-AP), or assessment only control condition (CON). Adolescents were identified in a school setting and the intervention was delivered by trained counselors. Outcome analyses (N=284; 90% of those enrolled) of relative change (from intake to 12-months) and absolute status (at 12-months) revealed a general pattern of reductions in drug use behaviors, particularly with the cannabis outcome measures, in both active conditions (BI-A and BI-AP). Students in the control condition showed worse outcome compared to the BI-A and BI-AP groups. Among the four mediating variables measured at 6-months, use of additional services, motivation to change and parenting practices had significant influences on 12-month outcome; problem solving skills approached significance as a mediator. The potential value of a brief intervention for drug abusing adolescents is discussed. PMID:24955669

Comparing photosynthetic characteristics of Isoetes sinensis Palmer under submerged and terrestrial conditions.

PubMed

Yang, Tao; Liu, Xing

2015-12-04

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is widespread in terrestrial and aquatic species, plastic in response to environmental changes. Isoetes L. is one of the earliest basal vascular plants and CAM is popular in this genus. Isoetes sinensis Palmer is an amphibious species, alternating frequently between terrestrial and aquatic environments. Given this, we investigated and compared photosynthetic characteristics over a diurnal cycle under submerged condition (SC) and terrestrial condition (TC). The results suggest that I. sinensis possesses a stronger CAM capacity under SC. Compared with under TC, titratable acidity levels and organic acid concentrations were more enriched under SC, whereas soluble sugar or starch and protein levels were lower under SC. Transcript analyses for nine photosynthetic genes revealed that CAM-associated genes possessed high transcripts under SC, but C3-related transcripts were highly expressed under TC. In addition, the enzyme activity measurements demonstrated that PEPC activity over a diurnal cycle was slightly higher under SC, whereas Rubisco activity during the daytime was greater under TC. This comprehensive study probably facilitates general understandings about the CAM photosynthetic characteristics of Isoetes in response to the environmental changes.

Visual search, movement behaviour and boat control during the windward mark rounding in sailing.

PubMed

Pluijms, Joost P; Cañal-Bruland, Rouwen; Hoozemans, Marco J M; Savelsbergh, Geert J P

2015-01-01

In search of key-performance predictors in sailing, we examined to what degree visual search, movement behaviour and boat control contribute to skilled performance while rounding the windward mark. To this end, we analysed 62 windward mark roundings sailed without opponents and 40 windward mark roundings sailed with opponents while competing in small regattas. Across conditions, results revealed that better performances were related to gazing more to the tangent point during the actual rounding. More specifically, in the condition without opponents, skilled performance was associated with gazing more outside the dinghy during the actual rounding, while in the condition with opponents, superior performance was related to gazing less outside the dinghy. With respect to movement behaviour, superior performance was associated with the release of the trimming lines close to rounding the mark. In addition, better performances were related to approaching the mark with little heel, yet heeling the boat more to the windward side when being close to the mark. Potential implications for practice are suggested for each phase of the windward mark rounding.

[Working conditions and common mental disorders among primary health care workers from Botucatu, São Paulo State].

PubMed

Braga, Ludmila Candida de; Carvalho, Lidia Raquel de; Binder, Maria Cecília Pereira

2010-06-01

Common mental disorders (CMD) present high prevalence among general populations and workers with important individual and social consequences. This cross-sectional and descriptive study explores the relationship between psychological job demands, job control degree and job support and prevalence of CMD among primary health care workers of Botucatu - SP. The data collection was carried out using an unidentified self-administered questionnaire, with emphasis on items relating to demand-control-support situation and occurrence of CMD (Self Reporting Questionnaire, SRQ-20). The data were stored using the software Excel / Office XP 2003, and the statistical analyses were performed in SAS system. It was evidenced that 42.6% of primary health care workers presented CMD. The observed association - high prevalence of CMD with high-strain job (Karasek model) and low prevalence of CMD with low-strain job - indicates that, in the studied city, primary health care work conditions are contributive factors to workers' illness. The survey reveals the need of interventions aiming at caring the workers and also gets better work conditions and increase social support at work.

Attentional Demand of a Virtual Reality-Based Reaching Task in Nondisabled Older Adults.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-An; Chung, Yu-Chen; Proffitt, Rachel; Wade, Eric; Winstein, Carolee

2015-12-01

Attention during exercise is known to affect performance; however, the attentional demand inherent to virtual reality (VR)-based exercise is not well understood. We used a dual-task paradigm to compare the attentional demands of VR-based and non-VR-based (conventional, real-world) exercise: 22 non-disabled older adults performed a primary reaching task to virtual and real targets in a counterbalanced block order while verbally responding to an unanticipated auditory tone in one third of the trials. The attentional demand of the primary reaching task was inferred from the voice response time (VRT) to the auditory tone. Participants' engagement level and task experience were also obtained using questionnaires. The virtual target condition was more attention demanding (significantly longer VRT) than the real target condition. Secondary analyses revealed a significant interaction between engagement level and target condition on attentional demand. For participants who were highly engaged, attentional demand was high and independent of target condition. However, for those who were less engaged, attentional demand was low and depended on target condition (i.e., virtual > real). These findings add important knowledge to the growing body of research pertaining to the development and application of technology-enhanced exercise for elders and for rehabilitation purposes.

Attentional Demand of a Virtual Reality-Based Reaching Task in Nondisabled Older Adults

PubMed Central

Chen, Yi-An; Chung, Yu-Chen; Proffitt, Rachel; Wade, Eric; Winstein, Carolee

2015-01-01

Attention during exercise is known to affect performance; however, the attentional demand inherent to virtual reality (VR)-based exercise is not well understood. We used a dual-task paradigm to compare the attentional demands of VR-based and non-VR-based (conventional, real-world) exercise: 22 non-disabled older adults performed a primary reaching task to virtual and real targets in a counterbalanced block order while verbally responding to an unanticipated auditory tone in one third of the trials. The attentional demand of the primary reaching task was inferred from the voice response time (VRT) to the auditory tone. Participants' engagement level and task experience were also obtained using questionnaires. The virtual target condition was more attention demanding (significantly longer VRT) than the real target condition. Secondary analyses revealed a significant interaction between engagement level and target condition on attentional demand. For participants who were highly engaged, attentional demand was high and independent of target condition. However, for those who were less engaged, attentional demand was low and depended on target condition (i.e., virtual > real). These findings add important knowledge to the growing body of research pertaining to the development and application of technology-enhanced exercise for elders and for rehabilitation purposes. PMID:27004233

Impact of Moderate Heat, Carvacrol, and Thymol Treatments on the Viability, Injury, and Stress Response of Listeria monocytogenes

PubMed Central

Guevara, L.; Antolinos, V.; Palop, A.; Periago, P. M.

2015-01-01

The microbial safety and stability of minimally processed foods are based on the application of combined preservative factors. Since microorganisms are able to develop adaptive networks to survive under conditions of stress, food safety may be affected, and therefore understanding of stress adaptive mechanisms plays a key role in designing safe food processing conditions. In the present study, the viability and the sublethal injury of Listeria monocytogenes exposed to moderate heat (55°C) and/or essential oil compounds (carvacrol and thymol, 0.3 mM) treatments were studied. Synergistic effects were obtained when combining mild heat (55°C) with one or both essential oil compounds, leading to inactivation kinetics values three to four times lower than when using heat alone. All the treatments applied caused some injury in the population. The injury levels ranged from around 20% of the surviving population under the mildest conditions to more than 99.99% under the most stringent conditions. Protein extracts of cells exposed to these treatments were analysed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The results obtained revealed that stressed cells exhibited differential protein expression to control cells. The proteins upregulated under these stressing conditions were implicated, among other functions, in stress response, metabolism, and protein refolding. PMID:26539510

Characterization of the Autophagy related gene-8a (Atg8a) promoter in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Bali, Arundhati; Shravage, Bhupendra V

2017-01-01

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process which is upregulated under various stress conditions, including nutrient stress and oxidative stress. Amongst autophagy related genes (Atgs), Atg8a (LC3 in mammals) is induced several-fold during nutrient limitation in Drosophila. The minimal Atg8a cis-regulatory module (CRM) which mediates transcriptional upregulation under various stress conditions is not known. Here, we describe the generation and analyses of a series of Atg8a promoter deletions which drive the expression of an mCherry-Atg8a fusion cassette. Expression studies revealed that a 200 bp region of Atg8a is sufficient to drive expression of Atg8a in nutrient rich conditions in fat body and ovaries, as well as under nutrient deficient conditions in the fat body. Furthermore, this 200 bp region can mediate Atg8a upregulation during developmental histolysis of the larval fat body and under oxidative stress conditions induced by H 2 O 2 . Finally, the expression levels of Atg8a from this promoter are sufficient to rescue the lethality of the Atg8a mutant. The 200 bp promoter-fusion reporter provides a valuable tool which can be used in genetic screens to identify transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulators of Atg8a.

Model validations for low-global warming potential refrigerants in mini-split air-conditioning units

DOE PAGES

Shen, Bo; Shrestha, Som; Abdelaziz, Omar

2016-09-02

To identify low GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants to replace R-22 and R-410A, extensive experimental evaluations were conducted for multiple candidates of refrigerant at the standard test conditions and at high-ambient conditions with outdoor temperature varying from 27.8 C to 55.0 C.. In the study, R-22 was compared to propane (R-290), DR-3, ARM-20B, N-20B and R-444B in a mini-split air conditioning unit originally designed for R-22; R-410A was compared to R-32, DR-55, ARM-71A, L41-2 (R-447A) in a mini-split unit designed for R-410A. To reveal physics behind the measured performance results, thermodynamic properties of the alternative refrigerants were analysed. In addition,more » the experimental data was used to calibrate a physics-based equipment model, i.e. ORNL Heat Pump Design Model (HPDM). The calibrated model translated the experimental results to key calculated parameters, i.e. compressor efficiencies, refrigerant side two-phase heat transfer coefficients, corresponding to each refrigerant. As a result, these calculated values provide scientific insights on the performance of the alternative refrigerants and are useful for other applications beyond mini-split air conditioning units.« less

The disengagement of visual attention in the gap paradigm across adolescence.

PubMed

Van der Stigchel, S; Hessels, R S; van Elst, J C; Kemner, C

2017-12-01

Attentional disengagement is important for successful interaction with our environment. The efficiency of attentional disengagement is commonly assessed using the gap paradigm. There is, however, a sharp contrast between the number of studies applying the gap paradigm to clinical populations and the knowledge about the underlying developmental trajectory of the gap effect. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to investigate attentional disengagement in a group of children aged 9-15. Besides the typically deployed gap and the overlap conditions, we also added a baseline condition in which the fixation point was removed at the moment that the target appeared. This allowed us to reveal the appropriate experimental conditions to unravel possible developmental differences. Correlational analyses showed that the size of the gap effect became smaller with increasing age, but only for the difference between the gap and the overlap conditions. This shows that there is a gradual increase in the capacity to disengage visual attention with increasing age, but that this effect only becomes apparent when the gap and the overlap conditions are compared. The gradual decrease of the gap effect with increasing age provides additional evidence that the attentional system becomes more efficient with increasing age and that this is a gradual process.

The Effect of Dog-Assisted Intervention on Student Well-Being, Mood, and Anxiety.

PubMed

Grajfoner, Dasha; Harte, Emma; Potter, Lauren M; McGuigan, Nicola

2017-05-05

This novel, exploratory study investigated the effect of a short, 20 min, dog-assisted intervention on student well-being, mood, and anxiety. One hundred and thirty-two university students were allocated to either an experimental condition or one of two control conditions. Each participant completed the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMBS), the State Trait Anxiety Scale (STAI), and the UWIST Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL) both before, and after, the intervention. The participants in the experimental condition interacted with both the dogs and their handlers, whereas the control groups interacted with either the dog only, or the handler only. The analyses revealed a significant difference across conditions for each measure, with those conditions in which a dog was present leading to significant improvements in mood and well-being, as well as a significant reduction in anxiety. Interestingly, the presence of a handler alongside the dog appeared to have a negative, and specific, effect on participant mood, with greater positive shifts in mood being witnessed when participants interacted with the dog alone, than when interacting with both the dog and the handler. These findings show that even a short 20 min session with a therapy dog can be an effective alternative intervention to improve student well-being, anxiety, and mood.

Temperature and nutrient effects on periphyton associated ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Nutrient pollution is a leading cause of water quality impairments and degraded aquatic ecosystem condition. Reliable and reproducible indicators of ecosystem condition are needed to help manage nutrient pollution. The diatom component of periphyton has been used as a water quality indicator due to identifiable cell morphology and existence of relationships between nutrient concentration and diatom community composition. However, morphological identification of diatoms requires highly specialized personnel, is very time consuming, and can produce variable results, suggesting the need for alternative methods that are less expensive and more reproducible. DNA sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene is well documented and provides genus-level resolution of the community structure. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of nutrient loading and temperature on periphyton-associated bacterial communities using standard periphytometer techniques and next generation sequencing technologies. Continuous flow mesocosms were established in an eight tank system consisting of two temperature conditions (10°C and 20°C) and four nutrient conditions (1x to 6x ambient concentrations). Experimental conditions were replicated in July/August 2013 and September 2013. Replicate DNA samples were extracted and the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced using universal Bacterial primers. Initial analyses revealed strong differences in community structure based on temperature (p <

Goal Attribution toward Non-Human Objects during Infancy Predicts Imaginary Companion Status during Preschool Years.

PubMed

Moriguchi, Yusuke; Kanakogi, Yasuhiro; Todo, Naoya; Okumura, Yuko; Shinohara, Ikuko; Itakura, Shoji

2016-01-01

It has been shown that there is a significant relationship between children's mentalizing skills and creation of an imaginary companion (IC). Theorists have proposed that interaction with an IC may improve mentalizing skills, but it is also possible that children's mentalizing skills affect their creation of an IC. In this longitudinal study, we examined whether goal attribution in infants younger than 1 years old (Time 1) predicted their creation of ICs at 48 months old (Time 2). At Time 1, infants' goal attribution was measured in an action prediction experiment, where infants anticipated three types of action goals: (1) another person's goal-directed action (GH condition); (2) another person's non-goal-directed (BH condition); and (3) a mechanical claw's goal-directed action (MC condition). At Time 2, parents completed questionnaires assessing whether their children had ICs. The path analyses using Bayesian estimation revealed that infants' anticipation in the MC condition, but not in the GH and BH conditions, predicted their later IC status. These results indicate that infants' goal attributions to non-human agents may be a strong predictor of their later IC creation. Early mentalizing skills toward non-human objects may provide children with a basis for their engagement in imaginative play.

Level of processing modulates the neural correlates of emotional memory formation

PubMed Central

Ritchey, Maureen; LaBar, Kevin S.; Cabeza, Roberto

2010-01-01

Emotion is known to influence multiple aspects of memory formation, including the initial encoding of the memory trace and its consolidation over time. However, the neural mechanisms whereby emotion impacts memory encoding remain largely unexplored. The present study employed a levels-of-processing manipulation to characterize the impact of emotion on encoding with and without the influence of elaborative processes. Participants viewed emotionally negative, neutral, and positive scenes under two conditions: a shallow condition focused on the perceptual features of the scenes and a deep condition that queried their semantic meaning. Recognition memory was tested 2 days later. Results showed that emotional memory enhancements were greatest in the shallow condition. FMRI analyses revealed that the right amygdala predicted subsequent emotional memory in the shallow more than deep condition, whereas the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex demonstrated the reverse pattern. Furthermore, the association of these regions with the hippocampus was modulated by valence: the amygdala-hippocampal link was strongest for negative stimuli, whereas the prefrontal-hippocampal link was strongest for positive stimuli. Taken together, these results suggest two distinct activation patterns underlying emotional memory formation: an amygdala component that promotes memory during shallow encoding, especially for negative information, and a prefrontal component that provides extra benefits during deep encoding, especially for positive information. PMID:20350176

Psychological intervention programs for reduction of injury in ballet dancers.

PubMed

Noh, Young-Eun; Morris, Tony; Andersen, Mark B

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two psychological interventions designed to reduce injury among dancers by enhancing coping skills. Participants were 35 ballet dancers. They were assigned to three conditions: control (n = 12), autogenic training (n = 12), and a broad-based coping skills condition, including autogenic training, imagery, and self-talk (n = 11). The 12-week interventions were designed on the basis of results from previous studies. For the 12 weeks following the intervention, participants were asked to practice their respective interventions three times a week. During the 24-week period (12 weeks training plus 12 weeks practice), training staff at the dance academies recorded injuries on a record sheet each day. Participants wrote injury records by themselves for another 24 weeks. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and univariate tests for each dependent variable showed that the broad-based coping skills condition enhanced coping skills, in particular, peaking under pressure, coping with adversity, having confidence and achievement motivation, and concentrating. Separate analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), one using preintervention injury frequency as the covariate and one using preintervention injury duration as the covariate, revealed that participants in the broad-based coping skills condition spent less time injured than participants in the control condition.

Alterations to the orientation of the ground reaction force vector affect sprint acceleration performance in team sports athletes.

PubMed

Bezodis, Neil E; North, Jamie S; Razavet, Jane L

2017-09-01

A more horizontally oriented ground reaction force vector is related to higher levels of sprint acceleration performance across a range of athletes. However, the effects of acute experimental alterations to the force vector orientation within athletes are unknown. Fifteen male team sports athletes completed maximal effort 10-m accelerations in three conditions following different verbal instructions intended to manipulate the force vector orientation. Ground reaction forces (GRFs) were collected from the step nearest 5-m and stance leg kinematics at touchdown were also analysed to understand specific kinematic features of touchdown technique which may influence the consequent force vector orientation. Magnitude-based inferences were used to compare findings between conditions. There was a likely more horizontally oriented ground reaction force vector and a likely lower peak vertical force in the control condition compared with the experimental conditions. 10-m sprint time was very likely quickest in the control condition which confirmed the importance of force vector orientation for acceleration performance on a within-athlete basis. The stance leg kinematics revealed that a more horizontally oriented force vector during stance was preceded at touchdown by a likely more dorsiflexed ankle, a likely more flexed knee, and a possibly or likely greater hip extension velocity.

Level of processing modulates the neural correlates of emotional memory formation.

PubMed

Ritchey, Maureen; LaBar, Kevin S; Cabeza, Roberto

2011-04-01

Emotion is known to influence multiple aspects of memory formation, including the initial encoding of the memory trace and its consolidation over time. However, the neural mechanisms whereby emotion impacts memory encoding remain largely unexplored. The present study used a levels-of-processing manipulation to characterize the impact of emotion on encoding with and without the influence of elaborative processes. Participants viewed emotionally negative, neutral, and positive scenes under two conditions: a shallow condition focused on the perceptual features of the scenes and a deep condition that queried their semantic meaning. Recognition memory was tested 2 days later. Results showed that emotional memory enhancements were greatest in the shallow condition. fMRI analyses revealed that the right amygdala predicted subsequent emotional memory in the shallow more than deep condition, whereas the right ventrolateral PFC demonstrated the reverse pattern. Furthermore, the association of these regions with the hippocampus was modulated by valence: the amygdala-hippocampal link was strongest for negative stimuli, whereas the prefrontal-hippocampal link was strongest for positive stimuli. Taken together, these results suggest two distinct activation patterns underlying emotional memory formation: an amygdala component that promotes memory during shallow encoding, especially for negative information, and a prefrontal component that provides extra benefits during deep encoding, especially for positive information.

Model validations for low-global warming potential refrigerants in mini-split air-conditioning units

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

Shen, Bo; Shrestha, Som; Abdelaziz, Omar

To identify low GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants to replace R-22 and R-410A, extensive experimental evaluations were conducted for multiple candidates of refrigerant at the standard test conditions and at high-ambient conditions with outdoor temperature varying from 27.8 C to 55.0 C.. In the study, R-22 was compared to propane (R-290), DR-3, ARM-20B, N-20B and R-444B in a mini-split air conditioning unit originally designed for R-22; R-410A was compared to R-32, DR-55, ARM-71A, L41-2 (R-447A) in a mini-split unit designed for R-410A. To reveal physics behind the measured performance results, thermodynamic properties of the alternative refrigerants were analysed. In addition,more » the experimental data was used to calibrate a physics-based equipment model, i.e. ORNL Heat Pump Design Model (HPDM). The calibrated model translated the experimental results to key calculated parameters, i.e. compressor efficiencies, refrigerant side two-phase heat transfer coefficients, corresponding to each refrigerant. As a result, these calculated values provide scientific insights on the performance of the alternative refrigerants and are useful for other applications beyond mini-split air conditioning units.« less

Plastidic Phosphoglucose Isomerase Is an Important Determinant of Starch Accumulation in Mesophyll Cells, Growth, Photosynthetic Capacity, and Biosynthesis of Plastidic Cytokinins in Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

De Diego, Nuria; Muñoz, Francisco J.; Baroja-Fernández, Edurne; Li, Jun; Ricarte-Bermejo, Adriana; Baslam, Marouane; Aranjuelo, Iker; Almagro, Goizeder; Humplík, Jan F.; Novák, Ondřej; Spíchal, Lukáš; Doležal, Karel; Pozueta-Romero, Javier

2015-01-01

Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) catalyzes the reversible isomerization of glucose-6-phosphate and fructose-6-phosphate. It is involved in glycolysis and in the regeneration of glucose-6-P molecules in the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP). In chloroplasts of illuminated mesophyll cells PGI also connects the Calvin-Benson cycle with the starch biosynthetic pathway. In this work we isolated pgi1-3, a mutant totally lacking pPGI activity as a consequence of aberrant intron splicing of the pPGI encoding gene, PGI1. Starch content in pgi1-3 source leaves was ca. 10-15% of that of wild type (WT) leaves, which was similar to that of leaves of pgi1-2, a T-DNA insertion pPGI null mutant. Starch deficiency of pgi1 leaves could be reverted by the introduction of a sex1 null mutation impeding β-amylolytic starch breakdown. Although previous studies showed that starch granules of pgi1-2 leaves are restricted to both bundle sheath cells adjacent to the mesophyll and stomata guard cells, microscopy analyses carried out in this work revealed the presence of starch granules in the chloroplasts of pgi1-2 and pgi1-3 mesophyll cells. RT-PCR analyses showed high expression levels of plastidic and extra-plastidic β-amylase encoding genes in pgi1 leaves, which was accompanied by increased β-amylase activity. Both pgi1-2 and pgi1-3 mutants displayed slow growth and reduced photosynthetic capacity phenotypes even under continuous light conditions. Metabolic analyses revealed that the adenylate energy charge and the NAD(P)H/NAD(P) ratios in pgi1 leaves were lower than those of WT leaves. These analyses also revealed that the content of plastidic 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP)-pathway derived cytokinins (CKs) in pgi1 leaves were exceedingly lower than in WT leaves. Noteworthy, exogenous application of CKs largely reverted the low starch content phenotype of pgi1 leaves. The overall data show that pPGI is an important determinant of photosynthesis, energy status, growth and starch accumulation in mesophyll cells likely as a consequence of its involvement in the production of OPPP/glycolysis intermediates necessary for the synthesis of plastidic MEP-pathway derived hormones such as CKs. PMID:25811607

Effect of autoclaving on the surfaces of TiN -coated and conventional nickel-titanium rotary instruments.

PubMed

Spagnuolo, G; Ametrano, G; D'Antò, V; Rengo, C; Simeone, M; Riccitiello, F; Amato, M

2012-12-01

To evaluate the effects of repeated autoclave sterilization cycles on surface topography of conventional nickel-titanium ( NiTi ) and titanium nitride ( TiN )-coated rotary instruments. A total of 60 NiTi rotary instruments, 30 ProTaper (Dentsply Maillefer) and 30 TiN -coated AlphaKite (Komet/Gebr. Brasseler), were analysed. Instruments were evaluated in the as-received condition and after 1, 5 and 10 sterilization cycles. After sterilization, the samples were observed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and surface chemical analysis was performed on each instrument with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Moreover, the samples were analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and roughness average (Ra) and the root mean square value (RMS) of the scanned surface profiles were recorded. Data were analysed by means of anova followed by Tukey's test. Scanning electron microscope observations revealed the presence of pitting and deep milling marks in all instruments. EDS analysis confirmed that both types of instruments were composed mainly of nickel and titanium, whilst AlphaKite had additional nitride. After multiple autoclave sterilization cycles, SEM examinations revealed an increase in surface alterations, and EDS values indicated changes in chemical surface composition in all instruments. Ra and RMS values of ProTaper significantly increased after 5 (P = 0.006) and 10 cycles (P = 0.002) with respect to the as-received instruments, whilst AlphaKite showed significant differences compared with the controls after 10 cycles (P = 0.03). Multiple autoclave sterilization cycles modified the surface topography and chemical composition of conventional and TiN -coated NiTi rotary instruments. © 2012 International Endodontic Journal.

Surfactant-assisted hydrothermal crystallization of nanostructured lithium metasilicate (Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3}) hollow spheres: (I) Synthesis, structural and microstructural characterization

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

Ortiz-Landeros, J.; Departamento de Ingenieria Metalurgica, Escuela Superior de Ingenieria Quimica e Industrias Extractivas, IPN, UPALM, Av. Instituto Politecnico Nacional s/n, CP 07738, Mexico DF; Contreras-Garcia, M.E.

Lithium metasilicate (Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3}) was successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal process in the presence of different surfactants with cationic, non-ionic and anionic characters. The samples obtained were compared to a sample prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The structural and microstructural characterizations of different Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} powders were performed using various techniques. Diffraction analyses revealed the successful crystallization of pure Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} single phase by hydrothermal technique, even without further heat-treatments and independent of the surfactant used. Electron microscopy analyses revealed that Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} powders were composed of uniform micrometric particles with a hollow spheremore » morphology and nanostructured walls. Finally, different thermal analyses showed that Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} samples preserved their structure and microstructure after further thermal treatments. Specific aspects regarding the formation mechanism of the spherical aggregates under hydrothermal conditions are discussed, and there is a special emphasis on the effect of the synthesis pathway on the morphological characteristics. -- Graphical abstract: Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} was synthesized using a hydrothermal process in the presence of different surfactants. Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} powders were composed of uniform micrometric particles with a hollow sphere morphology and nanostructured walls. Display Omitted Highlights: {yields} Pure Li{sub 2}SiO{sub 3} was synthesized by the hydrothermal method. {yields} Surfactant addition produced microstructural and morphological variations. {yields} TEM reveled the generation of nanostructured hollow spheres.« less

Enzymatic and spectroscopic properties of a thermostable [NiFe]‑hydrogenase performing H2-driven NAD+-reduction in the presence of O2.

PubMed

Preissler, Janina; Wahlefeld, Stefan; Lorent, Christian; Teutloff, Christian; Horch, Marius; Lauterbach, Lars; Cramer, Stephen P; Zebger, Ingo; Lenz, Oliver

2018-01-01

Biocatalysts that mediate the H 2 -dependent reduction of NAD + to NADH are attractive from both a fundamental and applied perspective. Here we present the first biochemical and spectroscopic characterization of an NAD + -reducing [NiFe]‑hydrogenase that sustains catalytic activity at high temperatures and in the presence of O 2 , which usually acts as an inhibitor. We isolated and sequenced the four structural genes, hoxFUYH, encoding the soluble NAD + -reducing [NiFe]‑hydrogenase (SH) from the thermophilic betaproteobacterium, Hydrogenophilus thermoluteolus TH-1 T (Ht). The HtSH was recombinantly overproduced in a hydrogenase-free mutant of the well-studied, H 2 -oxidizing betaproteobacterium Ralstonia eutropha H16 (Re). The enzyme was purified and characterized with various biochemical and spectroscopic techniques. Highest H 2 -mediated NAD + reduction activity was observed at 80°C and pH6.5, and catalytic activity was found to be sustained at low O 2 concentrations. Infrared spectroscopic analyses revealed a spectral pattern for as-isolated HtSH that is remarkably different from those of the closely related ReSH and other [NiFe]‑hydrogenases. This indicates an unusual configuration of the oxidized catalytic center in HtSH. Complementary electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic analyses revealed spectral signatures similar to related NAD + -reducing [NiFe]‑hydrogenases. This study lays the groundwork for structural and functional analyses of the HtSH as well as application of this enzyme for H 2 -driven cofactor recycling under oxic conditions at elevated temperatures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Origins of the Xylella fastidiosa prophage-like regions and their impact in genome differentiation.

PubMed

de Mello Varani, Alessandro; Souza, Rangel Celso; Nakaya, Helder I; de Lima, Wanessa Cristina; Paula de Almeida, Luiz Gonzaga; Kitajima, Elliot Watanabe; Chen, Jianchi; Civerolo, Edwin; Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza Ribeiro; Van Sluys, Marie-Anne

2008-01-01

Xylella fastidiosa is a Gram negative plant pathogen causing many economically important diseases, and analyses of completely sequenced X. fastidiosa genome strains allowed the identification of many prophage-like elements and possibly phage remnants, accounting for up to 15% of the genome composition. To better evaluate the recent evolution of the X. fastidiosa chromosome backbone among distinct pathovars, the number and location of prophage-like regions on two finished genomes (9a5c and Temecula1), and in two candidate molecules (Ann1 and Dixon) were assessed. Based on comparative best bidirectional hit analyses, the majority (51%) of the predicted genes in the X. fastidiosa prophage-like regions are related to structural phage genes belonging to the Siphoviridae family. Electron micrograph reveals the existence of putative viral particles with similar morphology to lambda phages in the bacterial cell in planta. Moreover, analysis of microarray data indicates that 9a5c strain cultivated under stress conditions presents enhanced expression of phage anti-repressor genes, suggesting switches from lysogenic to lytic cycle of phages under stress-induced situations. Furthermore, virulence-associated proteins and toxins are found within these prophage-like elements, thus suggesting an important role in host adaptation. Finally, clustering analyses of phage integrase genes based on multiple alignment patterns reveal they group in five lineages, all possessing a tyrosine recombinase catalytic domain, and phylogenetically close to other integrases found in phages that are genetic mosaics and able to perform generalized and specialized transduction. Integration sites and tRNA association is also evidenced. In summary, we present comparative and experimental evidence supporting the association and contribution of phage activity on the differentiation of Xylella genomes.

Latent Variables Affecting Behavioral Response to the Human Intruder Test in Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

PubMed Central

Gottlieb, Daniel H.; Capitanio, John P.

2012-01-01

The human intruder test is a testing paradigm designed to measure rhesus macaques’ behavioral responses to a stressful and threatening situation. In the test, an unfamiliar human positions him/herself in various threatening positions relative to a caged macaque. This paradigm has been utilized for over twenty years to measure a variety of behavioral constructs, including fear and anxiety, behavioral inhibition, emotionality, and aggression. To date there have been no attempts to evaluate comprehensively the structure of the behavioral responses to the test. Our first goal was to identify the underlying latent factors affecting the different responses among subjects, and our second goal was determine if rhesus reared in different environments respond differently in this testing paradigm. To accomplish this, we first performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the behavioral responses of 3–4 month-old rhesus macaques, utilizing data from over 2,000 separate tests conducted between 2001–2007. Using the resulting model, we then tested to see whether early rearing experience affected responses in the test. Our first analyses suggested that most of the variation in infant behavioral responses to the human intruder test could be explained by four latent factors: “Activity,” “Emotionality,” “Aggression,” and “Displacement.” Our second analyses revealed a significant effect of rearing condition for each factor score (P < 0.001); most notable socially-reared animals had the lowest Activity score (P < 0.001), indoor mother-reared animals had the highest Displacement score (P < 0.001), and nursery-reared animals had the highest Emotionality (P < 0.001) and lowest Aggression scores (P < 0.001). These results demonstrate that this standardized testing paradigm reveals multiple patterns of response, which are influenced by an animal’s rearing history. PMID:23229557

Latent variables affecting behavioral response to the human intruder test in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

PubMed

Gottlieb, Daniel H; Capitanio, John P

2013-04-01

The human intruder test is a testing paradigm designed to measure rhesus macaques' behavioral responses to a stressful and threatening situation. In the test, an unfamiliar human positions him/herself in various threatening positions relative to a caged macaque. This paradigm has been utilized for over 20 years to measure a variety of behavioral constructs, including fear and anxiety, behavioral inhibition, emotionality, and aggression. To date, there have been no attempts to evaluate comprehensively the structure of the behavioral responses to the test. Our first goal was to identify the underlying latent factors affecting the different responses among subjects, and our second goal was to determine if rhesus reared in different environments respond differently in this testing paradigm. To accomplish this, we first performed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the behavioral responses of 3- to 4-month-old rhesus macaques, utilizing data from over 2,000 separate tests conducted between 2001-2007. Using the resulting model, we then tested to see whether early rearing experience affected responses in the test. Our first analyses suggested that most of the variation in infant behavioral responses to the human intruder test could be explained by four latent factors: "activity," "emotionality," "aggression," and "displacement." Our second analyses revealed a significant effect of rearing condition for each factor score (P < 0.001); most notable socially reared animals had the lowest activity score (P < 0.001), indoor mother-reared animals had the highest displacement score (P < 0.001), and nursery-reared animals had the highest emotionality (P < 0.001) and lowest aggression scores (P < 0.001). These results demonstrate that this standardized testing paradigm reveals multiple patterns of response, which are influenced by an animal's rearing history. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Origins of the Xylella fastidiosa Prophage-Like Regions and Their Impact in Genome Differentiation

PubMed Central

de Mello Varani, Alessandro; Souza, Rangel Celso; Nakaya, Helder I.; de Lima, Wanessa Cristina; Paula de Almeida, Luiz Gonzaga; Kitajima, Elliot Watanabe; Chen, Jianchi; Civerolo, Edwin; Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza Ribeiro; Van Sluys, Marie-Anne

2008-01-01

Xylella fastidiosa is a Gram negative plant pathogen causing many economically important diseases, and analyses of completely sequenced X. fastidiosa genome strains allowed the identification of many prophage-like elements and possibly phage remnants, accounting for up to 15% of the genome composition. To better evaluate the recent evolution of the X. fastidiosa chromosome backbone among distinct pathovars, the number and location of prophage-like regions on two finished genomes (9a5c and Temecula1), and in two candidate molecules (Ann1 and Dixon) were assessed. Based on comparative best bidirectional hit analyses, the majority (51%) of the predicted genes in the X. fastidiosa prophage-like regions are related to structural phage genes belonging to the Siphoviridae family. Electron micrograph reveals the existence of putative viral particles with similar morphology to lambda phages in the bacterial cell in planta. Moreover, analysis of microarray data indicates that 9a5c strain cultivated under stress conditions presents enhanced expression of phage anti-repressor genes, suggesting switches from lysogenic to lytic cycle of phages under stress-induced situations. Furthermore, virulence-associated proteins and toxins are found within these prophage-like elements, thus suggesting an important role in host adaptation. Finally, clustering analyses of phage integrase genes based on multiple alignment patterns reveal they group in five lineages, all possessing a tyrosine recombinase catalytic domain, and phylogenetically close to other integrases found in phages that are genetic mosaics and able to perform generalized and specialized transduction. Integration sites and tRNA association is also evidenced. In summary, we present comparative and experimental evidence supporting the association and contribution of phage activity on the differentiation of Xylella genomes. PMID:19116666

Truncated Photosystem Chlorophyll Antenna Size in the Green Microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii upon Deletion of the TLA3-CpSRP43 Gene1[C][W][OA

PubMed Central

Kirst, Henning; Garcia-Cerdan, Jose Gines; Zurbriggen, Andreas; Ruehle, Thilo; Melis, Anastasios

2012-01-01

The truncated light-harvesting antenna size3 (tla3) DNA insertional transformant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a chlorophyll-deficient mutant with a lighter green phenotype, a lower chlorophyll (Chl) per cell content, and higher Chl a/b ratio than corresponding wild-type strains. Functional analyses revealed a higher intensity for the saturation of photosynthesis and greater light-saturated photosynthetic activity in the tla3 mutant than in the wild type and a Chl antenna size of the photosystems that was only about 40% of that in the wild type. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western-blot analyses showed that the tla3 strain was deficient in the Chl a/b light-harvesting complex. Molecular and genetic analyses revealed a single plasmid insertion in chromosome 4 of the tla3 nuclear genome, causing deletion of predicted gene g5047 and plasmid insertion within the fourth intron of downstream-predicted gene g5046. Complementation studies defined that gene g5047 alone was necessary and sufficient to rescue the tla3 mutation. Gene g5047 encodes a C. reinhardtii homolog of the chloroplast-localized SRP43 signal recognition particle, whose occurrence and function in green microalgae has not hitherto been investigated. Biochemical analysis showed that the nucleus-encoded and chloroplast-localized CrCpSRP43 protein specifically operates in the assembly of the peripheral components of the Chl a/b light-harvesting antenna. This work demonstrates that cpsrp43 deletion in green microalgae can be employed to generate tla mutants with a substantially diminished Chl antenna size. The latter exhibit improved solar energy conversion efficiency and photosynthetic productivity under mass culture and bright sunlight conditions. PMID:23043081

An fMRI investigation of empathic processing in boys with conduct problems and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits.

PubMed

Sethi, Arjun; O'Nions, Elizabeth; McCrory, Eamon; Bird, Geoffrey; Viding, Essi

2018-01-01

The ability to empathise relies in part on using one's own affective experience to simulate the affective experience of others. This process is supported by a number of brain areas including the anterior insula (AI), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and the amygdala. Children with conduct problems (CP), and in particular those with high levels of callous-unemotional traits (CP/HCU) present with less empathy than their peers. They also show reduced neural response in areas supporting empathic processing when viewing other people in distress. The current study focused on identifying brain areas co-activated during affective introspection of: i) One's own emotions ('Own emotion'); ii) Others' emotions ('Other emotion'); and iii) One's feelings about others' emotions ('Feel for other') during fearful vs neutral scenarios in typically developing boys (TD; n  = 31), boys with CP/HCU ( n  = 31), and boys with CP and low levels of CU (CP/LCU; n  = 33). The conjunction analysis across conditions within the TD group revealed significant clusters of activation in the AI, ACC/mPFC, and occipital cortex. Conjunction analyses across conditions in the CP/HCU and CP/LCU groups did not identify these areas as significantly activated. However, follow-up analyses were not able to confirm statistically significant differences between groups across the whole network, and Bayes-factor analyses did not provide substantial support for either the null or alternate hypotheses. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that the lack of conjunction effects in the CP/HCU group may reflect reduced affective introspection in the 'Other emotion' and 'Feel for other' conditions, and by reduced affective introspection in the 'Own emotion' condition in the CP/LCU group. These findings provide limited and ultimately equivocal evidence for altered affective introspection regarding others in CP/HCU, and altered affective introspection for own emotions in CP/LCU, and highlight the need for further research to systematically investigate the precise nature of empathy deficits in children with CP.

PNIPAAm-based biohybrid injectable hydrogel for cardiac tissue engineering.

PubMed

Navaei, Ali; Truong, Danh; Heffernan, John; Cutts, Josh; Brafman, David; Sirianni, Rachael W; Vernon, Brent; Nikkhah, Mehdi

2016-03-01

Injectable biomaterials offer a non-invasive approach to deliver cells into the myocardial infarct region to maintain a high level of cell retention and viability and initiate the regeneration process. However, previously developed injectable matrices often suffer from low bioactivity or poor mechanical properties. To address this need, we introduced a biohybrid temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) PNIPAAm-Gelatin-based injectable hydrogel with excellent bioactivity as well as mechanical robustness for cardiac tissue engineering. A unique feature of our work was that we performed extensive in vitro biological analyses to assess the functionalities of cardiomyocytes (CMs) alone and in co-culture with cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) (2:1 ratio) within the hydrogel matrix. The synthesized hydrogel exhibited viscoelastic behavior (storage modulus: 1260 Pa) and necessary water content (75%) to properly accommodate the cardiac cells. The encapsulated cells demonstrated a high level of cell survival (90% for co-culture condition, day 7) and spreading throughout the hydrogel matrix in both culture conditions. A dense network of stained F-actin fibers (∼ 6 × 10(4) μm(2) area coverage, co-culture condition) illustrated the formation of an intact and three dimensional (3D) cell-embedded matrix. Furthermore, immunostaining and gene expression analyses revealed mature phenotypic characteristics of cardiac cells. Notably, the co-culture group exhibited superior structural organization and cell-cell coupling, as well as beating behavior (average ∼ 45 beats per min, co-culture condition, day 7). The outcome of this study is envisioned to open a new avenue for extensive in vitro characterization of injectable matrices embedded with 3D mono- and co-culture of cardiac cells prior to in vivo experiments. In this work, we synthesized a new class of biohybrid temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) PNIPAAm-Gelatin-based injectable hydrogel with suitable bioactivity and mechanical properties for cardiac tissue engineering. A significant aspect of our work was that we performed extensive in vitro biological analyses to assess the functionality of cardiomyocytes alone and in co-culture with cardiac fibroblasts encapsulated within the 3D hydrogel matrix. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The “Artificial Artery” as In Vitro Perfusion Model

PubMed Central

Rüth, Marieke; Buschmann, Ivo; Lemke, Horst-Dieter; Jacobi, Dorit; Knaus, Petra; Spindler, Ernst; Zidek, Walter; Lehmann, Kerstin; Jankowski, Vera

2013-01-01

Metabolic stimuli, pressure, and fluid shear stress (FSS) are major mediators of vascular plasticity. The exposure of the vessel wall to increased laminar FSS is the main trigger of arteriogenesis, the remodelling of pre-existent arterio-arteriolar anastomoses to functional conductance arteries. In this study, we have used an in vitro bioreactor to investigate cell-specific interactions, molecular mechanisms as well as time-dependent effects under laminar FSS conditions. This bioreactor termed “artificial artery” can be used for screening potential arterio-protective substances, pro-arteriogenic factors, and for investigating biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases such as cardiac diseases. The bioreactor is built up out of 14 hollow fiber membranes colonized with endothelial cells (HUVECs) on the inside and smooth muscle cells (HUASMCs) on the outside. By means of Hoechst 33342 staining as well as immunocytochemistry of ß-catenin and α-smooth-muscle-actin, a microporous polypropylene membrane was characterized as being the appropriate polymer for co-colonization. Defined arterial flow conditions (0.1 N/m2 and 3 N/m2), metabolic exchange, and cross-talk of HUVECs and HUASMCs through hollow fibers mimic physiological in vivo conditions of the vasculature. Analysing mono- and co-culture secretomes by MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry, we could show that HUVECs secreted Up4A upon 3 N/m2. A constant cellular secretion of randomly chosen peptides verified viability of the “artificial artery” for a cultivation period up to five days. qRT-PCR analyses revealed an up-regulation of KLF2 and TIMP1 as mechano-regulated genes and demonstrated arterio-protective, homeostatic FSS conditions by a down-regulation of EDN1. Expression analyses of VWF and EDN1 furthermore confirmed that RNA of both cell types could separately be isolated without cross-contamination. CCND1 mRNA expression in HUVECs did not change upon FSS indicating a quiescent endothelial phenotype. Taken together, the “artificial artery” provides a solid in vitro model to test pharmacological active compounds for their impact on arterio-damaging or arterio-protective properties on vascular response. PMID:23505419

Selection of suitable soybean EF1α genes as internal controls for real-time PCR analyses of tissues during plant development and under stress conditions.

PubMed

Saraiva, Kátia D C; Fernandes de Melo, Dirce; Morais, Vanessa D; Vasconcelos, Ilka M; Costa, José H

2014-09-01

The EF1α genes were stable in the large majority of soybean tissues during development and in specific tissues/conditions under stress. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis strongly depends on transcript normalization using stable reference genes. Reference genes are generally encoded by multigene families and are used in qPCR normalization; however, little effort has been made to verify the stability of different gene members within a family. Here, the expression stability of members of the soybean EF1α gene family (named EF1α 1a1, 1a2, 1b, 2a, 2b and 3) was evaluated in different tissues during plant development and stress exposure (SA and PEG). Four genes (UKN1, SKIP 16, EF1β and MTP) already established as stably expressed were also used in the comparative analysis. GeNorm analyses revealed different combinations of reference genes as stable in soybean tissues during development. The EF1α genes were the most stable in cotyledons (EF1α 3 and EF1α 1b), epicotyls (EF1α 1a2, EF1α 2b and EF1α 1a1), hypocotyls (EF1α 1a1 and EF1β), pods (EF1α 2a and EF1α 2b) and roots (EF1α 2a and UKN1) and less stable in tissues such as trifoliate and unifoliate leaves and germinating seeds. Under stress conditions, no suitable combination including only EF1α genes was found; however, some genes were relatively stable in leaves (EF1α 1a2) and roots (EF1α 1a1) treated with SA as well as in roots treated with PEG (EF1α 2b). EF1α 2a was the most stably expressed EF1α gene in all soybean tissues under stress. Taken together, our data provide guidelines for the selection of EF1α genes for use as reference genes in qPCR expression analyses during plant development and under stress conditions.

Sedimentary ancient DNA and pollen reveal the composition of plant organic matter in Late Quaternary permafrost sediments of the Buor Khaya Peninsula (north-eastern Siberia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hildegard Zimmermann, Heike; Raschke, Elena; Saskia Epp, Laura; Rosmarie Stoof-Leichsenring, Kathleen; Schwamborn, Georg; Schirrmeister, Lutz; Overduin, Pier Paul; Herzschuh, Ulrike

2017-02-01

Organic matter deposited in ancient, ice-rich permafrost sediments is vulnerable to climate change and may contribute to the future release of greenhouse gases; it is thus important to get a better characterization of the plant organic matter within such sediments. From a Late Quaternary permafrost sediment core from the Buor Khaya Peninsula, we analysed plant-derived sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) to identify the taxonomic composition of plant organic matter, and undertook palynological analysis to assess the environmental conditions during deposition. Using sedaDNA, we identified 154 taxa and from pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs we identified 83 taxa. In the deposits dated between 54 and 51 kyr BP, sedaDNA records a diverse low-centred polygon plant community including recurring aquatic pond vegetation while from the pollen record we infer terrestrial open-land vegetation with relatively dry environmental conditions at a regional scale. A fluctuating dominance of either terrestrial or swamp and aquatic taxa in both proxies allowed the local hydrological development of the polygon to be traced. In deposits dated between 11.4 and 9.7 kyr BP (13.4-11.1 cal kyr BP), sedaDNA shows a taxonomic turnover to moist shrub tundra and a lower taxonomic richness compared to the older samples. Pollen also records a shrub tundra community, mostly seen as changes in relative proportions of the most dominant taxa, while a decrease in taxonomic richness was less pronounced compared to sedaDNA. Our results show the advantages of using sedaDNA in combination with palynological analyses when macrofossils are rarely preserved. The high resolution of the sedaDNA record provides a detailed picture of the taxonomic composition of plant-derived organic matter throughout the core, and palynological analyses prove valuable by allowing for inferences of regional environmental conditions.

Host-dependent differences in resource use associated with Anilocra spp. parasitism in two coral reef fishes, as revealed by stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Welicky, Rachel; Demopoulos, Amanda W. J.; Sikkel, Paul C.

2017-01-01

The role of parasites in trophic ecology is poorly understood in marine ecosystems. Stable isotope analyses (SIA) have been widely used in studies of trophic ecology, but have rarely been applied to study the role of parasites. Considering that some parasites are associated with altered host foraging patterns, SIA can help elucidate whether parasitism influences host trophic interactions. French grunt (Haemulon flavolineatum), an abundant Caribbean coral reef fish, contributes greatly to trophic connectivity. They typically depart the reef at dusk, feed overnight in seagrass beds, and return to the reef at dawn. The large parasitic isopod Anilocra haemuli commonly infects French grunt, and infected fish are less likely to complete their diel migration, and are in poorer condition than uninfected conspecifics. Brown chromis (Chromis multilineata) are diurnally feeding planktivores and infection by Anilocra chromis does not influence host condition. To determine if Anilocra infection influences host diet and foraging locality, we conducted stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses on scale, muscle, heart and gill tissues of infected and uninfected French grunt and brown chromis. We determined that all French grunt had δ13C values representative of seagrass habitats, but infected French grunt were significantly enriched in 13C and 15N compared to uninfected conspecifics. This suggests that compared to uninfected conspecifics, infected French grunt forage in seagrass, but on isotopically enriched prey, and/or are in poorer condition, which can elevate δ13C and δ15N values. For brown chromis, infection did not significantly influence any δ13C and δ15N values; hence they all foraged in the same environment and on similar prey. This is the first study to use SIA to examine differences in resource use by Caribbean coral reef fishes associated with parasitism and to evaluate how closely related parasites might have host-dependent effects on host trophic ecology.

Influence of Culture Medium Composition and Light Conditions on the Accumulation of Bioactive Compounds in Shoot Cultures of Scutellaria lateriflora L. (American Skullcap) Grown In Vitro.

PubMed

Kawka, Beata; Kwiecień, Inga; Ekiert, Halina

2017-12-01

Methanolic extracts from in vitro grown Scutellaria lateriflora shoots cultured on five Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium variants supplemented with different combinations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) under different light conditions (monochromatic light, white light and no light) were analysed by HPLC for three groups of metabolites: flavonoids (26 compounds), phenolic acids and their precursors (19+2) and phenylethanoid glycosides (2). The analyses revealed the presence of baicalein, baicalin, wogonin, wogonoside, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and verbascoside. There was clear evidence of the influence of plant growth regulators and light conditions on the accumulation of the analysed groups of secondary metabolites. The amounts of the compounds changed within a wide range-for the total flavonoid content, 30.2-fold (max. 1204.3 mg·100 g -1 dry weight (DW)); for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, 5.5-fold (max. 33.56 mg·100 g -1 DW); and for verbascoside, 1.5-fold (169.15 max. mg·100 g -1 DW). The best medium for the production of most of the compounds was the Murashige and Skoog variant with 1 mg l -1 BAP and 1 mg l -1 NAA. For verbascoside, the best 'productive' medium was the MS variant supplemented with 0.5 mg l -1 BAP and 2 mg l -1 NAA. The accumulation of the metabolites was stimulated to the greatest extent by blue light, under which the extracts were found to contain the highest total amount of flavonoids and the highest amounts of flavonoid glucuronides, baicalin and wogonoside, as well as of verbascoside. Their amounts were, respectively, 1.54-, 1.49-, 2.05- and 1.86-fold higher than under the control white light.

Progress in cultivation-independent phyllosphere microbiology

PubMed Central

Müller, Thomas; Ruppel, Silke

2014-01-01

Most microorganisms of the phyllosphere are nonculturable in commonly used media and culture conditions, as are those in other natural environments. This review queries the reasons for their ‘noncultivability’ and assesses developments in phyllospere microbiology that have been achieved cultivation independently over the last 4 years. Analyses of total microbial communities have revealed a comprehensive microbial diversity. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomic sequencing were applied to investigate plant species, location and season as variables affecting the composition of these communities. In continuation to culture-based enzymatic and metabolic studies with individual isolates, metaproteogenomic approaches reveal a great potential to study the physiology of microbial communities in situ. Culture-independent microbiological technologies as well advances in plant genetics and biochemistry provide methodological preconditions for exploring the interactions between plants and their microbiome in the phyllosphere. Improving and combining cultivation and culture-independent techniques can contribute to a better understanding of the phyllosphere ecology. This is essential, for example, to avoid human–pathogenic bacteria in plant food. PMID:24003903

Changes of multi-scale structure during mimicked DSC heating reveal the nature of starch gelatinization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shujun; Zhang, Xiu; Wang, Shuo; Copeland, Les

2016-06-01

A thorough understanding of starch gelatinization is extremely important for precise control of starch functional properties for food processing and human nutrition. Here we reveal the molecular mechanism of starch gelatinization by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in conjunction with a protocol using the rapid viscosity analyzer (RVA) to generate material for analysis under conditions that simulated the DSC heating profiles. The results from DSC, FTIR, Raman, X-ray diffraction and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses all showed that residual structural order remained in starch that was heated to the DSC endotherm end temperature in starch:water mixtures of 0.5 to 4:1 (v/w). We conclude from this study that the DSC endotherm of starch at a water:starch ratio of 2 to 4 (v/w) does not represent complete starch gelatinization. The DSC endotherm of starch involves not only the water uptake and swelling of amorphous regions, but also the melting of starch crystallites.

Teacher ratings of DSM-III-R symptoms for the disruptive behavior disorders.

PubMed

Pelham, W E; Gnagy, E M; Greenslade, K E; Milich, R

1992-03-01

Ratings were collected on a rating scale comprised of the DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for disruptive behavior disorders. Teacher ratings were obtained for 931 boys in regular classrooms in grades K through 8 from around North America. Means and standard deviations for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) scales are reported by age. Frequencies of DSM-III-R symptoms are reported by age, and suggested diagnostic cutoffs are discussed. A factor analysis revealed three factors: one reflecting ODD and several CD symptoms, one on which ADHD symptoms of inattention loaded, and one comprised of ADHD impulsivity/overactivity symptoms. Conditional probability analyses revealed that several hallmark symptoms of ADHD had very poor predictive power, whereas combinations of symptoms from the two ADHD factors had good predictive power. Combinations of ODD symptoms also had very high predictive power. The limited utility of teacher ratings in assessing symptoms of conduct disorder in this age range is discussed.

An mRNA-Derived Noncoding RNA Targets and Regulates the Ribosome

PubMed Central

Pircher, Andreas; Bakowska-Zywicka, Kamilla; Schneider, Lukas; Zywicki, Marek; Polacek, Norbert

2014-01-01

Summary The structural and functional repertoire of small non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) is central for establishing gene regulation networks in cells and organisms. Here, we show that an mRNA-derived 18-nucleotide-long ncRNA is capable of downregulating translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by targeting the ribosome. This 18-mer ncRNA binds to polysomes upon salt stress and is crucial for efficient growth under hyperosmotic conditions. Although the 18-mer RNA originates from the TRM10 locus, which encodes a tRNA methyltransferase, genetic analyses revealed the 18-mer RNA nucleotide sequence, rather than the mRNA-encoded enzyme, as the translation regulator. Our data reveal the ribosome as a target for a small regulatory ncRNA and demonstrate the existence of a yet unkown mechanism of translation regulation. Ribosome-targeted small ncRNAs are found in all domains of life and represent a prevalent but so far largely unexplored class of regulatory molecules. PMID:24685157

MULTICENTRIC T-CELL LYMPHOMA AND CUTANEOUS HEMANGIOSARCOMA IN A CAPTIVE CHEETAH (ACINONYX JUBATUS).

PubMed

Lindemann, Dana M; Carpenter, James W; Nietfeld, Jerome C; Gonzalez, Estehela; Hallman, Mackenzie; Hause, Ben M

2015-12-01

A 13-yr-old intact male cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) presented for evaluation after a 4-mo history of intermittent lethargy and increased expiratory effort. The clinical signs were initially noted after the diagnosis and death of its 13-yr-old male sibling with solitary hepatic T-cell lymphoma. Physical examination findings included thin body condition, harsh lung sounds, peripheral lymphadenopathy, and a cutaneous mass on the right medial tarsus and scrotum. Excisional biopsies diagnosed well-differentiated cutaneous hemangiosarcomas. Thoracic radiographs revealed a cranial mediastinal mass. Complete blood count and serum biochemical analyses showed a leukocytosis with persistent lymphocytosis, progressive azotemia, and markedly elevated alkaline phosphatase. Because of the cheetah's declining quality of life, euthanasia was elected. Postmortem examination, histopathology, and immunohistochemical staining revealed multicentric T-cell lymphoma. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, FeLV polymerase chain reaction (whole blood), and viral metagenomic analysis were negative. This is the first case of cutaneous hemangiosarcoma and multicentric T-cell lymphoma reported in a FeLV-negative cheetah.

Sinter-Resistant Platinum Catalyst Supported by Metal-Organic Framework.

PubMed

Kim, In Soo; Li, Zhanyong; Zheng, Jian; Platero-Prats, Ana E; Mavrandonakis, Andreas; Pellizzeri, Steven; Ferrandon, Magali; Vjunov, Aleksei; Gallington, Leighanne C; Webber, Thomas E; Vermeulen, Nicolaas A; Penn, R Lee; Getman, Rachel B; Cramer, Christopher J; Chapman, Karena W; Camaioni, Donald M; Fulton, John L; Lercher, Johannes A; Farha, Omar K; Hupp, Joseph T; Martinson, Alex B F

2018-01-22

Single atoms and few-atom clusters of platinum are uniformly installed on the zirconia nodes of a metal-organic framework (MOF) NU-1000 via targeted vapor-phase synthesis. The catalytic Pt clusters, site-isolated by organic linkers, are shown to exhibit high catalytic activity for ethylene hydrogenation while exhibiting resistance to sintering up to 200 °C. In situ IR spectroscopy reveals the presence of both single atoms and few-atom clusters that depend upon synthesis conditions. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray pair distribution analyses reveal unique changes in chemical bonding environment and cluster size stability while on stream. Density functional theory calculations elucidate a favorable reaction pathway for ethylene hydrogenation with the novel catalyst. These results provide evidence that atomic layer deposition (ALD) in MOFs is a versatile approach to the rational synthesis of size-selected clusters, including noble metals, on a high surface area support. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Macrobenthic community structure in the northern Saudi waters of the Gulf, 14 years after the 1991 oil spill.

PubMed

Joydas, T V; Qurban, Mohammad A; Al-Suwailem, Abdulaziz; Krishnakumar, P K; Nazeer, Zahid; Cali, N A

2012-02-01

The 1991 Gulf oil spill heavily impacted the coastal areas of the Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf and recent studies have indicated that even 15 years after the incident, macrobenthos had not completely recovered in the sheltered bays in the affected region such as, Manifa Bay. This study investigates the community conditions of macrobenthos in the open waters in one of the impacted areas, Al-Khafji waters, about 14 years after the spill. Diversity measures and community structure analyses indicate a healthy status of polychaete communities. The BOPA index reveals that oil sensitive amphipods were recolonized in the study area. This confirms that the benthic communities of the oil spill impacted area had taken only <14 years to recover in the open waters of the impacted areas. The study also reveals the existence of three distinct polychaete communities along the depth and sediment gradients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes of multi-scale structure during mimicked DSC heating reveal the nature of starch gelatinization

PubMed Central

Wang, Shujun; Zhang, Xiu; Wang, Shuo; Copeland, Les

2016-01-01

A thorough understanding of starch gelatinization is extremely important for precise control of starch functional properties for food processing and human nutrition. Here we reveal the molecular mechanism of starch gelatinization by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in conjunction with a protocol using the rapid viscosity analyzer (RVA) to generate material for analysis under conditions that simulated the DSC heating profiles. The results from DSC, FTIR, Raman, X-ray diffraction and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses all showed that residual structural order remained in starch that was heated to the DSC endotherm end temperature in starch:water mixtures of 0.5 to 4:1 (v/w). We conclude from this study that the DSC endotherm of starch at a water:starch ratio of 2 to 4 (v/w) does not represent complete starch gelatinization. The DSC endotherm of starch involves not only the water uptake and swelling of amorphous regions, but also the melting of starch crystallites. PMID:27319782

Effect of ultrasound on electrochemical chloride extraction from mortar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yiqun; Yao, Wu; Zuo, Junqing

2018-03-01

In this paper, the effect of auxiliary ultrasound on electrochemical chloride extraction (ECE) was studied. The chloride removal efficiency was investigated by examining the chloride content with ultrasound-assisted ECE and changing the introducing time of ultrasound. The experimental results showed that removal of chloride ions was noted to be more effective in ECE treatment assisted with ultrasound treatment (UT). In addition, the lower w/c ratio led to more distinct effect of ultrasonic cavitation on chloride removal. Electrochemical behaviors measured with different treatment revealed that UT treatment was effective on moderating the corrosion condition. Microstructural analyses revealed a significant alteration in composition and morphology of cementitious phases with UT treatment. Pull-out tests indicated that ultrasound had a certain negative impact on the bond strength. Although the effect of introducing ultrasound in the first 2 weeks or the last 2 weeks on the extraction efficiency was not obvious, intermittent ultrasound could not only ensure the chloride extraction efficiency, but also reduce the adverse effect of ultrasound on the bond strength.

Concrete lunar base investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, T. D.; Senseney, Jonathan A.; Arp, Larry Dean; Lindbergh, Charles

1989-01-01

This paper presents results of structural analyses and a preliminary design of a precast, prestressed concrete lunar based subjected to one atmosphere internal pressure. The proposed infrastructure measures 120 ft in diameter and 72 ft in height, providing 33,000 sq ft of work area for scientific and industrial operations. Three loading conditions were considered in the design: (1) during construction; (2) under pressurization; and (3) during an air-leak scenario. A floating foundation, capable of rigid body rotation and translation as the lunar soil beneath it yields, was developed to support the infrastructure and to ensure the air-tightness of the system. Results reveal that it is feasible to use precast, prestressed concrete for construction of large lunar bases on the moon.

Process-Improvement Cost Model for the Emergency Department.

PubMed

Dyas, Sheila R; Greenfield, Eric; Messimer, Sherri; Thotakura, Swati; Gholston, Sampson; Doughty, Tracy; Hays, Mary; Ivey, Richard; Spalding, Joseph; Phillips, Robin

2015-01-01

The objective of this report is to present a simplified, activity-based costing approach for hospital emergency departments (EDs) to use with Lean Six Sigma cost-benefit analyses. The cost model complexity is reduced by removing diagnostic and condition-specific costs, thereby revealing the underlying process activities' cost inefficiencies. Examples are provided for evaluating the cost savings from reducing discharge delays and the cost impact of keeping patients in the ED (boarding) after the decision to admit has been made. The process-improvement cost model provides a needed tool in selecting, prioritizing, and validating Lean process-improvement projects in the ED and other areas of patient care that involve multiple dissimilar diagnoses.

Concrete lunar base investigation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, T. D.; Senseny, Jonathan A.; Arp, Larry D.; Lindbergh, Charles

1992-01-01

This paper presents results of structural analyses and a preliminary design of a precast, prestressed concrete lunar base subjected to 1-atm internal pressure. The proposed infrastructure measures 120 ft in diameter and 72 ft in height, providing 33,000 sq ft of work area for scientific and industrial operations. Three loading conditions were considered in the design (1) during construction, (2) under pressurization, and (3) during an air-leak scenario. A floating foundation, capable of rigid body rotation and translation as the lunar soil beneath it yields, was developed to support the infrastructure and to ensure the airtightness of the system. Results reveal that it is feasible to use precast, prestressed concrete for construction of large lunar bases on the Moon.

Structural and optical properties of Ga auto-incorporated InAlN epilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, E.; Smith, M. D.; Sadler, T. C.; Lorenz, K.; Li, H. N.; Alves, E.; Parbrook, P. J.; Martin, R. W.

2014-12-01

InAlN epilayers deposited on thick GaN buffer layers grown by metalorganic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) revealed an auto-incorporation of Ga when analysed by wavelength dispersive x-ray (WDX) spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Samples were grown under similar conditions with the change in reactor flow rate resulting in varying Ga contents of 12-24%. The increase in flow rate from 8000 to 24 000 sccm suppressed the Ga auto-incorporation which suggests that the likely cause is from residual Ga left behind from previous growth runs. The luminescence properties of the resultant InAlGaN layers were investigated using cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements.

Properties and effects of remaining carbon from waste plastics gasifying on iron scale reduction.

PubMed

Zhang, Chongmin; Chen, Shuwen; Miao, Xincheng; Yuan, Hao

2011-06-01

The carbonous activities of three kinds of carbon-bearing materials gasified from plastics were tested with coal coke as reference. The results showed that the carbonous activities of these remaining carbon-bearing materials were higher than that of coal-coke. Besides, the fractal analyses showed that the porosities of remaining carbon-bearing materials were higher than that of coal-coke. It revealed that these kinds of remaining carbon-bearing materials are conducive to improve the kinetics conditions of gas-solid phase reaction in iron scale reduction. Copyright © 2011 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Systematic Review of the Cost-Effectiveness of Biologics for Ulcerative Colitis.

PubMed

Stawowczyk, Ewa; Kawalec, Paweł

2018-04-01

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic autoimmune inflammation of the colon. The condition significantly decreases quality of life and generates a substantial economic burden for healthcare payers, patients and the society in which they live. Some patients require chronic pharmacotherapy, and access to novel biologic drugs might be crucial for long-term remission. The analyses of cost-effectiveness for biologic drugs are necessary to assess their efficiency and provide the best available drugs to patients. Our aim was to collect and assess the quality of economic analyses carried out for biologic agents used in the treatment of UC, as well as to summarize evidence on the drivers of cost-effectiveness and evaluate the transferability and generalizability of conclusions. A systematic database review was conducted using MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry and CRD0. Both authors independently reviewed the identified articles to determine their eligibility for final review. Hand searching of references in collected papers was also performed to find any relevant articles. The reporting quality of economic analyses included was evaluated by two reviewers using the International Society of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS) statement checklist. We reviewed the sensitivity analyses in cost-effectiveness analyses to identify the variables that may have changed the conclusions of the study. Key drivers of cost-effectiveness were selected by identifying uncertain parameters that caused the highest change of the results of the analyses compared with base-case results. Of the 576 identified records, 87 were excluded as duplicates and 16 studies were included in the final review; evaluations for Canada, the UK and Poland were mostly performed. The majority of the evaluations revealed were performed for infliximab (approximately 75% of total volume); however, some assessments were also performed for adalimumab (50%) and golimumab (31%). Only three analyses were conducted for vedolizumab, whereas no relevant studies were found for etrolizumab and tofacitinib. The reporting quality of the included economic analyses was assessed as high, with an average score of 21 points per 24 maximum possible (range 14-23 points according to the ISPOR CHEERS statement checklist). In the case of most analyses, quality-adjusted life-years were used as a clinical outcome, and endpoints such as remission, response and mucosal healing were less common. The higher clinical effectiveness (based on response rates) of biological treatment over non-biological treatments was presented in revealed analyses. The incremental cost-utility ratios for biologics, compared with standard care, varied significantly between the studies and ranged from US$36,309 to US$456,979. The lowest value was obtained for infliximab and the highest for the treatment scheme including infliximab 5 mg/kg and infliximab 10 mg/kg + adalimumab. The change of utility weights and clinical parameters had the most significant influence on the results of the analysis; the variable related to surgery was the least sensitive. Limited data on the cost-effectiveness of UC therapy were identified. In the majority of studies, the lack of cost-effectiveness was revealed for biologics, which was associated with their high costs. Clinical outcomes are transferable to other countries and could be generalized; however, cost inputs are country-specific and therefore limit the transferability and generalizability of conclusions. The key drivers and variables that showed the greatest effect on the analysis results were utility weights and clinical parameters.

Health and Behavioral Survey of over 8000 Finnish Cats

PubMed Central

Vapalahti, Katariina; Virtala, Anna-Maija; Joensuu, Tara A.; Tiira, Katriina; Tähtinen, Jaana; Lohi, Hannes

2016-01-01

A comprehensive feline health survey was conducted to reveal breed-specific inheritable diseases in Finnish pedigree cats for genetic research. Prevalence of 19 disease categories and 227 feline diseases were defined in a study population of 8175 cats belonging to 30 breeds. Dental and oral diseases, with a prevalence of 28%, and dental calculus and gingivitis (21 and 8%, respectively) were the most prevalent disease category and diseases among all cats and in most of the breeds. An exception was Korats, which were more often affected by the diseases of the respiratory tract (23%) and asthma (19%). Other prevalent disease categories affected various organ systems, such as the skin (12%), the urinary system (12%), the digestive tract (11%), eyes (10%), the musculoskeletal system (10%), and genitals of female cats (17%). Prevalent health or developmental issues included repetitive vomiting (4%), tail kink (4%), feline odontoclastic resorption lesion (4%), urinary tract infections (4%), as well as cesarean section (6%) and stillborn kittens (6%) among female cats. We found 57 breed-specific conditions by Fisher’s exact tests and logistic regression analyses, including 32 previously described and 19 new breed-specific diseases. The genetic defect has already been found in six of them: polycystic kidney disease, progressive retinal atrophy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and three types of tail malformations. Behavioral profiling revealed breed-specific traits, such as an increased human avoidance in British Short and Longhairs and a higher level of aggression in Turkish vans. Our epidemiological study reveals the overall health profile in Finnish pure and mixed breed cats and identifies many breed-specific conditions without molecular identity for genetic research. PMID:27622188

How medical technologies shape the experience of illness.

PubMed

Hofmann, Bjørn; Svenaeus, Fredrik

2018-02-03

In this article we explore how diagnostic and therapeutic technologies shape the lived experiences of illness for patients. By analysing a wide range of examples, we identify six ways that technology can (trans)form the experience of illness (and health). First, technology may create awareness of disease by revealing asymptomatic signs or markers (imaging techniques, blood tests). Second, the technology can reveal risk factors for developing diseases (e.g., high blood pressure or genetic tests that reveal risks of falling ill in the future). Third, the technology can affect and change an already present illness experience (e.g., the way blood sugar measurement affects the perceived symptoms of diabetes). Fourth, therapeutic technologies may redefine our experiences of a certain condition as diseased rather than unfortunate (e.g. assisted reproductive technologies or symptom based diagnoses in psychiatry). Fifth, technology influences illness experiences through altering social-cultural norms and values regarding various diagnoses. Sixth, technology influences and changes our experiences of being healthy in contrast and relation to being diseased and ill. This typology of how technology forms illness and related conditions calls for reflection regarding the phenomenology of technology and health. How are medical technologies and their outcomes perceived and understood by patients? The phenomenological way of approaching illness as a lived, bodily being-in-the-world is an important approach for better understanding and evaluating the effects that medical technologies may have on our health, not only in defining, diagnosing, or treating diseases, but also in making us feel more vulnerable and less healthy in different regards.

Multiparametric Analyses Reveal the pH-Dependence of Silicon Biomineralization in Diatoms

PubMed Central

Hervé, Vincent; Derr, Julien; Douady, Stéphane; Quinet, Michelle; Moisan, Lionel; Lopez, Pascal Jean

2012-01-01

Diatoms, the major contributors of the global biogenic silica cycle in modern oceans, account for about 40% of global marine primary productivity. They are an important component of the biological pump in the ocean, and their assemblage can be used as useful climate proxies; it is therefore critical to better understand the changes induced by environmental pH on their physiology, silicification capability and morphology. Here, we show that external pH influences cell growth of the ubiquitous diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii, and modifies intracellular silicic acid and biogenic silica contents per cell. Measurements at the single-cell level reveal that extracellular pH modifications lead to intracellular acidosis. To further understand how variations of the acid-base balance affect silicon metabolism and theca formation, we developed novel imaging techniques to measure the dynamics of valve formation. We demonstrate that the kinetics of valve morphogenesis, at least in the early stages, depends on pH. Analytical modeling results suggest that acidic conditions alter the dynamics of the expansion of the vesicles within which silica polymerization occurs, and probably its internal pH. Morphological analysis of valve patterns reveals that acidification also reduces the dimension of the nanometric pores present on the valves, and concurrently overall valve porosity. Variations in the valve silica network seem to be more correlated to the dynamics and the regulation of the morphogenesis process than the silicon incorporation rate. These multiparametric analyses from single-cell to cell-population levels demonstrate that several higher-level processes are sensitive to the acid-base balance in diatoms, and its regulation is a key factor for the control of pattern formation and silicon metabolism. PMID:23144697

The Use of Footstep Sounds as Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation for Gait Rehabilitation in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Murgia, Mauro; Pili, Roberta; Corona, Federica; Sors, Fabrizio; Agostini, Tiziano A; Bernardis, Paolo; Casula, Carlo; Cossu, Giovanni; Guicciardi, Marco; Pau, Massimiliano

2018-01-01

The use of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) has been proven useful in the management of gait disturbances associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Typically, the RAS consists of metronome or music-based sounds (artificial RAS), while ecological footstep sounds (ecological RAS) have never been used for rehabilitation programs. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of a rehabilitation program integrated either with ecological or with artificial RAS. An observer-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to investigate the effects of 5 weeks of supervised rehabilitation integrated with RAS. Thirty-eight individuals affected by PD were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions (ecological vs. artificial RAS); thirty-two of them (age 68.2 ± 10.5, Hoehn and Yahr 1.5-3) concluded all phases of the study. Spatio-temporal parameters of gait and clinical variables were assessed before the rehabilitation period, at its end, and after a 3-month follow-up. Thirty-two participants were analyzed. The results revealed that both groups improved in the majority of biomechanical and clinical measures, independently of the type of sound. Moreover, exploratory analyses for separate groups were conducted, revealing improvements on spatio-temporal parameters only in the ecological RAS group. Overall, our results suggest that ecological RAS is equally effective compared to artificial RAS. Future studies should further investigate the role of ecological RAS, on the basis of information revealed by our exploratory analyses. Theoretical, methodological, and practical issues concerning the implementation of ecological sounds in the rehabilitation of PD patients are discussed. www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03228888.

Expression and immunological cross-reactivity of LALP3, a novel astacin-like metalloprotease from brown spider (Loxosceles intermedia) venom.

PubMed

Morgon, Adriano M; Belisario-Ferrari, Matheus R; Trevisan-Silva, Dilza; Meissner, Gabriel O; Vuitika, Larissa; Marin, Brenda; Tashima, Alexandre K; Gremski, Luiza H; Gremski, Waldemiro; Senff-Ribeiro, Andrea; Veiga, Silvio S; Chaim, Olga M

2016-01-01

Loxosceles spiders' venom comprises a complex mixture of biologically active toxins, mostly consisting of low molecular mass components (2-40 kDa). Amongst, isoforms of astacin-like metalloproteases were identified through transcriptome and proteome analyses. Only LALP1 (Loxosceles Astacin-Like protease 1) has been characterized. Herein, we characterized LALP3 as a novel recombinant astacin-like metalloprotease isoform from Loxosceles intermedia venom. LALP3 cDNA was cloned in pET-SUMO vector, and its soluble heterologous expression was performed using a SUMO tag added to LALP3 to achieve solubility in Escherichia coli SHuffle T7 Express LysY cells, which express the disulfide bond isomerase DsbC. Protein purification was conducted by Ni-NTA Agarose resin and assayed for purity by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. Immunoblotting analyses were performed with specific antibodies recognizing LALP1 and whole venom. Western blotting showed linear epitopes from recombinant LALP3 that cross-reacted with LALP1, and dot blotting revealed conformational epitopes with native venom astacins. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that the recombinant expressed protein is an astacin-like metalloprotease from L. intermedia venom. Furthermore, molecular modeling of LALP3 revealed that this isoform contains the zinc binding and Met-turn motifs, forming the active site, as has been observed in astacins. These data confirmed that LALP3, which was successfully obtained by heterologous expression using a prokaryote system, is a new astacin-like metalloprotease isoform present in L. intermedia venom. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and Société Française de Biochimie et Biologie Moléculaire (SFBBM). All rights reserved.

Genomic Analyses Reveal the Influence of Geographic Origin, Migration, and Hybridization on Modern Dog Breed Development.

PubMed

Parker, Heidi G; Dreger, Dayna L; Rimbault, Maud; Davis, Brian W; Mullen, Alexandra B; Carpintero-Ramirez, Gretchen; Ostrander, Elaine A

2017-04-25

There are nearly 400 modern domestic dog breeds with a unique histories and genetic profiles. To track the genetic signatures of breed development, we have assembled the most diverse dataset of dog breeds, reflecting their extensive phenotypic variation and heritage. Combining genetic distance, migration, and genome-wide haplotype sharing analyses, we uncover geographic patterns of development and independent origins of common traits. Our analyses reveal the hybrid history of breeds and elucidate the effects of immigration, revealing for the first time a suggestion of New World dog within some modern breeds. Finally, we used cladistics and haplotype sharing to show that some common traits have arisen more than once in the history of the dog. These analyses characterize the complexities of breed development, resolving longstanding questions regarding individual breed origination, the effect of migration on geographically distinct breeds, and, by inference, transfer of trait and disease alleles among dog breeds. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative analyses of physiological responses of Cynodon dactylon accessions from Southwest China to sulfur dioxide toxicity.

PubMed

Li, Xi; Wang, Ling; Li, Yiqiao; Sun, Lingxia; Cai, Shizhen; Huang, Zhuo

2014-01-01

Sulfur dioxide (SO2), a major air pollutant in developing countries, is highly toxic to plants. To achieve better air quality and landscape, planting appropriate grass species in severe SO2 polluted areas is very critical. Cynodon dactylon, a widely used warm season turfgrass species, has good SO2-tolerant ability. In this study, we selected 9 out of 38 C. dactylon accessions from Southwest China as representatives of high, intermediate SO2-tolerant and SO2-sensitive accessions to comparatively analyze their physiological differences in leaves under SO2 untreated and treated conditions. Our results revealed that SO2-tolerant C. dactylon accessions showed higher soluble sugar, proline, and chlorophyll a contents under both SO2 treated and untreated conditions; higher chlorophyll b and carotenoid under SO2 treated condition; lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, oxidative damages, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities under SO2 treated condition; and higher peroxidase (POD) activities under SO2 untreated condition. Further results indicated that SO2-tolerant C. dactylon accessions had higher sulfur contents under both SO2 treated and untreated conditions, consistent with higher SO activities under both SO2 treated and untreated conditions, and higher SiR activities under SO2 treated condition. Taken together, our results indicated that SO2 tolerance of C. dactylon might be largely related to soluble sugar, proline and chlorophyll a contents, and SO enzyme activity.

Comparative Analyses of Physiological Responses of Cynodon dactylon Accessions from Southwest China to Sulfur Dioxide Toxicity

PubMed Central

Wang, Ling; Li, Yiqiao; Cai, Shizhen

2014-01-01

Sulfur dioxide (SO2), a major air pollutant in developing countries, is highly toxic to plants. To achieve better air quality and landscape, planting appropriate grass species in severe SO2 polluted areas is very critical. Cynodon dactylon, a widely used warm season turfgrass species, has good SO2-tolerant ability. In this study, we selected 9 out of 38 C. dactylon accessions from Southwest China as representatives of high, intermediate SO2-tolerant and SO2-sensitive accessions to comparatively analyze their physiological differences in leaves under SO2 untreated and treated conditions. Our results revealed that SO2-tolerant C. dactylon accessions showed higher soluble sugar, proline, and chlorophyll a contents under both SO2 treated and untreated conditions; higher chlorophyll b and carotenoid under SO2 treated condition; lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, oxidative damages, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities under SO2 treated condition; and higher peroxidase (POD) activities under SO2 untreated condition. Further results indicated that SO2-tolerant C. dactylon accessions had higher sulfur contents under both SO2 treated and untreated conditions, consistent with higher SO activities under both SO2 treated and untreated conditions, and higher SiR activities under SO2 treated condition. Taken together, our results indicated that SO2 tolerance of C. dactylon might be largely related to soluble sugar, proline and chlorophyll a contents, and SO enzyme activity. PMID:25097893

The Diabeates Project: Perceptual, Affective and Psychophysiological Effects of Music and Music-Video in a Clinical Exercise Setting.

PubMed

Hutchinson, Jasmin C; Karageorghis, Costas I; Black, Jessica D

2017-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music and music-video on perceptual (attentional focus, rated perceived exertion), affective (affective valence and enjoyment) and psychophysiological (blood glucose, heart rate) variables in outpatients attending a diabetes exercise clinic. Participants were 24 females (age = 66.0 ± 8.5 years) enrolled in a supervised exercise program for people with diabetes. They engaged in mixed-modality exercise sessions that included a standardized combination of flexibility, aerobic and resistance activities under conditions of music, music-video and control. Analyses revealed a main effect of condition on attentional focus and affect during aerobic exercise only. The music-video condition elicited the highest level of attentional dissociation, while affective valence was more positive in the 2 experimental conditions when compared to control. Rated perceived exertion and heart rate did not differ across conditions. Measures of exercise enjoyment indicated a main effect of condition wherein scores were higher with the music-video condition when compared to control. There was an acute glucose-lowering effect of exercise in all conditions. Results lend support to the notion that auditory and visual stimuli can enhance affective responses to exercise in a clinical setting. This may have meaningful implications for adherence, given the link between affective judgements and future behaviour in an exercise context. Copyright © 2016 Canadian Diabetes Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ankle Bracing, Fatigue, and Time to Stabilization in Collegiate Volleyball Athletes

PubMed Central

Shaw, Megan Y; Gribble, Phillip A; Frye, Jamie L

2008-01-01

Context: Fatigue has been shown to disrupt dynamic stability in healthy volunteers. It is not known if wearing prophylactic ankle supports can improve dynamic stability in fatigued athletes. Objective: To determine the type of ankle brace that may be more effective at providing dynamic stability after a jump-landing task during normal and fatigued conditions. Design: Two separate repeated-measures analyses of variance with 2 within-subjects factors (condition and time) were performed for each dependent variable. Setting: Research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: Ten healthy female collegiate volleyball athletes participated (age  =  19.5 ± 1.27 years, height  =  179.07 ± 7.6 cm, mass  =  69.86 ± 5.42 kg). Intervention(s): Athletes participated in 3 separate testing sessions, applying a different bracing condition at each session: no brace (NB), Swede-O Universal lace-up ankle brace (AB), and Active Ankle brace (AA). Three trials of a jump-landing task were performed under each condition before and after induced functional fatigue. The jump-landing task consisted of a single-leg landing onto a force plate from a height equivalent to 50% of each participant's maximal jump height and from a starting position 70 cm from the center of the force plate. Main Outcome Measure(s): Time to stabilization in the anterior-posterior (APTTS) and medial-lateral (MLTTS) directions. Results: For APTTS, a condition-by-time interaction existed (F2,18  =  5.55, P  =  .013). For the AA condition, Tukey post hoc testing revealed faster pretest (2.734 ± 0.331 seconds) APTTS than posttest (3.817 ± 0.263 seconds). Post hoc testing also revealed that the AB condition provided faster APTTS (2.492 ± 0.271 seconds) than AA (3.817 ± 0.263 seconds) and NB (3.341 ± 0.339 seconds) conditions during posttesting. No statistically significant findings were associated with MLTTS. Conclusions: Fatigue increased APTTS for the AA condition. Because the AB condition was more effective than the other 2 conditions during the posttesting, the AB appears to be the best option for providing dynamic stability in the anterior-posterior direction during a landing task. PMID:18345341

The short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China: comparison of time-series and case-crossover analyses

PubMed Central

Ren, Meng; Li, Na; Wang, Zhan; Liu, Yisi; Chen, Xi; Chu, Yuanyuan; Li, Xiangyu; Zhu, Zhongmin; Tian, Liqiao; Xiang, Hao

2017-01-01

Few studies have compared different methods when exploring the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. This study assesses the association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality with both time-series and time-stratified–case-crossover designs. The generalized additive model (GAM) and the conditional logistic regression model were used to assess the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality. Stratified analyses were performed by age, sex, and diseases. A 10 μg/m3 increment in SO2 level was associated with an increase in relative risk for all respiratory disease mortality of 2.4% and 1.9% in the case-crossover and time-series analyses in single pollutant models, respectively. Strong evidence of an association between NO2 and daily respiratory disease mortality among men or people older than 65 years was found in the case-crossover study. There was a positive association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. Both time-series and case-crossover analyses consistently reveal the association between three air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality. The estimates of association between air pollution and respiratory disease mortality from the case–crossover analysis displayed greater variation than that from the time-series analysis. PMID:28084399

The short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China: comparison of time-series and case-crossover analyses.

PubMed

Ren, Meng; Li, Na; Wang, Zhan; Liu, Yisi; Chen, Xi; Chu, Yuanyuan; Li, Xiangyu; Zhu, Zhongmin; Tian, Liqiao; Xiang, Hao

2017-01-13

Few studies have compared different methods when exploring the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. This study assesses the association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality with both time-series and time-stratified-case-crossover designs. The generalized additive model (GAM) and the conditional logistic regression model were used to assess the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality. Stratified analyses were performed by age, sex, and diseases. A 10 μg/m 3 increment in SO 2 level was associated with an increase in relative risk for all respiratory disease mortality of 2.4% and 1.9% in the case-crossover and time-series analyses in single pollutant models, respectively. Strong evidence of an association between NO 2 and daily respiratory disease mortality among men or people older than 65 years was found in the case-crossover study. There was a positive association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. Both time-series and case-crossover analyses consistently reveal the association between three air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality. The estimates of association between air pollution and respiratory disease mortality from the case-crossover analysis displayed greater variation than that from the time-series analysis.

The short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China: comparison of time-series and case-crossover analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Meng; Li, Na; Wang, Zhan; Liu, Yisi; Chen, Xi; Chu, Yuanyuan; Li, Xiangyu; Zhu, Zhongmin; Tian, Liqiao; Xiang, Hao

2017-01-01

Few studies have compared different methods when exploring the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. This study assesses the association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality with both time-series and time-stratified-case-crossover designs. The generalized additive model (GAM) and the conditional logistic regression model were used to assess the short-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory disease mortality. Stratified analyses were performed by age, sex, and diseases. A 10 μg/m3 increment in SO2 level was associated with an increase in relative risk for all respiratory disease mortality of 2.4% and 1.9% in the case-crossover and time-series analyses in single pollutant models, respectively. Strong evidence of an association between NO2 and daily respiratory disease mortality among men or people older than 65 years was found in the case-crossover study. There was a positive association between air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality in Wuhan, China. Both time-series and case-crossover analyses consistently reveal the association between three air pollutants and respiratory disease mortality. The estimates of association between air pollution and respiratory disease mortality from the case-crossover analysis displayed greater variation than that from the time-series analysis.

Psychosocial conditions on and off the job and psychological ill health: depressive symptoms, impaired psychological wellbeing, heavy consumption of alcohol

PubMed Central

Michelsen, H; Bildt, C

2003-01-01

Background: Psychiatric epidemiology has revealed a number of associations between gender, socioeconomic status, and psychiatric disorders. Aims: To examine psychosocial conditions on and off the job in relation to psychological ill health. Methods: Longitudinal design with 24 year follow up of employed persons (190 women, 177 men). Interview and questionnaire data on work and leisure conditions were collected in 1969 and 1993. Risk analyses were performed in relation to three outcomes in 1993: depression within the preceding 12 months, impaired psychological wellbeing, and heavy alcohol use. Results: Thirteen per cent of the women and 11% of the men showed symptoms of depression, 21% and 22% had impaired psychological wellbeing, and 7% and 15% respectively were heavy alcohol users. Dissatisfaction with the quality (women) or quantity (men) of social contacts 24 years earlier was a significant risk factor for depression. Dissatisfaction with the quality of social contacts was also associated with impaired psychological wellbeing (among women), and dissatisfaction with leisure time activities was associated with heavy alcohol use (among men). Frequent overtime work 24 years earlier was associated with heavy alcohol use among women. Cross sectional analyses also showed associations between psychological ill health and some work related factors (mentally demanding work and lack of job pride). Conclusions: Perceived inadequacies in social contacts, and practical obstacles to social relationships are viewed as risk factors for depression. In this longitudinal study, work related factors, including mental demands and time pressure, do not appear sufficiently associated with psychological ill health. PMID:12819282

Characterization of the Lower Wolfcamp, Midland Basin, Texas, using subsurface stratigraphic and geochemical datasets.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perlman, Z. S.; Ryan, P. T.; Baldwin, P.; Lucas, J.; McGlue, M. M.; Waite, L.; Woodruff, O. P.

2016-12-01

In recent years, the Midland Basin of west Texas has resurfaced as a strong and viable unconventional oil field, especially within the late Pennsylvanian-Early Permian section. In addition to exploring for hydrocarbons, studying this basin allows for a better understanding of the paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental conditions that prevailed during deposition. This research focuses on subsurface data from the Lower Wolfcamp interval of the northern Midland Basin proximal to the Horseshoe Atoll. Chemostratigraphic and lithostratigraphic analyses were conducted on 388 ft of continuous drill core extracted from Martin County, Texas. Comprehensive analyses revealed repetitive stacking of organic-rich siliceous mudrocks, aluminum-rich clayey mudrocks, and diverse carbonate facies. High resolution energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence data demonstrate cyclic variability in silicon, aluminum, and calcium weight percentages. These data suggest that during the time of deposition, the Midland Basin was a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate system influenced by a global icehouse climate with high frequency glacio-eustatic sea level fluctuations. Organic carbon preservation at this time was at least partially influenced by bottom water redox conditions. Elemental trace metal data suggests the potential for anoxia and possibly euxinia, likely influenced by recharge from the Panthalassic Ocean. Stratal evidence for bottom water conditions and patterns of organic enrichment vary across the basin and in vertical succession; these factors may be explained by evolving oceanographic processes and environmental gradients within the basin. The timing of Lower Wolfcamp deposition may be Late Pennsylvanian, based on correlations to fusulinids in shelfal carbonates. Thus, our preliminary interpretations focus on Lower Wolfcamp strata as a condensed package of deep-basin cyclothems.

Electron tomographic analysis of gap junctions in lateral giant fibers of crayfish.

PubMed

Ohta, Yasumi; Nishikawa, Kouki; Hiroaki, Yoko; Fujiyoshi, Yoshinori

2011-07-01

Innexin-gap junctions in crayfish lateral giant fibers (LGFs) have an important role in escape behavior as a key component of rapid signal transduction. Knowledge of the structure and function of characteristic vesicles on the both sides of the gap junction, however, is limited. We used electron tomography to analyze the three-dimensional structure of crayfish gap junctions and gap junctional vesicles (GJVs). Tomographic analyses showed that some vesicles were anchored to innexons and almost all vesicles were connected by thin filaments. High densities inside the GJVs and projecting densities on the GJV membranes were observed in fixed and stained samples. Because the densities inside synaptic vesicles were dependent on the fixative conditions, different fixative conditions were used to elucidate the molecules included in the GJVs. The projecting densities on the GJVs were studied by immunoelectron microscopy with anti-vesicular monoamine transporter (anti-VMAT) and anti-vesicular nucleotide transporter (anti-VNUT) antibodies. Some of the projecting densities were labeled by anti-VNUT, but not anti-VMAT. Three-dimensional analyses of GJVs and excitatory chemical synaptic vesicles (CSVs) revealed clear differences in their sizes and central densities. Furthermore, the imaging data obtained under different fixative conditions and the immunolabeling results, in which GJVs were positively labeled for anti-VNUT but excitatory CSVs were not, support our model that GJVs contain nucleotides and excitatory CSVs do not. We propose a model in which characteristic GJVs containing nucleotides play an important role in the signal processing in gap junctions of crayfish LGFs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) applied to college students: a randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Pistorello, Jacqueline; Fruzzetti, Alan E; Maclane, Chelsea; Gallop, Robert; Iverson, Katherine M

2012-12-01

College counseling centers (CCCs) are increasingly being called upon to treat highly distressed students with complex clinical presentations. This study compared the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for suicidal college students with an optimized control condition and analyzed baseline global functioning as a moderator. The intent-to-treat (ITT) sample included 63 college students between the ages of 18 and 25 years who were suicidal at baseline, reported at least 1 lifetime nonsuicidal self-injurious (NSSI) act or suicide attempt, and met 3 or more borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnostic criteria. Participants were randomly assigned to DBT (n = 31) or an optimized treatment-as-usual (O-TAU) control condition (n = 32). Treatment was provided by trainees, supervised by experts in both treatments. Both treatments lasted 7-12 months and included both individual and group components. Assessments were conducted at pretreatment, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and 18 months (follow-up). Mixed effects analyses (ITT sample) revealed that DBT, compared with the control condition, showed significantly greater decreases in suicidality, depression, number of NSSI events (if participant had self-injured), BPD criteria, and psychotropic medication use and significantly greater improvements in social adjustment. Most of these treatment effects were observed at follow-up. No treatment differences were found for treatment dropout. Moderation analyses showed that DBT was particularly effective for suicidal students who were lower functioning at pretreatment. DBT is an effective treatment for suicidal, multiproblem college students. Future research should examine the implementation of DBT in CCCs in a stepped care approach.

Geochemical characterization of Neogene sediments from onshore West Baram Delta Province, Sarawak: paleoenvironment, source input and thermal maturity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Togunwa, Olayinka S.; Abdullah, Wan H.

2017-08-01

The Neogene strata of the onshore West Baram Province of NW Borneo contain organic rich rock formations particularly within the Sarawak basin. This basin is a proven prolific oil and gas province, thus has been a subject of great interest to characterise the nature of the organic source input and depositional environment conditions as well as thermal maturation. This study is performed on outcrop samples of Lambir, Miri and Tukau formations, which are of stratigraphic equivalence to the petroleum bearing cycles of the offshore West Baram delta province in Sarawak. The investigated mudstone samples are organic rich with a total organic carbon (TOC) content of more than 1.0 wt.%. The integration of elemental and molecular analyses indicates that there is no significant variation in the source input between these formations. The investigated biomarkers parameters achieved from acyclic isoprenoids, terpanes and steranes biomarkers of a saturated hydrocarbon biomarkers revealed that these sediments contain high contribution of land plants with minor marine organic matter input that was deposited and preserved under relatively oxic to suboxic conditions. This is further supported by low total sulphur (TS), high TOC/TN ratios, source and redox sensitive trace elements (V, Ni, Cr, Co and Mo) concentrations and their ratios, which suggest terrigenous source input deposited under oxic to suboxic conditions. Based on the analysed biomarker thermal maturity indicators, it may be deduced that the studied sediments are yet to enter the maturity stage for hydrocarbon generation, which is also supported by measured vitrinite reflectance values of 0.39-0.48% Ro.

Spatial and temporal trends in water quality in a Mediterranean temporary river impacted by sewage effluents.

PubMed

David, Arthur; Tournoud, Marie-George; Perrin, Jean-Louis; Rosain, David; Rodier, Claire; Salles, Christian; Bancon-Montigny, Chrystelle; Picot, Bernadette

2013-03-01

This paper analyzes how changes in hydrological conditions can affect the water quality of a temporary river that receives direct inputs of sewage effluents. Data from 12 spatial surveys of the Vène river were examined. Physico-chemical parameters, major ion, and nutrient concentrations were measured. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analyses were performed. ANOVA revealed significant spatial differences for conductivity and major ion but no significant spatial differences for nutrient concentrations even if higher average concentrations were observed at stations located downstream from sewage effluent discharge points. Significant temporal differences were observed among all the parameters. Karstic springs had a marked dilution effect on the direct disposal of sewage effluents. During high-flow periods, nutrient concentrations were high to moderate whereas nutrient concentrations ranged from moderate to bad at stations located downstream from the direct inputs of sewage effluents during low-flow periods. Principal component analysis showed that water quality parameters that explained the water quality of the Vène river were highly dependent on hydrological conditions. Cluster analysis showed that when the karstic springs were flowing, water quality was homogeneous all along the river, whereas when karstic springs were dry, water quality at the monitoring stations was more fragmented. These results underline the importance of considering hydrological conditions when monitoring the water quality of temporary rivers. In view of the pollution observed in the Vène river, "good water chemical status" can probably only be achieved by improving the management of sewage effluents during low-flow periods.

Test-specific control conditions for functional analyses.

PubMed

Fahmie, Tara A; Iwata, Brian A; Querim, Angie C; Harper, Jill M

2013-01-01

Most functional analyses of problem behavior include a common condition (play or noncontingent reinforcement) as a control for both positive and negative reinforcement. However, test-specific conditions that control for each potential source of reinforcement may be beneficial occasionally. We compared responding during alone, ignore, play, and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) control conditions for individuals whose problem behavior was maintained by positive or negative reinforcement. Results showed that all of the conditions were effective controls for problem behavior maintained by positive reinforcement; however, the DRO condition was consistently ineffective as a control for problem behavior maintained by negative reinforcement. Implications for the design of functional analyses and future research are discussed. © Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Effect of Retraining Approach-Avoidance Tendencies on an Exercise Task: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Cheval, Boris; Sarrazin, Philippe; Pelletier, Luc; Friese, Malte

2016-12-01

Promoting regular physical activity (PA) and lessening sedentary behaviors (SB) constitute a public health priority. Recent evidence suggests that PA and SB are not only related to reflective processes (eg, behavioral intentions), but also to impulsive approach-avoidance tendencies (IAAT). This study aims to test the effect of a computerized IAAT intervention on an exercise task. Participants (N = 115) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions, in which they were either trained to approach PA and avoid SB (ApPA-AvSB condition), to approach SB and avoid PA (ApSB-AvPA condition), or to approach and avoid PA and SB equally often (active control condition). The main outcome variable was the time spent carrying out a moderate intensity exercise task. IAAT toward PA decreased in the ApSB-AvPA condition, tended to increase in the ApPA-AvSB condition, and remained stable in the control condition. Most importantly, the ApPA-AvSB manipulation led to more time spent exercising than the ApSB-AvPA condition. Sensitivity analyses excluding individuals who were highly physically active further revealed that participants in the ApPA-AvSB condition spent more time exercising than participants in the control condition. These findings provide preliminary evidence that a single intervention session can successfully change impulsive approach tendencies toward PA and can increase the time devoted to an exercise task, especially among individuals who need to be more physically active. Potential implications for health behavior theories and behavior change interventions are outlined.

Differential Responses to a Visual Self-Motion Signal in Human Medial Cortical Regions Revealed by Wide-View Stimulation

PubMed Central

Wada, Atsushi; Sakano, Yuichi; Ando, Hiroshi

2016-01-01

Vision is important for estimating self-motion, which is thought to involve optic-flow processing. Here, we investigated the fMRI response profiles in visual area V6, the precuneus motion area (PcM), and the cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv)—three medial brain regions recently shown to be sensitive to optic-flow. We used wide-view stereoscopic stimulation to induce robust self-motion processing. Stimuli included static, randomly moving, and coherently moving dots (simulating forward self-motion). We varied the stimulus size and the presence of stereoscopic information. A combination of univariate and multi-voxel pattern analyses (MVPA) revealed that fMRI responses in the three regions differed from each other. The univariate analysis identified optic-flow selectivity and an effect of stimulus size in V6, PcM, and CSv, among which only CSv showed a significantly lower response to random motion stimuli compared with static conditions. Furthermore, MVPA revealed an optic-flow specific multi-voxel pattern in the PcM and CSv, where the discrimination of coherent motion from both random motion and static conditions showed above-chance prediction accuracy, but that of random motion from static conditions did not. Additionally, while area V6 successfully classified different stimulus sizes regardless of motion pattern, this classification was only partial in PcM and was absent in CSv. This may reflect the known retinotopic representation in V6 and the absence of such clear visuospatial representation in CSv. We also found significant correlations between the strength of subjective self-motion and univariate activation in all examined regions except for primary visual cortex (V1). This neuro-perceptual correlation was significantly higher for V6, PcM, and CSv when compared with V1, and higher for CSv when compared with the visual motion area hMT+. Our convergent results suggest the significant involvement of CSv in self-motion processing, which may give rise to its percept. PMID:26973588

Feeding dynamics and ecomorphology of Oligosarcus jenynsii (Gunther, 1864) and Oligosarcus robustus (Menezes, 1969) in the Lagoa Fortaleza, southern Brazil.

PubMed

Nunes, D M; Hartz, S M

2006-02-01

Oligosarcus jenynsii and Oligosarcus robustus are fishes of Characidae family that occur in Rio Grande do Sul, Uruguay and northern Argentina. This work purported to study the feeding dynamics (repletion and hepatosomatic indexes and condition factor) over time, and to investigate the coexistence of these two species by evaluating the partition of resources using qualitative and quantitative analyses of diet, temporal and spatial segregation throughout the water column and some ecomorphological aspects of the species in the Lagoa Fortaleza. Specimens were sampled monthly, from May 2000 to April 2001 during 24 h/month, using stationary gill nets of different mesh sizes. The records of each individual included total and standard length; total, stomach and liver weight; sex and stomach repletion. The variation of the mean values of repletion index and relative frequencies of stomach repletion stages indicate that O. jenynsii and O. robustus do not present seasonal differences in feeding intensity. The hepatosomatic index shows an allocation of energy to the liver during every period except reproduction, when part of the energy is used for gonad maturation. The estimated condition factor for both species reveals an increase in the reproductive period, evidencing the influence of gonads upon the condition of the fish. The diet analysis revealed that O. robustus is piscivorous, whereas O. jenynsii is a generalist carnivore, tending to piscivory as well. The active period of O. robustus is more concentrated at sunrise and sunset, whereas O. jenynsii is continually active, a characteristic related to hunting for prey. The ecomorphological analysis revealed differences between the two species in the dimensions of the mouth. Evidence suggests that the species coexist, sharing food sources, differing in oral morphology but ingesting similar prey, possibly because food is not a limiting factor in the environment.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy for hypochondriasis/health anxiety: a meta-analysis of treatment outcome and moderators.

PubMed

Olatunji, Bunmi O; Kauffman, Brooke Y; Meltzer, Sari; Davis, Michelle L; Smits, Jasper A J; Powers, Mark B

2014-07-01

The present investigation employed meta-analysis to examine the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for hypochondriasis/health anxiety as well as potential moderators that may be associated with outcome. A literature search revealed 15 comparisons among 13 randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) with a total sample size of 1081 participants that met inclusion criteria. Results indicated that CBT outperformed control conditions on primary outcome measures at post-treatment (Hedges's g = 0.95) and at follow-up (Hedges's g = 0.34). CBT also outperformed control conditions on measures of depression at post-treatment (Hedges's g = 0.64) and at follow-up (Hedges's g = 0.35). Moderator analyses revealed that higher pre-treatment severity of hypochondriasis/health anxiety was associated with greater effect sizes at follow-up visits and depression symptom severity was significantly associated with a lower in effect sizes at post-treatment. Although effect size did not vary as a function of blind assessment, smaller effect sizes were observed for CBT vs. treatment as usual control conditions than for CBT vs. waitlist control. A dose response relationship was also observed, such that a greater number of CBT sessions was associated with larger effect sizes at post-treatment. This review indicates that CBT is efficacious in the treatment of hypochondriasis/health anxiety and identifies potential moderators that are associated with outcome. The implications of these findings for further delineating prognostic and prescriptive indicators of CBT for hypochondriasis/health anxiety are discussed. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolution of the structure and function of the vertebrate tongue

PubMed Central

Iwasaki, Shin-ichi

2002-01-01

Abstract Studies of the comparative morphology of the tongues of living vertebrates have revealed how variations in the morphology and function of the organ might be related to evolutional events. The tongue, which plays a very important role in food intake by vertebrates, exhibits significant morphological variations that appear to represent adaptation to the current environmental conditions of each respective habitat. This review examines the fundamental importance of morphology in the evolution of the vertebrate tongue, focusing on the origin of the tongue and on the relationship between morphology and environmental conditions. Tongues of various extant vertebrates, including those of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, were analysed in terms of gross anatomy and microanatomy by light microscopy and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Comparisons of tongue morphology revealed a relationship between changes in the appearance of the tongue and changes in habitat, from a freshwater environment to a terrestrial environment, as well as a relationship between the extent of keratinization of the lingual epithelium and the transition from a moist or wet environment to a dry environment. The lingual epithelium of amphibians is devoid of keratinization while that of reptilians is keratinized to different extents. Reptiles live in a variety of habitats, from seawater to regions of high temperature and very high or very low humidity. Keratinization of the lingual epithelium is considered to have been acquired concomitantly with the evolution of amniotes. The variations in the extent of keratinization of the lingual epithelium, which is observed between various amniotes, appear to be secondary, reflecting the environmental conditions of different species. PMID:12171472

Chemically activated carbon from lignocellulosic wastes for heavy metal wastewater remediation: Effect of activation conditions.

PubMed

Nayak, Arunima; Bhushan, Brij; Gupta, Vartika; Sharma, P

2017-05-01

Chemical activation is known to induce specific surface features of porosity and functionality which play a definite role in enhancing the adsorptive potential of the developed activated carbons. Different conditions of temperature, time, reagent type and impregnation ratio were applied on sawdust precursor and their effect on the physical, surface chemical features and finally on the adsorption potential of the developed activated carbons were analysed. Under activation conditions of 600°C, 1hr, 1:0.5 ratio, ZnCl 2 impregnated carbon (CASD_ZnCl 2 ) resulted in microporosity while KOH impregnation (CASD_KOH) yielded a carbon having a wider pore size distribution. The surface chemistry revealed similar functionalities. At same pH, temperature and adsorbate concentrations, CASD_KOH demonstrated better adsorption potential (1.06mmoles/g for Cd 2+ and 1.61mmoles/g for Ni 2+ ) in comparison to CASD_ZnCl 2 (0.23mmoles/g and 0.33mmoles/g for Cd 2+ and Ni 2+ respectively). Other features were a short equilibrium time of 60mins and an adsorbent dose of 0.2g/L for the CASD_KOH in comparison to CASD_ZnCl 2 (equilibrium time of 150min and dosage of 0.5g/L). The nature of interactions was physical for both adsorbents and pore diffusion mechanisms were operative. The results reveal the potentiality of chemical activation so as to achieve the best physico-chemical properties suited for energy efficient, economical and eco-friendly water treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.